Grandmother Cake

My niece Mahdieh joon, her husband Reza joon, and my niece Sahar joon are visiting for the Christmas holiday.

Mahdieh joon made a delicious sponge cake that she calls grandmother cake because her grandmother, Mother joon used to make it. She says that her mother Fali joon and her aunt Esmat joon make the cake also. They all think of Mother joon when making it.

This is an attempt to save the recipe and the story of who began the tradition in the family, as far as we know. Who knows, it may have been passed down from Mother joon’s grandmother to her! 

This is the recipe:

2 cups sifted flour 

1 tsp baking powder

I pinch of salt

1 pinch of grnd cardamon

1 pinch of ground saffron

1 cup of sugar

7 eggs, separated

2/3 cup oil

Mix dry ingredients except for sugar.

Beat egg yolks for 5 mins.

Preheat oven to 300.

Mix sugar into beaten egg yolks.

Add 2/3 cup water, milk, or orange juice and mix well for at least five minutes. You may need to adjust sugar if you use sweetened orange juice.

 

               

Add the dry ingredients and mix. 

 

Beat egg whites until loose peaks form.

Fold into the batter.

 

Pour batter into greased 9X13 inch baking dish. 

Check cake for 40 minutes and adjust time as needed. 

When cake is done, turn off oven and leave cake in oven as it cools down. 

Remove after oven cools. Best if served the day it is baked. 

So this Christmas holiday, we were fortunate to have family with us. We were fortunate to spend time in spirit with family across the globe when we learned of how Fali and Esmat still make the same cake that Mahdieh made for us. We were even able to remember family from the past when we remember how Mother joon used to make the cake. And I was even thinking about family of the future. Perhaps, years from now, my granddaughter Jooniebug will show her own grandchild how to make this cake and tell her how her great-great-great grandmother in Iran used to make this very same cake.

Bringing In the Greens

 

I really like mustard greens. I might even love them. I don’t like turnips at all but the turnip greens are pretty good. I don’t care for collard greens or plain cooked spinach. Mom used to make poke, but I never had a fondness for it. The kale that I see in the grocery feels like that thick leatherette paper from the craft store, so I haven’t been interested in trying it. Mustard greens are my favorite by far. When a green is such tasty, perfection, why look elsewhere?

Dad used to plant mustard in his garden in the fall, but picking it was a literal pain. It grows low to the ground and you have to pick a lot of it to make a mess. A big fairly full trash bag will cook down and only make a few bags for the freezer.

So, you have to stoop over to pick low-growing greens, and you have to stay that way for quite a while to pick enough to be worthwhile. Dad’s back hurts and I get faint when I bend over and then stand back up. So, picking a big bag of greens can be difficult.

Well, I kept seeing folks using raised beds to grow some of their garden stuffs and I mentioned it to Dad and Mom. Mom thought it was a good idea so she ordered three. By the time we got them put together the first year, it was getting pretty late. Dad did sow some mustard and we managed to get a mess to eat and a few bags for the freezer.

 

 
 

 

Well, the next spring, Dad planted some leaf lettuce, green onions and a few mustard greens. We had a couple messes of lettuce and onions and a small mess or two of greens. We hadn’t had lettuce and onions in decades and it sure was gooooood!!

Dad sowed mustard in all three beds this fall, but we were late again and then Dad ended up in the hospital for several days. I even ended up in the hospital a day or two. The greens were neglected. I think that it was too dry for them to get a good start. When Dad got to feeling better, he resowed the mustard and they started growing. Since it was so late in the season, Cam, Dad, and I made greenhouse frames to fit over the raised beds. We are hoping that the winter won’t be too bad and our greenhouses will let us have mustard most of the winter. One can dream!

 

 

So, with the costs of the raised beds, the seeds, the soil mixture to fill them, the materials used to make our greenhouses, Dad jokes that our greens only cost their weight in gold per serving! Every mess we get, the price per serving goes down a mite. However much they end of costing, they surely are tender and tasty!

So, a while back, Dad and I picked the greens and got two bags for the freezer. They are so easy to pick in their raised beds!

 

    

 

After picking, rinse greens several times in cold water and drain.

Place  a gallon or more of water into a large pot and boil. Add the clean greens, stirring as you add. As they wilt down, add more until they are sll in the pot. Turn heat down to a gentle boil and stir occasionally as they cook about 20 more minutes. 
 

To freeze, drain the greens, let them cool. 
 

 

 Place cooled greens  into labeled and dated freezer bags. 

When completely cool, put into freezer..

If you don’t want to freeze your greens, after draining off excess water, add some oil, salt and whatever seasonings you prefer. Stir as necessary. Cook over med-med-low heat until tender. Enjoy with a little lemon juice, vinegar, hot sauce… 


As I was picking the mustard, I enjoyed the beautiful green of the leaves and the lovely pungent fragrance of them. I was thinking about the family members over the generations who had likely done the same.

Greens are more tolerant of cool weather than many other garden vegetables. Folks could plant them in early spring or late summer/fall when cool weather might occur. Dad says that his parents would sow turnips and mustard in late summer/fall. He says that most other garden produce was gone by the time the greens and turnips came in. Those greens and turnips were  welcome bits of fresh produce for the family who had been consuming the preserved produce from Grandma’s canning closet or the root cellar. In the spring, fresh greens would have been a welcome treat before the rest of the garden came in. Mom says that they didn’t grow mustard or turnip greens in the spring, but they would comb the hillsides for the greens of plantain, dandelion, and lamb’s quarters. Mammy would cook them and they could also enjoy some fresh greens.

I imagine that that bit of fresh produce lifted spirits a bit in anticipation of the garden produce that could be enjoyed during the summer. It is no wonder that eating spring greens was considered a spring tonic!

As I was picking the greens, I was singing to myself, “Bringing in the greens, bringing in the greens, we shall come rejoicing, bringing in the greens!”

Bringing in the Sheaves was written in 1874. I know that the sheaves brought in in the song had a figurative meaning other than the harvesting of produce from the garden; but I just can’t help but imagine the rejoicing that my family members must have known when they had good harvests. Their minds could rest a bit easier knowing that their families would have nourishment during the lean times of winter and early spring. I imagine that those past family members born after the hymn became popular may have, just like me, picked greens while singing “Bringing in the greens, bringing in the greens, we shall come rejoicing bringing in the greens!”

Full Circle...and Then Some

I was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1960. When we lived in Ohio, my parents, my brother, and I would travel down to Anglin Branch in Southeastern Kentucky to visit Grandpa and Grandma Smith as often as possible.

In the summer of my eighth year, we moved from Ohio to a farm outside of Wartrace Tennessee. We would then travel up to Anglin Branch to visit Grandpa and Grandma as often as possible. We would visit them there until Grandma and Grandpa moved in with Uncle John and Aunt Hortense’s family in Dayton, Ohio. They moved to Ohio somewhere around 1975.

Now, sometime soon after we had moved to Wartrace in 1968, Dad had gone to the Martin and Price Hardware store in Shelbyville, Tennessee. There he purchased two identical John Primble knives. He gave one of them to his brother, Dale Smith.

Uncle Dale, Aunt Naomi, and Cousin Roger Dale lived about a mile up the road from us in Tennessee. We visited with Uncle Dale’s family fairly often. Uncle Dale drank coffee that had so much sugar in it that it was surely more akin to syrup than coffee. He could squat down like the hind catcher for a baseball team for, it seemed, hours on end.

 

                                                         Uncle Dale stirring his "syrup" 

Uncle Dale was a very forward thinking man. He was stringing television cable from antennas on top of steep hills to homes in rural Southeastern Kentucky nearly as quick as he was running electric to them. Back when televisions were bulky boxes with tubes, he could fix televisions. He and his brother-in-law, Harold Becknell fixed televisions to make a little cash. Uncle Dale and Aunt Naomi owned a skating rink at one time in Island City Kentucky. After moving to Tennessee, he ran a small dairy farm for a while. He worked in maintenance at Eaton Corporation for several years. Later he owned a Vemeer round hay baler business and then a Deutz tractor business. Uncle Dale was a real entrepreneur.

Years before his death, Uncle Dale had even predicted that one day folks would be buying bottles of water at the store like they were buying pop and beer back in the day. I guess that we didn’t really take him seriously, but today, Mom and Dad have to buy every drop of water they drink or cook with because their tap water tastes strongly of chemicals. Most folks probably have bought some bottled water sometime in their lives.

I don’t know what ever became of the knife that Dad gave to Uncle Dale, but one of those John Primble knives purchased by Dad at Martin and Price Hardware in Shelbyville, Tennessee was given to him.

Dad gave the other John Primble knife to Grandpa Smith the next time we visited with him on Anglin. This was sometime soon after we had moved to Tennessee in 1968.

Now, when I imagine Grandpa, I picture him wearing either his bib overalls and a long-sleeved button up shirt or a dickey type shirt and britches. He is also wearing his old felt fedora hat and there is a twinkle of mischief in his blue eyes. Grandpa Smith loved to play rummy. He also loved to whittle.

 

                                                             Grandpa playing rummy.

                                                           Grandpa in his bib overalls.

 

           Dad sitting on the steps and Grandma Smith sitting on the porch where stories were shared. 

It was while we were sitting out on the front porch with Grandpa whittling aromatic curls of cedar from a stick that he had pulled from the bib of his overalls that he told me of his giant friend. It seems that when mists were hanging in the hillsides, his giant friend who lived nearby was sitting out on his own porch smoking his pipe. That day, those mists dotted the hills and his giant friend was enjoying his pipe.

Still today, when I go to the Smoky Mountains and see all of the mists hanging in the mountains, I imagine that Grandpa’s giant friend is having a family reunion in the Smoky Mountains.

Last week, I visited Mom and Dad. After taking Mom to the grocery and then eating lunch, we sat in the den visiting. After looking around the room at all of their “stuff”, Mom lamented that probably no one would want all of the things they had collected over their lifetimes. Dad said that he was just going to tell folks to take turns picking out knives from his collection of knives. I mentioned that I would love to have any knife that he had that had belonged to Grandpa Smith as I could remember Grandpa sitting on the porch whittling with it.

Dad stood up and left the room. When he came back, he handed me this knife and told me of how he had bought it and another just like it at Martin Price hardware in Shelbyville, Tennessee. One he had given to Uncle Dale and the other he had given to Grandpa Smith sometime soon after we had moved to Tennessee. He said that after Grandpa passed away, Uncle Wallace ended up with the knife. Uncle Wallace then gave it to Dad.

 

 

Dad said that he couldn’t promise that I had seen Grandpa whittle with this same knife, but we figured that since he had given the knife to Grandpa soon after we moved to Tennessee in 1968, and Grandpa didn’t move from Anglin Branch until around 1975, I very well could have remembered Grandpa whittling with that very knife.

I admired the knife, opening and closing the blades and noted how it seemed to have been used more than a bit. I could almost picture Grandpa opening that main blade, and swishing it back and forth across his soap bar-sized, dark gray, whetstone that had a nick along the bottom edge. Then he would pull his stick of cedar from his bib to whittle as he told me a story of a pipe-smoking giant friend who lived nearby in the hills.

I stood and handed the knife back to Dad who asked, “What are you doing? I am giving it to you; don’t you want it?” I hadn’t realized that he was giving it to me now. I hugged him and said “Thank you. Of course, I want it!”

So, this knife came from a hardware store in Shelbyville, Tennessee. It made its way to Anglin Branch Kentucky before making its way with Grandpa to Dayton, Ohio where he and Grandma lived with John and Hortense Smith Allen. When Grandpa passed, it made its way into the hands of Uncle Wallace Smith in Loveland, Ohio. Uncle Wallace then returned it to Donald Smith back in Middle Tennessee.

And now, it belongs to me, April Smith Hajjafar, here in Tennessee. I am not certain who I will pass this treasure on to. I am not certain if it will make its way across the country, or perhaps even the world. I just hope that whoever ends up with it, the owner will know stories of the wonderful Grandpa who once sat on a porch whittling with it as he regaled his granddaughter April with the story of his neighbor. That neighbor just happened to be a giant who happened to smoke a pipe.

Go Team!!!

 

“A team can be defined as a group of people who perform interdependent tasks to work toward accomplishing a common or specific objective.”

When I think of teams, I tend to think of sports teams like the University of Kentucky Wildcats. Both sides of my family have longstanding ties with Kentucky. My Uncle Olen Nolen was offered a basketball scholarship to UK back in the 60s but he enlisted in the Marines instead. So, the Cats hold a special place in my heart and are “my” team.

Unfortunately, several past family members “teamed” up in very dangerous and deadly ways as factions in family feuds. These feuds could have easily rivaled the infamous Hatfield and McCoy clash.

Some family members have belonged to organizations like the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Daughters of the American Revolution… which I suppose could equate to being teams.

When I think of past family though, I imagine that most of their energy went towards survival with little thought for organizations or competitive teams. Perhaps the young’uns may have had competitions of who could finish hoeing their rows of corn first, or who could finish stringing and breaking their bushel of green beans first. Of course, they would have to do it properly or they would have to lick the calf over.

Otherwise, the teams of importance to my ancestors would have likely been their team of mules. Those mules performed much work, making life easier for my family.

Another type of team was of vast importance to my family members. When I think of past family, I think of memories and stories shared with me by family members and I think of this different kind of team; the team made up of the members of the community. Those community members worked together to ensure the survival of the community. Those community members knew that survival of the community relied upon the individual families making up that community. A kind of symbiosis existed that led to the benefit of all.

I have heard of many examples of past community members helping out other members of the community. These communities were very remote and rural. Physicians were not readily available and folks often relied on remedies recommended by folks knowledgeable in the use of medicinal plants. My own great-grandmother Amanda Moore Allen, after moving away from Kentucky to Dayton, Ohio, would send a medicinal plant list with her son John Allen when he was returning to the area for a visit. He would walk the woods in search of the plants his mother needed for her treatments. Other community women became quite knowledgeable in delivering babies. When an expectant mother’s time came, one of these women would be fetched to assist with the delivery. My great-grandmother Jane Thomas Smith King and several aunts served as midwives in their communities.

Other members of the community would be called upon to perform more faith related healings. Some community members were known to be able to stop bleeding. My great-uncle Columbus Middleton could stop blood by reciting Ezekiel 16:6. My cousin Philip Smith witnessed him stopping an uncontrolled and enduring nosebleed that my grandfather Dave Smith experienced. As soon as Columbus recited the verse, Grandpa’s nose immediately stopped bleeding. Columbus could also wish away warts and taught his niece how to do the same.

The seventh son of a seventh son was thought to have healing powers by some and might be called upon to cure thrush in babies. Some folks were thought to be able to take the fire out of burns. All of these healers were part of the team that made up the community and were called upon when needed.

Some members of the community were skilled as carpenters. They could help their neighbors with their building projects. My Grandpa Boyd Nolen was a very skilled carpenter. He helped his neighbors the Murrells to build a new chicken coop. While he was there, the mailman came by and delivered an official looking letter. The Murrell’s son Robert was off fighting in the Korean War. Fearing the worst, Emma Murrell could not bear to open the letter to read it. She asked Grandpa Boyd if he could read it to her. Unfortunately, Robert had been injured during the war, but thankfully his injuries were not life-threatening and he would be able to return home from the war. Grandpa had started out on the carpentry faction of the community team and ended up on the comfort team.

Members of the community would also work together during the cooler times of late fall when families would slaughter the hogs that they had raised to provide protein for their families. Back in the day, homes did not have electricity and the only refrigeration was that provided by nature. The cool of a root cellar, the crisp water of a spring, or the cold of winter could provide some natural refrigeration but there were no deep freezers where fresh meat could be packaged and stored. Some cuts of meat such as hams, shoulders, side meat, bacon… could be smoked, or salt or sugar cured. Sausage could be formed into balls, cooked, covered in fat, and canned for later use. Other cuts of meat were best fresh. Neighbors would often work together and stagger the slaughtering of their hogs during cool weather. The fresh cuts of meat could be shared amongst those helping. When it came time for the neighbor to slaughter his hog, the favor would be returned and those assisting would receive a portion of fresh meat. In this way of staggering slaughters and sharing the meat, the lack of refrigeration was less of a problem and the community as a whole benefited.

Working as a team could make work less solitary and therefore less tedious. Company could make some chores safer also. If something went wrong, there was someone available to go for help.

In Southeastern Kentucky where many of my relatives lived, small seams of coal were often on the properties of family members. My Grandpa Dave Smith had such a bank of coal on his land, as did his neighbor Levi Allen. Grandpa and Levi would work together when digging coal from their coal banks. Grandpa would help Levi and Levi, in turn would help Grandpa. I am sure that they enjoyed each other’s companionship and should the bank crumble in, there was someone there to help.

Members of a community worked together in several other ways. One community member might own a sorghum mill. That member might set up a sorghum boil off where members of the community could bring their harvested sorghum cane. All of the cane would be juiced and boiled down with the owner of the mill receiving part of the finished product as payment. Another member might own a grain mill or a lumber mill. They might keep a portion of the milled grain or lumber as “payment” for use of the mill.

Members of a community could also provide safe havens for other members of the community. My Grandpa Boyd Nolen was a fine man but when he drank, he could become a different person. When my Grandma Rachel Allen Nolen knew he was drinking, she would gather the children and hurriedly take them to stay with the family of Bill Gross. There they would stay until it was safe for grandma to fetch them back.

Community members helped out other members in need. My Great-grandmother Amanda Moore Allen was widowed with five children. One of her neighbors would bring his mule and plow her garden for her. In return, she would prepare a meal for him to enjoy when he was finished. I imagine that she would share some of the harvest from that garden with his family when it came in also.

In the rural areas where my family lived, some community members would have small stores in their homes. The folks who owned these stores would often allow other community members to purchase things on credit. Money was not plentiful in these rural areas. Most folks were able to raise most of what they required to survive. Coffee, sugar, flour and a few other things had to be bought. The owners of these small stores would extend credit to local families. The bill would be paid when a family’s tobacco money came in, or the family received a payment from a member working for the Civilian Conservation Corps. The owners of these small stores were an important part of the community team.



Community members celebrated happy occasions with others. Women may have come together to make a new quilt for a couple’s wedding bed. A quilt may have been made to welcome a new baby. Celebrations of this kind were brief but welcomed respites from the tedium of unending chores.

Laura Sandlin Edwards was the neighbor of my Smith grandparents. We would often stop to visit Laura and her husband Oscar when we visited with my grandparents. Laura made a small quilt for me when I was a baby. I recall carrying that quilt around with me until it was just threads. Laura would have me stand by her doorframe and mark my height. She had the height of her granddaughter marked there also and she was comparing how we were both growing.

Of course, the lives of past family members were difficult and all occasions were not happy times of celebration. Sorrow and Death visited all too often. During these times, the team that was community stood steadfastly by, offering assistance, comfort, a bite to eat to grieving family. Men would take turns digging graves. Boards would be fashioned into coffins. Women would help to prepare bodies for burial. Neighbors would sit up with the families during wakes. Dishes would be prepared to provide sustenance to a family and community members numbed by grief.

When my Grandma Rachel Allen Nolen died at the age of 34, a neighbor brought his wagon pulled by his mules to carry her pine coffin to the cemetery where she would be buried. Family and neighbors would lift her coffin from the wagon bed and carry it to the grave they had dug. They would lower her body into that grave and each person would throw a handful of earth down upon her coffin, saying their final goodbyes.

Yes, the members of these communities were a team. They were a group of people who performed interdependent tasks to work toward accomplishing common or specific objectives. They had welcomed members into the community. They had celebrated births. They had worked together to ensure that the community had thrived by ensuring that the individual families had thrived.

And in the end, they had offered words of comfort while shedding their own tears at the loss of a member of their team.

A Wonderful Whirlwind of Family...Until It Wasn't!

My cousin Rachel Allen got married on July 8th in Corbin, Kentucky. Dad, Mom, and I drove to London, Kentucky on the 7th so we could attend. Cousin Donna Jean Fuller Flores had flown into Lexington, Kentucky from Florida and rented a car to attend the wedding.

  

                                         

                                                                  Resting in Kentucky

                                         

                                                        Kentucky, home of fine horses.

                             

                      Kentucky, home of fine folks.

Donna in her "toy" rental car. 

Donna Jean had driven to our hotel and she and I were roommates during her London stay. Donna and I would talk before sleeping. She asked how exactly Mom was kin to some of our Allen cousins. I explained how our Aunt Hortense Smith had married Mom’s Uncle John Allen, making their children double cousins to me.

I told Donna about the “Kennedy Compound” our family had there in our little corner of Dayton, Ohio with boocoodles of loving family around. Donna lamented that she grew up with little family around. She said that she felt closest to Cousin Lynn Smith Free as she was around her more than any of our other cousins. Uncle Dale Smith, Martha, and their daughter Lynn had lived near Grandma and Grandpa Smith. Whenever Donna’s family visited Gma and Gpa, she would get to see Lynn. Lynn is just over a year older than Donna and those visits during childhood seem to have forged a special bond.   

I told Donna how we were going to visit Mom's cousins while in London, and later, Uncle Wallace in Loveland, Ohio and Aunt Lola in Fairfield, Ohio. Donna asked how Uncle Wallace was doing and I told her that he seemed to be doing well. He was still mowing his grass, his neighbor's grass, and picking up tree limbs that storms blew down and burning them. She marveled that he could be turning 90 in November and still doing so much work.   

I discovered that I am a very good sleep aid for Donna. Both nights of us being roommates, she fell asleep to me telling stories. That was very good for her, as she needed sleep, but not a good reference of my story-telling abilities! LOL!

Rachel was a beautiful bride and the couple had a lovely wedding. Rachel and Ryan both looked so very happy. I pray that they have many, many years filled with love, happiness, good health, and prosperity. 

                            

                                                  Mr Ryan and Mrs Rachel Allen Chapman

 

                                                  

                                         

                                        

                                         

                                         

                                                   

 

                                        

                                       

                                                                                           

                                        

  

                                                    

                                                          Donald and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                        

                                                                         

                  Donna Fuller Flores, Donald Smith, Loretta Nolen Smith and Darryl Allen

                                                   

                                                   

                                 Donald Smith, Donna Fuller Flores, and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                         

                                                                                                      April Smith Hajjafar, Donald Smith, Loretta Nolen Smith, and Darryl Allen                                                 

                                                    

              Foreground to background; Sue Adams Smith, Betty Farmer Smith, and Paul Smith                                                 

                                                    

                                                     

                   Foreground to background; Sue Adams Smith, Betty Farmer Smith, and Paul Smith 

                                                   

                                                                

                    Foreground to background; Sue Adams Smith, Betty Farmer Smith, and Paul Smith 

                                                   

                                                    

                 Foreground to background; Sue Adams Smith, Betty Farmer Smith, and Paul Smith 

                                                  

                                                                           

            Foreground to background;  Loretta Nolen Smith, Donald Smith, Donna Fuller Flores                                       

                                                  

                                                

                                                             Here comes the bride!

                                                  Father Darryl Allen gives away the bride

 Father Darryl Allen gives away the bride

                                                 Father Darryl Allen gives away the bride

 Father Darryl Allen gives away the bride

Transfer nearly complete.

Lighting the unity candle.

                                                              Lighting the unity candle.

  

                                                  

                                                  

                                                  

                                                                      Kissing the bride!

                                                                 

      

                                                    Presenting Mr and Mrs Ryan Chapman!

                                                                      The Reception!

 

                                                   

                                                  

                                                  

                                                  

                                                  

Donna Fuller Flores, Philip Smith, and Donald Smith

Philip Smith, and Donald Smith

Philip Smith, and Donald Smith

Paul Smith and Betty Farmer Smith; Philip Smith standing. 

 

Paul Smith and Betty Farmer Smith; Philip Smith standing.

Paul Smith and his mother Betty Farmer Smith

Loretta Nolen Smith and Rachel Allen Chapman and serious conversation!

                                                                The chariot awaits!

                                                          Here come the newlyweds!

   

                                        

                                        

                                         

 

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                                              There go the newlyweds!

As it is with weddings, we got to see many family members that we haven’t seen in a while and it was nice to be able to see them all again. Rachel, Darryl, Karen, and Glenna are kin on both sides of my family; since my paternal Aunt Hortense married my maternal Grand-uncle John. We also got to see many of my Smith cousins and their families.

Of course Rachel’s parents, Darryl and Karen Burchfield Allen were there from Ohio. Glenna Allen and Karyn Sutherland Temple came in from Ohio. Donna Jean Fuller Flores came in from Florida. Several Kentucky family members were there. Philip Smith, his daughter Chelsea with her husband Jeff Cloud and children Ben and Susannah were there. Cousin Paul Smith and his mother Betty Farmer Smith were there. Aunt Sue Smith was there. Mom, Dad and I were there from Tennessee. It was a nice little reunion during a happy occasion. Our Allen and Smith folks are some good folks. 

                                                     Donna Fuller Flores and Philip Smith.

 Donna Fuller Flores and Philip Smith.

 Donna Fuller Flores and Philip Smith.

Loretta Nolen Smith, Karen Burchfield Allen, and Donald Smith

                              Loretta Nolen Smith, Karen Burchfield Allen, and Donald Smith

                                       

                                        

Darryl Allen, Loretta Nolen Smith, and Donald Smith

   Jeff Cloud, Chelsea Smith Cloud holding Susannah Cloud, Philip Smith and Ben Cloud in front

Jeff Cloud, Chelsea Smith Cloud holding Susannah Cloud, Philip Smith and Ben Cloud in front

    Jeff Cloud, Chelsea Smith Cloud holding Susannah Cloud, Philip Smith and Ben Cloud in front

    Jeff Cloud, Chelsea Smith Cloud holding Susannah Cloud, Philip Smith and Ben Cloud in front                                        

Now while we were in London, there was a Frisch’s Big Boy convenient to our hotel. My parents and I like Frisch’s and we don’t have one close to us in Tennessee, so we ate there. I got an open-faced roast beef sandwich. That sandwich brought back sweet memories for me of when my cousin “Kookie” Linda Cantrell and I would “cook” dinner for her dad, “Bug” Olen Cantrell, before he left for work.

Every day we “cooked” a big Banquet sliced meat and gravy dinner and instant mashed potatoes to make hot shots, similar to my Frisch’s sandwich. One day we had turkey hot shots and the next day we had beef hot shots. Uncle Bug must have gotten tired of our “cooking” but he never complained and always seemed to appreciate our efforts, such as they were.   

                                      

                                                           Sweet memory refresher.

                             

             Donald Smith and Loretta Nolen Smith, the paparazzi must be after them again!

 

                                         Donald Smith, Loretta Nolen Smith, and the Big Boy

                                                  

                                              

                                                 

                                                    April Smith Hajjafar and the Big Boy

On Sunday, we got to visit with several of my cousins and their families from Mom’s side of the family. They are children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of my Grand-aunt Cleo Nolen Allen and her husband Neil.

We met at Cleo’s daughter Barbara Allen Caudill’s home in London. We got to visit with Barbara’s husband Kermit, her son Clyde, and his wife Beth and their little girl Millie. Millie really took up with Dad and called him Uncle Who. She was going around telling everyone that Uncle Who was here. We all got a kick out of that!

We saw Barbara’s daughter Nicole and her husband Matt, and their two children Logan and Isabella. Unfortunately, they left before I realized it and I didn’t get a family picture of them. Logan and Isabella have surely grown up a lot since we last saw them. Logan was talking about how he and his friends were building a campsite somewhere back on his grandparents’ property. I think that he even mentioned that there was a small cave.

We saw Cleo’s daughter JoAnn Allen House. It is hard to get to see her because she is often working at the store she formerly owned. Seeing her was a really nice surprise. We got to see Cleo’s daughter Brenda and her husband William Ray. They have a farm that involves lots of work so we were fortunate that there wasn’t an ox in the ditch that Sunday. We got to see Cleo’s son Arlin also. Her sons Ray and Willie were not feeling well so we didn’t get to see them but we did enjoy spending time with those cousins that we got to see. They are wonderful folks and we are blessed to call them family.
 

                                              Barbara Allen Caudill and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                        

                                        

                                              Barbara Allen Caudill and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                                  

                                                 

                                              Barbara Allen Caudill and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                                  

                                                 

                                        Barbara Allen Caudill and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                        

                                       

                             JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                        

                                        

                             JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                        

                                       

                            JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                        

                                      

                           JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill and Loretta Nolen Smith                                    

                                      

                          JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                        

                                     

                        JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill and Loretta Nolen Smith                                

                                        

                                    

      JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill, Loretta Nolen Smith, and Brenda Allen Evans

                                        

                                    

       JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill, Loretta Nolen Smith, and Brenda Allen Evans                                       

                                        

                                    

       JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill, Loretta Nolen Smith, and Brenda Allen Evans                                     

                                        

                                        

   Loretta Nolen Smith, Barbara Allen Caudill, Brenda Allen Evans, JoAnn Allen House and Arlin Allen.                                      

                                        

                                        

   Loretta Nolen Smith, Barbara Allen Caudill, Brenda Allen Evans, JoAnn Allen House and Arlin Allen.                                       

                                        

                                       

           JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill, Loretta Nolen Smith, and April Smith Hajjafar

                                        

                                        

        JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill, Loretta Nolen Smith, and April Smith Hajjafar                                      

                                        

                                        

                             April Smith Hajjafar, JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill,

                                              Loretta Nolen Smith, and Brenda Allen Evans

                                        

                                        

                               April Smith Hajjafar, JoAnn Allen House, Barbara Allen Caudill,

                                              Loretta Nolen Smith, and Brenda Allen Evans

                                        

                                        

Beth Partin Caudill and Clyde Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

Beth Partin Caudill and Clyde Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

Beth Partin Caudill and Clyde Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

Beth Partin Caudill and Clyde Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

Beth Partin Caudill and Clyde Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

Beth Partin Caudill and Clyde Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

Beth Partin Caudill and Clyde Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

Beth Partin Caudill and Clyde Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

Beth Partin Caudill and Clyde Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

Beth Partin Caudill and Clyde Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

Beth Partin Caudill, Millie Jean Caudill, and Barbara Allen Caudill

Beth Partin Caudill, Millie Jean Caudill, and Barbara Allen Caudill

Brenda Allen Evans holding Millie Jean Caudill and Isabella Napier

Brenda Allen Evans holding Millie Jean Caudill and Isabella Napier

Brenda Allen Evans holding Millie Jean Caudill and Isabella Napier

  

Brenda Allen Evans holding Millie Jean Caudill 

Brenda Allen Evans holding Millie Jean Caudill 

Brenda Allen Evans holding Millie Jean Caudill

Brenda Allen Evans holding Millie Jean Caudill

Brenda Allen Evans holding Millie Jean Caudill

Millie Jean Caudill

Millie Jean Caudill

Millie Jean Caudill

                         Kermit Caudill holding Millie Caudill; standing; April Smith Hajjafar, 

            Donald Smith, Barbara Allen Caudill, JoAnn Allen House, and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                        

                                        

                              Kermit Caudill sitting;  standing; April Smith Hajjafar,  Donald Smith,

                                Barbara Allen Caudill, JoAnn Allen House, and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                        

                                        

                         Kermit Caudill holding Millie Caudill; standing; April Smith Hajjafar, 

            Donald Smith, Barbara Allen Caudill, JoAnn Allen House, and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                        

                                            

                              Kermit Caudill sitting;  standing; April Smith Hajjafar,  Donald Smith,

                                Barbara Allen Caudill, JoAnn Allen House, and Loretta Nolen Smith

                                        

                                        

                        Kermit Caudill holding Millie Caudill; standing; April Smith Hajjafar, 

            Donald Smith, Barbara Allen Caudill, JoAnn Allen House, and Loretta Nolen Smith

                          Kermit Caudill sitting;  standing; April Smith Hajjafar,  Donald Smith,

                           Barbara Allen Caudill, JoAnn Allen House, and Loretta Nolen Smith

                               Kermit Caudill sitting;  standing; April Smith Hajjafar,  Donald Smith,

                                Barbara Allen Caudill, JoAnn Allen House, and Loretta Nolen Smith

                       Kermit Caudill holding Millie Caudill; standing; April Smith Hajjafar, 

            Donald Smith, Barbara Allen Caudill, JoAnn Allen House, and Loretta Nolen Smith

Kermit Caudill and Barbara Allen Caudill

Kermit Caudill and Barbara Allen Caudill

Kermit Caudill and Barbara Allen Caudill

Kermit Caudill and Barbara Allen Caudill

Kermit Caudill and Barbara Allen Caudill,

and Clyde Caudill

Three Generations:

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

 Barbara Allen Caudill, and Clyde Caudill 

 

                                                                  Three Generations:

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

 Barbara Allen Caudill, and Clyde Caudill 

 

                                                  

                                                  

                                                                  Three Generations:

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

 Barbara Allen Caudill, and Clyde Caudill 

                                                                    Three Generations:

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

 Barbara Allen Caudill, and Clyde Caudill 

                                                                  Three Generations:

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

 Barbara Allen Caudill, and Clyde Caudill 

                                                                 Three Generations:

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

 Barbara Allen Caudill, and Clyde Caudill 

                                                                  Three Generations:

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

 Barbara Allen Caudill, and Clyde Caudill 

                                                  

                                                  

                                                                 Three Generations:

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

 Barbara Allen Caudill, and Clyde Caudill 

                                                                   Three Generations:

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

 Barbara Allen Caudill, and Clyde Caudill 

                                                  

                                                  

                                                                 Three Generations:

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill

 Barbara Allen Caudill, and Clyde Caudill 

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill, Barbara Allen Caudill,

Beth Partin Caudilll and Clyde Caudill 

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill, Barbara Allen Caudill,

Beth Partin Caudilll and Clyde Caudill 

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill, Barbara Allen Caudill,

Beth Partin Caudilll and Clyde Caudill 

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill, Barbara Allen Caudill,

Beth Partin Caudilll and Clyde Caudill 

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill, Barbara Allen Caudill,

Beth Partin Caudilll and Clyde Caudill 

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill, Barbara Allen Caudill,

Beth Partin Caudilll and Clyde Caudill 

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill, Barbara Allen Caudill,

Beth Partin Caudilll and Clyde Caudill 

Kermit Caudill holding Millie Jean Caudill, Barbara Allen Caudill,

Beth Partin Caudilll and Clyde Caudill 

                                                  

                                                   

                                                  William Ray Evans and Brenda Allen Evans

                                                  

                                                   

                                                  William Ray Evans and Brenda Allen Evans

                                                  

                                                 

                                                  William Ray Evans and Brenda Allen Evans

                                                  

                                                  

                                               William Ray Evans and Brenda Allen Evans

                              Donald Smith (Uncle Who to Millie) and Millie Jean Caudill

                                                  

                                                  

                                    Donald Smith (Uncle Who to Millie) and Millie Jean Caudill

                                                  

                                                  

Donald Smith (Uncle Who to Millie) and Millie Jean Caudill

Donald Smith (Uncle Who to Millie) and Millie Jean Caudill

Donald Smith (Uncle Who to Millie) and Millie Jean Caudill

 Millie Jean Caudill and Donald Smith (Uncle Who to Millie) 

Donald Smith (Uncle Who to Millie) and Millie Jean Caudill

                                                Kermit Caudill sitting, Loretta Nolen Smith,

                                                        Barbara Allen Caudill in foreground

             From center foreground and clockwise: Millie Caudill, Isabella Napier, Arlin Allen,

                                  Donald Smith, Kermit Caudill, and William Ray Evans

                                            From left foreground and clockwise: Arlin Allen,

                                        Donald Smith, Kermit Caudill, and William Ray Evans

                                          JoAnn Allen House holding Millie Jean Caudill

                                 Millie Jean Caudill and Donald Smith (Uncle Who to Millie)

                                  Millie Jean Caudill and Donald Smith (Uncle Who to Millie)

                                            From left foreground and clockwise: Arlin Allen,

                                        Donald Smith, Kermit Caudill, and William Ray Evans

                                  Millie Jean Caudill and Donald Smith (Uncle Who to Millie)

                                            From left foreground and clockwise: Arlin Allen,

                                        Donald Smith, Kermit Caudill, and William Ray Evans

                                             From left foreground and clockwise: Arlin Allen,

                                        Donald Smith, Kermit Caudill, and William Ray Evans

                                 Millie Jean Caudill and Donald Smith (Uncle Who to Millie)

As we were leaving, I saw a couple of hanging planters filled with hens and chicks. These hanging plants brought back sweet memories of my childhood in Ohio. Mom always had a bed of flowers in the side yard. It held lots of marigolds, colorful zinnias, and had hens and chicks surrounding the edge. Those hanging planters took me back to playing in the yard with cousins as a kid. Thanks God for sweet memories.

                                    Hens and chicks bring back memories of my childhood.

On Monday, Mom, Dad, and I left for Ohio where we were going to see more family. Normally, when we go to Ohio, we don’t get to travel through the mountains of Kentucky since we leave from Middle Tennessee. We got to see some different and pretty scenery since we were driving from London. I took photos from the moving car of the pretty scenery and also at the rest stop. 

            If Grandpa David Smith' giant had had a tub, this could have been his rubber ducky!

We drove to Loveland to see Uncle Wallace Smith. We visited with him for a couple hours. I always take him a batch of peanut butter fudge when I see him. I have never known anyone who loves fudge as much as Uncle Wallace. He loves it even more than Dad; and that is a LOT! I also took him a copy of the story “Grandpa’s Rifle” since he is one of the main characters in it. He indicated that it was a pretty accurate retelling.

While we were at Uncle Wallace’s, Cousin Darryl and Karen stopped by to visit him on their way home from their daughter’s wedding. We got in a bonus visit with them too! 

Uncle Wallace's house.

                                      Wallace Smith and Donald Smith at Uncle Wallace's

Wallace Smith and Donald Smith at Uncle Wallace's

                                   Donald Smith, Loretta Nolen Smith, Karen Burchfield Allen,

                                                     Darryl Allen and Wallace Smith

                                            Loretta Nolen Smith and Karen Burchfield Allen

                                          Loretta Nolen Smith and Karen Burchfield Allen    

                                 Donald Smith, Loretta Nolen Smith, Karen Burchfield Allen,

                                                     Darryl Allen and Wallace Smith

                                  Donald Smith, Loretta Nolen Smith, Karen Burchfield Allen,

                                                     Darryl Allen and Wallace Smith

                                                                     Wallace Smith

Mom and I left Dad to stay with Uncle Wallace and we traveled the short distance to Aunt Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff’s home where we were going to stay. Aunt Lola had not been doing well and we wanted to be able to visit with her for a few days before we went back home.
 

                                                             Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff

 Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff

Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff

                                               Kathy Walton Partin, Shawna Partin Snelling, 

                                                Debby Walton Angel, and AnnaKate Snelling

                                            Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff, Kathy Walton Partin, 

                                           Shawna Partin Snelling, and Debby Walton Angel

                                                Kathy Walton Partin, Shawna Partin Snelling, 

                                                Debby Walton Angel, and AnnaKate Snelling

Aunt Lola has trouble with her memory but she remembered us all and we were heartened by that. Still, it is sad when our loved ones seem to no longer be completely there. I hope the place where they are is at least a pleasant place to be.

Aunt Lola’s daughter Debby lives with her now so we got to see Debby. Debby took me to the grocery and we bought some things to cook to tempt Aunt Lola’s appetite.

Lola’s daughter Kathy and Kathy’s granddaughter AnnaKate visited while we were there. Kathy’s daughter Shawna and her other granddaughter Meagan visited for a while. Meagan is very busy with basketball and they had to leave for practice before supper. I thought that I would see them the next day, so I didn’t take pictures. Unfortunately, Meagan was busy with basketball all the next day too so I have no pictures with them. That evening, we had fried pork chops, fried taters, pinto beans and corn bread. Aunt Lola ate well and the rest of us did too.

Wednesday morning, Uncle Olen came to visit and we pinned his car in so he couldn’t get out until after he ate. Dad came up from Uncle Wallace’s house for a few hours so he could visit with Aunt Lola, her girls, and Uncle Olen too. We had breakfast for dinner with biscuits, pork chops, pork chop gravy, fried apples, and eggs. AnnaKate had never had fried apples and she said she liked them so I reckon our mountain blood is still flowing strong down through the generations. We got to enjoy our ancestor meal with several beautiful family members. I imagine that many other family members were smiling down upon us from Heaven. 

                                       

 Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff sitting; Debby Walton Angel, AnnaKate Snelling, and Kathy Walton Partin                                    

                                       

 Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff sitting; Debby Walton Angel, AnnaKate Snelling, and Kathy Walton Partin

Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff and Kathy Walton Partin sitting; Donald Smith, Loretta Nolen Smith,

                        Debby Walton Angel, Olen Nolen, and AnnaKate Snelling standing

Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff and Kathy Walton Partin sitting; Donald Smith, Loretta Nolen Smith,

                        Debby Walton Angel, Olen Nolen, and AnnaKate Snelling standing

          Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff and her girls, Debby Walton Angel and Kathy Walton Partin

Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff and Kathy Walton Partin sitting; April Smith Hajjafar, Loretta Nolen Smith,

                        Debby Walton Angel, Olen Nolen, and AnnaKate Snelling standing

Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff and Kathy Walton Partin sitting; April Smith Hajjafar, Loretta Nolen Smith,

                        Debby Walton Angel, Olen Nolen, and AnnaKate Snelling standing

                                                Siblings: Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff sitting;

                                             Loretta Nolen Smith and Olen Nolen standing

          Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff and her girls, Debby Walton Angel and Kathy Walton Partin

                                                 Siblings: Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff sitting;

                                      Loretta Nolen Smith standing and Olen Nolen kneeling

                                            Siblings: Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff sitting;

                                      Loretta Nolen Smith standing and Olen Nolen kneeling

 Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff sitting; Debby Walton Angel, AnnaKate Snelling, and Kathy Walton Partin

           Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff and her girls, Debby Walton Angel and Kathy Walton Partin

                                               Siblings: Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff sitting;

                                             Loretta Nolen Smith and Olen Nolen standing

     Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff and Kathy Walton Partin sitting; Donald Smith, Loretta Nolen Smith,

                          Debby Walton Angel, Olen Nolen, and AnnaKate Snelling standing

 Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff sitting; Debby Walton Angel, AnnaKate Snelling, and Kathy Walton Partin

   Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff and Kathy Walton Partin sitting; Donald Smith, Loretta Nolen Smith,

                           Debby Walton Angel, Olen Nolen, and AnnaKate Snelling standing

                                               Siblings: Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff sitting;

                                             Loretta Nolen Smith and Olen Nolen standing

   Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff and Kathy Walton Partin sitting; Donald Smith, Loretta Nolen Smith,

                          Debby Walton Angel, Olen Nolen, and AnnaKate Snelling standing

                                              Siblings: Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff sitting;

                                      Loretta Nolen Smith standing and Olen Nolen kneeling

I saw this wooly worm on Aunt Lola’s drive. I think the solid black portends of a harsh winter. I guess that a harsh winter following a summer of record breaking high temperatures is just yo be expected in these days and times. 

                                      Hot as heck summer to be followed by a bad winter?

While I was at Aunt Lola’s, I started to have allergy type symptoms; runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, a bit of a cough. In the past, I had had similar problems after staying with Uncle Ronnie for a few nights. He had dogs and smoked and I figured I was having an allergic reaction to them back then. Aunt Lola and Debby have dogs. They didn’t smoke around Mom and I but Aunt Lola was a smoker for years, so smoke was still around. I had no fever and was certain that I was just having allergy type symptoms while at Aunt Lola’s so wasn’t too worried.

On Thursday, Mom and I got up, packed our things and said our goodbyes. The older I get, the harder those goodbyes become.

                Mom, Loretta Nolen Smith hugging Aunt Lola Nolen Walton Gatliff "so long".

                              Aunt Lola's weeping redbud is wearing its "hearts" on its "sleeve"
 

We drove back to Loveland for another short visit with Uncle Wallace and to pick up Dad. Then we were on our way back home. 

                                  Loretta Nolen Smith, Donald Smith, and Wallace Smith

                              April Smith Hajjafar, Loretta Nolen Smith, and Wallace Smith

                                                 Brothers: Donald Smith and Wallace Smith

                                                  Brothers: Donald Smith and Wallace Smith

                                                 Brothers: Donald Smith and Wallace Smith

                                    Loretta Nolen Smith, Donald Smith and Wallace Smith

                                       Loretta Nolen Smith, Donald Smith and Wallace Smith

Now, while Dad, Mom, and I were traveling, my girls, Roxanna and Alexandria were traveling in Europe with a school trip for Roxanna’s high school German kids. They visited Munich and Heildelberg in Germany; Paris, Riems, and Carsaconne in France; and Barcelona and Madrid in Spain. Unfortunately, their trip was during a record heat wave through places that normally don’t need, and thus don’t have air-conditioning! Things got hot.

Since my girls were traveling the world, I thought that I would show them that their Papaw, Grandma, and Mom did a bit of our own world travels. Of course, we were too busy visiting family to actually visit all of the places, except for London, of course, but we were, at least, within an exit sign’s proximity!

                          Batavia: During the Roma Empire it was the capital of what was the 

                Netherlands East Indies, currently called Jakarta and the capital of Indonesia.. 

                                                 
                                                            Smyrna; ancient Greek city.

                                          Verona; as in Italy, the setting of Romeo and Juliet. 

                                                          Lebanon; as in the Middle East.

                                                             Florence, as in Italy, y'all.

                       Alexandria; as in Egypt, where the famed ancient library once was.

 

When we made it home, my “allergy” symptoms were still going strong. I thought that since we had one of those government covid tests at home, I would just check to make sure that I was just having allergies. I called Cammy and had him run out to the car and toss the test in to me so I could be safe rather than sorry. Well, I took the test and it was positive so I was still sorry. What can one expect after traipsing all over the world?!

So a damper was placed over the joy of having such a good time seeing so many family members when I found out that I had likely been a Typhoid Mary spreading covid in my wake! I started to worry about Mom and Dad, Uncle Wallace, Aunt Lola, Uncle Olen and all of the younger folks that I had been around! I called Mom and Dad to tell them the terrible news. I let Donna know. I called Darryl and told him. He told me that Karen had tested positive too and some of the other folks who had attended the wedding had too. I let Debby know to watch Aunt Lola. 

Unfortunately, she had been going to go on an overnight trip but stayed home. I am so sorry about that as she surely deserves a getaway. I called Uncle Olen. I let Glenna know and Philip and his family. I called Aunt Sue. I tried to call Paul but could only get to his voice mail so I left a message. I let my Aunt Cleo cousins know of their possible exposure. I was feeling so awful that I may have been making folks sick while I was enjoying their company. Everyone was so kind in reassuring me not to feel guilty.


Dad, Mom, Aunt Lola and Uncle Olen ended up testing positive too. Thanks God, everyone has seemed to recover well. I think that some folks may be having a lingering cough, but we can handle that compared to what many have suffered from having covid. I have heard that this latest variant is highly contagious and I surely believe it.

I finally tested negative on day 10 and got out of quarantine without a mask. I really feel blessed that I didn’t feel bad during my covid bout, I just felt like my allergies were raising Cain. I didn’t even mind being by myself although I do like to wait on myself. Hopefully, everyone else has recovered and experienced a relatively easy recovery as well. 

 

So, I thank God for the opportunity to see so many of my beautiful family members. Especially, I thank God that even though I was a Typhoid Mary while visiting them, God has helped the ones who ended up sick to recover.

And that is how a whirlwind of family was wonderful until covid took it from wonderful to worrisome. Hopefully, the worry is over!