Up on the Hill 7-11

Laurel Hill ladies, mark your calendars for Tuesday, July 17 for the Hilltoppers lunch. Jennifer will have the private room at the Laurel Hill Grill ready for us at 11 a.m. You are invited to join in this Dutch treat lunch and enjoy a time of getting acquainted with your neighbors.

The Laurel Hill City Council meets twice a month on the second and fourth Thursday, at 7 p.m. Drop in. Your participation is always appreciated.

The Almarante Cemetery Commission appreciates the Almarante Cemetery maintenance donations they have received. We all like to see this special place in good condition. If you have not made your donation, please consider handing it to one of the clerks at City Hall during business hours.

Fred and Roma Lee Henderson, our good neighbors, continue to plant and maintain a bountiful vegetable garden. We recently enjoyed delicious corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash from their garden. Fred is 88 years young with the zeal of a young man when it comes to planting his annual garden. He also cares for his several acres of manicured lawn with a white picket fence fronting their property on Second Avenue.

A hearty salute to city worker Junior Spikes! He has the tiny Laurel Hill mini-garden trimmed and grass free! During the heat of the day we saw him cleaning the garden spot and waving to motorists. We appreciate the city for caring about this welcoming spot in the middle of town.

Blueberry season is my favorite season of the year! I enjoy picking the luscious ripe berries, bagging and sharing the fruit with friends. Any excuse to share a bag of berries makes my day. The birds and I are in a race to reach the berries in the top of the trees. Blueberry cobblers are mouth-watering good, too.

The Red Hat Society, Gallery Gals of Laurel Hill, visited Mia's restaurant for their June luncheon. The food was very good and we appreciated the services of our nice waitress.

Tiny Gabriel Jaden and his mother, Angel Chessor, dropped by for a brief visit. Janet Twitty shared her upcoming plans for another trip to Israel; Sueann Weston, Cassie Rogers, Carolyn Strickland, Janice Bailey, Kathleen McMichael have special travel plans for the fall; Jessie Fleming has plans to visit her daughter via airlines; Penny Dunston, Marilyn Maloney, Yvonne Jordan and the Queen Mother enjoyed the togetherness.

Flashback in time: A recent discussion with friends regarding the food on our tables during the years of the Depression. For country families, gardens were a mainstay of our plentiful food supply. Fresh peas, butterbeans, green snap beans, corn, tomatoes, okra, watermelons and cantaloupe were just a sampling of produce to be eaten fresh and put in canning jars for winter use. The smokehouse held smoked ham, bacon and sausage.

Blackberries, peaches, pears and blueberries were some of the local fruits grown for cobblers and pies, jams and jellies. Sugar cane was grown for syrup making and beehives for sweet honey. Mamas made biscuits as tender as a woman's heart for these goodies.

Doug recalls picking blueberries when he was a boy for three cents a quart.

He also remembers using the money to buy school clothes. Do I need to tell you that he does not enjoy picking berries today!

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

- Proverbs 15:3-4