September 13 '03
Volume 380
Bodock
2003…Continued From Last Week
The Murphrees
had
decided to come to the Bodock Festival, in part
because I invited them, but mostly for other reasons. There was a young performer
scheduled to sing Saturday morning that they wanted to hear, and I had purchased
a bottle of liquid adhesive for Vickie that she wanted to pick up.
Once heavily committed to developing a quality vineyard, the Murphrees have
now gotten into "show dogs." When Vickie scheduled an appointment for me
to be fitted with a new crown for a rear molar, I explained the appointment
needed to be late enough in the day for me to get back from my hair appointment
in Memphis. She asked if my stylist had any liquid toupee adhesive, and I
told her I would bring her some if he did.
I was curious as to why Vickie needed toupee adhesive but I didn’t have
to ask. She explained that certain breeds of dogs develop "rose ear" which
involves the unattractive folds of skin and cartilage of the ear. It’s
a situation that can be corrected by gluing the ear and training it to grow
in a more visually appealing manner. I don’t think dogs care about how
their ears look, but people do. The dog Vickie wants to have pretty ears
is an Irish wolfhound that she describes as a puppy, though it’s fast
approaching waist-high for the average person.
After my crown arrived earlier than expected, I told Vickie she could pick
up the adhesive by meeting me at an event (Bodock Festival) she and Dr. Murphree
were already considering attending or I could have Jason drop it off the
following week. I remember stating an added incentive for them coming to
the Bodock Festival would be my services as a tour guide.
While some may doubt my guide services had any influence, the Murphrees certainly
didn't mind me showing them around. After a quick tour of the Museum we were
off to the craft booths in the Park, where we mixed and mingled with other
friends for the better part of an hour before going our separate ways. However,
we did not separate before Dr. Murphree treated the three of us to huge root
beers from one of the food vendors. We talked at length on subjects ranging
from which area counties were best represented on Dr. Murphree’s patient
list to the "retirement Mecca" possibilities of the CampYacona area near
Pontotoc. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them return to next year’s
Bodock Festival, even if Vickie doesn’t need more adhesive.
I must have spent more time visiting with Don Howell and his sister, Gail
Sappington, in their craft booth than any of the other worthwhile things
I enjoyed at the festival. Don and Gail, who both live in Hattiesburg, MS,
have been showing their crafts at the Bodock Festival for several years,
and it’s one of my wife’s favorite stops each year. Gail creates
inspirational note cards and also sells prints, both framed and unframed,
of her poetry and artwork. Don is a wood carver and turns out a variety of
sit-abouts, pins, even Nativity scenes. This year, he brought a new line
of wooden utensils, mostly spoons but some were spatulas.
Of Don’s utensil collection, a large spoon having most of its bottom
missing intrigued me most. I pointed out it would make a good spoon to serve
soup to one’s mother-in-law. He laughed and agreed. I also teased that
he must have not chosen a thick enough block of wood for the spoon to have
a bottom. He took my criticisms good-naturedly and explained that he figured
the spoon would be good for incorporation or mixing as one employs a hoe
with a hole in the blade to mix up a trough of cement or mortar mix.
Gail was kind enough to fill me in on the happenings in the lives of several
of her siblings. There were once eleven children in the Howell clan, but
now there are only ten. I can name most of them, but I’m terrible at
remembering the names of spouses and children. I was invited to their last
family reunion and couldn’t make it, and while I have the email addresses
of a handful of them, I don’t hear from them as often as I’d like.
In addition to visiting with Don and Gail, I also had the opportunity to
visit with Byron Howell who along with his wife had driven from Decatur,
MS, where Byron pastors a Baptist Church, to visit family in Tupelo as well
as those at the Bodock Festival. Byron is closer to my sister’s age
and to help him remember me, I mentioned Carter and Austin Grocery that was
once adjacent to Rutherford’s Drug Store and across the street from
the Pontotoc Electric Power Association. He remembered the store, but at
my mention of the underground poolroom nearby, he vowed no recollection.
With him being a Baptist preacher’s son in the late fifties/ early sixties,
I suppose such a place was off limits.
Yet, he did remember an underground café where doughburgers (or dough
burgers) were once served. We couldn’t decide if doughburgers were the
calling card of the tiny restaurant or not. I maintain that would depend
upon who owned it at the time. In the years that Mr. Pruett ran the restaurant,
I’d say doughburgers were a top seller, and while Mr. Fitt’s was
owner, homemade chili was a favorite.
As we talked, Byron expressed an interest in doughburgers. I was only too
happy to share what I know about doughburgers and later emailed him my recipe
for the tasty hamburger variant.
For the food adventurer, here's my dad's simplistic recipe for making
doughburgers. "Mix enough flour into a bowl of ground beef to make it dry,
then add enough water to make moist."
My recipe is slightly more complex and is found at the end of this article
Saturday was spent before I realized it. I was pretty well spent myself,
having spent most of the day in the heat. I should note that Saturday was
not nearly as hot as Friday. The Habitat booth closed around five that afternoon,
as did most vendors.
Jason and I ate supper at home and then drove back to town to dismantle the
canopy we had erected Friday afternoon for use by Habitat for Humanity. Darkness
had settled on us by the time the canopy was back in the box and the box
in the truck. As we left for home, I noticed there were more cars on the
side streets and parking lots than I had seen at any time during the day.
A popular band, "Krackerjacks" was the big draw for the nighttime activities
culminating the Bodock Festival.
There were events at the Festival I did not attend. There were performances
that I missed. There were booths I did not visit and countless persons I
didn't have time to talk to, but I thoroughly enjoyed my Saturday at Bodock
2003. If you make it to next year's extravaganza, please look me up.
Doughburgers
Ingredients:
1 to 1&1/2 Lbs. Ground Beef or Ground Chuck
1 Cup (more or less) S/R Flour
1 Cup or more Crisco Shortening (1/4" deep in skillet)
Tap Water
Prep:
Crumble ground beef into medium-sized serving or mixing bowl.
Add flour and mix well using fingers.
Add tap water to moisten mixture. Amount of water needed varies but is likely
to be less than 1/2 cup. Mix together by squeezing between fingers. It is
important the mixture is well blended. If too much water is added, add more
flour.
Shape into lemon-sized balls (small lemons).
Place between two sheets of wax paper and flatten to a thickness of approximately
1/4" to 3/8". Approximately 5 inches in diameter is typical for a flattened
doughburger.
Cook:
Preheat one cup of Crisco shortening in Teflon (if available) skillet. Use
shortening, not oil (once cooled the shortening can easily be scrapped into
the trash bin, but the oil remains liquid).
Fry two to three doughburgers at a time on Medium to Medium High heat, turning
once. Fry until outsides are crispy. Drain on paper towels before serving.
Yield: Approximately six to nine doughburgers.
Special
Notice Possible Service Disruption
To all subscribers and others interested in
Ridge Rider
News:
I will be working away from home (Wisconsin) for the next three weeks, starting
September 15, 2003, and will only be at home each weekend for the duration
of September.
I don’t envision being able to produce a weekly newsletter with no
interruption of service. In my absence, the staff of
RRN is pretty
thin. Every effort will be made to keep this publication active, but don’t
be surprised if you experience a delay or disruption of service in the month
of September.
Hopefully, things will return to normal sometime in October.
Sincerely,
The Editor.
Bodock Beau
Three Jokes And A Quiz
Powell Prewett asks if you know the two main reasons it's so hard to solve
a redneck murder?
-
All the DNA is the same.
-
There are no dental records
Driver Needed
A man walked into the local welfare office, marched straight up to the counter
and said, "Hi, I hate drawing welfare. I would really rather find a job."
The person behind the counter replied, "Your timing is amazing. We just got
a listing from a very wealthy man who wants a chauffeur/ bodyguard for his
nymphomaniac daughter. You'll have to drive around a big black Mercedes;
the suits, shirts, and ties are provided. Because of the long hours of this
job, meals will also be provided and you will also be required to escort
the young lady on her holiday trips overseas. The salary package is $200,000
a year!"
The man said, "You're puttin' me on man!"
The clerk behind the counter said, "Yeah; well, youstarted it."
Contributed by Art Rusk
Funeral Notice
A woman from North Carolina goes into the local newspaper office to see that
the obituary for her recently deceased husband is written. The obit editor
informs her that the fee for the obituary is 50 cents a word.
She pauses, reflects and then says, "Well, then, let it read, 'Billy Bob
died'."
Amused at the woman's thrift, the editor says, "Sorry ma'am, there is a 7
word minimum on all obituaries."
Only a little flustered, she thinks things over and in a few seconds says,
"In that case, let it read, 'Billy Bob died - 1983 Pickup for sale.'"
Submitted by Vickie Murphree
World's Easiest Quiz
-
How long did the Hundred Years War last?
-
Which country makes Panama hats?
-
From which animal do we get catgut?
-
In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
-
What is a camel's hair brush made of?
-
The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
-
What was King George VI's first name?
-
What color is a purple finch?
-
Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
-
What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?
Contributed by H.P. Prewett, Jr.
Sorry - no room for the answers in this issue. Check back in a week or so.
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