August 07 '04
Volume 427


The Grandest RRN Fish Fry 2004

TheJason Entertains closing comment in last week's article entitled, Big Three, stated, "To those of you who could not attend this year’s fish fry, I can only say, 'You may have missed the grandest time of them all.'"

The comment was written prior to the fish fry. Call me prophetic or delusional, but I felt that the fish fry on Saturday, July 31, 2004,was the grandest and best of the celebrations enjoyed by the friends of Ridge Rider News. The entertainment was certainly varied enough to satisfy the musical tastes of most individuals present and ran the gamut from the country vocalizations and acoustical guitar rhythms by Jason Carter, to the soulful gospel of the brother-sister duets of David Humbers and Cheryl Wilemon. As if these were not sufficient, The Karaoke singing of my granddaughter, Anna Butler, was well received, as were the selections sung by Anson Adams and accompanied on electronic keyboard by his wife, Rayanne. The reigning Miss Pontotoc, Felicia Brown, even backed up Jason on a rendition of John Anderson’s Swingin’. Finally, Dustin Parker played his guitar with Jason and Dustin’s sister, Carley, sang.

Eight days before the fish fry, one of my bosses, Mark Grube, emailed a light-hearted request asking for pleasant weather for the following week when we would be visiting retailers. I checked the long-range forecast on the Internet and saw mostly sunny weather awaited with highs in the upper eighties to the lower nineties, and no rain until the weekend of the fish fry. I replied to Mark stating that his request had been granted.

Having lived in North Mississippi all of my life, I’ve learned that, with the exception of a severe drought, there’s always a chance of thunderstorms on any given afternoon of summer. Thus, when Barbara and I agreed to expand our annual backyard party to include any and all readers of this newsletter, we made arrangements to provide ample shelter for our guests in the event a thunderstorm struck while we gathered. The first year we borrowed a tent from a local mortuary and purchased a large canopy. The next year we purchased a second canopy and felt, even without a borrowed tent, we had enough shelter in case it rained. That year it rained for about ten minutes as our guest were beginning to arrive, and the only folks who got wet were the cooks, who worried far more about rain causing hot grease to pop on them than in getting wet.

This year, as the date of the fish fry approached, the weatherman continued to predict a chance of thunderstorms greater than fifty percent. Thus, on Friday morning, July 30th, I bought some insurance in case it rained on my party. I’ve noticed whenever I wash my car, it will rain within twenty-four to forty-eight hours, roughly nine times out of ten. So, I reasoned if I spent the money necessary to buy another canopy and used an older one to cover the pots of boiling oil, then that would lessen the possibility of rain. It’s strange logic, believing a financial expenditure on my part could affect the weather, but that’s how my mind works. Anyway, if it were to rain during the fish fry, both guests and cooks would be "covered."

My three bosses were in Tupelo for the weekend. I invited them over for dinner on Friday night but explained they’d have to work for their supper. They arrived on Friday afternoon to help load tables and chairs from the church into the beds of pickup trucks and then unload them and place them under the canopies in our backyard. Jason and his friend Dustin had the canopies up when my bosses arrived. Neal Huskison, my cousin, also helped with the tables and chairs. Later that afternoon, I allowed my three bosses to hand-crank a freezer of homemade ice cream. Even though there was an electric ice cream freezer in the garage, I knew they would appreciate dessert more if they helped prepare it. They enjoyed the ice cream and asked for the recipe. Before returning to Tupelo for the night, they volunteered their help on Saturday, as well. I assured them I had enough volunteer cooks lined up and encouraged them to use the day for sightseeing.

"The guys helping cook tomorrow have been told to be here by four-thirty. Y’all can come over anytime you like," I added.

The morning of the fish fry, I was up early – too excited to sleep, I suppose – and was clipping grass with my John Deere before 8:00 a.m. A light mist of rain began falling but did not hamper my grass clipping, and the rain soon stopped. Later that morning it rained, again, only to cease after providing enough moisture to generate steam on the hot earth. Then, at approximately 4:00 p.m. that afternoon, a hard rain fell for approximately thirty minutes. When I checked the weather radar screens on the Internet, I saw that Pontotoc was inside a small yellow cell, which indicated moderately heavy rainfall was occurring. In observing the pattern of the weather moving into our area, I judged that once the current rain ceased, there wouldn’t be any more rain in Pontotoc for the rest of the afternoon.

Our home phone began to ring off the hook with guests calling to find out if we still planned to have the fish fry. I assured everyone the fish fry was on schedule, and I predicted, once the current downpour was over, clear skies were on the way.

About the time the rain let up, my three bosses arrived. Not one to refuse free help, I rounded up enough bath towels for everyone and asked them to wipe off any tables and chairs under the canopies that needed drying and to dry the patio furniture. It wasn’t long until the volunteers to help cook arrived, and I became busy with introductions and answering last minute questions.

Lee Gordon of West Point, MS, had arrived around two o’clock to set up all the cooking equipment and to stir up a couple of batches of his famous hushpuppies. Lee adds several vegetables to his hushpuppy concoction that are not found in most recipes, and he has learned to let the hushpuppy mixture "rest" for about forty minutes before cooking. Lee is the main cook, and while he maintains he could do all the cooking by himself, he was proud to have plenty of help on hand. This year, Lee’s principle assistant, Jim Hess, was unable to help, due to a last-minute family emergency. In addition to his own custom fish fryer, Lee brought along two wok-style fish cookers. Both were on loan from a friend of Lee’s, who manufactures and sells them for $450.00 each.

Guests at the fish fry were treated to a buffet-style meal of fried catfish, hushpuppies, fries, fried onion rings, and coleslaw. My son-in-law, Anson Adams, grilled a number of catfish filets for those persons preferring grilled fish to fried fish. Sliced watermelon, courtesy of Gene Crouch, Barbara’s brother, rounded out the table fare. Selected beverages included, sweetened tea, lemonade, and bottled water. Desserts were provided by our guests and included a variety of cookies, brownies, pies, and cakes, and the always-popular homemade freezer ice cream.

The great food combined with great entertainment to create a great evening that I can only assume was enjoyed by all. Counting the three of us who live at 218 Dogwood Circle the crowd numbered 107. There have been two years in which attendance was higher, but the total number of guests for this year’s event was almost identical to that of last year.

At the risk of not recognizing everyone who contributed to making the fish fry a success, I hope to name as many as possible.

Setup and return of tables and chairs, patio furniture, and canopies:

  • Jason Carter, Dustin Parker, Neal Huskison, Bill Knight, Paul Goodwin, Mark Grube, Bob McGehee, Tommy Jarrett.

Food Preparation/ Cooks and Helpers:

  • Lee Gordon, Joel Hale, Jim Mogridge, Buddy Eubank, Mickey Gentry, Neal Huskison, Anson Adams.

Embroidered Aprons/ Name Badges:

  • Sarah Carter Brown

Floral Contributions:

  • Jerry & Dot Bell

Floral Arrangements:

  • Barbara Carter, Rayanne Adams

Patio Furniture Loaned:

  • Neal & Virginia Huskison, Danny & Linda Weatherly, Jerry & Dot Bell

Serving Tables and Refreshments:

  • Barbara Carter, Rayanne Adams, Felicia Brown

Desserts:

  • Linda Weatherly, Wanda Davis, Ruth McCullough, Shirley Hale, Audie Austin, Sarah Naugher, Julia Holmes, Anita Wood, Sue Montgomery, Terena Kyle, Kerry Koehler.

Special Guests and First-Time Guests:

  • David Humbers, Cheryl Wilemon, Paul Goodwin, Mark Grube, Bob McGehee, Vickey & Dr. Fred Murphree, Anita & Tommy Wood and children, Tommy Jarret, Mark Lowry and children, Carol Denny, John Grant, Rachael Cox, Laurie Huskison and children, Kerry Koehler and children, Bridget Rankin with daughter, Kylie Love, and Bridget’s friend, Bobby, Gene Crouch.

My family and I are indebted to the many whose contributions help make our party a success. Of course, the fact that the fish fry was well attended by some of the finest individuals to be found anywhere is of itself noteworthy. We thank each and every one who came to help us celebrate another year of publication of this newsletter.


Cajun & Coonass What's The Difference

Traveling last week with Mark Grube from Champaign, IL, I felt more like a tour guide than I normally might, while accompanying one of my bosses to visit retailers in three states. We were on our way to Monroe, LA, when Mark asked me about the Cajuns who live in Louisiana. He wanted to know if Monroe had Cajuns.

"Perhaps, a few," I responded. "But, most Cajuns live south of the line of latitude passing through New Orleans. We’ll be quite a few miles north of that line."

Mark looked surprised when I told him Cajuns were also called Coonasses.

"That doesn’t sound very nice," he grimaced.

"It’s not a word I’m comfortable with in mixed company, but I’ve known Cajuns who wore the title proudly," I shared.

One should bear in mind that my exposure to true Cajuns has been rather limited, but I’ve never met one who was offended by the Coonass label.

The following evening Mark and I were dining with Bob McGehee and Paul Goodwin at Outback Steakhouse in Hattiesburg. Our waitress introduced herself as Rachael. In the restaurant’s dim lights, it was difficult to determine her ethnicity, but her dark skin and black hair suggested she was African-American. However, her accent was hardly typical of a Mississippian.

Apparently, waiters and waitress at Outback are encouraged to converse with dinner guests in a somewhat relaxed atmosphere. I’ve eaten at other Outback Steakhouses and had the experience of the waiter or waitress sitting down in front of me or alongside me and discuss the dinner menu, so I wasn’t surprised by Rachel’s action in pulling up a chair to sit with us.

I recall Mark asking, "Are you from around here?"

"No," Rachel smiled, "I’m from Louisiana."

"What part of Louisiana?" Mark quizzed.

With all the background noise, I couldn’t make out the name of the town she gave us, but she commented it was between Hammond and Convington, so I shared with Mark it was probably a few miles north of New Orleans.

"Mark wants to know what’s the difference between Cajuns and Coonasses," I shared.

"I know about that Coonassing," Rachel replied, but she never got around to articulating an answer to my query.

"My mother swam across the river," Rachel laughed. "And when she came back she had me. I don’t look like my daddy, and I don’t look like the postman, and I don’t look like the milkman."

"Did you swim across the river?" Mark asked.

"No way I’m gonna’ swim that river," she grinned. "I got in my car and drove up here. And when I got to this exit [Hardy Street], my car quit on me, and I’ve been here ever since. That was two months ago."

In the course of ordering our food and dining that evening, we learned a few more facts from Rachel. She’s twenty-nine and single. She likes to swim, and she told us she’d meet us at the pool after she got off work. Yet, it was a promise none of us took seriously. It’s hard to say how much of what we learned from Rachel was fact and how much was fiction, but one thing’s certain, we didn’t learn if there’s a difference between a Cajun and a Coonass.

Note: Folklorist Barry Jean Ancelet…has suggested that the word [coonass] originated in South Louisiana, and that it derived from the belief that Cajuns frequently ate raccoons. He has also proposed that the term contains a negative racial connotation: namely, that Cajuns were "beneath" or "under" blacks (or coons, as blacks were often called by racists). Despite efforts by Cajun activists like James Domengeaux and Warren A. Perrin to stamp out the term’s use, coonass continues to circulate in South Louisiana and beyond. Its acceptability among the general public, however, tends to vary according to circumstances, and often depends on who says it and with what intention. Cajuns who dislike the term have been known to correct well-meaning outsiders who use the epithet. Source – www.acadian.org


Bodock Beau Moving In Motivation

The closer a new house gets to completion the longer it seems to take the builder to finish it. It’s a worrisome fact that most consumers take for granted when building a new house. However, there are ways to speed up the process. Check out one man’s solution.

Moving In Motivation

My engineer husband is meticulous but mild-mannered. While our new house was being built, he would leave notes for the workmen, politely calling their attention to mistakes or oversights.

Two weeks before we were to move in, the floors still were not finished, the bathrooms not tiled, nor were necessary fixtures installed.  I was sure that the work would never be completed in time.  However, on moving day, we found that the house was ready to receive us.

Curious as to how this miracle had been accomplished, I went and checked where my husband always left his notes for the workmen.  Posted prominently on the living room wall was my husband's last note:

"After September 15, all work will be supervised by 5 children."

Submitted by Larry Young

Phone messages

  • Hi. This is John: If you are the phone company, I already sent the money. If you are my parents, please send money. If you are my Financial aid institution, you didn't lend me enough money. If you are my friends, you owe me money. If you are a female, don't worry I have plenty of money.
  • Hi. John's answering machine is broken. This is the refrigerator. Please speak very slowly, and I'll stick your message to myself with one of these magnets.
  • Hello, you are talking to a machine. I am capable of receiving messages. My owners do not need siding, windows, or a hot tub, and their carpets are clean. They give to charity through their office and do not need their picture taken. If you're still with me, leave your name and number and they will get back to you.
  • This is not an answering machine this is a telepathic thought recording device. After the tone, think about your name, your reason for calling and a number where I can reach you, and I'll think about returning your call.
  • Hi. I am probably home. I'm just avoiding someone I don't like. Leave me a message, and if I don't call back, it's you.
  • Hi, this is George. I'm sorry I can't answer the phone right now. Leave a message, and then wait by your phone until I call you back.
  • Please leave a message. However, you have the right to remain silent. Everything you say will be recorded and will be used by us.

Source – www.gcfl.net

For a limited time, additional pictures taken at the fish fry can be found at:

http://rrnews.org/CookoutPics%202004/

and http://rrnews.org/CookoutPics%202004/CookoutPics_Neal/

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