News on the Mountain

BY CAROL GUNTER

Guess you're fit as a fiddle lounging back in your easy chair after making it through New Year eating those black-eye peas and hog's jowl. Me, too, and you can bank on it that no housework was even thought of that day. Wouldn't be American for me to break a tradition. Does this mean I won't be cleaning our house all year long I got to wondering? I really don't think that applies as a general rule of thumb as you've got a long time in a year and at some point you will think your house looks like it's going to the dogs and you will most definitely want it to be spic and span again.

There is really such a word as 'humongous'. Now I've looked in the front, in the back, and even in the middle pages for that word in my red-back Webster's Family Dictionary a many a time and never could find it there. My dictionary is an earlier model Trident Press International, copyright 1999. This information was printed inside the cover. As you can surmise, it is out-dated by a year or two at the least and there lies my problem. The word humongous is now down in the record books and I'm glad because I seldom ever use it. There's another word that I cannot find and that is 'dreckly' or that's the way I spell it and that to me means a short span of time until I'll be in your midst again in just a little while as I'll see you dreckly. It could be a redneck word that's been around for a while up here in the boonies. I don't know if it is or not. I just like using it. Other challenging words or phrases I practice on friends and foes alike include the following: tollibly well, over yonder, hit a lick and a promise (that was my dear "mom's" favorite saying), up yonder a piece, fair to middling, plum tuckered out, flew the coup (not sure about spelling but you get its meaning), and up a creek without a paddle to name a few.

I forgot a few little tidbits about the Christmas shindig on the mountain at our house in the last column. Bobby can play the flute and violin with the best of them. I know I couldn't believe it either and can he ever sing. A duo with Clyde just about brought that crowd of carolers, aliens and critters and others I didn't know but had heard of to tears in our back yard as a few snowflakes were falling so gently and melting quickly when they hit the ground. Snowflakes were not in that weatherman's forecast for that evening but seemed so appropriate and quite magical as being orchestrated one would think by the One above. From napkins, to paper plates, to those red plastic cups Bobby's autograph was signed with that black magic marker that he had conveniently put in his jacket pocket before he make it to our house. Goes to show you, you can't judge a book by its cover. So happened a talent scout was one of those in attendance and recorded Bobby when he was singing and playing at his best and he signed Bobby to a contract with some unknown record company in a foreign country no one had ever heard of existing. And to think we thought Christmas Eve night was going to be a tranquil period around here.

Footnote: Bobby said after many minutes and seconds trying to decide should he stay or should he leave for territories he might not come back alive from (you know outside our borders, it can be really hazardous to our health) the mountain and its allure made him come back to his senses to stay where he belonged. So now he will be singing and playing side by side with Clyde and his Bluegrass Band and will possibly be making it back to the Gunter household for another Christmas Eve with family, friends and critters up here on the mountain and some 'unknown' to celebrate in style 2017

Rick and Beverly Hubler, and Hunter Underwood visitors as of late at hour house

Ruth Brown and son Jeff are both sick as this time so keep them in your prayers that they will get better real soon.

Others to keep in prayer: Carlon and Mai Nell Melton, Charlie Mai Daniel, Edith Miller, and Denise Stanton.

If you have any news for the column, just give ma a call at 615-563-4429.

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2