THE CAMERA IN MY MIND-Macedonia Freewill Baptist Church Annual BBQ

I was up and at em early this morning headed to Brownfield to the annual Macedonia Baptist Church BBQ! The goal was to beat the heat today. Its supposed to be 93 degrees, which is not bad considering the temperatures earlier in the month. The drive up is thru some of the prettiest county you'll ever set your sites on. I love looking at the cows, horses, old weather beaten barns, ponds, and farms that have been in families for generations. There are a lot of churches along this stretch of highway too.

As I turn off the highway, I pass my aunt's old school house on the right. I try to envision her playing out in the yard, or sitting on the steps talking with friends or eating her lunch. I wonder where she sat inside, whether it was by a window, did she get caught daydreaming, instead of concentrating on her learning? As I drive on, I see old family friends who are no longer here, and boarded up old houses that once housed families with echoes of life lived in the past. As I pull into the church, I see the familiar merry-go-round that my sister and I used to ride for hours on end as kids, at previous BBQs. I see the cemetery where many of my relatives on my mother's side of the family are buried. I see the church where every BBQ they have service. And then, my favorite, the BBQ shack where you can buy Cracker Jack Carmel popcorn, candy, can drinks, chips and of course the best BBQ ever!

This is the first year I have driven up by myself as a full fledged adult. Usually its always been in the backseat of family cars loaded with lawn chairs, sweat towels, ice chests, and traveling fly swats, and spray cans of Off repellent. My dad asked me to call him when I first woke up, so he and mother could be on the road too. We took separate cars, cause they like to stay and hang out with friends. Me, I'm out and about with no set schedule or destination. I can't be bothered with staying put, its Saturday after all.

I walked to the old familiar white, painted shack to place my order behind, none other than my dad. We laughed, and he asks how did they beat me there? I tell him of all my errands I had to run first. I'm quite surprised they beat me there too. Dad ordered mutton, mom loves mutton and talks of how she never gets there in time, before they sell out. But this year she scores big-2 pounds of BBQ mutton. I score a large bottle of their BBQ sauce, which is notorious. I'll use it sparingly throughout the year on my own grilled chicken, oven baked pork chops, and occasionally on my oven ribs. I buy enough BBQ to eat off of during the week, for lunch, and to freeze for special days in mid-winter when I'm wishing for county drives in the summer with my windows down, and my favorite radio station on.

I decided I didn't want to take pictures today. I just wanted to live in the moment, enjoying old friends, and traditions, without the distraction of a camera. I want to relive the moments in my mind when I'm older, with the camera in my mind.

COME TO THE PURPLE DOOR WITH FLOWERCHIC again. I like sharing my life with you through my blogs. I hope you enjoy reading them. Have a blessed life.

FLOWERCHIC

Mini Moments Over Time

Life is made up of a series of mini moments. A wonderful life is made up of a series of orchestrated moments with joy, peace, love, endurance, thoughtfulness, and of good family, friends, and acquaintances along the way. Once you learn to depend on God, the terrible times are really only a blink in time, in the greater scheme of all time. You learn to endure in faith, till life blinks again, and your next mini moment rolls around. Before drifting off to sleep last night, I realized because of my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents, God has always been apart of my life growing up. My earliest memories are of Sunday school, church, and knowing who Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit were in my young life. My relationships with them have evolved over time, but I have never known life without them. So I guess that is why, even though I get weary sometimes, I never throw in the towel and quit. God is always near, and I can always pray, and leave whatever ails me in His quite capable hands.

FUN TIMES AFTER THE HEAT WAVE

LIl dog Caity and I have been out already this morning. Yes, it was still dark. I was barely awake, when all I saw were 2 ears, 2 eyes, and her favorite toy yellow peering over the mattress at me. Yellow always gets carried out with us when we go out of the mornings. This is my sign that its time to leave the comfort of my bed. While we were out, we harvested tomatoes from our small garden. Checked on our collard greens, and they are coming along just fine for fall harvesting to my dinner table.

Earlier this week, my dad and some of his friends helped me clean my fence row out. I miss my tree, but it was dying and it was too close to the fence row, branching to close to both our roof tops. So I have one lonely Adirondack chair, and soon I'll pull out my side table, to sit near my grill between the houses. I'll need to set back my nickel, dimes, and pennies to replace my umbrella. I'm making a mental list to buy 4 geraniums today to plant out front. It has been so hot, I put off planting flowers. They would have just died during the heat wave had I bought them earlier, cause I certainly would have not tending to them in the 100+ temps we recently endured.

God is so good, we are enjoying our first weekend after the heat wave! It is so beautiful out! Lil dog and I have plans to go to the park today and stroll around. Its gonna be so much fun!

Yesterday I drove out to the country and bought a peck of nectarines, my favorite fruit! I love driving out to the country. I had K-Love blaring on the radio, and all the windows down. I was praising the Lord and jammin down the road. Of course when I turned into Mr. B's farm, I toned it down. He waited on me and showed me the different grades he had. I told him, "I'm no canner or freezer girl, I just want to enjoy your sweet nectarines!" We talked a bit, (he knows my parents and with his wife, they often talk across the table at the restaurant), and then I paid, then he loaded 2 handfuls more onto my already overflowing peck for good measure. I barely made it to the car!

I told you, everywhere I go, I get blessings! God never fails me! Proverbs 17:9 says it all, and I claim it!

Today is my sweet daddy's birthday! So today, sista and I will head over for homemade peach cobbler and ice cream. Then, we'll give him our gifts and cards. He has such a kind heart, he always sheds a few tears when he reads our cards out loud, and then he thanks everybody. My mom will act like she forgot his card, which is an ongoing joke between them, he does the same thing on her birthday! Ha! "I guess the girls cards will have to suffice, I didn't get a chance to get out and get you anything."  Minutes later, "Here, hand this across to your daddy!" We have lots of fun around the dinner table at my parent's house, always have.

Well, I'm gettin kinda hungry, time to russell up some bacon, eggs, and fried potatoes for breakfast.  Two weeks from today, will be the annual Macedonia Baptist Church BBQ. I'll have lots of pictures, stories of fresh pork skins, and the best BBQ ever to talk about!

Come to the purple door with Flowerchic again! Don't forget to bring your ice tea before you sit down.

Click on the link below for a great tip for summer cooking!

FLOWERCHIC