A few weekends ago I headed to Arkansas for Decoration. My paternal grandma was born and raised on Nubbin Hill in Leslie, Ark. The old church building there served as both school and church for my great-grandfather, my grandma and all her siblings. It’s easy to forget those days gone by, a simpler time. Grandma fondly remembered walking to and from school, and to and from her girlfriends’ homes as a young girl. Even after a hard day working in the fields, she noted they were never too tired to walk to their friend’s home to visit, or perhaps, if they were lucky, catch a ride into town. Today, with the Internet, TV and cell phones we can always have company or entertainment.
I hope we, as a culture, aren’t losing the simple pleasures of getting together and enjoying a picnic lunch, escaping the July sun under large pines and remembering loved ones fondly.
That’s what we did at Nubbin Hill’s decoration. I met lots of my extended family, we ate and ate and there was still food left over. One of my grandma’s dear friends from her youth, Johnnie Rains Johns, was kind enough to share the recipe for her dish she brought to the dinner. Aptly named, Heavenly Hash Cake certainly was divine.
I hope you get out to your town’s socials this summer and enjoy some tasty home-cooked food and the best old-fashioned entertainment: Visiting with friends.
God Bless,
