By Donna Traywick

Mt. Olivet News

I took a little hiatus after my Annabel Lee ordeal. Thank you for checking on me. Sometimes the bucket gets a little dry and I have to lay back and get refreshed.

I didn’t know that the poem by Edgar Allen Poe about a beautiful dead woman was so popular. Several texted to say that they had to memorize it. My niece, Mary Ellen Baker from Sledge, recalls when her English teacher, Mrs. Virginia Starr, made each one recite it in English class. 

It’s a beautiful poem. Perhaps you can Google it. It’s a rather lengthy poem to memorize. Students today are not required to memorize such. They can punch several buttons and pull it up. One student shared with me that they were not required to learn long division any more, but were taught how to use the cell phone and computer or laptop to get answers. What is this doing to their brain?

Alex went alligator hunting this weekend, in Vicksburg near the Mississippi River. I was afraid he would come back missing a limb. All is well though, and they caught a seven foot and an eleven foot one. It took two hours to get the big one in.

“What do you do with them after you catch them?” I asked. The meat is in the tail and backbone. The meat is reported to be similar to quail. It’s very mild with no fat. Alligator eggs were a part of the cuisine in many Southern states in the 1900’s and many harvested the eggs and sold them as a source of income. It is now illegal to harvest without a special permit.

The biggest and longest alligator ever found in Mississippi was discovered by a hunting party near Natchez in 2017. It weighed 766.5 pounds and was 14 ¾ feet long. So, Alex and his crew were very happy with their eleven footer. I hope this doesn’t encourage them to keep on doing this dangerous sport. I’m much happier with the dove season, which starts this weekend.

While he was in Vicksburg, LaDonna got to dog sit Delta Midnight River (black lab) and Mississippi Willow Queen (white Lab). I enjoy going up and seeing them each time they are here. They love the swimming pool. Each time you let them out, they head for the pool. 

River, the older of the two, has even ventured down to the pond in front of the house. Willow thankfully hasn’t discovered it yet. Of course, that’s what they were bred for.

Mt. Oliver will start a ministry to the elderly and shut-ins soon. Brother Charles will work out a program where they can receive Communion if they would like. Brucie Newcomb and Joyce Phillips have already started a visitation program. Once or twice a week they visit someone. The ones that they have visited have told me how much they enjoyed it. 

Brucie related that they sometimes stay about 15 minutes not to tire them out. Who of us can’t give 15 minutes? I have always referred to Joyce as the community ambassador. A card can mean so much when you go to the mailbox and there is an unexpected letter or card. Thank you Brucie and Joyce.

Time is growing close for the Singing Convention on Sept. 24 at 3 p.m. We have a good variety of singers and musicians lined up. There is still time to join us. We practice every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the family life center. If you would like to join please call me or see one of the choir members. We are happy to have Bill Cosby and Donnie Fowler from Eureka Methodist to join us for this program.

Ponder this: the temperature determines the sex of a baby alligator. If the nest is raised in a warm setting chances are a male alligator will be born, while cold weather produces a female. They as well as turtles do not have sex chromosomes.

Come join us for an alligator cookout! I think I’ll pass!

Call or text Donna at 901-828-8824 any time.