About Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

I am a writer, dreamer -grounded by family; a Southerner...

Bar-B-Que… Need I say more?!

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

I’ve a tendency to slip away as often as possible when food is involved.

And, Bar-B-Que calls to me like no other! Steve N’ Jan’s BBQ is one of those little out-of-the-way places that folks don’t necessarily know about -unless you are a local, that is. It sits out in the country, on roads I don’t even know the name of but drive daily to and from work -just so I can see the lolling hills of Alabama farmland, old barns and recently baled hay.

I pulled in and parked; opening the car door I was immediately engulfed by the smell of smoked meats!

Daily, I join 400+ students for lunch in our school cafeteria. My schedule doesn’t allow me to get out and about and until this weekend, I’d not had the opportunity to slip away. When I arrived, Shelly (Steve and Jan’s daughter) greeted me with a huge grin and was more than happy to recommend everything on the menu! Steve was busy behind the counter chopping meats while Jan flitted about, being gracious and refilling everyone’s sweet tea. Last summer, Steve N Jan’s BBQ won The Taste of Lincoln. I’ve been ready to dig in ever since!

Shelly stood and chatted with me while I looked over the menu. When I told her I was having a difficult time choosing she smiled and suggested, “Why don’t you go grab yourself a milkshake and come back at 4:00 when we put out the buffet. That way you can sample everything!” I raised a skeptical brow and asked if she was kidding. “I’ve never heard of a BBQ buffet! But, I’m too hungry to wait and I’m ordering a lot…” I warned, returning her smile.

I told her I wanted to start with the BBQ Nachos. She grinned, and headed off in the direction of the kitchen. “I’ve got something I want you to try,” she said over her shoulder. “We make the most amazing potato salad -but it doesn’t have any of the regular potato salad ingredients,” she explained. “Dad also makes a Loaded Baked Potato that starts with this as the base. He warms it then stacks it with mounds of cheese and BBQ.” She slid a plate of warm, pork rinds across the table too, telling me that they make these as well.

My mouth was watering for the BBQ, but after one bite of the creamy red potatoes, I only wanted more. I’d say there will probably be a time in the near future that I’ll show up for just these, but it would be a lie.

The nachos are amazing as well!

As are the ribs… And the onion rings…

But the best -or at least the best thing I had this weekend- was the 5″ Pork BBQ Sandwich, pilled high with extra meet and loaded with pickles! I CAN HEAR WHAT YOU ARE THINKING 😉 Yes, much- MUCH of it went home in a to-go box, or two!

I’ve every intention of returning this coming Saturday for the buffet. The granddaughter, Elizabeth Rileigh, is a BBQ baby & is always ready to go out to eat! Love Brisket? They have that too 😉

Before heading out, I got to talk for a few minutes with Steve. He gladly discussed his love of cooking and smoking meats, explaining too how he refused to postpone his dream until after retirement. The restaurant has been open for four years. Following retirement this coming year, he will begin opening some during the week.

Hours of operation for Steve N Jan’s BBQ are: Friday and Saturday from 11- 8 p.m. *Buffet is ready at 4:00. They open on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for special occasions. Catering for important events is also available. *They are NOT difficult to find and instead of giving you typical Southern directions (i.e. take the road in front of the schools, go past the big house, the old farm with the beautiful pasture and hang a right at the church…) I’ll just give you the address. You are Welcome!

BTW, If you didn’t read this in your softest, Southern drawl you must read it all over again -correctly!

Steve N Jan’s Bar-B-Que, 13849 Jackson Trace Road Lincoln, AL 35906 Phone: 205 763-7712 They are also on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Steve-Jans-BBQ/133141530061622

You can join me there as well!

*****

ELIZABETH MOZLEY

@ElizabethMozley & @CentipedeYAread

And on Facebook – We Share the Same Sky, author Elizabeth Mozley

We Share the Same Sky, a memoir

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Mozley/e/B00J7KJWIU

hOneY, you know I have a thing for you!

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

Why else would I leave 130 wild, eleven/twelve year old students and head for the hills of Eastaboga, Alabama?

That’s not exactly true. I am drawn to the countryside like a bee to… 😉 The entire day, I thought of little else. My father, the herbalist in the family has long lauded its praise. He insists that local honey is best for all that ails you.

Even if it wasn’t healthy, what’s not to love?!

I met up with Justin Hill of Eastaboga Bee Company this afternoon after having missed him at Oxford’s fall festival & then again at the Anniston Farmer’s Market. I first learned of his business on Twitter and was shocked to find there was a bee company so close to home. When I called, a young man with the most beautiful Southern drawl answered the phone and graciously offered to show me his farm.

“If you get here early, I’ll let you help me feed the cows,” he promised.

I turned off Mudd Street and traveled down a long dirt road, wondering if perhaps I was in the wrong place. I parked out front, knocked at the door and paused before going back to wait at the car. Brilliant Alabama sun shone down. Even in October it can be stifling here in the South. Surrounding fields, acre upon acre of pastureland, rolled like waves, steadily climbing and steepening behind the home place. In the distance, I could just make out a white super; the air around it shimmered with movement. I stood and filled my eyes –Alabama is such a beautiful place! The tension created from being indoors all day began to slip away.

I’d just begun to wonder if I’d been forgotten when I heard the far off sound of a motor. Puffs of smoke rose across the pasture. It was Justin driving a Polaris 570 Ranger. He pulled up, drawled, “Climb in” and gladly, I did as I was told. We quickly introduced ourselves, exchanged pleasantries, then rode, talked of bees … and fed the cows! I shared my spot with Jake, Justin’s dog. (He reminded me so much of my childhood bird dog, Lemon, that I wanted to take him home!) Jake looked at him, obviously puzzled by the change in their daily feeding schedule. Justin, a 4^th generation farmer, works his family’s 300 acre cattle farm.

Justin pulled over to show me a hardwood where he had captured a swarm the previous season. I told Justin that before meeting, I searched the internet for current information on honeybees, apiary regulations and current statistics on Colony Collapse Disorder. I had no idea that every hive had to be registered, or that beekeepers were required to submit a map marking all of their hives. Justin patiently explained the ins and outs of his business and corrected several misconceptions I had about beekeeping.

He pulled us closer to a nearby group of supers. The bees carried on with their work, unfazed by the sound of the engine. He explained that the black bees I helped rob in my younger years were not English bees, but rather Italian bees. These were obviously much calmer. I asked about the various colors of honey and he described being able to taste the difference in them based on the bees’ food source or when the honey was robbed from the hive. We discussed at length the necessity of feeding new or struggling hives. I discovered he currently tends over eighty supers! In 2013 and 2014, Justin was chosen for the Outstanding Young Farm Family in the Bee & Honey Division at the Young Farmers Leadership Conference.

Before leaving, Justin invited me in to sample his new Honey Mustard and loaded me up with a handful of products available from the company’s website: Honey Hand Sanitizer, emollient hand & body lotions containing beeswax and shea butter, soaps, a honey infused lip balm and a leather conditioner comprised of both lanolin and beeswax.

In the coming season, the company is also scheduled to come out with a Honey Vinegar Sauce/Marinade… and Mead! Justin’s degree in marketing from JSU is obviously coming in handy. However, his ingenuity and a hard work ethic are just something he was born with!

If, like me, you are into honey and all its health benefits you must visit Eastaboga Bee Company’s website and check out the honey & the products: http://www.eastabogabeecompany.com

You can also find Justin on Twitter @EastabogaBeeCompany

Now, about that GREAT LOGO. The following excerpt is taken from Justin’s website. He said he didn’t mind me sharing it at all!

“The Tree & The Tractor”

How Heritage Became The Symbol Of Unwavering Quality….

What does an antique Oliver Tractor, with a tree growing through the middle of it, have in common with a bee company?

Justin Hill, Founder of the Eastaboga Bee Company, says it’s the opening chapter to the story of his family history.

“The love of farming in my family comes from generations back,” says Hill. “That Oliver Tractor with the tree growing out of it is the foremost symbol of my Great Grandfather, Elvin Hill. It marks the beginning of my family’s history of farming in Alabama.”

As the story goes, Elvin Hill farmed the lands across East Central Alabama in the late 1800s. After a long hard day of working the fields, Elvin parked his Oliver Tractor and returned home for dinner. Before the meal could be served, Elvin Hill suffered a fatal heart attack.

The grieving Hill family left that Oliver Tractor in the spot where Elvin had parked it. It served as a monument of sorts, which represents the last life act of a great man and the leader of the Hill family. As the months past, a small tree began to sprout from underneath. Through the years, the tree continued to grow, committing the Oliver Tractor to the very ground it was parked on.

Notes:

While colony loss has been noted and investigated for decades, the rise in numbers during 2006, 2007 (some beekeepers reported a loss of up to 80% of their colonies) created great concern for both apiculturists and agriculturalists. It was then that the term Colony Collapse Disorder was coined.

Due to the large drop in U.S. hives from mites, disease, harsh weather, insecticides, etc. many farmers now “rent” honeybees for pollination. Thus, migratory beekeeping has become crucial to U.S. agriculture. Many beekeepers earn more money from renting bees for pollination than for the production of honey. The business is both necessary and lucrative. However, researchers are currently investigating migratory beekeeping’s effect on spreading viruses and mites.

*****

ELIZABETH MOZLEY

@ElizabethMozley & @CentipedeYAread

And on Facebook – We Share the Same Sky, author Elizabeth Mozley

We Share the Same Sky, a memoir

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Mozley/e/B00J7KJWIU

Wanderlust ~a strong desire or impulse to wander, travel, explore the world…

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

“Not all those who wander are lost.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

I am equally envious and excited when I hear people taking off on adventures I have also yearned for. Example -for years I’ve longed to hike the Appalachian Trail. The AT runs from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine; is roughly 2,200 miles long and passes through 14 states.

I have watched every documentary I can find on the subject, and each time I sit for hours afterward trying to plot out the HOW. And, how is a huge thing! It takes 6 months to hike the trail from end to end. Six months –time away from family, jobs and paying the bills each month. It also costs about 4 thousand dollars to finance the hike. Finding a solution doesn’t seem possible. Perhaps it is something we will postpone until retirement –like icing on the cake!

The fever hit again this morning when I came across an article on Yahoo Travel. It is a great piece written by Julie Fast about the tragic loss of a friend and her quest along the Appalachian Trail. The Amazing People I Met While Hiking the Appalachian Trail Changed My Life. Julie Fast‎. Oct‎ ‎06‎, ‎2014

Finding peace in nature helped me to heal. (Photo: Julie Fast)

However, as much as I long to hike the AT, my favorite film/documentary about just getting out and experiencing the world remains 180° SOUTH!

THE TRAILER http://www.180south.com/trailer.html

The film documents Jeff Johnson’s 2007 adventurous trek from California to Patagonia, a trip based on the earlier expedition of environmentalist Yvon Chouinard and his friend Doug Tomkins (founder of The North Face), taken in 1968. Johnson’s expedition is meshed with footage from the first one. A third component of the film is the inclusion of existing environmental issues discussed by Chouinard and Tomkins (almost 70 now) who continue to live their dream and relish a personal relationship with nature. Doug and his wife Kris own and live on a 2.2 million acre reserve in both Chile and Argentina where they concentrate on a “defense of nature”. http://www.conservacionpatagonica.org

The film is indescribably good. Appealing to both my love of the ocean and the mountains, it makes my heart yearn. When I’ve had a really bad day I listen to the soundtrack in my car. I’ve watched the documentary so many times that the association the music provides makes me happy within minutes. In my mind’s eye, I can see Rapa Nui!

I know exactly what I’m watching when I get home tonight –right after I make a huge cold cut sandwich~

*****

ELIZABETH MOZLEY

@ElizabethMozley & @CentipedeYAread

And on Facebook – We Share the Same Sky, author Elizabeth Mozley

We Share the Same Sky, a memoir

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Mozley/e/B00J7KJWIU

FOR THE LOVE OF FALL…

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

Each year, I eagerly fill my calendar with dates of fall festivals. My favorite has quickly become Oxfordfest in Oxford, Alabama –our new hometown. Oxford lies along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Mt. Cheaha, the highest point in Alabama. Although Oxford continues to expand and branch out, the autumn celebration is always held in the old downtown area I love. Here places are set up for dozens of craft vendors, folks working grills and ladies tending tables filled with homemade sweets, or preserves. The smell of kielbasa with sautéed onions, homemade corn dogs, funnel cakes, and coffee floats in the fall air.

Not only is the festival a feast for the nose and stomach –it is a feast for the eyes. How can you not feel happy, walking around with a crisp breeze dimpling your skin, the air rich with the smells of food cooking, vibrant color everywhere?

Of all the rich craftwork found, my favorites are easily tooled leather and wood. Everett Martin’s hand-turned wooden bowls and Peggy’s carved/etched & painted gourds are an example of true craftsmanship. Their shop, Gourds and More, is located in Ohatchee, Alabama. (If you missed them at Oxfordfest they will be at the Little River Canyon festival the first Saturday in November.)

How unfortunate I vowed not to purchase anything for myself.

All about are the sounds of happiness –children and families laughing and talking, a gospel band sings in the distance. Community. It just feels right. Representatives from neighboring churches are present. Politicians are too –both handing out pamphlets and business cards.

Oxford Police Department is also here, busy working with droves of moms and dads who are anxious to take advantage of the Child ID kits. It is amazing how active the department is in Oxford. It’s one of the main reasons I enjoy living here -doesn’t matter what time of day it is, if you are out and about you notice that they are out and about as well. Returning from Publix one afternoon and caught a glimpse of our Chief, Bill Partridge out helping a motorist change a flat. I sang his praises all the way home. If I’d had a camera, I’d have posted the pic on Twitter or Facebook to brag! The man exemplifies hard work and dedication!

Chief Bill Partridge with Attorney General Luther Strange

************

My morning ended with a search for Eastaboga Bee Company’s table. I’ve been wanting to purchase a couple of jars of local honey and only recently learned about Justin Hill’s booming business. With over 80 hives, they not only produce a ton of honey, they also have select beeswax products. One of the beers at Cheaha Brewing Company is made using his honey. Unfortunately, it was not available when we visited this weekend. Although I missed him at the fall festival, I’ll be catching up with Justin later this week.

http://www.eastabogabeecompany.com

*A huge ‘thank you’ to my son, Jonathan Isaac Parks, for the amazing photographs!

*****

ELIZABETH MOZLEY

@ElizabethMozley & @CentipedeYAread

And on Facebook – We Share the Same Sky, author Elizabeth Mozley

We Share the Same Sky, a memoir

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Mozley/e/B00J7KJWIU

Wise beyond her years~

Quote

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see the people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.” Anne Frank

Photo: Copyright © Hanz en Henriette Meulenbroeks: Outdek Amerika Nl

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

When the weather changes, the closet gets changed out and the plate offered at the table follows suit. It is time for fall foods, folks! While I am sure some eat biscuits year round, for me they are a cool weather food; as summer is reserved for fresh fruits that are readily available at our local farmer’s market. Admittedly, I’ve not always been a fruit lover. (Laughing, because I can hear the actor in Tombstone drawling, “You, music lover”. It’s funny only if you know the film and once you hear it, you can’t UN-hear it.) But, I digress.

It’s fall and it’s time for cool weather foods. And for me, warm, just-baked breads are at the top of the list! Of course, the memoir We Share the Same Sky is filled with reflections of growing up in the South, foods my grandmother’s and mother made, breads they baked and the hours we shared around the family table. So, I thought today I would share an excerpt, followed by a sweet potato biscuit recipe. My cousin, Dana Lynn, has been at work perfecting our Grandmother Libby’s square dinner biscuits. Perhaps she will allow me to share these as well in the near future.

From: We Share the Same Sky (an excerpt from Chapter 2)

Simplicity -free of complexity, refinement or pretentiousness

The importance of the making and sharing of bread is an amazing thing. The women in my family all make a variety of breads. But, of them all, my favorite continues to be the humble biscuit. My GrandMosie’s were the most divine! She got up early every morning to make my Grandpa breakfast before he went to work. She would fill several with butter and granulated sugar, then slip them to me with a hot cup of coffee at three a.m. because she knew I preferred them hot. I’d eat, drink, crawl back beneath the weight of handmade quilts and fall right back into a deep sleep. She also made sweet potato biscuits for me and Papa on days we went hunting. We would eat our fill, then wrap those remaining in paper napkins and tuck them in our coat pockets. They were thick, dense biscuits, so rich in flavor.

My Grandmother Libby also made incredible biscuits, though they were somewhat odd. She kept her flour in a huge tin in the cupboard; when she readied to make biscuits she would pull out a stool, open the tin and make a well right there in the flour then work in the shortening and buttermilk. The biscuit dough was removed, the lid fastened back onto the tin and put away. After rolling out the dough into a long rectangular shape, she placed it on a flat baking sheet and cut it into squares. She was the only person I knew who made them this way. Always, they were served alongside her falling-off-the-bone, fried pork chops.

Baking bread is often the basis of tradition. And, many of these traditions are linked to religion. Unleavened bread is partaken when receiving the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper; Artos is a Greek celebration bread; elaborate wreath breads are indicative of many German celebrations and King Cake is a common Christmas tradition in countries commemorating the festival of Epiphany. Southerners in Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana begin the merriment of Mardi Gras with a King Cake iced in carnival colors of purple, gold and green. Whomever finds the token- be it bean or baby- baked within the cake, receives both a favor and responsibility. A Christmas custom in Poland is the making and sharing of Oplatek. This thin wafer has a holy picture pressed into it. Family members make it together, then share it with close neighbors. Each person breaks a wafer and as they eat it, forgives the other of any wrong doing or hurt that has occurred over the past year.

Today, wheat is the most widely cultivated crop on earth. But, I believe that mass production has diminished our appreciation for it. Surely, the women who grew, milled, and made their own breads viewed the final product very differently. They claimed a connection to the soil, and therefore to the land and to home. The Russian immigrants who secretly brought over their more resilient grains understood this bond. How true it is, the quote by Aldo Leopold that “the oldest task in human history [is] to live on a piece of land without spoiling it.” In our effort to progress, we have not only severed our tie to the land, we have let go of traditions that connect us to our heritage.

***************************************************************

Unfortunately this is not my GrandMosie’s recipe.

She never used one for breads or pies.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato prebaked and cooled
1 1/4 cups sweet milk
3 1/2 cups self-rising flour
4 tsp. sugar
A good pinch of salt
2/3 cup cold solid vegetable shortening, cut into
small pieces
4 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut into
small pieces

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and increase the temperature to 450°F.

Peel the sweet potato and mash with a fork, then add the buttermilk and mix until smooth.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the shortening and butter; use a fork to cut them into the dry ingredients. Add the sweet milk mixture and stir until a soft, crumbly dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead very lightly, just until it holds together.

Roll out and pat the dough into a rectangle 6 by 12 inches. Use a biscuit cutter or old juice jar to cut out biscuits. Transfer to a lightly sprayed baking sheet. Bake until the biscuits have risen and the edges and bottoms are lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes.

*Recipe was given to me by a dear friend years ago –thank you CW. *Photo via tiny banquet committee.

*****

ELIZABETH MOZLEY

@ElizabethMozley & @CentipedeYAread

And on Facebook – We Share the Same Sky, author Elizabeth Mozley

We Share the Same Sky, a memoir

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Mozley/e/B00J7KJWIU

The smallest change in schedule can be delightful~

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

4:50 a.m.

Instead of my morning walk, I am up early to water the plants. It is beyond dry and I’ve no intention of letting the trees and plants I’ve babied for six years go without a fight.

The stars are out and it is a brilliantly clear sky. The wind has a chill to it and my heavy hunting jacket is necessary. Its deep pockets give me a place to put my phone so I can keep up with the time; otherwise I’ll get into what I’m doing, begin to daydream and be out here all morning. I have to be at work before the students begin to arrive at 7:20.

Sweet Alabama! Today it is supposed to be in the low 80’s and that is a glorious thing. The past few months have been unbearably hot. Dead grass crunches beneath my work boots; it is an unpleasant sound. Lowering my head, I put in a small request for a long, soaking rain.

There is something so calm and peaceful about being outside in the early morning when everyone else is still sleeping. Well, actually many are not.

One day last week when I could not sleep, I got up at 2 a.m., started a pot of coffee and went for a long walk. I was surprised at how many lights were on. I could actually smell breakfast coming from the open windows of some. But, the quiet, the black sky and brilliant stars with the wind gently blowing was both invigorating and calming. I returned home, settled on the couch with coffee and books, and read and until it was time to ready for work. It was as if I got an extra weekend morning on a weekday. The simple change in my schedule, the positive way I had begun the morning carried over into the day.

Just One Little Change…

*****

ELIZABETH MOZLEY

@ElizabethMozley & @CentipedeYAread

And on Facebook – We Share the Same Sky, author Elizabeth Mozley

We Share the Same Sky, a memoir

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Mozley/e/B00J7KJWIU

Night Sky Photo: http://www.rarewallpapers.cm

WORRY, EXPECTATIONS, CONTROL – OH, MY!

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

You wouldn’t carry around and nurture a rotten egg.

Yes, it is a silly thought, but it reminds me how foolish it is to worry, when worry accomplishes nothing.

For the most part I am a really happy person and I tend to wake up that way almost every day. But, there are days that once I get going, I begin to WORRY. And, there are other times when the blues strike for no apparent reason –not a sadness mind you, but rather a deep funk. Thank goodness these are getting fewer and further between.

They say that women have a greater propensity for worrying than men, that we tend to over analyze things. It’s something that once it hits, I have to get a hold on quickly. I have learned to turn to two books: Change Your Thoughts –Change Your Life, Living the Wisdom of the Tao by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and Peace a Day at a Time, 365 Meditations for Wisdom and Serenity by Karen Casey.

Although, I am a Christian, I appreciate Buddhism’s lessons on kindness, generosity and self-love. So picking up Dyer’s book and delving into it was a given. It is an easy read, but if you read the lessons twice you gain a deeper meaning. The other book, Karen Casey’s, I picked up without realizing that it is a book for AA. I simply picked it up in the bookstore when the title caught my eye, flipped to a page, read it and was hooked! Its lessons are so short and simple that it is hard to fathom the effect they have on your thinking. Bookmarks now fill each and I’ve underlined and written in all the margins my thoughts and feelings, little phrases that sing to me. Both books are filled with Biblical scripture as well; and like faith, neither are one dimensional.

If I am honest, my worrying has another component that I don’t like. I call it the ugly cousin –CONTROL. Trying to control even the smallest of things seems almost an addiction. I know it is poisonous. It can make what should be non-stressful situations stressFULL and can place a hardship on even the strongest relationships. For example, because I am an extremely punctual person (a little OCD when it comes to time, I have multiple alarm clocks) I let what should be a minor irritant –waiting on someone for what I felt was an ungodly amount of time- almost ruin a friendship. A girlfriend told me she would meet me at a specific time, and showed up 45 minutes late; she was smiling and chipper I might add. I was beyond ill. What I didn’t understand at that time was that I was the one with the problem, not her. It was my expectations that caused the problem.

Give up expectations of others, stop worrying and just find something to smile about.

It is amazing how much of this I began to understand once I read Dyer’s and Casey’s books. By changing the way I viewed things, I changed the way I felt.

*****

ELIZABETH MOZLEY

@ElizabethMozley & @CentipedeYAread

And on Facebook – We Share the Same Sky, author Elizabeth Mozley

We Share the Same Sky, a memoir

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Mozley/e/B00J7KJWIU

The deepest shade of envy green~ Southern Hospitality

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

Nancy, a dear friend of mine, posted this picture to her Facebook recently and I immediately turned the deepest shade of green! She explained how a neighboring farmer had left the gift on her doorstep. The thoughtfulness made me wish I lived nearby. It also got me to thinking about how much I love this area. Understand, I am not blind to all that is wrong with the South, but for me it is a love that goes deep enough to appreciate all this region has to offer.

The greatest of which is still good ‘ole SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY. And, yes, even today it still exists.

Being hospitable in the South is often defined by food. Always has been and I have a feeling it always will be. It is one of the things I love about HOME. It is also the easiest way we Southern women know to say, “I love you” or “I appreciate you”.

When the children and I moved to Oxford, Alabama in 2007, our neighbor across the street whom we had not yet met, left a plate of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies on the little café table in our carport. When we returned from school that afternoon, the children and I were all smiles. Anderson poured us tall glasses of milk (mine with crushed ice) and we sat down and devoured the still warm cookies.

Looking back some of my sweetest memories involve food.

I remember Mother surprising me in the campus parking lot while I was in college. She was standing next to my vehicle holding a chocolate Coca-Cola birthday cake.

And, the first year I taught elementary school, I returned home and was surprised and delighted to find a pot of chicken and dumplings warming on the stove. My father had come, cooked supper for us and returned home.

My heart hurts with the memories too of all the trips my Grandpa and GrandMosie made to Talladega County when I first moved away from home. They would show up out of-the-blue bearing gifts –always a sweet potato and pumpkin pie. They are still my favorites. (I enjoy them warm, but still prefer a slice after they’ve cooled in the refrigerator, with a glass of sweet tea of course.)

For me, food will always be associated with hospitality or small acts of kindness.

“Be good to strangers; be better to family,” my Grandmother Libby used to say.

In the South, when someone is sick, you take them food. When a family is placed in hardship, folks show up with casseroles, buckets of chicken… desserts. That’s just the way it is around here. And, I like it!

Even at work, I am surrounded by teachers who bring and give –many mornings there is something fresh baked, or a box of doughnuts from Lamar’s waiting in the workroom. And, boy does the faculty miss Ms. Camp and her wonderful zucchini bread since she retired. Though I’m not sure which we miss most –the bread or her contagious laughter!

It seems the older I get, the more rushed life becomes. I hope that in the future this changes, but I doubt it. The one thing I am sure of though is that I want the giving to continue –even when I am tired, even when I am busy.

I hope that looking back years from now, my kids will remember the meals shared with family, will remember the hospitality that is part of their heritage.

Coca-Cola Cake

If you haven’t had it, you need to ASAP!~

2cups sugar
2cups all-purpose flour
1cup Coca-Cola
1 ½cups small marshmallows
½cups butter or margarine
½cups vegetable oil
3tablespoons cocoa
1teaspoon baking soda
½cups buttermilk
2eggs
1teaspoon vanilla extract
½cups butter
4tablespoons cocoa
6tablespoons Coca-Cola
1box (16-ounces) confectioners’ sugar
2teaspoons vanilla extract
1cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. *In a bowl, sift the sugar and flour, then add marshmallows.

In a saucepan, mix the butter, oil, cocoa and Coca-Cola. Bring to a boil and pour over dry ingredients; blend well. *Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk then add to batter with eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well and pour into a well-greased 9- by-13-inch pan and bake 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and frost immediately.

Coca-Cola Cake Frosting

Combine: 1/2 cup butter, 4 tablespoons cocoa and 6 tablespoons of Coca-Cola in a saucepan. Bring this to a boil and then pour over confectioners’ sugar. Blend well and add the vanilla extract and pecans. Spread over cake, carefully. When cool, cut into squares and serve.

*****

ELIZABETH MOZLEY

@ElizabethMozley & @CentipedeYAread

And on Facebook – We Share the Same Sky, author Elizabeth Mozley

We Share the Same Sky, a memoir

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Mozley/e/B00J7KJWIU

A Waiting Time

Posted on September 20, 2014 by Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

Waiting.

Never is it an easy thing for me. Yet some of the best things in life require a waiting time- Pecorino Romano, Brioche, wine, beer, Blanton’s… Yet these are things to be looked forward to, and therefore the wait is different; anticipation tempers.

Currently, I am waiting for the heat to break, the weather to change. I am waiting for a long, slow soaking rain that lasts all day and into the night. I want to hear the constant roll of thunder and the soil so sodden that it is feels like mush beneath my feet. You see, in the South we are on the verge of a possible drought; the ground in my back yard is so dry and cracked it resembles an ancient map.

When did I begin waiting for summer to end? When I was a child that was definitely not the case. I had mourned its nearing end and tried to stretch those last few days out as far and as long as I could.

I have friends who are waiting too -for other things. And I wonder, is it really wise to spend our days this way? What if yesterday was as good as it was going to get and we let it slip by while we were lost in want? Goes back to what my mother used to say about working on something you can be proud of while fitting in a few things you enjoy, here and there. “Makes the day worthwhile,” she would smile and say. Being hopeful is essential of course, but taking action is as well.

Maybe that’s why my summer projects overlap –because I can’t stand the in-between time. My moments of deep languid thought must come quickly, before I remember something else that needs immediate attention. There is this irritating necessity to be active. I tried meditating but I’m pretty sure it is not supposed to be a painful experience. So, I tell myself that when I am busy, my mind gets the same sense of peace and I’ve something to show for it.

I am waiting, too, on a visit from Isaac that isn’t coming anytime soon.

Recently, I’ve found myself padding an empty nest. Whenever I heard women speak of this in the past, I always shrugged and thought, Whatever! I am so busy, how could I complain over peace and quiet? Let me tell you, the first few weeks are a miserable thing to experience. I went through it to a degree when my daughter Anderson moved out at the young age of 17. But, her brother, Isaac was here to buffer that gaping hole her leaving created. He recently left for Troy University. And here I am, a momma without any chicks to tend.

Reminding myself I now have time to write, I gather my journals and scraps of papers (I’ve a tendency to make notes on the back of envelopes and receipts) and put Madeleine Peyroux on the hi-fi. The joy this brings works like a charm. (There is background noise of ice tinkling in a highball glass, the smell of a glorious amber liquid.) Memories join me and I begin rummaging through my old journals until I find the recollection there in writing.

I read it again. It takes me back. And, I smile.

Perhaps, there is nothing more detrimental, and yet necessary, to a woman’s heart than nostalgia.

Taken from a journal so many years ago:

And So It Goes…

Again

the winds call out,

tugging and tempting with their persuasion,

to steal the beckoning sounds of a nearby farm-

distressed cadence,

of cows seeking some comfort, the drone of equipment where a

worker labors his heart for home. The winds lift them,

float them upward,

where they sing pleasantly upon my ears.

Place and rationale are easily forgotten;

engulfed in the warm blushes of sun and wind,

I stand languid in luxuries most pure

as the mind drifts off with daydreams.

Distant, sharpening booms ring out

so suddenly close upon the ears,

full of meaning and clarity-

startling, and yet expected.

Poor dove,

how hopelessly he zigzags across open fields,

pursuing sanction in oaks that

alas, he will not reach.

And so it goes

that the young bond with the old,

the heart becomes one with the land

and the boy, through some strange passage,

is likened to the man.

With gaze seized upward,

I eye the not quiet green of the oak.

Harken the crackling dryness of leaves as a wind’s rustling therein

makes known their age!

They are ever slowly losing luster, yet refuse

release –like the mother,

observing childhood’s nearing end, stands fast

and clutches to bosom what cannot remain.

It is a time of between

as nature, in her ancient copious melee,

dances betwixt seasons, hesitant in relinquishing

summer’s sweet hold,

even as the glowing across the field grows dim.

With emotions sewn

tight –interwoven

like virgin woolen thread

unacquainted with fuller’s earth, unready

for the cast of dye, unreceptive

even for salty baptism in a lathered, timeless ocean-

I stand and watch

the fields receive their dusting from heaven.

For there,

out in the wide unbroken expanse of godly land,

that is not the drifting of weary leaves

seeking to rest their breadth upon warmed soil,

but rather the drifting of gentle down.

Elizabeth Mozley McGrady. Isaac’s First Dove Hunt, September 11, 2004

* Poem from WE SHARE THE SAME SKY, a memoir.

*****

ELIZABETH MOZLEY

@ElizabethMozley & @CentipedeYAread

And on Facebook – We Share the Same Sky, author Elizabeth Mozley

We Share the Same Sky, a memoir

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Mozley/e/B00J7KJWIU

Elizabeth Mozley Partridge, Alabama Author

~ WE SHARE THE SAME SKY ~ CENTIPEDE ~ DANCING ALONG THE FRINGES TO THE SIGN OF SILENCE ~ FROM HERE TO THERE,THE LONG WAY HOME

Author Archives: Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

About Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

Bar-B-Que… Need I say more?!

hOneY, you know I have a thing for you!

Wanderlust ~a strong desire or impulse to wander, travel, explore the world…

FOR THE LOVE OF FALL…

Wise beyond her years~

Quote

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

The smallest change in schedule can be delightful~

WORRY, EXPECTATIONS, CONTROL – OH, MY!

The deepest shade of envy green~ Southern Hospitality

A Waiting Time

About Elizabeth Mozley Partridge

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