NEWS FROM THE HILLS
“Glad that I live am I;
That the sky is blue;
Glad for the country lanes,
And the fall of dew.
After the sun the rain,
After the rain the sun;
This is the way of life,
Till the work be done.
All that we need to do,
Be we low or high
Is to see that we grow
Nearer the sky.”
By Lizette Woodworth Reese
We knew that we were going to lose Mom; actually we lost the “real” Mom when Alzheimer’s invaded her mind. Yet, when the angels bore her away, it was a rainy season for us. After the rain, the sun began to shine when we thought of the joys of heaven, her surcease from pain, and her longing to go home.
We are left to carry on the godly heritage that she left for us. Our work is not done; we have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren following in our footsteps. We must grow nearer the sky, until we take our flight just as Mom did.
A ray of sunlight came two weeks after Mom left us, in the form of a tiny angel-baby. Our 15th great-grandchild was born March 4, a little girl weighing seven pounds and nine ounces. She was born to Adrian and Megan (Ferrebee) Thompson, and was named Lainee Lynn Gabriella. She has an older sister, Adrianna. They are the granddaughters of Patty Haynes and Randy Thompson.
March, with her unpredictable moods, has entered our hills. Sunshine is sometimes followed by snowflakes, which in turn is followed by rain, and always the gusty winds. Wind is welcomed by country housewives, as it dries up the wintertime mud.
We can expect some warmer weather this month also, and definite signs of coming spring. A cheering sight is the robins, as flocks of them swarm over the lawns and meadows in search of the careless earthworm. This has definitely been a colder winter than we have been used to, and all of us are ready for spring.
We have had some wonderful responses to the request for the “Almost Heaven” sandwich. Kelly Mullins writes, “When Ray’s Deli was sold and renamed ‘Murad’s,’ they kept the sandwich but renamed it ‘Home Plate.’ My mother and I still make it, but we use Walmart’s English Toasting bread.”
Debbie Simpson of Summersville says that the sandwich is still available at Murad’s. Jan Green has a different memory—she says that they used spicy chicken liver pate as the main ingredient. Could that have been a different sandwich?
We are happy to report that we have the authentic recipe from the former owners of “Ray’s Deli.” They are Gloria and Ray Max, who now reside in Ormond Beach, Florida. Here is her letter in part:
“We have fond memories of the wonderful customers that we had while we were in business (1960-80). Many of our customers became personal friends. The “Almost Heaven” sandwich was our most popular. A customer named this while he was eating the yet unnamed sandwich.
“Following are the ingredients that made this sandwich famous. Start with large Grecian bread, put one slice of Swiss cheese, sweet yellow pepper slices, next add turkey breast, salami, two slices of tomato, fresh onion slices, sprinkle with pepper, and top it with the other slice of Grecian bread. Flip the sandwich (the Swiss cheese should be right under the bread.)
“Brush top of bread with melted butter; put it on a grill that can grill both sides at once. While it is grilling, flip and butter the other side. When the bread is browned and cheese is melted, eat and enjoy. We still make this sandwich for ourselves, and yes, it is “Almost Heaven!”
“We have lived at Ormond Beach for the past 23 years. I am Director of the Jewish Federation, and Ray works hard helping me. We are a United Way Agency who helps the less fortunate with food, clothing, household goods, rental and utility assistance. All of our services are free of charge.
“We would love to hear from our former customers, and they can reach us at: Gloria & Ray Max, c/o Jewish Federation, 470 Andalusia Avenue, Ormond Beach, FL 32174.”
Seems as if a lot of folks were familiar with the poem requested a couple of weeks ago. We heard from Kathryn B. Marks of Charleston, Von Carter, Robert Craft of New Braunfels, TX, and LeAnne Neccuzi. Her grandmother, Nina Williams Gibson of Cross Lanes found it in an old poetry book.
Joanne P. Blake of Jane Lew sent a copy, as did Jenny Chapman of Ivydale (Hello, Jenny!), Rev. Dwight K. Lowther of So. Charleston, Annie Holbrook, Barbara Kelly, and Patsy Adkins. We thank all these good friends for taking the time to help us.
Marilene, here is your poem:
LIFE SCULPTURE
By William Croswell Doane
Chisel in hand stood a sculptor boy
With his marble block before him
And his eyes lit up with a smile of joy,
As an angel dream passed o’er him,
He carved the dream on that shapeless stone,
With many a sharp incision;
With heaven’s own light the sculptor shone—
He’d caught that heavenly vision.
Children of life are we, as we stand
With our lives uncarved before us,
Waiting the hour when, at God’s command,
Our life dream shall pass o’er us.
If we carve it then on the yielding stone
With many a sharp incision,
Its heavenly vision shall be our own,
Our lives that angel vision.
We have one request this week—Lloyd L. Kouns of Spring Hill is looking for Balm of Gilead salve. His mother made it from the sticky buds of the Balm of Gilead tree (Populus Candicans tree.) Old folks called it “Bam Gilley” salve, and it was very healing. Is anyone familiar with this?
(I do want to express my appreciation for the many, many beautiful sympathy cards I have received in regards to my mother’s passing. It is an outpouring of love and compassion beyond words. I wish it were possible to acknowledge and thank each person personally. I can only say “I love you all, and God bless each and every one of you.)
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