Thursday's Story: Hey Y'all! Watch This!!

I live in a small community and our houses are close together. Sooner or later something I'm doing is going to get on a neighbor's nerves. And someone is going to get on mine.
   

Bynum Front Porch's Sunshine Library     
      Leave one. Take one. Any bench will do.

Then I turn on the tv to escape... wrong. 

   

Then I go on Facebook to surf.... nope. Can't hide there either. 

   

Then there is YET ANOTHER ZOOM MEETING.
   
And then the INtERnEtS is down. DOWN. 
Down. 
Down. 
D-O-W-N down. down. down.
   
Have you ever felt like the whole world, us included, needs to take a deep breath? Pretend to be at the beach for a week? Wait. We can't. We have on masks. And. There was that hurricane....
   
We are living in paradise and the World's angst even seems to have made it here ... Here. Even to our precious Bynum.

   

Isn't it time for one of us idiots to say, "Hey yall. Watch this. Let's get out 2-3 water hoses and make that giant bank above the turbine building into a mudside!!! Are the FIRE ANTS gone?" Yes. I definitely think it is time for some shenanigans. 

   
I have found when I am feeling bad - out of whack - worried.... if I do something good for someone else. No matter how small. It makes me feel better.
   
And when someone does something outrageous. Unexpected. It makes us laugh. When we laugh we breathe deeply. Ah.
   
We need a parade.
   
Stargazing on the bridge with our chairs ten feet apart. 

   

A water balloon fight at the ballfield.
   
Chalk art on the streets... All the streets.
   
A giant weed whacking party in my yard???
   
I know. Let's put the speakers on the porch. Crank up the stereo with that Donna Summer CD we all have. Still. AND DANCE IN THE STREETS.
   

"Hey y'all. Watch this!!" Most brilliant words. Ever. Spoken.

All my love. Cindy

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Thursday's Story: Ree and Christmas

Thursday's Story
   

I was in the stores today. They were pulling out Christmas "stuff" - Santa-shaped platters and sparkly baubles... potholders that light up and play Rudolf.... So much will end up - if not in the landfill - in the thrift shop come January.

It made me think about 'Ree - Marie Whitmire - the little wiry, sweet, tough and funny red-haired mountain lady that took care of me and my sisters and brother when we were growing up.

She never looked a day older that 14. There was always a look of joy on her face - in seeing the sun shine, the chickens set, the beds made - babies well fed.

After I went to college I'd come home to the mountains for Christmas and first thing, I'd go see 'Ree. When I asked her what she wanted me to get her for Christmas, likely as not she would say, "Your moma is getting me a chicken so I can make a pot of chicken and dumplings. I don't need a thing!"

I finally learned to stop asking. I'd bring her Arnold Coconut Macaroons and a scarf I'd knitted or a quilted vest - something warm. She lived in a cabin on the top of "Blue Ridge" - one of the world's beautiful spots - and the wind always blows there. And she loved coconut.

I can smell the wood smoke and flannel now. She cooked on a wood cook stove.... She'd give me a bowl of pintos and corn bread and hand me a big spoon - I think the size of the spoon was a point of pride.

After supper we'd listen to Country and Western records with her son Charles. Between Loretta Lynn and Conway and Bill Monroe her husband Stein would be telling stories. He knew everything and everybody.

And 'Ree was always piecing a quilt - pulling small colorful scraps of fabric from a black Hefty bag taller than her, stitching by hand. Me and my sisters all sewed back then. There was an never ending supply of scraps... 'Ree sewed them into quilts one stitch after another.

Now as I spread a quilt on the bed I recognize a skirt I made, a niece's jumper, my sister's Easter dress... tiny stitches... I have two quilts from 'Ree and two from Aunt Myrtle - they are my prized possessions.

Today. As I looked at the Christmas Kleenex and Christmas Oreos and Christmas bell-shaped-Jello molds... I knew I didn't need any of that to have a happy Christmas.

I'd love a bowl of pintos. A big spoon to eat them with. The smell of woodsmoke, flannel and hot cornbread. Chet Atkins on the stereo. Stein telling stories. Ree piecing a quilt... .

I hope your Christmas is everything you want it to be - and coconut macaroons.

Goodnight, Cindy

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Thursday Story Planting Corn

Thursday's Story: Planting Corn
by Cynthia Raxter 

My dad grew up along the French Broad River in Brevard NC, on a dairy farm. He was the oldest son of 14 children - born 1921. They farmed in the spring and summer and logged in the winter.

He said down by the river the corn field was so long, he'd plow down and back, and he'd have to have a biscuit. Twice again and it'd be time for lunch.  After lunch six more rows, and it was time to do the milking and get the chickens in.

When the days were long in the summer - like now - he'd get another row or two in before dark.

He wasn't plowing with a tractor - they worked mules. There was one Ford pickup on the farm to haul milk to town. (Daddy said he never had to mow ditch banks - his sisters - my aunts kept them cleaned out learning to drive.) All work was done by hand and with draft animals.

With mules you don't say, "Stop!" "Go!" "Turn right!" or "Turn left" - you say "whoa and giddyup" (which we all hopefully know from watching Bonanza!). To turn right you say "gee." To turn left, "haw."

"Gee and haw" was significant again just a few years ago:

I was home in the mountains, washing dishes with my mom. My dad was in the den. And my Jack Russel, Rascal, sneaked in despite the "no dogs in the house" rule.

Daddy wanted to read the newspaper. She wanted attention. She kept trying to jump in his lap and he kept fussing, "Rascal get off of me!" "RASCAL you're messing up my newspaper!" "Stop it RASCAL!!!"

After about five minutes, I looked at my mom and rolled my eyes and wiped the soapy water off my hands. Jack Russels - the more excited you get the more excited they get! And my father was past red-faced mad.

"Daddy Daddy Daddy! You have to say 'Rascal down!'" Rascal immediately stopped spring-jumping off the ottoman, and plopped her little bottom on the rug, and looked at me! "Okay Mom! WHAT WE DOING NEXT?"

This just made my father madder. "What's wrong with saying 'Get off of me!!!!'???"

How could I explain this? "Daddy, Rascal doesn't speak English. It's like... like... the mules on the farm... to go right or left..."

He finished my sentence, "...you say gee or haw!" He laughed. "You've taught her some English words! She's does what you say... Well! Most of the time!"

I laughed too. And realized for the first time in a long time, me and my father were talking - not just butting heads.

From then on when I was up home, I was showing Dad Rascal's new tricks. Then he'd take her to the feed store or the post office and show the fellers. Those years - me, him, Rascal - before Parkinson's took over... well... that time was golden.

Later, I started telling stories to children. The "gee and haw" stories and one more always seemed to be told together. Finally I realized, this last story was when my dad and his father learn to talk to each other - not just butt heads:

My father was planting corn in that long cornfield. Two kernels in a hole - a hand-width apart. Two kernels in a hole - a hand-width apart. Two kernels in a hole.... Can you imagine how long it would take a 10 year old boy to plant that field of corn? He got about halfway across and he dropped the bag of seed.

It was 1931 - the Depression - and they still had to spend money to buy seed corn.

Corn doesn't breed true. Field corn will cross with sweet corn. When it does, your field corn will rot in the silo, and your Silver Queen will be too tough to knaw.

Give my dad credit - he was only 10! "I picked it up... well, most of it." And what kernels were left he covered over and ruffled up the dirt so none would be wiser.

But we all know what happened. Spring! "And the sun comes out and dries up all the rain...."

When Papa walked in the barn my dad said he knew he was in trouble before Papa even spoke.

"Come with me, Calvin."

Across the farmyard and the old farm road and over the fence into that big old cornfield. And, there. In the middle. A hundred corn plants were growing up in a wad.

Daddy said Papa didn't whoop him, he didn't chastise him - he just looked at him and said real quiet, "Calvin, learn yourself good: no matter where you go and what you do, your sins shall find you out."

c. 2012 cynthia kay raxter

Bynum Front Porch Storytelling

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Come join us for Moon Pies, RC Colas and stories! 6:30pm - 9pm on second Saturdays in Bynum. At the historic Bynum General Store, 950 Bynum Rd. Pittsboro, NC.

May 13 lineup: Bynum storyteller Cynthia Raxter, Gretchen McNeely, Russell Davis, The Monti winner Sam Pearsall, +ReVonda Crow-Storyteller and emcee Mark Brady! Food. Fun. Friends. Fabulous!

Check out the Facebook Event  or follow me on Twitter @CynthiaRaxter to keep up with the goings on!  

See you real soon! Love, Cindy

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Twitter: @cynthiaraxter

Further adventures: http://cynthiaraxter.blogspot.com

Mom's Banana Pudding

Cooking from scratch doesn't take much longer.
Just a bit more attention.  

"The best cooks always have the most people hovering - helping - and hoping to stick a thumb through the aluminum foil." - Cynthia Raxter

Mom's Banana Pudding

4 tablespoons corn starch

1 cup sugar

generous pinch of salt

4 large eggs, separated (you'll need whites later for meringue)

3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 box vanilla wafers

5-6 bananas, medium ripe

Lemon juice

4 egg whites (reserved from above)

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (or lemon juice)

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine cornstarch, sugar & salt in a large glass bowl. Add egg yolks one at a time & beat well after each. Slowly stir in milk. Cook in microwave at 30% power, stirring every 2 minutes, until ingredients are thickened and smooth. Remove from microwave and stir in vanilla.

To layer the banana pudding, begin by placing vanilla wafers on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. (Another 3-quart casserole dish will work too - as long as it's oven-proof.) Slice bananas and place on top of the wafers. Pour one-third of custard over all. Repeat layering process until all wafers, bananas, and custard have been used. End with a final layer of wafers standing up around the edges for decorative purposes.

For the Meringue: Wipe out a large mixing bowl and the mixer's beaters with lemon juice (to remove any traces of oil). Preheat the oven to 425.

If these walls could talk!
   

Bynum Front Porch Storytelling

6:30 - 9pm October 8  

950 Bynum Road Pittsboro, NC

Whip egg whites with the electric mixer set at high speed for 1-2 minutes - the whites will be foamy. Add cream of tartar. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time and beat on high after each addition. (You want the sugar to melt and be absorbed before you add the next spoonful.) The meringue will get fluffier and fluffier. Once all the sugar has been added continue beating - but stop the mixer every minute or so and lift the beaters out of the bowl a little. When the tips of the meringue don't fall over it's ready. Fold in the vanilla.

Spread the meringue over the pudding, making sure to seal to the edges of the dish. Brown it in the oven for about 5 minutes. Take it out when the tips are brown. Watch it carefully - as Momma says, "It will burn in a wink of an eye!!!"

Leave on the counter for about an hour to cool, then chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours. 

See you soon! Love, Cindy

     

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Bynum Front Porch Storytelling

Treat yourself to an evening of storytelling at the historic Bynum General Store - Saturday May 14 - 6:30-9pm!

Tellers are Roger Manus, Garry Lipson, Judith Valerie and Henry Vogel. Bear Creek humorist Candice Knotts hosts! 

North Carolina’s best storytellers! True life stories, folk tales, traditional stories from many lands! Be ready to laugh, cry and laugh some more. The event is family friendly – “the stories most enjoyed by those 8 and above.”

Henry Vogel

We pass the hat. 20% goes to the Bynum Front Porch – the non-profit benevolent organization which manages the general store as a community center, runs a Friday night music series in the summer, and provides two $1000 scholarships to Chatham County seniors every year. (Friday night Music starts May 6!) 

Candice Knotts

Bynum is a former cotton mill village turned artist community beside the Haw River, 10 miles South of Chapel Hill. Bynum General Store's address is 950 Bynum Road, Pittsboro NC 27312. 

For more information about storytelling call 919-444-9535, email CynthiaRaxter@gmail.com or follow me!

If these walls could talk!

Bynum Front Porch Storytelling

May 14 ~ 6:30-9pm 

950 Bynum Road Pittsboro, NC

http://www.facebook.com/cynthiaraxter

Twitter: @cynthiaraxter

Further adventures: http://cynthiaraxter.blogspot.com

Bynum Front Porch Storytelling

A new Bynum Front Porch series! A monthly storytelling show at the Bynum General Store! Family friendly - most enjoyed by those 8 and above! 

May's storytellers: Judith Valerie, Garry Lipson, Henry Vogel and Roger Manus

- hosted by Bear Creek humorist, Candice Knotts!

Lemonade and cookies at 6:30 - the stories start at 7pm! 

We'll be passing the hat for donations. 20% of proceeds go to the Bynum Front Porch organization!

For more information contact me: 919-444-9535 or email 
     CynthiaRaxter@Gmail.Com 

The Facebook Event for May is:         https://www.facebook.com/events/176442042740267/

Hope you can come! Love! Cindy

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cynthiaraxter

Twitter: @cynthiaraxter

Listen: http://www.soundcloud.com/cynthia-raxter

Further adventures: http://cynthiaraxter.blogspot.com

A new Bynum Front Porch series starts TONIGHT! A monthly storytelling show at the Bynum General Store! Family friendly - most enjoyed by those 8 and above! 

Hot cider and cookies at 6:30 - the stories start at 7pm! 

We'll be passing the hat. Thank you in advance for contributing if you can! 20% of proceeds will go to the http://BynumFrontPorch.org/ scholarship fund!

For more information contact me: 919-444-9535 or email 
     CynthiaRaxter@Gmail.Com 

The Facebook Event is:         https://www.facebook.com/events/204322053255564

See the Facebook event for bios! Here are photos of tonight's Storytellers and host: 

Casey Nees

Cynthia Raxter

Virginia Wallace

Candice Knotts

Gretchen Bass

Mark Riddle

   

Hope you can come! Love! Cindy

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cynthiaraxter

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The Joyful Jewel's Storytelling Festival

Come join us! 

The Joyful Jewel's first Storytelling Festival is Friday night in lovely downtown Pittsboro! The theme is "New Beginnings." Come early for refreshments - the stories start at 7pm. The Joyful Jewel is just up from the Courthouse Circle at 44-A Hillsboro Street! From the program:
   

Judith Valerie is a poet, writer and storyteller. Judith is a member of the NC Storytelling Guild. “Finding Love at the Ashram” - Judith’s story shares how she left her former life to be true to her inner calling. http://www.judithvalerieyoga.com

Beverly Miller - her grace and delightful demeanor are certain to entertain the audience. In her story “Opening Doors,” while in Maui, Beverly learned to trust the YES! she heard within herself.

Suz Robinson grew up in the land of dragons, fairies and leprechauns in the caves of the Hocking Hills in southeastern Ohio and the mountains of West Virginia. She was often Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone or Joan of Arc! Years later, she wove these memories into stories. Today she writes stories about the magic found within Chatham County: Clyde Jones’ critters, the Haw River and the sprites of Shakori Hills. She is glad to once more be roaming in a land of dragons, fairies and leprechauns!! Suz is also our emcee for the evening! 

Roger Manus father and grandfathers were avid storytellers. Roger was an avid listener! As a young father Roger’s preschool son’s recurring request was, “Daddy, tell me a story!” Roger’s stories are autobiographical in nature and true. He has used storytelling in his legal advocacy work. Last year, at a conference in Seattle, Roger shared his technique of having clinical law students tell stories to enhance their legal practice skills. In “Breaking out of the Mental Hospital” Roger takes an unexpected journey to become an adoptive father.

Ken Corsbie originally from Guyana, was a dramatist, radio producer/ announcer, journalist, actor and television humorist in the Caribbean. He immigrated to the United States twenty years ago. He has performed throughout Canada and the United States in theaters, cafes, festivals, universities and libraries. He is the recipient of ten awards. In “White Picket Fences” Ken shares his lifelong dream of owning a home with a white picket fence. http://www.kcorsbie.com 

Cynthia Raxter is a writer and storyteller. She lives in a century old house in Bynum, NC with a bevy of strays. (Her heart is as wide as the Haw River next to her home!) She grew up in Western North Carolina on a dairy farm with six brothers and sisters - and many aunts, uncles and cousins! Today she entertains children and adults alike with a mesmerizing style and endearing stories of her childhood and life adventures. Cynthia is a member of Eyes Up Here, an organization for women comedians in North Carolina; as well as the NC Storytelling Guild. In “Shell Lessons” Cynthia introduces a new story about day at the beach she realized three important lessons - wet sand running through her fingers sifting shells out the surf. http://www.cynthiaraxterblogspot.com

Thanks Suzanne for that wonderful write-up! Call me if you need directions! 919-444-9535.
    

Hope to see you Friday! Love - Cindy

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