Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 9
MILL CREEK STORIES
...the fish scent drew every raccoon to our back
porch. The raccoons looked as happy as Daddy had
looked in that Parisian café.
salmon and saltines, until the last day of March.
An amusing by-product of his restrictive diet is that
our trash can became the most popular spot within five
miles for the raccoon population. Possums were interested too, but the fish scent drew every raccoon to our
back porch. The raccoons looked as happy as Daddy had
looked in that Parisian café. They were the only creatures
in high spirits that Daddy had an employment weigh-in
looming. The rest of us were on eggshells.
Now I don't ever remember hearing my daddy curse,
but each morning when he weighed himself you knew
what kind of a day it was going to be if he sighed. Sighs
were not good. Sighs were signs of exasperation, not joy.
A good number on the bathroom scale would illicit a
"how about that?" or a "whee doggy." A sigh was the signal to go play outside.
By the second week of March, the rest of the family
was eating clandestinely. Daddy looked so pitiful as he'd
watch others eat. "What you got there? A cookie?" It
would break your heart. Supper time moved to 4 pm so
the scent of food would be eradicated and all evidence of
consumption removed before Daddy ever got home.
Of course, we were on pins and needles the day Daddy
had to go to Richmond for his weigh-in and annual review. This was way before cell phones, so we had to wait
until he got home to know if he'd hit his goal or was
disciplined for being chubby. Pins and needles, I tell you.
If it went well, and I remember it going well most
years, you'd know the minute his foot hit the porch. He'd
start hollering. "Mama, get the girls ready. We're going
out to supper."
Now, who wants a couple pieces of pie?
MARCH/APRIL 2019
9
http://mastgeneralstore.com
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 3
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 4
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 5
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 6
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 7
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 8
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 9
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 10
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 11
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 12
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 13
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 14
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 15
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 16
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 17
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 18
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 19
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 20
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 21
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 22
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 23
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 24
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 25
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 26
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 27
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 28
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 29
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 30
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 31
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 32
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 33
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 34
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 35
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 36
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 37
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 38
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 39
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 40
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 41
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 42
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 43
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 44
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 45
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 46
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 47
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 48
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 49
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 50
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 51
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 52
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 53
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 54
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 55
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 56
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 57
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 58
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 59
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 60
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 61
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 62
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 63
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 64
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 65
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - 66
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2019 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/BlueRidgeCountryMarchApril2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-january-february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/BRCND21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/BRCSO21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brcja21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_11_12
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20130708
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com