Holy Roll'n

Shall We Gather at The River 2

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Who needs a reason for a good time?

The answer to that question is, I sure don't! 

Can you imagine living in a place where people were so far separated from one another it was something of an event to come together for one day. A whole community of neighbors from miles around converging.

Now that I think of it, it's really not that hard to imagine. It would seem these day's we are all so linked together with technology, convienances and schedules but somehow there's never time to get together or just stop by.  It's as if we always need a reason, a bbq or dinner, a soccer game or church baptism to justify time with people we consider close.

His sin is coming out in chunks!

And what about the new guy? Lurking by the pot luck table or hiding in the corner, not sure where you fit in or who to talk to as you approach a tight knit crowd. Have you ever felt like that person? I know I have more times then I can count. Unlike the fellow in Nana's tale though, I doubt I would have been hiding food in my jacket.

What's that fishes name again?

 You know, community is really just a fancy way of saying an extension of family. You don't really get to choose your family but many of us try with all our might to choose our community. We live in neighborhoods with HOA's and pick the teams we want our children to play on. All in an effort to surround ourselves with the people we want to be around.  I'm not saying there's anything wrong with wanting to enjoy your surroundings or the people there in, but there is something to be said of a time when people had to not only accept but also depend on all those in their community, wether they were fond of one another or not. It is that very reason Nana know's someone who is on a first name basis with all the fish in the river.

"Can I walk'ya home?"

Ya' never know, you might just meet the love of your life at a pot luck. Nana didn't but she did walk away with a sweet picture of what courtship looked like in the mountains of Kentucky as a young girl. When I heard how a young man would ask to walk a girl home my first thought was, "How old fashioned." My daughter's reply was, "Wow, guys really did that!" What a move from a dusty notion of chilvery to pure romanticism. I envision someday the powers that be will make a BBC/PBS special out of it.

Click Here: As Nana "Takes Us To The River", try considering what community looks like to you.

Matthew 22:37-39 NLT

"Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

Great Grandma Wright's Gingerbread Pone Cake

Gingerbread Pone Cake

Pone Cake, for most of us who have never heard of such a thing, is a loaf or oval-shaped cake of any type of bread, especially corn bread typically made in a cast iron pan.

INGREDENTS:

• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter
  3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  1 1/3 cups (6 ounces) all-purpose flour
  2/3 cup granulated sugar
  1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  1/2 teaspoon table salt
  3 large eggs
  1/2 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
  Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter.
  Combine the flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, ground ginger, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, vanilla, and orange zest (ok the orange zest was not part of the original recipe) until blended. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended.
  Pour the batter over the brown sugar and smooth the top. Bake until the cake is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool the cake in the skillet for 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn out onto a plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.
  *easy alteration is to add your favoriate fruit (like apples or pears) to the first step and make this an easy upside down cake. You could also grate 2 apples or pears up and stir them into the batter for a little something extra.