I SMELL FALL IN THE AIR

Sweet memories of many Falls gone by! As we were riding through the miles of fields yesterday, including cotton fields, I had a moment of nostalgia remembering Falls of my childhood. Every little town had its own cotton gin and of course the warehouse beside or behind it to store the cotton bales in. I have these wonderful memories of being in the back seat of Daddy's car and going to the cotton gin where Mr. Lonnie was in charge of the processing of the crop. One day I was allowed to get out of the car and actually see the action. As I remember, there was this big machine that combed through the cotton boles to remove the trash, leaves, and cotton seeds. The cotton seed themselves were a valuable commodity with the oil that is extracted from them used in other processes. Once the cotton had been cleaned, it was compressed into these giant cotton bales which were wrapped with burlap and strapped closed. The cotton bales were then placed in the warehouse waiting for the price to be right, the broker to come by, or some other mysterious cotton selling process. I have a very vivid memory of the cotton warehouse catching fire. The cotton bales made for a slow smoldering fire that the volunteer fire department struggled to put out. The end of this season in the history of Farmerville came when the gin itself burned. By this time, the little farmer planting a few acres of cotton for his cash crop had ended. These men, from "the country" had begun working in the plant in Sterlington to support their families. They still had kitchen gardens and raised a few head of cattle, but the day of the farmer had passed.

My Daddy was a sweet man with a wonderful personality. He never met a stranger and was liked by all, but he had his human frailties, as we all do. One of the thrills of my childhood was he allowing me to "go to town" with him. He spent many a hour in the coffee shop talking with his friends and smoking cigarettes. I was allowed to have a coke, but the biggest thrill was just being with him. There were times that I felt like a princess just because he loved me and treated me special. There is nothing like a girl's daddy and how special he can make you feel. Unfortunately he died before my teenage years from lung cancer. I still miss him today and envy my friends when they talk about their relationships with their Daddies.

Fall brought the cotton crop being harvested, leaves being raked into piles that we jumped in with glee, the crispness of the fall evening and early morning, the smell of the fireplace and the leaves being burned, and the cold air blowing in your face as you rode your bike down "the big hill." The game of choice during these falls days was, of course, football. Being raised with 2 brothers and their many male friends, I was allowed to play with them, but always had the job of tackling dummy, or some such position. What a wonderful time of the year and all it takes is a whiff of an old memory or the vision of any fall scene and back I go to the wonderful days of childhood.

Step out of your door and smell-there is fall in the air!

We ran 6 this morning and then walked 4 more. A cool crisp morning with millions of stars in the cloudless sky and a cloud of vapor escaping when you exhaled. The injury "de jour" this year seems to be the Achilles. Larry has the beginning stages of his being injured, so he is taking off at least a week. After losing Camille and Stephanie to this same malady-it is a little alarming! What are we doing wrong?