Has it only been a week since our girls' weekend? Bren and I emailed (as we do every day) about their hay-baling, Alex sitting with her on the tractor and telling her that only PawPaws and Daddys can make the tractor go pop-pop, and that she will probably grill hamburgers tonight for supper. It was so good being there and I miss it! I miss her like a sister; I miss the slow pace of Iuka (of course, we didn't keep such a slow pace ourselves).
Some of the other sights from the Whitfield farm:
The sun-dried sheets (wonderful clean, fresh scent!) from the clothesline.
Bren and Jim's youngest (Alex) and middle (Andrew) grandsons.
Jim (right) and Melvin Pounders, holding some of Jim's "home-grown" honey. Melvin was in Paul's class and Paul said he hadn't seen him since their 30-year reunion, 14 years ago! I didn't recognize him; Bren had to tell me who he was. Of course, he got older and I didn't!
One of the bee boxes. Did you know bees clean up the honey buckets? After the honey's been spun out of the combs, poured out into big buckets, processed (moisture content just right), and poured into jars, the buckets are turned upside down to drain and also the bees will harvest that bit of honey and start the process all over again. In the winter, bees have to be fed since they don't have flowers. (I'm sure I'm saying all this real technical, right, Jim?) 
Some of the inside of the honey house.
A block of pure beeswax, which is re-usable for candles. Sort of like the pig - all that's not used is the bee's buzz!
Getting ready to go farm something. (One of my favorite sayings from the weekend: "Britches so big, look like a family of share-croppers moved out the seat of 'em." Not said about mine.) I'm pretty sure this tractor doesn't plow fields or such. The engine is so clean you could eat off of it.
Jim, David (Bren/Jim's son), Bren, Charlotte, Martha. Jim and David were planning their tractor-loading strategy for the ride the next day. Don't know what the bat was for... I may have said, but Charlotte is Jim's first cousin. When Bren and Charlotte were in grade school they were best buddies, living on the same street. Charlotte's family moved to another state for a while, then moved back to Mississippi to Burnsville, about 7 miles west of Iuka. She and Martha went to school there and graduated together. Some time that summer of graduation, we all became good friends; Paul and Frank were already buddies, and he and Martha met that summer, and they and Paul and I double-dated for a year. Then Frank and Martha married in December 1967 and Paul and I married in December 1968, only one day later than their anniversary. Bren met Jim during that time and they married in March 1969. (But Bren and Jim have the same first cousins on each of their sides of their families. If you live in a town of any size long enough you'll be related to yourself almost! I love all the family history and connections!)
In a few short years, Andrew will be taller than this tractor tire, which is just about 5 feet tall! (Can't believe I didn't get a picture of Austin! Bren, send me one!)
The teacakes Bren made for me. Some were crisp and brown on the edges, some were still very soft and I love both kinds! She also made a fresh peach cobbler. (No wonder I don't have share-cropper pants!)
To be continued...
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