These are some of the images that I look at for revival.

These are some photographs that I look at for revival, those times when I need to think through something and get some needed historical perspective or when I may be running low on gratitude. The top photo is of my mother's family, a dour and hardworking group of textile workers and preachers. Most of the other photographs are from Monongalia County, West Virginia in the early 1930s. I think that the sixth photo down has the first home that I ever owned in it. The photo before the last one is (I think) the last day at work for one of the Bethlehem steel plants in the 1980s or 1990s. Most of us know those looks and that body language. I wish that I knew who the girl in the final photograph is. The picture was taken in Kentucky in 1964, so I think that she is about my age now. I hope that she has had a great life and has many more happy years ahead of her. 

 

You have probably never tasted chicken like this

You will need:

1-2 lbs. of chicken, skin removed
1 can of whole cranberry sauce
1 8 oz. bottle of French dressing
1 pack of onion soup

Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish. Mix all of the other ingredients together and pour that over the chicken. Bake at 350 for about one hour, but keep an eye on it. If the chicken starts to brown quickly, cover the dish with a loose sheet of aluminum foil.

Fried Green Tomatoes and Fried Pickles

These are two easy-to-make side dishes, though I know people who can make a full meal out of fried green tomatoes.

For fried green tomatoes you need the green tomatoes, one or two cups of cornmeal, one or two cups of all-purpose flour, one-half of a cup of milk, some vegetable oil, two eggs, some salt and pepper, and a skillet. It helps to use a cast iron skillet for fried green tomatoes and fried pickles. I don't think you can do it without that cast iron skillet and still be legal in West Virginia, Southwestern Virginia, and Southeastern Kentucky. Some people use Ritz cracker crumbs instead of cornmeal.

Slice the tomatoes about 1/2 of an inch thick. Don't bother peeling or coring them. Put your flour on a plate. Mix your eggs and milk together in a bowl. Mix your cornmeal, bread crumbs, and pepper on another plate. Start by dipping the tomatoes into the flour and coating them. Then dip them into your milk and egg mixture. Completely coat them.

Some people blot the tomatoes with pepper towels to absorb the moisture and make a batter with eggs, cornmeal, minced chives, and water and dip the tomatoes in the batter. That doesn't work for me, but it might work for you.

Fry them up in your hot skillet. "Hot" means hot---375 degrees makes them crispy and right. Serve them with a sauce you like or with mayonnaise or vinegar or some ketchup.

Fried pickles are just about as easy as fried tomatoes.

Use pickle chips or slice up dill pickles no thicker than you would the tomatoes or a bit thinner. Make your breading out of cornmeal, buttermilk, eggs, and flour mixed up with cornstarch. You can eyeball how to do this, but if you're concerned about the flour and cornstarch just use two cups of flour with one-quarter cup of cornstarch. You can add garlic powder, onion powder, pepper or any powder spice that you like to the flour-cornstarch mix.

Mix the buttermilk and eggs. May one cup of buttermilk and one egg will work best, not more.

Dip your pickle slices in the buttermilk-egg mixture or let them soak just a bit and use a slotted spoon. Then take them to the flour-cornstarch mix and make sure they're coated. Put them in a hot skillet. "Hot" here means hot here just like it does above. Give them two minutes to fry crisp and serve them hot.

    

Some encouragement for today

I pray my daughter is stronger than me. I pray she doesn't accept things I've accepted. I pray she knows when to fight for something/someone and when to walk away. I pray she never feels abandoned, unloved, and unappreciated. I pray she knows her worth. I pray she knows how special she is even if I'm the only one assuring her. I pray she knows that no matter what, she always has me whether it's physically or spiritually. My precious baby girl, I pray she's so much better than me.

We've Got the Truth, We're Tired of The Tricks! | October 31st Mississippi Moral Monday

Just click on the link and you will see the video. This is fundamental to what is going on in the United States, and particularly in the South and in Black and poor and underserved communities, today.

 

"Straight White Patterns"---Patrick Haggerty and Lavender Country

Patrick Haggerty passed on on November 7. He was a working-class county singer, an activist, anti-capitalist---and he was gay and proud of it. National Public Radio ran a good summary of his life, not quite an obituary but something that will introduce Patrick Haggerty and Lavender Country to a younger generation and to people who don't follow country music. You will also find some good introductions to Patrick Haggerty on Youtube. "Straight White Patterns" takes on many prejudices and struggles and is still current. You can keep up with the many diverse LGBTQIA+ voices in country music by checking out Country Queer.

Patrick Haggerty, rest in justice and peace! 

Some posts to encourage us

These came from a variety of people on Facebook: Beautiful Kingdom Warriors, Ginger Posey, Carlotta Young, Kermit Meling, Perry Blankenship, and The Crazy Black Librarian. This is a pretty diverse group of folks who probably don't know one another and who may not think of themselves having much in common to start with. But these are some of the people and spaces I go to for good words most days. I hope that these posts encourage and enlighten you as much as they did me. Many thanks to these good people for helping us on our journey.

A poem and photo from Stewart Acuff and some words about sharing and protecting the beauty around us

Stewart Acuff wrote this beautiful poem and posted it and the picture below on his Facebook page today and was then kind enough to give me permission to repost it here. Stewart lives in the West Virginia Panhandle and most every day he posts some wise words in the forms of poems and some photos. I find these helpful in getting through my days. It isn't just we get to enjoy the beauty around us, but that we have a responsibility to protect and spread and share that beauty as well, and I think that Stewart communicates that. Just as well, I look forward to the Facebook posts of the Friends of the Tug Fork in Southern West Virginia and Kentucky because they put this into practice in their own ways. I bet that you or others in your community are doing the good work as well.  

Just as the sun comes up
Waking our world
Rising right on time in the East
Dissolving the fog hanging in the trees
Lighting the leftover leaves
The truth makes its way
Rising in its own time to light a new day
Thank you for shining truth in the darkness of lies
Thank you for your voice that sometimes cries
But never consents to quiet
Or surrenders to silence
Gratitude grows for our folks fighting for one another
Because your burden belongs to all of us
We all struggle in this moment of confusion
Hold fast following those we trust
The sun, the sum of all of us
Rising right on time dissolving the fog.

Join the Poor People's Campaign & other people of faith for one final push on November 3

Join the National Co-Chairs of The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, Bishop William J. Barber II & Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis this Thursday, November 3rd at 8:00PM ET for a National GOTV Virtual Rally. This event will air live at poorpeoplescampaign.org/livestream

This event will also air live on our Twitter, Facebook & YouTube pages and be crossposted to state campaign Facebook pages in an effort to reach thousands across the country.

During this gathering, we will celebrate the work that has been done for this national effort since June 18th, hear the stories of those impacted by the five interlocking injustices and rally to ensure that our neighbors, families and communities are all registered to vote and equipped with a voting plan.

Here’s how you can get involved:

Mark Your Calendars & Invite a friend to join you virtually on Thursday, November 3rd at 8:00PM ET.
Visit vote.poorpeoplescampaign.org to create a voting plan and to sign up for our text bank initiative and help us get out the vote!

Let us know you’re tuning in by tagging us in a post that you’re watching and using #OurVotesAreDemands

Forward Together,

The Poor People’s Campaign

 

In The Palm of Your Hand/Alison Krauss

As with so many songs, this one has a hidden spirituality to it that goes beyond the Christian teachings that so many of us take for granted because we think that we know them.. Appreciate it as you want to. Alison Krauss is one of our greats, isn't she? 

 

Please listen in. This is Bernie Sanders telling you all some hard truths.

 

Some things to feel really good about

 

Quick Banana Pudding

This is another recipe from the "Cooking the Coalwood Way" cookbook put out by the Coalwood, W. Va. Community United Methodist Church, although I made a couple of changes. I know people who go into road rage just pushing a cart through the Walmart so my extra-quick recipe below is for them.

You're going to need:

2 lg. boxes instant vanilla pudding
1 c. sour cream
1 box of vanilla wafers
3 and one-half c. milk
1 large carton Cool Whip
5 or 6 bananas

The recipe says to mix the pudding and milk until smooth. Mix sour cream and Cool Whip together. Add one-half of mixture to pudding mixture. Layer wafers, bananas, and pudding in dessert dish. Top with rest of sour cream mixture. Top with crumbled wafers.

Here is what I did:

I turned on one of those old-time preachers from southern West Virginia on my tablet and let him preach while I cooked. I used two boxes of cook & serve vanilla pudding, made separately. That meant that I used less milk. I left out the Cool Whip and went easy on the sour cream. While the pudding was cooling a little I put the first layer of wafers in, some sour cream, and some of bananas, and then I added the pudding. I made my second batch of pudding and repeated the process. I used mostly wafer crumbs on the second layer. I deliberately put the bananas on top because I like how they age and give me an added incentive to eat. I used 4 very large bananas. I finished just as that preacher was finishing his sermon and blessing everything that we do this evening.

Goodness of God-Cece Winans Lyrics

Just click on the box where it says "Youtube" and it will work just fine.

 

Leslie Jordan ft. Tanya Tucker - "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder" (Official Audio)

 

Audrey Assad — Be Thou My Vision Official Music Video

 

Michael Leach's "The mind is a terrible thing" and other writings

I think that Michael Leach is a particularly sensitive writer with a deep spirituality. I know of his work through the National Catholic Reporter. His article "The mind is a terrible thing" (NCR, 10/28-11/10/22) raises good questions about how we think and how we manage our faculties, but its best points are on how we deal with intrusive thoughts that we don't want to have. How do we manage them? What do they tell us and what do they say about us?

Catch up with Michael Leach here, and please do read "The mind is a terrible thing." It's a short read that may take you far. Here is the link.