Blimping Out

Christmas time is coming
And we are getting fatter.
Soon will be Thanksgiving
And we'll empty Jenny's platter.

The weather's getting cooler
My clothes are getting tight.
Soon I can hide in jackets
So I won't look such a sight.

Does anybody else suffer an increased appetite because of increased exercise?  I started wearing my Fitbit and walking 10,000-11,000 steps a day, and developed a voracious appetite.  Since my Fitbit bracelet broke, I haven't worn it. If it doesn't show  up on the Fitbit, it isn't exercise. Right?

So, we quit exercising, but we continued to eat and eat and eat. The scales say my body is ten pounds heavier. Could they be wrong?

Food, wonderful food--what an obsession! If you feel the same, please drop me a note on Facebook and tell me how you are coping.

(Mary Lou Cheatham, Author)

Cauliflower Instead of Pasta

One cup of cooked cauliflower has 62 calories.
One cup of cooked  pasta has 220 calories.

Spaghetti is delicious, and cauliflower can be tastier.

To prepare cauliflower as a pasta substitute, you'll need a big heavy-duty stainless steel skillet with a lid.

This is more a method than a recipe. I'm simply telling you how to prepare the dish.

Ingredients (approximate, depending on the number and size of the servings)

• A cauliflower 
• Olive and canola oil mixed
• Sea Salt 
• Rosemary
• Coarsely ground basil leaves
• Black pepper
• Spaghetti or marinara cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Remove the green  underpart.
2. Cut the cauliflower with a large knife into large chunks.
3. Pour approximately 1-2 tablespoons oil into the skillet .
4. Sprinkle the salt, rosemary, and basil leaves over the cauliflower.
5. Grind some pepper over the cauliflower.
6. Cover the skillet and lightly brown the cauliflower over medium heat.
7. Turn it and lightly brown the other side.
8. Remove the excessive grease. (One way to remove the grease is to insert two slices of bread to absorb it.)
9. Add a generous amount of spaghetti sauce and bring it to a boil.
10. Simmer two-three minutes. (Cauliflower becomes tender fast. Don't cook it until it falls apart.)
11. Sprinkle a generous amount of Parmesan cheese over the sauce.
12. Garnish with parsley.

The dish is pretty, tasty, and satisfying. It can be a main dish or a side dish with meat.

Seven Things Love Does and Seven Things Love Doesn’t

Love...

1. Is patient

2. Is kind

3. Rejoices with the truth

4. Protects

5. Trusts

6. Hopes

7. Perseveres

Love...

1. Does not envy

2. Is not proud

3. Is not rude

4. Is not self-seeking

5. Does not boast

6. Is not easily angered

7. Does not keep a record of wrongs

I Corinthians 13

When the going gets tough...

Domestic violence, mass murder, political corruption, white collar crime, threat of nuclear war, credit card hacking, sexual assault evoking horrible memories,  purse snatching, and a prediction of a pecan shortage in Louisiana and Georgia.

When my daughter was in high school, she would come home from school and find me cooking like crazy some days. She always new something had disturbed me. "What's wrong, Mama?"

Today I'm cooking. My soul needs it. Also we've committed to cooking cornbread dressing to feed forty people at the church's food bank. What a great way to spend the day!

And just think...we won't have to eat all that food. When the going gets tough, the tough get cooking.

What to do when someone steals your purse...

Coping with Purse Snatchers 

What is the first action you should take when your purse has been stolen?

Someone snatched your purse or your wallet. What should you do first?

You are shopping and your purse disappears. What should you do immediately? If you are inside a store, tell the checkout clerks and manager.

Don’t spend too much time looking for it. You need to move fast. 

First, your debit card. Get to your laptop as fast as you can. Go to the website where you have your bank account with a debit card. Other than cash, your debit card is the least protected item in your wallet. Here’s why. It may be linked to your checking account, which may be linked to your savings account, depending on the way you’ve organized your business. Banks don’t make a practice of backing it up. 

Your pin will keep someone from using the card to make a purchase as a debit card and/or withdrawing cash.
 BUT herein lies the danger: Someone can use your debit card as a credit card to make a purchase in a busy store. The thief scribbles a signature on the pad, and voila—a withdrawal from your checking account goes through.

If you aren’t sure whether you lost your purse or wallet, you can place a temporary block on  your debit card. Your bank will probably have a 24/7 service with a human answering the phone. Keep an eye on your balance. You can always go to the bank at your first opportunity to arrange for a new debit card.

Calling the police. You may say to yourself, "Why bother?" The police force needs to know even though little can be done in most cases. Sometimes, however, arrests are made for purse snatching.  It's important to have a record that you filed a claim for insurance purposes. If you are with a companion who has a cellphone, call if you have evidence of a theft. 

Next, your credit cards. Block your credit cards the same way you blocked your debit card. Keep an eye on your most recent purchases. If you don’t have your account numbers written down somewhere handy, at least try to know the last four digits, but don’t waste valuable time looking for account numbers. You’ll be asked your social security card number, your birthday,  your address, a telephone number where you can be reached, and your mother’s maiden name.

Calling the phone company. The sympathetic people at the phone company can tell when your phone was used last. Have the part of your account related to your phone blocked. At your earliest convenience to the local store for instructions to get a new phone. This may cost something, depending upon your situation.

The Department of Motor Vehicles. You’ll have to wait until the following day or the next business day to go to the DMV. For a small fee, you’ll receive a new driver’s license.

Some simple protective measures:

•      Use a fake mother’s maiden name. It’s easy to find your mother’s real name online.

•        Place your stuff in a big over the-head-shoulder purse.

•        Try not to make your purse so heavy you won’t want to carry it.

•        Always zip your purse shut. If it won’t zip, discard it.

•        If you absolutely must place your purse in the shopping card, secure it with the child-safety belt.

•     If you use a wallet without your purse, attach it to your body either as a wristlet or as a shoulder bag.  

•         Avoid placing extra cash and cards in your wallet. They may be safer in the big shoulder purse.

•         You need your insurance cards, but if you have a Medicare card with you, your social  security number will be readily accessible to the thief. 

•         Insure your cellphone.

•        Without acting too paranoid and making yourself miserable, don’t let other shoppers into your personal space. 

Don't beat yourself up.  

You've been violated. There's no denying the facts.  This can't be a time to panic or wring your hands. Instead, move fast. 

Chances are your heart is racing. Spring into action and make that adrenaline count to protect you. 

 As soon as the dust settles, take a critical look at your home security measure

All Saints Sunday, Remembering the Taylorsville Signal Office and Stories about World War II

The Watkins Sisters, the World War II Soldiers--Saints Not to Be Forgotten

Sarah Walker Gorrell and Mary Lou Cheatham
(Mary Lou Gregg Cooke)
Mayor Rosalyn Glenn
At Grillin' and Chillin' 2016

In the fall of 2016, Sarah Walker Gorrell and I signed Travelers in Painted Wagons on Cohay Creek at the Taylorsville, Mississippi, Chillin' and Grillin'. (Other books of the Covington Chronicles were included on our table too.)

My husband John and I walked around the corner to visit the Watkins Museum. Throughout my childhood, my mother, who was a good friend of the Misses Watkins, took me to see them every few days. They showed me their printing press and the way they set type.

The museum is a neat place. It's been restored into a  pristine building, which is full of authentic objects from the past. To read about the restoration of the Watkins Museum and to see a beautiful photograph of it, click on this link: Watkins Museum

Another link with details of the history of the museum contains some interesting old black-and-white photos. Here's one of them. shared from this web page.  Go to The Conversion of the Taylorsville Signal Newspaper Office and Creation of the Watkins Museum to read more of the story.

Looking around that day, we were amazed at the scrapbooks the Watkins Girls (as we used to call them back in Taylorsville)

They collected stories throughout World War II of the activities of the local boys who had gone off to war. They organized the pictures so that it was easy to find my brother John Edwin Gregg and our Gregg cousins. The scrapbook, along with all the other items of interest, would have kept me entertained for at least a week.

Sweet memories of childhood scenes spent talking to the Watkins sisters in their fascinating newspaper office washed over me. What a wonderful day it was! Below are three clippings photographed from one of the scrapbooks:

Free for a Limited Time: HOUSE OF SEVEN

House of Seven Kindle version is free for a short time beginning November 5, 2017.

It's the story of seven unlikely souls trying to live under one roof in the early twentieth century in Mississippi.

A beautiful young white woman, Beth,  has been required to take on a responsibility no one believes she can handle. She knows she can't do it, and so does her family. She has the determination to try though.

Her mentor is an elderly aunt, Aunt Genie, a bigot of the Reconstruction Era, who commits whacky acts at inappropriate times. Who knows what she will do or say next?

Through incredible circumstances, Beth has the opportunity and obligation to take her lovely biracial cousin with her on a challenging journey. 

The cousin's husband is running from evil men who plan to lynch him.

An elderly man with angina, a mischievous boy delivered by the postman because his mother sent him to the address where Beth lives, and the town marshal round out the cast of seven.

It's funny and full of romance. Honest reviews are requested.

One of the Bravest Women I've Ever Known

Birth of a New Novel~~

For the last few weeks,  a novel that is somewhat like a memoir about my parents and my first- and second-born brothers has been occupying  my brain. The youngest in a large family, I'm the only sibling remaining, except for one precious sister-in-law, who is like a sister.  Stories told by Mama and Dad  deserve to be shared with the younger members of a large family. 

It won't matter to readers who don't know us about the embellishments of the facts, and it will take only a moment at the end of the story to inform the descendants where these are in the story. At first a memoir seemed to be appropriate, but I am who I am, and my background is that of a novelist.

Back in the 1930's the family encountered the deadly choking disease diphtheria. The way they struggled with it presents a strong conflict. This story, as it was told to me, displays courage that I have admired all my life. Although Mother's account sounds incredible, she had no reason to tell me anything but the truth. The stories my parents shared with me predate my writing career.

Myrtle~~~

Myrtle wanted her life to count. The only way she could do so was to rear children to the best of her ability. Her greatest helper was her Lord. Having been a frail child with limited stamina and a queasy nature, she rose to occasions and performed as a hero.

Myrtle was born in the middle of a huge family in the pioneer days of Mississippi on a farm where her father and mother owned their land and didn’t believe in owing anybody. Bud and Mary Jane were puritanical in their thought processes. They were ethical to the point it hurt. They had values seldom seen in the twenty-first century. Sometimes  these values must have been too strict. If we didn’t have our plastic cards, how could we exist? Anyway, their word was their bond. 

Bud, a pioneer and yeoman farmer, cleared the land and planted his field. He expected a return, and he made enough money from his crops and grew enough food in his garden and patches—peas, watermelons, cantaloupes—what have you—to support his daughters and eventually two sons. He had chickens, cows, mules, and horses. It was a real farm that he maintained with a sense of accomplishment.

His oldest daughter Pearl had a desire to do more and go beyond such a life. When she was still in her teens, she became a well-loved teacher in a one-room school house. Her little sister Myrtle, a beloved student, who wanted to be like  Pearl, had desires also. Like Pearl, her mentor, she wanted to make her life count.

When Pearl was in her early twenties, she developed appendicitis. Six weeks after her surgery she died. Myrtle’s hope died with her. Mama Mary Jane, whose happiness died too, sank into such deep depression she was unable to function. Myrtle dropped out of school.

Myrtle looked around and found new ways to gain hope and do something in her world. From the time she was a little girl, Myrtle was different from the two older sisters closest to her age and who were at home with her.

Some of Myrtle’s earliest and happiest memories were going in a wagon with the others wherever Papa Bud took them. An old crumpled photograph she treasured showed what a cute child she was. She wouldn’t admit it or say it about herself, but she was a little doll. She had  beautiful dark red hair and deep-set dark blue eyes like Bud.

Mary Jane had the looks of a black Irish. She was a little woman who grew up Catholic and joined the local Baptist church because it was the only church around. She was a devoted Christian, and she couldn’t afford to allow human formalities and interpretations to interfere with her need to worship with her community.

Writing~~~

Participating in the National Writing Month will enable me to place the rough draft of this fact-inspired novel on paper by the end of November 2017.

What makes you happy?

What makes you happy?
--Enjoy what you have and be a blessing to those around you.

What gets in the way?
--Losing your keys, forgetting your password, a million worries, things too personal to mention, etc.

What is your purpose?
--Love god with all your heart and enjoy him forever.

What does God require of you?
--Love justice, give mercy, and walk humbly with your God.

What is in your way?

Second Day in National Novel Writing Monrh

So far, I've submitted 3718 words. By November 30, 2017, the goal of the program is 50,000 words by each participating writer.

https://nanowrimo.org/participants/hot-coffee/novels/a-counted-life

This novel is based on my mother's life as a child and young mother.  She was born in 1907 in south Mississippi.

A Counted Life

Author: Hot Coffee

Genre: Historical

Synopsis

 Myrtle begins her existence as an insignificant person with an insignificant life. She has the character of a potential leader in her little world, but she dwells in the prison of limited  prospects without an opportunity to receive an education. She wants her life to count. The only door she can open to a noteworthy life is motherhood. She plans to rear children to the best of her ability, but disaster threatens all her hopes. Can she become a hero, who lives a counted life?

Excerpt

 Myrtle's father sent her to get his hammer.  He came home from working one day and pretended to be irritable. He wouldn’t look her way. “Go get my hammer, Myrtle.”

“Where, Papa?” His hammer was so heavy she could barely lift it, much less tote it from deep in the woods all the way to the house.

“I left it down there where I was working.”

She was a little surprised because she didn’t usually have permission to go into the deep woods alone.

“Go on down there.” He seemed to read her mind. “I’ll keep my ears out for you.”

“Okay.”

“Hurry up.” He sounded grouchy.

Afraid not to obey yet afraid to go to the isolated spot alone, she ran. When she arrived at the clearing where he worked, she saw a new red wagon.

Oh.

The red wagon centered in the green clearing appeared to glow with light coming from it.  She stopped, wiped her eyes in disbelief, and stared.

With reverence, she stepped over to the wagon. Papa’s hammer waited inside the wagon. She pulled it to the house.

Along the way she thought about how she could play with it, carry her doll in it, pretend it was a baby bed where her doll baby could take a nap, and share it when her cousins came over. She’d be more important in the family because she had a good serviceable wagon, which she could use to haul wood to the porch from the firewood pile. She could take it to the garden and help pick tomatoes, which she could load into the wagon. From that day on, she’d be able to help more with the family chores.

November is National Novel Writing Month

Let's sign up for the November National Novel Writing Month.

Have you heard about the National Novel Writing Month? It's held each November. You may want to participate or at least learn about it. Until Halloween, all I knew was that a writer friend of mine tried it a couple of years ago and succeeded.

Last night, October 31, 2017, I signed up to enter the project. For the last few weeks, I've been planning a novel that is somewhat like a memoir about my parents and my first- and second-born brothers. Back in the 1930's they encountered the deadly choking disease diphtheria. The way they struggled with it presents a strong conflict. This story, as it was told to me, displays courage that I have admired all my life. Although my mother's account sounds incredible, she had no reason to tell me anything but the truth. The stories my parent shared with me predate my writing career.

Please excuse my digression. Back to the process:

Step 1: Find the site. If you type National Novel Writing Month in your search bar, your computer wiil take you to more information.

Step 2: Read about it. Webpage after webpage will answer any questions you may have in clear yet clever language.

Step 3: Relieve anxiety. What does it cost? That's always my first question. Nothing. What do you have to do? Write 50,000 words in a month. What if you don't do it? Nothing will happen.

Step 4: Go to the sign up page. Follow the guides through the website.

Step 5: Select a user name. Mine is one that  seems logical because it refers to a community near my childhood home. It's Hot Coffee. The results will be published for each of my day's progress somewhere on the site.

Step 6: Name your book. You need a title but it doesn't have to be the final one.

My mother began her existence as what she considered an insignificant person with an insignificant life. She had the character of a potential leader in her little world, but she was trapped in poverty without an opportunity to receive an education. She wanted her life to count. The story is about the way she succeeded. It gives me a chill to  type these words. It isn't about whether I liked her. I've always loved her, but if we are honest most of us have not always liked our parents. This  story is about my admiration for her character, strength, perseverance, etc. Since it all happened long before my birth, it is not about me.

My mother wanted her life to count. The only way she could do so was to rear children to the best of her ability. Her greatest  helper was her Lord. The first title that came to mind was A LIFE THAT COUNTS, but saying something in fewer words is makes a better title. In the little blank I typed A COUNTED LIFE. Several authors have written books entitles A LIFE THAT COUNTS, but for the moment A COUNTED LIFE doesn't appear on Amazon.

Step 7: Fill in all the little boxes that tell about the book. This step can wait. Since it was Halloween, we were exhausted from our trunk or treat project, and the World Series game tying the championship between Houston and Los Angeles had ended, I skipped to Step 8. I did list the genre though, which is history. It was way past bedtime.

Step 8: Click enter. Now Hot Coffee is listed with 0 words so far.

The last word: Oh, I did write a letter to the "Contact Us" Help address. I wanted to know what would happen if one enters the contest on November 1.  So far, I've received a form letter.

Wait a second! The letter showed up in my inbox a second ago:

Hi there,

Thanks for writing in! Yes, users can sign up to participate anytime.

Wesley Sueker
Customer Service Captain
National Novel Writing Month

See? This is real.

Happy Writing.

I you are working on this project, please friend and message me at Mary Cooke on Facebook. Can't you just visualize us with a turkey drumstick in one hand while hitting the keys of our computers with the other.

Happy Writing.

The Dream Bucket: Price Reduction of the Paperback Version

The Dream Bucket, which continues to be the most popular book of the Covington Chronicles, has a new

The Dream Bucket
Paperback Version

price. If you go to CreateSpace.Com and search the store link, you'll find it, or you can click on  The Dream Bucket. 

It's been reduced from $20.00 to $15.99. This price change has not yet been reflected on Amazon.

The Dream Bucket has two distinct voices. Ten-year-old Papa shows how it feels to lose her father and learn to trust her mother. Zoe, the mother, walks through grief and destitution.

The Dream Bucket Paperback is now $15.99.

As always, the Kindle electronic version is still available on Amazon.com, The Dream Bucket. While you are there, please listen to the dramatic reading  by Clay Lomakayu.

The Dream Bucket
Audible Version

The Dream Bucket
Kindle Version

Priceless Tips from Friends on Cooking Turkey Dressing

Family treasures passed through the generations.
Thanksgiving is a time of traditions, and it’s valuable to keep them. What could be better than cooking the heirloom recipes?

After I published on 10-29-2007 the blog entry 

2017, Mom's Dressing Recipe with a Few Notes (Cornbread Dressing) it seemed interesting to post a question on Facebook about making dressing. The original question was, “How do you make dressing?” A friend instantly remarked that the question was ambiguous. Was it about salad dressing, gravy, or a side dish. The question required rewording. “How do you cook dressing for turkey?” received the answer of “Duh! In the oven.” Again the question was reworded. “What is your favorite recipe for dressing with turkey? Also stuffing.” A new friend thanked me for sharing love recipes. She saw through the motive of this posting project. Making dressing for a holiday is a sweet labor of love, a dish constructed from ingredients any pioneer woman had readily available. The recipe featured on the earlier blog appeared in my story cookbook, Flavored with Love, now out of print. If you have a traditional dressing recipe, update and cook it. If not, start a tradition--dressing or something else you prefer. If you cook too much food, freeze it. I’ve never met a (bread) dressing I didn’t like. Thanks to my friends who shared their families’ heirloom recipes. What a culinary delight! Some tips friends shared with me. (For the full story with the names of the contributors, friend Mary Cooke on Facebook and check my Timeline.) ·         You will learn not to wear plaid if the turkey is dressed in pastels. ·         Elastic pants are good dressing for the person who stuffs himself into them. ·         Are you supposed to use a recipe? ·         Stove Top®   Unique ingredients listed in the responses: ·         Cooked rice mixed with cornbread and other traditional ingredients to be stuffed into the turkey ·         Instead of white sliced bread, using the heels from several loaves and freezing the loaves to be eaten later ·         Chopped hard boiled eggs ·         Green onions ·         Red pepper flakes ·         Cream of chicken soup, along with the chopped hard boiled eggs Most responses including cornbread, except for one person, who makes, Bread Sausage Stuffing. “Take 1&1/2 -2 loaves of white bread moistened with a little milk, one egg, a roll of sage sausage, chopped onions, dried cranberries, parsley and Bells seasoning, mix all together and stuff into turkey.”

2017, Mom's Dressing Recipe with a Few Notes (Cornbread Dressing)

2017, Mom's Dressing Recipe with a Few Notes (Cornbread Dressing)

Thanksgiving is only a few days away, and it's time to start making plans to cook. Here's some information about our family's favorite food.

My first mother-in-law, Mary Cheatham, cooked this traditional family recipe. She learned how to make dressing from  her mother. She always did everything the same way, and the results never varied.. (Because her name was Mary and for a few more reasons, I have reverted to the name Mary Lou Cheatham to avoid confusion.)

Mom’s Dressing, Her Original Recipe

2 batches cornbread prepared according to the instructions on the mix (Mom used Martha White buttermilk mix.)
½ - ⅔ large loaf white sandwich bread
6 large onions
1 bunch of celery less 2 stalks
½ bunch parsley
1½ teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon sage
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
Salt to taste
5 large eggs
Hot water or chicken broth (depending on the use of the dressing.)
Cooking oil

In a huge pan crumble the cornbread; tear the white bread into small pieces.

Sauté the celery and onions in oil but do not allow them to brown. Cut the long stems off the parsley and tear the parsley into small pieces. Stir the vegetables and the seasonings into the breadcrumbs. With vigorous stirring, add the eggs. Continuing to stir, add enough hot water to make a moist dressing. (Alternate directions: if the dressing is to be served as a side dish instead of stuffing, moisten it with chicken broth.)

Cook the dressing in a scant amount of oil in a large electric skillet until it is warm. Adjust the seasonings according to your mood.

Store the dressing in the refrigerator until it is time to stuff the turkey. (If the dressing is to be served as a side dish at a later time, bake it until it is light golden brown on top. Store it in the freezer.)

A Few Notes 

To stuff or not to stuff.  We quit stuffing our turkey years ago. Instead we cook our turkey separately. That way we can easily bring our dressing to the required temperature of 165°F.

About making the turkey taste not so gamy.  (A little off the subject) When we cook our turkey, we rub olive-and-canola oil blend and sea salt all over the turkey inside and out and place big chunks of onion and celery inside the big turkey cavity and the little cavity after removing the giblet package. Also we slip slices of oranges, peeling included, under the turkey's skin.

My secret seasoning. Having lived in Louisiana for more than half my life, I’ve become addicted to cayenne pepper. This dressing is better if you shake a tiny bit of cayenne into it. Stir well so one of your guests won’t get a mouth full.

Alternate ingredient: My friend Debbie told me she sautés the vegetables for her dressing in butter. That sounds yummy.

Just a reminder: Stuffing is cooked inside a bird, and dressing is cooked outside of it. My mother-in-law used this recipe to stuff a turkey, and she always had two cake pans of it left over no matter how big her bird was.

One more note. My daughter and I have stopped cooking the dressing in a small amount of oil when we bake it immediately after stirring up all that goodness. (See the last step of the recipe.) Mom did that to avoid food poisoning from stored raw eggs. Instead of frying it again, we mix it just before we bake it. Then there is no danger. I never stuff a bird. Instead I cook it in a separate pan. It’s lighter and lower in calories. Also there’s no danger this way. The problem of food poisoning arises when a bird is stuffed.

Embellishments. Mom never added meat to the dressing on Thanksgiving, but the day after she stirred leftover turkey into it, mostly dark meat, along with a small amount of giblet gravy. She called this hash. One year, my daughter and I stirred in some andouille and Tasso. It was delicious. My mother made a similar batch of dressing, in which she added dark chicken meat, possibly hen.

Safety. When the women  and men in our family prepare dressing, we always adhere to strict safety rules. Mom was a stickler, who made sure we learned what we should and shouldn't do to keep this food safe.  To make sure we kept it safe, we have prepared the dressing ahead of time by baking it, transferring it to a slow cooker, and keeping it warm and safe there while we served it at a leisurely executed Thanksgiving dinner, where family and friends kept returning for seconds and thirds. Of course, we had to stir it.

From the USDA.gov, here are some safety questions and answers:

Why is it essential to use a food thermometer when cooking stuffed meat or poultry?
Cooking stuffed poultry, pork chops, and other meat can be somewhat riskier than cooking them unstuffed. Bacteria can survive in stuffing that has not reached the safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F, possibly resulting in foodborne illness. Even if the meat itself has reached this temperature, the stuffing may not have reached a temperature in all areas sufficient to destroy foodborne bacteria.
If stuffing does not reach 165 °F when the meat itself is done, further cooking will be required for the stuffing to reach 165 °F.
For optimal safety and uniform doneness, cook stuffing separately.

Can you make stuffing in a slow cooker?
It is safe to make stuffing in a slow cooker if you follow these guidelines:
The stuffing needs to be very moist.
Fill the slow cooker loosely no more than 2/3 full.
The lid should fit tightly on the slow cooker.
Start cooking on the high setting for at least 1 hour before reducing the setting to low.
Cook until the center of the stuffing reaches 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
If these guidelines have not been followed, discard the stuffing.
Consult your slow cooker manual for approximate times.
NOTE: Never place frozen stuffing or other frozen food in a slow cooker.

For a more detailed discussion, please go to
USDA Information about Cooking Dressing

Trailer Related to As Doves Fly in the Wind

This video is a trailer made by Jodi Hockinson for As Doves Fly in the Wind.

Jodi is in the process of recording the book. It's amazing the way she can act all the parts. When she finishes the recording, we will be able to hear the women as well as the men, and she'll stir in a Cajun flavor where it's needed.

As Doves Fly in the Wind is available in electronic and paperback forms at Westbow and also Amazon . Just click on the names of one of the pages in the previous sentence. Or if you'd prefer, you can purchase it on Barnes &Noble as a Nook or paperback.

As Doves Fly in the Wind is a contemporary inspirational romance. It's set in Louisiana--mostly south and some north. Some of the characters (Jessica and the men pursuing her) are mature, in their fifties. None of them are perfect. The novel explores subjects such as

• Cyber romance
• Hurricanes with tornadoes and floods
• Superstitious reactions to haunted houses
• Mild humor
• Loneliness
• Frustration over difficulties with family members 
• Christmas celebrations 
• South Louisiana food
• Forgiveness
• Spiritual renewal

Happy reading!

A new audible book is soon to be released: As Doves Fly in the Wind

photo by ipopba, I-Stock or  ShutterStock

The Audible version of As Doves Fly in the Wind is in production. How exciting!

As Doves Fly in the Wind is now a paperback book and a Kindle book. The publisher provides a service of producing an audio book, but ACX will do so without charging unless one chooses to pay for certain services.

A few thousand producers have placed samples of their work on ACX,com. Along with clear instructions, the site provides filters that will aid authors in finding the producer you need.

Jodi Hockinson, who has already recorded Secret Promise, The Courtship of Miss Loretta Larson, and Travelers Painted Wagons on Cohay Creek, is a skilled producer, who can make her voice sound many different ways. A true professional, she and her husband have all the electronic equipment needed to produce a polished recording. Other artists have done a splendid job for me too. I usually select a voice that fits the main character of narrator of the story.

Jodi has begun recording As Doves Fly in the Wind. When she finishes fifteen minutes, she will post this sample on the website in a private place for evaluation before she continues with the rest of the novel.

In the meantime, a new cover will be required. When the publisher gave permission  to have the book recorded by another service (which in my case is ACX), reuse of the book cover was forbidden. The  publisher designed the cover with a photograph selected by me, the author. The picture of the woman with doves perfectly matched the text.

On the page with it were some related photographs available to be purchased. My husband John and I selected the one featured here. John, who has designed some of my other covers, will crop the photograph, which has to be square for the audible book. (The dimensions of a  square cover must go back to the days of  record album covers. ) Also, Jodi's name must appear on the audible book cover.

If you'd like to discuss this process with me, please contact me on Facebook Messenger. We can always learn from one another. Have a blessed day.

23 Cents Worth of Gas

Summer was hot and weeks had passed since I saw any of my friends, except for E, who went to the same church I did. I lived three miles from town—two miles down the road from Taylorsville, Mississippi, and one mile west, up the road on Gregg Hill, near the end of the road on the Smith-Covington County line.

In the field up the hill from my house, the very pinnacle of the hill, my dad had a beautiful terraced field, where he grew corn, watermelons, or field peas. Scattered about in that field were our famous plums, the most delicious in Smith County.

One of my friends, MB, had a new Chevrolet, which she drove from house to house and collected her friends in town. She loved the plums we had. One afternoon, she gathered up a car full of girls and headed up the hill to my house.

When I saw her car, I rushed out to our big front porch to greet them. Since they were town girls, I didn’t ask them inside.

“Could we get some of your plums?” MB emitted a nervous giggle. “We just love those plums.”

My mother appeared with a bucket. “Here. Take this. You can keep it.”

“Is it all right if we take Mary Lou for a ride?” MB asked Mother.

“Sure. Y’all be careful.”

“Come on.” MB climbed into her car. “Y’all get in the back seat and let Mary Lou sit up front.”

We piled in and drove the short distance to the edge of the yard and took off by foot to the plum trees. As soon as our buckets were full, we climbed back into the car.

At the bottom of the hill when it was time to turn back onto the road, somebody in the back seat said, “Where y’all want to go?”

“Hot Coffee,” a voice said.

“Yes, let’s go to Hot Coffee,” two other voices answered.

MB turned to the right, and soon we were giggling and talking all at once.

“Oh no!” MB’s hand slapped her own face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m out of gas.”

“Let’s go get some gas then,” BA said.

“Have y’all got any money?”

I had a nickel and a penny in the pocket of my shorts. Squirming in the back seat, the girls collected a total of fifteen cents.

MB checked her billfold. “Two cents.”

“Oh, no. What will we do?” E was laughing, and we were all chewing our nails and twisting our hair.

“Everybody just calm down.” Always a natural leader, MB took charge as she pulled up to the service station in Hot Coffee. “Mary Lou, you’re on the passenger side. Here comes the attendant. Tell him we want to buy twenty-three cents worth of gas.”

By the time the attendant arrived, the girls in the back seat were laughing so loud, they got me tickled. I tried to say it, but the amount wouldn’t come out of my mouth. “We need some gas.”

MB spoke up. In a no-nonsense voice, she said, “Y’all be quiet. Sir, we need twenty-three cents worth of gas please.”

That’s the end of the story. MB took me home and rushed back toward Taylorsville.

As Doves Fly in the Wind is now available.

The paperback version of As Doves Fly in the Wind is available on Amazon, Westbow, Barnes & Noble. It's available in paperback and Kindle versions, and today my first paperback copy came in the mail.

It is a story about a retired school teacher (a university music professor), who was married to a jerk. He died in a bar fight when they were young.

It's about a woman trying to start a new life in a new town, where people shun her, where no one seems to notice she needs help taking care of her developmentally challenged little sister. Loneliness is palpable.

It's about a haunted house, a hurricane, a flood, and a tornado.

Jessica's life has humor, heartbreak, victory, achievement. Will she give up or will she keep trying to succeed in a new chapter of her life?

Jessica Boudreaux Hays, a retired music professor, has recently moved to Rousseauville to open a bed and breakfast in her grandparents’ house. An attractive and talented fifty-five-year-old widow, Jessica loves to cook, entertain, and play the piano. Her life is filled with problems. Emmie, her younger sister who lives with her, cannot be left alone. The sisters recently lost their parents in an automobile accident. The residents of the village are charitable but superstitious. For some mysterious reason, they refuse to go near her or the bed and breakfast. Another frustration in Jessica’s life is her cyber romance with a mysterious stranger.

As Doves Fly in the Wind begins with manslaughter of Dale Bonnier's family. And then he goes to prison.

Dale Bonnier, a fifty-five-year-old widower, pastors two small churches in rural south Louisiana. He inspires the people in Rousseauville with his compelling sermons. He is considerate and approachable but at times disorganized and impetuous. His parishioners, especially Jessica, find his preaching inspiring.

Dale has a recurring problem with his past. In the 1980s, when he was an intense young man, he destroyed his home and family as he sought to satisfy his cravings for illicit drugs. Thirty years have passed. God has forgiven him, but the past has left indelible scars. Can Dale forgive himself? He cannot turn his past around, but he hopes it will be used to influence and inspire others.

Jessica tries to start over in Rousseauville, but she encounters unpredicted stormy times. Can she find acceptance? Will she ever find a man she can love and trust?

These problems are only the beginning. It would seem that Jessica and Dale, who find each other attractive, could fall in love...not so fast though. She's in love with someone else, and he has issues.

Reading what happens to the characters in this book will bless and inspire you.

Bubba Dreaming about Going to the Library

Sunday afternoon, and the real live Bubba is relaxing on his downstairs bed while his mommy relaxes

Bubba lounging on his downstairs bed.

by sketching the some drawings for the future Bubba book. She has named it Bubba Goes to the Library.

On Saturday, December 16, 2017, Christie Marie Underwood, illustrator, and Mary Lou Cheatham, author, will be the guests of Ransom Canyon Librarian, Angie Fikes,  for a children's Christmas program. The honored guests will be the young readers of Ransom Canyon, Texas.

Books featured on the program are Brother Star, Sister Moon; Seth, the Shepherd Boy; Bubba, the Firedog; and maybe Bubba Goes to the Library. 

Here's a preview of Bubba Goes to the Library. 

(c) 2017 Mary Lou Cheatham and Christie Marie Underwood. All drawings and photos may not be copied and reproduced without written permission.

Bubba, the Firedog, goes out to eat.

Today we ate Sunday lunch with a huge group from church. Next to me was a precious four-year-old boy, who played with his toy but became restless. His grandmother, great grandmother, and great grandmother brought him on the adventure. He sat politely in his chair, but it was taking forever for our food to arrive.

I pulled out my cellphone and went to our new Bubba story, which is downloaded on my Kindle. He looked at the pictures and listened to every word   as we read it.

He paid attention to the telling of the ways the dog got into trouble, and he laughed out loud at the picture of the real Bubba wearing a fire hat.

He told me he didn't have a dog but his parents were planning to get him one soon.

Cellphones are amazing because they can perform all sorts of chores. It was convenient to have a story handy to read. One never knows when such a book could come in handy.

Bubba, the Firedog, on Kindle



(c) 2017 Mary Lou Cheatham and Christie Marie Underwood. All drawings and photos may not be copied and reproduced without written permission.