Country Writings Available from Lulu Publishing

( Country Writings )

Click the link above to purchase a copy of Country Writings by Glenna Goodson.
Nostalgia and biographical stories. Includes almost 40 pages of jokes from the Gravelly News columns.

Best peanut brittle, ever !!

Gravelly News by Glenna Goodson

A brand new store just opened up in London that sells Husbands. When women go to choose a husband, they have to follow theinstructions at the entrance. "You may visit this store ONLY ONCE ! There are 6 floors andthe value of the products increase as you ascend the flights. you may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building. " So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. OIn the 1st floor the sign on the door reads : Floor 1--These men have jobs. She goes on up to the 2nd. The 2nd floor sign reads : Floor 2--these men have jobs and love kids. She continues up to the 3rd.--The 3rd floor sign reads--These men have jobs, Love Kids, and are extremely good looking." "Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going. She goes to the 4th floor andthe sign reads: Floor 4--these men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead Gorgeous, and help with housework.--"Oh, mercy me,!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it !" Still she goes on the the 5th floor andthesign reads : Floor 5--These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead gorgeous, help with housework and are caring, sensitive lovers. She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the 6th floor andthe sign reads : Floor 6---You are visitor 31,456,012,065 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband store.

Mickey Austin is having diabetic complications and he is in L.R. Baptist hospital at this writing. To show love and support for this family--donations are being received at Bill Workman's store in Gravelly. Personally, I like this method of giving.What you give is between you and God and people are not saying,"do you know what so and so gave," and then proceed to tell you.So you can give in the big jar at Bill'sstore but any method you use to give is blessed by God.

Diana O'Bryant in Workman's store said those of us that had hit a deer, and especially those that had hit several, should hire out as a scout for the deer hunters--just tell them to folow us and the deer will smell our car and come running--then the hunter can shoot his deer.

Speaing of Diana, I was talking about a basketball game at F V. and she told me the funniest story about when one of her sons played basketball at Waldron, several years ago. Shewas watching the game and heard the coach talking to her son during a time out, and her son said to the coach, "That is stupid." Diana stood up and yelled her son's name and said ,"You go sit on the bench." The coach just looked at her but her son went to the bench. Later, the coach was sending her son back in and Diana stood up again and yelled to her son, "go back to the bench." And her son did as she told him too. When the game was over, Diana took her son to the coach and demanded he apologize to the coach for saying his instructions were stupid. She said "even if you thought his instructions were stupid, you are never to talk to a teacher or a coach in that manner. You are to respect them !"Gee, if only we had more parents like that now-a-days. Our world would be a better place.

We at Rover Baptist Church will have a note burning Dec. 2nd. Our bldg. is paid for now and we are so blessed !! If you have ever been in our bldg. you know we have a lovely church in which to worship. The sanctuary is just so great---the classrooms are spacious--our kitchen and fellowship hall combined is really something of which we are proud--our Pastor's study is really neat. God has been so good to us in alllowing us to have this lovely place of worship and now it's paid for !!Hallelujah !!

I was going down memory lane one day this week. It seems the older I get, the more I remember the past and wish for days like that again. I was looking at the former Ila Willis house here at Gravelly. I was remembering, especially, how Ila could makethe best peanut brittle, ever !! In thinking about the peanut brittle, my mind went back to when we raised peanuts. Daddy always had a patch of peanuts. When it came time to harvest the peanuts, Daddy would hook up one ofthe horses to the plow and plow up the peanuts. Then my mother, brother and I and usually some of my Highfill cousins would come behind the plow, pick up the peanut plants andthrow them on top of the tin roof ofthe barn. The sun would dry the peanuts after several days. Then Daddy would get them down from the roof and we wouldthen pull the peanuts from the vines and put them in sacks to store. Gee, how I loved for my mother to parch a big pan of those peanuts. And sometimes she would pop the pop corn and pour some of those parched peanuts in the corn. The "good ole days" were really good. !

Last week I went to see Betty and Hoyt Lampkin at Bluffton.I took them one ofthe Pizzas from the Promise Land at Wing. Betty kept saying how good the pizza was. Betty still can't walk without help but one of the dictors is working on a device for her leg to see if he can possibly find a way she can walk.

There are some people that say I drive too fast. It's really a temptation when you are on highway 28 and practically no traffic, so you can just zip along--except through Plainview--I always slow down in Plainview. But I have been trying to do better. In coming from Ola last week, I was going the speed limit of 50. It was about 3/30 when there was some traffic. EVERYBODY was passing me. What griped me were all those big trucks that takes awhile to pass me andthey could be meeting a car that they could not see and cause a terriable accident. But I'm responsible just for me, right?

At Bill Workman's store, I was talking to Ms. Broussard, (I probably misspelled her name ), her maiden name was Vaughn. This lady is a faithful member of Bluffton Baptist Church. They have lost their pastor andtheir attendance has dropped down to about 10 on Sundays. I was so sad to hear this because the church really grew for awhile. I just pray the people, although few in number, will keep going and keep on looking for a pastor. God can call a man that is either retired an does not need a salary, or a man that has a good job and can preach on Sundays. Or perhaps they can do as the Wing Community Church did about 4 years ago. The had no pastor and Edith Turner called me one day and said she had heard I loved to teach the Bible and would I consider teaching a Bible lesson for them. So a wonderful time was started.It doesn't matter if we have 4, 5, or 10, we sing, have a devotional, and i teach a lesson--we go through the Bible in teaching--since I have started teacing, we have gone thru the Bible once and now we are in the book of Acts for the second time to go through the Word of God. So I pray the Baptist Church ot Bluffton will just keep on keeping on and God will bless.

Larry Wilson called me today, the 15th. He is out ofthe hospital and they did put him in another pace-maker but they did not do the other heart procedure. When Larry goesback in 2 weeks we are praying the doctors will be able to charge his heart and do whatever it takes to make Larry's heart stronger.

Remember what Thanksgiving is really all about. It's supposed to be the giving of thanks forthe blessings we have.

In closing, remember the 10 commandments are not multiple choice.

Granny's Poems (that I have)

Not Gravelly News

by Ellis Goodson

Just a web place to share these poems of Etta Utley Goodson, AKA Granny.

There may be more but these are the only poems I found. Instead of retyping them , I think I'll publish them this way. Someone in the family, I forget who, typed these and so they are ragged with age.

Why do I have them? I don't know. But they are cool. And they show Granny's loving soul and art.

Click on them to make them larger and legible

He did not like turnips

Gravelly News by Glenna Goodson

A lady entered a drug store and told the pharmicist that she wanted some poison to kill her husband. The prarmicist said "Ma-am I can't sell you poison, that's against the law." The lady said, "but my husband is running around with another woman and I want to kill him, slowly with poison." The pharmacist again told her he could not sell her poison to kill her husband. The lady said "look at this picture a detective took of my husband and the other woman."The pharmacist almost fainted because the woman in the picture was his wife !He said to the lady, "Oh, I didn't realize you had a prescription.!"

I walked into the Plainview library Thursday and Jan Loney, the librarian said, "I am glad you are here." She then told me how that in October, she had visited her aunt who lives in California.Her aunt, Gladys Lowell is 90 years of age. Jan sends her aunt, copies of the Yell County Record and Jan said, "she loves your column and reads it over and over." Jan said "I am gong to call Aunt Gladys on my cell phone and let her talk to you," whichshe did. Ms. Gladys just made my day telling me how much my column meant to her. Jan says her Aunt Gladys is still very intelligent, reads all the time and is very attractive..Ms. Lowell is the one that told me the joke I used this week.

John Meredith had bought some cat food at Bill Workman's. I asked about his cat and he said one day a kitty followed him home--then that kitty had kittens and now THEY are having kittens. That's the way it happens, John.

Carolyn Meredith caught a 3 pound catfish from their pond last week. I told John he should have fried that fish right then because that's when it is good.

I understand that Sue Hunt's surprise retirement party last Saturday was really a surprise for Sue. I did not believe that her family and friends could keep it from her but they did. It was held in the Masonic Hall at Gravelly and I understand there were about 35 in attendance. Congratulations to Sue on her retirement.

Larry Wilson will enter the hospital the 14th for an important procedure for his heart. The doctors will charge the heart and insert a new pacemaker. Larry has been waiting for another pacemaker for several weeks now and I pray this will make Larry well enough to work and to sing and play that guitar.

Brother Elvin McDill, his wife Nancy and Bro. Elvin's brother, have started a singing group. I am excited because they will be singing in our Rover Baptist Church Friday night.

I hope several young people were successful during the youth deer season last week. I remember when my younger son was 15 and killed his first deer here in Ar. Fred heard him shoot and was coming to where he was and he heard Russell talking to himself--saying--"That was a good shot, Russell--I got my deer." It's always an exciting time when a kid gets their first deer.

I picked turnip greens from Bill Workman's patch Wednesday. They sure are good. My pastor, Bro. Shipley was telling me about one time he was at a large family dinner. There was a bowl, of what he thought were stewed potatoes, so he got a big helping, smashed them up with lots of butter and salt and pepper. A relative said, "I never saw anyone eat TURNIPS like that" The bad thing was he did not like turnips but he had to eat them.

My niece Linda's daughter, Christina, will be married in Benton Saturday. My brother-in-law Lacey Minnie will perform the ceremony. i wish the best for Christina and husband.

It is so fun at the F.V. ball games to see these babies of former students of FV. My niece Ashly Swaim with her wonderful little boy--Cheyenne Lambert with her handsome baby boy and Brittany Powell with her beautiful little girl. Gee, it seems like just yesterday these mothers were playing basketball..

As I attend the FV ball games I watch the kids, elementary and high school, use the chairs just like a ladder. They step in one and then in another until they get where they want to sit. I just cringe when I see this. Those chairs cost the people that bought them, $100 per chair and this climbing in them eventually breaks down the chair. I watched a high school boy do that Tuesday night and I said, "You know these chairs cost $100."He was so nice and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm not the only one to do this."and I told hm I realized this was true. In a few minutes he and a friend were leaving and he walked to the end of the aisle and he told his friend, "these chairs cost $100 and we're not supposed to step in them." I couldn't help but smile and think "bless him." It would be so great if you teachers (Bruce Lee are you listening) would ask the students to not step in the chairs. Many people worked really hard getting these chairs and placing them in the gym.

Some have asked me to tell them the end of the TV story that was left out of my column two weeks ago, so here it is. An elderly lady, Mary, in OKC, decided to quit paying for cable tv.and asked the cable people to unhook the cable, which they did. Mary told her church family that she no longer had cable. A week later, Mary came up to a guy named Gary after church and said "Gary I want you to come see what is wrong with my TV, On the back of the TV it says, :"cable ready" but I can't get cable.!

One day last week, my son, Russell kept his two grandchildren, Jake and Allyson. Russ and Fred are back at our place in OKC, Fred was telling me that 3 year old Allyson crawled up in his lap and gave him a kiss. Fred said "Allyson, you are the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen.:" Allyson looked up at Fred and said "Well, you are not very handsome."

Another Burma Shave sign-----The midnight ride----of Paul for beer---led to a warmer----Hemisphere

Under that monster mask

Gravelly News by Glenna Goodson

It was Halloween time and Joe decided to go to a Halloween party given by his office staff. He bought a devil costume and dressed to go to the party. He looked at himself in the mirror and decided he looked very scary. Since the party was near his home, Joe decided to walk. Unfortunately it started raining so hard Joe was really thrown around. He decided he'd better get out of the rain. He saw a building with lights and rushed inside the building. What Joe did not know was that this was a church and they were having a revival. The preacher had already started his sermon and when Joe came through the door, all the congregation turned to see who came in. When they saw this devil man, they all jumped up quickly and ran to the nearest exit. One lady tripped and fell into a pew and slid on down to the floor. Joe saw this and was afraid she was hurt and ran to help her. The lady was crawling around on the floor and looked up at the devil man and said, " I've been a member of this church/ for 32 years but I've been on your side the whole time" !!


My son in Ca.,Ellis, has published 2 books on the inter-net. The publishing company is called the LuLu Publishing Company. Ellis is taking my Country Writings and other stories I have sent him, a few of Granny Goodson's poems, and some pictures and is compiling a book for me. He says he has 100 pages, as of now, in my book. I will let you know when he publishes it so perhaps you would like to find it on the net.

Last Sunday I ate at Bill and Yvonne Workman's place. I sat by Paul Wiggins and Cecil Reed and I remarked that when it rains, it pours, because one day that week my computer monitor acted as if it was shutting down and my T.V. went out too. That night when I got home from church Paul Wiggins was here with Alan Ray Austin. Paul had brought me a TV and Alan had hooked it up for me. Paul says, "I told my wife Ms. Glenna needs a TV so I'm taking her this one." He said they had this one in their bed room and they did not watch it all that much. I wanted to cry and thanked Paul over and over. I thought back this year and remembered how people blessed me---Bill Workman-- after I hit a deer,saying "I'm taking your car to my yard and fixing it:"--and he did. And Dr. Sandberg sayhing "take this Cadillac, Glenna, and drive it as long as you need it."---Joe and Janet Harrison saying, "if you ever need anythijng, call us." and Paul brings me a television. God's angels are just everywhere.

I had about 30 ghosts, goblins and angels Halloween night. Did you people in Scott Co. notice that one of your trick or treaters was taller then most kids and perhaps you noticed a moustache under that monster mask ? If you did, the guy was probably Bruce Lee--if you students of Mr. Lee are being given candy for rewards, he got it trick or treatin'/

Jay Hunnicutt spent a week in a L.R. hospital last week where several tests were completed. Monday, the 5th, Jay will be admitted to the Baptist Hospital where a procedure will be done where the heart is stopped and is then charged. This is because Jay's heart is not in rhythm. This should make Jay have more energy and his heart be improved.

Our class of "49 is thrilled with our picture in the Record. We want to thank Laurie Gagne for making the pictures. I called my friend Melba Reed and said "Melba our picture is so good--Ido not even look fat" and she said I'd better frame that picture.! I am so proud of Laurie Gagne--she has only 3 more semesters of college to go until she has her degree in secondary education. It is hard when you start back to school and you have children at home, as Laurie did, so congratulations to Laurie. Another lady at FV of whom Iam very proud is Susan Rhoades. Susan will soon begn her student teaching.The future students of these ladies will be blessed !!

I attended the pie auction benefit for the Dwyer family at the Harvey fire department Saturday night. Several attended to show their love for this family, left so suddenly without a husband and Dad. People gave generously and I know the family is grateful

A couple of weeks ago on Friday night I attended the FV basketball game. It was FV versus Acorn. The Sr. boys B team was FV 25 and Acorn 19. One of the boys came out for a break and was upset about a mistake he'd made. I heard, Jeremy, the FV coach, say, "this is why we have these games--to learn, O.K.?" I was proud of Jeremy because I get so tired of hearing coaches yell at kids !! The Jr. boys final score was FV 47 and Acorn 41. The Sr. girls score was F.V.41 and Acorn 39.My neighbor, Cindy Clements took notes for me of our Sr. Boy's game. They are so good, I want to write them for you exactly as she wrote them. "The Sr. boys are looking strong and aggressive on this 2nd period, scoring Home 23-13 with the help from Clay Beggs and don't forget our strong Indiana JOnes. Keeping up with Indiana Jones will keep Acorn running. The officials look hot and sweaty--but doing a fine job. Our boys are showing up and showing out. Shawn Howell runs up the score to 45 to 24.Shawn throws the ball all the way to Carlton Treadwell and the score is 79-62. That was an awesome play" I know I do not have the space to
put in the rest ofCindy's notes but she did a good job--she should be a sport's writer.

Remember if we practiced "an Eye for an Eye, the whole world would be blind.