Simpler Times

GETTIN’ REFRESHED AND REFUELED

By Charles D. Williams, M.D., FACR, FAAP (“Pedro”)

Sometimes we need to go back to our roots or our old stompin’ ground to get refreshed and refueled. Grandma once told Pedro that if a person left Colquitt County to set the woods on fire, he would have to keep coming back for more matches. She said a helpin’ hand is found at the end of your own arm and you could always recognize a smart person because they think like you do.

Recently Pedro headed back to Moultrie to spend some time with Millard and to reflect back on the good ole days of Grandma and Pedro and their roots. Grandma lost the farm to the banks and to the bollweevils. She raised seven kids during the depression including Dillard, Millard, and Willard. She pointed out that life was what happened to her after she had made other plans. She said that we needed a sense of humor to tolerate the unpleasant and the unbearable and to cope with the unexpected and she did just that.

Millard and I got together and headed downtown to see what was happenin’ and to get a cup of coffee at one of those sat-down restaurants. As we were coming into town on South Main Street we passed the Episcopal Church and Millard reminded Pedro that Episcopalians were Baptists who made good on their investments. Pedro then told Millard that his Preacher was a poor Preacher and Millard agreed and said, “I know. I heard him preach last Sunday.” Millard and I stopped off at the Sportsman’s Restaurant one block from the Courthouse Square on the same street as Friedlander’s. We sat down and ordered our coffee without cream. The waitress said, “I’m sorry. We’re out of cream. Y’all have to have your coffee without milk.” That seemed OK with us.

We kept sittin’ there looking at each other and talkin’. Millard reminded Pedro of the old medical remedies that Grandma passed down. He mentioned lettin’ chickens fly over your head for chicken pox, cutting the hair close and rubbing the scalp with kerosene for head lice, mud or tobacco juice for bee stings, soaking the feet in hot water to bring the blood from the head for insomnia, holding turpentine against the gums for toothache, drinking whisky and honey mixed for colds, and Castor Oil for spring cleaning of the body. Millard pointed out that Pedro went off and got educated and didn’t have to use these any more. I reminded Millard that after taking this medicine, Pedro stayed sick a mighty long time after he was well. Millard said, “Yeah, Pedro. Many times I faked being well to keep from gettin’ treated.” (Note: One should not use any of the above listed treatments without first consulting with your own private physician.)

Millard said that we hardly ever use these old fashioned medical remedies anymore but the country would sure be a lot better off if we once again start using some of Grandma’s old fashioned wisdom. We remembered that Grandma once said that the best way to get ahead is to use the one you’ve got and that a movin’ mouth ain’t necessarily connected with a workin’ brain. Millard mentioned that his favorite sayin’ of Grandma’s wuz that a lotta folks know how to say nuthin’ but only a few know when.

We started ridin’ around in the country jest lookin’ and thinkin’. We drove past Pedro’s old grammar schools at Sunset, Okapilco, and Culbertson. We headed toward Sigsbee and went across the creek by the ole home place where Pedro got his first bicycle. He remembered well. Pedro wanted that bike real bad. One night he was prayin’ for a bicycle out loud — real loud when Mary Alice, his sister, said, “You’re prayin’ too loud and God ain’t deaf.” Pedro responded, “No but Grandma is and she’s in the next room.” Apparently God and Grandma heard. Pedro got the purtiest Hopalong Cassidy bicycle in all Colquitt County and probably the whole wide world.

Millard and Pedro kept drivin’ and the sun started goin’ down. Pedro looked over at Millard and said, “We’re only one generation apart and Moultrie’s only 60 miles from Tallahassee. I miss you both. We’re so close but yet so far apart.”

Reprinted with author permission from Simpler Times.

Dr. Williams’ sequel book, More Simpler Times, can be purchased from the Capital Medical Society. All proceeds from the book are donated to the Capital Medical Society Foundation’s We Care Network program. The total sales from his books have raised over $40,000 for the CMS Foundation’s We Care Network.