Contact
P.O. Box 729-110 Pt. Gibson St. - Raymond, MS 39154
(601) 783-2441

Using the first letter of the all-too-brief season, fall is filled with festivals, football, family time and fun activities in the span between six months of searing heat and the cold, rainy weather that accompanies winter. Finding time for preparing food can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be a chore, especially when so many one-pan, intriguing and minimal-ingredient recipe are as near as the latest cookbook or the internet.

Without further ado – after all, you’ve got FUN fall activit . . .

Like a stout defensive unit making a goal line stand late in a tense football clash, Gov. Tate Reeves repelled formidable opponent Brandon Presley and national Democrats in winning his second term.

Reeves’ victory strengthened Mississippi Republicans’ hold on the governorship, despite Presley’s aggressive offensive push that saw him spend about $11 million trying to topple the incumbent from atop the state government standings.

The last Democrat to serve as Mississippi’s governor was Ronnie . . .

Several weeks have passed without a Ponderings contribution. One of my friends asked if it was because of the loss of my muse. My wife of sixty-six years and I frequently discussed my column, generally it was after the fact. She has always been a positive force over the eight-hundred or so columns during twenty-five years, however I have considered myself an independent thinker. Maybe subconsciously she had more to do with my inspiration than she was given credit for. (Never end a sentence with . . .

RAYMOND CULTURE CLUB--- Raymond Culture Club Meeting was held on October 26, 2023. James Anderson entertained and educated the Raymond Culture Club with his portrayal of James Hervey Boyd, Mayor of Jackson in the mid-1800s, whose family home, The Oaks, still stands on Jefferson Street in Jackson, MS. The October 26, 2023, meeting of the club was held at the Emmanuel Center at Raymond Presbyterian Church and hosted by Jerry Agent, Sharon Bridges, and Naomi Barnette. . . .

On Tuesday morning, news of the death of Nell Taylor Eley was made known. She was a Monticello native who lived in three different houses in Terry on Raymond Street, Cunningham Avenue, and Utica Street. She was a two-time widow who was the mother of Brenda Taylor Leshe and Phil Taylor and a grandmother who was a long-time member of the Baptist church on Raymond Street.

Elsie Nell Smith Eley (1927-2023)

Elsie Nell Smith Eley, 96, died Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at her home in Terry, surroun . . .

College students face a host of challenges that could threaten their mental well-being.

Leaving home for the first time, balancing their classes, study time, and social lives effectively, and navigating new interpersonal relationships can be overwhelming, especially when the students are miles away from their families and hometown friends.

Having someone they can depend on to lend a friendly ear and offer meaningful advice when they’re feeling vulnerable can make a lasting impact on the stu . . .

“Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.” (Isaiah 32:15)

For the last twenty-four weeks, this article has focused solely on the most fundamental question - who is God? This is a question of which we will spend an eternity answering. Some will answer by an ever-increasing enjoyment of God, and others by an ever-increasing realization of what they missed. As Jesus Himself said, “This is eternal life, . . .

RAYMOND GARDEN CLUB NOVEMBER YARD OF THE MONTH-- Located at 311 Port Gibson Street, Raymond, MS is the home of Mary Knight and son Larry Knight ,Jr.

RAYMOND GARDEN CLUB--- The November Garden club meeting hostesses: Dovie McGowsn, Glenda Mar berry, and Gloria Brister. . . .

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)

Human nature very much swings back and forth as a pendulum, swinging from one extreme to another. In my early years, church sermons were of the “hellfire and brimstone” variety. To use the imagery of Jonathan Edwards, we were spiders hanging by a thread over the raging fire below. Many tell stories of those days with dread and terror, for the pendulum has now swung into the opposite extreme. Our churches are fill . . .

Got into a convo the other day about sassafras trees, and how as kids we used to steep its root bark to make a root beer-like tea and crumble its leaves into gumbo. Which segued into other non-mainstream garden plants we could eat if we got hungry enough.

Some years ago, I developed a little urban foraging brochure which I email to folks who request it, which goes beyond the usual vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, and fruits. Turns out, a stroll around most neighborhoods will uncover quite a . . .

Last Wednesday evening and Thursday morning will be remembered as a dark time for the town of Terry. I returned for my All Saints’ memorial service during which the Bishop of Mississippi spoke. That service was in Jackson, and, upon returning to Terry, I saw many, many fire trucks behind the Terry Town Hall and around the home which formerly belonged to Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Moreland. I decided to drive around the block and then drove south on Canton St., which was nearly blocked by vehicles on th . . .

On a beautiful night in Raymond, tailor made for football, the CHA Varsity Men’s football team played in the most meaningful football game in recent history, and oh what a game it was! This game was full of everything you could’ve ever wanted, from points to turnovers to big defensive plays and huge Touchdown catches, but in the end it was missing the most important thing, a W! While plying their hearts out, our young men from CHA lost the battle 44-43. This game was won or lost in the las . . .