Just Among Friends
Wedding Anniversaries seem to fly past as the years go by. Each one is a special blessing as time passes and a couple is still together. Tom and Shirley Cox celebrated their 62nd Anniversary on November 22.
They have two beautiful daughters and one handsome son. The family has expanded to include several grandchildren. They now have great-grandchildren who are very dear to their hearts. Tom and Shirley have always taken a very active part in their children's lives as well as their grandchildren, and, now, great-grandchildren. Congratulations!
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Mississippi State University held in-person commencement exercises on Wednesday, November 25 on both the Starkville and Meridian campuses. The events were carefully planned and executed to follow the CDC guidelines.
The Starkville campus held four ceremonies in Humphrey Coliseum with guests limited to four tickets per graduate. The Athletic Office issued electronic tickets for contactless entry. Masks were required by everyone who was present, including those who were working to clean and sanitize before and after each ceremony. Special seating and distancing protocols were in place to minimize potential exposure. The coliseum, which ordinarily seats 10,000, was limited to 1,600 people.
It was an exciting event for Greg Eiland who was awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree. He had worked hard to earn his diploma. Not only was he a student, but he was also an awesome member of the Bulldogs football team. He made a wise choice to pursue his degree as well as play football. At the end of his college career, he has a diploma. Leisa Eiland, his mother, watched proudly as her son walked across the stage to receive his diploma. Congratulations and best wishes!
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Patio dining was enjoyed at the Wendell Holmes, Sr. home on Thanksgiving Day. It was a beautiful day for an outdoor meal and there was plenty of room for social distancing.
Floirine Holmes was so glad to have her daughter-in-law, Sade Holmes, help her prepare the dinner which was quite an extensive menu including several family favorites.
Justin and Sade Holmes brought their son and daughter to spend Thanksgiving with the family in Philadelphia. It was a joyous occasion!
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Another beautiful greatgrandchild has arrived to grace the Dungan family tree. Little Miss Mary Andrews Dungan arrived on November 13. Bill and Regina Dungan are so thrilled to welcome her. Her parents are Will and Bailey Allen Dungan. Congratulations!
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Thanksgiving means molasses making time at the Mack and Sherry Alford home. Each year they have a molasses cooking which produces many jars of sweet molasses which is produced right on their land on Fork Road.
Mack grows the cane all summer long and cuts it when it is ripe. He has friends who help transport it on a trailer to a grinding machine which is turned by a tractor. The juice is extracted and taken to the cooking shed where it is boiled in an antique cauldron over a woodburning fire until it thickens into molasses. It is not an easy process since it requires constant stirring, skimming, and testing. The fire must be kept burning during the entire time. When it is finished, the molasses is poured into jars with the label, "Kentawka Creek Molasses" and Mack Alford's phone number and the year on it. It is an amazing process which I find fascinating. I can verify that the results are delicious!
Each year, Glen and Jennifer Alford Walker bring their children, Emily, Jason, and Grace, to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with her parents and help with the molasses cooking. It is a marvelous vacation for all of them to escape from the city of Macon, Georgia, for a short time and be with the Alfords. Such a fun tradition for them to enjoy together.