New Friendship and Mifflin community news

Hello to all from our little corner of the world! Goodbye July and hello August! July has been one hot, dry month. We got a good rain here a few of days ago. The rain gauge showed one and a half inches. It was cloudy Sunday, and the sky was a light gray with gray clouds and a slight breeze. The temperature was 81 degrees and felt like 88 due to the humidity hanging around. 
I have lived in Tennessee all my life, but I do not like the humidity. As much as I do not like it, humidity plays an important role in how the body is able to maintain its temperature. Too much humidity can make it hard for the body to cool down while too little humidity causes heat to escape the body quickly. Several days this week call for a percentage of rain, but it does not look like a washout by any means. The cotton across from us is a beautiful green with some blooms noted. It seems several farmers planted cotton this year. I wish the best to you all whatever you planted. We have several tomatoes, and I am grateful for them. I love tomatoes. A friend gave me a quart of some she just canned. It was surely a thoughtful surprise. James had a surprise last night. We bought two pepper plants (jalapeno) supposedly. We had one ready to pull, and James showed it to some friends and took a big bite off of it. He immediately got up and disappeared – just as I expected. He headed to the door and spit it out and came back to the table with a glass of cold milk. He said, “That thing wasn’t a jalapeno. It had to be habanero!” It was funny, but I am sure it was not to him! 
Rachel Ellington spent a week recently with her family in Alabama.
Decoration day is observed on the second Sunday in August at Mifflin Baptist Church.
I see it is school time again. I still like it the way it was when I was small. We started the day after Labor Day, and school ended around June 3-4. It seems we really had a summer break. I do not remember how long we were out for Christmas. I think we were out for Good Friday also. Grading periods were every six weeks. It seems like that would help any who were falling behind have time before the year ended to improve their grade. I do think a lot of children get tired of being home after a while and are ready to get back to school to see their friends. We also had chores. We washed and dried dishes (no dishwasher), push mowed the very large yard and used hand clippers to trim bushes and around the house and sidewalk (no weedeaters). We did not have cellphones, and there was no hanging around in the house talking on the one phone we had in the kitchen. Sometimes, we helped wash the car. Mother and daddy went to Centennial Park on South Royal in Jackson down by the fairgrounds and waxed the car while we played nearby. We played all summer and did not have electronics to fill our time. We had neighbors to play with, and we used imagination. We played prisonball, kickball and kick the can; boys played corkball, girls played hopscotch and we loved running through the sprinkler or daddy would spray us with the hose. I can remember daddy holding our hands and swinging us around and around, and we actually went up in the air – so much fun! While we were young, we did not have a care in the world, but as we age, time changes things, and after we are grown, we either change with them or get left behind. We are doing our best to function in this day and time but not on everything. I am sure we did not think so then, but those chores taught us to be responsible adults. Our boys were raised with some chores, and our oldest began working a little before he turned 16 (bussing tables). We got him a used vehicle, and he put the gas in it and kept insurance on it. He is a responsible, hard working adult to this day.
Happy belated birthday to Nancy Parker, 7-30. Hope it was a great day!
Happy birthday to Dylan King, 7-31; Rachel Ellington and Don McLemore, 8-1; Tyler Smith and Tanya Morris, 8-2; Regina Priddy, Karen Stutts and Nancy B. Taylor, 8-3; Paul Bozza, 8-3; Aiden Seaton, 8-4; Josh Zimmerle, 8-5; and Teresa Gaugh, 8-6.
Happy anniversary to Lindsay and Justin Bishop, 7-31.
Please continue to remember these in prayer – Randy Baker, Sheila Berry, Joe Bingham, Marie Bishop, Robert and Joyce Brewer, J.T. and Jeanette Butler, Jackie Chambers, Doris McKinney, LaVelle Page, Pam Priddy, Jesse Pugh, Logan Rencher, Todd Rencher, Jake Richardson, Donald Rowlett, David Tucker, Tony Tucker and Adam Wise and the Frances Smith family. Also, please pray for our military, law enforcement, our country and its leaders, and first responders. There are many sick and hurting. Please say a prayer; even if you don’t know their name, God does. Prayer is not an obligation; it is the greatest privilege we have. Pray yourself through each day. 
This seems appropriate for this day and time. “Prayer for Financial Needs: Dear Lord, You see each need…You know them before we even ask and You promise to provide. We trust that You are working on our behalf at this moment, making a way…making what seems impossible, possible. Help us to not be worried, anxious or afraid as we wait and trust in You for provision. May Your peace fill our hearts. We thank You in advance for all You will do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen” – Hope For The Broken Hearted.