Country Bumpkins-#4 in a series "Ms Georgia Belle"

Ms. Georgia Belle

Cooking or baking, baking or cooking. My lands, that Ms Georgia just weren’t never doin’ nothin but standin’ in front of that old cook stove stirrin’ somethin that smelled mighty fine. Land a mercy, she jist didn’t have no life outside of takin’ care of them rich folk.

I done recall when I first met Ms. Georgia. I wasn’t near knee high to a grasshopper first time I laid eyes on er. Yes sir, there she were right there in the middle of the grocery store insistin’ on the very best ham for old Mr. Brown. She jest stood right up in front of old man Jones and said, “Mister Jones, now ya’ll know the only ham I can carry on home for Mr. Brown has to be the very best one you have. You know if’n I carry home any other kind Mr. Brown will have my skin an’ I jest wouldn’t look too good runnin’ round town wid out my skin.”

Now let me tell ya’ll, I hadn’t never done heared no one talk to Mr. Jones like that there. No siree!

I done figured if Ms. Georgia could talk like that then she must be someone to learn a thing or two from so I begun to follow that there woman everywhere I could and learn all I could. I figured if’n I payed attention to her, some day I could stand right up and tell folks what was what jist like I done heard her do. Hadn’t never been no one I know’d that was so important she could do that.

Well, I figured right then and there the only way I could do that was to jest ask her if I could dog her footsteps and she done told me I could.

Well, I begun to follow her wherever she went for the next week. First thing in the mornin’ I showed up on the doorstep and jist followed her. From the door, when she done let me in, she headed for that old stove and said, “Now Lord, I know full well ya’ll are here with me so please just stay and guide me all day.”

I said, “Ms Georgia, who you talkin’ to I cain’t see?”

She said, “Missy, if ya’ll wants to be a good girl you jest have to start out the day talkin’ to The Lord and He will jest show ya’ll the way”.

Well then, Ms. Georgia, she jest started in to cookin’ them chittlens and baking them cakes and singin’ “Amazin’ Grace” an ya’ll know what I decided after followin’ her around for that there week? I jest decided if cookin’ and bakin’ and singin’ “Amazin Grace” in front of that ol cook stove made Ms. Georgia stand that tall and tell old Mr Jones what for, then it was good enough for me, too.

So now I be all growed up, and I got me a job for Mr. Brown and I stand in front of that ol cook stove and I talk to The Lord and sing “Amazing Grace”. And then I walk right down to the Grocery Store and tell Mr. Jones “ I be needin’ that there best Ham”, and you know what? He jist say “Yes Missy, you sho nuf can have the very best Ham”.

Of course now I might jist need to tell ya’ll Mr. Jones don’t jist own the Grocer Store. He heads down to the Baptist Church on Sunday mornin and preaches cause He done learned about Our Lord from Ms. Georgia, too. Ever Sunday mornin’ he says, “Brothers and Sisters , we be gathered here together to worship Our Lord”.

Well, I reckon since he be my brother-- he done has to give me the best ham, don’t ya'll reckon?