By Ivalien Reynolds

March is going by fast and I guess it was living up to its name with cold winds, a little ice and some cold weather. Guess what? The hummingbirds will be coming in April, so get your feeders ready. They will be a welcome sight.

I was so sorry to hear of neighbor Larry Handy’s death. My love and heartfelt sympathy goes out to the family. Keep them in your prayers.

It seems that there are a lot of birthdays in Charles and Gloria Biggs’ family in the month of March. I enjoyed lunch there on Sunday. Thanks for your hospitality and for being so kind.

Thanks to Pleasant View Baptist Church for their generous donation to the Patrick Springs Pentecostal Food Ministry. What a blessing!

“Miss” Claudine Wood up on the mountain is enjoying the sunny days, and like me, watching for the hummingbirds.  It won’t be long before she celebrates a big birthday.

The library in Patrick County is so nice and they are so helpful. When my cousin visited from California and went to the library, he said, “we don’t have anything like this in California.” I am enjoying the Mitford series from there and some Amish books also.

It was good to hear from Mark and Beverly Woody, Blue and Jack. Sorry Beverly has battled pneumonia.

Van Rowe has gardening on his mind for the Soup Kitchen this year. My people really liked the vegetable soup and chicken noodle last week. The garden is plowed now.

It surely was nice to see Pastor Mike McPeak and get a big hug from him at the meet and greet at Noonies on Saturday.

Pastor Marion decided to let Pastor Joe and Pastor James have the service Wednesday night. Each had 15 minutes to speak, and let me tell you they really filled that 15 minutes well. What a blessing!

Cooking hint: To give hot dogs extra flavor, prick with fork and marinate them in Worchester sauce for 30 minutes before grilling.

UPSIDE DOWN BERRY CAKE

1/2 c walnuts (chopped)

1 c fresh or frozen blueberries

1 c fresh or frozen raspberries (halved)

3/4 c sugar

1 pkg raspberry gelatin

1 1/2 c mini marshmallows

1 18 1/4 oz pkg. yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1 1/4 c water

2 T canola oil

Layer the walnuts and berries in a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish, sprinkle with sugar, gelatin and marshmallows. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, water and oil. Beat on low for 30 seconds and medium for 2 minutes. Pour on top of nuts and berries. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and then invert on a serving platter. Refrigerate leftovers.

Food for thought
 If you walk tall, think tall and feel tall, you just couldn’t be small. Right?