Madeline (Giles) DeJournett is the Advance writer for the North Stoddard Countian. A retired high school English/history teacher, she spent 32 years teaching in 5 schools in Missouri and Alaska. These days, she lives quietly with a menagerie of wild and domestic animals on 52 secluded acres in the remote Tillman hills south of Advance. She graduated from Dexter High School in 1960 and Southeast Missouri State in 1964. She can be contacted at advancensc@sbcglobal.net.

Honeysuckle Summer

Posted Sunday, June 1, 2008, at 9:23 PM

Honeysuckle blooms on my lane, giving off a wonderful perfume. Sassafras grows to the left, and that branch the honeysuckle is growing on (heaven forbid!) is a THORN TREE! I guess Miss Honey isn't particular about the company she keeps...

In case you haven't noticed, the honeysuckle is in bloom. It's probably my favorite smell of all time. I'm really glad I'm not allergic to it.

My lane used to be lined with a wall of the yellow & white blossums (and an occasional pink), until the county took the road over and cleared it all out. Now, it's growing back in a much more civilized form, providing a heavenly scent for my morning and evening walks with the dogs.

This morning at church, one of the retired teachers said that the smell of honeysuckle always signaled the end of school for her. I agree - honeysuckle and strawberries are a sure sign that it's May.

Honeysuckle was one of those things we never saw in the years we lived in Alaska. I missed it, while my husband was missing Leon's barbecues...What a practical man he was!

I was teaching a class in Fairbanks one day, in that new part of the building, where there were no windows - and I smelled honeysuckle! I had to stop the class and sniff it out! Low and behold, a student was wearing honeysuckle perfume! I got so homesick, I could hardly go on with class.

The scent is an evocative smell, filled with memories. I think when I die, I'll ask for vases and vases of honeysuckle at the funeral. If my sister-in-law outlives me, she won't be able to come, since she's allergic to it, but maybe she could wear a mask...

Honeysuckle, strawberries, lightning bugs, whippoorwills, and frogs...I love May and June!

I'm sad tonight, despite the presense of summer and sunshine and honeysuckle. When I went down to the pen to feed my few remaining goats, I found Patsy, my little house goat, much worse, and I know that I'll have to make that dreaded decision soon, probably this week. The vet says she has "nerve damage," possibly caused by being picked on by the aggressive females that I sold several months ago. Whatever the reason, she's become progressively crippled. She's been a big part of my life for three years. When she was little, she walked with us on the lane - me, Patsy, my three dogs, and my cat. Those were happy times.

It always seems so strange for the birds to sing and life to go on, even when we're mourning the loss of someone or something we love.

Well, it IS summer and a time for us to enjoy the beauty around us. Take a whiff of the honeysuckle and save it up for those dark days of winter that come all too soon!

From the sweet-smelling hills of Tillman, Missouri, this is your sentimental rural journalist, Madeline, signing off on a most lovely June evening in 2008.

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I felt that way after our mom died. How can life go on when she's not in it? Yesterday, our brother and I went to her grave again. We stood listening to the cardinal's sweet song as the breeze played with our hair. There is honeysuckle around the cemetery on the fence row. Mom so loved honeysuckle. There is a tangled mass of it on a fence at my house she never would let me cut. It's in bloom right now, too. Two years later it still feels so strange that's she's gone.

My condolences on little Patsy. That's a hard decision to have to make. Mom will be waiting for her. She'll be happy to see her little "grandgoat."

-- Posted by mokath52 on Mon, Jun 2, 2008, at 1:56 PM
The fragrance of honeysuckle has always brought back wonderful memories of summers with Granny. We walked the hills around Lutesville and Marble Hill, so Granny could "take care of the old folk". I still miss her as much today as I did when we lost her 31 years ago. But the scent of honeysuckle in bloom still takes me back to those wonderful summers spent with Granny.

-- Posted by SKDellinger on Tue, Jun 3, 2008, at 9:43 AM
My condolences on Patsy,, hoping for better news, watching for a newer report.

Honeysuckle was a favourite smell in the summer for my late wife. She dearly loved the fragrance. My heart grows heavy now when I sense the fragrance of honeysuckle, strawberries and my sweet red plums ready to enjoy from my tree. Thanks for a walk down memory lane.

-- Posted by changedname on Fri, Jun 6, 2008, at 5:27 PM
Well, I for one, feel that the joy we get from our companion animals - whether they be dogs, cats, goats, or hamsters - outweighs the heartbreak we feel when we have to watch them die.

My animals have given me so much companionship - They've made the difference between my being able to continue living by myself on the farm - and having to move to town. I rarely feel alone.

-- Posted by goat lady on Fri, Jun 6, 2008, at 10:20 PM
Sad news for all fellow bloggers. I heard from Madeline over the weekend and little Patsy the House Goat is gone. She'll be missed.

-- Posted by mokath52 on Mon, Jun 9, 2008, at 1:28 PM
mokath52, you may not be aware of it but MD's goats are very special. In several previous blogs it was disclosed that they are from planet Goat and they are periodically reassigned. I'm sure that Madeline will miss Patsy, but it is possible she may return in one form or another. See, http://forejustice.org/md/hotshot.html

and, http://forejustice.org/md/hotshot2.html

-- Posted by FJGuy on Tue, Jun 10, 2008, at 2:33 PM
Yes, fjguy, I've been reading the blogs for a long time and chuckling, but just recently felt the need to enter the conversation. I saw the hotshot.html site. Loved it. Glad it's still available for viewing.

I like to think that Patsy was recalled to planet Goat and that she's munching on the purple fodder of her home even as we type.

-- Posted by mokath52 on Wed, Jun 18, 2008, at 12:59 PM
Well, I'm not sure it's religiously acceptable, but I believe that there must be a place in heaven for our animal companions!

Yes, FJGuy, I recently read back over "The Widow's Goat Guard"! Amazing graphics on your creative sites!

-- Posted by goat lady on Wed, Jun 18, 2008, at 8:57 PM
There is An Important News Update About Patsy! See, http://forejustice.org/md/hotshot3.html

-- Posted by FJGuy on Thu, Jun 19, 2008, at 2:31 PM

Madeline Dejournett's response:
Oh, my gosh!!! FJ, you have done it again!!!!! This is remarkable! I'm going to post some sort of memorial to Patsy...I just haven't quite settled on an approach.. If I copy and paste this link, it'll take readers directly to it, won't it? I think I see my theme riding over the horizon in this direction......
Thanks!
Personally, if my pets won't be in Heaven I don't want to go there. Without them, it wouldn't be Heaven to me.

-- Posted by Ducky on Fri, Jun 20, 2008, at 1:07 PM

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