Byng —  

I read recently that the average person gains seven pounds in the six-week period starting Nov. 15 and ending Jan. 2.  At the time, I thought that statement surely was an exaggeration, but the more  high-cal holiday parties I attend and the more Christmas gifts of home-made goodies I gratefully receive, the more I decide if I can hold my gain to just seven pounds, I’ll probably qualify as the poster girl for Weight Watchers.

My journey into obesity began the Sunday before Thanksgiving when I ate not wisely but too well at my church Thanksgiving dinner.  Another dinner at the Village was on Tuesday. I had another delicious feast on Thursday with Richard and Abby Barron. My granddaughter, Chele, her husband, Tom Reeves, and their almost 2-year-old son,  Paul, were visiting from Baltimore and that called for at least one extra celebration so Tom could get his first exposure to chicken fried steak and Paul could have his first experience with mashed potatoes and cream gravy.  

My friends, Jerry and LouJean Studebaker,  always have Thanksgiving on Friday and for the past two years, they’ve invited me to join them.  Jerald and Trish Harris who now live in Tennessee were there along with their son, Eric, who is in the military stationed in Kentucky. On Saturday Ruth Ann Taylor and Lannie Sliger invited me to his house for his family get-together and more delicious food.  By now, I had consumed five Thanksgiving meals.

Thus far, I’ve had only two Christmas dinners, but I have done a great deal of grazing on cookies, candies, pies, cakes, and puddings. It had been a while since I saw my Byng walking buddies, Vestel and Bette Cole, so we had to go to lunch this week, and I over-indulged. I’m going to Hot Springs, Ark., on Thursday to spend a few days with Tim and Loyce Milligan, and I’m hoping that I will be  so stuffed that I can’t stand the sight of fudge, pecan pie, or anything that contains more than 200 calories.

One of the holiday parties we always look forward to is the coin counting party for the Lottie Moon foreign mission program.   This year we had it at J.D. and Aundrea Thys’ spacious home. After a potluck meal of several thousand calories we settled into the tedious business of counting the coins everyone had saved during the year.  The Lottie Moon effort was $2,600 richer at the end of the evening.  We expect to reach our goal of $5,000 by next Sunday.  The coin counting effort was started many years ago by our music director, the late Fred Taylor.  He owned a produce business, and he made a point of never spending a coin that he collected. All his jingling money went into a savings bank.  After the first year, Linda Cooper gave him a giant bank shaped like a Crayola. Each year it held several hundred dollars.  His widow, Ruth Ann, has continued the tradition though she, of course, does not generate as much change as Friendly Fred banked.

A star among the coin savers is Harley Cobb, 9-year-old son of Gary and Louise Cobb. Last year he saved more than $200 in coins earned by doing various chores, improving grades, etc.   This year, his collection was down, but he still deposited $147 in the Lottie Moon fund. One thing we can be sure of is that when Dec. 26 gets here, he’ll be back to saving every coin he gets.

One item on the menu at the coin counting party was fried chicken cooked by Carla Eidson. The unusual thing about this particular fried chicken was a pulley bone was included. Lannie Sliger was pleased to get it. He said that was the first pulley bone he had received since he was a kid eating his mother’s cooking. I had  been aware that cut-up chickens we buy no longer have a pulley bone.  Just as we did in the ‘olden’ days, two people (Ruth Ann and Lannie) broke the pulley bone and made wishes, but no one could remember if the long or the short side would get the wish granted.