I can’t say that I accomplished a great deal with the trip to Louisiana, but I did capture some old family stories. A little known fact is the amount of rice that’s produced in Arkansas (http://www.farmflavor.com/us-ag/arkansas/top-crops-arkansas/right-as-grain-arkansas-leads-nation-in-rice-production). Papaw Ruffin (my paternal grandfather) started with a small farm in very rural Arkansas with a focus on cotton as did most farmers. Over a period of time, he acquired other acreage, some of which included rice fields. Since most people associate Arkansas with the well-publicized Ozark Mountains, they don’t realize how flat and wet the southeastern area is with multiple rivers that feed into the Mississippi. Anyway, Papaw had no desire to deal with rice fields and always leased that out. His cotton fields weren’t that big, but did provide a cash crop that was supplemented by the lease money from the rice fields. The farm animals (milk cows, pigs, and chickens) were all for personal consumption, although occasionally there would be “extra” that could be sold. With the big garden, they had produce to add to their dairy, eggs, and meat. (We’re talking whole milk, butter milk, and churning butter.) That made a big difference during the Depression. On the other hand, even with four sons, it was a lot of manual labor (a horse-drawn plow) and long-handled hoes. They didn’t have much in the way of mechanical farm equipment. According to Daddy, Papaw wasn’t really surprised when none of the boys wanted the family farm. Papaw leased almost all of his land in his later years, but actively worked different parts of the farm until his mid-eighties when they sold it and moved into town.

I had an early flight out Friday morning, and one of my girlfriends was able to join me for dinner Thursday night. We’re usually able to make that arrangement and it’s always good to see her. She’s one of the small group I reconnected with after our 20th high school reunion and I’ve been much better about staying in touch since then. (Okay, Facebook definitely helps.) A few years ago she told me about the 2 Johns Steakhouse in Bossier City. I did a special post about it and their quality is still excellent as is their ambience and service. It’s an unexpected find, especially considering it’s not located anywhere near the other upper tier of restaurants. I highly recommend it if you’re staying in the area.