Some things are worth fighting, scratching and even suffering for. So, when my cousin Jay Hayden and I would run out of things to do in the Dog Days of Summer, we would pay the biggest cost in the world for what was the sweetest payoff that we could have ever received. As a couple of typical restless nine year olds, we spent everyday of our summer desperately searching for things to do out on The Hill. From digging worms and fishing to chunking rocks and roaming the hill for hours, by lunchtime, we had usually exhausted every idea that we could come up with to occupy our time. So, on some days, we would decide that it was time to go see "Aunt Forrest".
Now, Aunt Forrrest was a sweet grey haired widow that we knew from seeing at church with her big hat on. She married into the Hayden family and her husband was the late Leander Hayden. So, with little debate and forethought, we would decide to take off on our journey to see Aunt Forrest. What has to be noted here is that there was NO road to Aunt Forrest's house and the only way through was the thick woods. Don't ask me how we always made it but we did. I remember Jay and I getting half way there and contemplating turning back because we were so scratched up and fighting through the briars and thickets. Of course, it was the dead of summer so the feeling of sweating with big briar scratches up and down your legs and arms was enough to make a grown man weep. I specifically remember that feeling and both of us pressing on through what at the time seemed like torture. After persevering, we would make it to the opening where we could at last see her house.
When arriving at Aunt Forrest's house, Jay and I would always knock on her big wooden door. It would usually take a minute or two and sometimes some extra knocks but she would always make it there. One thing was for certain, when the door opened, she was a big smile, a joyful laugh and she always had big hugs waiting for us. Jay and I will never really know if she was really that happy to see us but one thing is for certain, she always made us feel like she was. She was a very sweet lady and the epitome of southern hospitality.
Once inside, the reward for all of our hard work came when she would offer us some of her homemade Sassafras Root beer and whatever she had baked. Fewer things tasted better in my life than the ice cold homemade Root beer from Aunt Forest's house on a hot July day about three miles east of Amite. She would always serve us in small metal cups that were the shape of coffee cups. It was the only time in my life that I ever drank out of cups like that and they were unique to Aunt Forrest visits. As I recall, she liked to bake gingerbread and I remember eating slices of it while drinking the cold sassafras root beer. I would love to know what we all talked about on those hot summer days but I can't remember. I just know that she was a sweetheart and always made us feel at home. Truthfully, I don't really know if Jay and I were going for the great root beer and snacks or the big hugs and love from Aunt Forrest. One thing is for certain, we were both willing to suffer through some of the most treacherous conditions to make it to her place. It is a memory that I will not soon forget and I am sure one that my first cousin shares as well.
For me, driving to play music, loading gear and doing all of the hours of prep work sometimes feels like those long trips through the thick briars. It is not always fun giving up nights to load gear and to travel, but much like the visits to Aunt Forrest's house, once I get to the gigs, play my songs and meet new people, I find the feeling to be strikingly similar. Sometimes the hard work to get wherever I am playing actually makes me really appreciate being there. I don't know if the root beer would have tasted quite as good to us if we had not paid such a price to get there.
Having said that, tonight, I am reformatting my entire PA system. I have the task of sorting and classifying every cable and wire that we use. I have gradually increased our gear over the past three years and recently added a lighting system. I have to categorize and label everything after I work some kinks out with the board and our current format.
Tomorrow night, I drive to NOLA to play a solo acoustic show at the Fairgrinds Coffeehouse in Midtown. On Saturday, I will play with my full band on the main stage in downtown Ponchatoula at the Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce's Party in the Pits. We are the featured entertainment and we will play two sets, one from 11 A.M. to 12 P.M. and one from 2-4 P.M. Hope to see you all there.
Now, it's time to go plow through some briar patches!!!
Have a great Friday!!!
Gregory
