Gnats in the 'Bacce Patch

Hosea Camp was as country as an ear of corn...and that's a good thing 'cause that just meant that he fit in with most every one else. Hosea is a good Biblical name. At least that's what Aunt Louisa used to tell me. There are lots of good Biblical names in East Tennessee. There are Abrahams, Johns, Lukes, Matthews, Daniels, Jameses, and Pauls. Some of the older folks had good old testament names. Ezekiel worked down at the co-op. Joshua and Zechariah worked on nearby farms. 'Course back in those days, I neither knew nor cared about such things. With the exception of Luke, Paul, and John they were known by the shortened versions like Abe, Matt, Jim, Dan, Zeke, Zack, and Josh. Of course, there were also some Williams (Bills), Georges, an Jacks. It seemed to me that there were more of them back in Atlanta than in Dumplin' Valley. I'm not sure why, but I do know that folks around those parts take their Bible seriously and, at least from Aunt Lou's perspective, a name out of the Bible got you one step closer to heaven.