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 In the summer when I was young oh between 7 and 10 we used to visit my Aunt Loretta, Momma's oldest sister. We would sit out in the front lawn until way after dark. Aunt Loretta was a true believer in ghosts and very superstitious. She would keep all of us kids including the grown ups enthralled in her stories of growing up and her ghost stories. She told a story of a woman who was very possessive of her husband. She did not trust him around any woman. She reminded him that if she died before he did, she would come back and watch every move he made. Well she died first. The husband soon remarried. They had not been married long when one night they heard something at the window of their bedroom. Yep there was the first wife looking in the window. Another one. There was a railroad man whose job was to walk the tracks at night using his lantern to inspect the rail and such. He also used hid lantern to flag down the train when it needed to stop at the station. One night he was attacked and his head was cut off. From then on you could see a light moving from side to side on the tracks at night. Some say he was hunting for his head. Now you know that there may be some truth to this story so it is said. Ever hear of the Gurdon Light of Gurdon, Ark. Check it out on the internet, it is there. http://www.prairieghosts.com/gurdon.html I think she may have gotten her idea of the story from a story such as this. She tells us after Uncle Troy died, she would wake up and see him sitting on the foot of the bed. Grandma Collier came to the front door after she died and came in and walked straight to her bedroom. The dog followed her step by step and looked up at her with out taking her eyes off of Grandma. Aunt Loretta had a knack for telling stories. All of us kids believed her knowing Aunt Loretta would not lie to us.
We did not have any guns with us even though we were hunting. It sure was cold walking in the woods. Back then girls didn't or at least I didn't get to wear long pants. My legs would be all scratched up from the sticker bushes and tree branches on the ground that we would have to climb over.
Mother would do all of the decorating until we were old enough to help without breaking the delicate balls. The whole house would smell of cedar for what seemed forever while the tree was up. Santa would only come after we went to bed on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning we would get up early and open our presents. Most of the time we only got two gifts each. Looking back on those days, the greatest gift was the yearly trip to the woods for the right tree. That was fun even though tiring. That was childrens' day with daddy. Those are the days you treasure the most.
He lives about 2 hours drive from here with his wife.....second or third
one. I see and talk to his mom every once in a while. She was there for
me when each of my parents and brother died. She still introduces me as
her almost daughter in law.
Remember when $20.00 bought almost two weeks worth of groceries. Admission to the movies was 10 cents for children and 50 cents for adults. At the concession stand at the movies you could buy a coke, popcorn, candy bar and a dill pickle for 5 cents a piece. Gasoline was cheap and cigarettes were 10 to 15 cents a pack. Hamburger meat 3pounds for a dollar, eggs 20 cents a dozen. Steak was 50 cents a lb. You went for rides in the country or to visit relatives on a Sunday afternoon after lunch and church. You read books, magazines or did sewing or mending at night or just listened to the radio to the grand ole opry or some mystery program on the radio and let your imagination run wild. Playing out side in the summer and not minding the heat or the cold in the winter and playing in the snow was a treat (especially if you lived in the south). Knowing that when you went to grandma's house, there was always your favorite pie baked and that as soon as you walked in her house , she offered you something to eat or to go cook it. Lazy Saturdays fishing on the creek or river bank or swimming in the creek that was always a mile or two walk from the car. Going hunting with your father because his hunting buddies were busy or sick and couldn't go. Momma letting us bake cookies and we loved cleaning up the mess we made. Momma trying to teach you to cook or to crochet or embroider. Sleeping late in the summer while on school vacation. When your vacation from home may have been to the creek for a picnic for the day and not some fancy trip to some exotic resort or theme park (no such thing as a theme park when I was young). Going to the drive in movies with a group of neighborhood kids or your date. Playing in the neighborhood after dark in the summer.....kick the can, red rover, Simon says, etc. Riding bikes all over town without a care in the world and the wind at your face....no danger of being kidnapped or molested. The list is endless. Kids now days do not know the meaning of the wonferful life we had growing up. I would not trade one minute of my youth for their of today.
Now all of you think back to when you were young or first married, or
dating.
Worst House I Ever Lived In When I was around 12, we rented this house on a hill, or at least it sat up higher that any house on that street. It was a big house but not a lot of rooms. Big living room and front bedroom, large bath with the claw foot tub, humongus kitchen with lots of cabinets and a large second bedroom just off the living room and the bathroom, screened in back porch and a large front porch. The front of the house had steps leading (10-12) to the porch. The front yard was big and it sloped downward to the street. The back yard was large with lots of Mulberry trees. My brother and I used to have mulberry fights. They sure stung when you got hit by them. We enjoyed playing in the yard and there were sheds back there that were dark and gloomy. Stayed out of those. There was only one
draw back to this house, scorpions and tarantulas (sic). You found them
in the house and all over the yard. You dared not put your shoes on in
the dark for fear of finding one or the other in your shoes. You found
them in the yard, the road, and the alley way between our house and the
house on the left of us. Spraying just did not do any good.
We lived there for almost a year. I would love owning that house now but without the critters lurking there. I went by there a few years ago and it is torn down with a new house in it's place. Had my first kiss behind one of those sheds. Had a weinie roast one night in the spring and most of my 6 th grade class attended.
When I was 12 years old and in the 7th grade, I came down with strep throat. I had already missed 3 days of school with this illness. On the fourth day I woke up and my right leg was bent at the knee and very red, hot and swollen twice the size of my left knee. I tried to straighten it out so I could get out of bed and go to the bathroom. I could not move my leg at all. I screamed for my Momma to come and help me. She helped me to the bathroom and told me to stay there while she called my Daddy at work. She then came and helped me to clean up and get dressed. Daddy came home about 30 or so minutes later and took me to the family doctor down town. He had an office upstairs over a clothing store. Daddy carried me all the way up those stairs. The doctor told us that I probably had polio and he and daddy took me to the hospital. I was so scared. I got to by-pass admitting and the ER and was taken straight up to the children's ward. They put me in a private room. The doctor and the nurses explained that I was not to have visitors except for my parents. The nurses wore masks and gloves and gowns. They kept my knee wrapped in hot damp bandages around the clock. I had pencillin shots twice a day. By the time I got out of the hospital by bowhind was knotted, black and blue as well as my thighs where they gave the shots also. I was not allowed any salt in my diet. I learned to like cottage cheese and it was about the only thing they served with each meal. Food was horrible without salt but I got used to it. Maybe that is why I care very little for salt now. It was long and boring there with nothing to do. The nurse, Miss Cline, asked if I liked tv, I said yes. She called my Momma and asked for permission to rent one for my room. That tv was a blessing even though it had only one channel. It was kept in arms reach as Remotes were non existent them. By the second day, my left knee began to swell. They put hot packs on it too. After a week, the swelling went down and I soon got to go home. I made a lot of friends there with the staff. There was on black housekeeper I dearly loved. Momma brought my weaving loop so I could make potholders from cottom loops while I was sick. The staff liked them and paid me a dime for each one I made. I made about 2 dollars while there. I was out of school for a couple of more weeks after I came home from the hospital. I almost failed that 6 weeks and it took me forever to bring my grades up. No make up homework in those days. Years later through some blood tests, another doctor told me that I had had rheumatic fever and not polio. As a result it left me with a heart murmur. I did not have any further heart problems until last spring when my main artery was blocked and stent placement was done.
Gee I hope I didn't bore you all. But something just remined me of this
tonight.
Maybe deep down that incident is why I really became a nurse when I grew
up.
My Grandma and I spent a lot of time together when I was growing up. I spent a lot of weekends with her or just a Sunday afternoon. She was a swell person. She played dominoes, checkers, took me to the movies on Sunday afternoons, went for walks or just spent a quiet afternoon at her apartment going over old pictures...oh how I wish I had those pictures now.
When I was released from the hospital...another story I told you about... my legs were still very weak. I stayed with her on some Saturday or Sunday afternoon if Momma and Daddy went somewhere. Grandma would put me at her treadle Singer sewing machine and had me treadle away to help build up strength in my legs. She made me do it for a long time before she would let me quit treadling.
It may have new owners than when I was growing up but the menu is basically the same. On Saturdays it is full of customers from far and wide. It is especially busy when the arts and crafts festivals are in full swing....standing room only them. There are other cafes downtown but none of them can hold a candle to the Cottage. It is still a place where the daily regulars gather to hear the latest gossip.
When Terri was born and I was back home with mother and daddy, Grandma's
was the first place I took Terri as soon as we got out of the hospital.
Years later when Grandma died, I felt as if my world fell apart. I lost
my Grandma and my buddy. Later the same year, Momma died. I knew then
that the two most important women in my life were lost to me. I will
never forget them as long as I live. Their beauty came from within and
will forever shine in my heart. My Momma, my Grandma, My best friends
died the same year. God bless them both.
While shopping in the stores this week, I could not help but notice the Easter baskets that were ready-made. They ranged in prices from $5.00 up to $50.00+. There were no such thing when I was growing up.
One Easter I did get a hat and gloves and even a purse to go with my handmade dress. Most Easter Sundays we went to see my Daddy's cousin and his family. We would have pot luck style dinner with them. I could never understand why today there are toys galore and loads of candy in each basket. It isn't Christmas or ones's birthday unless Easter just happened to fall on your birthday. The eggs were plenty for us and my cousins.
I enjoyed the Easters of my youth. Momma's love shown through her
homemade clothes and Daddy's through his patience with hiding the eggs
so often.
Easter has turned commercial like Christmas.
Give me the old Easters with the hiding of the eggs and the love sewn in
the clothes over any of the Easters of today.
Well I guess I can say Good Night. I know the feeling of having wisdom teeth being cut out. I had all four of mine done on my lunch hour at school. I was in the 11th and it was 6 week exams and I did not want to have to make them up. Mom picked me up at school and to the dentist we went and she got me back in time for the bell to ring. About 2:00 the feeling started coming back and oh what a hell of a pain I was in. I could hardly concentrate on the tests. Three o'clock couldn't get there fast enough for me. I missed school the next day though. Pain pills kept me knocked out. I feel for her. Both of my daughters had to have theirs cut out too and so did Brandon. Each one of us had abcess wisdom teeth. What good are they anyway? Mother said that I had to have corn with every supper or I would not eat. When my grandmothers came to help out when my brother was born, I would not eat their suppers they cooked. Mother told them that I would eat everything if they fixed a bowl of corn. Sure enough I ate whatever they fixed if I had corn to go with it. When I was 12, I went to Evansville, Ar to spend a week with my cousins. We had such a wonderful time together. We went to an ice capade in Ft. Smith that summer. Picnicing, playing house and dolls, riding bikes, oh what fun that week was until one phone call. My mother called and asked my cousin's dad to bring me home. The night before our house caught on fire and burned to the ground. We lost everything. I came out with the clothes that I brought to my cousins with me. My cousins mom asked around and gathered up clothes and household belongs to take home with me. We had to stay with my mother's sister Loretta (the one who told ghost stories) for a week or so. There was a new house that was almost finished being built across the street from the house that burned. Daddy got a loan and bought the house for us. The neighbors, friends, and relatives gave us a house-warming party. Before the day was over we had a house full of furniture, dishes, pots and pans, towels etc, linens for the beds. A lot of the gifts were old and donated, some were brand new. Thinking back on that time, it now reminds me of the old barn raising days of yesteryear where everyone chipped in and built a new barn or helped to build a newlyweds new home. There are still some good hearted souls left today but not like the ones who helped us out in our time of need. Very few items were saved but mom did manage to grab her pictures of all the family and her Bible. That Bible is smoked and still smells of smoke. Brandon has that Bible now. So glad it was saved, lot of family history was found in that Bible. My favorite rag doll was lost in the fire. Nothing could relplace her. When Leigh Ann was about 10 months old our apartment caught on fire but we managed to save a few things. The apartment was furnished and the landlord bought us all new furniture, drapes, and made us new hard wood floors that shone like a new silver dollar. The hallway and a couple of bedrooms received the most damage and the rest of the apt was ruined by smoke and water. It was a duplex and we moved to the other side as it was empty until our apt was rebuilt.
I hope I never have to go thru another fire again.
About a block or so the policeman pulled him over again. Daddy said he was not speeding that time. The officer said no but you stole my pen and I want it back. Daddy apologized and said that he did not realize that he had stuck it in his overall pocket. He normally carried a pen or pencil in those pockets and he just stuck the cop's pen in out of habit. When I was a teenager about 16 yrs old, I had a job as a car hop for A&W Root Beer. Boy what fun that was. It took away the shyness I had with strangers and I learned how to deal with the public and how to count change. Counting change is something the teens don't know how to do today. Whatever it says on the register, that is what they give you and place the whole amount in your hand. I met lots of boys too. That is where I met my first hubby. He dated every girl that worked there and I was last on his list. About that time, women started wearing pant suits, remember those polyester things. My momma always wore dresses. I bought her her first pant suit. She wore it nearly every day until I bought her a couple more and then some more. She wore a dress if going to church or to visit family but otherwise she was in a pant suit. I bought her pant suits that had a jacket with it as well as a top and pants. Those she really loved. I used to take her to the movies at least once or twice a month. She never got out of the house at night so now she had some form of outlet. Daddy asked me for extra money once in a while to take me and him to the wrestling matches at the National Guard Armory in Ft. Smith. I really enjoyed my teen years, dating, meeting new people through work, running around with best girlfriends. In the summer the whole neighborhood would gather in our yard and we would listen to rock and roll music of Sam Cooke, Bobby Vinton, Bobby Vee, Connie Francis, Elvis, just to name a few. We listened on my transistor radio which was hardly bigger than a pack of cigarettes. Sure ran through a lot of 9-volt batteries.
The kids in our neighborhood were just with in a 1 to 3 year age
difference so we all just hung out together. I dated the red headed boy
down the street. We even rode bikes sometimes on out dates.
Gee I just get goose bumps thinking of the fun I had as a teen. You
didn't hear of drugs or alcohol with teens then. Oh some were not angels
and got pregnant or smoked. I loved those years. If I had to go back in
time, I would go back to my teen years from 15 to 18.
We arose up to a huge snowfall. Daddy had already gone to work. Mother told us while we were getting ready for school that there was no news of school closing on the radio. She said that we would just have to make it The best we could but to be careful.
My brother and I started the long trek to school. I was in the fourth and he was in the first grade. We slipped and slide half way to school. Enough of the falling down! We turned around and went back home. Momma said that we had been gone about 10 minutes when it came over the news that school was closed. She said that she knew if we got to school And saw no one there that we would come home. We both got a lot of
bruises that day from falling so much. We played a lot in the snow the
rest of the day. School remained closed for 3 days. We sure enjoyed
that. Bill and I had been married about a year when we had a big snow here and it snowed every Wednesday for 6 weeks that year. Well now to the story. I got off work at the hospital at 4 pm and there was already about 4 to 5 inches of snow on the ground. I had never driven on snow that deep before. It took me an hour or so to get to my home town which normally takes 20 minutes. I knew that the hwy I had to take was mostly uphill to my house with a steep hill to go down to turn off on the road that leads to our house, so I drove to daddy and momma's house on the east side of town (we lived on the north side). Luckily, daddy was home. I pulled into the driveway and went in and asked Daddy to take me home. He said that he would follow me home and instructed me to take it slow and stay of the brakes. He followed me home which took about 45 minutes because of the traffic. Dear lord I did not know what I would have done without daddy to be with me. When I got home, he told me I could have done it and it was more dangerous to come to their house than to drive to mine. I guess I just had to have the comfort of daddy that day and knowing that I would be safe with him along behind me.
Bill did not get home for another couple of hours after that because most of the roads were frozen over. The kids were already home because daddy had went to school to get them. Everytime the roads get bad, I think of daddy and the safe feeling of having him around.
My cousin and I were talking on the phone about the winters we had as children.
There was always 2 or 3 quilts on the bed plus the sheet and bedspread (not a comforter like today). Any way I would snuggle down in the bed and draw up my legs and put my hand between my knees until my hands got warm. Hated to get out from under the covers each morning too. The floors were hardwood or linoleum and were ice cold to my socked or bare feet. Now the homes have central heat and air, carpeted floors, and air vents in each room to keep us warm and toasty.
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