Aunt Essie got her nose out of joint when her little guys came home bringing tales of how badly Uncle Bill had treated them, so he didn’t hear from her till she fell on hard times a couple of years later. She had married her own fella named Bill by that time, strangely enough. This Bill was an affable enough guy, though he must not have taken time to meet Continue reading
Daddy
Conquering Corwin (Part !)
In my family of “Mixed Nuts” Cousin Corwin was the winner, hands down. When he was about twelve, he and his twin Kelvin got in a little “dust up” with the police, so it seemed like a good time to get out of town. Aunt Essie called Daddy, asking if the twins could come spend a few days. Now if the image “twins” brings to mind thoughts of “barefoot Continue reading
Starry Night (from Kathleen’s Memoir of The Great Depression Part 1)
Like most of the people we knew, we didn’t have an car, so we never went anywhere at night we couldn’t walk, except for once. Mama got the news that there was to be a brush arbor revival in Cuthand, hosting a guest evangelist! To my everlasting amazement, we were going! We put quilts in the back of the wagon, since we’d be getting home long after dark. We hopped up in the wagon dressed in our best, headed for the revival, in a holiday spirit long before dark. I had no idea what a revival was, but couldn’t have been more excited than a kid headed for the fair!
We pulled up to find dozens of wagons parked next to a brush-arbor in a clearing, a simple roof of branches on a make-do support sheltering rough benches. Though it was summer, a few small fires were smoldering, their smoke intended to discourage mosquitoes. Before long, the song leader got us fired up with a rousing rendition of “Onward Christian Soldiers.” The singing was wonderful, but eventually gave way to the Hell-fire and brimstone sermon, something that didn’t thrill me nearly so much.
It was late by the time the preacher concluded the altar call, releasing us. After visiting a bit with our neighbors, we headed for home, long after the time I was usually in bed. I lay in the back of the wagon with Annie and John on the quilts, looking at the magical night sky. Travelling under its full moon and sparkling stars was a gift. A slight breeze cooled us, keeping the mosquitoes at bay. As the horse clomped along, Mama and Daddy told stories and talked amiably. With all those I loved around me, I never wanted this night to end.
to be continued
Breakfast With Barbie
Mother’s house was bedlam the morning after Daddy died. Someone made a quick trip to the store for breakfast fixings for Cox’s Army while the rest of us pulled the house back together. The term “quick trip” was relative, since the nearest grocery store was twenty-two miles away. It was a mess since we’d had to find beds for fourteen the night before, Continue reading
Who’d Have Thought It?
Many years ago, when my father died in the wee hours of the morning, all five of us children and our spouses gathered back at home with Mother. She asked that we all spend the night, so she could have one night with all her five children under one roof. It was a challenge, but we managed to find beds for eleven. Every bed and sofa was taken. It must have been a sight. Continue reading
“It couldn’t be helped!”
Daddy should have been a polygamist the way he laid out work for the whole family. His list for Mother might start, “Take the power saw by the shop in Springhill (22 miles away) on your way to the tractor place in Magnolia (24 miles beyond Springhill) pick up a magneto. It ought to look like this. (He’d dangle two broken pieces) On your way home, Continue reading
Hello, Mr. Flu!
Mother always had a special capacity for bungling. Sometimes she just talks to hear her head rattle. That can be as dangerous as leaving a loaded gun lying around. When Mother was a teenager, the flu came to town. The Pyles family next door all got the flu, except for Mr. Pyles. He was struggling to care for his wife and six children. The Continue reading
Ralphie Wins and Loses, Bigtime
Daddy got another phone call from Ralphie, the kid down the road.
“Mr. Bill?”
“Hey, Ralphie. What’s going on?”
“I wrote a poem at school and won a contest.” (On his last phone call, he’d reported making all D’s and F’s and having the papers to prove it)
“Well, that’s great, Ralphie! I’m glad you’re doing better at school.”
“I won first at my school, then at district. But when they took it to state, the judge said it came out of World Book and they threw it out.”
“Well, why did they do that?
“Because it came out of World Book. Bye”
Like a Pig in Slop
Ralphy was a quirky kid who lived just down the road from us. When he was eight or nine, he’d call on the phone, asking to speak to Daddy. We were always interested in hearing what he had to say.
“Mr. Bill?”
“Yeah, what’s on your mind today, Ralphy?”
“My mama just bought some of that new White Cloud Bathroom Tissue. You should come try it! Bye.”
Another call:
“Mr. Bill?”
“Yeah, Ralphy. How are you today?”
“Fine. I just got my report card. I had all D’s and F’s.”
“No, Ralphy! Surely not!”
“Yep, and I’ve got the papers to prove it! Bye!”
Next call:
“Mr. Bill?”
“Hey, Ralphy. What’s going on?”
“I wrote a poem in school today. Want to hear it?”
“Why sure!”
“Rabbits love cribbage and cabbage.
Pigs love slibbage and slobbage.”
“That’s good, Ralphy. What did you make on it?”
“An F. It was supposed to be about the Flag. Bye.”
We all hung on those phone calls like a pig in slobbage.
Nutsrok 