One year ago Wednesday we headed to Gulf Shores to be with our children. We had just laid our son of 47 years to rest. Emotions were high, spirits were low. WE were together for a few days then home to a year of stress, anxiety,depression, unhappiness and any other word you think of happened. But we have survived the year. Made some new friends, found a job to help sustain us, still stressed but able to work through the trials.
I stood in the kitchen of our new home 5 years ago, looked around , said" I love this house" then told God and the world that through thick and thin I would serve God. Boy has it been a challenge. But I still love God, trying to serve Him every day.
So on this Thanksgiving day I am thankful for the life that God gave us forty seven years ago, not entirely happy that his life is over but happy in knowing that he is with God. I am thankful for family that was here with us making our day brighter.
We were not with our children this year, but Becky and her family came over, a neighbor who did not have any family here , came over ,celebrated with us, becoming one of our family. For which we are thankful for the new friendship.
We have only the
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Homecoming
Tomorrow at our home church they are celebrating 90 years of continued service. We received an invitation to the Las Cruses Church of the Nazarene to attend their 75th year of service. We cannot attend sadly. We were their pastor in 1976-78 had some good times, made some good friends, in fact one of the children then is now an adult in our church here in Huntsville. How ironic! She was a sweet child and is the same now...sweet. Her mother had to raise 4 children by herself after going through a divorce. We spent some time with her trying to help her through trials. She was a wonderful cook. When I had surgery she made honey the best steak dinner, which he tried to eat while I was oh so sick from the anesthesia...remember the nauseous feeling?
Oh well...homecoming...when I was a little girl living in Miami Florida, in a community called Uleta....a small place with a post office, that is where we got our mail...POB 123, Uleta Florida. No zip nothing fancy just a wonderful clean place to bring up children. There was drug store where I got the best choclate soda...uhmm good, small grocery store called Badgers where we got milk, bread after we had walked there ,hardware store and our church. Uleta Church of the Nazarene. OH what good services we had. When homecoming came around, special speakers, alot of music and tons of good food....
I really can't remember what my mother would make but what ever it was it was good. Probably chicken and dumplings. After I married, honeys mother would make the same thing , hers would be gone in about 5 minutes. Her apple fried pies were the best. Vann, my son who passed away, watched his grandmother until he perfected her apple pies. I miss him and her. There are so many memories surrounding homecomings, I would make pies, cakes, roast with potatoes, carrots and probably green beans. Cooking for homecoming is difficult at times, having to get ready , make breakfast and make sure that something is cooked for the church dinner. I have pictures of our dinner on the ground at Phenix City, Alabama..remembering those days. We took that church when they were low in numbers, we loved the people, visited them and became their friend. The number rose, singing was wonderful, preaching was great and the attitude was tremendous. They are now a larger church , having moved to a larger church and doing really good. We are proud.
So tomorrow is homecoming. Our job prevents us from attending many Sundays, we shall see about tomorrow. God has been with us for which we are thankful." Count your many blessings,name them one be one...."
Oh well...homecoming...when I was a little girl living in Miami Florida, in a community called Uleta....a small place with a post office, that is where we got our mail...POB 123, Uleta Florida. No zip nothing fancy just a wonderful clean place to bring up children. There was drug store where I got the best choclate soda...uhmm good, small grocery store called Badgers where we got milk, bread after we had walked there ,hardware store and our church. Uleta Church of the Nazarene. OH what good services we had. When homecoming came around, special speakers, alot of music and tons of good food....
I really can't remember what my mother would make but what ever it was it was good. Probably chicken and dumplings. After I married, honeys mother would make the same thing , hers would be gone in about 5 minutes. Her apple fried pies were the best. Vann, my son who passed away, watched his grandmother until he perfected her apple pies. I miss him and her. There are so many memories surrounding homecomings, I would make pies, cakes, roast with potatoes, carrots and probably green beans. Cooking for homecoming is difficult at times, having to get ready , make breakfast and make sure that something is cooked for the church dinner. I have pictures of our dinner on the ground at Phenix City, Alabama..remembering those days. We took that church when they were low in numbers, we loved the people, visited them and became their friend. The number rose, singing was wonderful, preaching was great and the attitude was tremendous. They are now a larger church , having moved to a larger church and doing really good. We are proud.
So tomorrow is homecoming. Our job prevents us from attending many Sundays, we shall see about tomorrow. God has been with us for which we are thankful." Count your many blessings,name them one be one...."
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Wednsday
Windy called in the am, then Jeff and his family sang the most wonderful rendition of "Happy Birthday"..it was wonderful. We would love to go out to Texas but fear that is near to impossible. Unless a miracle from God, we cannot go this year or next. Our traveling is about over.
Honey talked with Mara on Saturday, she sounded good. Hopefully her future will look better.
Honey had asked if I would cook him some turnip greens, white beans, cornbread and fried squash. So today I did. He told me that before he and I married, he and Bobby Scales would go down to Martins Restaurant on Murphrefreesboro Rd and get white beans and cornbread...he loved dried beans. So his second birthday meal!
When the children were small, I would make pinto beans about once a week. they loved it. Had cornbread, fried potatoes served with it... so easy to make and with left overs. Yeah!!!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Monday
I was sitting here at the computer thinking,"I need to write on my blog". Many things came to mind, happenings as a nurse working with the public, what a trip that was, working with honey on this paper route, the children , me or honey. Then I thought about the time right after honey and I married, I had found a job at First American Bank as a bookkeeper. I hated that job, don't know why I stayed with that job as long as I did. It was not for me, I do not like sitting for hours using the old fashion adding machine and typewriter. I am surprised they did not fire me apparently they felt sorry for me. My friend Paulette worked as a teller and she loved her job for which I am thrilled but the bookkeeper position wasn't for me. Anyway it made for a little extra money for us, honey was working as a night auditor/desk clerk at the Alamo Plaza, he slept days and worked nights. He is not a night person so it was a hardship for him ,as it is now with this paper route, I love the working the nighttime but not him....he is a day person....anyway, we found time to go downtown walking around looking in the windows of the department stores in Nashville, Tn, As we were walking one day, we decided to cross the street, well, honey didn't go as I did in fact he probably stopped , me, thinking he was beside me reached out to take his hand. Well was I in for a surprise, the hand did not feel like his, I was holding another mans hand. I turned red, jerked my hand away and said" I am sorry"...he laughed and just kept walking. Honey was behind me and he liked to have died laughing at me...well I didn't do that again...just remembered that honey would stop on a dime without warning...he is a wanderer, will stop or turn without warning me. I have learned over the years that shopping with him is not fun, he just does his thing....after many times of fussing about such actions, I have learned just to go to the car and wait! Saves on arguing....Windy would do the same thing when she was a little girl. One time when we were taking a trip across the country to West Virginia, to see my sister, we stopped at a department store as I needed to pick up something., Well, she wandered off and the next thing I heard was " would the parents of Windy Shirley please come to the front desk?" Or she would go up under the clothes racks hiding from us...we learned real fast to put her in the buggy and make her stay there. She was not a happy camper but that's life!!!!
When the boys were little I finally found an harness that kept them at bay. Didn't want any more of the wandering children problem...lol lol!
When the boys were little I finally found an harness that kept them at bay. Didn't want any more of the wandering children problem...lol lol!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Singing Convention
When I was a young girl, my friend, Vickie and I would go to the All Night Singing. And it lasted just about all night...her father would take us and then pick us up. He was a good man.
This week, honey and I went to the All night Singing only they call it the National Quartet Convention. It is in Louisville , Ky. at the Expo/Fair Center. All of the quartets, trios, family groups, soloists, anyone who sings Gospel Music are there. It was like being in church for 6 hours. Yesterday we went to one of the Showcases. The Showcases are programs of different groups singing then another time there are the singers of the future. So you get your "fill" of music...we got to the convention center at 12 and left at 10 last night!!! Boy were tired. Today we are still weary. It takes about 5 hours to drive plus our stopping at one or two places. We try to do other things while there as it is the only time we will take a vacation this year.
Other years we would leave the convention and travel to other states . We went to New England about 3 times. Went to every state in New England from Vermont to Delaware....we are blessed. We drove to within 15 miles of Canada ; it was in 2001 and we were warned that they were checking everyone closely taking many hours to cross and then back. So we decided not to go. We had been a couple of years before that in 1998 or 99...to Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls is something else. Water going over the falls so fast it made you dizzy. The weather was so cold, we had to wear jackets, one morning there was frost on the ground.... Met people from other countries, then when we left traveled around in Canada in fact visited an Antique Shop. We thought we were still in America.
After we left Canada we traveled across Pennsylvania ,saw festivals in small towns, fairs, antique stores, craft stores, you name it we stopped and enjoyed our time.
One time we went to the North West. Visiting Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Mo.,the best of the trip was to The Mall of America. What a mall..we spent one day and did not see all of it. IT takes 3 days to cover it all but we only had a day.
The thoughts of traveling when the children were small came to mind. In 1963, my sister, Shirley, had come to our home in Shiloh, Alabama so when it was time to take her home we decided to go to Washington D C. Since she lived only a hew hours from there we thought it would make a nice trip. Money was not in good supply but gas was cheap cheap...and away we went. Jeff was only 5 months old. One of the members of the church kept Windy and Vann for us. While in DC we had the most wonderful time knowing that we would be back. So we went back later on when the children were older, in 1972. They enjoyed that trip so much. OUr children love history and this was history already made and to make...we also went back in 1987 or 88.. not sure, with Vann only. Have wanted to go back many times but haven't made it yet.
Another time in 1964 at Christmas time we drove across Ohio to West Virginia again to visit my sister. On Christmas eve , Santa came and visited the children. Windy and Vann were ok but Jeff wasn't too happy. So I held him. Later on after Santa left we heard the loudest explosion two houses downs from where my sister lived. Found out a car had gas in the trunk and it exploded when they lit a cigarette. We were all so scared, sleep didn't come easy that night. But Santa arrived in fashion for the kiddies... I saw today a toy that we bought Vann, a bubble with little balls in it, when you pushed it the balls would jump around and make noise. He loved it...many of the toys that we bought our kiddies are now in the antique stores!!!! wow!!!
I know I got off the Singing Convention theme but thought kept coming of earlier times. We are excited that next year we should be attending if God permits.
Thank you grandpa for listening....love you J
This week, honey and I went to the All night Singing only they call it the National Quartet Convention. It is in Louisville , Ky. at the Expo/Fair Center. All of the quartets, trios, family groups, soloists, anyone who sings Gospel Music are there. It was like being in church for 6 hours. Yesterday we went to one of the Showcases. The Showcases are programs of different groups singing then another time there are the singers of the future. So you get your "fill" of music...we got to the convention center at 12 and left at 10 last night!!! Boy were tired. Today we are still weary. It takes about 5 hours to drive plus our stopping at one or two places. We try to do other things while there as it is the only time we will take a vacation this year.
Other years we would leave the convention and travel to other states . We went to New England about 3 times. Went to every state in New England from Vermont to Delaware....we are blessed. We drove to within 15 miles of Canada ; it was in 2001 and we were warned that they were checking everyone closely taking many hours to cross and then back. So we decided not to go. We had been a couple of years before that in 1998 or 99...to Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls is something else. Water going over the falls so fast it made you dizzy. The weather was so cold, we had to wear jackets, one morning there was frost on the ground.... Met people from other countries, then when we left traveled around in Canada in fact visited an Antique Shop. We thought we were still in America.
After we left Canada we traveled across Pennsylvania ,saw festivals in small towns, fairs, antique stores, craft stores, you name it we stopped and enjoyed our time.
One time we went to the North West. Visiting Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Mo.,the best of the trip was to The Mall of America. What a mall..we spent one day and did not see all of it. IT takes 3 days to cover it all but we only had a day.
The thoughts of traveling when the children were small came to mind. In 1963, my sister, Shirley, had come to our home in Shiloh, Alabama so when it was time to take her home we decided to go to Washington D C. Since she lived only a hew hours from there we thought it would make a nice trip. Money was not in good supply but gas was cheap cheap...and away we went. Jeff was only 5 months old. One of the members of the church kept Windy and Vann for us. While in DC we had the most wonderful time knowing that we would be back. So we went back later on when the children were older, in 1972. They enjoyed that trip so much. OUr children love history and this was history already made and to make...we also went back in 1987 or 88.. not sure, with Vann only. Have wanted to go back many times but haven't made it yet.
Another time in 1964 at Christmas time we drove across Ohio to West Virginia again to visit my sister. On Christmas eve , Santa came and visited the children. Windy and Vann were ok but Jeff wasn't too happy. So I held him. Later on after Santa left we heard the loudest explosion two houses downs from where my sister lived. Found out a car had gas in the trunk and it exploded when they lit a cigarette. We were all so scared, sleep didn't come easy that night. But Santa arrived in fashion for the kiddies... I saw today a toy that we bought Vann, a bubble with little balls in it, when you pushed it the balls would jump around and make noise. He loved it...many of the toys that we bought our kiddies are now in the antique stores!!!! wow!!!
I know I got off the Singing Convention theme but thought kept coming of earlier times. We are excited that next year we should be attending if God permits.
Thank you grandpa for listening....love you J
Sunday, September 12, 2010
1964-95
In 1964 we were living in Kirksey Ky. I have spoken of that era many times, how we moved there in the hot Plymouth, no air conditioning in car, with the ironing board on the passengers side of the car, me with my baby Jeffrey. He was a good baby didn't give me any problem at all except when he wanted a bottle of milk!!! He loved milk, good and cold. How when we got to the parsonage the people had a spread of food like you had never seen before. How I took Jeff inside the parsonage , which did have an air conditioner and cried while sitting on the floor with my baby. It was a very low time, Jeff was hot, teething , wanting a bottle and a nap. So we sat on the floor ( our furniture had not arrived.) , I rocked him, gave him his bottle and he then napped. We enjoyed our first few days there, Windy went to Head Start, Vann lost his baby tooth playing football with Jeff...of course you know honey was the instigator of this! We had a small garden, carrot peppers,tomatoes, green beans .....teaching the children how things grew...kind of a lesson in life.
We also had lessons on how to run for cover in case of a tornado. Honey would take Jeff with a blanket, I would take Vann .... Windy would grab her pillow then we would run to the ditch and lay down...Kirksey had a tornado a few years earlier, killing alot of people. The people of the church suggested that we practice a way of getting out of the house in case of an emergency. We didn't have a basement or an tornado shelter, so this was the best way we knew , thank the good Lord we never had to use this escape.!!! Later on in the years to come...the best way to find shelter in a tornado, was to go to the interior of the home. Oh well, we had fun and the children laughed , thinking we were playing!
Another time honey threw the Christmas tree in the field behind us then deciding a year later to set fire to it!!! OH BOY!!! That was mistake! the whole field caught fire bringing out the volunteer fire department!!! Honey had to live that down for a long time...
While we were living in Kirksey, there was a retreat for the ladies of the district. I had not been away from my children not for even one hour since Vann was born. When Windy was small she went to visit my parents ... then another time to Decatur to visit with honeys' parents...we really missed her. So while in Kirksey, the church wanted me to go, so I went. I went over things with honey about the children their likes and dislikes, what to do..when he said" don't you worry, I can handle everything" Famous last words....when I got home after 3 days and 2 nights, honey kissed me walked out of the house and left!!! He was gone for 3 hours!! Now we didn't have cell phones in those days and only one car....I didn't know what had happened to him. When he got home , he said" i just had to get away" "I don't know how you do it" "After the first day, it went all down hill"!!!!lol lol...after that he would let me go out for a little bit without the children...what a joy.
In 1965, honey was to be ordained in the ministry, getting his credentials to pastor and hold office in the church. He was a licensed minister but being ordained was the high light of his life. In August of that year, he was ordained by the same District Superintendent as his father, Dr Hardy Powers. Ironic in later years, his granddaughter was my best friend...
I made a black eyelet dress to wear to the the ordination . Someone in the church had given me a treadle sewing machine, I would put the children to bed about 7:30 , then to the sewing machine I would go. I learned to make some of the kids clothes. I loved it! So I was proud of the dress I made, held my head high as honey and I knelt at the altar. I pledged my life to my husband and the the ministry that he had assumed. My life was to be with his. So it is today...we do things together, now I am not saying that we don't butt heads sometimes but we are still together....51 years....WOW! Honeys' mother and father came to the ordination to celebrate this occasion. The children were there but of course they don't remember. So it is here for their memory of life in Ky. I think that Windy remembers some things. Of course that is where my Uncle Alan and his family came to visit , all of us going to the Ky Dam, having a picnic and swimming in the lake..Such fun!!! We grilled hamburgers, potato chips, drinks and cookies...hummmmm.... Incidently I believe there is film of this outing and hoping to see it soon. Our kids didn't have a bathing suit so they went into the lake in their clothes...they didn't know the difference.
One wednesday night while at church , Jeff was running with a pen in his hand ( how he got that who knows), fell and jabbed his inner jaw with the pen. We rushed him to the ER , him bleeding, crying, me so afraid of what damage could have been done. But it was all blood....nothing real serious. Some of the tissue was torn from the inside of the jaw...he was sore for awhile until it healed..thank the good Lord for his healing. Jeff said later he wondered how he got that small knot inside his jaw.
At Christmas in 1965, we took the children to Paducah Ky to Sears to see Santa..Windy and Vann just walked up to him, sat on his lap and told him what they wanted. Not Jeff!!! He cried and cried...I held him, comforted him, walked away to settle him down. I don't think he liked Santa!!! But he did like his toys that Santa brought him...one of his toys was a caterpillar that was segmented, making a noise when you pulled it. Vann got a wagon, Windy a doll but I don't remember what Santa brought me or honey!!! Probably nothing...we didn't get gifts for years due to some financial shortages ( get my drift!).
One of the women of the church decided that she wanted us to give her Jeff!!! I think she had some problems that were deeper than what was on the surface... she was a trip. She actually confronted us one Wednesday night at church, trying to take him away from us. We took Jeff home, locked the door, then called our DS..we got another assignment and left within 2 weeks!!!!lol boy that was something else...we actually believe that she was possessed of the devil , with the devil knowing that Jeff was to be a blessing in his adult life to others. Wanting control of his life. But Jeff is a follower of God giving back to others, we thank God for His gift to us that day in 1963. We love you Jeff.
Well will close for now, I love you grandpa and thanks for listening.J
We also had lessons on how to run for cover in case of a tornado. Honey would take Jeff with a blanket, I would take Vann .... Windy would grab her pillow then we would run to the ditch and lay down...Kirksey had a tornado a few years earlier, killing alot of people. The people of the church suggested that we practice a way of getting out of the house in case of an emergency. We didn't have a basement or an tornado shelter, so this was the best way we knew , thank the good Lord we never had to use this escape.!!! Later on in the years to come...the best way to find shelter in a tornado, was to go to the interior of the home. Oh well, we had fun and the children laughed , thinking we were playing!
Another time honey threw the Christmas tree in the field behind us then deciding a year later to set fire to it!!! OH BOY!!! That was mistake! the whole field caught fire bringing out the volunteer fire department!!! Honey had to live that down for a long time...
While we were living in Kirksey, there was a retreat for the ladies of the district. I had not been away from my children not for even one hour since Vann was born. When Windy was small she went to visit my parents ... then another time to Decatur to visit with honeys' parents...we really missed her. So while in Kirksey, the church wanted me to go, so I went. I went over things with honey about the children their likes and dislikes, what to do..when he said" don't you worry, I can handle everything" Famous last words....when I got home after 3 days and 2 nights, honey kissed me walked out of the house and left!!! He was gone for 3 hours!! Now we didn't have cell phones in those days and only one car....I didn't know what had happened to him. When he got home , he said" i just had to get away" "I don't know how you do it" "After the first day, it went all down hill"!!!!lol lol...after that he would let me go out for a little bit without the children...what a joy.
In 1965, honey was to be ordained in the ministry, getting his credentials to pastor and hold office in the church. He was a licensed minister but being ordained was the high light of his life. In August of that year, he was ordained by the same District Superintendent as his father, Dr Hardy Powers. Ironic in later years, his granddaughter was my best friend...
I made a black eyelet dress to wear to the the ordination . Someone in the church had given me a treadle sewing machine, I would put the children to bed about 7:30 , then to the sewing machine I would go. I learned to make some of the kids clothes. I loved it! So I was proud of the dress I made, held my head high as honey and I knelt at the altar. I pledged my life to my husband and the the ministry that he had assumed. My life was to be with his. So it is today...we do things together, now I am not saying that we don't butt heads sometimes but we are still together....51 years....WOW! Honeys' mother and father came to the ordination to celebrate this occasion. The children were there but of course they don't remember. So it is here for their memory of life in Ky. I think that Windy remembers some things. Of course that is where my Uncle Alan and his family came to visit , all of us going to the Ky Dam, having a picnic and swimming in the lake..Such fun!!! We grilled hamburgers, potato chips, drinks and cookies...hummmmm.... Incidently I believe there is film of this outing and hoping to see it soon. Our kids didn't have a bathing suit so they went into the lake in their clothes...they didn't know the difference.
One wednesday night while at church , Jeff was running with a pen in his hand ( how he got that who knows), fell and jabbed his inner jaw with the pen. We rushed him to the ER , him bleeding, crying, me so afraid of what damage could have been done. But it was all blood....nothing real serious. Some of the tissue was torn from the inside of the jaw...he was sore for awhile until it healed..thank the good Lord for his healing. Jeff said later he wondered how he got that small knot inside his jaw.
At Christmas in 1965, we took the children to Paducah Ky to Sears to see Santa..Windy and Vann just walked up to him, sat on his lap and told him what they wanted. Not Jeff!!! He cried and cried...I held him, comforted him, walked away to settle him down. I don't think he liked Santa!!! But he did like his toys that Santa brought him...one of his toys was a caterpillar that was segmented, making a noise when you pulled it. Vann got a wagon, Windy a doll but I don't remember what Santa brought me or honey!!! Probably nothing...we didn't get gifts for years due to some financial shortages ( get my drift!).
One of the women of the church decided that she wanted us to give her Jeff!!! I think she had some problems that were deeper than what was on the surface... she was a trip. She actually confronted us one Wednesday night at church, trying to take him away from us. We took Jeff home, locked the door, then called our DS..we got another assignment and left within 2 weeks!!!!lol boy that was something else...we actually believe that she was possessed of the devil , with the devil knowing that Jeff was to be a blessing in his adult life to others. Wanting control of his life. But Jeff is a follower of God giving back to others, we thank God for His gift to us that day in 1963. We love you Jeff.
Well will close for now, I love you grandpa and thanks for listening.J
Friday, September 10, 2010
Little Red Wagon
When I was growing up my parents always had some kind of sayings for different situations. When we would ask dad for advice ,the first thing he would say is "lets pray about it" . I don't know how many times he would pray but never seemed to find the answer! Then another saying was "its your little red wagon and you have to pull it"....can you imagine why he would say that? Mother would always say.."everything has a place and a place for everything." then we would know what we had taken needed to go back right where we got it from! I remember trying to teach my children that quote....don't now if it worked or not...
Life was pretty strict as I have spoken of before but it was good. We did not need clocks growing up, when it was 6 am , got up, dressed, breakfast at 7 and school at 8. Lunch at 12, dinner at 5:30 then bed at 8! An every circle cycle!!!! No dessert after dinner. You had your dessert at the table when dinner was gone. My mom made the best desserts, Cakes, pies, cookies. I think that is what ingrained in me the need for dessert when I had my family...Mrs Shirley was the same way, she could absolutely make the best pecan pie... fresh coconut cake, Italian Cream Cake and fried apple pies!!! Vann watched her many times and later made them almost matching hers accurately. When he passed away the making of the fried pies passed with him. I don't know how to make then like her or Vann. So that is one thing that is gone forever. When we go to the Williams reunion and this is the first year that we missed, Elaine Rice who is 97 years old comes and brings those old fashion fried pies. But in the last 5 years or so, she had baked them telling us that she didn't fry much anymore. I don't believe that she came this year so I heard. She still lives by herself up in the country in Winston County, the home place of my honey, refuses to move in with her daughter, who told me she has a place built just for her. I kind of know how Elaine feels. It isn't the same. Elaine still grows a small garden, had the most wonderful strawberries...I know as we visited her several times and we always got some strawberries. So honey started us a patch of strawberries. They did pretty good the first year and hope for more next year.
We also planted some green beans which had thousands of blooms and 4 green beans!!! I said 4! Found out many other s had the same problem, no bees to pollinate. Our tomatoes were very sparse, just a few and the birds got most of those! Had a good bit of green peppers! Lots of sunflowers, and the wildflowers were ok. Bloomed for awhile and then died! Guess that is the way life is, bloom awhile, then die. Am planning to clean out wildflower garden and replanting. Already have my seeds.
Well I am still pulling my little red wagon....thanks grandpa for listening..love you J
Life was pretty strict as I have spoken of before but it was good. We did not need clocks growing up, when it was 6 am , got up, dressed, breakfast at 7 and school at 8. Lunch at 12, dinner at 5:30 then bed at 8! An every circle cycle!!!! No dessert after dinner. You had your dessert at the table when dinner was gone. My mom made the best desserts, Cakes, pies, cookies. I think that is what ingrained in me the need for dessert when I had my family...Mrs Shirley was the same way, she could absolutely make the best pecan pie... fresh coconut cake, Italian Cream Cake and fried apple pies!!! Vann watched her many times and later made them almost matching hers accurately. When he passed away the making of the fried pies passed with him. I don't know how to make then like her or Vann. So that is one thing that is gone forever. When we go to the Williams reunion and this is the first year that we missed, Elaine Rice who is 97 years old comes and brings those old fashion fried pies. But in the last 5 years or so, she had baked them telling us that she didn't fry much anymore. I don't believe that she came this year so I heard. She still lives by herself up in the country in Winston County, the home place of my honey, refuses to move in with her daughter, who told me she has a place built just for her. I kind of know how Elaine feels. It isn't the same. Elaine still grows a small garden, had the most wonderful strawberries...I know as we visited her several times and we always got some strawberries. So honey started us a patch of strawberries. They did pretty good the first year and hope for more next year.
We also planted some green beans which had thousands of blooms and 4 green beans!!! I said 4! Found out many other s had the same problem, no bees to pollinate. Our tomatoes were very sparse, just a few and the birds got most of those! Had a good bit of green peppers! Lots of sunflowers, and the wildflowers were ok. Bloomed for awhile and then died! Guess that is the way life is, bloom awhile, then die. Am planning to clean out wildflower garden and replanting. Already have my seeds.
Well I am still pulling my little red wagon....thanks grandpa for listening..love you J
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Thoughts today
I am so distressed that a blog was deleted yesterday accidentally. I was putting a picture on the page called "History" , clicked on the picture and the blog disappeared~~~oh well, will try and remember what I wrote...lol. But not now!!! I was reminded the other day about when I was about 16years old and had gotten my drivers license. Dad bought me a car...it was a Crowsley!. You won't know what a Crowsley looks like. Imagine a box with 4 tires!!! lol it was like a box , small ,square and light. One afternoon I got out of class and looked for my car! Where was it? Could not find it! Saw the football players snickering and laughing at me , pointed to another spot and there she was! They had litterly picked it up, four of them, and moved it! I was so surprised and shocked. I laughed at them! they waved at me and off I went!!!
I certainly enjoyed that car until I went to college, then my sister Shirley drove it until dad made it into a "swamp buggy"..What is that? Well it is a kind of a vehicle that has huge wheels/tires...that keeps it up off the ground! High! High HIgh!!!! Honey tells me of a story that my dad told him one day. He and my brothers went hunting out in the Everglades, you talk about wild, it is wild!!!! They used "my Crowlsey" to travel out there, hung hammocks to sleep in way off the ground. Dad always liked to make "swamp Stew" for the boys , then to bed early. Dad said that during the night something ran under them and bumped them...it was a bear...he didn't hurt them which was their lucky day! Another time, they used tents , William said to dad" something just knocked me out of my bunk!" dad just laughed, said"get back in son" , when he did, it knocked him out again...a bear..no problems this time either!!! Now if William reads this blog, he will correct me of the way it was..I am repeating for what I think I heard years ago!!!!lol! Those were exciting times for the boys.
When dad and mother bought their place in North Georgia, hiking up the mountain was always so much fun. He also had a jeep that we would all get in and up the mountain we would go. I was so unhappy when the place was sold after dad passed away....My desire was to own that place, but it wasn't to be.
There was some of the most beautiful country, green grass, wildflowers blowing softly in the wind, cold water in the creeks, deer, some bears moving about in the wild. There was an old cemetery way up behind the house, old roads, old home places with some remains of fireplaces...to name a few. The water that we had coming to the house was an artesian creek that flowed and flowed , providing water for at least 3 families...some times the water wasn't as strong when the weather was dry and no rain. But there was always water, so we used sparingly when the rains didn't come...Dad put in an elevator to go up and down between the 2 floors. Mom had the bad knee as I wrote about in an earlier blog. We had some great times, playing games at night, walking after dinner down Cooper Creek Road. Oh such memories. That is where I was when I went into labor with our daughter. Brought the boys over to play with his little aunts, Kathy and Carol,,,,who thought they were his/their mothers!!!!lol... That is where Vann got his first haircut!!! His hair was so wiry, so white, stood up like he had stuck his finger into a light switch....I worked and worked at that hair to lay it down and up it would go!!!!! It didn't matter later on in their lives, as we could not afford barbers so honey would cut their hair!!! He would get done....notice gaps then cut some more!!! Until there was NO MORE HAIR!!!lol lol I was so unhappy and let honey know! But what to do!!!! Those were the times....oh well..glad I can laugh now! Love those kids.
Better go to bed...I love grandpa and thanks for listening!!!J
I certainly enjoyed that car until I went to college, then my sister Shirley drove it until dad made it into a "swamp buggy"..What is that? Well it is a kind of a vehicle that has huge wheels/tires...that keeps it up off the ground! High! High HIgh!!!! Honey tells me of a story that my dad told him one day. He and my brothers went hunting out in the Everglades, you talk about wild, it is wild!!!! They used "my Crowlsey" to travel out there, hung hammocks to sleep in way off the ground. Dad always liked to make "swamp Stew" for the boys , then to bed early. Dad said that during the night something ran under them and bumped them...it was a bear...he didn't hurt them which was their lucky day! Another time, they used tents , William said to dad" something just knocked me out of my bunk!" dad just laughed, said"get back in son" , when he did, it knocked him out again...a bear..no problems this time either!!! Now if William reads this blog, he will correct me of the way it was..I am repeating for what I think I heard years ago!!!!lol! Those were exciting times for the boys.
When dad and mother bought their place in North Georgia, hiking up the mountain was always so much fun. He also had a jeep that we would all get in and up the mountain we would go. I was so unhappy when the place was sold after dad passed away....My desire was to own that place, but it wasn't to be.
There was some of the most beautiful country, green grass, wildflowers blowing softly in the wind, cold water in the creeks, deer, some bears moving about in the wild. There was an old cemetery way up behind the house, old roads, old home places with some remains of fireplaces...to name a few. The water that we had coming to the house was an artesian creek that flowed and flowed , providing water for at least 3 families...some times the water wasn't as strong when the weather was dry and no rain. But there was always water, so we used sparingly when the rains didn't come...Dad put in an elevator to go up and down between the 2 floors. Mom had the bad knee as I wrote about in an earlier blog. We had some great times, playing games at night, walking after dinner down Cooper Creek Road. Oh such memories. That is where I was when I went into labor with our daughter. Brought the boys over to play with his little aunts, Kathy and Carol,,,,who thought they were his/their mothers!!!!lol... That is where Vann got his first haircut!!! His hair was so wiry, so white, stood up like he had stuck his finger into a light switch....I worked and worked at that hair to lay it down and up it would go!!!!! It didn't matter later on in their lives, as we could not afford barbers so honey would cut their hair!!! He would get done....notice gaps then cut some more!!! Until there was NO MORE HAIR!!!lol lol I was so unhappy and let honey know! But what to do!!!! Those were the times....oh well..glad I can laugh now! Love those kids.
Better go to bed...I love grandpa and thanks for listening!!!J
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
morning talks
Honey opened up this am and spoke of his father .His father told him onetime that as a young boy, he and some of the other boys his age, put a wagon on top of a house on Halloween!!! I asked him if he said anything about being caught. Honey said "I don't think they got caught" They laughed about it later he claimed. The place where they lived was as far back as one could go without going to the end of the world!!! Honey took me to his place of birth as he like me was born at home. We drove the 2 lane paved road until we hit the gravel road ...which then turned into a dirt road. Back back into the woods we went.! Nothing was there but some trees, undergrowth and some faint print of where someone had lived at one time. Honey's father told him that one time as a very young boy he and his father were going somewhere in the horse and buggy (yes horse and buggy) and it became so dark. Honey's father said he got so scared but then his father put his arms around him and comforted him.." its alright son, I'm here" Granddaddy said it made him feel so good and safe. No worries for him that night!
I remember honeys father speaking often of things that happened in Fall City Alabama. He spoke of being on the high school football team, doing exercises every day as if he was playing football through his 80"s . Stopping only the last month or two before he died. He would show us sometimes how he got on the floor and doing sit ups among other things. It kept him young at heart! Plus his health benefiting.
He loved music, learning the shape note music and then teaching the shape note music to others at schools and churches. . That is how he met his lovely wife Miss Ada Mary Williams. He was teaching the music at the Hickory Grove Church of the Nazarene , becoming smitten with her. She was a beautiful young widow whose first husband was killed on a logging job. She was so young. They hit it off and became married some time later. Honey was born the next year ...1939...a good year!
He tells of seeing a picture of a baby on the wall of their home and asking his mother" who is that pitiful looking baby?" "Why my son.... that is you!" "Boy was I surprised !" Actually it is a beautiful picture of a baby boy! I am prejudiced I am sure!!! Honey tells that he remembers crawling on the floor and seeing holes in the wood floor. His mother said that if something was missing that is where she would go..to the knot holes!!! They didn't believe him that he remembered such trivia, but he often mentions of things that only he would know.
There wasn't a bathroom or running water in that first home in Fall City. Can you imagine having to go outside to a bathroom? No running water? Only a well!! Night time can be dark!!!
I remember when we lived in Shiloh , being invited out to the Clouds home after church on Sunday, having the most wonderful food. I asked directions to the bathroom and to my surprise was pointed to a path!!! lol My first knowledge of an outdoor bathroom as an adult. One time as a child as I have already mentioned that I used one in Swannee Camp. I visited a friend of the church who had babies just about the same age as ours, while there I asked where the bathroom was and she laughed and pointed again to the path..We don't have an inside one yet but maybe one day! We also laugh about that now. When we see one another at church functions now we laugh about those days....they were absolutely good people.
I was pregnant most of the time in Shiloh.... so the bathroom was an important piece of mind!!! lol thank goodness we had a bathroom inside our parsonage even though we endured the rats and unwanted vistors!!!! Again while we lived in Shiloh, we had gone to visit honeys uncle and aunt in Albertville Alabama, when we returned noticed that some things were missing. My white sweater, an old gun that Mr Cloud had let honey use when he went hunting with some of the men of the church, some bullets and baby clothes...I have never felt so violated as that time!!!!! That is a strange feeling.
One time when we were visiting the same uncle and aunt, it was cold and they used fireplaces for heat. Vann was a baby, Windy was just a little over 3, so when we went ot bed, Windy was put on the sofa in the living room near the fireplace and we put Vann in bed with us. He needed a diaper change, so I put the cover over my head and straddled over him...went to remove the diaper and guess what happened!!! of course you mothers know what happened!! Don't ever expose a boy baby...he just let go with , got me square in the face!!! I hollered then realizing where we were and got quiet!!!! We laughed and laughed !!!!!
We take things for granted as adults or even while we are growing up. That bathroom was an important part of my life. Being raised in Miami Florida in a nice home which had only ONE bathroom but it was inside!!! lol lol But as a young mother of 3, trying to be the best pastors wife, trying not to complain, hoping to instill some good values in my children.
Living in Shiloh..... Honey being a young minister , trained at Trevecca College and following his fathers steps, thought that a suit or white shirt and tie was the dress of the day. Now in Shiloh the dress of the day was overalls and work boots. He went out visiting one day in his white shirt and tie, only coming home soon with a very puzzled and surprised look on his face!!! I asked him what the problem was.....said he was walking up the path to the house with a wide front porch, saw a barn off the left and a man scurrying to the house. As he approached the house he heard clanking of glass along with other sounds of haste. He stepped up on the porch, the door opened and a man said" who are you?" Honey said, " I am the pastor of the Shiloh church of the Nazarene,( stated his name) , I am inviting you to come and worship with us" not sure what the man said, but honey said he left quickly. Some of the church members laughed later when he recounted his story, saying" they are know bootleggers! " They thought you were a revenuer!!! ( A government man looking for stills!). We laughed about it but wondered what else was behind that door!!!! lol lol
At one time while there we had a very large congregation who loved to sing, using guitars along with the piano to help with the singing. I did not like playing the piano as I did not know the shape note music that my father in law knew and taught. Maybe if he had taught me I would have survived better...I really dreaded doing that music!!! While I played the piano one of the ladies would hold whichever child was the baby at the time and Windy would sit on the front pew...she was such a good little girl, the trouble was with her brothers!!! Boys boys boys!!! What can I say...boys are so different! Pick, poke, punch...anything to stir up something!!! lol. I could most of the time make them stop with my eyes but other times honey would have to come down and do a little straightening out of those boys!!!lol Oh those days!!!!!! That was our lives when they were small....They were the best dressed and best behaved children in church..They did their parents proud...oh how I love those children....I miss them.
Oh well, better close and get on with life...honey has given me some suggestions about many things, will write later....my first car, honey as a boy...etc!!!!
Thanks grandpa for listening...I love you J
I remember honeys father speaking often of things that happened in Fall City Alabama. He spoke of being on the high school football team, doing exercises every day as if he was playing football through his 80"s . Stopping only the last month or two before he died. He would show us sometimes how he got on the floor and doing sit ups among other things. It kept him young at heart! Plus his health benefiting.
He loved music, learning the shape note music and then teaching the shape note music to others at schools and churches. . That is how he met his lovely wife Miss Ada Mary Williams. He was teaching the music at the Hickory Grove Church of the Nazarene , becoming smitten with her. She was a beautiful young widow whose first husband was killed on a logging job. She was so young. They hit it off and became married some time later. Honey was born the next year ...1939...a good year!
He tells of seeing a picture of a baby on the wall of their home and asking his mother" who is that pitiful looking baby?" "Why my son.... that is you!" "Boy was I surprised !" Actually it is a beautiful picture of a baby boy! I am prejudiced I am sure!!! Honey tells that he remembers crawling on the floor and seeing holes in the wood floor. His mother said that if something was missing that is where she would go..to the knot holes!!! They didn't believe him that he remembered such trivia, but he often mentions of things that only he would know.
There wasn't a bathroom or running water in that first home in Fall City. Can you imagine having to go outside to a bathroom? No running water? Only a well!! Night time can be dark!!!
I remember when we lived in Shiloh , being invited out to the Clouds home after church on Sunday, having the most wonderful food. I asked directions to the bathroom and to my surprise was pointed to a path!!! lol My first knowledge of an outdoor bathroom as an adult. One time as a child as I have already mentioned that I used one in Swannee Camp. I visited a friend of the church who had babies just about the same age as ours, while there I asked where the bathroom was and she laughed and pointed again to the path..We don't have an inside one yet but maybe one day! We also laugh about that now. When we see one another at church functions now we laugh about those days....they were absolutely good people.
I was pregnant most of the time in Shiloh.... so the bathroom was an important piece of mind!!! lol thank goodness we had a bathroom inside our parsonage even though we endured the rats and unwanted vistors!!!! Again while we lived in Shiloh, we had gone to visit honeys uncle and aunt in Albertville Alabama, when we returned noticed that some things were missing. My white sweater, an old gun that Mr Cloud had let honey use when he went hunting with some of the men of the church, some bullets and baby clothes...I have never felt so violated as that time!!!!! That is a strange feeling.
One time when we were visiting the same uncle and aunt, it was cold and they used fireplaces for heat. Vann was a baby, Windy was just a little over 3, so when we went ot bed, Windy was put on the sofa in the living room near the fireplace and we put Vann in bed with us. He needed a diaper change, so I put the cover over my head and straddled over him...went to remove the diaper and guess what happened!!! of course you mothers know what happened!! Don't ever expose a boy baby...he just let go with , got me square in the face!!! I hollered then realizing where we were and got quiet!!!! We laughed and laughed !!!!!
We take things for granted as adults or even while we are growing up. That bathroom was an important part of my life. Being raised in Miami Florida in a nice home which had only ONE bathroom but it was inside!!! lol lol But as a young mother of 3, trying to be the best pastors wife, trying not to complain, hoping to instill some good values in my children.
Living in Shiloh..... Honey being a young minister , trained at Trevecca College and following his fathers steps, thought that a suit or white shirt and tie was the dress of the day. Now in Shiloh the dress of the day was overalls and work boots. He went out visiting one day in his white shirt and tie, only coming home soon with a very puzzled and surprised look on his face!!! I asked him what the problem was.....said he was walking up the path to the house with a wide front porch, saw a barn off the left and a man scurrying to the house. As he approached the house he heard clanking of glass along with other sounds of haste. He stepped up on the porch, the door opened and a man said" who are you?" Honey said, " I am the pastor of the Shiloh church of the Nazarene,( stated his name) , I am inviting you to come and worship with us" not sure what the man said, but honey said he left quickly. Some of the church members laughed later when he recounted his story, saying" they are know bootleggers! " They thought you were a revenuer!!! ( A government man looking for stills!). We laughed about it but wondered what else was behind that door!!!! lol lol
At one time while there we had a very large congregation who loved to sing, using guitars along with the piano to help with the singing. I did not like playing the piano as I did not know the shape note music that my father in law knew and taught. Maybe if he had taught me I would have survived better...I really dreaded doing that music!!! While I played the piano one of the ladies would hold whichever child was the baby at the time and Windy would sit on the front pew...she was such a good little girl, the trouble was with her brothers!!! Boys boys boys!!! What can I say...boys are so different! Pick, poke, punch...anything to stir up something!!! lol. I could most of the time make them stop with my eyes but other times honey would have to come down and do a little straightening out of those boys!!!lol Oh those days!!!!!! That was our lives when they were small....They were the best dressed and best behaved children in church..They did their parents proud...oh how I love those children....I miss them.
Oh well, better close and get on with life...honey has given me some suggestions about many things, will write later....my first car, honey as a boy...etc!!!!
Thanks grandpa for listening...I love you J
Monday, September 6, 2010
Movings
When ever we moved to a new city to pastor another church...we always the first day after our furniture was placed into the parsonage, got into our car and rode around, looking at the schools, grocery stores, ways to the church (unless we lived next door which I hated !) shopping centers, just checking things out. Well one time in Las Cruses NM we were driving around and honey saw an A & W Root Beer Drive Inn. He pulled in quickly into the slot,pushed the button to get service then asked for " 5 rootbeers in the muuuggg!" which quickly came a .... "What?" " 5 root beers in the muuuuggg?" honey drawling out the mugg....after about 3 times of saying "5 root beer in the muuggggs?" she got the message....the children started laughing , snickering to which Windy said later" I never realized how southern we sounded"!!!! She later said her teachers always made her read alot...finally stating that they just loved to hear Windy read!!!
We don't realize how "southern" we sound until we go to another place in America. Thankful for our "southern" heritage...even though I was born and raised in Florida I consider myself a "southern".!
I always hated the idea of moving every 2 years or so..but got used to it after awhile. Vann always had trouble with our moving and we had to pep talk him long and hard to get him ready for the move. I later thought how ironic it was that he joined the Marines!! Talk about moving!!! lol..although he only moved 3 times that I know of with the remainder of his stint in the Marines was in Hawaii...honey and I never could find the money to go see him...how we regretted not finding that money to go.
While he was stationed in Hawaii he got to having so much fun that he forgot to call or write his mother and dad...well, I called the local Marine office and found out a phone # to where he was stationed. I called there and talked with someone and it wasn't but an hour or two that I got a call from Vann...he said he was in deep trouble !!! He had to call once a week and write 2 times a week with his superior watching! this lasted for a few weeks then he got into a regular routine and all was well...guess he was having to much fun!!!! I made a doll for one of his friends little girl , a type of the Cabbage Patch Doll. I thought it was ugly but they loved it!!!! When Vann passed away, these same people who are Vanns best friends called us and they keep in touch with us. They call us their family in ALabama!!! We call them family in New Jersey!!! How proud I am of Vann and his committment to the service for our country. I miss you Vann....
Well it is time for bed, am tired...I love you grandpa and thanks for listening..J
We don't realize how "southern" we sound until we go to another place in America. Thankful for our "southern" heritage...even though I was born and raised in Florida I consider myself a "southern".!
I always hated the idea of moving every 2 years or so..but got used to it after awhile. Vann always had trouble with our moving and we had to pep talk him long and hard to get him ready for the move. I later thought how ironic it was that he joined the Marines!! Talk about moving!!! lol..although he only moved 3 times that I know of with the remainder of his stint in the Marines was in Hawaii...honey and I never could find the money to go see him...how we regretted not finding that money to go.
While he was stationed in Hawaii he got to having so much fun that he forgot to call or write his mother and dad...well, I called the local Marine office and found out a phone # to where he was stationed. I called there and talked with someone and it wasn't but an hour or two that I got a call from Vann...he said he was in deep trouble !!! He had to call once a week and write 2 times a week with his superior watching! this lasted for a few weeks then he got into a regular routine and all was well...guess he was having to much fun!!!! I made a doll for one of his friends little girl , a type of the Cabbage Patch Doll. I thought it was ugly but they loved it!!!! When Vann passed away, these same people who are Vanns best friends called us and they keep in touch with us. They call us their family in ALabama!!! We call them family in New Jersey!!! How proud I am of Vann and his committment to the service for our country. I miss you Vann....
Well it is time for bed, am tired...I love you grandpa and thanks for listening..J
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Football Sept 4 2010
Today is the first day of college football....honey has 2 tvs on and the radio will be on in a few hours. His favorite college team is of course ALABAMA...ROLL TIDE!!!!
I remember one time in Shiloh Alabama, January1964, Windy was 3 1/2, Vann was 1 1/2 and Jeff was just born in December 1963. It was depressing time in Shiloh, winter cold, dark, mother had left to go home after hurting herself helping honey get our dryer fixed.
We had 3 babies with a washer but no dryer. She had given us one but it didn't work and she decided ( you don't know my mother) to help honey to take it out of the house and into the trunk of our old Plymouth! Let me tell you that was not easy!!!! Like I said it was cold, rainy, wet dark, dreary and if I could find another adjective I would use it also, and they were trying to put the dryer in the car. Her knee went one way and the dryer the other...she screamed held her knee then honey helping her inside. She cried for a few minutes and decided to go to the Dr.... Well, when they got there (honey and mother) Dr. Hutchinson was an old fashion Dr who at one time made house calls , decided that her leg needed straightening! MOTHER IS BOW LEGGED!!!! Finally after a few minutes honey quietly said " Doc, she is bowlegged" and smiled...Dr Hutchinson just straightened up and said "Well" He said her knee was probably messed up and the tibia was fractured...she said that she would wait until she got home and let her Dr look at it. Mother suffered all of her life with that knee and I would not hesitate to say that was one of the reasons that lead to her being in the nursing home and eventually death. She really suffered with that knee and leg. I have felt so bad for her , nothing could I do to help her.
Back to the story...when she had arrived for Jeff's birth the people that brought her up to Alabama, their children broke out with chicken pox!!! Oh boy, here I was stuck in this old house, with 3 babies. You know the rest of the story, Windy and Vann broke out with the pox but as far as I know Jeff didn't break out , he could have had some pox as Dr Hutchinson said but we would never know. Jeff was only 5 days old and I was not happy!!!! The children did well , Vann had one scar on his forehead for which he was lucky as he was only 1 and that is not an easy time for a child. You had to watch them to keep them from scratching them and removing the scab... it was tough but I did it!!!!
Well, 2 weeks later she went home very much in pain and I was left with a houseful of people! It was the end of the season for football, the radio was blaring every Saturday with Alabama Football, and Alabama went to the Orange Bowl! I remember listening to that game that day, with the children down for naps, honey and I sat on the couch and listened as Alabama lost at the last few minutes of the game. I looked at honey and cried and cried! Honey was so mad , he didn't cry but just got up and went to the church! There I was left by myself to cry. It was a low time for me. Children getting over the chicken pox, cold, dreary,...oh well you get the picture.! lol.
When the boys were young honey signed them up for football, they played in their grade school years and Jeff played in his hight school. Jeff was a center and a nose guard for the Davidson High School in Mobile Alabama. It was an exciting time at Davidson, toward the last of the season we had scheduled a revival at the church not realizing that Jeff would be playing football and they would be going to the finals...well we asked the evangelist if he could kind of hurry through and then go to the game! He did and all of us piled into the car and went to the best football game of the season...the evangelist talked later on in years about what a wonderful time they had and it was one of the highlight of the life...I was so glad they were understanding and cooperated with our family...YEAH!!! They also talked about the chocolate milkshakes I made them every night after the services....we had some good times with them... the Beattys..we had a wonderful revival that week.
Today honey is so excited along with his children who are the biggest Alabama fans (guess where they got that from!) awaiting for the game to start tonight...and he cannot watch the game as it is on PPV and we don't have the $40 to watch. So we will listen on the radio as we did in the olden days! Thats ok...we won't suffer....next week it will be on TV.! I made him some potato salad, he has chicken thighs marinating and will grill later. So we are not suffering!
Football season brings excitement awaiting for the best to unfold. Life brings excitement if we let it,,,awaiting for the best to unfold. I need to be reminded often of those words. Lord help me...
Well we shall see if Alabama can continue with their #1 season!!! ROLL TIDE!!!!
Thank you grandpa for listening , I love you J
I remember one time in Shiloh Alabama, January1964, Windy was 3 1/2, Vann was 1 1/2 and Jeff was just born in December 1963. It was depressing time in Shiloh, winter cold, dark, mother had left to go home after hurting herself helping honey get our dryer fixed.
We had 3 babies with a washer but no dryer. She had given us one but it didn't work and she decided ( you don't know my mother) to help honey to take it out of the house and into the trunk of our old Plymouth! Let me tell you that was not easy!!!! Like I said it was cold, rainy, wet dark, dreary and if I could find another adjective I would use it also, and they were trying to put the dryer in the car. Her knee went one way and the dryer the other...she screamed held her knee then honey helping her inside. She cried for a few minutes and decided to go to the Dr.... Well, when they got there (honey and mother) Dr. Hutchinson was an old fashion Dr who at one time made house calls , decided that her leg needed straightening! MOTHER IS BOW LEGGED!!!! Finally after a few minutes honey quietly said " Doc, she is bowlegged" and smiled...Dr Hutchinson just straightened up and said "Well" He said her knee was probably messed up and the tibia was fractured...she said that she would wait until she got home and let her Dr look at it. Mother suffered all of her life with that knee and I would not hesitate to say that was one of the reasons that lead to her being in the nursing home and eventually death. She really suffered with that knee and leg. I have felt so bad for her , nothing could I do to help her.
Back to the story...when she had arrived for Jeff's birth the people that brought her up to Alabama, their children broke out with chicken pox!!! Oh boy, here I was stuck in this old house, with 3 babies. You know the rest of the story, Windy and Vann broke out with the pox but as far as I know Jeff didn't break out , he could have had some pox as Dr Hutchinson said but we would never know. Jeff was only 5 days old and I was not happy!!!! The children did well , Vann had one scar on his forehead for which he was lucky as he was only 1 and that is not an easy time for a child. You had to watch them to keep them from scratching them and removing the scab... it was tough but I did it!!!!
Well, 2 weeks later she went home very much in pain and I was left with a houseful of people! It was the end of the season for football, the radio was blaring every Saturday with Alabama Football, and Alabama went to the Orange Bowl! I remember listening to that game that day, with the children down for naps, honey and I sat on the couch and listened as Alabama lost at the last few minutes of the game. I looked at honey and cried and cried! Honey was so mad , he didn't cry but just got up and went to the church! There I was left by myself to cry. It was a low time for me. Children getting over the chicken pox, cold, dreary,...oh well you get the picture.! lol.
When the boys were young honey signed them up for football, they played in their grade school years and Jeff played in his hight school. Jeff was a center and a nose guard for the Davidson High School in Mobile Alabama. It was an exciting time at Davidson, toward the last of the season we had scheduled a revival at the church not realizing that Jeff would be playing football and they would be going to the finals...well we asked the evangelist if he could kind of hurry through and then go to the game! He did and all of us piled into the car and went to the best football game of the season...the evangelist talked later on in years about what a wonderful time they had and it was one of the highlight of the life...I was so glad they were understanding and cooperated with our family...YEAH!!! They also talked about the chocolate milkshakes I made them every night after the services....we had some good times with them... the Beattys..we had a wonderful revival that week.
Today honey is so excited along with his children who are the biggest Alabama fans (guess where they got that from!) awaiting for the game to start tonight...and he cannot watch the game as it is on PPV and we don't have the $40 to watch. So we will listen on the radio as we did in the olden days! Thats ok...we won't suffer....next week it will be on TV.! I made him some potato salad, he has chicken thighs marinating and will grill later. So we are not suffering!
Football season brings excitement awaiting for the best to unfold. Life brings excitement if we let it,,,awaiting for the best to unfold. I need to be reminded often of those words. Lord help me...
Well we shall see if Alabama can continue with their #1 season!!! ROLL TIDE!!!!
Thank you grandpa for listening , I love you J
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Bus Ride
Today I was talking to my neighbor , she was telling me about her bus trip from Florida to here in Alabama. Memories came flooding back about 48 years ago when Windy was about 2 years old and I was just pregnant with Vann. We had left Nashville Tn about 6 months before to go to Monroeville Al to pastor. The salary was $50 a week with $35 coming from the Alabama District. The church was only able to come up with $15 a week. We lived in the SS rooms of the church with a kitchen and L R added. Our bedrooms were the SS classes. So on Sundays we had to make sure there were no dirty underwear around and it was presentable for the 5 people who came to SS. With the 3 of us it made 8 in attendance. Sometimes we hit the 10-15 people... yeah.. big Sunday!!!! When the district decided not to help with the salary... Honey had to get a job grading cucumbers to supplement our income. It made enough for us to survive. But the day came when the cucumber season was over and we had to find something to do. The Panama City Church of the Nazarene was building a new church and with honeys father the pastor, honey went down to help out and make us some needed income. It was a sad time in our life, honey so wanted to preach and he was good at it but everything seemed to go against us. We moved out of the parsonage and into the home of his parents. I decided to go to Miami and see my family. I was so distressed, no money, pregnant and with one child already.
Mother sent me some money to purchase a bus ticket and bring Windy with me to see them. So we got on a Greyhound Scenic Bus...those were the kind that had a double deck on top with all around windows..Windy had a ball, she laughed, played around the seats, read her books and watched the scenery. She absolutely was a wonderful passenger. Other people around us just laughed and played with her. What an experience! We got the scenic cruiser coming back which was as nice as going down. Still had a great time with her, she was a great traveler.
Soon after that we moved to Shiloh Alabama where we had some run ins with the gophers/rats....some people who gave us fits, where honey as a young 23 year old pastor had to intervene between and older couple who were fighting and the man hit his wife..what problems we had to endure..We grew up so fast . Had someone watch us at night through our windows as we had blinds but not always as good as they should have been. Had two wonderful sons born to our family to make it complete. Honey and I had to relearn alot about people and how to live with them...and we did.
After that we moved to Ky where we endured some of the same stuff as in Alabama but only on a different level. It was good for awhile then they decided we weren't as good as they wanted for $50 a week..lol lol. My uncle Alan and his wife Aunt Patty with their 3 children, Mike, Billy and Lynne came to visit us. We took them to the Kentucky Dam Lake area where we had the most wonderful time with our family. Uncle Alan took some pictures and filmed us that day. I found out today that his daughter had that film plus the film of our wedding!!! I have been so excited to know it has been found. I have asked and asked about that for many years.!!! I am so happy! My children do not know and they don't read these blogs so they won't now until I send them a copy. Such a surprise for them...Windy used to ask us "where was I when you got married" we replied " in Gods mind" to which she would reply " I wish I had been there" .. of course she was little and didn't realize what she was saying...I am glad she wasn't there!!!! LOL LOL...
As time goes on we moved again and again finding the same problems but in a different location. Why we didn't learn and stop this I don't know. I suppose every place was a learning experience that we needed. God was with us in every situation.
Thank you grandpa for listening... I love you J
Mother sent me some money to purchase a bus ticket and bring Windy with me to see them. So we got on a Greyhound Scenic Bus...those were the kind that had a double deck on top with all around windows..Windy had a ball, she laughed, played around the seats, read her books and watched the scenery. She absolutely was a wonderful passenger. Other people around us just laughed and played with her. What an experience! We got the scenic cruiser coming back which was as nice as going down. Still had a great time with her, she was a great traveler.
Soon after that we moved to Shiloh Alabama where we had some run ins with the gophers/rats....some people who gave us fits, where honey as a young 23 year old pastor had to intervene between and older couple who were fighting and the man hit his wife..what problems we had to endure..We grew up so fast . Had someone watch us at night through our windows as we had blinds but not always as good as they should have been. Had two wonderful sons born to our family to make it complete. Honey and I had to relearn alot about people and how to live with them...and we did.
After that we moved to Ky where we endured some of the same stuff as in Alabama but only on a different level. It was good for awhile then they decided we weren't as good as they wanted for $50 a week..lol lol. My uncle Alan and his wife Aunt Patty with their 3 children, Mike, Billy and Lynne came to visit us. We took them to the Kentucky Dam Lake area where we had the most wonderful time with our family. Uncle Alan took some pictures and filmed us that day. I found out today that his daughter had that film plus the film of our wedding!!! I have been so excited to know it has been found. I have asked and asked about that for many years.!!! I am so happy! My children do not know and they don't read these blogs so they won't now until I send them a copy. Such a surprise for them...Windy used to ask us "where was I when you got married" we replied " in Gods mind" to which she would reply " I wish I had been there" .. of course she was little and didn't realize what she was saying...I am glad she wasn't there!!!! LOL LOL...
As time goes on we moved again and again finding the same problems but in a different location. Why we didn't learn and stop this I don't know. I suppose every place was a learning experience that we needed. God was with us in every situation.
Thank you grandpa for listening... I love you J
gatherings!
You won't believe how frustrating we were this am...it is this paper thing!!! I know you are tired of hearing about it but it is the most aggravating thing I do... we got to the last section and ready to come home and found out we had 4 YES 4 papers without the most important part...the Football section. If you don't know, Alabama is football .....doesn't matter if it is high school, college or pro.... they must have anything pertaining to football. So we had to drive to the nearest store about 1/2 mile one way buy 4 papers and then 1/2 mile back to deliver! Yep! Deliver! Honey was so mad, aggravated, disturbed, animated to say a few adjectives of his behavior!!!! He just doesn't understand why a business can't do their job right. I can't either but am not as animated as he....just more tolerant. OK now on to the next thought! lol PS note! Had 2 complaints one missed and the other a damaged paper...Hello..they are all damaged and she got the best we had to offer...it is just the way they come to us...messed up, torn and what ever....one of the other carriers said this morning " she was lucky to get what she got" they were all a mess! DITTO!
Was thinking about many things but could not decide on one..so I will sign off and think!!!lol
Well I am back and it is Tuesday morning!!! Honey and I rested yesterday while the weather was really nice to rest by, sprinkled all day on and off. We sat on the back porch, watched the hummers fly , buzz us, shoo each other away from their food and by the way, we have to fill our feeders about every other day...there are so many of them you cannot count. I tried to video them but they were just too fast for me.! We love watching those hummers, diving up to the sky then back down to the earth around and around then landing in the limbs of the maple tree chattering all the time. We imagine that they are talking to us, so we reciprocate. Talking to them as if they were our friends...lol.
When I was about 10 years old our family went for a ride in our new Oldsmobile which I loved so much, we rode to the beach then came down the causeway , crossed the bridge over the inland waterway (remember this is in Miami Florida) and my dad pulled into a drive in restaurant. We never ate out as he thought my mother was the best cook and she was of course... but this Saturday we ate out at Kelley's Drive Inn. Our hamburger, french fries was served in a green plastic basket with a paper liner and a drink! I though I was in hog heaven as I said "we never ate out". Sometimes on Saturday evenings dad would take us to the Dairy Freeze or Caravels. We would always get an hot fudge sunday...uhmm that was the best chocolate. I never thought how fortunate I was to have been born and lived in the state of Florida. I took my place of birth for granted, wondering sometimes as how the other parts of the world would be. Later we started taking some vacations and I saw a little bit of the world. When I married honey I never dreamed that we would live in 23 different places and nine different states....wow! He sure took me out in the world.! Some of the places I wish I had never lived and others I loved.
In Pascagoulga Ms, we had a wonderful pastorate, making many friends that are ours today, graduated from nursing school, starting work as an RN for the Singing River Hospital. Wow! Did I ever have some experiences. I worked on the code team and yet just a new graduate...they said I was good at what I did and wanted to make me better. One night I was called to the ER where a young 18 year old male was out with his father logging, was hit in the head by a tree and quit breathing. It took the EMS several minutes, like 30, to reach him, they got his heart rhythm back but not regular, intubated him , which is mechanical breathing machine, and tried to find out just where we stood, ever so often his heart would go into another rhythm and then we would have to shock him, then do cpr at times , this went on for a few minutes until he stabilized. I escorted him along with the ER nurse, respiratory therapist, DR and others to the Cat Scan and found he had no blood flowing to his brain, in other words he was brain dead. The decision was to ask his parents to obtain his organs for transplants and they agreed. I then went back to my unit, tired and emotionally drained. That wasn't the first time I witnessed death. On the LAST day of my rotation in nursing school my patient was not going to make it. He had Asbestosis could not breathe and refused to be put on the ventilator. He made himself a DNR....Do Not Resuscitate . Anyway, I had cared for him for about a week or so and he liked my care of him and requested that I take care of him again. I knew something was up, he wasn't breathing well, sitting on the side of the bed, struggling to breathe, I rubbed his back, washed his face, did whatever I could to make him comfortable. His wife was pacing up and down the room, so I suggested that she go and get a bit of food, take a walk and I would stay with him. She no sooner left the room than he started struggling more and more, I started rubbiang his neck and he was a very large man about 250 or more pounds, quietly telling him to relax, telling him it will be alright all the time slipping behind him to rub his back . All of a sudden he just relaxed on me falling back into my arms and he quit breathing. I thought to myself no this can't be, he relaxed just too much...I reached up and pushed the call bell asked for my charge nurse...she came in and saw what had happened , called for someone to help get him off of me! There I was pinned beneath this large man who was not breathing!!! It took 2 large men to help him of of me. I told her what had happened and she said" next time don't tell them to relax" and laughed....I called honey and told him that I would be late, I forgot to tell you it was about 3 pm when this happened and I got off at 3:30...so when I got through doing all of the paper work, helping the family, etc. I called honey to pick me up. The first thing he said when I opened the door was"you didn't kill any one did you?" I just broke out in tears and cried and cried..he just about died on me, he did not know and was just kidding me. I have to tell you he never did that again when I was late! He learned his lesson in medicine!!!!
Many times I witnessed death in nursing career. One more I have to write about was when we lived in East Gadsden Alabama and I worked in Anniston at the East ALabama Hospital in the ICU. My patient that night was 50 year old male who had had many heart attacks, had the open heart surgery but then his arteries clotted again , had severe pain and was admitted to the ICU after having a heart cath. They could not do any more on him and was sent to us to die. The Dr came in and told me to make him as comfortable as possible left me with plenty of ordesr for pain meds but did not make him a DNR. I ask the patient if he wanted to be rescuited if his heart stopped and he said NO. I called his family in , they cried and made over him until he looked at me and said, send them home! I quietly ushered them out to the waiting room. That was very hard to do.He asked me to sit in the room with him and I did. I got up to wash his face, give him some pain medicine, then asked him if he was ready to die, he replied" Yes Yes Yes, I made my peace with God many years ago." I asked him if it was ok if I prayed and he said YES, please do. As I was praying with my eyes closed, I put my hand on his forhead, asking God to heal this man if it be His will. I felt something beside me, assuming that it was his family or another worker checking on us as they will do sometimes, saw only a bright white something then it was gone. It was an ANGEL I am sure. I have never felt anything so precious, soothing, reassuring as that was. He lived that night until the next nurse came on and coded when my foot stepped off of the hospital ground. She figured it out how long it would take me to get out and that's how long he lived. I have never felt that same feeling as I did that night. I met an angel! God used me over and over again in the hospital and to which I am grateful. To HIM BE THE GLORY! AMEN!
Thats enough of the hospital, I have many other stories and will tell them some time.
Thank you grandpa for listening, I love you J
Was thinking about many things but could not decide on one..so I will sign off and think!!!lol
Well I am back and it is Tuesday morning!!! Honey and I rested yesterday while the weather was really nice to rest by, sprinkled all day on and off. We sat on the back porch, watched the hummers fly , buzz us, shoo each other away from their food and by the way, we have to fill our feeders about every other day...there are so many of them you cannot count. I tried to video them but they were just too fast for me.! We love watching those hummers, diving up to the sky then back down to the earth around and around then landing in the limbs of the maple tree chattering all the time. We imagine that they are talking to us, so we reciprocate. Talking to them as if they were our friends...lol.
When I was about 10 years old our family went for a ride in our new Oldsmobile which I loved so much, we rode to the beach then came down the causeway , crossed the bridge over the inland waterway (remember this is in Miami Florida) and my dad pulled into a drive in restaurant. We never ate out as he thought my mother was the best cook and she was of course... but this Saturday we ate out at Kelley's Drive Inn. Our hamburger, french fries was served in a green plastic basket with a paper liner and a drink! I though I was in hog heaven as I said "we never ate out". Sometimes on Saturday evenings dad would take us to the Dairy Freeze or Caravels. We would always get an hot fudge sunday...uhmm that was the best chocolate. I never thought how fortunate I was to have been born and lived in the state of Florida. I took my place of birth for granted, wondering sometimes as how the other parts of the world would be. Later we started taking some vacations and I saw a little bit of the world. When I married honey I never dreamed that we would live in 23 different places and nine different states....wow! He sure took me out in the world.! Some of the places I wish I had never lived and others I loved.
In Pascagoulga Ms, we had a wonderful pastorate, making many friends that are ours today, graduated from nursing school, starting work as an RN for the Singing River Hospital. Wow! Did I ever have some experiences. I worked on the code team and yet just a new graduate...they said I was good at what I did and wanted to make me better. One night I was called to the ER where a young 18 year old male was out with his father logging, was hit in the head by a tree and quit breathing. It took the EMS several minutes, like 30, to reach him, they got his heart rhythm back but not regular, intubated him , which is mechanical breathing machine, and tried to find out just where we stood, ever so often his heart would go into another rhythm and then we would have to shock him, then do cpr at times , this went on for a few minutes until he stabilized. I escorted him along with the ER nurse, respiratory therapist, DR and others to the Cat Scan and found he had no blood flowing to his brain, in other words he was brain dead. The decision was to ask his parents to obtain his organs for transplants and they agreed. I then went back to my unit, tired and emotionally drained. That wasn't the first time I witnessed death. On the LAST day of my rotation in nursing school my patient was not going to make it. He had Asbestosis could not breathe and refused to be put on the ventilator. He made himself a DNR....Do Not Resuscitate . Anyway, I had cared for him for about a week or so and he liked my care of him and requested that I take care of him again. I knew something was up, he wasn't breathing well, sitting on the side of the bed, struggling to breathe, I rubbed his back, washed his face, did whatever I could to make him comfortable. His wife was pacing up and down the room, so I suggested that she go and get a bit of food, take a walk and I would stay with him. She no sooner left the room than he started struggling more and more, I started rubbiang his neck and he was a very large man about 250 or more pounds, quietly telling him to relax, telling him it will be alright all the time slipping behind him to rub his back . All of a sudden he just relaxed on me falling back into my arms and he quit breathing. I thought to myself no this can't be, he relaxed just too much...I reached up and pushed the call bell asked for my charge nurse...she came in and saw what had happened , called for someone to help get him off of me! There I was pinned beneath this large man who was not breathing!!! It took 2 large men to help him of of me. I told her what had happened and she said" next time don't tell them to relax" and laughed....I called honey and told him that I would be late, I forgot to tell you it was about 3 pm when this happened and I got off at 3:30...so when I got through doing all of the paper work, helping the family, etc. I called honey to pick me up. The first thing he said when I opened the door was"you didn't kill any one did you?" I just broke out in tears and cried and cried..he just about died on me, he did not know and was just kidding me. I have to tell you he never did that again when I was late! He learned his lesson in medicine!!!!
Many times I witnessed death in nursing career. One more I have to write about was when we lived in East Gadsden Alabama and I worked in Anniston at the East ALabama Hospital in the ICU. My patient that night was 50 year old male who had had many heart attacks, had the open heart surgery but then his arteries clotted again , had severe pain and was admitted to the ICU after having a heart cath. They could not do any more on him and was sent to us to die. The Dr came in and told me to make him as comfortable as possible left me with plenty of ordesr for pain meds but did not make him a DNR. I ask the patient if he wanted to be rescuited if his heart stopped and he said NO. I called his family in , they cried and made over him until he looked at me and said, send them home! I quietly ushered them out to the waiting room. That was very hard to do.He asked me to sit in the room with him and I did. I got up to wash his face, give him some pain medicine, then asked him if he was ready to die, he replied" Yes Yes Yes, I made my peace with God many years ago." I asked him if it was ok if I prayed and he said YES, please do. As I was praying with my eyes closed, I put my hand on his forhead, asking God to heal this man if it be His will. I felt something beside me, assuming that it was his family or another worker checking on us as they will do sometimes, saw only a bright white something then it was gone. It was an ANGEL I am sure. I have never felt anything so precious, soothing, reassuring as that was. He lived that night until the next nurse came on and coded when my foot stepped off of the hospital ground. She figured it out how long it would take me to get out and that's how long he lived. I have never felt that same feeling as I did that night. I met an angel! God used me over and over again in the hospital and to which I am grateful. To HIM BE THE GLORY! AMEN!
Thats enough of the hospital, I have many other stories and will tell them some time.
Thank you grandpa for listening, I love you J
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Birthdays
Now to the celebration. It was our niece's birthday and she had come home to celebrate it with her family. We were invited to have dinner with them and away we went! What a great feeling to be able to be out , see others, laugh, talk and just have fun. Not being in a hurry as honey likes to go in eat and get out! Only when we go out with others that we can have a leisure dinner, talk and not be in a hurry. Cindy went on the 127 yard sale with us stayed in the same room with us and we got to know her pretty well and have become closer as family. Her family ( Wayne is her father and honey's brother) always make a big deal of birthday's and holidays, something we did when our children were home as youngster but in the years of growing up and moving away those times have changed much to my dismay.
When the children were little I would have their present on their bed when they woke up, starting their day off on a good note, of course that is depending if we got them what they wanted!!!! Then they were allowed to choose the meal of their choice and did not have to do dishes that night. It was a good day....Windy told us one time that she knew she had grown up when at college and it was her birthday, she woke up and there wasn't a present on her bed and she cried.
My mother always made our dinner of choice and give us a present after dinner. I think I liked my way better.My mother had other ways of doing things to make us feel special.
When my children were at home and young we had a plan of getting the dishes done each night, one week each one had the job of either washing dishes, drying the dishes ( no D W) putting them away and the third had to clear the table and empty the trash . They did it for a week then rotated to the next round. At Holidays or special times, they were not responsible unless asked to help. It worked pretty good for many years although they complained of each other NOT doing their job right. But that is children!!!! My plan was for them to learn to be responsible for things in their life. Beds were to be made each morning and rooms cleaned each week. They complained always but again "that is children" , I did the same thing when I was a child.
I miss those days of doing special things for my children but as they grew up they moved farther and farther away. Only regret I have is that I should have let them cook more. I didn't like anyone in my kitchen...my mistake. As I found out later they became good cooks but had to learn on their own!!!I am sorry for that.
Back to the celebration, we had dinner at Rosie's a local Mexican restaurant. They had been to Cathedral Caverns, did some shopping and then met us at the restaurant. It is kind of hard for honey and I to get out for a full day so we do a dinner date. Fun! We got to telling stories of times when Cindy's family would come and visit us as we always lived somewhere away from them. One time when they came to visit us in New Mexico, honey and his father had gone to Camp and I went with Wayne and his family to the Carlsbad Caverns....it was really neat, cold and dark....won't forget that. another time they came to see us and all went to the Grand Canyon, another time to Taos.
When honeys parents came out we would take them out in the desert to see the trails of the pioneers..that was always an interesting trip. One time we took our children to Arizona showing them many things and telling them some history of our nation. We gave them many history lessons so guess what became their favorite class in school? You guessed it! History!!! Times were good for our children. God Bless them I love them so much. Vann I miss you.
Grandpa thank you for listening. I love you J
Friday, August 27, 2010
August 27 2010
It has been several days since I posted some writings...several things on my mind and cannot decide which way to go. Well our miracle with Miss Minnie ended Monday am when she blew her radiator or as the saying goes "she blew a gasket!" lol. Honey worked for 2 days working on that radiator. He got it out and had a shop to repair the leak. then worked furiously getting it back in...well, it works very well, no leaks, the hot engine light does not come on , just the usual popping and creaking that God had taken care of but seemed to be back! Guess He decided that he had done all he could! We will put up with it for the time being. Really had a smooth move (!) this am, but when we unloaded our Sunday inserts which are in a mess that the Huntsville Times lets us fix, we found 3 papers left over! oh no! did we forget someone? Don't think so just over runs! We will know soon enough. PS: late note..no calls YEAH!!!
Now about thoughts of other things. Dad came to mind and his life as a child. He wrote a short bio once didn't give too much info, wished I had interviewed him, but he probably would not tell me much. I have noticed that generation didn't want to talk about things of the early life .But he did speak of living with his father ( my favorite grandfather!) his 3 brothers and an uncle now and then. He spoke of how rough life was, having only one good set of pants and shirt that he had to wash out each night so they would be clean the next day for school. He graduated from high school and vowed that his children would go to college. He spoke of how he delivered papers ( humm) sold vegetables, sold salt, worked for a cleaners and held many odd jobs as a teen just to earn enough to buy things he needed. He and his family lived in a 2 rooms shack and I mean a shack down from where he later purchased a lot and built the home that I was born in.
That home was all they had, grandpa being a well driller which was hard work, did not make alot of money and I am sorry to say that he used alot of what he earned on alcohol. Mother told me it was home brew that he drank and that is what took his life. Evidently got some bad white lightening which poisoned him. That was in 1947 when my world came to an end with my grandpa. How I missed him.
Dad tells of surviving the hurricane of 1923 or there about. The winds were so strong, batting the house which began to come apart at the seams, that his dad and uncle took the 4 boys out to the old truck that they owned got the boys inside and then his dad stood on one side of the truck on the side board and his uncle on the other side board, to hold the truck from blowing away. Dad said the winds were whipping their clothes off when they stood up or tried to get in the house.
The Red Cross came by later told them they could have money for their home but had to pay it back in a few weeks. Well did they have any money? No No...so they just put it back together best they could.
There wasn't any help in those days other than family working together.
When I was about 8 years old we traveled to Jasper Alabama where one of dads uncles lived. I look back at how ironic honeys and my paths came close to passing. In fact they probably did and we didn't know it. Honey was from Winston County which is right next to Jasper. Many of my ancestors are buried there in Jasper or Walker County. One of our friends was named Jack Frost , who with his family lived in Miami but was from Walker County. We went to the Frosts home when we visited our family. I remember them living by a Rail Road track and in a home that was kind of run down. Honey said that he also visited in their home many times. My thinking was that they lived in Miami for awhile then would go to Aabama for awhile. So ironic!
The uncle that we visited in Jasper was very ill so that was the reason we visited them. Dad wanted to reconnect with his family. Uncle Bascom was his name ( I think), his father was a Dentist, another uncle was an educator along with other family members having other professions. They lived in a large home that was built on a hill with a number of steps leading up to a porch. There was where we found Uncle Bascom lying there. He didn't live too much longer after our visit. Many years later when my nephew got married in Cullman Alabama, we drove over to the cemetery and checked out our ancestors. You get a sense of kinship when you visit the burial ground knowing that they paved the way for the family.
Dad died in 1997 too soon for a great man. He had many stories to tell and I believe that he shared many of them with my brother and sister. I will share them here when I get more insight.
Our heritage is is behind us and before us in our children and grandchildren. We must preserve the future by speaking of the past.
Grandpa you were in my life just a short time but left a big imprint on me. I love you J
Now about thoughts of other things. Dad came to mind and his life as a child. He wrote a short bio once didn't give too much info, wished I had interviewed him, but he probably would not tell me much. I have noticed that generation didn't want to talk about things of the early life .But he did speak of living with his father ( my favorite grandfather!) his 3 brothers and an uncle now and then. He spoke of how rough life was, having only one good set of pants and shirt that he had to wash out each night so they would be clean the next day for school. He graduated from high school and vowed that his children would go to college. He spoke of how he delivered papers ( humm) sold vegetables, sold salt, worked for a cleaners and held many odd jobs as a teen just to earn enough to buy things he needed. He and his family lived in a 2 rooms shack and I mean a shack down from where he later purchased a lot and built the home that I was born in.
That home was all they had, grandpa being a well driller which was hard work, did not make alot of money and I am sorry to say that he used alot of what he earned on alcohol. Mother told me it was home brew that he drank and that is what took his life. Evidently got some bad white lightening which poisoned him. That was in 1947 when my world came to an end with my grandpa. How I missed him.
Dad tells of surviving the hurricane of 1923 or there about. The winds were so strong, batting the house which began to come apart at the seams, that his dad and uncle took the 4 boys out to the old truck that they owned got the boys inside and then his dad stood on one side of the truck on the side board and his uncle on the other side board, to hold the truck from blowing away. Dad said the winds were whipping their clothes off when they stood up or tried to get in the house.
The Red Cross came by later told them they could have money for their home but had to pay it back in a few weeks. Well did they have any money? No No...so they just put it back together best they could.
There wasn't any help in those days other than family working together.
When I was about 8 years old we traveled to Jasper Alabama where one of dads uncles lived. I look back at how ironic honeys and my paths came close to passing. In fact they probably did and we didn't know it. Honey was from Winston County which is right next to Jasper. Many of my ancestors are buried there in Jasper or Walker County. One of our friends was named Jack Frost , who with his family lived in Miami but was from Walker County. We went to the Frosts home when we visited our family. I remember them living by a Rail Road track and in a home that was kind of run down. Honey said that he also visited in their home many times. My thinking was that they lived in Miami for awhile then would go to Aabama for awhile. So ironic!
The uncle that we visited in Jasper was very ill so that was the reason we visited them. Dad wanted to reconnect with his family. Uncle Bascom was his name ( I think), his father was a Dentist, another uncle was an educator along with other family members having other professions. They lived in a large home that was built on a hill with a number of steps leading up to a porch. There was where we found Uncle Bascom lying there. He didn't live too much longer after our visit. Many years later when my nephew got married in Cullman Alabama, we drove over to the cemetery and checked out our ancestors. You get a sense of kinship when you visit the burial ground knowing that they paved the way for the family.
Dad died in 1997 too soon for a great man. He had many stories to tell and I believe that he shared many of them with my brother and sister. I will share them here when I get more insight.
Our heritage is is behind us and before us in our children and grandchildren. We must preserve the future by speaking of the past.
Grandpa you were in my life just a short time but left a big imprint on me. I love you J
Monday, August 23, 2010
new thoughts
Today as I was having some tests done (nothing wrong) thoughts began to come to me as a child. Going to church camp was always fun as a teenager. Vickies father was our pastor and on Sunday night after the evening service, he would load us up and away we would go. It took us about 9 to 10 hours maybe more. Vickie, Kaye (Vickie's sister) and I would sleep in the back seat with all of our pillows. I wonder how many times he fought sleep driving us to camp. We were so watched over by our heavenly Father, thank you God for caring for our pastor. When we got to camp, such fun we had, running around, watching the boys and even going out for rides with them, yes we were NOT suppose to do that but we did!!! One time when I was about 14 or so I must have picked up a virus. I threw up so many times, stayed in my upper bunk with no AIR CONDITIONING...oh how miserable I was. The virus must have stayed with me for awhile as I threw up alot for several months. Dr Carr could not seem to find what was wrong...so I just drank ice tea and very little else for several months. I lost alot of weight. My sophomore year of high school was good as I met a young man named Jim who would talk to me, make me feel good about myself. He sat in front of me in Algebra and I must confess he helped me with my tests...I made good grades in Algebra...lol lol..Mr Darrow was the teacher and I am sure he knew but never said a word..smiled and told me one time" you are the bane of my life" ......had no idea what that meant and still don't care as it made me feel good at a time when teenagers do not feel good about themselves...Jim graduated that year and off he went and I never had another friend like him.
Back to camp....mother used to tell me that when I was a baby, her and dad would take us young children to camp which was located in Swanee Florida , the same camp that Rev Frederick would take us as teens. Once we were at camp, I was about 5, Shirley was 3 and Charles was a baby...we visited the Wheelers who were our former pastors and friends of our family. They had an outhouse ( you know what that is don't you!!!:) Shirley and I were going to the bathroom and guess what happened...she dropped her doll baby in the hole!!! Then cried and cried until mother HAD TO HAD TO get it out of the HOLE!!!! that was the smelliest doll I have ever smelled...it didn't matter to my sister, she loved her baby doll... I remember that doll and the smell!!!! Remember mother putting a whole can of Johnson;s Baby Powder...yes cans!!! over and in that doll! lol lol
When our children were small we would take them to our camp in Millport Alabama. There we would give them some money for the "snack shack" and if their money ran out, we sent them to their granfather Shirley!!! we have laughed and laughed about that. Another time ..I was working at WT GRants and could not go, so I packed the suitcase with clothes; underwear, sock,shoes, outer clothes and pajamas for each child enough for 5 days. Each child was lined up in order in the suitcase. But when they got home, they would have 4 days worth of clothes still clean! Why??? I would implore of their father who said" I just turned them loose and rounded them up at night!!! lol lol Windy would tell of having so much fun with the teen girls and of course Vann and Jeff with other boys. Even though they were small
they always found someone to pal around with... teens would tell us later of how much fun they had with the kids..now about this day? Ummm don't think that would happen...would be afraid of what might happen. God cared for our children and to Him we are thankful. They were in camp from the time they were small until through their teen years until they left home for college. They loved camp...we had the privilege of taking our grandchild to camp several times while they were small. Those are treasure days.
Camp is where you are renewed in your faith, being with others who share your faith. Would not take anything for those days.
Thank you grandpa for listening.... I love you J
Back to camp....mother used to tell me that when I was a baby, her and dad would take us young children to camp which was located in Swanee Florida , the same camp that Rev Frederick would take us as teens. Once we were at camp, I was about 5, Shirley was 3 and Charles was a baby...we visited the Wheelers who were our former pastors and friends of our family. They had an outhouse ( you know what that is don't you!!!:) Shirley and I were going to the bathroom and guess what happened...she dropped her doll baby in the hole!!! Then cried and cried until mother HAD TO HAD TO get it out of the HOLE!!!! that was the smelliest doll I have ever smelled...it didn't matter to my sister, she loved her baby doll... I remember that doll and the smell!!!! Remember mother putting a whole can of Johnson;s Baby Powder...yes cans!!! over and in that doll! lol lol
When our children were small we would take them to our camp in Millport Alabama. There we would give them some money for the "snack shack" and if their money ran out, we sent them to their granfather Shirley!!! we have laughed and laughed about that. Another time ..I was working at WT GRants and could not go, so I packed the suitcase with clothes; underwear, sock,shoes, outer clothes and pajamas for each child enough for 5 days. Each child was lined up in order in the suitcase. But when they got home, they would have 4 days worth of clothes still clean! Why??? I would implore of their father who said" I just turned them loose and rounded them up at night!!! lol lol Windy would tell of having so much fun with the teen girls and of course Vann and Jeff with other boys. Even though they were small
they always found someone to pal around with... teens would tell us later of how much fun they had with the kids..now about this day? Ummm don't think that would happen...would be afraid of what might happen. God cared for our children and to Him we are thankful. They were in camp from the time they were small until through their teen years until they left home for college. They loved camp...we had the privilege of taking our grandchild to camp several times while they were small. Those are treasure days.
Camp is where you are renewed in your faith, being with others who share your faith. Would not take anything for those days.
Thank you grandpa for listening.... I love you J
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Miracles
I don't know if you believe in miracles...I DO! Yesterday I posted that our car which is necessary for our work, was giving us some problems....I went out to the car yesterday afternoon, laid my hand on the car and ask God to heal this car. Do Not Laugh! This morning was as smooth as it has ever been. I heard a few pops but nothing like the ones it made yesterday...which sounded like it was going to fall apart any minute. I mean that.!!! I also prayed for a miracle in the weather. About 4:30 pm and than later on about 8 pm the biggest lightening, wind thunder and rain storm came our way..In fact, a skunk come and rested on our porch during the storm!!! He did not spray, thank goodness or thank the Lord...but a miracle for no rain this am...when it rains we have to double wrap our papers and then tie them. Do you realize how long it takes to roll, stuff, insert into a plastic bag, tie then ,try and get into another bag and then tie!!!! Yeap about 300....then go and throw them to people who do not do anything but gripe and complain!..... It did not rain and was as clear with millions of bright stars!!! THANK YOU MY HEAVENLY FATHER.!
All through the many years of pastoring many churches and hearing thousands of testimonies of how God has performed miracles , helped them through many dangers, trials and tribulations. One lady testifies of how God had healed her washing machine, of course you could hear the snickers through the audience but I believed her. They were going through some rough spots, no money and had small children, needed the washing machine for diapers, it went kafluy and quit! She prayed that God would heal it and HE DID!!! Amen and Amen!!!!
God has touched our daughter when she was born, I have written about that in earlier blogs. She is a miracle blessed by God and of God. We love her.
Our tires are not so good and God blessed us with dry roads so we could perform our duties as paper carriers. Thank you God.
I could write of other blessings, surely you can relate as you read this. When we were pastoring in Shiloh Alabama, I was pregnant with Vann, Windy was about 2 years old, money was tight as we made only $40 a week and a car payment of $50 a month....we were suppose to go to the Preachers and Wives Retreat that November , the church did not believe in helping in any way, gas was about 50 cents a gallon and we needed money to go. We had gone to the bank that Monday morning, depositing our meager salary, bought a few groceries, got Windy an ice cream cone which she enjoyed while we drove home wondering how we were going to get the money to go the next day. How sad and despondent we were as we drove up the long driveway to our home ( which I described earlier) saw the postman put something in our mailbox. Honey backed up the car, got out and got the mail...he just handed the letter to me. Oh no! another bill! What were we going to do? I opened it up, read the letter and cried. Honeys Uncle Earnest, his mothers brother, had sent us $100.00....you would have thought we had won the lottery!!! He said that he was lead of the Lord to send his tithe to us! You see God knew what we needed and provided the Lamb.....he did that several times over the next few years and after he passed away his wife would send tithe to our churches which were small and needed the tithe. God knows and He cares.
I am now believing on Him for many things today. One had been answered this am. God was with us, kept us from harm and danger, providing a safe car and no rain....AMEN!
Luke 11:9..."Ask and it shall be given unto you...." it is yours for the asking.
Grandpa you have been a great listener. I love you J
All through the many years of pastoring many churches and hearing thousands of testimonies of how God has performed miracles , helped them through many dangers, trials and tribulations. One lady testifies of how God had healed her washing machine, of course you could hear the snickers through the audience but I believed her. They were going through some rough spots, no money and had small children, needed the washing machine for diapers, it went kafluy and quit! She prayed that God would heal it and HE DID!!! Amen and Amen!!!!
God has touched our daughter when she was born, I have written about that in earlier blogs. She is a miracle blessed by God and of God. We love her.
Our tires are not so good and God blessed us with dry roads so we could perform our duties as paper carriers. Thank you God.
I could write of other blessings, surely you can relate as you read this. When we were pastoring in Shiloh Alabama, I was pregnant with Vann, Windy was about 2 years old, money was tight as we made only $40 a week and a car payment of $50 a month....we were suppose to go to the Preachers and Wives Retreat that November , the church did not believe in helping in any way, gas was about 50 cents a gallon and we needed money to go. We had gone to the bank that Monday morning, depositing our meager salary, bought a few groceries, got Windy an ice cream cone which she enjoyed while we drove home wondering how we were going to get the money to go the next day. How sad and despondent we were as we drove up the long driveway to our home ( which I described earlier) saw the postman put something in our mailbox. Honey backed up the car, got out and got the mail...he just handed the letter to me. Oh no! another bill! What were we going to do? I opened it up, read the letter and cried. Honeys Uncle Earnest, his mothers brother, had sent us $100.00....you would have thought we had won the lottery!!! He said that he was lead of the Lord to send his tithe to us! You see God knew what we needed and provided the Lamb.....he did that several times over the next few years and after he passed away his wife would send tithe to our churches which were small and needed the tithe. God knows and He cares.
I am now believing on Him for many things today. One had been answered this am. God was with us, kept us from harm and danger, providing a safe car and no rain....AMEN!
Luke 11:9..."Ask and it shall be given unto you...." it is yours for the asking.
Grandpa you have been a great listener. I love you J
Saturday, August 21, 2010
What messes!
This morning the sky was clear , filled with stars, a three quarter moon. Route went smooth, papers flying out of our hands like saucers! We have a problem with one street, paper was taken from one of our customers. The other day a neighbor of this customer jumped out of his yard, stopped us ( we thought we were going to hit him!) and asked for a paper "free" . He evidently thinks that we have papers to give away. We told him that we don't give free ones out as we don't have them always, sometimes we do and sometimes we don't ..So he took it upon himself to take his neighbors... now we have to spend extra time to take the paper up to our customers front door..making the paper harder to take~!!~~~ then honey decided to give him a free paper for the next few days .....then see what will happen.....had some papers taken on another street but got that taken care of! Saw a walker out and made friends of her, offered her a free paper several times and the "taking" of paper has stopped...Hopefully!
It is amazing what people will do..lol . It is the farthest thing in my mind to do anything to another person.Our car began to pop more this am...it has always had a pop but now it is getting worse...I wonder what honey will do about it? Wait until it stops and we need help to get home in the middle of the night? Guess we are in the beginning of car trouble. Miss Minnie has been with us for 14 years, I guess she is tired! Miss Maxie will have to step up to the plate soon. Thank the good Lord we have AAA..but will have to call our manager to get our papers if we breakdown in the middle of the night!!! I hope not...that will not be fun at 3 am out in the country!!!! Our route takes us 71 miles from home to home!!!!We go almost to within 15 miles of Tennessee!~ yuck!
I think we have always had some kind of car trouble, as we have only bought used cars, someones elses trouble. Bought only 5 new cars in 51 years...wow, what a record! The rest "used"...I remember one time in Florence Alabama, we were going to go to Washington DC to the Smithsonian. needed brakes or something like that...and of course didn't have the money to get done so we did it ourselves....if it takes 30 minutes to fix you can bet it will take us 5 hours! We just take a longer time as the tools are not there or the wrong size, just something to make us unhappy.
Another time we had gone to the Smithsonian and had a garage fix the muffler..of course as we were making a turn in the middle of Washington DC, the muffler fell, YES FELL OFF!!!!! Honey was so mad, he said a few words, that I won't repeat, pulled into the employees parking lot behind the Smithsonian and took a clothes hanger and wired the thing up himself!!!! Wasn't that neat...it stayed that way until we got home and had them to repair their damage!!!!! Honey took ALL OF OUR CLOTHES AND SUITCASES out of the trunk and began to repair...I told the kids, "if you were ever good this is the time" and they were, sat quietly and waited until their father fixed the muffler...lol funny now but not them. In those days we could park right in front of the Smithsonian and walk in to the exhibits, can't do that now can you??? Remember parking in front of the building that had the Declaration of Independence...walked up the stairs saw the document and walked out to the car!!!lol...can't do that now!!!! Many times our car would not work as we needed but got through those times without a hitch, just a few words spoken, hollering and stating some facts that could not be done!!! lol lol
We have been to alot of places, saw things that were so interesting keeping those memories in my heart and mind to ponder over and over....traveled to the New England States, took a ferry across the Hudson into Vermont from New York. New York is so beautiful I wish we could go back, but doubt it very much. We took a trip to the Midwest, Minnesota, Iowa,among others..spent the day at the Mall of America, I recommend that highly!! Nice, but didn't have any car trouble then. Had a new car!!! lol
Guess I will go to bed now and think some things over..love you grandpa and thanks for listening. love you J
Friday, August 20, 2010
Cars
- Over the years there have been numerous cars in our family. First in the Leonard family then the Shirley family. The first one I can remember was the 1949 Oldsmobile, green in color and so sleek! Traveling to Michigan was a pleasure. I loved the hunchback that it had.
- Then in 1953 dad bought a 1954 Chevrolet station wagon which became mine and honeys car...oh the traveling we did in that car...no heat or air conditioner..just a car...lol .Oh it did have automatic transmission...it had another name..will try and remember.
- The next car that mom and dad bought was a yellow 4 door 1957 Chevrolet..how little did we know that that car would become a classic...I went with dad when he purchased that car...it was really nice. He later gave it to my Aunt Berta Lee....then she wrecked it and off it went to car heaven! Later in the 80"s he bought another 1957 Chevrolet but it was red and a 2 door. My son, Vann, bought that car from mother after dad died , he kept the car for several years, traded it for a truck!! Even steven!!!
- After that I was married with the 1954 station wagon in tow...mother and dad bought a Cadillac, Oldsmobiles the settled on a Toyota in their later life. Dad passed away in 1997.
- Now for the Shirleys...alot more to write about. First was the 1954 Chevrolet, it died and a
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Fun times
One time when I was about 12 or 13 we took a trip to Okeechobee Florida for an outing with the Ferguson's. Mr . Ferguson worked with dad and they made a good pair...each knew what to do and they did it. I like that also...do what you have to do and do it! Well, we took our boat and they took theirs, loads of drinks and food...but guess what we didn't take or if we did, I didn't use it!!! Sunscreen!!! I got the worst burn that my eyes were swollen shut almost. Mom covered us in vinegar, oh how it smelled like rip but it did work. We stunk but the burn didn't hurt as bad...didn't go to the Dr or I guess it wasn't too bad. I just remember the pain...we had such a wonderful time, riding in the boat, eating sandwiches, chips and drinks and cookies for dessert...the Fergusons had children about the same age as us and so we got along very well...we only stayed one day and drove home that night. We sure were tired at Sunday School ...
Sunday School...that is another story. Debbie reminded me of the songs that dad would sing in the opening exercises of Sunday School. He would try his best to make Sunday School as interesting as he could and I applaud him...At his funeral, we as his children sang those songs in honor of him..."you can smile when you cant's say a word"... "when your up your up" ...."heavenly Sunshine" were some of the songs he just loved...he and mother would sing "I come to the Garden alone" as a special alot of the time..We had a wonderful church, full of people that loved each other and God.
Some of the members were family but alot were not. I remember one lady that was a little heavy set(Yes) and when she stood up she always pulled her dress our of her crack (sorry to be specific..)!!! I would just laugh and laugh...thinking does she not wear underwear???? One lady had the squeakily voice and she would always sing" Were you there when they crucified our Lord" ..I am sorry to say I would have to get up and leave many times when she sang or laugh uncontrollably...one time , three of our ladies would sing in a trio and I would have to say they did a beautiful job. Very good singers but one of the ladies got tickled one time and she laughed so hard she had to leave the platform....I missed those days in the old Uleta Church of the Nazarene. Dinner on the ground, singing's, revivals, VBS are some of the memories that I have tucked in my heart. that is where I got married, had dad's funeral there but so sorry we could not have mothers there. She was a charter member of that church and so proud of that . She should have been.
Another time dad took some of us kids out for a ride in his boat which he was proud of. I think my Uncle Alan was with us also. Well a storm came up, the winds were blowing , waves washing over the boat, the boat tossing us around, dad put us kids with our life jackets on under the hull and then manned the wheel. Soon we heard a call "may day may day" over the radio...another much larger boat had lost power in the storm and was drifting out into the ocean. Dad turned our boat toward the distressed vessel and the vessel tossed a line to us and dad turned the throttle full blast and headed to the cut. We didn't make too much progress but kept them from going out to sea. The Coast Guard arrived and took the line and we made it back into port safely. I cannot tell you how scared I was, praying for my dad and then how proud I was of him for what he did. If he got any thanks from anyone I don't know as he never spoke of it again. He was a very brave man. On other trips we would catch "kingfish" and mother would fry it when we got home. Oh how I loved fried fish and grits!!!! Good days.
On another trip after we were married, I began to get sick to my stomach, mother said "you are pregnant" ..."how did you know mother"! I said. "well you never get sea sick and so you must be pregnant!!!!lol she was right and I was pregnant with Vann.!
When dad would go hunting and fishing on Saturdays with the boys, us girls would have a good time eating what we liked..dad hated chocolate pudding, tuna fish, spaghetti, they didn't have pizza that we knew of in those days. So guess what we would have...big pot of spaghetti with chocolate pudding then another Saturday we would have tuna fish!!!lol Later on when honey and I were married and pastoring, she would come to visit and the first thing she would say is" where's the pizza!!!" so away we would go!! Pizza Hut was the place!!! Oh those days....
Childhood memories are good. Thank you grandpa for listening..love you J
Sunday School...that is another story. Debbie reminded me of the songs that dad would sing in the opening exercises of Sunday School. He would try his best to make Sunday School as interesting as he could and I applaud him...At his funeral, we as his children sang those songs in honor of him..."you can smile when you cant's say a word"... "when your up your up" ...."heavenly Sunshine" were some of the songs he just loved...he and mother would sing "I come to the Garden alone" as a special alot of the time..We had a wonderful church, full of people that loved each other and God.
Some of the members were family but alot were not. I remember one lady that was a little heavy set(Yes) and when she stood up she always pulled her dress our of her crack (sorry to be specific..)!!! I would just laugh and laugh...thinking does she not wear underwear???? One lady had the squeakily voice and she would always sing" Were you there when they crucified our Lord" ..I am sorry to say I would have to get up and leave many times when she sang or laugh uncontrollably...one time , three of our ladies would sing in a trio and I would have to say they did a beautiful job. Very good singers but one of the ladies got tickled one time and she laughed so hard she had to leave the platform....I missed those days in the old Uleta Church of the Nazarene. Dinner on the ground, singing's, revivals, VBS are some of the memories that I have tucked in my heart. that is where I got married, had dad's funeral there but so sorry we could not have mothers there. She was a charter member of that church and so proud of that . She should have been.
Another time dad took some of us kids out for a ride in his boat which he was proud of. I think my Uncle Alan was with us also. Well a storm came up, the winds were blowing , waves washing over the boat, the boat tossing us around, dad put us kids with our life jackets on under the hull and then manned the wheel. Soon we heard a call "may day may day" over the radio...another much larger boat had lost power in the storm and was drifting out into the ocean. Dad turned our boat toward the distressed vessel and the vessel tossed a line to us and dad turned the throttle full blast and headed to the cut. We didn't make too much progress but kept them from going out to sea. The Coast Guard arrived and took the line and we made it back into port safely. I cannot tell you how scared I was, praying for my dad and then how proud I was of him for what he did. If he got any thanks from anyone I don't know as he never spoke of it again. He was a very brave man. On other trips we would catch "kingfish" and mother would fry it when we got home. Oh how I loved fried fish and grits!!!! Good days.
On another trip after we were married, I began to get sick to my stomach, mother said "you are pregnant" ..."how did you know mother"! I said. "well you never get sea sick and so you must be pregnant!!!!lol she was right and I was pregnant with Vann.!
When dad would go hunting and fishing on Saturdays with the boys, us girls would have a good time eating what we liked..dad hated chocolate pudding, tuna fish, spaghetti, they didn't have pizza that we knew of in those days. So guess what we would have...big pot of spaghetti with chocolate pudding then another Saturday we would have tuna fish!!!lol Later on when honey and I were married and pastoring, she would come to visit and the first thing she would say is" where's the pizza!!!" so away we would go!! Pizza Hut was the place!!! Oh those days....
Childhood memories are good. Thank you grandpa for listening..love you J
Sunday, August 15, 2010
vacations
When I was a child we would take vacations during the first 2 weeks of June. One time we went to Michigan, remember picking blueberries, seeing the steel mills in Pittsburg, other cities that I really don't remember. I think I was about 10 or so. We had a 1949 Oldsmobile..I loved that car. We took our former pastor and his wife so they could see their home state. If I am correct they were not able to drive and dad wanted to go to Michigan and away we went. If you remember those cars DID NOT HAVE AIR CONDITIONERS!!!!
And we traveled in the hot summer to the North...I don't remember being too hot so I must have used to the heat. But I was really impressed with the blueberries, they were delicious. Remember seeing the lakes and not realizing that it was one of the Great Lakes. Later on when honey and I went to New England and to Niagara Falls, counting the lakes as we passed them...being very impressed with them.
In 1970's honey and I went to Chicago Ill. We parked at Lake Michigan and took the train into downtown Chicago...loved it..want to go back one day...but it will be only my dreams...
Back to my childhood....we went to the Smokey Mountains. Several times different things happened worth mentioning. One time we were in road work, mother was driving, I was reading (which I did all the time) and all of a sudden I looked up saw a semi truck in front of us and in my mind I saw him coming backward to us...wow.".are we about to be hit?" was my thought...mother appeared to be just sitting and not doing anything...so I grabbed my purse, opened the door and jumped out and ran as far as I could...was my parents mad or what...and they should have been...mother didn't know what to do next, could not pull around him as they would not leave me... apparently I came back to the car ...she then pulled around and off we went...but boy did I get an ear full!!!! I would not do that again!!! So I stayed in my book and shut out the world...mother would say to me" Judy look at the mountains" and the reply from me .."if you have seen one you have seen them all" famous quote that my mother used over and over when telling that story!!! I was into reading at that time of my life...mysteries, nurse stories...anything I could get my hands on...my daughter was the same way...
During that same trip we saw some bears ... actually stopped , sat on the rocks,then put our feet in the cold stream...that was a fun trip. Dad loved the mountains so much that he later purchased the top of a mountain in Suches Ga...that was a trip in itself. He built a cabin, had running water BUT no indoor plumbing...no hot water heater ...a outdoor shower as us girls HAADDD to have our showers!!!! I would get Shirley to hold the shower curtain for me then I would hold it for her.... we would play games at night when the nighttime temperature would drop and on went the sweaters...which we were not used to being raised in Miami Florida. Times were good, food was good and we had such fun, running in the woods, putting our feet in the cold streams, walking up the road after dinner to walk off all that good food...dad eventually put in a large garden, built a 2 story home which mother insisted it be brick! As in Florida everything is cement block and painted light colors...since mother had a bad knee he put in a elevator which my children loved to play on and dad would have fits!!! I too would love to play on it also if I was a child. I stood up for my kids many a times...when other grandchild came along they did the same~!!!
After dad passed away mother sold that place of solitude. Such a mistake but it wasn't mine to to as I please. Memories cannot be erased of those wonderful years. Although tears do appear when we think of what could have been...we go on with life and thank God for those memories..
As an adult I took many vacations with my honey and children. Had some good time, stressful times but all in all it was good times . Amen.
Thank you grandpa for listening to this little girls chatter. Do you remember when you drove us to Anniston Al and the wreck? I love you J
And we traveled in the hot summer to the North...I don't remember being too hot so I must have used to the heat. But I was really impressed with the blueberries, they were delicious. Remember seeing the lakes and not realizing that it was one of the Great Lakes. Later on when honey and I went to New England and to Niagara Falls, counting the lakes as we passed them...being very impressed with them.
In 1970's honey and I went to Chicago Ill. We parked at Lake Michigan and took the train into downtown Chicago...loved it..want to go back one day...but it will be only my dreams...
Back to my childhood....we went to the Smokey Mountains. Several times different things happened worth mentioning. One time we were in road work, mother was driving, I was reading (which I did all the time) and all of a sudden I looked up saw a semi truck in front of us and in my mind I saw him coming backward to us...wow.".are we about to be hit?" was my thought...mother appeared to be just sitting and not doing anything...so I grabbed my purse, opened the door and jumped out and ran as far as I could...was my parents mad or what...and they should have been...mother didn't know what to do next, could not pull around him as they would not leave me... apparently I came back to the car ...she then pulled around and off we went...but boy did I get an ear full!!!! I would not do that again!!! So I stayed in my book and shut out the world...mother would say to me" Judy look at the mountains" and the reply from me .."if you have seen one you have seen them all" famous quote that my mother used over and over when telling that story!!! I was into reading at that time of my life...mysteries, nurse stories...anything I could get my hands on...my daughter was the same way...
During that same trip we saw some bears ... actually stopped , sat on the rocks,then put our feet in the cold stream...that was a fun trip. Dad loved the mountains so much that he later purchased the top of a mountain in Suches Ga...that was a trip in itself. He built a cabin, had running water BUT no indoor plumbing...no hot water heater ...a outdoor shower as us girls HAADDD to have our showers!!!! I would get Shirley to hold the shower curtain for me then I would hold it for her.... we would play games at night when the nighttime temperature would drop and on went the sweaters...which we were not used to being raised in Miami Florida. Times were good, food was good and we had such fun, running in the woods, putting our feet in the cold streams, walking up the road after dinner to walk off all that good food...dad eventually put in a large garden, built a 2 story home which mother insisted it be brick! As in Florida everything is cement block and painted light colors...since mother had a bad knee he put in a elevator which my children loved to play on and dad would have fits!!! I too would love to play on it also if I was a child. I stood up for my kids many a times...when other grandchild came along they did the same~!!!
After dad passed away mother sold that place of solitude. Such a mistake but it wasn't mine to to as I please. Memories cannot be erased of those wonderful years. Although tears do appear when we think of what could have been...we go on with life and thank God for those memories..
As an adult I took many vacations with my honey and children. Had some good time, stressful times but all in all it was good times . Amen.
Thank you grandpa for listening to this little girls chatter. Do you remember when you drove us to Anniston Al and the wreck? I love you J
Saturday, August 14, 2010
August 14th
- Honey and I were married 51 years ago in Uleta Florida at 8 pm on Friday night. It was misty raining, the photographer was late as he was shooting a launch and forgot he was supposed to be at our wedding! So we had to wait a few minuted until he arrived....they say that if you are married in the rain you will have lots of tears..We had our share believe me!!! We had our share of alot of things but mostly we had alot of love for each other...we never thought of divorce...felt like hitting him over the head several times but that was it!!!He would liked to have strangled me! But didn't!! He never, not one time hit me or even tried to hit me abuse me or mistreat me. He thinks too much of me and loves me very much...I know and feel his deep commitment to me...I am committed to him as well. How can we show the world the true love of God if we do not show it to each other .
- Back to the 14th...we had a beautiful ceremony at the Uleta Church of the Nazarene with his father and our minister officiating. I remember looking at him and thinking "how serious is this man" Lighten up" it isn't the end of the world just the beginning!!! The church that we belonged to would not allow the ministers to use the ring ceremony or allow the pair to exchange rings. So, when the ceremony was over and we went out side and then around the church to come into the front for pictures, we stopped under the biggest oak tree and he put the ring on my finger, we kissed and pledged our love forever. I shall never forget that part of my life until my senses take them away. I thought it was fun, laughed alot and was very excited to be Mrs.Windell Shirley, wife of Rev Windell Shirley. Amen! In fact I was so excited I forgot to eat!!! We had some cake and that is what we had for our wedding supper...I had the most beautiful blue dress with the white orchids off my bible as a corsage as a going away dress...
- As newlyweds in the 50's, things were looked upon differently. Women were to be followers and make her "man" the man!!!! And I did. Actually I mothered him so much and now 51 years later he expects it!! Now you just wait and hear what he will say!!!!lol lol His mother was an excellent example. God rest her soul. When she passed away on Oct 6 1996, I was as devastated as my husband.
- I remember our first fight....it was about 3 months into our marriage...and he thought he had to have white bread at every meal ...and I didn't....and I forgot to buy white bread but served him the best dinner without the bread and you can imagine what happened next!!!!wow....I think God had to close his ears to that conversation!!!!lol The end of the story...he got up and walked to the store ( about one block away) and got his bread...BUT you know I never forgot his bread again! He was my man!!! Later on in our marriage he got over that as I weaned him ever so slowly from that notion!!!!! He didn't even realize it!!! Sorry honey!!! I love you...
- I learned to make biscuits and cornbread , actually made biscuits every morning of my children s young lives...stopped when they entered high school as they became picky eaters! Teens!
- So today, 51 years later, I wish my sweet honey, who does not feel well today and is kinda cranky from not feeling well , a Happy anniversary and hope for many more. I love you Windell, my honey.
- So grandpa you have heard the story and you would have loved being at my wedding..I love you J
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday the 13th
I didn't think anything about it until we hit a skunk!!! We had just started our trip of the morning of delivering the paper!! Honey turned the corner and "bump" hit the skunk! We had to smell the horrible smell all the way...Yuck! Bummer! Then we turned another corner and there she was..a most beautiful female dear....she looked at us then turned away like a flight in the night! Traveled a few miles , honey swerved and said" look an opossum" ...not cats, dogs or foxes. Saw one walker who we see every morning. She has become our nightly treat to see someone who smiles and waves...we give her a free paper sometimes...our treat. So our Friday the 13th has started.
Honey pulled a muscle in his hip about 2 weeks ago and really has trouble walking. The sciatic nerve is giving him so much pain. So when he tried to bring in the inserts for Sunday, he had to stop and lay down...I really feel sorry for him. I have had that pain. If our son, Jeff, lived close he would take care of this problem...
Today is a rest day in between doing the inserts. Yesterday was a good day...we went to Rosies for lunch with Shirley and Wayne . Wayne is doing really well just give him a few more weeks and he will be almost new. God is good to us all. We talked and talked...good for all of us. They came over to the house and that was a nice treat. We don't have many visitors any more. Had alot when we were pastoring. I miss seeing people but then again like our privacy. Honey and I talked about how when Vann passed away the only visitors we had was Karen our precious neighbor and our District Superintendent....our leader when we pastored...we never failed to visit the loved ones of those who passed away. Guess it doesn't matter any more...
Karen, my neighbor, reminded us of the meteor showers tonight but with the head hanging out the window all night, I did not see one meteor shower.. and I even took my camera to catch the rays ... I really like to see the wonders of the sky. "The heavens declare the glory of God" ....Ps 19:1. I was watching TV news this am and saw them on TV...so they were there by my eyes did not behold their beauty!!!!lol
Thanks for listening grandpa..I love you J
Honey pulled a muscle in his hip about 2 weeks ago and really has trouble walking. The sciatic nerve is giving him so much pain. So when he tried to bring in the inserts for Sunday, he had to stop and lay down...I really feel sorry for him. I have had that pain. If our son, Jeff, lived close he would take care of this problem...
Today is a rest day in between doing the inserts. Yesterday was a good day...we went to Rosies for lunch with Shirley and Wayne . Wayne is doing really well just give him a few more weeks and he will be almost new. God is good to us all. We talked and talked...good for all of us. They came over to the house and that was a nice treat. We don't have many visitors any more. Had alot when we were pastoring. I miss seeing people but then again like our privacy. Honey and I talked about how when Vann passed away the only visitors we had was Karen our precious neighbor and our District Superintendent....our leader when we pastored...we never failed to visit the loved ones of those who passed away. Guess it doesn't matter any more...
Karen, my neighbor, reminded us of the meteor showers tonight but with the head hanging out the window all night, I did not see one meteor shower.. and I even took my camera to catch the rays ... I really like to see the wonders of the sky. "The heavens declare the glory of God" ....Ps 19:1. I was watching TV news this am and saw them on TV...so they were there by my eyes did not behold their beauty!!!!lol
Thanks for listening grandpa..I love you J
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
August 11
Eighty eight years ago my mother was born. The second child of William Allen Hull and Ailene Victoria Banks....times were hard, grandpa worked as a drag line operator working on the Tamani Trail in Homestead Florida. He had been in the Navy, met my grandmother and then married. They didn't tell alot of their life, wish they had as I would have loved to hear their stories...do know that life was hard. I remember the home that grandpa built where 9 children were born. My mother and her older sister were born in Arch Creek Florida, which is an historic place now. Dr. Dupree birthed each of her children and then birthed my sister and I. He retired after that. He had delivered over 5000 babies in his medical career...operated a dairy until the 1950's or so I understand.
I loved to go to my grandmothers home....that is where she would fry us potatoes with fried spam...it was good. They had to stretch dollars with 9 children and potatoes and spam was plentiful and cheap. Later on after the 9 children had married and left home, Dad built them a new home where grandpa had the most beautiful roses. They were his pleasure ....later he became ill where he lost the muscle tone of his jaw, drools alot and was very miserable. He lived for a few years until his lungs filled up with fluid and he passed away. My grandmother, God bless her, was a strong woman, loved and stood by her man!
She was a gentle woman made homemade vegetable soup every Wednesday and all who could would come for lunch and the soup was served with cornbread. How I loved that soup. Most of the kids who lived nearby would come over for lunch. My grandmother loved God and served Him faithfully until she too passed away. She had had a stroke which was her second or third one and decided not to live any more. My mother visited with her, then grandmother sent my mother home for her favorite white sweater...when she got back grandmother had passed away. She wanted to be buried in the sweater....and she was.
Now to my mother...she was a good mother, she loved her children, made some of our clothes, kept a clean house ( most of the time with help from another lady) as my mother helped my dad with his business. She made sure we had bountiful food, clothes and love. She was so busy most of the time that we got lost in time I am sure...doesn't that happen too much in our families? She had periods of being sick at times, lost her vision for life at times and then survived the passing of her husband. then for ten years lived by herself until she fell and had to be put in a nursing home. It was a tragic time for all ofus and mostly her...I have wished that I could have done more but she would not allow it. She had a stubborn streak! Thats where I get my stubborn streak and from my dad...double whammy!!!!! lol
My mother loved to crotchet afghans, tissue holders and doilys...I have some of all of them. Her handiwork was perfect...no mistakes. She did not like mistakes....that would bother me as I am not perfect. I like imperfections in life, "character" is what I call imperfections...She made me a dress for a party that was help at the Fountainbleu Hotel....it was made from a Vogue pattern...very upscale...can you believe there are no no no pictures of me and that dress. I was working for Burdines and they had a party for all of the seniors who worked for them.... it was nice....had a good time. Usually my mother took pictures of everything but I think that did come later. When I was pregnant with Windy she made all of my clothes for my growing belly! I have a few pictures of those... I had a good mother. Sometimes we don't realize how fortunate we are until we loose that which we love.
So Happy Birthday to my mother who is with Jesus, Vann, Dad, Charles and all of Windells family. i love you mother.
Thanks for listening grandpa Leonard..I love you J
I loved to go to my grandmothers home....that is where she would fry us potatoes with fried spam...it was good. They had to stretch dollars with 9 children and potatoes and spam was plentiful and cheap. Later on after the 9 children had married and left home, Dad built them a new home where grandpa had the most beautiful roses. They were his pleasure ....later he became ill where he lost the muscle tone of his jaw, drools alot and was very miserable. He lived for a few years until his lungs filled up with fluid and he passed away. My grandmother, God bless her, was a strong woman, loved and stood by her man!
She was a gentle woman made homemade vegetable soup every Wednesday and all who could would come for lunch and the soup was served with cornbread. How I loved that soup. Most of the kids who lived nearby would come over for lunch. My grandmother loved God and served Him faithfully until she too passed away. She had had a stroke which was her second or third one and decided not to live any more. My mother visited with her, then grandmother sent my mother home for her favorite white sweater...when she got back grandmother had passed away. She wanted to be buried in the sweater....and she was.
Now to my mother...she was a good mother, she loved her children, made some of our clothes, kept a clean house ( most of the time with help from another lady) as my mother helped my dad with his business. She made sure we had bountiful food, clothes and love. She was so busy most of the time that we got lost in time I am sure...doesn't that happen too much in our families? She had periods of being sick at times, lost her vision for life at times and then survived the passing of her husband. then for ten years lived by herself until she fell and had to be put in a nursing home. It was a tragic time for all ofus and mostly her...I have wished that I could have done more but she would not allow it. She had a stubborn streak! Thats where I get my stubborn streak and from my dad...double whammy!!!!! lol
My mother loved to crotchet afghans, tissue holders and doilys...I have some of all of them. Her handiwork was perfect...no mistakes. She did not like mistakes....that would bother me as I am not perfect. I like imperfections in life, "character" is what I call imperfections...She made me a dress for a party that was help at the Fountainbleu Hotel....it was made from a Vogue pattern...very upscale...can you believe there are no no no pictures of me and that dress. I was working for Burdines and they had a party for all of the seniors who worked for them.... it was nice....had a good time. Usually my mother took pictures of everything but I think that did come later. When I was pregnant with Windy she made all of my clothes for my growing belly! I have a few pictures of those... I had a good mother. Sometimes we don't realize how fortunate we are until we loose that which we love.
So Happy Birthday to my mother who is with Jesus, Vann, Dad, Charles and all of Windells family. i love you mother.
Thanks for listening grandpa Leonard..I love you J
Wednesday morning frustrations!
Well being a paper carrier has all kinds of requests from the public. The phone rang this morning at 7:15 am , I was sound asleep after being out since 1 am throwing papers, the voice on the other end said " HAVE YOU SEEN MY CAT?" well, THE FIRST thought I had was "DID I MISS YOUR PAPER? I calmed down and said "where do you live" When she told me I realized she doesn't even get a paper on week days! "I thought you might have seen my cat who sits on the back porch and NEVER leaves"...yeah right! Cats don't leave? Don't believe that in a heart beat....well, she had called the paper for our number (thank goodness she was a customer and could have our number) "he is gray and about 8-9 years old. " I told her we had seen lots of cats but did not remember seeing one in her neighborhood. One black cat had darted in front of us somewhere and I told her. She said "where?" I replied, "somewhere up on Holman?" :where is that?" Oh up in the country, we go about 70 miles each morning...to which she replied "you don't make any money!" I laughed and agreed... so we are now cat watchers that don't make any money!!! I told her I would watch this am for her...
About two weeks ago, I got another call from someone about 9 am and of course the first thing in my head was "DID I MISS YOUR PAPER?" She proceeded to ask if I had some end rolls? "End rolls" are the rolls of paper left on the rolls that your newspaper is printed on. Now how would I have those as they are about 25 lbs and 4 feet long! How did she get my phone number? Said she called the paper and they said we would have them! US? Don;t think so! Told the manager and he was appalled that the paper would give out our number and by the way, she wasn't even a paper customer!!!!! We got charged for that but Denis took care of it for us! I think they are stupid at that paper or am I stupid or what!
(I should explain that if we miss a paper or it is wet the paper calls us to redeliver and then they charge us $5 if they redeliver ....and it goes against our record and we do not get a bonus at the end of the month...so I hate to hear the phone ring before 10am!!!!!!
They even called us one Friday morning to tell us that we had missed a tv guide (which we do on Fridays and it is extra work) to a customer who ONLY TAKES THE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY PAPER!!!!! when I told the customer service lady that they do not get a paper on Friday, she said"ut oh!" and hung up..of course we got charged for that complaint until the manager took care of it!!! Do you see how stupid they are? Or am I for doing this paper thing!!!! God help us!.
About that black cat that darted in front of us, he must have brought us bad luck!!!! Found out we had left a bundle of papers at the shop, Denis had to bring them to us and that was nice of him because he didn't have to....then had to finish throwing our regulars and then some free papers to people who do not pick them up...not even a free paper..they lay in their driveway until we stop throwing them!!!! The cat had nothing to do with the left papers!!! I was just kidding...but honey was definitely NOT in a good mood when he found out we left papers....it put us late finishing up, that is for us, as we usually get done about 4 and it was 5:15 before we got through. Honey was not a happy camper and he let me know he wasn't...am I stupid for doing this paper thing? Don't answer that, I know the answer....lol lol
Enough about the paper route...could tell more things!!! Like getting stopped by the police 5 times for weaving and going from one side of the road to the other...thank goodness when they get close they realize what we are doing and off they go wishing us a good day!!! They think we are drunk!!!! They are always nice, Oh last week, one stopped us because an old lady saw a white pickup truck with a white female in front pulling up in a driveway!!! Hello, we drive an SUV which is white and I am white!!!
The police office turned his lights on, we stopped and then he saw that we are carriers and he turned off his lights came up next to us and said...had we seen a white pick up truck? then he laughed and said "those old ladies who stay up at night have nothing better to do than to call and report all kinds of things" We laughed but weren't too happy that we got stopped again!!! OLD LADIES PLEASE GO TO SLEEP!!!!!!!! lol lol
Oh well, rambling is enough...Thank you grandpa for listening and I needed you today to listen...I love you J
About two weeks ago, I got another call from someone about 9 am and of course the first thing in my head was "DID I MISS YOUR PAPER?" She proceeded to ask if I had some end rolls? "End rolls" are the rolls of paper left on the rolls that your newspaper is printed on. Now how would I have those as they are about 25 lbs and 4 feet long! How did she get my phone number? Said she called the paper and they said we would have them! US? Don;t think so! Told the manager and he was appalled that the paper would give out our number and by the way, she wasn't even a paper customer!!!!! We got charged for that but Denis took care of it for us! I think they are stupid at that paper or am I stupid or what!
(I should explain that if we miss a paper or it is wet the paper calls us to redeliver and then they charge us $5 if they redeliver ....and it goes against our record and we do not get a bonus at the end of the month...so I hate to hear the phone ring before 10am!!!!!!
They even called us one Friday morning to tell us that we had missed a tv guide (which we do on Fridays and it is extra work) to a customer who ONLY TAKES THE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY PAPER!!!!! when I told the customer service lady that they do not get a paper on Friday, she said"ut oh!" and hung up..of course we got charged for that complaint until the manager took care of it!!! Do you see how stupid they are? Or am I for doing this paper thing!!!! God help us!.
About that black cat that darted in front of us, he must have brought us bad luck!!!! Found out we had left a bundle of papers at the shop, Denis had to bring them to us and that was nice of him because he didn't have to....then had to finish throwing our regulars and then some free papers to people who do not pick them up...not even a free paper..they lay in their driveway until we stop throwing them!!!! The cat had nothing to do with the left papers!!! I was just kidding...but honey was definitely NOT in a good mood when he found out we left papers....it put us late finishing up, that is for us, as we usually get done about 4 and it was 5:15 before we got through. Honey was not a happy camper and he let me know he wasn't...am I stupid for doing this paper thing? Don't answer that, I know the answer....lol lol
Enough about the paper route...could tell more things!!! Like getting stopped by the police 5 times for weaving and going from one side of the road to the other...thank goodness when they get close they realize what we are doing and off they go wishing us a good day!!! They think we are drunk!!!! They are always nice, Oh last week, one stopped us because an old lady saw a white pickup truck with a white female in front pulling up in a driveway!!! Hello, we drive an SUV which is white and I am white!!!
The police office turned his lights on, we stopped and then he saw that we are carriers and he turned off his lights came up next to us and said...had we seen a white pick up truck? then he laughed and said "those old ladies who stay up at night have nothing better to do than to call and report all kinds of things" We laughed but weren't too happy that we got stopped again!!! OLD LADIES PLEASE GO TO SLEEP!!!!!!!! lol lol
Oh well, rambling is enough...Thank you grandpa for listening and I needed you today to listen...I love you J
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