Every road in the Herman Junction area was dirt except old highway 63 that ran right in front of our house. No, I did NOT say GRAVEL road, I said DIRT road. The roads in every direction from our house were just dirt roads and that made life interesting at times.
Herman Junction was the only place that I knew of where one could stand in mud up to his butt and have sand blowing in his eyes! Things could change that quickly it seemed. I hated DUST! It was awful to be walking down the road and a car or truck meet you or pass you and the dust would be so thick that you could not see and you could just feel it filling your lungs in spite of any effort that you made to keep it out. Dust was everywhere and covered everything. It could even get in the house around the windows and you could write your name on the end tables and other pieces of furniture. One would anxiously await a little rain and then it would come. When it came, we had......
MUD! I mentioned earlier that when I was very young I enjoyed riding in the wagon with the family and leaning over the side boards and watch the mud squshing up on the wheels and leaving a trail behind us. Even as I got older I enjoyed riding the tractor or a bicycle through the mud. It was kind of fun to make mud balls and fight with them unless you got hit square in the face with one and I have had that experience many times. Mud doesn't taste too good. A lot of time could be used taking a stick and making all kinds of designs in the mud only to have your little sister come along and mess it all up. But, I didn't really like the mud all that much and I was happy to see it dry up some. But then that dad gummed dust would come back and mess everything up again.
GUMBO! Do you think that I am talking about Louisiana Gumbo that one eats? Well, I am not! I am talking about the dirt out of Ben and Pete Harpers farms. It would be dry and dusty, then the rain would come and there would be mud and gumbo. We often wore shoes that were called, "Gumbo Boots or Shoes." I can hardly describe the feeling of trying to walk in a pair of boots or shoes through gumbo. I mean that stuff was like some kind of plaster or cement. You would get stuck and the only way out was to pull your feet out of the boots and then try to pull the boots out of the gumbo and carry them to dryer ground. When you pulled those boots out of the gumbo it made a sound kind of like we make when we put a big sucker in our mouth and remove it quickly. We would go to chop cotton and that gumbo would stick to your hoe and about every third strike you would have to stop and clean the gumbo off your hoe. When you were picking cotton because the cotton was dry but the gumbo was still a bit wet, when you got to the end of the row you would have about sixty pounds of cotton in the sack and twenty pounds of gumbo on your sack and feet. Barbara and I slid off a road one time and there was no way to control the car in the gumbo. We were going very slow and just gently slid off in a ditch. We had to walk a few hundred yards in the gumbo and you never saw such a mess in your life. We had it all over us by the time we got to a nearby house. It is cold black and as sticky as glue.
There are still come dirt roads at Herman Junction just exactly like those in days gone by. And, they are still dusty and muddy and that gumbo remains on those farms where we once chopped and picked cotton. Ain't it good to have nice paved roads?
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
FUNERALS: POST #49
There were some sad times at Herman Junction just like there are sad times everywhere else. I remember them vividly. We came home from school one day and there were several people at the house on the other side of the track from us between Herman Junction and Davis Spur. The wife and mother of the family that lived there had died some time before. On this day when we got home and saw all the people there we learned that the father/husband of the family had just died. I believe that there were four children in the family and now they were without father or mother and I remember how painful the thought of that was to me. I don't know what happened to the children but I hope that they have each had a very good life as adults.
I hated funerals. I only went to two funerals and left both times before I began preaching and had to preach one. I went to the funeral of My Lady's brother, Pete and I had to leave because I could not stand the pain that completely filled that building. Pete was 18 years old and died of kidney disease. My Grandmother died and I went to her funeral but again I had to leave because I simply thought that I would burst with pain when I saw my Dad and so many, many, others who hearts were broken. I am an extremely emotional person and to this day I cry every time they open a new Wal-Mart store or something like that. Funerals are especially tough for me. I have come a long way though and was able to speak at both Dad's and Mom's funeral although later I crashed.
There were some things about Herman Junction funerals that I didn't understand and I thought were quite odd. Most of the time the body of the deceased was taken home for a day or so before the funeral and people in the community would come to the house and 'sit up' with the family. I remember a lady who lived there and when someone died she would just move in with the family for a couple of days. Sometimes she didn't even know the family but she would always go and just sit there and eat. You know, there was always a ton of food for the family when someone died and this lady would go there and just graze for a couple of days and I remember Mom and some others talking about that. I thought that I could surely find a better place to eat myself. When the funeral occurred this same lady would just wail and carry on like she had lost her best friend but after the funeral she was just fine and ready to eat again.
One of my Aunts had always heard that the body of the deceased was put in a casket with clothes that had a front in them but no back and she had always wondered about that. One time she decided that she would sit with the corpse and when everyone else was gone she would take a peek and see if that was true. But, there was one other lady who sat there too and didn't budge to leave. They sat there together all night long although they really didn't know each other very well. Later, my Aunt learned that the other lady was there for the same reason that she was but neither of them knew what the other was thinking.
One of my preacher friends preached an entire funeral calling the deceased by the wrong name. She had a twin sister and the living sister sat there and heard her own funeral preached! Her corrected it at the cemetery.
The people in the community in those days honored the deceased and the family in every way that they could. Work almost stopped. Traffic on the highway stopped as the procession made it's way to the church building and cemetery. If there was a crop in the field that needed to be tended, neighbors banded together and took care of those needs. If help was needed financially there was always someone to lead the way to gather funds and help. There was a bond in the community that is seen very seldom these days and everyone was willing to do whatever he or she could do to relieve the needs of their neighbors.
In Romania a funeral is so different and I was shocked one day when I saw one taking place. I was sitting in a big bus that was stopped and I was just looking out the window. My Lady and some other Americans were with me. Suddenly there was a three quarter ton truck passing by and up on the bed of that truck was a casket with a body in it and the top of the casket was turned across the front of the bed and the body was lying there all clothed but exposed to the elements. There was a rail across the rear of the truck and family members were holding on to the rail and behind them were other family members and friends. The truck was moving very slowly so the people could keep up with it and they were very, very, respectful as they made their journey to the cemetery. There was a lot of loud wailing and crying as they walked down the street. But, I was amazed at the body just lying there and I told My Lady and the others that if I die in Romania to please put the lid down on my casket because it is unusually cold over there.
I didn't like the funerals at Herman Junction but there were some funny things that happened sometimes and I guess that was alright because it helped to lighten the load a bit. I hope there isn't a funeral at Herman Junction today because it would have to be James or Ann Ritchie or my sister, Mayor Linda and I wouldn't like that.
I hated funerals. I only went to two funerals and left both times before I began preaching and had to preach one. I went to the funeral of My Lady's brother, Pete and I had to leave because I could not stand the pain that completely filled that building. Pete was 18 years old and died of kidney disease. My Grandmother died and I went to her funeral but again I had to leave because I simply thought that I would burst with pain when I saw my Dad and so many, many, others who hearts were broken. I am an extremely emotional person and to this day I cry every time they open a new Wal-Mart store or something like that. Funerals are especially tough for me. I have come a long way though and was able to speak at both Dad's and Mom's funeral although later I crashed.
There were some things about Herman Junction funerals that I didn't understand and I thought were quite odd. Most of the time the body of the deceased was taken home for a day or so before the funeral and people in the community would come to the house and 'sit up' with the family. I remember a lady who lived there and when someone died she would just move in with the family for a couple of days. Sometimes she didn't even know the family but she would always go and just sit there and eat. You know, there was always a ton of food for the family when someone died and this lady would go there and just graze for a couple of days and I remember Mom and some others talking about that. I thought that I could surely find a better place to eat myself. When the funeral occurred this same lady would just wail and carry on like she had lost her best friend but after the funeral she was just fine and ready to eat again.
One of my Aunts had always heard that the body of the deceased was put in a casket with clothes that had a front in them but no back and she had always wondered about that. One time she decided that she would sit with the corpse and when everyone else was gone she would take a peek and see if that was true. But, there was one other lady who sat there too and didn't budge to leave. They sat there together all night long although they really didn't know each other very well. Later, my Aunt learned that the other lady was there for the same reason that she was but neither of them knew what the other was thinking.
One of my preacher friends preached an entire funeral calling the deceased by the wrong name. She had a twin sister and the living sister sat there and heard her own funeral preached! Her corrected it at the cemetery.
The people in the community in those days honored the deceased and the family in every way that they could. Work almost stopped. Traffic on the highway stopped as the procession made it's way to the church building and cemetery. If there was a crop in the field that needed to be tended, neighbors banded together and took care of those needs. If help was needed financially there was always someone to lead the way to gather funds and help. There was a bond in the community that is seen very seldom these days and everyone was willing to do whatever he or she could do to relieve the needs of their neighbors.
In Romania a funeral is so different and I was shocked one day when I saw one taking place. I was sitting in a big bus that was stopped and I was just looking out the window. My Lady and some other Americans were with me. Suddenly there was a three quarter ton truck passing by and up on the bed of that truck was a casket with a body in it and the top of the casket was turned across the front of the bed and the body was lying there all clothed but exposed to the elements. There was a rail across the rear of the truck and family members were holding on to the rail and behind them were other family members and friends. The truck was moving very slowly so the people could keep up with it and they were very, very, respectful as they made their journey to the cemetery. There was a lot of loud wailing and crying as they walked down the street. But, I was amazed at the body just lying there and I told My Lady and the others that if I die in Romania to please put the lid down on my casket because it is unusually cold over there.
I didn't like the funerals at Herman Junction but there were some funny things that happened sometimes and I guess that was alright because it helped to lighten the load a bit. I hope there isn't a funeral at Herman Junction today because it would have to be James or Ann Ritchie or my sister, Mayor Linda and I wouldn't like that.
Friday, December 19, 2008
CHRISTMAS AT HERMAN JUNCTION: POST #48
My memories of Christmas at Herman Junction will live with me forever I hope. I honestly do not remember having a bad Christmas or one that failed my expectations except once when I was disappointed that I did not get a bicycle and instead got a scooter. Do you know what a scooter is? It was certainly not a motorized vehicle. It was a little deal where you put one foot on it and used the other foot to push yourself and you had a handle bar sticking up to guide yourself. We don't see them much anymore.
Preparing for Christmas was a joy. We went to the woods and found a cedar tree that looked just right, cut it down and pulled it to the house. Our tree was always decorated beautifully. We had popcorn that we had strung, red berries that we found in the woods and strung them, painted gum balls that were all over the place and we painted them different colors, a few icicles, and other home made decorations. We may have had a few other things and an angel on top but I really do not remember electric lights and many other decorations that we have today. It was always a joy to behold. Dad always provided for us more than I can now believe that he could have done. We had nuts, apples, oranges, candy, etc. all over the place. The one time that I remember being so sick that I could hardly move was when I ate about five pounds of that old hard Christmas candy. They had to hold a dish pan under me when I threw up because a normal bowl would not hold it. I can't stand that stuff to this day and haven't had it in our house for years.
Christmas morning was the time for opening presents. We would not have considered giving out gifts before that at all. Well, maybe I would have thought it but I knew better than to ask. It sure was fun anticipating the coming of Christmas morning, gathered around that tree and a good fire going in the old king heater, and Mom preparing a feast for breakfast. As soon as we finished we had acres and acres of places to go outside and play with the things that we got. I couldn't imagine how many times we got roller skates and we eagerly waited for them each time.
Later there was the Christmas dinner. I don't know how Mom did it. She had already fixed that huge breakfast and then must have just washed the dishes and started over for preparing dinner. There was always that chicken and dressing, her specialty and everything that went with it. She had pecan pies and several others, and a Jam cake. Mom made Jam cakes for other people too. They would pay her enough for the stuff to make it and then a little extra and they were really good. There wasn't anyone in the country that had a better Christmas than we had at Herman Junction.
I loved to sing Christmas carols and I still do today. I remember walking all over Bay with the other young people at church and singing Christmas carols. One time we went to Nettleton and met with other young people from around the area and we walked all over town singing Christmas carols and then came back to the building where the ladies had hot chocolate and cookies for us. I would love to do that today!
I do not believe that Jesus was born on December 25. I do not celebrate this day as a religious holiday. However, it is a great time at our house even now and part of the reason is because of the Christmases that we enjoyed at Herman Junction.
Preparing for Christmas was a joy. We went to the woods and found a cedar tree that looked just right, cut it down and pulled it to the house. Our tree was always decorated beautifully. We had popcorn that we had strung, red berries that we found in the woods and strung them, painted gum balls that were all over the place and we painted them different colors, a few icicles, and other home made decorations. We may have had a few other things and an angel on top but I really do not remember electric lights and many other decorations that we have today. It was always a joy to behold. Dad always provided for us more than I can now believe that he could have done. We had nuts, apples, oranges, candy, etc. all over the place. The one time that I remember being so sick that I could hardly move was when I ate about five pounds of that old hard Christmas candy. They had to hold a dish pan under me when I threw up because a normal bowl would not hold it. I can't stand that stuff to this day and haven't had it in our house for years.
Christmas morning was the time for opening presents. We would not have considered giving out gifts before that at all. Well, maybe I would have thought it but I knew better than to ask. It sure was fun anticipating the coming of Christmas morning, gathered around that tree and a good fire going in the old king heater, and Mom preparing a feast for breakfast. As soon as we finished we had acres and acres of places to go outside and play with the things that we got. I couldn't imagine how many times we got roller skates and we eagerly waited for them each time.
Later there was the Christmas dinner. I don't know how Mom did it. She had already fixed that huge breakfast and then must have just washed the dishes and started over for preparing dinner. There was always that chicken and dressing, her specialty and everything that went with it. She had pecan pies and several others, and a Jam cake. Mom made Jam cakes for other people too. They would pay her enough for the stuff to make it and then a little extra and they were really good. There wasn't anyone in the country that had a better Christmas than we had at Herman Junction.
I loved to sing Christmas carols and I still do today. I remember walking all over Bay with the other young people at church and singing Christmas carols. One time we went to Nettleton and met with other young people from around the area and we walked all over town singing Christmas carols and then came back to the building where the ladies had hot chocolate and cookies for us. I would love to do that today!
I do not believe that Jesus was born on December 25. I do not celebrate this day as a religious holiday. However, it is a great time at our house even now and part of the reason is because of the Christmases that we enjoyed at Herman Junction.
YELLOWJACKET#27: POST #47
I don't remember when I did not like basketball. My older brothers liked basketball and we played it a lot at Herman Junction. Before we had a real basketball we had a home made goal with a rim from a barrel or keg nailed up on the end of the little barn and later made a goal out of an old Texaco sign. Our basketball was a toe sack or two rolled up in a ball and held together with twine and we would bounce it on our hand instead of dribbling. You know, a toe sack ball won't dribble too good. If you ever stopped bouncing that thing in your hand you had to shoot or you would walk and you would lose the ball.
I played on the Junior High team in the 9th grade and would have played before that but there was no way to get me into Bay for games. I was not very good I guess in the 9th grade because I have never forgotten that I was the only player on the team that never took my warm up off the entire year. I never played one second in a game and I think that I certainly would have remembered it if I had. I think that if I had been the coach every player would have played at least a few minutes in a full year but I didn't. I never missed a game though and practiced as diligently as every other player.
In the 10th and 11th grades I got to play some and just loved it. There were certainly too many good players on the team for me to get in very often but I did get to play some. In the closing part of the 11th grade year I got to play a bit more and then in my Senior year I played a lot. I did not start many games but I normally was at the scorers table when the game started ready to come in at the first opportunity or the coach would call time and put me in. Winston (Truck) Holmes started every game because he was taller than the rest of us and he jumped center at the beginning of nearly every game. I loved playing basketball and stayed after school and practiced and then walked home. While the baseball team was playing a few of us who didn't play baseball were in the gym playing basketball in the spring. In the summer time I spent as much time as I could playing basketball.
The best one half of a game that I ever played was against Jonesboro in the NEA Tournament at Arkansas State in my Senior year. I was wide open a lot and made 18 points the first half. Coach Bob Pierce told the other guys to get me the ball and screen for me and let me shoot the second half too. But, that didn't happen! The Jonesboro coach put Ralph Buhrmiester on me and told him to see that I didn't score any more and he did it except for TWO points! The whole half Ralph was in my face and do you know what else he did? He would play right up close to me so the Referee could not see him, and grab my jersey and hold me. He never got caught and I never scored but two points. I tried that same thing with Jimmy Mote from Monette one night. Jimmy was a lot faster than me, as nearly everyone was, and one time he was getting away from me and I grabbed his jersey and we stretched it nearly from one end of the court to the other and of course I got caught.
The day before the game with Jonesboro I sprained my ankle pretty bad in practice. The day of the game Coach Pierce took me to Jonesboro to put me in a whirlpool to try to help that ankle. I had never heard of a whirlpool because we never had many of them in a Number 3 wash tub at Herman Junction. I sat with my leg over the edge of that whirlpool for I don't know how long and then they taped my ankle real tight before the game and I played the entire game. It was one of the few times that I started the game and it was real nice to hear my name called and get to run out there with the other starters. Barbara heard the game on the radio at home and got to hear my name called quite a bit for the first half of the game and then she must have thought that I died because she didn't hear it the last half thanks to Ralph.
One game that I especially remember was a game against Green County Tech. I was a Junior and the coach put me in after we were so far behind that we couldn't have won anyway. I was over between the basket and the left corner and someone threw me the ball. Here I was with the ball and the biggest man in the nation guarding me! I think that his name was Pigg and he was a BIG PIGG! I didn't see any of my teammates open and I couldn't dribble. I simply turned to my left and let go a hook shot with my left hand and it hit nothing but net! It wasn't because I meant for it to go in but it was just a lucky throw. But, everyone gave me a big hand just like I meant to make that basket.
I love basketball. I played with some great guys and we remain close friends to this day. Every year our high school class has a reunion and every time we talk about those games in high school I get better and better! When I preached in North Little Rock, Arkansas for seven years, I was invited to go to Barton Coliseum and give the invocation three times every day at the State Tournament when the entire thing was conducted in Little Rock. I watched a lot of basketball. I really enjoyed it when Bay came to the tournament. I watched the McMaster boys, Butch Isbell, Eddie Morrison, and others play Rector in the tournament and it really brought back memories. The tournament lasted for three weeks and I watched a lot of it and really did enjoy it.
We've come a long way from a balled up toe sack at Herman Junction but I loved it even then. I may go back there and challenge Mayor Linda to a game but she will have to play barefooted and promise not to hit me in the head with her shoe if I beat her. Oh, yes everything is good at Herman Junction today.
I played on the Junior High team in the 9th grade and would have played before that but there was no way to get me into Bay for games. I was not very good I guess in the 9th grade because I have never forgotten that I was the only player on the team that never took my warm up off the entire year. I never played one second in a game and I think that I certainly would have remembered it if I had. I think that if I had been the coach every player would have played at least a few minutes in a full year but I didn't. I never missed a game though and practiced as diligently as every other player.
In the 10th and 11th grades I got to play some and just loved it. There were certainly too many good players on the team for me to get in very often but I did get to play some. In the closing part of the 11th grade year I got to play a bit more and then in my Senior year I played a lot. I did not start many games but I normally was at the scorers table when the game started ready to come in at the first opportunity or the coach would call time and put me in. Winston (Truck) Holmes started every game because he was taller than the rest of us and he jumped center at the beginning of nearly every game. I loved playing basketball and stayed after school and practiced and then walked home. While the baseball team was playing a few of us who didn't play baseball were in the gym playing basketball in the spring. In the summer time I spent as much time as I could playing basketball.
The best one half of a game that I ever played was against Jonesboro in the NEA Tournament at Arkansas State in my Senior year. I was wide open a lot and made 18 points the first half. Coach Bob Pierce told the other guys to get me the ball and screen for me and let me shoot the second half too. But, that didn't happen! The Jonesboro coach put Ralph Buhrmiester on me and told him to see that I didn't score any more and he did it except for TWO points! The whole half Ralph was in my face and do you know what else he did? He would play right up close to me so the Referee could not see him, and grab my jersey and hold me. He never got caught and I never scored but two points. I tried that same thing with Jimmy Mote from Monette one night. Jimmy was a lot faster than me, as nearly everyone was, and one time he was getting away from me and I grabbed his jersey and we stretched it nearly from one end of the court to the other and of course I got caught.
The day before the game with Jonesboro I sprained my ankle pretty bad in practice. The day of the game Coach Pierce took me to Jonesboro to put me in a whirlpool to try to help that ankle. I had never heard of a whirlpool because we never had many of them in a Number 3 wash tub at Herman Junction. I sat with my leg over the edge of that whirlpool for I don't know how long and then they taped my ankle real tight before the game and I played the entire game. It was one of the few times that I started the game and it was real nice to hear my name called and get to run out there with the other starters. Barbara heard the game on the radio at home and got to hear my name called quite a bit for the first half of the game and then she must have thought that I died because she didn't hear it the last half thanks to Ralph.
One game that I especially remember was a game against Green County Tech. I was a Junior and the coach put me in after we were so far behind that we couldn't have won anyway. I was over between the basket and the left corner and someone threw me the ball. Here I was with the ball and the biggest man in the nation guarding me! I think that his name was Pigg and he was a BIG PIGG! I didn't see any of my teammates open and I couldn't dribble. I simply turned to my left and let go a hook shot with my left hand and it hit nothing but net! It wasn't because I meant for it to go in but it was just a lucky throw. But, everyone gave me a big hand just like I meant to make that basket.
I love basketball. I played with some great guys and we remain close friends to this day. Every year our high school class has a reunion and every time we talk about those games in high school I get better and better! When I preached in North Little Rock, Arkansas for seven years, I was invited to go to Barton Coliseum and give the invocation three times every day at the State Tournament when the entire thing was conducted in Little Rock. I watched a lot of basketball. I really enjoyed it when Bay came to the tournament. I watched the McMaster boys, Butch Isbell, Eddie Morrison, and others play Rector in the tournament and it really brought back memories. The tournament lasted for three weeks and I watched a lot of it and really did enjoy it.
We've come a long way from a balled up toe sack at Herman Junction but I loved it even then. I may go back there and challenge Mayor Linda to a game but she will have to play barefooted and promise not to hit me in the head with her shoe if I beat her. Oh, yes everything is good at Herman Junction today.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
ICE STORM: POST #46
I am sitting at this computer right now looking outside at ice everywhere! The streets are covered and we are being advised to not get out at all because it would be too dangerous. Offices and businesses are closed. We were just about ready to leave for a doctor's appointment in Little Rock but the office called and said that they would not be open.
This reminds me of the first BIG ice storm that I remember. It was in the very early part of 1957 and I had never seen anything like it at Herman Junction. Ice covered the trees and the limbs looked like pure crystal. The roads were completely covered and we could get outside for short periods of time and skate on that ice as long as we could stand the cold. While we kids enjoyed the time off from school our parents had problems to deal with. Public worked almost stopped. It was wonderful that we used wood to heat our house because we had plenty of wood stored up for the winter.
I suppose the biggest problem that people had was trying to keep the food in the deep freezers from being ruined. The electricity was off for several weeks after the ice had melted because the REA couldn't get all the power lines back up and power restored as quickly as they can do it now. Barbara's family had a freezer full of food and cooked on a gas stove. They had a water pump that could be thawed out and a good water supply. They invited people who could get out on a tractor or just walk to their house to come and eat with them because the food in the freezer was going to ruin anyway. The electricity at their house was off for exactly two weeks and in some areas it was off longer than that.
My Mom cooked on a stove heated with Kerosene all the time that I was at home. So, we had plenty of food, water, and other necessities. We did not have indoor facilities and maybe you have heard the old saying, "Colder than a well diggers hind end". Well, you didn't have to be a well digger to have a cold hind end during that time. We just made sure that there was plenty of kindling and wood carried in the house and we made it fine. We had lamps to read by or to play rook or some other game. We would play games like, "I Spy" and "I see something that you don't see" and we kept busy. After dark I would often get to pop the corn and I hated it when someone would come and start grabbing a handful before the dish pan was full. While I popped they grabbed and I wanted an equal opportunity at that dish pan.
I was fortunate that someone would pick me up and get me to town because we were playing in the Northeast Arkansas Invitational Basketball Tournament in Jonesoboro at Arkansas State College. They managed somehow to get us to town and the bus managed to get us to the game. My Lady had an old battery radio and she listened to the game at home.
We were happy when things cleared up at Herman Junction and we could get back to school to see our friends and basketball games could resume. Even at Herman Junction a feller could get cabin fever after so much time. As I said, ice is everywhere today as I look out my window so I think that I'll just pop up some corn after while and if you are not too busy, come on over and we'll pretend that we are at Herman Junction again where everything is alright.
This reminds me of the first BIG ice storm that I remember. It was in the very early part of 1957 and I had never seen anything like it at Herman Junction. Ice covered the trees and the limbs looked like pure crystal. The roads were completely covered and we could get outside for short periods of time and skate on that ice as long as we could stand the cold. While we kids enjoyed the time off from school our parents had problems to deal with. Public worked almost stopped. It was wonderful that we used wood to heat our house because we had plenty of wood stored up for the winter.
I suppose the biggest problem that people had was trying to keep the food in the deep freezers from being ruined. The electricity was off for several weeks after the ice had melted because the REA couldn't get all the power lines back up and power restored as quickly as they can do it now. Barbara's family had a freezer full of food and cooked on a gas stove. They had a water pump that could be thawed out and a good water supply. They invited people who could get out on a tractor or just walk to their house to come and eat with them because the food in the freezer was going to ruin anyway. The electricity at their house was off for exactly two weeks and in some areas it was off longer than that.
My Mom cooked on a stove heated with Kerosene all the time that I was at home. So, we had plenty of food, water, and other necessities. We did not have indoor facilities and maybe you have heard the old saying, "Colder than a well diggers hind end". Well, you didn't have to be a well digger to have a cold hind end during that time. We just made sure that there was plenty of kindling and wood carried in the house and we made it fine. We had lamps to read by or to play rook or some other game. We would play games like, "I Spy" and "I see something that you don't see" and we kept busy. After dark I would often get to pop the corn and I hated it when someone would come and start grabbing a handful before the dish pan was full. While I popped they grabbed and I wanted an equal opportunity at that dish pan.
I was fortunate that someone would pick me up and get me to town because we were playing in the Northeast Arkansas Invitational Basketball Tournament in Jonesoboro at Arkansas State College. They managed somehow to get us to town and the bus managed to get us to the game. My Lady had an old battery radio and she listened to the game at home.
We were happy when things cleared up at Herman Junction and we could get back to school to see our friends and basketball games could resume. Even at Herman Junction a feller could get cabin fever after so much time. As I said, ice is everywhere today as I look out my window so I think that I'll just pop up some corn after while and if you are not too busy, come on over and we'll pretend that we are at Herman Junction again where everything is alright.
THE MINK'S CAR/TRUCK: POST #45
When I was about 15 I had some good times with James and Melvin Mink in an old car that had been converted into a truck by their Dad. Some of the time the doors were taken off of it and we would fly up and down those old dirty gravel roads around Herman Junction and Bay and it was a wonder that all of us didn't get killed. But, on a very hot day with cotton chopping over and it wasn't time to pick yet, we could take off in that old buggy and be as cool as a fellow could be in a vehicle without air-conditioning. The 'thing' had some side boards on the back part of it and we had a message on each side. On one side it said, "Lady, don't laugh your daughter may be in here." On the other side was a more classy little saying, "Constipated, can't pass a thing."
I don't know how many people could get in it to ride around. I don't remember any girls getting in it but maybe they did when I wasn't around. But, I remember it being full of guys laughing, gouging each other in the ribs vying for a little more room, and having a good time. We had an old radio antenna that we used a few times to hit mail boxes and weeds as we flew down the road. A dollars worth of regular gas would last nearly all weekend.
When we got a bit older and starting courting some we moved up to their Dad's car and that was much better when we expected the girls to come along. It is funny how things work out. I have ridden in the back seat of the car with another girl and James had My Lady sitting next to him in the front seat. It wasn't very long until that changed and I have been tagging along after My Lady ever since. A young man told me one time, "When I get married, my wife is not going to know where I am all the time!" When he said that I thought, "I have been married for many years and most of the time if you wanted to know where I was, just find My Lady and there I would be." I wouldn't have it any other way.
James and Melvin's father, Bead Mink died not too long ago. Melvin has told me that that old 'thing' with the sayings on the side boards was still sitting in his back yard. Nowadays guys have to have a spruced up sports car or something to drive, but I love the memories of that 'thing' we had so many years ago at Herman Junction. Do you see why I say, "Everything is Ok at Herman Junction?"
I don't know how many people could get in it to ride around. I don't remember any girls getting in it but maybe they did when I wasn't around. But, I remember it being full of guys laughing, gouging each other in the ribs vying for a little more room, and having a good time. We had an old radio antenna that we used a few times to hit mail boxes and weeds as we flew down the road. A dollars worth of regular gas would last nearly all weekend.
When we got a bit older and starting courting some we moved up to their Dad's car and that was much better when we expected the girls to come along. It is funny how things work out. I have ridden in the back seat of the car with another girl and James had My Lady sitting next to him in the front seat. It wasn't very long until that changed and I have been tagging along after My Lady ever since. A young man told me one time, "When I get married, my wife is not going to know where I am all the time!" When he said that I thought, "I have been married for many years and most of the time if you wanted to know where I was, just find My Lady and there I would be." I wouldn't have it any other way.
James and Melvin's father, Bead Mink died not too long ago. Melvin has told me that that old 'thing' with the sayings on the side boards was still sitting in his back yard. Nowadays guys have to have a spruced up sports car or something to drive, but I love the memories of that 'thing' we had so many years ago at Herman Junction. Do you see why I say, "Everything is Ok at Herman Junction?"
Friday, December 12, 2008
CHORE TIME: POST #44
When our son was younger and about all that we asked of him was to carry out the garbage two or three times a week, he hated it so much that he told his mother that when I was real old and had to come live with him, he was making me carry out the garbage every day! That is how spoiled most of the kids are these days. They are asked to do very little except maybe kind of straightening up their own room occasionally. Most of the either don't do that or resent it.
Down at Herman Junction we had chores and if we didn't get them done we had to pay in some way like getting up on a cold morning and having no kindling or wood to build a fire. So, most of the time the chores were done. Let me list some of them for your consideration.
Down at Herman Junction we had chores and if we didn't get them done we had to pay in some way like getting up on a cold morning and having no kindling or wood to build a fire. So, most of the time the chores were done. Let me list some of them for your consideration.
- There was the cow to milk. I never did learn to milk a cow so when it was my turn to do that I had to do some trading with somebody. I had all kinds of lessons from nearly everybody but I just couldn't do it. I would squeeze those teats in every conceivable way but no milk would come out. Dad or one of the older boys would come squeeze and squirt that milk forty feet but I could not get more than a drop or two. I sure am glad that my living did not depend upon me milking.
- There were hogs to feed. We had to mix up the shorts and get all the scraps together and fill the hog trough to fatten up the hogs. We would be rewarded greatly for that feat later in the winter.
- There were eggs to gather. I hated eggs and still do. They could have just rotted as far as I was concerned but my older brothers were sloppy pigs when it came to eating eggs. Harvel, Jack, and Ray could eat half a dozen each or more right now! When they would pour gravy over about three fried eggs and then mash and stir them up and run a cat head biscuit through there it was the most sickly looking site that I could think of. So, I gathered up the eggs like I was supposed to.
- Feeding the chickens wasn't too much of a deal. We always had some corn and it was kind of fun to throw out the corn or chicken feed and watch them scramble for it. All that I could see when I was doing that was a nice, big, pully-bone running around in there that would one day be mine all fried up crispy brown and hot. That kind of kept my mind off it being a chore.
- We had to pump up some water in the winter time because the pump would freeze that night and we wouldn't have any unless we got out in the cold, cold, weather and thawed out the pump. So, buckets and dish pans were filled with water every night when the weather was going to be so cold.
- Of course there was that splitting wood and making kindling and I hated that. I was not good with an axe and it is a wonder that I didn't cut my leg plum off. I have skinned them up a few times when I would miss the chunk of wood or that axe would bounce off the wood and get me. Then we had to carry it in the house and put it behind the stove for the fire that night and the building of a fire the next morning.
- Someone had to bring in the clothes off the line that Mom had washed and hung out to dry. It looked like that clothes line was two miles long and I thought that I would never get them all carried into the house. Can you imagine the clothes that Mom washed, rinsed, and then hung on the line? And she did that all by herself most of the time.
Yes, there were chores that had to be done every day. That was after a hard day of chopping or picking cotton in some cases too. But, it never hurt us and it didn't hurt Marty to carry out the garbage either. I wish that he had lived a few days back then, he would have said, "Man, Dad I appreciate getting to carry out this garbage a couple of times a week!"
Just getting to live in Herman Junction was worth all the chores that one had to do when we lived there and that is why everything is alright in Herman Junction today.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
HAIR CUTS: POST #43
My Dad was a barber too. He didn't go to Little Rock and pass a hair cutting test and get his license so he couldn't charge for haircuts, but the guys in Herman Junction would come over and get thier haircut and just give Dad an offering. Even if he didn't make any money cutting other fellows hair, he saved a wad just cutting his boys hair. I didn't like hair cutting time either.
There are a couple of reasons why I didn't like to get my hair cut. One, Dad made me stand up in a chair and he would yell at me to be still. I have never been able to stand still for very long or I will just fall over. Sometimes even today when we stand to pray in church I have to back up to the bench behind me and put my legs up against it to kind of steady msyelf. I'm usually on the front row so there isn't one in front of me to hold on to. But, I would be standing up in that chair trying my best to be still and then I would feel myself sort of swaying back and forth and Dad would say, "Be still, Boy or I am going to mess your hair up." Mom would take my side and say, "Herbert you know that he can't stand still, he'll faint or get sick and throw up." It sure was hard to stand there but I never did faint and I don't remember ever throwing up during a hair cut.
There are a couple of things that I remember well about hair cuts. When I was about 15 some of my friends dared me to get a Mohawk hair cut and they even made up the money to pay for it if I would get one. Dick Davis, the barber in Bay agreed to do it and he did it. He said that it was a little hard to get the streak down the middle exactly where it should be because my head was whop sided. I remember going home and dreading it awful, but Dad just looked at me like he thought that I was crazy as a loon, and didn't say anything about it. I never had another one of those.
There was a time when Dad let the older boys and a neighbor or two swap haircuts. The boys cut each others hair and you should have seen that mess. Sometimes we see the young guys nowadays and thier hairdoos and we wonder about thier sanity. Well, you should have seen the boys from Herman Junction. When one would get his hair cut and look at it in the mirror and see what had been done to him, he would get to cut the next guys hair and you know what he would do, don't you? Yes, that is what he did! After it was all over Dad tried to straighten it up so that it would not be so ugly and miserable for them but he couldn't do a real good job on them. Funny, I only remember that happening one time.
Dad spent about twenty or thirty years going to what we then called the, County Home, giving all the men thier haircuts. If he got paid at all it was about $1.00 per head and I don't think that he got paid all the time. He was faithful to go and cut the hair of these men who were unable to go to a barber shop. Someone said one time, "When Herb dies, I wonder if there will be anyone to cut his hair?" Well, there was someone who did it and I am glad that it wasn't a Mohawk. It was a fine flat top like he wore most of his life as he got older.
Hair cutting time at Herman Junction was probably a good time out under those mulberry trees or on the front porch for most people, but for me standing up in that chair it was not good at all. Maybe Mayor Linda will get a barber shop there someday and then everything will be just fine at Herman Junction.
There are a couple of reasons why I didn't like to get my hair cut. One, Dad made me stand up in a chair and he would yell at me to be still. I have never been able to stand still for very long or I will just fall over. Sometimes even today when we stand to pray in church I have to back up to the bench behind me and put my legs up against it to kind of steady msyelf. I'm usually on the front row so there isn't one in front of me to hold on to. But, I would be standing up in that chair trying my best to be still and then I would feel myself sort of swaying back and forth and Dad would say, "Be still, Boy or I am going to mess your hair up." Mom would take my side and say, "Herbert you know that he can't stand still, he'll faint or get sick and throw up." It sure was hard to stand there but I never did faint and I don't remember ever throwing up during a hair cut.
There are a couple of things that I remember well about hair cuts. When I was about 15 some of my friends dared me to get a Mohawk hair cut and they even made up the money to pay for it if I would get one. Dick Davis, the barber in Bay agreed to do it and he did it. He said that it was a little hard to get the streak down the middle exactly where it should be because my head was whop sided. I remember going home and dreading it awful, but Dad just looked at me like he thought that I was crazy as a loon, and didn't say anything about it. I never had another one of those.
There was a time when Dad let the older boys and a neighbor or two swap haircuts. The boys cut each others hair and you should have seen that mess. Sometimes we see the young guys nowadays and thier hairdoos and we wonder about thier sanity. Well, you should have seen the boys from Herman Junction. When one would get his hair cut and look at it in the mirror and see what had been done to him, he would get to cut the next guys hair and you know what he would do, don't you? Yes, that is what he did! After it was all over Dad tried to straighten it up so that it would not be so ugly and miserable for them but he couldn't do a real good job on them. Funny, I only remember that happening one time.
Dad spent about twenty or thirty years going to what we then called the, County Home, giving all the men thier haircuts. If he got paid at all it was about $1.00 per head and I don't think that he got paid all the time. He was faithful to go and cut the hair of these men who were unable to go to a barber shop. Someone said one time, "When Herb dies, I wonder if there will be anyone to cut his hair?" Well, there was someone who did it and I am glad that it wasn't a Mohawk. It was a fine flat top like he wore most of his life as he got older.
Hair cutting time at Herman Junction was probably a good time out under those mulberry trees or on the front porch for most people, but for me standing up in that chair it was not good at all. Maybe Mayor Linda will get a barber shop there someday and then everything will be just fine at Herman Junction.
COLD MORNINGS/BUILD FIRE:POST #42
I loved sleeping in a big, deep, feather bed. If we didn't have that we had a pile of wonderful quilts piled on us and we slept as warm as if we had central heat. Especially if there were three of us in the bed!
I mentioned in an earlier post how awful it was to be sound asleep and a storm would come up and Mom would start yelling and we all made our way to the storm house. How miserable! But, there was another time that was maybe even more miserable than that. We would all be sound asleep and the house was cold and suddenly there came this booming voice, "Teddy, get up an build a fire." You talk about miserable! I would crawl out of that bed in my drawers, trample through Mom and Dad's bedrom and into the living room where the king heater was. I'd then grab a few sticks of kindling or if there was no kindling get some pages out of the Sears-Roebuck catalog that wasn't in use at the outhouse yet, add a few sticks of wood and set them on fire. If they caught I could then go back to bed. The miserable of all miserables was that the fire would go out and you would hear that booming voice again, "Boy, your fire went out" and I had to do it all over again. I just hated having to start the fire in the moring. After while the whole bunch would get out of thier warm beds and come in to a toasty warm fire to get dressed for the day and turn around and warm thier rear ends good before eating breakfast.
This is why it was important in the late afternoon when doing the chores to get some kindling in and a few sticks of firewood. If you forgot to do that and you were chosen the next morning to build the fire, it was out to the wood pile to fumble around in the dark trying to find something for kindling and a slab or two of wood, and that was plain inhumane treatment! Where was the ACLU then?
I have spent considerable time helping to cut wood so we would have a warm house in the winter time. Sometimes we would walk up and down the railraod tracks and find a few chunks of coal that had fallen off the train and that coal would make a super fire. Since Dad worked on the railroad we often got the old railroad ties and hauled them home and sawed them up and they too made a super fire. They were all soaked with creosote and caught pretty quick and that king heater would just turn red with heat and sometimes Mom would get a bit scared that the fire was so hot. Later Dad started going up to Bradshaw's sawmill and buying slabs of lumber and that would catch quickly because it was dry and it made a good fire too.
Old Booie would come down to the house sometimes at night and we would just sit around the stove and talk. Booie dipped snuff and he would spit in the stove until he put the fire out and then he would go home and we would go to bed. I have listened to some mighty interesting and educational conversations around that king heater in the evenings at the big house.
But, here is the sad part. After a few hours of good sleep we had to go through all that ordeal again: "Rayburn, get up and build a fire." Boy, was I ever glad to hear him say any name other than Teddy. You know, the odd thing is this: Until the day that he died my Dad argued that he never made one of us get up and build a fire because he did it every morning! If he did, which I know he didn't, then I sure had some miserable dreams. I think that I am going to take a little kindling and a couple of slabs of wood with me and when I meet him in the great by and by, I am going to say, "Get up, Herb and build the fire!"
I mentioned in an earlier post how awful it was to be sound asleep and a storm would come up and Mom would start yelling and we all made our way to the storm house. How miserable! But, there was another time that was maybe even more miserable than that. We would all be sound asleep and the house was cold and suddenly there came this booming voice, "Teddy, get up an build a fire." You talk about miserable! I would crawl out of that bed in my drawers, trample through Mom and Dad's bedrom and into the living room where the king heater was. I'd then grab a few sticks of kindling or if there was no kindling get some pages out of the Sears-Roebuck catalog that wasn't in use at the outhouse yet, add a few sticks of wood and set them on fire. If they caught I could then go back to bed. The miserable of all miserables was that the fire would go out and you would hear that booming voice again, "Boy, your fire went out" and I had to do it all over again. I just hated having to start the fire in the moring. After while the whole bunch would get out of thier warm beds and come in to a toasty warm fire to get dressed for the day and turn around and warm thier rear ends good before eating breakfast.
This is why it was important in the late afternoon when doing the chores to get some kindling in and a few sticks of firewood. If you forgot to do that and you were chosen the next morning to build the fire, it was out to the wood pile to fumble around in the dark trying to find something for kindling and a slab or two of wood, and that was plain inhumane treatment! Where was the ACLU then?
I have spent considerable time helping to cut wood so we would have a warm house in the winter time. Sometimes we would walk up and down the railraod tracks and find a few chunks of coal that had fallen off the train and that coal would make a super fire. Since Dad worked on the railroad we often got the old railroad ties and hauled them home and sawed them up and they too made a super fire. They were all soaked with creosote and caught pretty quick and that king heater would just turn red with heat and sometimes Mom would get a bit scared that the fire was so hot. Later Dad started going up to Bradshaw's sawmill and buying slabs of lumber and that would catch quickly because it was dry and it made a good fire too.
Old Booie would come down to the house sometimes at night and we would just sit around the stove and talk. Booie dipped snuff and he would spit in the stove until he put the fire out and then he would go home and we would go to bed. I have listened to some mighty interesting and educational conversations around that king heater in the evenings at the big house.
But, here is the sad part. After a few hours of good sleep we had to go through all that ordeal again: "Rayburn, get up and build a fire." Boy, was I ever glad to hear him say any name other than Teddy. You know, the odd thing is this: Until the day that he died my Dad argued that he never made one of us get up and build a fire because he did it every morning! If he did, which I know he didn't, then I sure had some miserable dreams. I think that I am going to take a little kindling and a couple of slabs of wood with me and when I meet him in the great by and by, I am going to say, "Get up, Herb and build the fire!"
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
GOOD TIMES AT HERMAN JUNCTION: POST #41
What can a guy do for fun in Herman Junction? There are no video games, rodeos, TV's, and things like that. I have mentioned before that there was a basketball goal that we made out of a pole and a discarded Texaco sign. There were skates, a stick with a Prince Albert tobacco can on the end of it and bent close together so we could get a hoop off a keg and push it down the road. We could even pick up a couple of beer cans that had been thrown out of a car, stomp our feet down hard on them and walk down to the big bay ditch and it sounded like a horse coming down the road. Then we could throw rocks at the snakes in the ditch or the bottles that someone had thrown in there. We might even get a can and make a hole in top of it and drop marbles from our waist and see who could hit that hole the most times. Shoot, I could take that can to school the next day and if some of my buddies wanted to try it, they could drop marbles with me. That meant if they missed the hole I got the marble but if they hit it, I had to give them two or more depending upon the size of the hole. If there happened to be an old discarded tire around you could push it to Bay and leave it in the ditch on the outskirts of town and then push it back home that evening. There were still a lot of miles on a tire after it was taken off the car, don't you see. My, My, there were all kinds of things to do.
You see, we had to make our things to do because most of the things that some other kids did, we didn't get to. We didn't get to go to the movies unless we snuck in because Mom said that the Catholics got all the money from the movies. We couldn't play the pinball machine because that was gambling. One time I was playing the pinball machine in the Yellow Jacket Cafe and Dad came walking up. That pinball machine was right in the window. I nearly busted the thing trying to get away from it and pretend that I wasn't playing it although that ball was rolling around and bumping into things and making all kinds of racket. I got by with it though because he didn't come in before I could get out to where he was. We could play Rook all we wanted to at home but we couldn't play with the cards that had Kings, Queens, and Jack's on them because they were gambling cards. Mercy, don't you get caught in that pool hall either because that was a gambling den for sure!
Well, you may think that I am complaining and thinking that I was cheated out of having a good time but that sure isn't so. I cannot think of many boring times at Herman Junction. Nowadays kids have all kinds of electronic gadgets and games and they still complain that they are bored. All they need is for someone to take them out and show them how to make a sling shot or a rubber gun and the boredom will be relieved. Or, have them try to walk on a pair of tom-walkers. You don't know what tom-walkers are do you? Figure it out for yourself. I'll tell you this, one of the funniest sights you will ever see in your mind is Harvel walking on a pair of tom-walkers and Dad whipping him and he couldn't walk fast enough to get away. Better than a rodeo!
I have knocked a ton of rocks off the Frisco railroad with a stick about like a baseball bat. I was better than any professional baseball player. And, I have thrown a few of them at Rayburn and others who got close enough to me. Wading water in the ditch catching crawdads was something that every boy should experience unless there was a snake in there too. Aw, the list is endless of good things to do if a feller just put his mind to work inventing good things. There was never a dull moment at Herman Junction for six boys and two girls plus all the neighbor kinds. If you think that it might be boring there today, just get the Mayor, Linda all excited and things start flying again and that's what makes everything well at Herman Junction.
You see, we had to make our things to do because most of the things that some other kids did, we didn't get to. We didn't get to go to the movies unless we snuck in because Mom said that the Catholics got all the money from the movies. We couldn't play the pinball machine because that was gambling. One time I was playing the pinball machine in the Yellow Jacket Cafe and Dad came walking up. That pinball machine was right in the window. I nearly busted the thing trying to get away from it and pretend that I wasn't playing it although that ball was rolling around and bumping into things and making all kinds of racket. I got by with it though because he didn't come in before I could get out to where he was. We could play Rook all we wanted to at home but we couldn't play with the cards that had Kings, Queens, and Jack's on them because they were gambling cards. Mercy, don't you get caught in that pool hall either because that was a gambling den for sure!
Well, you may think that I am complaining and thinking that I was cheated out of having a good time but that sure isn't so. I cannot think of many boring times at Herman Junction. Nowadays kids have all kinds of electronic gadgets and games and they still complain that they are bored. All they need is for someone to take them out and show them how to make a sling shot or a rubber gun and the boredom will be relieved. Or, have them try to walk on a pair of tom-walkers. You don't know what tom-walkers are do you? Figure it out for yourself. I'll tell you this, one of the funniest sights you will ever see in your mind is Harvel walking on a pair of tom-walkers and Dad whipping him and he couldn't walk fast enough to get away. Better than a rodeo!
I have knocked a ton of rocks off the Frisco railroad with a stick about like a baseball bat. I was better than any professional baseball player. And, I have thrown a few of them at Rayburn and others who got close enough to me. Wading water in the ditch catching crawdads was something that every boy should experience unless there was a snake in there too. Aw, the list is endless of good things to do if a feller just put his mind to work inventing good things. There was never a dull moment at Herman Junction for six boys and two girls plus all the neighbor kinds. If you think that it might be boring there today, just get the Mayor, Linda all excited and things start flying again and that's what makes everything well at Herman Junction.
FRAIDY CAT: BLOG #40
Have you ever been so scared that you could hardly walk? I mean, 'trembling in your britches' scared? When a young fellow from Herman Junction finds himself in Bay on a Saturday night when the old town is bustling with people, that can happen. And it did happen to me. Not just one time but several times.
I was in Bay with the family one Saturday night and Mom and the little ones were at E.D. Smith's grocery store visiting with E.D. and Aunt Mollie. I had walked around to the front with Dad and then he got to talking and I just wondered up and down the street by myself. After while I heard some men talking about a man that had been murdered at Truman earlier in the evening. His throat was cut from ear to ear! Can you imagine the images that formed in my head when I heard that? They also said that the murderer was last seen headed toward Bay! Holy Cow! Here I was by myself just walking around watching the people, etc. I remember very well looking for any stranger and if I saw one I hastened to the other side of the street or turned and walked the other way quickly. I just knew that if the throat cutter was in town I would be his next victim and a knife cutting me from ear to ear was about the most gruesome thing that I had ever heard of. I was absolutely scared to death and went hurriedly around the corner to E.D. and Aunt Mollie's store where I knew I would be safe. I never did know whether the killer was caught or not and don't know anything else about the case but I do remember it happening very well.
We went to church services one Sunday night, Dec. 13, 1948, as we always did. When we got out of services we heard that there was some kind of commotion going on down on Main Street but Dad took us down another street and took us on home. He immediately went back to Bay and came home some time later. I heard him tell Mom that a black man that we had always known had come into town that night waving a shotgun around and yelling and hollering for someone. The man was known to have a mental defect. Dad knew this man and had thought that he could go back to town and calm the guy down and everything would be alright. However, when Dad arrived the man, Early Hughes had already been shot and killed by the city marshal. When they went to check Early's body they found that the gun was not loaded but of course the marshal did not know that. The man was out on Main street near the depot and the marshal stationed himself behind the theater and shot him from there. Again, when I heard that story I never wanted to go to Bay again! Herman Junction seemed to me to be a lot safer place.
It was Saturday night again. The town had a small brick building out in an alley behind the post office and some business places, that was the jail. That night a couple of guys were put in the jail, probably because of drunkenness, but I don't know for sure. The next morning when we went to church we learned that the jail had burned in the wee hours of the morning and the two guys inside had died. I do not know who the fellows were or anything about them but I know how I squirmed when I was told that two men had burned to death in that jail house. I never wanted to walk through that alley again.
Many years later My Lady and I with our children went to Bay for a family reunion. We started home in the evening and just pulled up at the corner of Main Street and Church St. Then, I heard gunshots and a man with his arm out the window of a car shooting at some other men across the street by Wayne Hill's grocery store and we were right square in between. I yelled, "Get down" and took off. Am I in Dodge City? What is going on here? I went and told the police and while they were pecking out the information on a typewriter a couple of other guys had run down the shooter and brought him in while we were still there.
Yes, Sir, I have been 'trembling in your britches' scared at Bay and that made Herman Junction seem so much a better place to be.
I was in Bay with the family one Saturday night and Mom and the little ones were at E.D. Smith's grocery store visiting with E.D. and Aunt Mollie. I had walked around to the front with Dad and then he got to talking and I just wondered up and down the street by myself. After while I heard some men talking about a man that had been murdered at Truman earlier in the evening. His throat was cut from ear to ear! Can you imagine the images that formed in my head when I heard that? They also said that the murderer was last seen headed toward Bay! Holy Cow! Here I was by myself just walking around watching the people, etc. I remember very well looking for any stranger and if I saw one I hastened to the other side of the street or turned and walked the other way quickly. I just knew that if the throat cutter was in town I would be his next victim and a knife cutting me from ear to ear was about the most gruesome thing that I had ever heard of. I was absolutely scared to death and went hurriedly around the corner to E.D. and Aunt Mollie's store where I knew I would be safe. I never did know whether the killer was caught or not and don't know anything else about the case but I do remember it happening very well.
We went to church services one Sunday night, Dec. 13, 1948, as we always did. When we got out of services we heard that there was some kind of commotion going on down on Main Street but Dad took us down another street and took us on home. He immediately went back to Bay and came home some time later. I heard him tell Mom that a black man that we had always known had come into town that night waving a shotgun around and yelling and hollering for someone. The man was known to have a mental defect. Dad knew this man and had thought that he could go back to town and calm the guy down and everything would be alright. However, when Dad arrived the man, Early Hughes had already been shot and killed by the city marshal. When they went to check Early's body they found that the gun was not loaded but of course the marshal did not know that. The man was out on Main street near the depot and the marshal stationed himself behind the theater and shot him from there. Again, when I heard that story I never wanted to go to Bay again! Herman Junction seemed to me to be a lot safer place.
It was Saturday night again. The town had a small brick building out in an alley behind the post office and some business places, that was the jail. That night a couple of guys were put in the jail, probably because of drunkenness, but I don't know for sure. The next morning when we went to church we learned that the jail had burned in the wee hours of the morning and the two guys inside had died. I do not know who the fellows were or anything about them but I know how I squirmed when I was told that two men had burned to death in that jail house. I never wanted to walk through that alley again.
Many years later My Lady and I with our children went to Bay for a family reunion. We started home in the evening and just pulled up at the corner of Main Street and Church St. Then, I heard gunshots and a man with his arm out the window of a car shooting at some other men across the street by Wayne Hill's grocery store and we were right square in between. I yelled, "Get down" and took off. Am I in Dodge City? What is going on here? I went and told the police and while they were pecking out the information on a typewriter a couple of other guys had run down the shooter and brought him in while we were still there.
Yes, Sir, I have been 'trembling in your britches' scared at Bay and that made Herman Junction seem so much a better place to be.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
NEAR TRAGEDY AT HERMAN JUNCTION: POST #39
My heart almost stopped one day a few minutes after the phone had rung. My Lady answered and all that I heard her say was, "Oh, Marty!" She listened for a little while and then hung up and turned to me and said, "Marty just heard on the radio that Harvel has been killed in the deer woods." I could not believe my ears as she went on to explain that Harvel was in the deer woods near Mountain View, Arkansas hunting and was killed. I knew that he had a cabin there and that he was in the deer woods hunting. I immediately called the radio station and they told me that I needed to call the Sheriffs' office in Stone County. I called the Sheriffs' office and told them what I needed and the dispatcher asked if I was part of the family. I told her that I was Harvels' brother and she said, "You need to talk to the Sheriff." Almost instantly the Sheriff got on the phone and I told him that I had been told that my brother had died in the deer woods near Mountain View and he said, "No, he and his son Roger were up here hunting with another man and the other man died with a heart attack." When he told me who had died it stirred mixed feelings in me because I had known Mac McCool for many years too and he was the man who had died. I called Harvel's house and his wife Bobbie answered the phone. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "I am just sitting here by the phone answering it and telling people that Harvel is not dead." What a deal! I learned then that the news media needs to confirm things before reporting on the air.
Another time our phone rang and I answered it and a good friend on the other end said, "I sure am glad to hear your voice." I asked, "Why?" She told me that Ted Knight had been killed in an automobile accident up near Herman Junction and she just knew it was me. Well, it wasn't. But, I don't know who it was and what he may have been doing near Herman Junction.
I was in Andulusia, Alabama once with car trouble and when we got to the dealer where our car was towed, I walked up to the window to give them the information that they wanted and when the guys asked me my name I said, "Ted Knight." He just froze and stared at me. I figured that he was thinking of the Mary Tyler Moore character who was named Ted Knight. After he came unglued a bit he said, "Our general manager here is named Ted Knight." I was glad because that Ted put this Ted in a borrowed car and sent us on our way to preach and then delivered our car to us a few days later.
It seemed that we never lacked having something to excite us at Herman Junction but it all worked out to make Herman Junction OK today.
Another time our phone rang and I answered it and a good friend on the other end said, "I sure am glad to hear your voice." I asked, "Why?" She told me that Ted Knight had been killed in an automobile accident up near Herman Junction and she just knew it was me. Well, it wasn't. But, I don't know who it was and what he may have been doing near Herman Junction.
I was in Andulusia, Alabama once with car trouble and when we got to the dealer where our car was towed, I walked up to the window to give them the information that they wanted and when the guys asked me my name I said, "Ted Knight." He just froze and stared at me. I figured that he was thinking of the Mary Tyler Moore character who was named Ted Knight. After he came unglued a bit he said, "Our general manager here is named Ted Knight." I was glad because that Ted put this Ted in a borrowed car and sent us on our way to preach and then delivered our car to us a few days later.
It seemed that we never lacked having something to excite us at Herman Junction but it all worked out to make Herman Junction OK today.
Friday, December 5, 2008
THE TRUCK WRECK: POST #38
The old highway that ran right through Herman Junction was a pretty popular course. One could take the old highway to the county line to the nearest liqiour store and was a lot less likely to run into a policeman than if he took the new highway. So, most people who wanted to buy liqiour came right through Herman Junction, sometimes both going and coming. Because of that there were a lot of wrecks on the old highway. I remember one night when a car wrecked smack dab in front of our house. There were two bridges in front of our house about 100 feet apart. One led up to Booie Woods house and the other was the bridge into our yard.
We were already in bed when we heard a terrible noise and people yelling and hollering right in front of the house. When we got out in the yard there was a fight going on and a car turned upside down in the ditch perfectly between those two bridges. Another car was sitting up on the highway and both cars were full of young men. One had been chasing the other when the first car lost control and into the ditch he went. No one was hurt and they were already out of the car and yelling and screaming at one another. I don't know if they ever exchanged blows or not because I was watching from behind the storm house and couldn't see everything clearly.
One wreck that I remember best did not involve drinking or chasing or anything like that. It just involved three boys being ignorant and having fun at the same time. My transportation was limited in those days and I either had to walk or catch a ride with somebody most of the time. Walton and Dalton Weaver didn't live far from us and they drove their Dad's truck to ball practice and to the games most of the time and would come by and pick me up. One time we had a batch of bad weather and school was not in session but Coach Pierce called us to ball practice anyway. The Weaver boys picked me up and then after practice they were going to drop me off at my house. There was snow and some ice on the road, especially on the edges. We met a car and had to get over on the shoulder to pass and as Walton started to pull back into the middle of the road the truck kind of slid sideways and that was fun! So, every time we came to a patch of snow and ice over on the side he would pull over there, give a little extra gas to pull back in the road and we would slide back and forth a little. You are ahead of me now and you know what happened don't you? One time he gave it a little extra power and that thing started sliding all over the place, slid just past a huge tree, down in the ditch, and turned over. We didn't like that much and in our efforts to climb out of there one of us stepped on the window of the side under us and broke that window out. We finally got out and as we walked on down the road to Herman Junction we kind of got tickled, especially as we developed our story about what had happened. We got my Dad's car and I took them home and thier Dad came and got the truck out. I don't know if either of our Dad's ever knew for sure what happened. When we all get to heaven we will tell them what the deal was.
But, things like this made Herman Junction pretty exciting at times. Ah, Yes, everything is OK at Herman Junction.
We were already in bed when we heard a terrible noise and people yelling and hollering right in front of the house. When we got out in the yard there was a fight going on and a car turned upside down in the ditch perfectly between those two bridges. Another car was sitting up on the highway and both cars were full of young men. One had been chasing the other when the first car lost control and into the ditch he went. No one was hurt and they were already out of the car and yelling and screaming at one another. I don't know if they ever exchanged blows or not because I was watching from behind the storm house and couldn't see everything clearly.
One wreck that I remember best did not involve drinking or chasing or anything like that. It just involved three boys being ignorant and having fun at the same time. My transportation was limited in those days and I either had to walk or catch a ride with somebody most of the time. Walton and Dalton Weaver didn't live far from us and they drove their Dad's truck to ball practice and to the games most of the time and would come by and pick me up. One time we had a batch of bad weather and school was not in session but Coach Pierce called us to ball practice anyway. The Weaver boys picked me up and then after practice they were going to drop me off at my house. There was snow and some ice on the road, especially on the edges. We met a car and had to get over on the shoulder to pass and as Walton started to pull back into the middle of the road the truck kind of slid sideways and that was fun! So, every time we came to a patch of snow and ice over on the side he would pull over there, give a little extra gas to pull back in the road and we would slide back and forth a little. You are ahead of me now and you know what happened don't you? One time he gave it a little extra power and that thing started sliding all over the place, slid just past a huge tree, down in the ditch, and turned over. We didn't like that much and in our efforts to climb out of there one of us stepped on the window of the side under us and broke that window out. We finally got out and as we walked on down the road to Herman Junction we kind of got tickled, especially as we developed our story about what had happened. We got my Dad's car and I took them home and thier Dad came and got the truck out. I don't know if either of our Dad's ever knew for sure what happened. When we all get to heaven we will tell them what the deal was.
But, things like this made Herman Junction pretty exciting at times. Ah, Yes, everything is OK at Herman Junction.
MUSCLE MAN: POST #37
When I graduated from Bay High School I was 6' 3 1/2" and weighed 153 pounds. When I was in the 7th grade I was 6' 3 1/2 and weighed about 77 pounds. I mean I was skinny. I wore one of Mom's garter belts for a belt and still had plenty of room to spare. I ate all that I could hold but it seemed like I could not gain an ounce and no girl was going to look at me because if she looked in my direction she would look right by me as if I was not there. I was gawky and gangly and I was tired of it but didn't know what to do.
One day I was reading a comic book of some kind and in the back there was an advertisement from Charles Atlas. It talked about this guy that so skinny and weak that the other guys would kick sand in his face and the girls all laughed at him. Then, it showed this guy after he had been trained by Charles Atlas and he was a HUNK! So, I wrote to Charles Atlas and told him that I would like his program but I didn't have any money so was there any way that he could send it to me anyway? He didn't.
I stayed that way all through high school. We would go to ball practice and I was tall but that was all. I couldn't jump very high either. I was the one who guarded Walton Weaver in practice and we were about the same height. He would shoot a jump shot but he would fall backwards and I would jump and miss blocking the ball by a mile. Coach Bob Pierce put me in the game one time to stop Leotis Shedd from Manila. I was in the game about three minutes and fouled out because all I could do was hit him and not block his shot. Finally, in my senior year I played a lot and had a good year but because I couldn't jump, Winston Holmes started every game to jump center and then I would go in.
When we ordered our basketball jackets that last year the Coach told the man to order me a size 46! It would wrap around me twice nearly, but he told the man that if I didn't put on a bunch of weight as soon as I got out of school he would be surprised because all my older brothers had done that. So, I had a coat big enough for me and Barbara to both wear at the same time.
But, you know what? By July 24, 1958 I weighed 210 pounds. By 1965 I weighed 290 pounds. And, Charles Atlas had absolutely nothing to do with it. Yep, I had followed the same course as my older brothers and put on the weight. Then came December 21, 1971 and I had a little heart attack and my Doctor said, "You can do what I tell you and you will probably live to be an old man, but if you don't YOU WILL DIE!" He was a good friend and a great Doctor and he explained it right. I lost almost 100 pounds and have battled every day since then to keep it off. It is a constant struggle. I have been hungry since December 21, 1971!
I will say this though, no one has ever kicked sand in my face! So, in spite of a lack of training from Charles Atlas I have managed to make it just fine. Barbara shot a glance my way one day and didn't see past me. She saw old Charles Atlas standing there! And, all has been well at Herman Junction since that day.
One day I was reading a comic book of some kind and in the back there was an advertisement from Charles Atlas. It talked about this guy that so skinny and weak that the other guys would kick sand in his face and the girls all laughed at him. Then, it showed this guy after he had been trained by Charles Atlas and he was a HUNK! So, I wrote to Charles Atlas and told him that I would like his program but I didn't have any money so was there any way that he could send it to me anyway? He didn't.
I stayed that way all through high school. We would go to ball practice and I was tall but that was all. I couldn't jump very high either. I was the one who guarded Walton Weaver in practice and we were about the same height. He would shoot a jump shot but he would fall backwards and I would jump and miss blocking the ball by a mile. Coach Bob Pierce put me in the game one time to stop Leotis Shedd from Manila. I was in the game about three minutes and fouled out because all I could do was hit him and not block his shot. Finally, in my senior year I played a lot and had a good year but because I couldn't jump, Winston Holmes started every game to jump center and then I would go in.
When we ordered our basketball jackets that last year the Coach told the man to order me a size 46! It would wrap around me twice nearly, but he told the man that if I didn't put on a bunch of weight as soon as I got out of school he would be surprised because all my older brothers had done that. So, I had a coat big enough for me and Barbara to both wear at the same time.
But, you know what? By July 24, 1958 I weighed 210 pounds. By 1965 I weighed 290 pounds. And, Charles Atlas had absolutely nothing to do with it. Yep, I had followed the same course as my older brothers and put on the weight. Then came December 21, 1971 and I had a little heart attack and my Doctor said, "You can do what I tell you and you will probably live to be an old man, but if you don't YOU WILL DIE!" He was a good friend and a great Doctor and he explained it right. I lost almost 100 pounds and have battled every day since then to keep it off. It is a constant struggle. I have been hungry since December 21, 1971!
I will say this though, no one has ever kicked sand in my face! So, in spite of a lack of training from Charles Atlas I have managed to make it just fine. Barbara shot a glance my way one day and didn't see past me. She saw old Charles Atlas standing there! And, all has been well at Herman Junction since that day.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
BIG MOUTH: POST #36
There always has to be a big mouth it seems and in Herman Junction I guess I was it. But, I am not talking about gossiping, carrying tales, etc. although I could have been guilty of that too I suppose. I am talking about a literal BIG MOUTH.
One time I had been to basketball practice and I was hot and tired so I stopped in at the Yellowjacket Cafe to have a Pepsi. That Pepsi tasted like heaven to me. There were two of three guys standing around and I said, "Man, I could drink 10 of these things!" One of those men told Harold Freeman, the owner of the Yellowjacket to bring us 10 Pepsi's. I suppose they were either six or eight ounce drinks. Regardless, 10 of them makes a lot of Pepsi! Ten six ouncers would make almost a two liter bottle full. They set them up there and said, "We want to see you drink TEN Pepsi's. It took me a few minutes to do it, but I did it. Then, I had to walk three miles to Herman Junction. I tell you, I was as sick as I had ever been in my life. I would walk a little bit and stop and throw up, walk some more and throw up again. When I walked I just sloshed around like a tub full of water. I'm sure that if people had been close enough to me as I made that awful journey they would have wondered what in the world was going on.
But, that wasn't enough for an ignoramus from Herman Junction. Sometime later I was in the Yellowjacket again and some other guys were standing around talking about who could put the most chewing gum in their mouth. Guess who spoke up and said, "I can put TEN packages in my mouth? You got it right, it was BIG MOUTH again. Junior Denton was home on furlough from service and he went in and bought ten packages of Wrigley's Spearment gum and brought them out and said, "Let's see you do it." Junior was a very handsome, tough, guy and I didn't want to cross him and I didn't have any money to pay him back for the gum. So I started chewing and they watched and laughed like a bunch of idiots. I put 51 cakes of that gum in my mouth and then quit. I chewed around on it for a few minutes then took it out of my mouth and threw it across the street and hit the railroad depot. It looked like that thing just rocked back and forth for a little while before settling down. I have often wondered what the person that found that huge wad of gum thought when they found it lying there. They may have thought that BIG FOOT had been there but it had only been BIG MOUTH.
I was working with a farmer one time and had never planted a row of cotton in my life driving a tractor. But, I had always wanted to! He asked me, "Can you plant a straight row of cotton?" I said, "Yes, Sir, I can do it!" I thought that he was going to drive his own tractor but he said, "Get on there and let's see what you can do." Why in the world don't I shut my mouth??
I got on that tractor and planted the straightest row of cotton that you have ever seen and planted several acres before I stopped. I know now that the Lord must have had charge of that steering wheel seeing to it that BIG MOUTH didn't get embarrassed again.
I have tried to do better in my adult years and have tried to be 'slow to speak.' But, I don't chew gum at all and haven't drunk a Pepsi in years. I have not been on another tractor either. Oh well, that's not to bad for a boy from Herman Junction where all is well today.
One time I had been to basketball practice and I was hot and tired so I stopped in at the Yellowjacket Cafe to have a Pepsi. That Pepsi tasted like heaven to me. There were two of three guys standing around and I said, "Man, I could drink 10 of these things!" One of those men told Harold Freeman, the owner of the Yellowjacket to bring us 10 Pepsi's. I suppose they were either six or eight ounce drinks. Regardless, 10 of them makes a lot of Pepsi! Ten six ouncers would make almost a two liter bottle full. They set them up there and said, "We want to see you drink TEN Pepsi's. It took me a few minutes to do it, but I did it. Then, I had to walk three miles to Herman Junction. I tell you, I was as sick as I had ever been in my life. I would walk a little bit and stop and throw up, walk some more and throw up again. When I walked I just sloshed around like a tub full of water. I'm sure that if people had been close enough to me as I made that awful journey they would have wondered what in the world was going on.
But, that wasn't enough for an ignoramus from Herman Junction. Sometime later I was in the Yellowjacket again and some other guys were standing around talking about who could put the most chewing gum in their mouth. Guess who spoke up and said, "I can put TEN packages in my mouth? You got it right, it was BIG MOUTH again. Junior Denton was home on furlough from service and he went in and bought ten packages of Wrigley's Spearment gum and brought them out and said, "Let's see you do it." Junior was a very handsome, tough, guy and I didn't want to cross him and I didn't have any money to pay him back for the gum. So I started chewing and they watched and laughed like a bunch of idiots. I put 51 cakes of that gum in my mouth and then quit. I chewed around on it for a few minutes then took it out of my mouth and threw it across the street and hit the railroad depot. It looked like that thing just rocked back and forth for a little while before settling down. I have often wondered what the person that found that huge wad of gum thought when they found it lying there. They may have thought that BIG FOOT had been there but it had only been BIG MOUTH.
I was working with a farmer one time and had never planted a row of cotton in my life driving a tractor. But, I had always wanted to! He asked me, "Can you plant a straight row of cotton?" I said, "Yes, Sir, I can do it!" I thought that he was going to drive his own tractor but he said, "Get on there and let's see what you can do." Why in the world don't I shut my mouth??
I got on that tractor and planted the straightest row of cotton that you have ever seen and planted several acres before I stopped. I know now that the Lord must have had charge of that steering wheel seeing to it that BIG MOUTH didn't get embarrassed again.
I have tried to do better in my adult years and have tried to be 'slow to speak.' But, I don't chew gum at all and haven't drunk a Pepsi in years. I have not been on another tractor either. Oh well, that's not to bad for a boy from Herman Junction where all is well today.
THE CRAZY DOCTOR: POST #35
When one has a bunch of kids there is a greater need for a Doctor not only to bring them into the world but to keep them as healthy as possible. Dr. Burge delivered me and I am sure that I had to see him some after that, but I do not remember him. The Dr. that I remember most as a child was Dr. Tullos from Truman. While we didn't go to the Dr. as much as folks do nowadays, I do remember going to him from time to time. I remember not wanting to go to school one time and I really put on a show professing to have a terrible belly ache. They kept me home and took me to see Dr. Tullos and for some unknown reason Mom did not go into his office with me. So, he couldn't find any appendicitis or anything like that and told me to go on home. I went straight to the car and told Mom that he told me to go home and eat soup and drink cokes to help settle my stomach down. We went and got that and took off home and I had a fine day drinking cokes and enjoying my holiday from school. I was not more than 9-10 years old when that happened and it's OK for a feller that young to tell one once in awhile and I was pretty good at it Ray tells me.
But, the story that I enjoyed more than about any concerning Doctors was about something that happened before I was born. Mom told me this story not too many years ago. It seemed that Dad needed to go to Truman for something and Mom had the four oldest boys and they decided to go to Truman too. While Dad was inside some place attending to his business Mom and the boys just sat in the truck. Shortly, Dr. Tullos came out of his office and started walking down the street. Mom had the windows down in the truck and as he walked by she said, "Do you remember these boys?" He stuck his head through the window and looked them over and said, "Sure, I'd know those little old Morgans anytime!" Mom replied, "Those aren't Morgans, they're Knights." The good Dr. thought that she was Bill Morgans wife and those were the little Morgan boys. I guess that it might have been easy to get mixed up when delivering babies in big families like that in those days. Mom set him straight on that real quick.
Mom had to spend about four weeks in a rehabilitation unit before she passed away. I had some really good times with her while she was in there. One day we were sitting talking and a Doctor walked by and she said, "Well, there goes old Pusservin." I asked her what she said and she told me and I found out that she had just given him a new name for some reason. My Lady and I went to Indiana for me to preach in a gospel meeting and before we left I sent Mom a card to the Rehab unit. On the return address I wrote, "Burt Reynolds, Hollywood, Calif." When we came back from Indiana we stopped at the rehab place to see her and I said, "Mom, I've been to Indiana to preach." "Why, you have not," she said, "You've been to California, Burt." She loved aggravating the doctors but she was dead serious when Doctor Tullos thought that my four older brothers were Morgans.
What memories and how they bless my life and help me to know that all was well at Herman Junction.
But, the story that I enjoyed more than about any concerning Doctors was about something that happened before I was born. Mom told me this story not too many years ago. It seemed that Dad needed to go to Truman for something and Mom had the four oldest boys and they decided to go to Truman too. While Dad was inside some place attending to his business Mom and the boys just sat in the truck. Shortly, Dr. Tullos came out of his office and started walking down the street. Mom had the windows down in the truck and as he walked by she said, "Do you remember these boys?" He stuck his head through the window and looked them over and said, "Sure, I'd know those little old Morgans anytime!" Mom replied, "Those aren't Morgans, they're Knights." The good Dr. thought that she was Bill Morgans wife and those were the little Morgan boys. I guess that it might have been easy to get mixed up when delivering babies in big families like that in those days. Mom set him straight on that real quick.
Mom had to spend about four weeks in a rehabilitation unit before she passed away. I had some really good times with her while she was in there. One day we were sitting talking and a Doctor walked by and she said, "Well, there goes old Pusservin." I asked her what she said and she told me and I found out that she had just given him a new name for some reason. My Lady and I went to Indiana for me to preach in a gospel meeting and before we left I sent Mom a card to the Rehab unit. On the return address I wrote, "Burt Reynolds, Hollywood, Calif." When we came back from Indiana we stopped at the rehab place to see her and I said, "Mom, I've been to Indiana to preach." "Why, you have not," she said, "You've been to California, Burt." She loved aggravating the doctors but she was dead serious when Doctor Tullos thought that my four older brothers were Morgans.
What memories and how they bless my life and help me to know that all was well at Herman Junction.
Monday, December 1, 2008
JACKIE LYNN KNIGHT: POST #34
Well, we had to stop at the Ashlocks' again on January 30, 1951 and when we got home sure enough there was another baby! When is this going to stop? I knew that people would come down to the Big Bay Ditch and leave their dogs and cats and they would make their way to our house, but where in the world are these babies coming from?
When we got home there was Jackie Lynn Knight. Do you know what? My Lady's mother, Edna Earls had come down there and brought him into the world! Did Edna bring that baby and leave it? If so, that would make me and Barbara brother and sister I guess! No, the Dr. didn't make it in time and Edna and Margie Woods helped Mom with the birth.
When Jack was about 6 years old I went away for two months to work in the harvest in Illinois for the Del Monte food company. When I came home I will never forget sitting in the house and Jack came walking in from another room. He had on a pair of short pants and no shirt and it looked like he had grown six inches in those two months. I was really surprised. I was really glad to see him and will always remember that hug from such a tall boy.
I was not around home much as Jack was growing up either. I missed a lot things with him. I have some vivid memories of him though that I cherish. When he was about 10 years old he came to visit us in LaPorte, Indiana. He must have stayed two or three weeks and he made some friends there and had a good time. He asked me one day to keep a quarter for him and I did. The rest of the time that he was there, every time he would want something I would buy it for him and then he would say, "Now, that wasn't my quarter we spent!" I guess that he must still have that quarter.
Years later I kept up some with his baseball playing exploits and have been told by several that if he had been given some guidance and discipline he could have probably played Major League Baseball as a pitcher. But, he had rather play with some independent team there around home than to go off somewhere.
My next experience with Jack came in 1974. Both of us had gone away from Herman Junction and I was living in Oklahoma City, Okla. When he turned 21 I wrote him a letter and told him that it was time for him to straighten out his life and quit doing some of the things that he was doing and just grow up and live right. A few weeks later we had been to church services on Sunday night and then gone home with some people for fellowship and to eat and just have a good time. About half way through the visit someone from the church building called and said that some of our kinfolks had come there looking for us and asking where we lived. So, we jumped in the car and took off for home and me growling the entire way about Barbara's brother coming to visit and never calls and gives a notice that he's coming or anything. Here I had to miss my supper and the good time that I was having because her brother had decided to drop in on us. I mean I was really pouring it on her.
When we drove up to our house there was the biggest motorcycle that I had ever seen sitting cross-wise of our driveway so that I couldn't get in. Lying out in the middle of our beautiful lawn was a mountain of a man with a little vest on and he was as brown as any indian that I had ever seen. He had hair down to his rear end, a long beard, and a mustache and big old black boots on his size 14 feet. That was MY baby brother, Jack! And, he had not dropped in for a day or two, he had come to live with us! After all I had told him to straighten up and live a better life so he had come to live it with ME!
Jack got a job and lived in Oklahoma City for ten years. Then he moved on to Katy, Texas to live near our brother Ray and his family. Ray had befriended him too and we learned that he was like feeding a cat, if you fed him he would keep coming back.
Several years ago Jack moved back near Herman Junction to Bay. Not long after he moved back there he called and told me that there was some property for sale at a real good price. It was the old Cochran home place just outside of Bay. I went up there and we went to the bank to see about buying it and all the time I just knew that the bank at Truman was not going to loan me some money when I lived in Conway, Ark. A couple of days later I came home and found a message on the answering machine. Jack said, "Hey, Bobby, this is J.R. and the bank approved our loan to buy the ranch!" I could have fallen over. So, we bought the property and not long after we sold it to Ronnie Davis and since Jack and Gina wanted to buy a house I gave him my part of the money for a down payment on the house where they live today. Jack and I are very close. But, I am afraid to say a lot of good things that I might otherwise say because the dude might just jump up and come to live with me again! He and Gina help Linda to make sure that all is well at Herman Junction.
When we got home there was Jackie Lynn Knight. Do you know what? My Lady's mother, Edna Earls had come down there and brought him into the world! Did Edna bring that baby and leave it? If so, that would make me and Barbara brother and sister I guess! No, the Dr. didn't make it in time and Edna and Margie Woods helped Mom with the birth.
When Jack was about 6 years old I went away for two months to work in the harvest in Illinois for the Del Monte food company. When I came home I will never forget sitting in the house and Jack came walking in from another room. He had on a pair of short pants and no shirt and it looked like he had grown six inches in those two months. I was really surprised. I was really glad to see him and will always remember that hug from such a tall boy.
I was not around home much as Jack was growing up either. I missed a lot things with him. I have some vivid memories of him though that I cherish. When he was about 10 years old he came to visit us in LaPorte, Indiana. He must have stayed two or three weeks and he made some friends there and had a good time. He asked me one day to keep a quarter for him and I did. The rest of the time that he was there, every time he would want something I would buy it for him and then he would say, "Now, that wasn't my quarter we spent!" I guess that he must still have that quarter.
Years later I kept up some with his baseball playing exploits and have been told by several that if he had been given some guidance and discipline he could have probably played Major League Baseball as a pitcher. But, he had rather play with some independent team there around home than to go off somewhere.
My next experience with Jack came in 1974. Both of us had gone away from Herman Junction and I was living in Oklahoma City, Okla. When he turned 21 I wrote him a letter and told him that it was time for him to straighten out his life and quit doing some of the things that he was doing and just grow up and live right. A few weeks later we had been to church services on Sunday night and then gone home with some people for fellowship and to eat and just have a good time. About half way through the visit someone from the church building called and said that some of our kinfolks had come there looking for us and asking where we lived. So, we jumped in the car and took off for home and me growling the entire way about Barbara's brother coming to visit and never calls and gives a notice that he's coming or anything. Here I had to miss my supper and the good time that I was having because her brother had decided to drop in on us. I mean I was really pouring it on her.
When we drove up to our house there was the biggest motorcycle that I had ever seen sitting cross-wise of our driveway so that I couldn't get in. Lying out in the middle of our beautiful lawn was a mountain of a man with a little vest on and he was as brown as any indian that I had ever seen. He had hair down to his rear end, a long beard, and a mustache and big old black boots on his size 14 feet. That was MY baby brother, Jack! And, he had not dropped in for a day or two, he had come to live with us! After all I had told him to straighten up and live a better life so he had come to live it with ME!
Jack got a job and lived in Oklahoma City for ten years. Then he moved on to Katy, Texas to live near our brother Ray and his family. Ray had befriended him too and we learned that he was like feeding a cat, if you fed him he would keep coming back.
Several years ago Jack moved back near Herman Junction to Bay. Not long after he moved back there he called and told me that there was some property for sale at a real good price. It was the old Cochran home place just outside of Bay. I went up there and we went to the bank to see about buying it and all the time I just knew that the bank at Truman was not going to loan me some money when I lived in Conway, Ark. A couple of days later I came home and found a message on the answering machine. Jack said, "Hey, Bobby, this is J.R. and the bank approved our loan to buy the ranch!" I could have fallen over. So, we bought the property and not long after we sold it to Ronnie Davis and since Jack and Gina wanted to buy a house I gave him my part of the money for a down payment on the house where they live today. Jack and I are very close. But, I am afraid to say a lot of good things that I might otherwise say because the dude might just jump up and come to live with me again! He and Gina help Linda to make sure that all is well at Herman Junction.
LAURA ANN KNIGHT: POST #33
It was February 14, 1949 and other than being Valentine's Day it was a perfectly normal day. I went to school that morning expecting it to be just like every other day that I had known. But, when school was out and we boarded the bus to Herman Junction, when we got to the Ashlocks' we were told to get off the bus and stay there for a little while. Later Dad picked us up and took us home. When we arrived we had a brand new baby sister and we were told that she was named Laura Ann Knight. Two years later we would repeat this process and when we got home we found a little brother. I had begun to think that we had better quit stopping at the Ashlocks' because every time we did we had another baby when we got home and the 'big'house' was getting fuller than it already was. What in the world did the Ashlocks' have to do with this anyhow I wondered?
Laura was the second girl in this family of five boys and Mom was elated to have another girl. It had been seven years since a new baby arrived at the Knight's house. In fact, this was the first one to be born at Herman Junction. Laura was adored by those older siblings. Two years after Laura was born Jack was born and he was a sickly little guy for a time. Mom had kids of all ages and had so many things to do that any help was appreciated. So, Edna Earls whose youngest baby was five years old, just kind of adopted Laura. One time Edna took her to a basketball game and Laura wanted to know when they were going to stand up and sing. Edna told Mom that she was going to have to take Laura somewhere besides church because that was all that she knew.
Laura can play a piano and never took a lesson her life. She can play by ear. That makes me mad because I have always wanted to play something but all that I can do is blow a sonata. (You may have to put your imagination to work to figure out what instrument that is). She loves to sing and play and we have had some great times singing together. I have been blessed to preach in several meetings in Ocean Springs through the years and have stayed at Laura's during that time. She and Jewel took us to one of the finest restaurants to eat that I have even been in. It is called, "Anthony's Under The Oaks" and is in Ocean Springs.
Laura married a military man and they moved about over the U.S. and even overseas. She had two children, Kirk and Kendra. Kendra was killed by a drunk driver several years ago leaving a baby of her own. Laura and Jewel adopted that baby, Lindsey who is now soon to graduate from high school and is a beautiful and wonderful young lady.
Laura is stark raving crazy! Now, you might wonder why an older brother would speak so of his baby sister. She lives in Ocean Springs, Mississippi and has stayed there through the worst hurricanes the U.S. has had. She stayed there through hurricane Katrina and I just thought that after everything was over we would have to go and gather up her family and take care of them but they survived wonderfully well and were able to help so many other people. When hurricane Ike was coming I thought, "She will leave this time!" Nope! She stayed right there again and everything was well. She needs to at least learn how to swim!
So, February 14, 1949 was a special day at Herman Junction and with this new baby all was well.
Laura was the second girl in this family of five boys and Mom was elated to have another girl. It had been seven years since a new baby arrived at the Knight's house. In fact, this was the first one to be born at Herman Junction. Laura was adored by those older siblings. Two years after Laura was born Jack was born and he was a sickly little guy for a time. Mom had kids of all ages and had so many things to do that any help was appreciated. So, Edna Earls whose youngest baby was five years old, just kind of adopted Laura. One time Edna took her to a basketball game and Laura wanted to know when they were going to stand up and sing. Edna told Mom that she was going to have to take Laura somewhere besides church because that was all that she knew.
Laura can play a piano and never took a lesson her life. She can play by ear. That makes me mad because I have always wanted to play something but all that I can do is blow a sonata. (You may have to put your imagination to work to figure out what instrument that is). She loves to sing and play and we have had some great times singing together. I have been blessed to preach in several meetings in Ocean Springs through the years and have stayed at Laura's during that time. She and Jewel took us to one of the finest restaurants to eat that I have even been in. It is called, "Anthony's Under The Oaks" and is in Ocean Springs.
Laura married a military man and they moved about over the U.S. and even overseas. She had two children, Kirk and Kendra. Kendra was killed by a drunk driver several years ago leaving a baby of her own. Laura and Jewel adopted that baby, Lindsey who is now soon to graduate from high school and is a beautiful and wonderful young lady.
Laura is stark raving crazy! Now, you might wonder why an older brother would speak so of his baby sister. She lives in Ocean Springs, Mississippi and has stayed there through the worst hurricanes the U.S. has had. She stayed there through hurricane Katrina and I just thought that after everything was over we would have to go and gather up her family and take care of them but they survived wonderfully well and were able to help so many other people. When hurricane Ike was coming I thought, "She will leave this time!" Nope! She stayed right there again and everything was well. She needs to at least learn how to swim!
So, February 14, 1949 was a special day at Herman Junction and with this new baby all was well.
HERMAN JUNCTION FINE DINING: POST #32
I mentioned in an earlier post about Dad that when he was young he would often have to go to bed hungry and he resolved that when he had a family that would not be the case. He said that we might not have a lot of different things to eat but that we would have plenty of what we had. He kept that promise through the years too. I remember once that Louis Woods came to the house to buy a gallon of coal oil. Dad kept two fifty gallon barrels of coal oil all the time because Mom cooked with it and of course we built fires with it in the winter time. I was a little kid wandering around outside while they were talking and I heard them talking about how hard the times were. Louis said, "Herb, I have eat so much poke salat that every time I go to the toilet it looks like a brush pile!" Can you imagine the picture that flashed through my mind? Probably the same one that you just had. We never had it that bad that I remember.
Mom was an excellent cook and we grew up eating about the same foods that others in our area ate. I have mentioned earlier how many huge biscuits (I called them cat-head biscuits and so many didn't know what that was) she made every morning. I was an odd one I guess but I didn't like eggs and gravy and still don't. But, when Mom would open one of those half gallon green jars that was packed with canned sausage balls and fix them for breakfast I could eat that, Pride of Dixie syrup with butter stirred up in it, and buttered biscuits and felt that I was fed like a king. We ate about three different kinds of beans, potatoes, every kind of vegetable that one could think of almost, pickled beets and other kinds of pickles, etc. and we fared sumptuously every day like the rich man in Luke 16. We ate about the same thing every day and it was just wonderful!
Then, the Herman Junction boy went off to Searcy, Arkansas to Harding College. I was introduced to some things that I had never seen before and I am not good at all at trying new foods. Boiled Okra! Mom had always fried hers and I loved it. I took one bite of that boiled okra and that was it. I never did like anything in my mouth that I couldn't spit out if I wanted to and I couldn't do that with slimy boiled okra. I knew then what E.D. Smith meant when they told me that he took a bite of boiled Okra and then leaned over and looked under his chair to see if it went straight on through. I went in the dining hall one night and there on my plate was a pile of white, stringy, stuff with a little wad of red sauce looking stuff right in the middle of it. They told me that it was spaghetti but I had never seen any like that and I wasn't about to eat it. So, I walked down to Bill Bob's dairy queen and got me a chili dog. A few days later I went in the dining hall for lunch (Dinner at Herman Junction) and there were some tables at the side with sacks of stuff piled high on them. I learned that our dinner (they had done replaced supper too) was in those sacks. There was a sandwich, apple, and potato chips. It was off the Billy Bob's again that evening. I don't know how in the world that I gained about 40 pounds down there because I thought that I was starving to death and would have if it had not been for Billy Bob's.
My Lady and I married and moved away to Michigan City, Indiana. It was there that I first met something called, "PIZZA." Some folks had us over to eat one night and they had Pizza. I could not stand the smell of that stuff. I didn't know what to do because this wasn't a regular staple at Herman Junction and just the way it was spelled looked silly to me and the fact that they called it a pie was outright ridiculous because I had eaten pie all my life and none of them were like this. Do you know what I learned to do? I put peanut butter on it and I liked it fine! But, My Lady made me stop doing that and I learned to eat it as long as I could choose what they put on it.
We moved back to Arkansas and a Dr. and his wife at Manila, Ark. took us to supper one Saturday night at Paragould. They ordered 'Filets' for us and I had never heard of that either. Here I am in another dilemma and I hated it. But, when they brought that filet it was wonderful and I ate every bite of it.
Then, My Lady, two children and I moved to North Little Rock, Arkansas. The second week that we were there some folk took us to Mexico Chiquito to eat. I had never seen nor eaten Mexican food. It was dark in there! I couldn't see what they were bringing. They brought a Guacomole salad with all that lettuce and stuff and a wad of Avocado stuff sitting on top of it. I looked at that and thought that it looked like where a goose had been eating Johnson grass all day and put his droppings on top of that lettuce. No way am I going to eat that! I would not touch that main course either and I apologized profusely but I just could not eat that stuff. Two weeks later the same folks took us out again to another place and they and My Lady ordered Mexican food again and I ordered fried chicken. It was light in there. When they brought that big plate of food, it looked like chili! I loved chili! I took a bite of My Lady's stuff and I have eaten five tons of Mexican food since then! It makes a difference when I can see what I am eating. A few weeks later I took My Lady and kids to the Holiday Inn for supper one Friday night. There on the menu was that word again, "Filet". I was glad to see that ordered one and my mouth watered the whole time that we had to wait. But, when they brought my food it was FISH! AWFUL FISH! No one had told me that they made filets out of fish just like they did beef and I had no idea on earth what HADDOCK was so that was a disappointing ordeal.
In recent years I have worked a lot in Romania but I learned very quickly that I could not eat their food. So, every time I go it is back to 'under the cotton wagon' food for me...Beanie-Weenies, Peanut Butter and Crackers, baloney sandwich etc. and I'll tell you what, it is mighty good over there.
After my travels in the world I have really learned to appreciate the fine dining that I grew up on at Herman Junction and My Lady still fixes regularly. That is what makes everything just fine at Herman Junction.
Mom was an excellent cook and we grew up eating about the same foods that others in our area ate. I have mentioned earlier how many huge biscuits (I called them cat-head biscuits and so many didn't know what that was) she made every morning. I was an odd one I guess but I didn't like eggs and gravy and still don't. But, when Mom would open one of those half gallon green jars that was packed with canned sausage balls and fix them for breakfast I could eat that, Pride of Dixie syrup with butter stirred up in it, and buttered biscuits and felt that I was fed like a king. We ate about three different kinds of beans, potatoes, every kind of vegetable that one could think of almost, pickled beets and other kinds of pickles, etc. and we fared sumptuously every day like the rich man in Luke 16. We ate about the same thing every day and it was just wonderful!
Then, the Herman Junction boy went off to Searcy, Arkansas to Harding College. I was introduced to some things that I had never seen before and I am not good at all at trying new foods. Boiled Okra! Mom had always fried hers and I loved it. I took one bite of that boiled okra and that was it. I never did like anything in my mouth that I couldn't spit out if I wanted to and I couldn't do that with slimy boiled okra. I knew then what E.D. Smith meant when they told me that he took a bite of boiled Okra and then leaned over and looked under his chair to see if it went straight on through. I went in the dining hall one night and there on my plate was a pile of white, stringy, stuff with a little wad of red sauce looking stuff right in the middle of it. They told me that it was spaghetti but I had never seen any like that and I wasn't about to eat it. So, I walked down to Bill Bob's dairy queen and got me a chili dog. A few days later I went in the dining hall for lunch (Dinner at Herman Junction) and there were some tables at the side with sacks of stuff piled high on them. I learned that our dinner (they had done replaced supper too) was in those sacks. There was a sandwich, apple, and potato chips. It was off the Billy Bob's again that evening. I don't know how in the world that I gained about 40 pounds down there because I thought that I was starving to death and would have if it had not been for Billy Bob's.
My Lady and I married and moved away to Michigan City, Indiana. It was there that I first met something called, "PIZZA." Some folks had us over to eat one night and they had Pizza. I could not stand the smell of that stuff. I didn't know what to do because this wasn't a regular staple at Herman Junction and just the way it was spelled looked silly to me and the fact that they called it a pie was outright ridiculous because I had eaten pie all my life and none of them were like this. Do you know what I learned to do? I put peanut butter on it and I liked it fine! But, My Lady made me stop doing that and I learned to eat it as long as I could choose what they put on it.
We moved back to Arkansas and a Dr. and his wife at Manila, Ark. took us to supper one Saturday night at Paragould. They ordered 'Filets' for us and I had never heard of that either. Here I am in another dilemma and I hated it. But, when they brought that filet it was wonderful and I ate every bite of it.
Then, My Lady, two children and I moved to North Little Rock, Arkansas. The second week that we were there some folk took us to Mexico Chiquito to eat. I had never seen nor eaten Mexican food. It was dark in there! I couldn't see what they were bringing. They brought a Guacomole salad with all that lettuce and stuff and a wad of Avocado stuff sitting on top of it. I looked at that and thought that it looked like where a goose had been eating Johnson grass all day and put his droppings on top of that lettuce. No way am I going to eat that! I would not touch that main course either and I apologized profusely but I just could not eat that stuff. Two weeks later the same folks took us out again to another place and they and My Lady ordered Mexican food again and I ordered fried chicken. It was light in there. When they brought that big plate of food, it looked like chili! I loved chili! I took a bite of My Lady's stuff and I have eaten five tons of Mexican food since then! It makes a difference when I can see what I am eating. A few weeks later I took My Lady and kids to the Holiday Inn for supper one Friday night. There on the menu was that word again, "Filet". I was glad to see that ordered one and my mouth watered the whole time that we had to wait. But, when they brought my food it was FISH! AWFUL FISH! No one had told me that they made filets out of fish just like they did beef and I had no idea on earth what HADDOCK was so that was a disappointing ordeal.
In recent years I have worked a lot in Romania but I learned very quickly that I could not eat their food. So, every time I go it is back to 'under the cotton wagon' food for me...Beanie-Weenies, Peanut Butter and Crackers, baloney sandwich etc. and I'll tell you what, it is mighty good over there.
After my travels in the world I have really learned to appreciate the fine dining that I grew up on at Herman Junction and My Lady still fixes regularly. That is what makes everything just fine at Herman Junction.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
