I just thought about writing about things that happen in our life.
We will never completely understand why the things that happen to us, when they do nor why. Except that life is so full of the unknown things. We have to have complete trust in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to live through the good times as well as those bad things. Knowing that The Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross and was raised from the dead to justify us!! That is how we can overcome so much, some of us more than others. The only way we have the strength to do this is to rely on God to oversee our lives. I will tell some of the good and some of the bad things that have happened in my life and the lives of those I love.
Be back later!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
I Was Born
I Was Born
The first dramatic thing that happened in my life: I was born!!!! I was born into a family with a FATHER and a MOTHER!!! an older brother, two Grandmothers, one Grandfather and a host of Aunts, Uncles and Cousins.
Now I am the kind of person that cannot stand to be late for anything!!!! My Daddy had to go about 10 miles (by mule and wagon, I suppose) to get the Doctor. So, since I don't like to be late for anything, I decided to be born before the Doctor arrived!!! But one of my Grandmothers was there and an Aunt, so my Mother did not have to welcome me all by herself. I can't imagine having a baby at home with no Doctor nor a nurse. But that was pretty normal for 1930s.
We lived on a farm way out in the country, so I am a county girl.
Now, who knows why I was born?
God Knows!!!!
Now I am the kind of person that cannot stand to be late for anything!!!! My Daddy had to go about 10 miles (by mule and wagon, I suppose) to get the Doctor. So, since I don't like to be late for anything, I decided to be born before the Doctor arrived!!! But one of my Grandmothers was there and an Aunt, so my Mother did not have to welcome me all by herself. I can't imagine having a baby at home with no Doctor nor a nurse. But that was pretty normal for 1930s.
We lived on a farm way out in the country, so I am a county girl.
Now, who knows why I was born?
God Knows!!!!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Addendum to Second Blog
Addendum to Second Blog
I want to add some things to my second blog as I have decided to make this a permanent record of events.
In my second blog I said I was born about 10 miles from the nearest town and some other things that I need to put names to.
I was born in a place called Blue Springs community about 10 miles south of Opp, Alabama. My Father was Charlie Lee Northey, my Mother was Lucy Mae Wise Northey. My Grandmothers were: Elizabeth Caylor Northey (Lizzie), and Lou Anna McKinney Wise. My one living Grandfather was John Pete Wise. My Grandfather Richard Reginald Northey had passed away many years before. His relatives had migrated from either Ireland or England a long time ago. (Not on the Mayflower!)
The Aunt that was present at my birth was Lottie Lee Northey, wife of Tommy Northey. My older brother, who was a little over 2 years old at that time is: Wayne Lee Northey. I have no idea how many and which cousins were already born at that time. I do know I had a big gang of them.
I don't know when we moved from Blue Springs to a little house between Opp, Alabama and the Fleeta Community across the road from a Mrs Exa Spurlin. I vaguely remember moving from the little house down the road toward Fleeta to a big house and farm that Daddy and Momma had bought. I must have been about 3 years old and all I remember is moving on a wagon with a mule (or two) pulling it. I think I was sitting on the back of it and if I remember correctly there was an ironing board sticking out over the back. Anyway we lived on the farm and Daddy farmed and we had cows, pigs, chickens and so forth. I will tell more in the blogs to follow. I had a baby sister, Juanita, born some two years after I was born. I do not know if we were still at Blue Springs or if we already were at the other place. I do know that we had a happy childhood, the three of us.
More to come, stay tuned.........
In my second blog I said I was born about 10 miles from the nearest town and some other things that I need to put names to.
I was born in a place called Blue Springs community about 10 miles south of Opp, Alabama. My Father was Charlie Lee Northey, my Mother was Lucy Mae Wise Northey. My Grandmothers were: Elizabeth Caylor Northey (Lizzie), and Lou Anna McKinney Wise. My one living Grandfather was John Pete Wise. My Grandfather Richard Reginald Northey had passed away many years before. His relatives had migrated from either Ireland or England a long time ago. (Not on the Mayflower!)
The Aunt that was present at my birth was Lottie Lee Northey, wife of Tommy Northey. My older brother, who was a little over 2 years old at that time is: Wayne Lee Northey. I have no idea how many and which cousins were already born at that time. I do know I had a big gang of them.
I don't know when we moved from Blue Springs to a little house between Opp, Alabama and the Fleeta Community across the road from a Mrs Exa Spurlin. I vaguely remember moving from the little house down the road toward Fleeta to a big house and farm that Daddy and Momma had bought. I must have been about 3 years old and all I remember is moving on a wagon with a mule (or two) pulling it. I think I was sitting on the back of it and if I remember correctly there was an ironing board sticking out over the back. Anyway we lived on the farm and Daddy farmed and we had cows, pigs, chickens and so forth. I will tell more in the blogs to follow. I had a baby sister, Juanita, born some two years after I was born. I do not know if we were still at Blue Springs or if we already were at the other place. I do know that we had a happy childhood, the three of us.
More to come, stay tuned.........
Sunday, March 11, 2012
The Nail
The Nail
My sister Juanita told me she was born at Blue Springs a little over two years after I was. So she got to live in the little house across from Mrs. Exa Spurlin and moved with us on the wagon. But I am sure she doesn't remember it, because I barely do.
Well, I will try to give you some more fun details!!
My Daddy farmed on the farm near Fleeta for several years and we live in the big house there. When we moved in there or shortly thereafter, they were building a screened porch on the back of the house. Well, you know how a three or four year old (not sure about the age) is rambunctious and won't listen when Momma says don't do this or that, the kid will go ahead and do it anyway. So I was jumping around on the unfinished porch floor and of course I fell!!! Can you believe it? I fell onto a plank with a nail sticking up out of it and one of my hands hit the nail and it went almost all the way through it right below the base of my thumb. I could see the scar until a few years ago. You wouldn't believe what my Momma made me do? Go to a Doctor? Of course not!! She took a saucer and poured kerosene into it, yes, kerosene like you burn in a heater, and she made me put my whole palm into that kerosene!!! Can you imagine the screaming, crying and whining, no! no! no! it will hurt!!! And believe you me it burned and hurt a lot, but I did not get lock-jaw nor an infection!! So much for old wives tales about home remedies!!!! They still work!! But who uses them?
Stay Tuned..........
Well, I will try to give you some more fun details!!
My Daddy farmed on the farm near Fleeta for several years and we live in the big house there. When we moved in there or shortly thereafter, they were building a screened porch on the back of the house. Well, you know how a three or four year old (not sure about the age) is rambunctious and won't listen when Momma says don't do this or that, the kid will go ahead and do it anyway. So I was jumping around on the unfinished porch floor and of course I fell!!! Can you believe it? I fell onto a plank with a nail sticking up out of it and one of my hands hit the nail and it went almost all the way through it right below the base of my thumb. I could see the scar until a few years ago. You wouldn't believe what my Momma made me do? Go to a Doctor? Of course not!! She took a saucer and poured kerosene into it, yes, kerosene like you burn in a heater, and she made me put my whole palm into that kerosene!!! Can you imagine the screaming, crying and whining, no! no! no! it will hurt!!! And believe you me it burned and hurt a lot, but I did not get lock-jaw nor an infection!! So much for old wives tales about home remedies!!!! They still work!! But who uses them?
Stay Tuned..........
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Another time, another nail
Well, I am back finally. I guess you see I have changed the name of my blog. I thought since it was going to be about my memories, it needed an appropriate name.
Now for the other time and nail. Sometime later than the first nail, (have no idea how old I was) I was playing or just in the barn, don't remember really, but I stepped on a rusty nail and of course I was barefoot so it went in the bottom of my foot. Well this time I did go to a doctor and got the first tetanus shot of my life I guess. I bet there was squalling and hollering going on this time too!!! LOL!
We had cows, pigs and chickens running around in their pens. They were all fun to watch, especially when they had chicks, piglets, and calves. The young ones were so pretty and like all animals they are sweet. But like human beings they grow up and look and act just like the old ones.
I remember trying to learn to milk the cow. Momma would sit on a little stool and she just could make the milk stream out of that cow!!!! The bucket would be full in no time at all. I guess I was too young, but I had to try to milk that cow!! I was really a little (lot) scared of her. She would swish her old long hard tail around knocking flies off her back and if you weren't watching, that old tail would hit you!!! Ouch! It would hurt.But no matter how hard I pulled on that teat, not a drop of milk could I get to drop into the bucket!!!! I think I was probably a third grader, so I probably was not big enough to do it. But, my Bill says that was no excuse cause he was milking cows way before he was that old. But anyway, I never did learn how to milk a cow.
We had a good time living on the farm though. We went to Fleeta School just a few miles up the road. I remember when I was in the first grade, I went into the cloak room for some reason. Anyway an old yellow jacket stung me on my finger!!! Man, you never heard such carrying on!! They finally got my Daddy to come to school to try to calm me down. That was the worse pain I ever could imagine. Well, Daddy chewed tobacco, so he put a wad of it on my finger to stop the pain. I don't remember if I went home with him or if I stayed at school. I just remember they could calm me down until Daddy came,
I remember that Wayne, me and Juanita had either the measles, chicken pox, or mumps all at one time, might have been all three at three different times. I remember Momma had us all in one bed to make it easier for her to take care of us. I think we all might have had sore eyes at the same time too, or at the very least one right behind the other. Those were the days!!! Poor Momma, three sick kids at once. But I don't remember her ever complaining about taking care of us.
Well, enough for this time.....
Y'all come back now,ya hear?
Now for the other time and nail. Sometime later than the first nail, (have no idea how old I was) I was playing or just in the barn, don't remember really, but I stepped on a rusty nail and of course I was barefoot so it went in the bottom of my foot. Well this time I did go to a doctor and got the first tetanus shot of my life I guess. I bet there was squalling and hollering going on this time too!!! LOL!
We had cows, pigs and chickens running around in their pens. They were all fun to watch, especially when they had chicks, piglets, and calves. The young ones were so pretty and like all animals they are sweet. But like human beings they grow up and look and act just like the old ones.
I remember trying to learn to milk the cow. Momma would sit on a little stool and she just could make the milk stream out of that cow!!!! The bucket would be full in no time at all. I guess I was too young, but I had to try to milk that cow!! I was really a little (lot) scared of her. She would swish her old long hard tail around knocking flies off her back and if you weren't watching, that old tail would hit you!!! Ouch! It would hurt.But no matter how hard I pulled on that teat, not a drop of milk could I get to drop into the bucket!!!! I think I was probably a third grader, so I probably was not big enough to do it. But, my Bill says that was no excuse cause he was milking cows way before he was that old. But anyway, I never did learn how to milk a cow.
We had a good time living on the farm though. We went to Fleeta School just a few miles up the road. I remember when I was in the first grade, I went into the cloak room for some reason. Anyway an old yellow jacket stung me on my finger!!! Man, you never heard such carrying on!! They finally got my Daddy to come to school to try to calm me down. That was the worse pain I ever could imagine. Well, Daddy chewed tobacco, so he put a wad of it on my finger to stop the pain. I don't remember if I went home with him or if I stayed at school. I just remember they could calm me down until Daddy came,
I remember that Wayne, me and Juanita had either the measles, chicken pox, or mumps all at one time, might have been all three at three different times. I remember Momma had us all in one bed to make it easier for her to take care of us. I think we all might have had sore eyes at the same time too, or at the very least one right behind the other. Those were the days!!! Poor Momma, three sick kids at once. But I don't remember her ever complaining about taking care of us.
Well, enough for this time.....
Y'all come back now,ya hear?
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Life in the Country
Living on the farm was a wonderful way to live. Back then family and neighbors were very important. We had time to visit with family and friends and they with us. And we all did too, a lot!!!!
We used to have peanut boilings, when the old black cast iron wash pot was filled with water and peanuts with a lot of salt and a fire built underneath, heated to a good steady boil. It took a good long while for the peanuts to get done and ready to eat.
But before they could be boiled, they had to be pulled up out of the ground in the field, then hand picked off and the dirt washed off, (no one wants gritty sand in their mouth). After all the work was done and the peanuts boiling, the grown-ups would sit around outside around the fire and talk while the children ran around playing what ever games they could come up with. Ball games, hide and seek, or the boys chasing the girls and scaring them to hear them scream. Sometimes it was a pretty rambunctious time and a lot of racket. You would hear a Mother or Daddy say quieten down! Quit running in the dark before you get hurt! I said quit making so much noise!! I mean it!!
One night we were all running around, cousins, neighbor kids,etc. One or more of the boys had a BB gun and was shooting it in the dark. Well, I was hit by a BB on the inside one of my wrists!!! It scared me half to death and the boy too!!!! I screamed and hollered like I was kilt!! Well, I guess you know the grown-ups stopped the BB shooting right then!! I have no idea who was doing the shooting, but we really had a good time at those peanut boilings!!!! I guess there were probably 6 or 8 or even more families there and with no telling how many kids, but it was a gang of us!!!!
We always had lots of cousins to play with and we always were visiting back and forth. If we spent the night, at our house or theirs, made no difference, we cousins would sleep on mattresses on the floor 3-4-5 or more to the bed, so many we had to sleep crossways in order for us all to sleep on the same bed. Sometimes we had to have more that one bed. Talk about giggling and tussling!!!! Momma hollering "y'all get quiet in there and go to sleep now. I mean it!" we would quieten down for a little then one would giggle and then we all would get started again. But, gracious me, it was a lot of fun!!! The more kids, the more fun! You think "sleep-overs" today are something, you should have been to one of those cousin ones!!!!!
More next time......
Y'all come back, now, ya hear!
We used to have peanut boilings, when the old black cast iron wash pot was filled with water and peanuts with a lot of salt and a fire built underneath, heated to a good steady boil. It took a good long while for the peanuts to get done and ready to eat.
But before they could be boiled, they had to be pulled up out of the ground in the field, then hand picked off and the dirt washed off, (no one wants gritty sand in their mouth). After all the work was done and the peanuts boiling, the grown-ups would sit around outside around the fire and talk while the children ran around playing what ever games they could come up with. Ball games, hide and seek, or the boys chasing the girls and scaring them to hear them scream. Sometimes it was a pretty rambunctious time and a lot of racket. You would hear a Mother or Daddy say quieten down! Quit running in the dark before you get hurt! I said quit making so much noise!! I mean it!!
One night we were all running around, cousins, neighbor kids,etc. One or more of the boys had a BB gun and was shooting it in the dark. Well, I was hit by a BB on the inside one of my wrists!!! It scared me half to death and the boy too!!!! I screamed and hollered like I was kilt!! Well, I guess you know the grown-ups stopped the BB shooting right then!! I have no idea who was doing the shooting, but we really had a good time at those peanut boilings!!!! I guess there were probably 6 or 8 or even more families there and with no telling how many kids, but it was a gang of us!!!!
We always had lots of cousins to play with and we always were visiting back and forth. If we spent the night, at our house or theirs, made no difference, we cousins would sleep on mattresses on the floor 3-4-5 or more to the bed, so many we had to sleep crossways in order for us all to sleep on the same bed. Sometimes we had to have more that one bed. Talk about giggling and tussling!!!! Momma hollering "y'all get quiet in there and go to sleep now. I mean it!" we would quieten down for a little then one would giggle and then we all would get started again. But, gracious me, it was a lot of fun!!! The more kids, the more fun! You think "sleep-overs" today are something, you should have been to one of those cousin ones!!!!!
More next time......
Y'all come back, now, ya hear!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Ew=www.........Ah-hhh!
More about living on the farm as a child.
Not only did we have peanut boilings, we had hog killings! That's right: HOG KILLINGS!!!! Neighbors and sometimes family would come to these gatherings. I don't know how many hogs would be killed in one day, but I know it had to be several. See, every family represented would take a share of the meat home.
The men would first kill the hog (not sure if they knocked them in the head or shot them), then slit their throat and hung them somehow on two posts with a cross post and let the blood drain out. Then they dipped the hog in a vat or tub of some sort filled with boiling hot water. I have not idea how long they kept them in the water, but when it had been long enough, they took the body out and scraped all the hair off of it. Then all you could see was pinkish, white skin. Amazing how clean the hair came off.
The next step was to get the entrails (intestines) out. They might have done this before the hot water bath, I was too young to remember all the mechanics of this great operation! Anyway, there was nothing wasted, nothing!!! They had liver and lights (consisted of lungs and liver). I am not sure about the heart, but I know for a fact that they used the hog head to make souse (hog head cheese). My Momma loved that souse. She also loved to scramble pig brains and eggs for breakfast! I never could bring myself to eat that nor the souse! I don't know if they used the feet, tails and ears, but I do know that they sell them in the grocery stores even today, so they are edible as well. The waste was cleaned out of the intestines and then washed until squeeky clean and then used to make stuffed sausages. I remember me and Wayne helping to stuff the sausages. There was a machine that had a hopper to put the sausage mix in and an opening that we would put the clean intestine onto and a handle that we turned to push the ground up sausage mix into the intestine and the ends tied to keep the meat inside. Then they would be strung up on some sort of pieces of wood in the smoke house to be smoked.That is how smoked sausage came to be. Nowadays they use something else to put the sausage mix into.They also made sausage patties. The women had to grind up the sausage and get the seasoning just right or they would not be good. The intestines were also used as chitterlings (mostly called chitlins) and some people fried them, some boiled them and ate them. Those I could not stand to eat either (they stunk even though they were clean! My Momma loved those as well, don't know if my Daddy did or not.
While all this is going on the men are cutting up the hog into hams, shoulders, boston butts, bacon (side meat), pork chops, roasts, ribs,backbone, ham hocks and probably some other cuts that I don't know about.
Then they had the old cast iron wash pot over a fire and were frying the skin to make cracklings and the lard that cooked out was used to cook with and fry things in.
One of my aunts and her husband put some of the side meat into buckets of lard and sealed them up and had pickled meat. I don't know if they added anything to the lard or not. I do know that I did not like pickled meat. They took it out and fried it like bacon, but it did not taste much like bacon to me. I don't remember Momma and Daddy doing pickled meat, but like I said I was pretty young and don't remember all the details.
The hog killings had to be done when it was very cold so the meat would not spoil before it was properly prepared for storage. All the hams, shoulder, sausage,and bacon and I don't know what else were put into the smoke house for weeks I think until they were cured just right.
While all this was going on, some of the women would be in the house cooking dinner for every body.
Then when all the work was done, the meat was portioned out to each family according to how they had worked it out. The families that came there had their own hog killings and my parents helped and shared with them the same way.
But even with all the eww-ww work, the ahh-hh eating was mighty fine. And besides we all had a good time fellow shipping and working together.
Hog Killing Day was looked forward to with great excitement each year. Daddy would say, "well, I believe its cold enough today to kill hogs." That was all he had to say, then we knew what was coming. This went on each year on the farm.
So there you have the eww-ww and the ahh-hh!!!!
See ya next time!!!
Not only did we have peanut boilings, we had hog killings! That's right: HOG KILLINGS!!!! Neighbors and sometimes family would come to these gatherings. I don't know how many hogs would be killed in one day, but I know it had to be several. See, every family represented would take a share of the meat home.
The men would first kill the hog (not sure if they knocked them in the head or shot them), then slit their throat and hung them somehow on two posts with a cross post and let the blood drain out. Then they dipped the hog in a vat or tub of some sort filled with boiling hot water. I have not idea how long they kept them in the water, but when it had been long enough, they took the body out and scraped all the hair off of it. Then all you could see was pinkish, white skin. Amazing how clean the hair came off.
The next step was to get the entrails (intestines) out. They might have done this before the hot water bath, I was too young to remember all the mechanics of this great operation! Anyway, there was nothing wasted, nothing!!! They had liver and lights (consisted of lungs and liver). I am not sure about the heart, but I know for a fact that they used the hog head to make souse (hog head cheese). My Momma loved that souse. She also loved to scramble pig brains and eggs for breakfast! I never could bring myself to eat that nor the souse! I don't know if they used the feet, tails and ears, but I do know that they sell them in the grocery stores even today, so they are edible as well. The waste was cleaned out of the intestines and then washed until squeeky clean and then used to make stuffed sausages. I remember me and Wayne helping to stuff the sausages. There was a machine that had a hopper to put the sausage mix in and an opening that we would put the clean intestine onto and a handle that we turned to push the ground up sausage mix into the intestine and the ends tied to keep the meat inside. Then they would be strung up on some sort of pieces of wood in the smoke house to be smoked.That is how smoked sausage came to be. Nowadays they use something else to put the sausage mix into.They also made sausage patties. The women had to grind up the sausage and get the seasoning just right or they would not be good. The intestines were also used as chitterlings (mostly called chitlins) and some people fried them, some boiled them and ate them. Those I could not stand to eat either (they stunk even though they were clean! My Momma loved those as well, don't know if my Daddy did or not.
While all this is going on the men are cutting up the hog into hams, shoulders, boston butts, bacon (side meat), pork chops, roasts, ribs,backbone, ham hocks and probably some other cuts that I don't know about.
Then they had the old cast iron wash pot over a fire and were frying the skin to make cracklings and the lard that cooked out was used to cook with and fry things in.
One of my aunts and her husband put some of the side meat into buckets of lard and sealed them up and had pickled meat. I don't know if they added anything to the lard or not. I do know that I did not like pickled meat. They took it out and fried it like bacon, but it did not taste much like bacon to me. I don't remember Momma and Daddy doing pickled meat, but like I said I was pretty young and don't remember all the details.
The hog killings had to be done when it was very cold so the meat would not spoil before it was properly prepared for storage. All the hams, shoulder, sausage,and bacon and I don't know what else were put into the smoke house for weeks I think until they were cured just right.
While all this was going on, some of the women would be in the house cooking dinner for every body.
Then when all the work was done, the meat was portioned out to each family according to how they had worked it out. The families that came there had their own hog killings and my parents helped and shared with them the same way.
But even with all the eww-ww work, the ahh-hh eating was mighty fine. And besides we all had a good time fellow shipping and working together.
Hog Killing Day was looked forward to with great excitement each year. Daddy would say, "well, I believe its cold enough today to kill hogs." That was all he had to say, then we knew what was coming. This went on each year on the farm.
So there you have the eww-ww and the ahh-hh!!!!
See ya next time!!!
Back Again
It has been several days since I posted because of things going on in the here and now. Will get back to the stories now.
Today I will tell about some fun days of growing up on the farm: The cane mill and syrup making!
My Daddy had a contraption with a tall ( it looked tall to me, a small child) standing in a spot and the contraption had an arm ( of wood or metal, I don't know) sticking out for a pretty long way and fastened to a mule somehow. The mule would walk around and around and around in a circle. The stalks of cane were fed into the contraption on one side by someone and the juice would be squeezed out into containers.
The cane juice was good to drink. (I never was a big fan of cane juice, but most people were). It would be jugged up and I guess the people that brought their cane to Daddy to be processed into juice/syrup, would take theirs home, sell it, or either let Daddy make cane syrup out of it for their families, etc.
Daddy also had a syrup making contraption fixed up to cook syrup.This consisted of several large square pans set up in descending order. There was a fire under each pan. The juice was placed in the pan at the top of the set of pans. When it had cooked to the right consistency, it was released into the next lower pan and cooked until it also reached the proper consistency for the next pan. When it reached the bottom pan and cooked until it was thick it was put into syrup cans and a lid placed on it. It was very sweet and so good on biscuits or pancakes or to cook some things with.
This is sort of what it looked like:
It was a fun day when there was cane milling day! There was always a lot of people around and kids, kids, kids!!! We always had fun watching the mule plodding around and around all day long!!! Seeing the cane juice coming out, sipping some and the syrup was really something to watch. And of course we ran and played and hollered and had fun just being together.
In the first few pans there would be foam and they would skim it off. This would go on until there was no more foam and it became smooth, sweet syrup. If you let it set in the cans too long it would turn to sugar, just as honey and syrup that you buy today will do.
I am not sure if the women cooked for everybody on those days, but I suspect they did and syrup making took a long time. I was so young that I am not sure I have every thing just exactly right, but I do remember watching all these things going on.
I hope that you all are enjoying my journey through the past. More to come!!!
By the way, don't be upset with the dates on these posts, I have to go backwards with the dates to make them be in order as they happened.
See ya later.......
Today I will tell about some fun days of growing up on the farm: The cane mill and syrup making!
My Daddy had a contraption with a tall ( it looked tall to me, a small child) standing in a spot and the contraption had an arm ( of wood or metal, I don't know) sticking out for a pretty long way and fastened to a mule somehow. The mule would walk around and around and around in a circle. The stalks of cane were fed into the contraption on one side by someone and the juice would be squeezed out into containers.
The cane juice was good to drink. (I never was a big fan of cane juice, but most people were). It would be jugged up and I guess the people that brought their cane to Daddy to be processed into juice/syrup, would take theirs home, sell it, or either let Daddy make cane syrup out of it for their families, etc.
Daddy also had a syrup making contraption fixed up to cook syrup.This consisted of several large square pans set up in descending order. There was a fire under each pan. The juice was placed in the pan at the top of the set of pans. When it had cooked to the right consistency, it was released into the next lower pan and cooked until it also reached the proper consistency for the next pan. When it reached the bottom pan and cooked until it was thick it was put into syrup cans and a lid placed on it. It was very sweet and so good on biscuits or pancakes or to cook some things with.
This is sort of what it looked like:
In the first few pans there would be foam and they would skim it off. This would go on until there was no more foam and it became smooth, sweet syrup. If you let it set in the cans too long it would turn to sugar, just as honey and syrup that you buy today will do.
I am not sure if the women cooked for everybody on those days, but I suspect they did and syrup making took a long time. I was so young that I am not sure I have every thing just exactly right, but I do remember watching all these things going on.
I hope that you all are enjoying my journey through the past. More to come!!!
By the way, don't be upset with the dates on these posts, I have to go backwards with the dates to make them be in order as they happened.
See ya later.......
Monday, March 5, 2012
The Only Time I Ever Remember Daddy Spanking Me!!
I must have been 3 or 4 years old when my Daddy gave me a spanking. I remember Mrs. Exa Spurlin, from when we lived across the road from her. Somebody was dead at her house and back then the family, friends and neighbors would go and "set up" with the corpse in their front room. Well Momma and Daddy were going and I had no idea what they did at those things (setting ups). I pitched a FIT like you wouldn't believe! I meant I was going to go with them. I don't know if I pitched a fit very often, but I remember that one time I really pitched one!!! I guess my Grandmother "Granny" Northey must have been at our house to watch us kids. But I thought I would die if I could not go with them. My Daddy really laid a spanking on me and they left me at home. I remember standing behind the door squalling my eyes out. From that day on I would not ask for anything, I was afraid I would be told NO!!! I could not stand to be told no, nor be denied anything, so I didn't ask. I would just wish for things.
I remember when Juanita (my sister) got big enough to talk all she had to say was: "I want" and she got it , whether it was ice cream, candy or to go with Daddy and Momma. Seems like she was always "wanting" something, but I was too timid to ask. Of course if she got what she wanted, Wayne and I got it too. But I do know I never asked for anything, afraid of rejection and refusal. I don't remember ever getting another spanking from my Daddy, but I know I got a lot from my Momma!!!
Being the middle child for about 10 years, I can tell you there is a difference between first, middle and third child. Although the first and third child will not agree with me, you can ask any middle child if they ever noticed a difference!! Although I know Momma and Daddy loved me as much as any of the other kids, There was a difference!!! All together we had a very happy and wonderful childhood. Our parents were good, decent hardworking people and they instilled in us the things we needed to grow into God fearing, responsible adults.
I remember when Juanita (my sister) got big enough to talk all she had to say was: "I want" and she got it , whether it was ice cream, candy or to go with Daddy and Momma. Seems like she was always "wanting" something, but I was too timid to ask. Of course if she got what she wanted, Wayne and I got it too. But I do know I never asked for anything, afraid of rejection and refusal. I don't remember ever getting another spanking from my Daddy, but I know I got a lot from my Momma!!!
Being the middle child for about 10 years, I can tell you there is a difference between first, middle and third child. Although the first and third child will not agree with me, you can ask any middle child if they ever noticed a difference!! Although I know Momma and Daddy loved me as much as any of the other kids, There was a difference!!! All together we had a very happy and wonderful childhood. Our parents were good, decent hardworking people and they instilled in us the things we needed to grow into God fearing, responsible adults.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Two Little Girls Play With Fire...For REAL!!!
When we lived in the house near Fleeta School, there was a girl my age living in a big pretty white house probably a quarter of a mile up the road. Her name was Betty Wise. We always thought they were rich, they had more "things" and money than we did. I think that we were kin way off, as my Momma was a Wise before she married my Dad. Never did know for sure though. I don't think Betty claimed kin, for one time years later we were somewhere and she introduced me as a girl she had gone to school with. Oh well. That okay too. We did go to school together.
Well, Betty and I loved to visit each other and play a lot. One day I was at her house and we wanted to play house. She had a toy skillet and she wanted us to cook something in the skillet. She had some matches and we went outside to a small shed of some sort. It was a low building, maybe for chickens, I don't know. Anyway, the shed's floor was covered with straw, lots of it! Well, Betty got the matches and got the straw to burning! Well it began to blaze BIG and spread. We got out of there as fast as we could, scared to death and did not know what to do!! I guess her Mother put it out, I don't remember, but I do know we were scared and crying!!! Well I kind of looked around and saw Mrs. Bernice holding Betty up by one arm and whipping the daylights out of her. I remember Betty had on overalls and a red shirt. I was afraid to hang around, cause I thought she would do that to me next.
Well, let me tell you, my coat tail didn't touch me as I ran all the way to our house as fast as I could.(a saying of my Mom's) I do not remember what I told Momma about that and I don't remember ever going back to play with Betty any more!! I don't remember if I got a spanking or not, but more than likely I did! But I tell you a spanking did not hurt my feeling nearly as much as a good talking to by my Momma!!
I saw Betty at a class reunion a couple of years ago and we had a good laugh about that episode of two little girls playing with fire, for real!!!
Actually, we were very fortunate not to get hurt in that fire!! God was looking out for us for sure!!!!
Well, Betty and I loved to visit each other and play a lot. One day I was at her house and we wanted to play house. She had a toy skillet and she wanted us to cook something in the skillet. She had some matches and we went outside to a small shed of some sort. It was a low building, maybe for chickens, I don't know. Anyway, the shed's floor was covered with straw, lots of it! Well, Betty got the matches and got the straw to burning! Well it began to blaze BIG and spread. We got out of there as fast as we could, scared to death and did not know what to do!! I guess her Mother put it out, I don't remember, but I do know we were scared and crying!!! Well I kind of looked around and saw Mrs. Bernice holding Betty up by one arm and whipping the daylights out of her. I remember Betty had on overalls and a red shirt. I was afraid to hang around, cause I thought she would do that to me next.
Well, let me tell you, my coat tail didn't touch me as I ran all the way to our house as fast as I could.(a saying of my Mom's) I do not remember what I told Momma about that and I don't remember ever going back to play with Betty any more!! I don't remember if I got a spanking or not, but more than likely I did! But I tell you a spanking did not hurt my feeling nearly as much as a good talking to by my Momma!!
I saw Betty at a class reunion a couple of years ago and we had a good laugh about that episode of two little girls playing with fire, for real!!!
Actually, we were very fortunate not to get hurt in that fire!! God was looking out for us for sure!!!!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
This post may not be chronological, but will be some things that I remember while living on the farm near Fleeta, a community a few miles from Opp, Alabama.
I remember a lot of different things but I fail to remember the order in which they occurred, so here goes:
I remember seeing my Momma washing in the big old wash pot in the yard to boil the clothes in. She would have 2 or 3 wash tubs of cold water to rinse them in. She had a battling stick, a paddle shaped stick of wood that she would use to pull the clothes, one piece at a time from the boiling water and put it on a battling block. I don't remember if the block was a tree stump tall enough for her to use or if Daddy built one out of wood. She would beat the clothes with the battling stick to remove any enbedded dirt, stains,etc, then put the piece of clothing in one of the tubs, get the scrub board (this was usually a piece of tin, ridged and encased in a frame of wood) then she would rub the clothes with some lye soap which she had made and she would scrub the clothes up and down the scrub board 'til she had it as clean as possible. (makes me tired to think of it!) Then she had to wring them by hand and put them into the next tub of water, work them around, wring them out by hand and onto the next tub until they were rinsed really good. If you have ever had to wring out a heavy towel or a sheet when mopping up a spill, then you know how much strength it took!! Then (oh the fun of this!) She had take them to the clothesline ( a wire stretched between two poles) and hang them up to dry. If the sun was shining it didn't take long for them to dry, but if a sudden rain storm came up, everyone that was big enough had to hurry and try to get the clothes down before they got wet. But oh!! how sweet the clothes smelt from hanging in the fresh air and sunshine.
They also would take the mattresses off the beds and the quilts and then lay the mattresses on bushes or something to "air out". The quilts would be hung on the clothes lines to air out. Nothing felt or smelt so good as fresh washed sheets, pillow cases and quilts. The pillows would also be "aired out". They would seem to be twice as big and oh, oh so soft!!! Life was good! But Momma had a lot to do in those days to keep things clean and fresh. Thank God, today we have washers and dryers to do that for us.
I remember one day Momma got a new wringer type washer!!! That was so good for her to have. But you really had to be careful with the wringer as your hand or arm could be pulled into the rollers and that could hurt!!!
Well, this time took more than I thought it would, will continue with more stories later. If any or you reading this remember things differently, okay, but this is what I remember!!!
More next time.......
I remember a lot of different things but I fail to remember the order in which they occurred, so here goes:
I remember seeing my Momma washing in the big old wash pot in the yard to boil the clothes in. She would have 2 or 3 wash tubs of cold water to rinse them in. She had a battling stick, a paddle shaped stick of wood that she would use to pull the clothes, one piece at a time from the boiling water and put it on a battling block. I don't remember if the block was a tree stump tall enough for her to use or if Daddy built one out of wood. She would beat the clothes with the battling stick to remove any enbedded dirt, stains,etc, then put the piece of clothing in one of the tubs, get the scrub board (this was usually a piece of tin, ridged and encased in a frame of wood) then she would rub the clothes with some lye soap which she had made and she would scrub the clothes up and down the scrub board 'til she had it as clean as possible. (makes me tired to think of it!) Then she had to wring them by hand and put them into the next tub of water, work them around, wring them out by hand and onto the next tub until they were rinsed really good. If you have ever had to wring out a heavy towel or a sheet when mopping up a spill, then you know how much strength it took!! Then (oh the fun of this!) She had take them to the clothesline ( a wire stretched between two poles) and hang them up to dry. If the sun was shining it didn't take long for them to dry, but if a sudden rain storm came up, everyone that was big enough had to hurry and try to get the clothes down before they got wet. But oh!! how sweet the clothes smelt from hanging in the fresh air and sunshine.
They also would take the mattresses off the beds and the quilts and then lay the mattresses on bushes or something to "air out". The quilts would be hung on the clothes lines to air out. Nothing felt or smelt so good as fresh washed sheets, pillow cases and quilts. The pillows would also be "aired out". They would seem to be twice as big and oh, oh so soft!!! Life was good! But Momma had a lot to do in those days to keep things clean and fresh. Thank God, today we have washers and dryers to do that for us.
I remember one day Momma got a new wringer type washer!!! That was so good for her to have. But you really had to be careful with the wringer as your hand or arm could be pulled into the rollers and that could hurt!!!
Well, this time took more than I thought it would, will continue with more stories later. If any or you reading this remember things differently, okay, but this is what I remember!!!
More next time.......
Friday, March 2, 2012
A Permanent Wave!!!
I must have been 7 or 8 years old (not sure) when for some reason, Momma decided to get me a permanent wave!!!
I had not idea what she had in mind for me. The beauty shop was located in the Old Colonial Hotel in downtown Opp.
Well, first I guess the lady cut my hair, then she put these roller like things in my hair, then of all things she hooked me up to some electric machine. It was very strange looking and huge. I was afraid it would electrocute me!! Those roller got soooo hot!!! She had handed me a pencil and said if it starts burning point to the spot with the pencil and I will adjust it.
Well, it burned and I don't know how long I stayed hooked up to that thing. But I did not have curls, but I had a lot of frizz!!! I don't really remember how it looked, but nothing like I had imagined.
The machine looked like this picture:
I had not idea what she had in mind for me. The beauty shop was located in the Old Colonial Hotel in downtown Opp.
Well, first I guess the lady cut my hair, then she put these roller like things in my hair, then of all things she hooked me up to some electric machine. It was very strange looking and huge. I was afraid it would electrocute me!! Those roller got soooo hot!!! She had handed me a pencil and said if it starts burning point to the spot with the pencil and I will adjust it.
Well, it burned and I don't know how long I stayed hooked up to that thing. But I did not have curls, but I had a lot of frizz!!! I don't really remember how it looked, but nothing like I had imagined.
The machine looked like this picture:
Thursday, March 1, 2012
More Country Living!
I remember so much that we did when we lived on the farm near Fleeta/Opp!!!
We had a porch swing and we all loved to sit on the front porch and swing! All us kids (when the cousins were there) would sit and talk and giggle like every thing that was said was hilarious!! Once we got too many of us in the swing and do you believe on one end the chain that was holding it up broke!!!! Well, you know we all started carrying on like we were kilt!!! But the thing that made us so mad!!!!was all the kids not sitting in the swing, laughing and pointing fingers, and call us babies for crying. Boy!! It hurt out feelings to be laughed at!! But we got over it and the swing was put back up for more fun the next time.
I remember us going to Sweetwater Baptist Church in a wagon pulled by a mule. Seemed like it was a long bumpy ride, but really it is only a few miles. I remember going to Sunday School and preaching at that Church until we moved away. I was a very young 12 or 13 (maybe younger) and I was the Sunday School Secretary! I can't imagine why I was chosen, but I do remember ordering the books, keeping up with the attendance, etc. We did have a car sometime before we moved from that house, it was a black car, no telling what kind.
We used to go to the Halloween Carnival at the School house some night close to Halloween. The most fun to me was the fishing hole. They would have a sheet hung up and there was a pole (stick) with a safety pin on the end of a string and we would throw it over the sheet and some kind person ( with patience) would be behind the sheet all night and put a prize on the pin and pull it and we would think we had caught a FISH!!! We would be so excited over whatever they put on our "hook". There was always a big crowd there for the festivities.
I had friends at school and we, the girls would play jacks on the cement slabs that were on each side of the front steps at recess and or play period. We did not have anything called PE, but we had play period and I guess we were on our own. I guess the boys probably played catch or something and we girls jumped rope and played hopscotch as well as jacks.
My Momma used to be a cook in the lunchroom at Fleeta. We always had the best food. I always loved to eat in the lunchroom even when I was in high school. The food was like a regular home cooked meal. Momma and the other ladies could bring home food that was left over. I do know they made the best vegetable soup, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas and anything else. It was all sooooo good!!!!
More next time.......
We had a porch swing and we all loved to sit on the front porch and swing! All us kids (when the cousins were there) would sit and talk and giggle like every thing that was said was hilarious!! Once we got too many of us in the swing and do you believe on one end the chain that was holding it up broke!!!! Well, you know we all started carrying on like we were kilt!!! But the thing that made us so mad!!!!was all the kids not sitting in the swing, laughing and pointing fingers, and call us babies for crying. Boy!! It hurt out feelings to be laughed at!! But we got over it and the swing was put back up for more fun the next time.
I remember us going to Sweetwater Baptist Church in a wagon pulled by a mule. Seemed like it was a long bumpy ride, but really it is only a few miles. I remember going to Sunday School and preaching at that Church until we moved away. I was a very young 12 or 13 (maybe younger) and I was the Sunday School Secretary! I can't imagine why I was chosen, but I do remember ordering the books, keeping up with the attendance, etc. We did have a car sometime before we moved from that house, it was a black car, no telling what kind.
We used to go to the Halloween Carnival at the School house some night close to Halloween. The most fun to me was the fishing hole. They would have a sheet hung up and there was a pole (stick) with a safety pin on the end of a string and we would throw it over the sheet and some kind person ( with patience) would be behind the sheet all night and put a prize on the pin and pull it and we would think we had caught a FISH!!! We would be so excited over whatever they put on our "hook". There was always a big crowd there for the festivities.
I had friends at school and we, the girls would play jacks on the cement slabs that were on each side of the front steps at recess and or play period. We did not have anything called PE, but we had play period and I guess we were on our own. I guess the boys probably played catch or something and we girls jumped rope and played hopscotch as well as jacks.
My Momma used to be a cook in the lunchroom at Fleeta. We always had the best food. I always loved to eat in the lunchroom even when I was in high school. The food was like a regular home cooked meal. Momma and the other ladies could bring home food that was left over. I do know they made the best vegetable soup, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas and anything else. It was all sooooo good!!!!
More next time.......
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