Remembering when I was only a Baby
On that first day, with in a minute or two, someone was slapping me around or maybe they were beating up on me, my little butt still stings. Mother never used diapers on me. It was a piece of old canvas or burlap bag. Once in a while, on a special day she used a flower sack. She liked them as they were all ready powdered. Everything I wore, was hand-me-downs, until I grew up and left home, I think it was on my thirty fifth birthday.
When I was only a few days old, the cow ran off, They say it was because of cold hands. Our goats were all “Billys” so the next best thing that could be found was cactus Juice. It was okay if all the thorns were removed first. Did you know that cactus juice gets thick and hard when air gets to it, and it creates a lot of gas, about 40 per minute, I was told! You figure it out!
Believe it or not, I was the fourth generation to wear the same baby shoes, The person in that first generation, that wore these shoes, really had big feet. I wore them until I was three. Then they were put away for the next generation. Where they are now, I have no idea! My mother had an apron that had been worn by the women in our family, as far back as anyone can remember.
My Uncle John has the first dollar he ever made. That was before they had printing presses. His art work was poor and it didn’t look like the money that is printed today. He was left handed and what ever he did, appeared to be done in reverse.
My Great-Great Grandma was a rug weaver, She could make a rug out of any- thing. She once made a rug out of bark, but it wouldn’t be quiet, it barked at everyone. Great-Great Grand Dad was a Tobbaca chewer, he kept a can behind the stove, he never hit it but one time, that we can remember. Great-Great Grand-ma swore at him a lot, until the day she was struck by lightning. Her shoes are still there on the floor where she was struck. There, under the rocking chair, that ma put there to hide them.
Sister Maude has never been married and she is still looking for a husband, she is not fussy, she needs one so she can bring the kids home, Cousin Minnie has a dozen kids at her place, she has had three husbands so far. Two of them were found dead out in the woods, bullet holes in em. Only three of the kids are hers, the rest of them belong to Maude.
Uncle Jake and Aunt Ellen have some bottom land and they grow corn and sell it to Uncle Crow and Uncle Effern, both of them have stills back in the hills. Cousin Jude and his bunch have stills at the other end of the valley.
Let me tell you, at times the smoke is so thick around here, it make your eyes hurt. Uncle Luke was the only one to get an education, He made it all the way through the fifth grade, now he is working as a Government revenuer. No one in the family claims him as a relative. Two men in the family say: that he is carrying lead from their rifles.
The school house caught fire and burnt down. Now we have no place for dances or for meetings. Tomorrow is Sunday and we usually have chicken for our dinner, that is if the guys don’t get caught stealing them. We do have a few hens, but we also like eggs, The fish from around here, all taste funny, with all them stills dumping their waste, so it runs into the creek .
The Turkeys have all moved to the next county, and the deer are playing some where, a long way from here. The coon and the squirrel and rabbits have become extinct. I, for one, am getting tired of eating corn, carrots and wild onions. The old mule was so tough that you couldn’t chew him. I do miss the old dog that slept on the porch. Anything that could fly, don’t, because of them stills in the woods.
We had a cemetery, that was down in a Holler, then came the big rain and now we are searching for bodies. Them bones, them bones, who’s bones are they?
On that first day, with in a minute or two, someone was slapping me around or maybe they were beating up on me, my little butt still stings. Mother never used diapers on me. It was a piece of old canvas or burlap bag. Once in a while, on a special day she used a flower sack. She liked them as they were all ready powdered. Everything I wore, was hand-me-downs, until I grew up and left home, I think it was on my thirty fifth birthday.
When I was only a few days old, the cow ran off, They say it was because of cold hands. Our goats were all “Billys” so the next best thing that could be found was cactus Juice. It was okay if all the thorns were removed first. Did you know that cactus juice gets thick and hard when air gets to it, and it creates a lot of gas, about 40 per minute, I was told! You figure it out!
Believe it or not, I was the fourth generation to wear the same baby shoes, The person in that first generation, that wore these shoes, really had big feet. I wore them until I was three. Then they were put away for the next generation. Where they are now, I have no idea! My mother had an apron that had been worn by the women in our family, as far back as anyone can remember.
My Uncle John has the first dollar he ever made. That was before they had printing presses. His art work was poor and it didn’t look like the money that is printed today. He was left handed and what ever he did, appeared to be done in reverse.
My Great-Great Grandma was a rug weaver, She could make a rug out of any- thing. She once made a rug out of bark, but it wouldn’t be quiet, it barked at everyone. Great-Great Grand Dad was a Tobbaca chewer, he kept a can behind the stove, he never hit it but one time, that we can remember. Great-Great Grand-ma swore at him a lot, until the day she was struck by lightning. Her shoes are still there on the floor where she was struck. There, under the rocking chair, that ma put there to hide them.
Sister Maude has never been married and she is still looking for a husband, she is not fussy, she needs one so she can bring the kids home, Cousin Minnie has a dozen kids at her place, she has had three husbands so far. Two of them were found dead out in the woods, bullet holes in em. Only three of the kids are hers, the rest of them belong to Maude.
Uncle Jake and Aunt Ellen have some bottom land and they grow corn and sell it to Uncle Crow and Uncle Effern, both of them have stills back in the hills. Cousin Jude and his bunch have stills at the other end of the valley.
Let me tell you, at times the smoke is so thick around here, it make your eyes hurt. Uncle Luke was the only one to get an education, He made it all the way through the fifth grade, now he is working as a Government revenuer. No one in the family claims him as a relative. Two men in the family say: that he is carrying lead from their rifles.
The school house caught fire and burnt down. Now we have no place for dances or for meetings. Tomorrow is Sunday and we usually have chicken for our dinner, that is if the guys don’t get caught stealing them. We do have a few hens, but we also like eggs, The fish from around here, all taste funny, with all them stills dumping their waste, so it runs into the creek .
The Turkeys have all moved to the next county, and the deer are playing some where, a long way from here. The coon and the squirrel and rabbits have become extinct. I, for one, am getting tired of eating corn, carrots and wild onions. The old mule was so tough that you couldn’t chew him. I do miss the old dog that slept on the porch. Anything that could fly, don’t, because of them stills in the woods.
We had a cemetery, that was down in a Holler, then came the big rain and now we are searching for bodies. Them bones, them bones, who’s bones are they?
Tomb stones and markers were all washed away. The old doctor that came around on his circuit, Is so old he can’t see anymore. So we have to go see a Medicine man of an Indian tribe. I don’t know why it is that they can understand us, but we can’t under-stand them. But he will take our moon shine as payment for his services.
Up on the top of the mountain it is getting cold and there is snow up there. I think I will go south this year, to a place called Florrda! Or Aazone. They say the place is warm all year long and that girls are a dime a dozen. Guess I have to get a dime someplace so I can get a dozen ofem. But before I does anything, I’ll have to get down to the creek and wash my long johns.
Ifen I don’t see yu before I go, I say beseeing yu.
By; Ben R.
Up on the top of the mountain it is getting cold and there is snow up there. I think I will go south this year, to a place called Florrda! Or Aazone. They say the place is warm all year long and that girls are a dime a dozen. Guess I have to get a dime someplace so I can get a dozen ofem. But before I does anything, I’ll have to get down to the creek and wash my long johns.
Ifen I don’t see yu before I go, I say beseeing yu.
By; Ben R.
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