Time to Move On...

Time to put my fingers to work and decide what I want to say. I have had an awful time getting to this blog so there's no telling where it will go from here.
The carnival is over and we, as most kids would, think every thing will be normal for us again. However, Mom has different ideas. Daddy was able to work with the people putting the carnival back in the trucks and getting ready to go, so we had a little money. Mother decided that we should all go have our picture made as a family while we could pay for it. Hence, we have a family picture of when the baby was about 18 months old and what a card he was!

The Bues had moved to California about the time the carnival first came so we really didn't have any relatives close by; not that there weren't plenty of neighbor kids to play with, but Mother began to get restless.

One day she had a talk with Daddy and decided she would go to California where she could get a job. Daddy wasn't too crazy about that but then, usually, when she got her mind made up, that's what she did. She took what money she could and she told Daddy she would take Buddy because he would be of some help to her.

So she put some clothes for her and Buddy and the baby in a cloth bag and decided it would be best to go in the evening so she told all of us goodbye and took Buddy and James and left. Mickey cried for the longest time but when Daddy was gone he would say, "Now you girls be sure and mind Mickey," and we did.

We learned long after that ,that Mom, Buddy and James had gotten on a freight train and rode all the way to Chowchilla, California in what seemed like just one night!! We were amazed!

I guess Daddy got a letter from her because he finally got tired of waiting and said, " Come on Girls, we are going to find your Mamma!" We didn't have anything that was not worth leaving so Daddy got a flour sack and put a change of cloths in it for each one of us girls and the next morning we started walking to California.

It was really hot on that highway! Once in awhile a car would stop and ask where we were going and Daddy would say, " California!!" They would give us a ride as far as they were going then we would start walking again.

One time we passed a small grocery store and Daddy bought a loaf of white bread. That was a novelty for us since we only had biscuits at home. He also got each of us girls a sucker; that was three more cents. He stuck three in his pocket and gave us one each and back on the road we went.

We walked 'till we got to a bridge. We went down under it and Daddy said we would have a picnic now. He had a little folding metal cup in his pocket which he took out and got some river water where it was running and looked clear. We really wouldn't have cared just so it was cool and wet. He showed us how to take a bite of the bread and then suck on the sucker a little to make the bread taste sweet and I guess we learned pretty well because we ate nearly half of that loaf of bread before we were done . It sure was good!

We rested till the sun started to go down then we started to walk again. Daddy had a little bottle in his pocket that he took out and touched to his tongue every so often.

I'll have to stop for now and finish this later.

Right now , I'm Prattling On...

Hi'ya, Kid! How's it Goin?...

Just a note to say Hello!

So much for the carnival

We were on pins and needles as long as the carnival was there. The second day Daddy took us out again and gave Mother some 'peace of mind,' as she put it. We never got tired of watching the clowns running around or the pretty things we could win if we could throw the ball straight enough. But we never thought of wasting money on things like that. Beside the fact that we never had any money.

We got to ride the merry-go-around one more time and that used up all our passes. We were getting pretty dirty from the dust by then.

"Here, Buddy," Daddy said. He gave him a dime and said to take us girls over to the big red square thing full of ice and buy a drink to share with us. "Mickey, you be sure to keep hold of the girls hands now." So off we went with me on one side of Mickey and Joan on the other side of her. Buddy had to be the big man and walked in front of us so we wouldn't get lost so here we went.

Buddy gave the man the dime and said we wanted the biggest bottle he had cause we all had to share it. Well, of course, Buddy had the first swallow of it then let us girls have a drink. I took as big a swig as I could and swallowed it down. I couldn't get my breath and my eyes started to get full of tears! "Well," Buddy said, " you should not have taken so much!" Mickey was smarter that I was so she just took a little and Joan was so little she just took a little, too. Buddy drank most of the rest but let us all have just a little sip more. This time, believe me, I just took a little sip. Buddy took us back and Daddy said we had better go home now so Buddy took us home. But he got to go back.

'Okay girls, its time to get ready for bed now.' We all knew we had to wash up. Thankfully we had a pump about 30 feet behind our tent. It was at one time a bright red I'm sure but by the time we got there it was pretty rusted over. We didn't let that bother us tho' because we at least didn't have to haul water from the creek!

We had two one-holer out-houses about 100 feet over at the side and since that's all we had ever known anyway, we were sitting pretty! (So to speak)

Mickey and I took the buckets and went to the pump and got them full of water. We didn't get in the tub that night because there were too many strangers around. Mother made sure we scrubbed our faces, arms and legs so we wouldn't get her covers dirty.
When we were all washed, Mother put the kerosene lamp in the middle of the table and lit it. I guess this was a nightly thing with us. We all set around the table and Mother read out of the bible to us.

It wasn't long before we were falling asleep in the chairs so mom fixed our pallet. There was only one bed and that was for Mother and Daddy and the baby, of course. Mickey and I slept at the head and Joan slept at the foot.

Mickey and I giggled for a little about the clown and the big stick you could hit the bottom of with a hammer and it would go up and ring a big bell. We didn't see anyone really ring the bell but we knew our Daddy could have done it if he didn't have to work all the time!

"Okay, girls." Mother's warning was enough to quiet us down. We dropped off to sleep right away because we were so tired.

Now I'm tired again, too, so I'm just;

Prattling on...

Summer is summer wherever you are...

The place "uptown" was cooler than the desert, or so it seemed. The wind blew in through the tent flaps so we were more comfortable. Our latest "good" thing was the ice man and the little bits of ice we were able to enjoy.Our glasses were Just tin cans mother had saved or picked up somewhere but the koolaid we had in them was the coldest ever!!

We were not there too long before mother had to go on a little walk around. She left early in the morning and Daddy had to keep us kids under control which wasn't hard because we were always ready to be good for him. Mother came back that evening late and we had some supper.

Daddy had made biscuits and mother pitched in and made gravy to go with some kind of really salty meat. But we didn't complain about that because we had koolaid to wash it down with. Besides Daddy said it was really good and who in their right mind would dispute his word, as Mother put it.

Daddy asked mom how her trip went and she said her friends were moving to California. She said she didn't have to walk all the way home because someone named Bonnie and Clyde came along in a big car and let her ride on the fender part of the way home. She told Daddy they gave her a cigarette and it almost made her sick. We didn't have cigarettes at home because no one uused them. Daddy always had his snuff and that kept him happy.

The other tenters began to move out, to where no one knew I'm sure, but it wasn't long till we were the only ones there.

One day our lot began to fill up with big trucks and all kind of equipment . We were amazed at the things being unloaded!!! There were horses and all kind of little animals!! We all, except Mother and the baby, walked over the lot to see what was going on. The man said it was going to be a carnival!! We were jumping up and down with excitement. Daddy asked the man if her could help put it together. "Yep," the man said. He would pay Dad a small amount and us kids could all have a free pass to ride the things. But he said all us girls had to stay at the tent out of the way. Boy, did that bust our bubble.

Buddy and Daddy worked all day and into the night getting it ready to go. It took all the next day to get it all put together. Then all the people started coming.

Daddy took us kids over to it and Mother came, too, carrying the baby. She saw all of it she wanted to. She said she wasn't about to get on those crazy things and break her neck. Try as he would, Daddy couldn't get her to ride anything.

Daddy took all of us around with our passes and by then everyone knew Daddy and they let us ride on all we could. then he took us and Mother back to the tent. Mom was ready to go by then. She said they were kicking up too much dust. Mickey got sick on the merry go round. I guess we all had a ball, or so it seemed to us.

Daddy told mom to keep us in the tent and not to come out because there were too many strange men around. Mother promptly told him she was not afraid of any of them!! But we stayed in the tent.

Buddy and Daddy worked with them as long as the carnival was there. Then we had meat to put in the ice tub. It seemed like we never ran out of potatoes. Much to our dismay, the carnival only lasted so long but we talked about it for what seemed to be forever; It gave our fertile minds something to work on for the longest. Of course we had to take turns being the "barker".And that came to an end when mom got enough of it.

Not too long after that Mother mentioned to Daddy about wanting to go to California. She said there was work there to be had.

I have run out of the subject for this writing so it's off to fix dinner for the man of the house.

Till then---I'm prattling on...

What a Move!!

We all pitched in to help pack when Grandma and grandpa moved so the sand really flew around our tent! I should say, 'home', because that tent was home where ever we were, for what seemed like years.

Mother's wash tubs were full to over flowing and toe sacks were full, too, so, besides the beds and table and stove, we had nothing else. Sometimes I wondered why it never bothered any of us kids. I guess it was because almost everyone we knew was in the same boat as we were.

We didn't take the tent because they left theirs on the spot for us. That was a blessing. So we left the canal bank and moved 'uptown.'

Daddy's job ran out about then and he and Vernon were both out of work again, but at least the big park in pheonix was finally landscaped.

We thought we would be rich with Daddy working every day but you don't get rich on 50 cents an hour. I guess Daddy probably lost some of it gambling, too, but we had food. We didn't know there was much except beans and potatoes and gravy; and Mother's biscuits, of course. I know we had a little money but not enough to be well fed. Of course we didn't know the difference.

After we got everything unpacked and put away in the boxes Daddy brought home, we were pretty comfortable; --just 5 kids in a big tent!

Daddy loved to play with us kids. He would lay down on the bed and start reading his bible while we would sit down on the ground beside the bed and play Hully Gully. Mom gave us enough beans for that. We had to do the one potato two potato to see who would be "it" first. It was always Buddy, of course. Then the one who guess which hand, was 'it' next. That was always Mickey. Joan didn't care because she got to hold the extra beans. I yelled, "It's my turn now!"
"No," Buddy said, You don't know how!!" "Yes I do; let me have a turn!" "NO!"

Daddy, laying on the bed, would cough, 'AHHEEM, cough, Aheem."
"Okay," BUddy said, "It's your turn, Shike."

That was no problem because I never could hold as many beans, but at least I thought I was big, too.

About the time we were really wrapped up in the game, a man stopped at the door and hollered, "Is anyone home?" Daddy got up and went to the tent flap(Door to us) and said Hello, mister. He introduced himself and the other man did, too, then Daddy said, "What can we do for you?"

"Well," the man said, "I am the ice man for this part of the country and just thought I would stop and see if you wanted some ice."

About that time mother came to the door from the next door neighbor and said her hellos, too. Well, Daddy said we don't have any ice box.

"Wait a minute," the man said, "I think I can fix that." So he went to the truck and got a bunch of toe sacks and said we could wrap the ice in them and it would last for awhile. "Well, Georgie, what do you think?" Dad asked. Well,I guess we could try it. So she got out her wash tub and they put the sacks in it all spread out and the man brought in a big (I mean BIG) block of ice and Daddy said, "Georgia, do you have any money?"

Well, that didn't make her too happy but she asked how much is was. The man said, "Well, that is 50lb block, lady, so if you want it it will be 37 cents!" "Okay," mom said, "We will try it this time," and she gave him 37 cents.

As soon as he left ---You never saw a happier bunch of kids! Daddy got the butcher knife and chunked all us kids a little chunk. Boy, was that cold! We had to be careful not to swallow it whole so we just chewed on it for awhile.

Mom and Daddy wrapped that chunk of ice up and Mom put the oleo down beside it and some meat, too. Then they put a sack over it to keep the cool in.
Somewhere mother got some kool aid and that night we had cold koolaid for supper. We each got a chunk of ice in our can! Boy, was that good!

After we drank the kool-aid, we ate the ice.

Each one of us would try to be right there when Daddy opened that ice sack, thinking maybe a little piece would flip off and we could grab it.

There were two or three more tents on that field so mother soon got acquainted with the women. She would go talk and Daddy would lay down with his bible.

Joan and I would get on the bed and lay down with him when we thought he was asleep and first thing you knew he would throw a leg across us and, struggle as we would, we couldn't get free. Pretty soon Buddy or Mickey would say, "Daddy, it's time to wake up!" and he would open his eyes and say, "Hey, what are you kids doing on my bed?" Mickey would stand way back and giggle with her hand over her mouth. Then he would lift his leg and let us go free. "Daddy," we would say, "Didn't you know we were there?" He would look over at Buddy and wink and say,"No I sure didn't know you were there. Did you Buddy?"
BUddy would laugh because he always liked it when one of us got a joke pulled on us!

Well, the phone is ringing so I had better leave the rest of the story until another time; Shike..

Prattling On...

Getting Weary...

After having to get a new blog in order to write I am just about out of the mood again. My old one disappeared. It went to Blog Heaven, I guess.

When I left off my last post, we were in a tent in the desert. It just got hotter and hotter. Mickey got to stay in the shade a lot because she burned easily. Buddy and I just got browner and browner. We were the cotton tops (white haired)so don't know why we were the dark ones but there you are. There's no telling why people turn out like they do.

We didn't stay in the desert too long after Lois died. For one thing, shortly after that, Grandma went into the hospital with the same thing Lois had. She was really sick. We moved closer to Phoenix. Somewhere on a canal bank, still in a tent.

Some other family was with us or near us because Mother sure had a time to keep us out of the water. I was always scared of the water because I couldn't swim. Mickey was scared, too, I think. But we were closer to where Grandma was in the hospital so Mother could go see her.

Every body thought she was going to die. Even Uncle Truman and Uncle Curly came to where we were. I can't say how long she was there but I do remember Aunt Lola Mae and Mother doing a lot of crying. Naturally us kids just joined right in.

The Bue family had moved out to Arizona about that time. Mom and Dad were friends with them but, to tell the truth, I couldn't remember much about the kids except we sure had a lots of games to play when there were more kids.

About then Daddy got a job landscaping that big park in Phoenix. He worked for awhile then got Vernon on with him. I can't say I remember how long that lasted because work wasn't on our list of games at that time.

We were ragged and threadbare in spots but I guess we were about as happy as kids at that time could be. We always had someone to play with. I do remember Daddy taking us to the park to play a lot of the time.

Daddy had a Charlie McCarthy doll and he could make his mouth move and he would take him to the park with us and make his mouth move and "throw" his voice into the doll, so before long we had a gang of kids and grown ups, too, trying to see what was going on.

My baby brother would go to the park with us and was barely walking but could already sing along with the best of us. He would get in front of someone and start singing, "I don't want your greenback dollar," and the people would give him pennies or even quarters and here he would come with it all to Daddy. The boy never did stop singing. Still does it. Writes a lot of his own songs, too. seems he just took to music like a duck takes to water. The whole family was always singing. Seems Daddy mostly. But mom and us would start in, too.

Grandma finally got out of the hospital so Daddy didn't take us to the park as often. Seems like Grandma was sick quite a spell. When she did get her strength back Grandpa said they were going to be moving on. They talked about going to Washington to pick apples. Anyway they moved away soon after that and we moved up into the tent where they had lived. It was closer to phoenix. But that's another story and not for this time. But for now, I am just starting to prattle on.

'Till then, Shike, Prattling On...

Prattling On From My Old Blog...some time to think
Some Time To Think…
It is a wet and windy day outside and slightly rainy. The wind is strong because it is tornado weather here in Texas. Herman went to the mail box to post a couple of letters and said it really wasn't very cold but I will never know because I am not allowed to go outside!
I have been out three times since Thanksgiving day and one of those was to the Dr. Got up the next morning with a high fever so now I'm trying to get that under control again. Blahhhh!!!
Every time she gets broke, here she comes looking for work to do. Of course I've always got plenty to do. She had a young man helping her and they trimmed out most of the fence row. We have piles of dead debris in the back yard but she promises they will clean it up. It will look much better when they get done with it.
I pay them both at the end of the day and the young man had a good bit of money so now he hasn't come back. I'm sure he won't until he gets dried out again.
Seems like almost everyone out here uses dope of some sort or other. I guess I should have said, no pay until the job is finished. Oh well, if its not one thing it's another!
I really should be writing about when Grandma was in the hospital but I just felt like blowing off some steam for a change. You get that way when you are house bound I guess. At least I am getting that way .
I guess my big brother is back in his own home by now. I understand his daughter got it all cleaned up for him. He had his eyes operated on, too, while he was at her house. I am proud of her for helping him out. I think I will close this thing now and go see if that blasted cat has had her kittens yet because I am just prattling on for no reason. Love to all, Shike.

Prattling On...

...and I was doing so good, too. I think it was because I stepped out on the porch to call Jody to the phone while she was working out in the back yard. She sure is a worker!!!




posted by Shike @ 11:42 AM 0 comments
Friday, March 09, 2007
A Sad Day...and More...
It was a sad day when Lois Alma died. The funeral was as nice as you could expect for a graveside service. There weren't many people there but Aunt LOla and Aunt Dessie came; Uncle Truman didn't come. I think mother and grandma cried a river full, or so it seemed to us kids.

We settled back down in our tent when it was all over, carrying water as usual. One night I was walking across the floor to Mother and something stung me really hard. I guess I yelled real loud 'cause Mom said, "What are you trying to do, wake up the dead?"
"No mama," I said, "Something bite me on the foot." She called me to her and looked at it and said It was a scorpion.
"Where did that come from?" she asked.
I showed her where I stepped and there was a crack in the old worn out linoleum so she decided there was a scorpion under there. She put me on a chair and poured ammonia on it. Sure stopped the sting but I thought I was going to die from the bite. Well, she had always said they were poison. She finished washing up my legs and arms, -we always had to go to bed clean,- then it didn't take so long to get ready for school the next morning.
Mom and Daddy went to town that next Saturday to get groceries and left us all home except the baby. We had a big old hound dog . He was brown and was prone to having fits. It had just about got dark and he went into a fit. Boy, did we scatter!!

We ran outside and climbed onto the tent posts then up into a scrawny little tree that grew near the tent. We all got up there somehow. Don't remember how but it wasn't easy. It was after dark when Mom and Daddy got home and we were still in the tree. Joan and I were crying and wanting down. Mother said," What are all of you doing in that tree?" Well, Buddy explained that the dog was having a fit so Mom went in and lit the lamp and they carried in a box of groceries. We came down gladly.

We stayed up later that night because Daddy had a good cardboard box. He put our foot on the cardboard and drew a line around our foot and cut out the foot outline. Then he put it into our shoe as a lining to cover any holes in the sole. That was a blessing. We could wear that shoe the rest of the year. What a thing to be tickled about, but we were.

I always got Mickey's shoes when she outgrew them. I remember that she even got a pair of Buddy's too little shoes.

Joan usually got new shoes because her feet were so much smaller than mine. Of course we always went barefooted except for school, church or town.

The next Saturday was washday. Mother loaded all the dirty cloths in one tub with the rub board and soap. The baby sat on top of that and Buddy and Mom carried that one. Mickey and I carried the rinse tub and Joan came along. We went to the river to wash clothes.
When Mom finished with the wash tub, Mickey and I got in it and sat just on the edge of the water playing like we were floating. Buddy came along and pushed us out in the water. We felt ourselves floating and he pushed us out farther. I began to get scared. We started yelling for Mother. She looked around and there we were floating away.
"Thomas Alvha," Mom yelled, "You get out there and get those kids back here!" Boy, did he have a ball. Boy, did we bawl. But when we got back to shore we were ready to get out and help carry things home.
More about Grandma next time. For now my back is tired and I'm just prattling on. Shike...
Prattling On...
posted by Shike @ 1:51 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Back trackin again
Three times I have tried to write this and three times I have failed!!! That must mean something!

When we got to Buckeye Lois Alma was in the hospital, not Grandma. Lois had typhoid fever. Mother went to see her when she could. With 5 kids to take care of it wasnt easy.
Buckeye was only a wide spot in the road at that time and not the suburb of anything. Lois never got better, just worse. She died just short of 12 years old tho' one would think she was older because she was a fat little girl.

I remember her funeral well. It was in Phoenix and Mother let me go with her to see Lois off. It was the first funeral I had ever been to so I was scared; scared enough to hang onto Mother's hand and not stray away.
I don't guess the others wanted to go. I really don't remember any of the details except that everyone was crying. Uncle Truman didn't come to her funeral. Don't know why; he just wasn't there.

Well that's all I stopped by to say but will fill in more about Grandma later when I get rested up. As for now, thats it.

Shike, Prattling on...
posted by Shike @ 2:38 PM 2 comments
Monday, February 26, 2007
Lookin' Good...

I guess I'd better change the subject a little for this short one.
Just want to say hello to my big Sis, Mick, and my lil bro', James. How are you'all a'doin'?


Here's one of all of us,-of course it goes back a ways.


What a crew! Prattling On...
posted by Shike @ 6:54 PM 1 comments
Saturday, February 24, 2007
posted by Shike @ 7:37 PM 0 comments
Thursday, February 15, 2007
They're all gone, all gone
I guess its not unusual to feel that you have lived a whole generation because that's the way I feel about my mother's family and past generations. Grandpa and grandma married in Nov. of 1905. Grandpa was born in 1885 and Grandma was born in1887. They must have been pretty close because they both died in 1959 Not too many months apart.

They had 9 kids and somehow kept them fed and clothed and it wasn't always easy.
The first one was born in 1906. That was my mother. She wasn't ready to be married but Daddy and grandpa were friends and one day, while Grandpa had his family in the cotton field picking cotton, Daddy walked out in the field and asked Grandpa if he could marry My mother. I don't guess there were any frills or dating with them. He just needed a wife because Hodie, Daddy's daughter by a former wife, was puny and never well. They were married in 1922 and Mother didn't waste any time starting a family.
She had 7 children in all, tho' the first two, Betty and Irma were girls and died at birth.
Daddy already had two grown girls, Lit and Hodie, and had lost a wife and one girl named Clayton three years before that. I can't say Mother was ever really happy with Daddy.

Uncle Newton, the second of their kids, was born in 1908, grew up and married my Aunt Hazel and they had three kids; a boy and two girls.

Then next was born my Aunt Dessie, the one who died last week. She grew up and married Uncle Leonard Scott in 1930.

Uncle Truman ,the next one, moved to Longview and went to work on the railroad from which he retired.

Uncle Frank and Uncle bill went to live with him for awhile. Uncle bill was too young but got married to Aunt Bennie anyway. Times were still hard and she got pregnant so he joined the Navy that was a guaranteed job at the time. It really didn't do him much good as the war started and he was one of the first to ship out. I have been told he went down with his ship when it was sunk.
He was an easy going and happy lad. I remember he had red curly hair and freckles. We all missed him.

Uncle Truman Married in 1936 in July right after Aunt LOla Mae got married in June. I guess both couples stayed married until Uncle Travis died, then Aunt Lola Mae died in a nursing home. I was lucky enough to get to go see her before she died. Bless her heart, she was the gentle one. Never had a cross word for anyone, but here I am getting off my message to ---who??-probably me.

Uncle Frank was next in line to marry. He and Aunt Sylvia Schultz got married in 1940. They had two boys and one girl. One boy died of cancer some years ago, I really don't know if he ever had any children . He was gentle like Aunt Sylvia. Uncle Frank and Aunt Sylvia later got a divorce and he Married Joan Day.
...understand about things but Mother let me go.
Grandma and Grandpa had another girl named Lois who died at an early age of typhoid fever.

Maudie was the youngest. She was my age . She married and had two girls who I understand are real nice. I wish I could know them. She died 5 year's ago. I don't know from what.

I really do feel a kinship with all of them We only have a half sister left, Sister Lit, and if she lives till may, she will be 96 years old .

I have left half of this story out because it belongs on My Daddy's side . At least I have vented my feelings. Maybe I am not so unusual after all. My fingers are rambling now so I'm beginning to prattle on. 'Till I get on this blog next time, I remain, your faithful Shike.

Prattling On...

posted by Shike @ 5:30 PM 4 comments
Thursday, January 18, 2007
just Thinking
Last week I lost a very dear Uncle,. I have so many memories of the things we talked about. He was so easy to talk to and remembered everything as far back as I could remember and then some. He was a lot like my Grandpa who was my very favorite person when I was a kid. He was so happy you would think he didn't have a worry in the world. That was my uncle too. But he did have worries. He had to move into an assisted living home when he was 92 but didn't complain about it. Said he got along very well, Thank you. Unk was always fun to talk to. If you were visiting him at home he would always bring out the old pictures and had to explain who everyone was and what relation they were to us. I think he knew every body back as far as George Washington!!! Or maybe Abe Lincoln! If you didn't know what happened in one particular year all you had to do was just ask Unk. He always had an answer for you. I called him and talked to him every Saturday or Sunday and we had some pretty good visits. I will miss all that but I guess we have to take it as it comes. Or so he has been known to say. Have a good rest my dear Uncle I will miss you. Your niece, Eva Mae.