Comments: One other funny thing I will tell you. My great uncle, John Fain McLure, lived on the farm next to great Grandpa. A truck came by every 2 weeks selling what they couldn't grow or kill (salt,sugar,etc.)driver would buy rabbits for50 cnts. Must be skinned cleaned but had to leave 1 foot on rabbit to prove you were not selling him a cat. LOL.They were kind of like koreans, eat anything with 4 legs except a table & anything that flies except an airplane.In high school, I took Glen Starnes with me to S. Arkansas. You can ask Glen how it was there.
Comments: Peaches, will do. Thank you for letting us know. Doug, Very humorous!! Did she say she recited it while she churned?
Comments: With this talk of churning butter, I will contribute a poem my mother, (who churned butter when growing up on a farm in the very early 1900s), taught me, -- Mrs. Hiram Gooser's heart with righteous anger burned; For an hour and a half by the kitchen clock she churned and churned and churned. Hiram then came in the door,- " Why what a burning shame !! Why don't you call the goat ?!! he said. She did, and the butt-er came .
Comments: Danny Green called me this morning early. His mother had a stroke and is not expected to live. She is 99 years old and lived on her own until recently. No matter how long we have our mothers or how old they are it still HURTS deeply to lose them. Please pray for Danny now as he is grieving.
Comments: Hi Sharon, At on time my father's family lived in Van Zant near Canton. In fact one uncle married a girl from Canton after WWII and his college. Her maiden name was Ward. That aunt died two years ago at 92 years old. All my aunts and uncles and my parents are gone now. When my last Aunt died I felt that the very last person that loved me just for being, had left this earth. It was a lonely feeling. I hope y'all have a great time. Is it indoors??? Hope so. Too bad the younger people can't be bothered....that is a sign of this century I'm afraid. I was surrounded by many cousins and aunts and uncles from both sides too. I spent many summers with them and they loved to come to Big D. I saw them often. However, now we are all spread out and it is harder to see each other than when we were children. But, we do try!
Comments: Charlotte, I remember churning butter one time at my aunt's house in Ben Wheeler, TX, and thought it was really hard work, and then the butter wasn't even yellow! My mom's family reunion is this Saturday in Canton and we are really looking forward to it. She only has a younger brother (91) and sister (89) left so the crowds are becoming less and less. But we still have some great homemade food and enjoy visiting with our cousins. Of course, there are very few young ones any more. This generation is too preoccupied with themselves to want to learn anything from us old fogies! I had so many uncles, aunts and cousins growing up that I could stay in East Texas all summer going from one group to another. Great times.
Comments: Mike, One set of my grandparents lived and worked the land. Their "outhouse" was a little more private then yours was, but was still an outhouse. My tiny grandmother washed her clothes in an iron pot over a fire and made her own soap. She cooked over a wood burning stove and made her own butter..I even remember churning. She was a wonderful cook. We had clear cool well water. The well was conveniently located on the back porch. I don't remember when they got electricity, but even afterwards still had a real icebox with blocks of ice and a pie safe to store food and keep the flys away. There were chamber pots in the bedrooms under the beds. And, wonderful feather beds made from their own chicken and duck feathers that were saved after wringing the animal's necks. This life was hard. My grandfather died of lung cancer when I was only two. Therefore, I mostly remember only my grandmother toiling. She was a tiny, precious, educated woman who loved and married farmer...all 5 of her children went to college and 2 of them had masters degrees. Continued
Comments: Mike, I enjoyed reading about your illustrious life. It strikes me that you and your grandfather must have been very poor to eat some of the food you said you ate and the jobs you did. From someone who has always been protected and sheltered all her life, it was interesting to see how some children have to live. I am sure that your relatives loved you just as much as mine loved me. It seems like you learned a lot from them.
Comments: Charlotte & Kathleen, 1 other thing I will tell you, probably shouldn't but I will. My 1st. job everyday, upon arriving at the drive-in movie at about 6pm (long before movie started) was to walk the last 5 or 6 rows at the back of movie property & pick up speakers thrown on ground & put them back on post & pick up used condoms thrown out of car windows & put them in sack to go to the trash. Not really a job for a 9 yr. old but someone had to do it.
Comments: Charlotte & Kathleen, my great grandfather lived on a farm outside of Crossett, Arkansas in the early 1950s. Plowed with mules, no outdoor johnny, just a board nailed between 2 trees & last yrs phone book for toilet paper-didn't have phone--we brought them the phonebook. . no airconditioning, no tv, well water. milked cows & butchered hogs at hog killin time(fall). I have eaten squirrel, possum, coon, rattlesnake steak, everything except skunk & wood rats. anything not fast enough to get away was fair game.they killed deer out of season but everything killed got eaten. great blueberry cobbler real butter--cooked on wood burning stove.I could hitch up a team of mules & i think i still can--looking back, it was fun.
Comments: Mike, Did you get a chance to do your homework etc! Not a fun life for a 4th grader I know. Kathleen, I have had fried squirrel and squirrel stew...both good. Never known anyone to eat possum.
Comments: Mike , What does possum and fried squirrel taste like? Do you recommend eating them?
Comments: Charlotte, my job, as a 4th grader, was to sit in the car beside the consession stand and watch my 2 yr. old twin half brother and sister. Yes,I saw all the old movies, 3 nights in a row for each movie. One of my favorites was "High Noon" with Gary Cooper--still one of my favorites. Also "Americano" with Glen Ford and " Red Sundown".
Comments: Mike, Did you see all the cowboy movies and serials? When we were your age, we would have thought you had THE BEST best life of all.
Comments: When I was a kid, I used to hunt squirrels & eat them, but if a squirrel runs onto the road on front of me, I will slide sideways & nearly wreck out to keep from hitting that squirrel.I envy all you vegtable heads. When I was a kid(2nd-4th grade) my grandparents managed the Cinderalla Drive-in theatre in south Dallas--My parents, aunts, uncles, etc. worked there. I was there 7 nights a week living off burgers, hot dogs, corny dogs, fries & cokes.
Comments: Y'all are making me so hungry for my grandmother's fresh garden vegetables. Reading all these entries reminds me that we Oak Cliff children of the 50s had a wonderful start in life. We may not have had palaces or riches, but we had something special.
Comments: Their is a booth at the Farmers Market on Pearl and close to Harwood where a lady hands out sample tastes of her beef stake tomatoes. She sprinkles salt and pepper on them and they are the best tomatoes I have ever tasted. No one gets past her without buying them. My father had the green thumb in our family and he fed the neighborhood (tomatoes, English peas, okra, green onions, watermelon etc... when I was growing up. From what my brother, Roe, tells me he seems to have inherited Daddy's green thumb.
Comments: Even though my mom and dad were both raised on farms in east Texas, we never had a garden when I was growing up. However, my dad worked for Goodman Produce so we always had fresh fruits and veggies year-round. We just didn't buy produce from a store. I do remember vividly one time at the Piggly Wiggly at Saner and Marsalis, that my mom was aghast that a head of lettuce cost 29 cents. When Randy and I lived in Paris, TX, I tried my hand at gardening in a flower bed and did fairly well with tomatoes and squash. But a few of Randy's students lived on farms and they would bring us more veggies than we needed. Thus, I learned how to "put up" instead of canning. I made some killer pickles!
Comments: Cathy, I guess on second thought I should pass on the polecats, but they certainly are cute. There might be a conflict with the kitties. Donna, what excellent memories! We lived on Presidio, between the Frios, and we always had a garden. A black man with a horse came around every spring and plowed that garden. We grew beans, squash, tomatoes and leafy stuff. Never had luck with potatoes, carrots or other root things because the ground would get too hard. That same man would ride past on a wagon with his horse pulling it and sell all sorts of fresh produce in the summer. He would yell really loud, "Watermelons, red and ripe!"
Comments: Hello, everyone, When we moved to Dallas in 1949, Loop 12 was the city limit and Veteran's Drive was a dead end street that ran into Five mile creek. To my brother, Jerry, and his pals, it was wilderness! They would run for hours through the woods and bring home all sorts of critters. Snakes and turtles were their favorite things (to scare the girls). Daddy was a big gardener and he grew the prettiest tomatoes, squash and sweet corn. Mom took exception to the raccoons getting her veggies, so she dosed the corn stalks with hot pepper sauce and they did not bother the corn again. Daddy planted most of the trees on the property. He brought home a little switch of a sycamore tree and planted it. When Mom moved to Tyler in 1966, that tree was 40 feet tall. Our old house is now a church on Veteran's Drive and the property is mostly parking lot. We had a wonderful childhood and I was blessed to have such great parents. Everyone take care. Donna Gwin Libhart
Comments: Lynell, We had a neighbor who would take the stinker out of skunks and then sell them as pets. Skunks make excellent pets and he sold them for quite a bit of money. i wonder how well your kitties would get along with the polecats.
Comments: Dan, thanks a LOT for getting that song stuck in my head today. And I'd like to order a couple of polecats, please.
Comments: I bet you would be visiting me in the city jail if I got caught releasing wild animals in Big D ,little a,double l,as. And that spells Dallas,my home town. Anyone remember that song
Comments: Dan, You don't need to bring the critters to my address. Just bring them to White Rock Lake, where there is so much open space and creeks. White Rock Lake makes an excellent home and the visitors to the Lake can enjoy seeing wild animals especially the children.
Comments: Kathleen,you win. When can I make my delivery and what is your choice.Rabits excluded!
Comments: Charlotte et al, I am so glad you guys are saving and protecting wild animals. I get so upset when I see wildlife run over by cars. I think some people try to kill these poor creatures on purpose. I always try very hard to avoid hitting squirrels etc. with the car. Every day we go to the lookout point at the lake and watch the rabbits playing. It is amazing to me how many people walk past rabbits playing and don't take any notice of them. Over the centuries, so many wild animals have died off. We need to continue to protect what animals are left.
Comments: Too funny! I haul off armadillos. From our ranch. We take em about three miles away to a creek area. Some summers we haul off as many as about 30. My friends say it is the same one coming back. We probably should mark one and see...haaaaa. If you are bating your trap, of course you are trapping meat eaters....you are drawing them to your deck. The possums are natures garbage disposals.
Comments: sorry everyone. I've captured dozens of raccoons and possums,and 1 skunk off of my porch the last few years. Because all of you are such wild life lovers,I've decided to stop hauling them off to my neighbors properties. Just leave your address and I will be happy to bring you(your choice)a possum,wild hog,skunk,or raccoon! Free!
Comments: I knew a lawyer who bought a dozen eggs in July and tucked them behind the spare tire in back of his SUV. About the middle of August he remembered them. He went on to become a high level judge.
Comments: Your story reminds me of a friend's son who captured an armadillo and put it in the trunk of his car. Well, unbelievably, WOW. it was gone when he tried to show it to his dad. ...um...well, few days later the car began to stink to high heaven.....the critter had made his way....but got trapped ...to under the back seat... My friend's son is not a successful man today ..surprise surprise.......haaaaa |
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