Farm Life of the Past

Barn Charm ~ (from Junie's Place)

2011-08-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

Barn Charm_Aug 30, 2011

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~go here to see other Barn Charm posts~

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I've  always loved seeing old barns...well, new ones, too, but the old ones  have more charm for me.  I always look for barns to capture in my camera  lens on our trips to Alabama.

This is one we saw on our trip this year.

Junie

Barn Charm~April 4, 2011

2011-04-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

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Barn Charm

~go here to see other Barn Charm posts~

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This is a new Picture meme for me but I love old barns and farm buildings so I want to share this one here.

~~

This is a log cotton shed that stood, and still stands, on the place where my husband lived as a young boy.  

His memories of this place date from the mid-30s. This is in north Alabama.

At the time his family lived there, all the barns and out-buildings and even the house were made of logs.

This is all that remains today of the old log buildings.

We go back every summer to see if the cotton shed is still standing...as of last August, it still was!

~Much more about this cotton shed~

Junie

Weekend Reflections~ August 13, 2010

2010-08-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

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*Go here* to find other weekend Reflections Posts.

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On a recent trip to north Alabama my husband and I were riding in the country when we came upon this pretty spot. I noticed the cool reflections of the trees along the creek bank and of the geese swimming in the water and further down there are some cattle cooling off; a very peaceful scene!

This is the place where my husband grew up! We enjoy going back to visit each year and to experience again the beauty of the rural countryside.

Junie

Elk River-Revisited

2010-07-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

This is a Repeat post!

This was posted last year after our annual trip to Alabama.

( posted at Junie's Place blog)

Every year we have a family reunion there for my husband's family! We will be going again at the end of the month!

(from Aug, 2009 )

I always enjoy visiting the places of my husband's youth and hearing his stories! :)

I realized this story belonged on THIS blog so I'm re-posting it here!

Enjoy-if you missed it before! :)

Junie

~~~

This time I want to share some recent pictures from an Alabama trip!

This is Elk River and Elk River bridge in north Alabama.

My husband of 48 years has, through the years, told me stories of how he, his brothers and sisters, cousins and buddies, watched every bit of construction work on this bridge. This was in the mid 40s when my husband was about 11-12 years of age-with siblings both younger and older than he. They lived just a mile or so from this river and swam in the river and played on these river banks from a very early age, so they had a vested interest in the happenings here.

He says that, while the men were working on the bridge during the day, he and the others would keep a little distance between them; but when the workers went home for the evening the group of kids would converge on the bridge construction site and have some adventures!

My husband says that he and the others were the night crew who helped to build that bridge! :)

When the crew got the steel beams set across the span of the river they (the kids on the 2nd shift) would go from one side to the other. It started out in a crawl across-but advanced to a walk and then a run... 40 to 50 feet above the Elk River...on beams no more than 14 inches for the outside and 8 inches for the inside beams! He says they became expert on all of them.

(...if my husband's memory is accurate! ) :)

*However you look at it , though, I would have had a hard time being a mom in those times and that place!!*

When this bridge was completed, a huge , whole hog BBQ ( at least '10' -800 lb.hogs) was sponsored by the family who the bridge was named for and took place at the area beneath the bridge. This meat was prepared in dug pits and started to cook the day before!

Charles still talks of the wonderful aroma of the roasting meat! This was a huge event for these country kids of that time-adults too, I'm sure!

People from miles around came for this celebration and food and drinks! Sweet tea and RC colas and orange drinks were served!

The leftovers were offered to anyone who wanted them, as take homes! :) I can imagine there was food-a-plenty that day!

The bridge is named 'Maple'- in honor of a prominent doctor and land owner in the Athens/Mud Bottom area, Dr. Joe Maple.

~~~

Junie

Looking Back....(a poem re-run from my original blog)

2009-09-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Looking back... (...and a poem)

OK-

This is an old post I came across - posted way back in July, 2006!

I was checking to see what poems I have posted!

LOL - Welll.. I have posted a lot over the years. (here and on my poem site)

~~~

In this old post:

...a little poem written about my husband's childhood.

Hope some of you enjoy this- even though it's all re-runs!

Have a great day!

Love,

Junie

~~~

Poem: Looking Back ( Post#2 for today!)

Looking Back

As we walk among the ruins, looking backward to a time,
when his family lived and loved here, working, all together;
I get the sense that life, here, was once so calm and fine…
contentment in the simplest of shelter!

He was just a baby boy, when he, first, was living here,
with older brothers he would grow to idolize…
with older sisters, tending, to coddle and be bossy!
And every day was filled with some surprise!

With baby sisters, too, who he loved … at times, avoided…
not wanting to get tangled-up in fusses or in fights!
So he’d hang out with the brothers, exploring things around them.
Their days were filled from mornings until nights!

The cotton shed still stands where his brothers once enticed him
to be buried in the cotton- piled so high above his head!
He did his brothers bidding- with just a crack for breathing!
He trusted them so he was not afraid!

The chimney still is standing, that helped warm them through the winters,
when the cold wind would be blowing, and each body would be chilled.
But the hearth would be inviting - and a blessing, there, to snuggle-
and the boys would always keep the wood box filled.

June Kellum
July2006

12 Comments:

At 7:27 PM , mreddie said...: So many memories in those old run-down places. It is the same for me when I go back to the old home place in Miss. ec
At 7:47 PM , JunieRose said...: Thanks ,ec, for keeping up with my blog! I do appreciate it! :)

Yes, time passing and so many changes in our lives can be sad!
However, I don't see the same nostalgic feelings in the younger folks...things don't seem to mean as much for some reason! For instance, I doubt that any of my 3 kids have read my writings here...and my blog is, mainly ,about our family-and our history! Oh well- I know they would say it's because they're so busy! That's true -they are! But they need to SLOW DOWN!

:( end of rant!! :(

June
At 11:17 PM , Mr Moonlight said...: I don't see the same nostalgic feelings in the younger folks...

I see it, at least in myself (being a 'younger folk' as it were) ... back when I was a child, 1964 or so, my family would go camping on a little acre of land upstate which had a creek running thru it and a mountain to climb right across the creek ... good adventures for a kid :) In the early years of that little camping ground, we all helped out to drag rocks from the creek up to the grounds and built a fireplace out of those rocks .. then would 'sing' around the campfire, with Dad playing guitar and stoking the fire:) Good Times :)

Eventually that little acre of land was transferred to my ownership and I've gotten several offers to sell it over the years ... which I have refused for some reason, and prolly the reason is because I still remember the 'fireplace' that we built there so many years ago and the sentimental value that the campsite and its surroundings hold for me ...

Meanwhile I pay taxes on the damn thing every year and haven't seen the place in some 35 years!!! I'd sell it, but before doing so would want to go up there and camp on it for a night or two ... explore the magic of the mountain once again, walk along the creek and its environs once again, maybe do a little bit of Trout fishing too :)

Mainly, I'd like to see if the fireplace still exists ....... /laughs

MM
Tall Tales and Truisms
At 11:38 PM , JunieRose said...: MM,

Thanks for your comments here.

:)...and you give me hope and faith in the younger generation-in that you have held on to a piece of your past that mattered to you. It's important!

I bet you could still enjoy that fireplace/campfire! What could be better than sleeping next to a campfire and a trout stream? :) And remembering good times with your family!

Juniper
At 2:45 AM , Mr Moonlight said...: What could be better than sleeping next to a campfire and a trout stream? :) And remembering good times with your family!

It's been 35 frickin' years since I been there! The place is prolly a damn Jungle by now!!! LOL

Oh well ... if I do go up there and camp out for a night or two, will be sure to enter the 'jungle' in a gas-guzzling 4WD SUV, just to make sure that I can get outta there alive!
(Algore would be pissed off, but who cares what Algore thinks .... /grin)

Seriously though, that little plot of land is one of the most beautiful pieces of Earth that I've ever had the pleasure of inhabiting, however briefly in youth. That I still remember exploring its mysteries and charms along the creek and mountain to this day is a testament to its special place in my heart
At 5:08 AM , Merle said...: Hello June ~~ What good stories and photos you post. It is wonderful to look back over the years and see places from our childhood. Glad you enjoyed the jokes. Take care, Merle.
At 10:06 AM , JunieRose2005 said...: MM,

Hope you WILL go back for a visit!

Imagine looking up at the stars from such a heavenly spot of God's earth!! :)

Yes, be sure to drive the 4WD SUV for a safe return home!

You should take pictures and post them on your blog!!

Juniper Rose
At 10:08 AM , JunieRose2005 said...: Merle,

Thanks for reading and looking! :)

I have just a few more posts and pics!

I wanted to be sure to include all the family up there!

June
At 12:58 PM , Alli said...: I just saw that you said you think we don't read this,
BUT! I just got caught up, and I read all the travel stories.
I liked them alot, you could write a book with these old stories of Gabbo's. =)

love you!
-Alli
At 1:08 PM , JunieRose said...: LOL!

Alli,

SO you DO read my blog! :) I knew you read it sometimes - and Thanks!!

Yah- I like writing Gabbo's stories! They are fun!! Did you read'Lessons Learned?' This features Gabbo and his brothers! :)

BTW- Still have a few more pics from the trip to post!

Love you,

Ginga

Labels: barns, barns Farm, Charles, family, Friends, june, poem, winter poem

Brothers

2009-03-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

This is another little snippet from my husbands memories of growing up in Alabama-probably early 40s...

Brothers

It seems growing up in a family of ten kids could be a real blast!

O.K.- There were six girls sharing a room and four boys sharing the other, in the upstairs of the house where they lived.

Bro #1 and bro #2 shared a bed, as did bro #3 and bro #4.
(This mini story is about Bros #1 & #2 –the older of the four boys.)

There was always a race between bros # 1 & #2 at bedtime, to be the first in bed.

The reasons being …for #1- to hog all the blankets -for #2 to PREVENT his brother from hogging the blankets-and to save himself from having to shiver -uncovered- all through the night! The older brother, being bigger, faster, perhaps more devious, usually won the races…so... if he didn’t take ALL the covers he at least had his pick of what he wanted! :)

One night things played out a little differently and bro #2 beat bro #1 to the top of the stairs and to the boy’s sleeping room! He could hardly believe his good luck as he entered the dark room and, running, still, made an air borne lunge to the familiar corner where he knew the bed to be!

…Where he THOUGHT he knew the bed to be! OUCH! A hard belly landing, for bro #2, and a big commotion to follow...outraged yelling of surprise and pain, by #2...loud laughter by #1 and the younger boys too!- ( truth be told!! )
Finally, bringing Daddy Boyd to the top of the stairs with a loud, "Shut your mouth and get to bed!"

It just so happened- during the day the sisters had decided to clean and re-arrange the boys’ room, putting the bed on the opposite side of the room! One bro knew-the other didn’t…but found out soon enough! :)

Very generous of #1 to let his brother win that race, eh? :)

June Kellum
2006

Jake

2009-03-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

This is a story of my husband's first bike ~ and of Jake the pig!

This was posted first at my blog, 'Junie's Place,' in several parts, in 2006, but I will put it all together and in order here! ~~~

Jake
(Part 1)

He had wanted a bike for a long time, this Alabama farm boy.
Ed and his brothers had, in the past, tried with little success to build a bike…wheels of wood and whatever they could find of metal or wood to build a frame…bending tree limbs for handlebars! As resourceful as these boys were, and as determined, they were never able to achieve what they wanted.

Ed had seen the new bicycles, lined up in long rows outside of U.G.White’s hardware store at the NW corner of the town square, in all their shining splendor! The dark green and creamy white bike was the one that captured the boy’s attention and left a yearning in his heart like none he had known before.

At age eleven, growing up in the 30s and 40s, one in a family of ten children, Ed realized how unrealistic this dream was of having a bike of his own... especially a bright and shiny brand new Schwinn bike! Still, he couldn’t get the thoughts of the bikes out of his mind.

He wished desperately for a way of earning money to be able to pay for a bike! This, seemingly, was an impossible dream for an eleven-year-old farm boy.

But what is life without dreams?

~~~

(Part 2)

In late fall, in this time and place, after the crops were harvested, most folks who had hogs would turn them out to forage in the fields, mostly corn fields; for whatever they could find to eat. No one minded as it benefited everyone for the hogs to roam free during this time. Winter was the time for slaughtering the hogs and the corn leavings in the fields would help in adding weight before the coldest days of winter came and the hogs could be butchered safely. Without refrigeration, the cold days were essential.

Sometimes sows with new litters of piglets would be seen. Often, hogs have more babies than they can raise. There is almost always a runt that gets shorted on the feeding, and does not thrive.

Such seemed to be the case with Jake.

Ed was the one who spotted the little runt pig, unable to keep up with his mother and brothers and sisters. He was much smaller than the rest and was always trailing behind in the ongoing search for food in the cornfields.

~~~

(part 3)

The boy rescued the little pig from an almost certain young death, and with no way of knowing whose pig it was, decided to keep him, raise him! He gave him the name ‘Jake.’ He took special care to see that the little pig had food every day.

The plan from the start was to raise Jake up and sell him. In a few months Jake would bring a good price…enough for a bike Young Ed thought!

As the weeks passed, Jake grew well - becoming big and healthy. He also became a pet and in awhile Ed found himself rushing home after school, eager to see the pig. Jake would always come when he would hear his name called! He would follow the boy around the farm, much as a puppy would have done.

A strong attachment had developed, and it was mutual!

~~~~~~

(Part 4)

The days were getting colder and time was nearing when it would be the right day for the slaughter of the hogs.

Although, it had never been the intention that Jake be among those slaughtered, Ed had resolved to sell him at this time and have the money for that bike! It had been a few months since he had found Jake and with the care he had given him, the little runt pig had become an impressive hog!

Finally the day arrived and the job of the slaughter was undertaken. Neighbors helped neighbors, as was the way in those days. The job had to be done quickly, so as not to lose the meat to spoilage. There was a flurry of activity on the farm, with everyone willing to do their share with the task at hand!

Without refrigeration, the meat had to be salt-cured and hung in smokehouses. Lard was made from the fat of the hogs , ( an essential in those days) boiled in a big iron pot over open flames and then, drained. Any meaty parts were removed, leaving just the pure white lard. Sausage was made, too, with the spices and herbs grown in the garden added. Pickling of some parts of the hogs was also done in those days- (ears, feet, snouts) nothing could be wasted in those hard times. Chitterlings (Chittlins’), made from the intestines, were boiled and prepared in a big iron pot in the back yard. The women of the family carried out this process. Ma -the grandmother-had a fondness for this delicacy and was the self appointed over-seer of the chittlin' pot!

~~~

(Part 5)

Ed and the younger siblings of the family were at school during this day of hard and unpleasant work. After school, as had become his usual thing, Ed went searching for Jake.

This time, Jake did not come running when his name was called. He searched every inch of the farm, calling the pig’s name, with an increasingly heavy heart! Jake could not be found.

Ed’s mother averted her eyes when asked if she had seen Jake, saying,” Oh, he’s around here somewhere!” His grandmother, too, was silent and avoided eye contact with her grandson. “Where could Jake be?’ the boy thought, sadly.

Ed suddenly realized some members of the family were missing. His daddy- his older brother- his older sister’s husband- all should have been there on this day of hard work of preparing the meat. He wondered where they all were.

He didn’t have long to ponder the mystery because at that moment they all arrived in his brother’s 1934 Ford, with a shiny, new, green and white Schwinn bike tied to the back! It was the bike of Ed’s fondest dreams!

So for the moment, thoughts of the pig were pushed aside.

~~~

(Part 6)

As it turned out and could now be revealed, Jake’s fate was a sad one - and ironic!

His mother and grandmother had wanted to wait for the return of the other family members with the bike, to make the news about Jake a little easier for Ed.

No! Jake was not among the slaughtered hogs that day, as one might have suspected.

Jake was hanging out with Ma around the chitterlings (chittlin’) pot, as she worked, preparing the parts for the pot! Unknown to her, as she tossed the unwanted sections of intestines aside, Jake was eating them. Jake choked on the discarded intestines!

The pig, after his untimely death, had been sold to a neighbor for a small sum of money, (Jake was not yet of the usual slaughtering size) though, not nearly enough for the bike! Family members added the extra money needed to buy the bicycle for young Ed!

Charles Edward would remember Jake through all the years - and that green and creamy white Schwinn, too!

And he would remember the kindness and generosity of his family on that day.

~~~

(Part 7)

Ed would have the bike for the next several years, until he went in the USAF just out of high school. He handed it over to his young nephews when he left home!

Years later, when he had his own wife and children, all of this was brought back fresh in his memory! On a visit back home with his family, there, hanging in his brother’s shed was the frame of the Schwinn bike!

All of the bittersweet memories of that time…of the bike and of Jake…came back in full focus for a little bit.

Note:

I, personally, have wondered if the young Ed would have gone through with the selling of Jake in order to get the bike.

However, considering the time and place in the past of this story, he probably would have. The cost of keeping a pig for a pet would have been too extravagant in those hard times!

…Besides... the young boy, Ed, had that burning desire for that new Schwinn bike! :)

Junie

June Kellum

Lessons Learned

2008-08-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

...Here are more early memories from Mud Bottom -my husband's young years!...

Lessons Learned

Being the youngest of four adventurous brothers (Not to mention, also, having six sisters) could often be hazardous to a boy! This lesson young Ed learned, early on - with up-dates from time to time.

Farm life was not ALL work. There were times when boys could explore!

In the country neighborhood of Mud Bottom there happened to be an old abandoned log house. No one had lived there for a long time. The yard was overgrown with weeds, with the house almost hidden from view. It was the kind of place that would call to young, inquisitive boys to get a better, closer up, look!

The right day came for the three younger boys to explore the old log house. Ed was always up for some fun. He was about age six, with his brother Odell, eight and brother Jack, eleven.

The only thing of interest to be found in the old house was a pile of long discarded, mostly worn out, clothes! Being the only ’Find’ of their adventure, nevertheless, the boys focused on this pile of musty smelling old clothes!

Among the raggedy duds was found a pair of ‘under drawers’ which most likely had never seen the inside of a wash pot, nor ever flapped on a clothesline to freshen in the breeze! Ed remembers them as being a dingy white in color with brownish spots…especially in the seat area.

Jack dared his little brother, Ed, to try the underwear on! Perhaps Ed was intrigued with finding a pair of under drawers of his own. Little country boys his age often wore their overalls with nothing between the rough fabric and tender bottom! Whatever the reason, Ed did just as his brother told him to do! He shucked off his overalls and with his brothers watching him he put one bare foot and then the other into the underwear and pulled them up! He found them WAY too big!

It might would have been a blessing that they didn’t fit and he would leave them there in the heap of old clothes…so that his mother would not discover them when the next bath time came around!

It might would have been …except Jack said, ”Ummmm, I’m telling Mother you found some old under drawers and put them on!!” And with that the two older boys raced home, and did just that; leaving Ed to scramble back into his overalls as quickly as he could, and follow.

A set up!!

Ed of course, got a whipping from Mother and spent hours in a tub of water on the back porch, scrubbing his bottom with a bar of lye soap!

The brothers laughed! :)

June Kellum

July 2006

~~~

This picture was taken on our recent trip to Mud Bottom!
The old barn is still there and , still used, it seems!
A big, new house was built on the spot where my husband's family lived, but the barn remained the same- except for the red paint!
:) Charles said it had no paint on it in their time there!

Amazing to me that so many old barns are still standing - after 70 -or even more- years!

I love the old things!

Junie

The Rent Crib

2008-08-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

This is a small corn crib (the rent crib) that still stands on the old home place where my husband lived in his youth! This crib was used to store the 1/3 of the corn crop, which went to the landlord for rent of the farm.

This is in Limestone Co, Alabama in the farming area known as Mud Bottom, near the banks of Elk River.

Junie

Family Ties

2008-07-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

There's much to be said about the benefits derived of being born into a big family.

For one...with that larger number of people in your life you have a much better chance of , at least some of them liking you a lot! :)

Charles was always close to all his family - Parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins...and all the little nieces and nephews that came along later.

Being one of the youngest of the 10 children he was still a kid or a teenager when the new additions started coming along! (his nieces and nephews)

He always talked a lot about his family and I know he missed everyone when he joined the Air Force , right out of high school...but he never went back to Alabama to live, instead, settled in South Florida!

He enjoys going back every year for the reunion. I do too! I love seeing the places of his growing up years...and matching them up with the stories he's told me all through the years. :)

~~~

I got this E-mail from one of Charles' (and my) nieces . This shows a bit of the love - still alive and well- with the family!

I thought this was sweet and asked Kathy's permission to put it here on the family memories blog! :) She didn't mind - so here it is!!

~~~

Hi June -

I can't seem to find your personal blog - can you send me the
link ?
I want to let Mom catch up on the family stuff -
also
I just read Mud Bottom and can't wait to share that story with Mom she
will love it ...

I look forward to Uncle Ed telling wonderful stories during the reunion
this year - and maybe this siblings might have a story or two they can
share on him ... : )

My stories would be much too new -for the blog - But here are a couple you
can share with Uncle Ed - I think you and he both will get a kick out of
them -

The one I think you might get the biggest kick out of is...

When I would look at my Uncle Ed's picture (the one when he played football
for West Limestone) and then later on his picture in uniform at Grandmother
Kellum's house...I remember thinking ...he is the most handsome man I had
ever seen - plus I knew how much fun and loveable he was - but when I was
about
6...I can remember the shear disappointed when somehow I found out - you
couldn't marry your uncle... it wasn't allowed ...even if we did come from
Mud Bottom.

and the story I think my Uncle Ed will lol about is ...

How totally impressed I was when we came to Miami for a visit and he took
us to the Drive In movies - I will never forget - I was so excited he was
taking us to the opening of "Gidget Goes Hawaiian" (1961) ... and I could
not believe it - we drove right up to the ticket booth and MY Uncle ( who I
idolized) flipped out his police badge - and they just waved us in - like
royalty - I was so impressed I could hardly believe it - I think this was
the first memory I have of being on cloud 9 and I knew right away we were
no longer in Mud Bottom !

There is no wonder to this day - I fondly call him my Uncle Ed -

See you guys at the reunion...

Kathy

~~~

This is a picture of the time she's remembering when they came down to visit us in Miami!
Charles and I had been married just a short time. I was 20 and he was 26. The picture is Charles' sister and brother-in- law and his nephew, Steve and niece, Kathy! My little boy, Chris, was less than 2 here. (Chris is from a previous marriage- but Charles has always been his DAD!)

We're looking forward to seeing everyone in about 2 weeks!

Love,
Junie

Farm Life of the Past: Breakfast Time

2008-07-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

...one more little story from my husband's memories of growing up in a big family in Alabama...

(First posted, May 2006, at Junie's Place~ comments can be seen there)

~~~

Breakfast Time

Breakfast, to feed a family of twelve people, had to be a big thing.

There was the platter of sausage patties, piled in a mountain, perhaps, ten deep at it’s highest point… the biscuits counted in dozens…rolled out and cut in perfect round circles…to rise and brown to perfection… the butter, hand churned and molded in neat blocks, lightly salted… Jams or jellies from the summer’s bounty and canned by Mother and the girls, to mix and melt with the butter inside those biscuits… the eggs, gathered daily, cooked, sunny side up, stacked, one atop the other… the browned, milk gravy – to top it all off!

There was always milk to drink - and buttermilk!

And coffee, hot and black for the adults. It was the custom in those days to pour coffee from the cup into the saucer for cooling- a curious thing to do and something that is seldom seen in today’s world!

Some child among the ten, at almost every meal, would manage to spill a glass of milk!
Being one of the youngest it was often Ed who would have this mishap, resulting in a stern look, at the least, from the head of the family, Daddy! Invariably, with eleven sets of eyes watching, tears would follow!

Sausage, when available, was a favorite of one and all in the family. The platter was passed around the table and everyone took what they wanted. It was considered poor manners to take the last of anything left on a serving dish…(if you were a kid, especially) in case somebody else wanted it.

Once there was one lone sausage left on the serving plate. Several eyes were on this fine morsel but no one had yet worked up the courage to make the move on it. Finally, one of the older sisters went for it! Her fork was half way back to her mouth with the sausage when it was taken, in mid air, by the older brother; and was gone in a flash!!

So much for manners!!

:)

June Kellum
May, 2006

Mud Bottom Cotton Chopping-Summer 1944

2008-07-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

This is another story from my husband's growing up years in Alabama - and this is mostly in his own words!

~~~

Mud Bottom Cotton Chopping - Summer 1944

The area where this story takes place was known as Mud Bottom. It was in the bend of the Elk River, where Alabama and Tennessee joined, in northern Limestone Co, Al. This river bottom land was excellent farmland. It was called Mud Bottom because of the, often, muddy conditions - especially in winter.

Cotton had to be chopped three times between it’s coming up out of the ground and laying it by. (end of plowing and chopping) With a family of ten children, and Daddy supervising, the work progressed at a steady pace!

(Or a steady CHOP- as it were!)

It was hard work in the sun all day, so we had to have drinking water. Usually one of the boys would be designated for this job. On this particular day Jack was sent to the house where the well was located, on this errand. The well water had to be transported in glass gallon jugs.

This day, Jack was gone an unusually long time, for the two-mile trip- there and back.

Finally, we could see him coming up the field road, with his bare feet kicking up the dust.

It seemed he would never get to us with the cool, fresh water! When he finally reached us we could see why it had taken him such a long time to make the trip.

On the way back with the water he had stopped at a blackberry patch and picked the jug half full of blackberries! That cool, fresh water was filled with all manner of trash, not to mention the small spiders, ants, and bugs!

He thought we would be thrilled that he had brought us the berries but water was what we needed and no one wanted to drink that water!

True to Jack’s sense of humor and personality he said, ”If no one else is going to drink it, I will! I don’t care how trashy it is! I’ll let my kidneys filter it out, all they do is set up in there and ride!”

And with that he tilted the jug and took a long swig! ;)

Daddy looked at the sky and saw that the sun was about an hour high and said, “Let’s quit for the day!”

June Kellum

May 2006

Note:

Thinking about this story I've wondered if there might not have been some secret gratitude felt by some of the others, for Jack's dallying on that trip for water that day.

In the end it made for a shorter day! :)

Pictures:

The group is from about the time of the story. It's the oldest brother and the 2 youngest sisters of the family.

The mischievous boy peeking around the back is Jack!

The second picture is of Jack , about 19 47.

Junie

Chopping Cotton

2008-07-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

This is a little look into the life of my husband and his brothers and sisters lives in the mid- 40s ~ as retold from his memories.

(Re-post from 'Junie's Place' blog - May 1, 2006 )

Chopping Cotton

It was mid-summer in the cotton field in Alabama, with tempers rising right along with the temperature!

Each face was soon glistening with sweat, attracting a light coating of the dust that resulted with the hoe working the weeds from between the cotton stalks.

The long and weedy rows of cotton seemed to go on and on, endlessly!

This summer the two pre-adolescent sisters, little more than a year apart in age, were getting on each others nerves in a big way.

The brothers, working along with them moved ahead with their work at a good pace, wanting the day’s work to end… though that was not likely to happen before sundown!

The girls, though, seemed to have found a diversion from the boring job of - chop-chop-chop!

The boys, on more than one glance backward toward their younger sisters, had seen

the two girls going at each other- tooth and nail- along with hair pulling! At times, all to be seen was a swirl of dust, as the girls went round and round!

One was overheard saying to her sister, “I wouldn’t mind fightin’ with you if you’d take a bath once in awhile!”

LOL…Life on the farm…

Junie

Cotton Fields

2008-07-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Charles has many stories of picking cotton, chopping cotton, plowing the fields and planting the cotton ... and of playing in piles of cotton as a kid - with his brothers, sisters and cousins! All things cotton ~ in fact! ;)

~~~

This is a modern day cotton field and an OLD red barn! This is near the place where Charles grew up! This farm is near Athens, Al~ the 'town' of my husband's childhood and teen years.

I can imagine that this cotton field looks pretty much as it would have in the early days...though modern ways of growing and gathering of the crops are totally different now! ( Thank goodness for that!)

We got these pictures on a recent trip back to Alabama.

~~~

Some stories of cotton picking/chopping days are coming up soon! :)

~~~

And this~~~

Junie

2008-07-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

The Penny

( first printed at 'Junie's Place'~July 2, 2006 )

...another story from my husband's memories of his childhood. This event was probably in 1939...

(photo of Charles Edward near the time of this story)

The Penny

The baby sister played with a shiny penny she had found or someone had given her. As the young will, she would bring it to her mouth for this new sensation - the feel of it in her mouth and the metallic taste! She would drop it and watch it roll, pick it up and drop it again. What was inevitable, happened, after a while. The penny fell through a crack in the floor of the old log home where this family lived!

The youngest brother, about age five, was told to go under the house to find the penny for the baby sister! The little boy, Ed, thinking of spiders, snakes and other scary things he might meet under there, nevertheless, did exactly as he was told!

The penny was found!

What happened after that has bothered Ed, all the rest of his life!

He told the family he did not find the penny. He put the penny in his own pocket. It became a hot, burning, secret thing, there in his bib overalls!

In the next day or so some of the older brothers and sisters were walking to a little country community store. The mother needed something to prepare the suppertime meal,

perhaps some dried beans! Although it was a long walk to the store in Leggtown, Ed tagged along with the older siblings.

Along the store route, most travelers knew of a natural spring near a church. It was customary for people to stop there for a cool drink of the water. The water, always fresh and cool, flowed out of the rocky hillside; pooling in a cement basin. These travelers to Leggtown, on the errand for their mother, gratefully, stopped for a drink from the spring!

A plan evolved here…or maybe had been in the works all along! After being refreshed with the cool water, and as they started to resume the trip, the little boy, Ed, unobserved by his brothers and sisters, dropped the penny on the ground and ‘Found it’ for the second time!

A found penny! What luck!

With much excitement, and relief on Ed’s part, the group of children traveled on! Ed was now free to contemplate what he might buy with the penny!

At the Leggtown store, Ed was dazzled with the array of candies available for just one penny.

He finally settled on a ‘Walnettos.’ This was a black walnut and caramel candy, which came packaged with several indivually wrapped pieces to the pack!

He shared this with his brothers and sisters, on the long walk back home, having only one piece for himself.

Note:

IMO- having known Charles Edward for 46+ years now, this experience was a big influence in helping Ed become the honest, giving and caring man that he is.

He always felt guilt for what that little boy had done, all those years ago!

Cotton Shed

2008-07-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

(Another farm memory re-posted from Junie's Place)

The Cotton Shed

My husband, Charles, grew up in north Alabama, in a farm family of 10 kids. He was number 8 in the line-up, having 3 older brothers and 4 older sisters. He would have 2 sisters born after him.

He has so many stories of his early life, growing up in the country in a family that farmed for a living, as most did at that time in the rural south. The stories are entertaining in the re-telling but not, necessarily, in the living through them.

Charles has memories of living in several different locations during his early life, but all in the general area of north Alabama, Limestone Co.

The home place of this remembrance of my husband was what the family always referred to, in later years, as the frontier place. The house and all the outbuildings were made from rough-cut logs! Even in the late 1930s, that farm had to have been old! The time of this account was when my husband was about age 4 -as near as he can determine - probably in 1939. He was born in April, 1935.

The family grew cotton, with all the kids, as they grew old enough, doing their share in the fields and around the farm. Old enough, in those days, was by age 6 or so.

The fields were plowed in those earliest days, not with a tractor, but with a plow pulled by mules! (Joe and Nell are 2 Mule names I remember hearing!) Between the planting of cotton in the spring and picking of the cotton in the fall, came the hoeing and thinning of the growing crops; a dreaded job, I have been told.

Cotton was the main crop, however a garden was always a necessity, too, with 12 people in the family, to feed. They always had cows for milk and butter…chickens for eggs and meat…and hogs for lard and sausage and other meats!

(And that’s another story for later!) :) *Jake*)

In 1939, Charles was not yet old enough to work but tagged along after the older brothers around the place. I suppose it was fall because they were harvesting cotton. It was stored - just loose cotton- in a shed (cotton crib) built just for that purpose - a building about 16x16 ft. Like all the buildings of the farm this small building was made of logs, but unlike the house, it had small spaces between the logs not filled in with mortar! Breathing spaces…which would come in handy!

Being near the end of harvesting the building was 2/3 full of fluffy, loose cotton; to a height of 5 feet or more. The older brothers, in fun, decided to dig a hole in the pile of cotton, and put the little brother down in it… face down, flat on the floor, with his nose against a breathing crack between the logs! They did this and then covered him with the cotton, completely… telling him to keep his nose to the crack and lie real still! Miraculously, this little boy did not panic but did exactly as his brothers told him to do.

I feel sure they didn’t leave him like that for long, but to a little boy, it had to be scary! Dangerous too! …However, it ended well. You’ve all met my Charlie! :) Country boys CAN survive!

(his own words ~well~ and Hank Jr's!)

~~~

Every July we visit the folks in Alabama, and we always ride out and see all the old places of my husband’s childhood.

On this particular place of this story, the only building still there is the cotton shed! I have taken pictures of it a few times and we have even talked of trying to buy it, dismantle it and bring it to our place here in Ocala, Fl., and re-assemble it. I would love that! It would make such a wonderful addition to our place here…for a garden shed! Or just for the HISTORY of it!
~~~

Photos:
#1- a recent pic of the cotton shed
#2- another original building, from that time and place,
with the wood shingled roof.
This was the smoke house.
The baby is Charles’ youngest sister, Mildred!
(This photo, late 30s)

Junie

Kids

2008-06-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

This is Charles (standing) with a brother and his 2 younger sisters.

( Around mid 1940s)

Junie

A Gaggle of Geese

2008-06-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

(This is a story that was first printed July , 2006 at 'Junie's Place' blogspot)

...This is a story that goes WAY back...

A Gaggle of Geese

In the year of 1898, in the area of Waco Tennessee, lived a farm family of a father, mother, two boys and a little sister! The boys were about ages 8 years and 6 years. The sister, little more than a toddler at this time.

The family had recently moved back to Tennessee from Texas, to this farm. The boys, even at this young age, were expected to help out with the things that had to be done around the homeplace.

They had a gaggle of geese that the father needed to have driven to the town to be sold! The brothers, Elwood and Boyd, were given the job of ‘driving’ the geese to market to be sold! The driving of the gaggle of geese was accomplished by a boy on each side, with a long stick, moving them along and keeping them together as a flock. (gaggle)

On the way to the town, ( which was a distance of a couple of miles or more) the boys passed by another farmhouse. The farm lady was very friendly and engaged the boys in a conversation, asking if they were hungry! Of course they said yes, that they were hungry! Farm boys didn’t often turn down good grub when offered! She fixed, for each of them, a big plate of butter and molasses!

They ate the sweet and tasty mixture with great gusto! (As the geese grazed the roadside…) Each boy finished every bit on his plate, ending by licking the plate clean! On returning the empty plates to the lady they thanked her for her kindness and told her that the plates wouldn’t need to be washed - that they had already cleaned them!! :)

As the two little boys left to complete their assigned task of driving the geese to town,

I can well imagine the big smile on the kind farm lady’s face, as she watched them leave!

Can’t you? :)

Note: Boyd was my husband’s (Charles) father!

This is a picture of Boyd with James Elizabeth, holding their first grandchild.

(Photo 1948)

June Kellum

July, 2006

(some comments at original post)

Junie

Siblings

2008-06-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

Two big brothers and a little sister:

Charles was the youngest boy of 4 boys, and 3rd youngest child in a total of 10 children!
He is the little boy on the right in this picture. ( About age 4, I believe)

Junie

The Bowl Cut

2008-06-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

I will start with this story...They will be in no particular order .

The Bowl Cut

In the late 40s, short and neat haircuts for boys were the thing! This was the accepted and desired hair cut for all boys of that day. The hair was parted on either side or the middle, and combed up and back to the sides and held neatly in place with ‘Rose’ hair oil! This aromatic oil was used by one and all - farm boys and city boys alike! Sometimes, OVERUSED, to the point of running down behind ears and down necks…under shirt collars!

Keeping a neat haircut could be a problem, with money in short supply as it usually was,
in this farming family.

Luckily, (or maybe not) the older brother of the family had acquired a hand-operated hair clipper. With three younger brothers in the family, he had ample material to practice his hair cutting. But one needed to catch the older brother in a receptive mood, to be assured of getting the desired haircut! On some occasions that clipper seemed to be pulling the hair out by the roots, rather than cutting it! This, perhaps, depending on the older brother’s mood at the time of the clipping!!

Ed, being a young teen, and wanting to look his best, had been pestering his brother for a haircut for awhile-with his hair becoming more straggly and unkempt with each passing day! The Rose hair oil was fighting a losing battle in keeping all that hair in place!
Finally, the haircut was agreed to and it got under way!

The young Ed was captured there, under his brother’s hands, being very still, so as not to invite the pulling from the clipper…not realizing at first what kind of haircut his brother was giving him!

The finished haircut looked as if a bowl had been placed on the boy’s head, with the scalp shaved close, up to the distance a bowl, placed on top of the head, might have covered! The rest of the hair was cut straight, with no tapering; being left to hang straight down all around the head!

:) It would take awhile for that hair to grow out!
(But as Charles has been known to say,” Country Boys Can Survive!”)

Yes!
This haircut was similar- but more drastic- to the haircuts ‘THE BEATLES’ would make famous, some 15 + years later! :)

Charles Edward never WAS a Beatles fan! ☺

Junie

( some comments at original post _ Junie's Place-May 7, 2006)
May7, 2006

OK-Here we go!

2008-06-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

OK

The purpose of this new blog is to have all my husband's stories together. ..mainly of interest for the family!

In the near future I will be transferring posts previously posted at 'Junie's Place,' about his adventures as a farm kid in Alabama...I hope also that we will be able to add some new stories!

Y'all come back later!

Junie

Welcome!

2008-06-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here I am trying to get a blog going for my husband's farm stories!

I'm confused but I'll figure it all out!

LOL! Well! I WILL! Just watch me!

Junie