Papa and Jim came by as often as they could, but it did not seem like it was very often. Papa did as he had promised, when he came, he would take Haywood and Chester to the General store and buy them both a sack of penny candy. Sometimes he would take them to the Schloss Furnace where he now worked, to pick up his check. He made 3 dollars a week.
Remember this?
The following were some comments made in the year 1955:
"I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, its going to be impossible to buy a weeks groceries for $20.00."
"Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long until $3000 will only buy a used one."
"If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous!!!!!
"Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?"
He knelt in front of me, took my tiny right hand in both of his, and rubbed the two ugly warts that had suddenly appeared on my index finger the previous week. He closed his eyes as he massaged my hand and his lips moved wordlessly to some ancient chant.
While I know much about the men on the maternal side of my family, their history is easily traced. Documents are easily found, birth certificates, their names listed as having fought during the civil war. The men have been traced and places to find their heritage listed by family members.
A Cowboys Guide To Life:
Don't squat with your spurs on.
Don't interfere with something that ain't botherin you none.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
The easiest way to eat crow is while its still warm.
My life was rough. As a little child I worked long hours on the farm, hanging tobacco to dry. My mother had tried to teach me to work with the animals, but after she forced me to kill a chicken, I became incapacitated whenever I went near that part of the farm. Against my struggling, fighting and tears, Momma made me cut that chickens head of with an axe.
The first half a screenwriter would struggle to maintain even an “R” rating. The last half might be to clean and spiritual even for the Wonderful World of Disney that played on Sunday evenings for so many years. However, one common thread ties his entire life story together and leaves a legacy for us all: tenacity. And this tenacious spirit played out whether drinking in the local pub or preaching in a prison.
Haywood knew that mama would like it in heaven, because she use to read to him from her book called the Bible, and would describe a beautiful and wonderful place to him. A place where there was no sickness or sorrow or pain. A place where her Mama and Daddy were waiting for her.
There’s a little church where we used to go.
You may recall, it was St. Joe.
“Hard Scrabble,” was a nickname, it wasn’t famous, nor held no fame.
Our mom and dad, always faithful and true,
For miles they walked, the best they could do.
With Harold, Richard, Jean, Norma and Linda too,
We went to Church, Fountain Ferry and Zoo.
The fast kind of life was not their goal.
Nanny and her brother Lester and his wife Ada would almost always bring Louise up to my parents house for Easter. My Mother, Myra Wagaman Riley nee Wike, would make a big Easter dinner. Mom would color eggs for baskets and make a dozen for hiding. I loved hiding eggs. We were lucky if we found 9 out of 12 eggs.