Silly dreams and Man of the year

 American vehicle: 1958 Chevy

For today:

Christmas is a wonderful happy time. People do become more joyful. Thoughtful of others. In the Fall Kids start thinking of what they would like for Christmas. As a kid I could think of a lot of things I wanted. From ball gloves to roller skates or bikes.

Even some adults start thinking of what they would like.  I don’t think most people ‘envy’ things others have. Many times I have wished I had the money to buy a bike, car or house LIKE someone else had, but that is not the same as wanting someone’s stuff, which is to covet, imma thinking.

Many people have a ‘silly to others’ dream but do not express it. Mine is to have an antique car to drive around. Maybe get into a car club when I get old.  I have two acquaintances who do that and get a kick out of it.  One is always in the Belmont Christmas parade where the passenger in his 1958 Chevy convertible is a local celebrity. One year it was ‘Man of the Year’, Preston Taylor. Preston did all my surveying when I was in business.

   Joe's 1958 Convertible in Belmont

Preston is different. After every job I had to chase him down to pay him, he wouldn't think of sending a bill. BUT in all the years I knew him in business I never knew of his dedication to the less fortunate.

He is a great guy. He became man of the year for all his volunteer work.  Every year he and his wife serve thousands of meals at no cost to the underprivileged.  He has done many favors for me and saved me many headaches by suggesting things when dividing parcels of land.

He is now in his 90s and still does volunteer work. I am glad to know him and to see him recognized. Many of the meals are served around Christmas time. He looked good in that '58.

                               Nite Shipslog

Before wall to wall carpet and central heat

 Early interesting Car:
    1950 Ford police car.

Now today:
Growing up usually one room of the house was warm in the winter. ours was the kitchen. The bedrooms were cold enough to keep meat at times. You slept under a stack of blankets or quilts. You laid there until you were about to ‘bust’ before getting up to pee in the night. The floor was cold and the toilet, if you had one inside, was cccold. I bet that seat was cold for girls! If there was no inside toilet there was a ‘slop jar’ or Chamber under someone’s bed.

 Upper is the one I remember most.

For the younger kids mama’s had some ‘neat tricks’ for cold feet. Some would heat a brick on the stove and wrap it in a towel for the kid’s feet. My mama would heat her iron and wrap it in a towel for cold feet.

Even in a cold house, my mama had time for a bedtime story.  Most of the time a Bible story, but not always.  Mama could tell some stories. Summer time she would read a story.

We had one light bulb in the center of the ceiling with a pull switch. Daddy had a string tied to the little chain and ran to the post of the headboard of the bed. That was COOL, you could jump in the bed fast, then reach up and pull the string and out went the light. That was the first remote control. LOL

School mornings it was hard to get up, two calls was the limit, after that, came the threat of a belt or switch. 

After I got older and learned North Carolina had mild winters, I wondered what you kids did UP NORTH!!!!! I bet you thought you would freeze to death.

What in the world did Y’all do up there in the winter?

Nite Shipslog

A show off and a snake-bite

Early interesting Cars:

   This '53 Packard was new when I got snake bit.
Now:
My dad was assigned a pastorate in Valdese, NC, a small mountain town in the South Mountains. The church was full of working folk, mountain farmers and mill workers. I remember the Garland Page family. Both parents worked. There was Jim & Bub, about my age and a sweet younger girl. 

They also farmed the side of a big hill. A barn was built into the side of the hill and they had a Pinto Pony called Frank. Frank could pull a plow and was also the boy’s riding pony. I loved the place and that family.

Many evenings Garland would take his guitar to the porch. He would pick and sing. He had such a soft sweet voice. Sons Bub and Jim could harmonize and sounded like the Everly Brothers. Before bed time I would jump on my bike and head home.

I rode Frank (after he threw me off once) and we had many adventures climbing the mountains, including High Peak. 

They also taught me to gig frogs.  One day I spotted a nice cottonmouth about 3’ long and pretty fat. I was going to show off.

(While seining for perch the year before, I saw BIL Dick grab a moccasin by the tail and ‘pop’ his head off like a whip.)

So I decided to show Bub and Jim a trick. I stuck the gig over the snakes head and called out, watch this! I had the tail in my hand and the gig holding its head. I pulled the gig, and like a coiled spring the rascal bit me. I guess I thought he was going to lay there and let me use him like a whip. I threw it down and stomped it to death. 

Then took my pocket Knife, cut x’s in the teeth bites like I had been taught, sucked blood and spit it out.  Evidently the cottonmouth had not bit deep, I don’t think any poison got in me. We went on gigging, but I never tried that again. I was still cool, being bit by a cotton mouth and lived. LOL

Nite Shipslog