Monday, November 7, 2022

We ARE old...... plus houses and funeral homes!

 The Wagon

These wagons are from the web. I cannot remember if Mr. Robinson's wagon tires were steel rim or rubber. At that time many did have rubber because most of our streets were paved.

For today:

AL, (AL & Judy from Milbridge, ME) was talking to his granddaughter when he said, “When I get old I might go fishing.”

She looked up at him and said, “But Grandpa, YOU ARE OLD!”

Since hearing that my girl has used that line many times. LOL WE know several people now in their 90s. Sherry just celebrated her 85th I will soon celebrate my 84th, if God wills. Both are in very good health (for the shape we are in… LOL) So yeah, we are old and know it…..

Dad moved us to Belmont, NC in 1954. Mr. Robinson lived across the street. He was the last person in Belmont to have and use a horse and wagon. Much history is attached to that piece of land. A small home and a small barn. He drove out waving many mornings before I headed out to school.


(The above was the funeral home in the 40s & 50s, now a home)

Down the road a few hundred feet was a funeral home, the manager was Fat Myers. Yes that was the name he was known by all over Belmont. After Mr. Robinson passed, Fat bought the house and barn, tore them down and built a very nice brick home, nicely landscaped.

(Remember this was in the 50s.  This was one of the nicer homes in Belmont)

Fat was a likeable man, well respected. His end was sad. He spent one night in that new home, and that was in a casket during his wake.

Mrs. Myers became an insurance agent and worked out of that home for many years. I was in the house once to buy my first car insurance policy.

As fate would have it I bought that house many years later without looking inside. We did a complete remodel and sold it to a young Robinson family. I am not sure if they were kin to the original Horse and wagon Robinson or not. I should have asked.

I know some of you live close to Amish people and see horse and buggies. We have traveled much in Amish country.  Buggies are for traveling, the wagon is a work vehicle.

Once Mr. Robinson passed there was never again a working horse in Belmont. When Fat was building that beautiful brick home, at 16 yrs of age I never thought I would one day own it for a while.

Do you remember any horse and wagon other than the Amish?

Would you live in a home that was previously a Funeral Home?

Nite Shipslog

PS: Sheila said in her comment that Sherry & I reminded her of this song by Conway Twitty.  We did have tears,  as we listened…..  Thanks Sheila, I bet most times I come to bloggerville I think of your mom, ‘Jean of Opp!’ Some folk are ‘unforgettable!’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n1C6dUwPfA

Once camping in NC/GA we got to see/hear Conway at a County Fair. But that was long before we became OLD….  ;-)

6 comments:

Victor S E Moubarak said...

What a wonderful post remembering the past - the good old days. Today everything seems different ... different, but not necessarily better. It's all a question of attitudes, I guess. Today's generation seems to be more arrogant, more self-assured, more ... different.

God bless.

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

We have a couple of funeral homes in our town that were once grand old homes. Now the owners do live above the funeral home rooms on the next story up. They are beautiful old homes and I don't suppose they mind living there at all. I'm not sure if I could do that. It souls be a little too spooky for me. Hope you have a beautiful election day there and get out and vote !

Mevely317 said...

What interesting histories. I sure envy your memory, Jack. Counting ourselves, many families today are transient with little roots.
To answer your questions, no I don't recall seeing any horses and wagons. The idea of living in a former funeral home doesn't really bother me. There is, however, a well-known, OLD Mexican restaurant in south Phoenix that used to be a funeral home. Tom's son-in-law refuses to eat there!

PS - Props to Sheila for her song choice ... that's a good one!

betty said...

The Wrigley Mansion here in Phoenix, Mr. Wrigley built it and shortly after taking occupancy had a stroke and died. It still is a beautiful place to visit; not a funeral home though. One of the restaurants up in Billings that we used to frequent used to be a crematorium. Didn't bother me eating there :) Age is just a number, Jack and Sherry. Remember that!

betty

yaya said...

Thanks for the tears this beautiful morning! Sheeze, that song is so perfect for us folks on the end of the trail..well, not truly there yet but hiking never the less! Time passes quickly but I hope we can just be thankful and enjoy each moment. I wonder if that house was just a tiny bit haunted? I'm not sure I would live in a funeral home but that one doesn't look like the ones around here that were former huge Victorian homes. Other than the Amish we don't see any horse and buggies or wagons. I always worry about the Amish and the fast cars as I have seen patients at the hospital that were hit and believe me, the horse and buggy never win that race. Have a wonderful Tuesday and watch out for that hurricane heading for the East side of Florida!

Sheila Y said...

Glad you liked the song. I was country when country wasn’t cool as Mrs Mandrell sang.
Hugs, Sheila