MORE FROM MY LITTLE NOTE BOOK 4,14, 2009

THE FEDERAL LAND BANK MEN

WHEN THE FEDERAL LAND BANK PEOPLE CAME AND TOOK OUR NICE HOME DURING THE DEPRESSION WE HAD TO MOVE BACK INTO THE LITTLE TWO ROOM WITH A LEANTO FOR A KITCHEN AND A SCREENED FRONT PORCH.. UNCLE JOE SLACK LET THE FOLKS MOVE THE HOUSE ONTO A CORNER OF HIS LAND. IT WAS BY THE TWIN GROVES SCHOOL HOUSE. THERE WAS LOTS OF FUN AND TREE CLIMBING. WE SWUNG IN THE SCHOOL SWINGS UNTIL IT WAS TOO HOT TO HOLD ON TO THE CHAINS AND THE SLIDE TOO HOT TO SIT ON.

THE DITCH RAN BETWEEN OUR HOME AND THE SCHOOL YARD. THERE WAS LOTS OF GOOD TREES TO CLIMB AND SWING ON LIKE MONKEY'S. WE WALKED TO THE OLD GRAINERY THAT WAS OUT QUITE AWAYS FROM THE HOUSE ON A ROCK BED. WE WALKED THROUGH WEEDS, SAGE, AND LAVA ROCKS TO GET THERE. I'M SURE WE WERE SENT TO GET SOMETHING FROM THE GRAINERY WHEN WE WENT. ONE MEMORY OF ALBERTA AND I GOING FOR SOMETHING WE SHARED A STICK OF GUM. SHE DIDN'T DARE TAKE TWO STICKS BECAUSE DAD WOULD KNOW WE FOUND HIS STASH. AS I GET OLDER I'M SURE HE KNEW ANY WAY.

FOR A LONG TIME WHEN SOME ONE I DIDN'T KNOW KNOCKED ON THE DOORIF I DIDN'T KNOW THEMI FELT IT WAS THE MEAN OLD FEDERAL LAND BANK MEN.
I KNOW MOM SHED MANY A TEAR OVER LOSING OUR FARM , HOME AND ANY THING ELSE THAT WENT. AT THOSE TIMES SHE'D SAY SHE HAD THE BLUES. WHERE COULD SHE GO TO SPEND A FEW SOLITARY MOMENTS ALONE?? IN MY MIND IT SEEMS SHE SAID SOME THING LIKE "IF THOSE MEAN FEDERAL LAND BANK MEN HADN'T TAKEN EVERY THING FROM US'. THEN TOO SHE WAS EXPECTING BABY NUMBER SEVEN AND US IN THAT ALREADY CROWDED PLACE. REBA CAME AND WAS A CUTE LITTLE BLONDE GIRL WE ALL LOVED AND SPOILED HER. WE PLAYED WITH HER LIKE SHE WAS ONE OF OUR DOLLS. HOW SHE SURVIVED THAT I'LL NEVER KNOW!! IN RETROSPECT I NEVER DID SEE THOSE MEAN OLD FEDERAL LAND BANK MEN.

I'M NOT SURE HOW OLD I WAS BUT DAD GOT A SMALL FARM THAT WAS CALLED STATE LAND. WE MOVED BACK INTO THE BIG HOUSE AS IT WAS EMPTY. I DON'T REMEMBER HOW LONG WE WERE THERE UNTIL THE LITTLE HOUSE WAS MOVED AND SETTLED ON THE LAND BY WHAT WAS THEN THE NEW HYWAY. THEN BACK INTO THAT LITTLE HOUSE AGAIN. IT WAS BACK OFF THE HIGHWAY WITH A PATCH OF WILLOW TREES IN FRONT BETWEEN US AND THE ROAD. HYWAY 91 WASN'T VERY OLD AT THE TIME WE MOVED THERE.

{I WAS TALKING WITH REBA A WHILE BACK AND TOLD HER I WISHED MOM HADN'T TOLD US HOW POOR WE WERE.] AS I LOOK BACK ON IT MANY TWIN GROVES PEOPLE WERE AS BAD OFF AS WE WITH TWO FAMILIES DIVIDING AN ALREADY SMALL HOUSE INTO TWO FAMILY DWELLINGS. I SUPPOSE THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF CONDOS!!! I OFTEN WONDER HOW MANY DOORS WERE CLOSED AND FURNITURE PUSHED IN FRONT TO BLOCK ENTRANCE INTO THE OTHER FAMILY'S LIVING QUARTERS.

OUR BISHOP FLOYD LAW AND HIS FAMILY SHARED THEIR HOME WITH HIS BROTHER LELAND AND FAMILY. ALSO HIS SISTER AND BROTHER IN LAW FOR SOME TIME AT DIFFERENT TIMES. UNCLE JOE AND AUNT LEAH LIVED IN THE BACK PART OF THEIR HOME AND VERNON AND LUCRECIETTA LIVED IN THE FRONT HALF WITH THEIR CHILDREN. THERE WERE OTHERS ALSO.

MAGPIES

ONE SUMMER THERE WAS A SMALL BOUNTY PAID ON MAGPIES AND THE EGGS. IT SEEMS THERE WAS AN OVER ABUNDANCE OF THEM AND SOME GOVT. AGENCY COULD GIVE THE YOUTH SOME WAY OF EARNING A FEW CENTS. I THINK THE UNBROKEN EGGS PAID ONE CENT AND THE BIRD HEADS THREE CENTS EACH. BAKER AND JACK THOUGHT THAT WAS A REAL MONEY MAKER SO AFTER A TIME ARE TWO OF SHOOTING ONE ARE TWO WITH A FLIPPER OR B B GUN THEY LET ME GO WITH THEM. [ I DON'T REMEMBER GETTING ANY MONEY BUT I WENT.] I COULD CLIMB TREES TO THE NEST AS EASY AS THE BOYS. IT WAS GETTING THE EGGS SAFLEY DOWN TO THE GROUND THAT WAS MY PROBLEM. I'M NOT SURE IF THEY EVER MADE ENOUGH FOR EACH OF THEM TO HAVE A TEN CENT SHOW TICKET ON SAT OR NOT. I DO KNOW THE BOYS GOT TO GO TO THE MOVIES MORE THAN I DID. BACK TO THE EGG HUNT. IF WE GOT TO THE NEST AFTER THE EGGS HATCHED THAT WAS EASIER THAN TRYING TO GET THE EGGS DOWN SAFLEY AND A LITTLE MORE MONEY FOR THE HEADS.

THERE WAS ALWAYS WILD FLOWERS TO BE PICKED ON ANY OF THESE ADVENTURES. WE'D TAKE HOME A BOUQUET TO MOM. MANY OF OUR FLOWERS WERE SCRUFFY BUT SHE LOVED THEM. SHE MISSED THE WILD TEXAS BLUE BONNETS AND SEEING THEM IN BLOOM. LIFE WASN'T ALWAYS EASY BUT I DO HAVE SOME GOOD MEMORIES OF FAMILY TIMES.
NOW FOR ANOTHER DAY.