Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, Alabama is a scenic 90-foot-tall point of scenic beauty. It’s also considered a very romantic spot. A place where a young man might take his best girl on a date. One reason it’s considered so romantic is that a long time ago, the beautiful Cherokee daughter of a great Cherokee Chief had fallen in love with a handsome Cherokee Prince. The son of the afore mentioned Chief. But as it happens, the Chief had already made a deal with a nearby Creek Chief in which he promised his beautiful daughter to this Creek Chief’s son instead. This did not go well. The heartbroken princess went over to the place she and her lover had spooned so much and she jumped.
Read moreHaving a working bicycle in 1945 was very important to me and lots of my 10-year-old friends in Stonewall. But our WWII enemies, the Japs and the Germans had seen to it that bicycles, cars and such were fairly unavailable in the USA. Especially Stonewall. We had plenty of old bikes, but it was hard to find one that worked. Bicycle chains were scarce so if you couldn’t fix yours, you were out of luck. My brother and me spent many an hour figuring out how to fix those things and eventually got good at it. Flat tires? We were masters.
Read moreSummer is here. President Biden’s hope for 70% of us be vaccinated by the 4 of July ended in just a hope. We never made it. The vaccine, as it is turning out, is not only effective but is safe. Hold outs still quote vague statements of government markers in the vaccine and even “mark of the beast” stories. See Revelations for correlation. Good luck. As for me and my family, we are all vaccinated now and going on with our lives with confidence.
Read moreLast week was a busy week for many Allenites. It was the alumni week here in Allen and many former Allen grads were all about town for the big celebrations. Then last Saturday night I drove over to my old hometown of Stonewall for the alumni meeting over there. A good meal was had in their great cafeteria and much to my surprise, not one of my classmates of 1952 showed up. But, nevertheless, Pat and I had a good time and a good lot of visiting with other old friends that made up the crowd. Saw some old acquaintances from out of state too that I hadn’t seen in many years. Ann Brooks, Pat Toney and Billie Miller to just name three of them. Had a good time reminiscing about old times in old Stonewall.
Read moreSeems like we spend a lot of time dealing with trash. It’s everywhere and there is lots of it. I remember living over at Stonewall. “Take the trash out” meant taking it out to the burn barrel and sticking a match to it. This got rid of most of it as we sent the stinking stuff into the atmosphere to pollute the atmosphere. It was gone with the wind as far as I was concerned. Residue of ashes and other non-burnable gradually filling the barrel with ashes would be hauled off to the dump and you could start all over. Environmental damages? Not a worry for me.
Read moreI didn’t know that in order to leave one Baptist church and get into another (and keep your good standing) you had to walk down the wouldbe new church’s aisle, declare your intentions and instruct their church clerk to write your old church clerk a letter (on her own church’s stationery) and request this letter. Good heavens I thought after my mom had explained all this to me, I wondered what other secrets concerning wellbeing and heavengoing I hadn’t been told about.
Read moreJune long ago meant school was out. It was time to visit. To travel. It usually meant that my brother Gerald and I would be shipped off to our grandparents down in Leflore County to visit our grandparents and help out on the farm doing what my brother called “slave labor.”
Read moreI know looks aren’t everything. At least that’s what mama tried to tell us when we were living hand to mouth over in Centrahoma. Things went pretty well when there was just immediate family around, but someone always came back. You know, the refugees from the dust, the poverty, and foreclosing banks. Such as my uncle’s families from California who returned periodically to visit. Many people from the “dust bowl era” migrated someplace else for the simple reason most chances for being prosperous in the dusty environs of Oklahoma and surrounding states had gone down to about zero.
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