Missed A Birthday!!

Well, I have gone and done it again! I was taking a siesta (break from blogging) andd I missed a birthday. I have never met this birthday girl but from all the photos taken in Kerrville of her it appears she had a great birthday.

Here is the birthday girl herself.

And the group that helped her celebrate~~

And the entertainment for the evening .

Senor Juan and Senor Jose

Happy Belated Birthday Brenda!!

That's it For Today.

Another Story

Well, as I said yesterday I love reading history and esecially if it is local history. Here is another story I read about the area that is now covered by Watauga Lake.

One of the houses that had to be moved to make room for the lake was a very old log cabin. The gentleman who lived there said he was 71 years old and had been born in the cabin as was his father before him. He stated his grandfather had also lived there.

According to him a lady had either lived there or near there when the indians were still giving the early settlers a little trouble. She had left her baby alone in the house while she went to the spring for water. While she was gone the indians came and placed a chair over the baby and put a log in the chair. When the lady returned from the spring she was killed and scalped. The baby was unharmed.

The indians then went out behind the house where they got into a skirmish with the settlers. The Indian chief was wounded but no settlers were killed. The lady was buried out beside the log house.

This is one of the stories I remember my father telling when we were growing up. He used to tell us all kinds of stories. It is hard to remember them all unless someone jogs my memory a little. A lot of stories such as this are lost because no one wrote them down. I am glad I was able to reconnect with this one.

And in the words of my father "That's it for today".

Grandma Lived in Hatley Holler

Well, a few days ago I wrote about the formation of Watauga Lake and how it displaced the town of Old Butler and many of its residents. My grandparents and a lot of my other relatives were included in this move. At that time in 1942 a series of interviews was conducted with residents of Old Butler and surrounding area prior to their homes and farmland being swallowed up by the progress of building Watauga Lake. Some people chose to relocate to other places while others moved their entire houses to new locations. The town of Butler was relocated to its present location approximately ten miles from Mountain City.

One of the interviews that was done at the time was with my grandmother. Here is some of the things I learned from that interview. She actually lived in a place called Little Milligan and a short distance up Hatley Holler. She was 67 years old. Her family was all grown and married except for my father.

My grandfather had died about three years prior and she lived alone with my father who was single and never had been married. He had recently joined the Army at age 38 This was right before World War II.

Her daughter lived about a hundred yards away. When everyone moved her daughter relocated to a place called Stoney Creek, a few miles from Elizabethton.

She took care of her house and had a small vegetable garden. No mention was made of her raising crops but the interview did mention my grandfather had been a farmer. She was born and raised in that area and I know my day went to school there but at some point she and my grandfather had lived for a time in Johnson City but had moved back to Little Milligan.

My grandmother relocated to near Mountain City just across the hill from my other grandparents. This was where I was born. She was a midwife and delivered all of my brothers and sisters except two.

In reading some of the interviews I came across a lot of local history and facts I did not know. I find it more interesting to read about the way things were instead of how things are today.

It was a simpler life in a simpler time. I wouldn’t mind going back to a time like that ---if I could take my computer with me.

In the words of my father “That’s it For Today”.

Most of My Rowdy Friends Are In Kerrville

(click on photo for larger image)

Well, a lot of my friends are in Kerrville this month for a gathering of friends. Meeting new friends and renewing acquaintances with old friends.
It was a couple years ago when a chat room through RV Dreams was established for the purpose of exchanging information between Rver’s. A few of us found the chat room and started chatting each night. As time progressed and we got to know each other better more people started migrating to the chat room.
Quite a few of us were signed up to go to the RV Dreams Rally in Branson and this would be our first face to face meeting. Let me tell you it was one cool rally. I have never in my life had so much fun with people I didn’t know. It was non stop hugs and handshakes until everyone got there.
Even though the days were busy with seminars and demonstrations the magic started in the evening when the laptops came out. Imagine chatting with someone on the internet and being able to look up and see their face across the table not to mention the verbal communication going on at the same time. (Dee and Bob) Teaching those people who were a little leary of the chatroom was fun too. Showing them the ropes and explaining how safe it was was part of our job. This particular chat room has no profanity and most nights it is like a big neighborhood block party.
We even had a show and tell on a big screen for the whole group as to how the chat works with six of us as demonstrators talking to our friends in Canada, Maine and Texas.
Close friendships have developed over the past two years that will continue way into the future. Rver’s are notoriously friendly and this is what this group is all about. We welcome newcomers and greet them with open arms --- as well as those who do not chat on a regular basis.

That is what the gathering is all about - A gathering of Friends.

That’s it For Today.

Washington!!

Well, Scott has completed the 440 mile walk to Washington DC. At 3 PM right on schedule he was on the steps of the Capitol Building. Way to go Scott!!

Blog in progress--please check back

Mount Vernon

Well , Todays walk took Scott from Stafford VA to Mount Vernon. He is still doing interviews and is joined in the last part of his walk by his wife Bev. Good luck Scott on the rest of your journey.. Thoughts and prayers are with you both as you continue into Washington DC.

On to Washington!!

Well, todays update on Scott is he walked 32 miles from Ladysmith VA to Stafford VA. He has now completed 399 miles. Only 41 to go. You're right on track Scott with both your message and your walk. Thoughts and prayers continue to be with you these final few steps into Washington DC.

Scott a couple days ago in Ashland Va with only 90 miles to go.


Well, as I have told you before we grew almost everything we had to eat.
We always had plenty to eat because we raised everything. Most of our food came from the kitchen garden. The garden was located just outside our back door.

As soon as the snow was gone in the spring we would begin preparing the garden. During the winter the cornstalks were dumped on the garden after the corn was shucked. Ashes from the wood stove had been dumped into the garden. One corner of the garden was dug up and used to plant tobacco seeds for when we were ready to transplant them to the field. In the end of the tobacco bed would be planted lettuce. That was the first spring crop. As soon as the lettuce was ready we would have killed lettuce and onions. Boy what a treat on a nice spring day.

The garden then would be plowed ,disked, harrowed, and made ready to plant. Normally it was planted the same way every year. We had peas, onions, lettuce, carrots, beets, swiss chard , spinch or turnips, beans, potatoes, corn, cucumbers, tomatoes. When the peas came off we dug them up and planted more beans.

At the end of the garden we grew horseradish, on the side there was rhubarb. We planted 2 rows of peas, 2 rows of onions We planted different varieties of beans we had half runners, cornfield beans were planted in between the corn, their vines grew tall and wrapped around the cornstalks and were great to pickle along with the corn. We had October beans and pink Tips which were great to dry. We also planted pintos.




The first year we had electricity was 1951. None of our neighbors had electricity either so every one was to recieve it. It was determined that our electric pole would be placed in the edge of the garden. My grandmother had just planted her garden and the peas were beginning to sprout through the black dirt. I remember my grandmother being so worried that the men from the REA (Mountain Electric) would stomp on all her peas and we would not have any peas to eat. As luck would have it, those men dug the hole, placed the pole in the ground and strung the wire , all without a footprint in Grandmother’s garden. She was so proud.

For those of you who want to follow Scott's journey his daily walk to the steps of the U. S. Capitol here is the link http://www.tencommandmentswalk.com/

You can leave comments on this page or if you prefer to contact me you can do so at kimilauri@msn.com. If you have memories you would care to share about living in Johnson County I would appreciate it if you would share those also.

That's it for Today!!