MY GRANDDAUGHTER AND ME, "BRAGGIN RIGHTS." AND A LETTER

My granddaughter

I very seldom mention my grandchildren. They are all special to me. But I thought since my granddaughter is graduating this week from high school I would share a few things about her. 

So here goes my "braggin rights."She has had a successful tennis career so far. She recently was recruited by an eastern college to play on their college tennis team. Then she was accepted into their business school which is unusual for a student's first year of college where she is attending.

When she was six months old I was living a thousand or so miles from her. I sat down and wrote this letter to her. I knew she couldn't read it then but some day she could. 

I am still many hundreds of miles from her. 

So if you, my granddaughter are reading this post please read on -- it is the letter I wrote to you so long ago.

~ ~ ~

Today, I sit before a computer writing to you my six month old granddaughter wondering about our relationship, how we can connect together, you being so young and I much older with many miles between us. I want to be part of your life yet, for now it is not possible. Your mother and I have always been so close and she is so wonderful that I feel although I am not there with you she has enough of my love locked in her that she can share it with you.

How can we be soul mates? Fifty seven years lie between us. I ponder this dilemma and realize that we have collective philosophies contained within us established by the women in our blood lines that will surface with you in both small and grand ways. This will be our key to being soul mates. 

Perhaps when you make a decision to fight a battle based on intellectualism you will feel your strength arise from your family women source. Perhaps when you stand still on a hill feeling the wind drive hard against your young adult body you will know a sense of peace as family women felt on similar hills in previous generations.

Joy will come easy to you in small ways, laughter will spill out spontaneously, tears will come quickly over animals, small children and lost loves. We are an emotional bunch of women that dive into life with the zest of a marching band. We have gentle spirits and open hearts. So with this legacy you will be one with not only me but your grandmothers and great-grandmothers and back through all your family women of past generations. 

So when you find yourself sitting on that hillside feeling peace -- know that I along with all your family of women have silently gathered in spirit with you to soothe your soul.

~ ~ ~

1819 "BEACON" BARN

1819 Rockcastle Homestead Barn

When I lived in Kentucky I was taken in by the spirit of barns. They represented so much of our rural heritage and our past personal individualism. Central Kentucky still has many of these ancient barns crouched on the land. The barns seem to speak to many folks -- as they fly by on the road in their vehicles -- saying to them  "remember when." 

Log granary section of 1819 barn

Vintage barns are like genes -- all different. Built by folks that toiled on the land yet had a certain freedom that is not known today. The above 1819 barn began as a log granary and as the farm grew, plank board additions were added.  The final barn was a "beacon" of a coming together within a family to produce the best they could.

1819 barn --  Plank Board Door

Strength and endurance paid off. No rules and regulations to tell them what they could do with their land. No federal fees to pay or forms to fill out if one wanted to grow organically and no corporate overseers of your farm.  No animals with white tags punched in their ears. Not in the early years. 

1819 Barn --  Tin  Roof

Hundreds of "beacon" barns still stand in Kentucky. Many of them alone and decaying. And yet  they have many stories to tell us. If only we would take the time to listen to them.

SALLIE TOMATO WAS A COOL DOG AND WE MISS HIM

Sallie Tomato loved to splash through the water

It has been a week since Sallie Tomato passed -- it happened so fast. He passed suddenly from a heart problem. He was dancing in the morning and by dinner time he was rushed to the vet and within two hours he had left this world. 

Dogs are family. Sallie Tomato came to live with me six years ago after my youngest son passed. He had this big Golden Retriever that nobody could take -- but I had room and I took him home to Kentucky. He was a warm friendly dog that was so easy to handle. My older son loved to take him out on walking trails.

My granddaughter loved to play and pet Sallie as she did my other dog Lil.

 I walked Sallie almost every day at the city park near where I now live in Vancouver. The children that used the park loved to come over to Sallie -- petting and talking to him like children love to do with animals. Sallie loved it.

Sallie Tomato we miss you.

OLD KENTUCKY POTTERY

Above is a vintage photo that was featured on a postcard put out by the Kentucky Historical Society a few years back.   It features a bunch  of pottery just outside the door of  Bybee Pottery located in Bybee, Kentucky. I assumed it was a photo of their production on that day long ago? 

This postcard made me curious about Bybee Pottery so I decided to visit the place several months ago when I still lived in Kentucky. When I got there the pottery place was closed up tight and not a sign of life surrounded the exterior. Perhaps I had come on the wrong day?

Above are the buildings I found that day when I visited. All the attached buildings appeared in great shape but they gave off a ghostly feeling of desertion.

The large sign above the door announced "Bybee Pottery founded 1809!" 

I did a little research and found that Bybee Pottery had suspended operation in 2011. I was just two years late in my visit to the place.

Additional research turned up the following information on Wikipedia:

"Bybee Pottery, is a 200-year-old pottery company based in Bybee, a community in Madison County, Kentucky, USA. It was founded in 1809 by Webster Cornelison and members of the same Cornelison family."

Bybee pottery was well known nationwide for their pottery. Once they made just utilitarian pieces but eventually they made decorative pottery items too. Link to an article about the family that has operated this business since its founding.  

Below is an example of just one of the many types of Bybee ware that was made by the company. 

This wonderful company of Americana items is another example of our declining base of local companies in the U.S.

Sorry about that folks  

FAMILY THANKSGIVING 1940

Crouch farm house with relative's cars 
during Thanksgiving day.

courtesy: Library of Congress

It's amazing to think about what our parents and grandparents did to prepare for a Thanksgiving holiday. Jack Delano, a photographer from the depression era, recorded this set of photos in 1940 at the Crouch family farm in Connecticut. 

Thanksgiving hasn't hardly changed for many folks across our country. Today's technology has added its face but the tradition to gather with friends and family, eat lots of turkey, stuffing, pie, and more while enjoying each other's company is still pretty much the same. 

Crouch family enjoying their Thanksgiving feast.

courtesy: Library of Congress

Young one checking to see if the pudding is done.

courtesy: Library of Congress

Granddaughter placing the homemade pies.

courtesy: Library of Congress

Grandma basting the turkey.

courtesy: Library of Congress

Grandpa slicing the turkey.
courtesy: Library of Congress

Let's eat!


HAPPY THANKSGIVING ONE AND ALL!

more about depression photographers

SMALL TOWNS -- WHERE EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR NAME

Father and son -- Dan Ledford and Dan Ward Ledford

Meet some native Kentuckians – Dan Ledford and his son Dan Ward Ledford (standing) who live near each other in the Paint Lick community. Dan Ledford is ninty-two and has lived in his home for about fifty years.  


This post is about ninety-two year old Dan. He represents a lifetime of living in rural settings. He and his mother came to Paint Lick on a train from northern Kentucky when he was a boy. His father moved their possessions to the Paint Lick area by horse and wagon.


As a young man he served in WWII overseas. After the war ended he came back to the Paint Lick  area where he soon was employed as a school bus driver.  


He drove the bus for the school district for most of his working years. As a school bus driver he figures that he accumulated about two million miles during his working career of driving school routes and for special school events.


Often Dan can be seen sitting on his large front porch where local folks honk a “hello” as they travel the road in front of his house. He sends back a big wave of his hand to them.


Paint Lick is a small town where everyone knows your name. 

Dan Ledford's Homestead -- Sitting Chair and Barn

Dan bought his house and 15 acres about fifty years ago under interesting circumstances.  While attending an auction, a friend encouraged him to buy the homestead up for bid. Dan told him he didn't think he had enough money but he would try anyway. But he found out he did have enough money as the homestead only went for 9500 dollars. When the auctioneer yelled, “sold”  he realized he was the new owner. This was in 1960 and the homestead has been his home ever since.

Dan's Historic Church Pew 

Dan has two children and is a widower. There has been some changes in the area  yet it's still basically a farming place. He intensely likes where he lives. A small American flag flies from a corner post of his front porch and Dan often wears a cap announcing he is a war veteran.  


He is the oldest member of the 1700s historic Paint Lick Presbyterian Church just down down the road from where he lives. There is one of the old Presbyterian church pews on his porch.  


All things considered, Dan is well entrenched in the cultural context of his area.

Dan Ledford sitting on his front porch

You might say that Dan characterizes many rural citizens in this country. Citizens with community pride who have worked hard along with family members toward a good life. That have lived in an area for many years while their family members often settle in and around that community. 


If you are ever in Paint Lick on Route 52 and see Dan sitting on his front porch – honk a “hello – he’ll send you back a big wave as everyone knows his name in Paint Lick.

INSIDE THE COX FAMILY HARDWARE -- WHERE OLD MEETS NEW IN A SMALL TOWN COMMUNITY

COX HARDWARE STORE

Martha spoke to me on the phone today telling me she is the last Cox of the family to run the Cox Hardware store. The year it opened its doors for business was 1907 -- 104 years ago. Martha's husband was the last in the line of four generations to keep the business running. 


People in town asked her after her husband passed last year if she was going to sell the place. She responded to them with, "no, I have fun running this old hardware store."  She told me that she has worked in the store for thirty years and is very familiar with its operation. I asked her if Cox Hardware was independent. She quickly answered, "a hundred percent independent!" 

ASSORTED ITEMS FOR SALE PLACED ON OLD SHELVES AND BENCHES

Cox Hardware is located on Main Street in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky. It is a great store to find just what you need in the hardware line -- even one screw or two nails if that is all you need. Any questions -- someone is there to answer with a friendly smile. 

THE ORIGINAL OLD POT BELLY AND AN OLD SITTIN' BENCH

You can find newer types of paraphernalia here as well as the old. An example of an older type item would be oil lamps with chimneys and the oil to burn in  the lamps. Of course I can't list every new or old type of item that they carry as the list would be very long. 


It is a large hardware in an old brick storefront displaying lots of character with shiny original wood floors and antique items hanging or sitting around the store. Many of the cases and bins are original old  pieces. 

OLD HARDWARE BINS

At one time most small towns had a hardware store. Many have disappeared. Some say it is because of the influx of the big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot. But some family-owned hardware stores say that they are doing fine. They claim that their personal service and community attachments allow them to survive. They have met the challenge of having  the old ways remain while implementing some new practices. 

ONE OF MANY CASES TO HOLD STORE  ITEMS

Some small hardwares have become cooperatives, meaning they form as a group selling the products of a chain. And some have remained independent like Cox Hardware -- meaning running their own show. 

ANTIQUE GLASS DISPLAY CASES

Will the small town hardware stores survive? That is a question that can only be answered by the future.. 

BUDDING YOUNG FOLK ARTIST

NANA'S HOUSE -- FOLK ART PAINTING BY WHITNEY

My family has  been interested in folk art for several years. Not only for its aesthetic, naive beauty but also for the stories sometimes associated with them.

Last summer my youngest daughter and twelve year old granddaughter came for a visit. Twelve year old Whitney had a light in her mind that she wanted to, "fire up." while she visited. 

She asked her mother if she could buy some acrylic paints and canvas boards at our local art store. We had no idea what she was up too. She sat at the kitchen table with her newly bought paints and tried her hand at folk art. She sat for many hours silently working on the paintings. When through she presented two paintings to me for my folk art collection. I love them.

SELF PORTRAIT BY FOLK ARTIST WHITNEY 

I thought she came up with some nice examples of folk art. Believe me, they are now displayed in a very visual part of my home. They now reside among some old Kentucky crocks on one of my vintage benches. The whole montage fits well together. 

WHITNEY

Children sometimes begin their interest in folk art from what they see parents or relatives constructing or collecting. Much folk art is imagined, made, and loved without words . . .  it will have gathered into itself something of its creator's freedom (Henry Glassie, 31).  It contains variability and tradition.

Some folk art constructions  include; woman's handwork (quilting, weaving, etc.)  sometimes passed down to daughters -- hand woven basketry often  made by parents as well as sons and daughters  --  carving skills from father's hands to hands of sons and daughters -- this is but a small sample. Folk art is a widely diverse dimension. Not always passed down through families but sometimes expressed through the spontaneous freedom of the mind.


For Whitney I hope that this is a beginning for a future interest in folk art.


SOURCE:
The Spirit of Folk Art by Henry Glassie 

HOLIDAY SPIRIT OF THE OLD RED ROCKER

OLD RED ROCKER

One Christmas eve, when I was a child, as I laid in bed listening for the sounds of Santa on the roof I overheard the the voices of my parents discussing a gift that I was to receive from Santa. It was a time when folks were still feeling the repercussions of the depression and WWII. Money was beginning to flow again in the economy yet people were still in the non-spending mode. 

The gift they were discussing was a hand-me-down cradle that was last used by my older sister. My father had just refinished it and put a chime on the rocker so that it played a tune when you rocked it. It was a lovely doll cradle by the time he had it all redone. I loved it when I saw it under the tree the next morning -- even though I knew it was a hand-me-down and not from Santa. I played along with the idea of Santa bringing it. 

OLD CLOTH TAPE SEAT AND LOTS OF WEAR MARKS

I had the cradle for many years. -- somewhere along my path of life I lost it. That  cradle had taught me many things about family and living according to ones values. 

STABILIZING WIRE

It taught me that my father, with love and kindness for his daughter, took the time to redo the cradle and add music to it. Also, it taught me the meaning of the phrase -- waste not, want not. My parents had to make do with what they had -- they didn't extend their tight budget to more than they had in their pocket. 

OLD REPAIR TO ONE OF THE ROCKERS

One day, later in life, I bought a child's worn old red rocking chair. It reminded me of the lessons I had learned from my cradle --  the  chair obviously had been used by several generations. There was evidence that the rocker had several problems at one time and that someone had lovingly fixed them.


The previous owners had  made  a seat with cloth tape, probably because the original splint seat had worn through. Also, one of the rockers had broken at some point and had been repaired in excellent fashion. Apparently, through use, the little rocker had become shaky --  so someone corrected the wobbling chair by repairing it with tightly twisted wire. All these repairs gave the rocker many leases on its long life. 

So when I remember my childhood cradle during the holiday season, I now look at the little red chair and know that it represents family, love, caring and reuse -- my idea of what the holiday season should be about.

A SIMPLE FALL DAY

Misty morning finds my son
collecting straw out of the old barn to mulch the garden 

This morning started out with cool temperatures, gray overcast,  and a misty rain. Very conducive to wrapping yourself in a blanket and reading a book. But, my son  decided to remove the old straw that has been sitting in the worn old barn since I moved in -- a left over present from the former owners. He wheelbarrowed many loads down to the garden and mulched it to bed for the winter. 

I made a quinoa and veggie dinner and then we decided to take a long hike with the dogs Sal and Lil.

It was a simple fall day of good company, good food, and good deeds.

Lil and leaves in creek 

My son and Sal hiking in the woods

Maple leaves cast odd colors in the late sun of the day

Fallen leaves line creek bed while Sal and Lil roam

HUGE KENTUCKY KETTLE GOURD

HARD SHELL KETTLE GOURD

When my daughter was visiting this summer she got carried away at a festival that we attended. She spied this huge kettle gourd and just had to have it. The gourd's non-existent waist measured approximately five feet around! When it came time to leave (on the plane) she realized that it was so large that she would have to have a monstrous size box to ship it home. 


Well, it was left with me to figure it all out. Of course, I still have it. It's growing on me every day that I look at it. I think it has a nice home here. Probably, my daughter has forgotten all about it. Maybe she'll remember it on her next trip to Kentucky and we both can figure out how to ship it.


 Let me see.... I think I should give it a name ... Anu the Celtic goddess of fertility sounds pretty good. Really -- she does look rather pregnant. She really shouldn't be travelling right now. 

THE GREAT AMERICAN TREASURE HUNT -- THE GARAGE SALE

LOVELY WOMAN ON RIGHT, A NATIVE OF FRANCE,
WAS CONDUCTING THE YARD SALE

Yesterday was a glorious fall day and I had a few errands to run. As I traveled around I noticed many yard sale signs of all sizes beckoning buyers. On my way home I passed a sign that said YARD SALE -- CHEAP.. Cheap made me stop. Not that I am cheap but I only had $8.00 in my money pouch and usually one needs cash at a yard sale. Maybe, I thought, I could find a little treasure.

Yard sales go by several common names; tag sales, rummage sales attic sales, moving sales, garage sales, and others.. It appears to be a regional tradition as to what they are called. In central Kentucky I have noticed the name yard sale is popular. So when I use the term yard sale, I am talking about any of the common names for a yard sale. Overall, one can say that yard sales are a national tradition. 

Usually yard sales have signs posted near the place of the sale. I am not a yard saler ( new verb in our language) per se, but once in a while I will stop if the sale looks interesting  -- or its a nice day and and I have $8.00 in my pouch.

Across the country, yard sales perhaps reach the billion dollar mark each year in sales according to one source. They are a form of retailing that is decentralized, run by private individuals not companies. They are informal and social -- one can pick up the item, note any flaws if any, and talk to the owner about the item. Also, the items are fairly priced and  -- just maybe you will find a treasure.  

OLD FRENCH LACE CURTAIN PANEL WITH YARD SALE CANDLESTICK

As I approached the YARD SALE-CHEAP place, a friendly couple greeted me as I strolled toward the front yard where all the sale items were located. I could tell that much of what had been for sale for gone. I know that there are folks that get there first thing and buy all the good stuff. Yet, I felt it was my lucky day and began my search for a treasure. 


I asked the woman of the couple a question about some bottles that I thought were nice -- and I noticed her accent. She told me she was from Paris, France originally. We chatted a bit and then I went back to get the bottles -- but then noticed other items of interest. Not only was everything cheap it was first quality. 

I picked up some lace curtains -- two panels -- that were quite lovely. She told me that she had gotten them from her aunt's French summer cottage. 


Hmmm  -- I knew right where I could use these fine pieces.

SMALL SOAPSTONE CARVED ELEPHANT BOX  AND CANDLESTICK

Then I looked in the free box and found a nice brass candlestick that had lots of character marks. Wellll -- this can have a place at my home.

I do like little boxes. Sitting on one of the tables was a soapstone hinged box with an elephant carved into the lid. I like to use interesting boxes to wrap small presents in or use them for some of my small mundane things around the house -- like paper clips or stamps etc.  Somehow opening an unusual box for some paper clips and other mundanes appeals to me. 

Sooo -- I now have more items added to my purchases. 

OLD FOUR-PART MUFFIN TIN AND ENGLISH BON BON CONTAINER

Now I spotted two tin items. One, another small box emptied of its English bon- bons it once contained. It had a lovely impressionistic lithograph printed on its lid. The other tin was an old muffin baking tin -- I do appreciate old household items. 

The tins joined my growing stack of things to purchase. 

OLD BLUE MEDICINAL BOTTLES

So now back to the bottles I had first noticed when I arrived. Yep, Genuine Phillips Milk of Magnesia bottles, small enough to sit on my window sash -- filtering the sun's rays through their dark blue.


Stacked them with my pile.

OLD VASELINE EMBOSSED BOTTLE

Found another old bottle. This one an old embossed Vaseline (short and stout) bottle. I added this to the mound. 


Actually, going to yard sales or having a yard sale is a gender issue. I am a feminist so don't get me wrong. But traditionally, woman have been in charge of all things household. And, sorting out what to sell is usually household items -- so the task of a yard sale falls to the female of the house. Same goes for buying -- women historically are the household consumers. Not that men aren't involved -- they are -- but just in smaller numbers.  

GRANDMOTHERS PLATES FROM FRANCE

Oh such beautiful dinner plates but only two of them. No matter to me as I mix and match all my dinnerware. I don't have any that I bought new. There are stories to share about all the dinnerware I use. My most precious stories are about some soup bowls that used to belong to my youngest son who has since passed. 

The French lady told me that the above two plates were her grandmothers in France. I told her I like to eat from old plates and her face lit up and she said, "it's like having your grandmother there to share your meal!" I agreed. 

SHEFFIELD ENGLAND SILVER-PLATE SPOONS

The idea of yard sales began around the 1950s when the U.S. started their trek toward a consumeristic society. It was a grass roots movement. It provided an outlet for individually owned goods. By the 1970s it had reached its peak and has pretty much maintained that peak until the present day. 


The last items I would buy were some small serving spoons or perhaps they were some hearty sized soup spoons. They are heavy silver-plate and quite old. I know I will use them for soup. 


Final total of goods -- $6.20!


But aside from money, I like used items because they have been touched and cared for by folks. I know that they are not living things but the spirit in which they existed perhaps infuses a certain light into their present day reality. They are my treasures for now. 

SOURCES:
His and Hers: Gender and Garage Sales

Garage Sales Wikipedia

Garage Sales are a big part of retailing