My Mama put home perms in everyone's hair when I was growing up. Everyone found out she could do it and came for her to work her magic on them. The three I remember   are Lilt , Prom, and Toni. Or was it Bobbi? Oh well whatever.  I had natural kinky hair and didn't need them. Brenda got one ever few months and I was always so envious of her. I wanted a perm and Mama just wouldn't give me one. I was miffed over that big time.   Well Brenda didn't want to get them, she hated it. Aint that the way it always is? We want what we can't have?   Auntie bought Brenda a perm and sent it down to Mama one day. Mama was supposed to put it in Brenda's hair in a day ot two.  Brenda didn't want that thing and I did so guess what we decided?  Yep we sure did!  I said Brenda lets take that perm out to the pasture  where that big tank is full of water and we will put it on my hair. OK she said then I wont have to get it.   Mama had a box that she kept the rollers we got that and we had the pretty pink box with the perm and we were set. Mama we are gonna play in the pasture. Ok but don't go where I can't see you or holler at you. OK we wont.   I told Brenda--  Now Brenda you will have to roll it and put the things on it. I don't know how Clydene. Sure you do you've got enough of them that you should know how. I'll tell you what to do. I was just sure I could tell her how. Hadn't I watched my Mama do it hundreds of times? Sure I had.  YIPEE I'm gonna get me one of them perms just like Brenda does.  We couldn't get to the towels without Mama seeing us and asking questions, but there were things hanging on the clothes line so we got some things there. We knew I had to cover my face during the process don't ya know. We knew what we were doing! Yep we sure knew all right. Then you had to mix some white powder in water (neutalizer? I think) and we didn't have a container. It'll be Ok Brenda, I'll just get my hair wet and you put the stuff in. Well Brenda rolled my hair up on the rollers (permanent wands?) and not very good either, but that would do. I splashed water out of the tank on my hair and got it wet. Brenda took the little bottle of stuff and was going to squirt it on the way we saw Mama do. That was our first problem. The top had to be snipped to make a little hole. We had nothing to do that so I said, Heck fire Brenda, just take off the lid and pour it on, Which She did!  I held my rag up there ( which happened to be one of my Daddies shirts)  and shut my eyes tight and she poured. OH MY GOSH BRENDA You poured that all over me. It was even in my ears. Well come here and put your head down on this tank and I'll splosh water on it and rinse it out. Which I did, and She did. She got me another rag(this one was Mama's dress) and I wiped and swiped around and spluttered. She gave me another rag(My dress) and I wrapped it around my head. I had heard Mama say, Now we wait (I didn't know how long and we couldn't read well enough to read the paper in the box). We waited a few minutes (coulda been seconds, don't know) then I stuck my head back over the tank and Brenda sploshed some more. Now we didn't know really what came next but we still had that white powder so that must be it. Yep that's it I said. Brenda took the powder like we had decided and sprinkled it all over my head. She handed me another rag. ( don't know what that was but I think it was a dish rag). Now we wait again she said then we take the rollers out. Yep we were doin' good right? WRONG!! After she sloshed my head around in the water a while I said hand me another rag. There aint no more she said. Take your dress off then. No I ainta'gonna do it! Oh well it was wet anyhow and mine was too. The sun will dry it. Mama hollered and said for us to come to the house and eat. Just a minute Mama. No minutes, come right now. Well Mama had seen us sloshing around in the water. We did that a lot in the hot summer, that was OK.  Lets go Brenda, How does my hair look.  Brenda's eyes just about popped out of her head, before she said, looks good, I'm goin' home. I knew then that something was wrong. Brenda you better tell me!   You girls better get up here before I have to come get you. I'm a'goin' home. NO YOU ARE NOT!!  I grabbed her and drug her along with me. When we got there my Mama's eyes about bugged out of her head just the way Brenda's had and I knew something was wrong, BAD WRONG!! What in the world have you girls done!!!  Nothin' we both parroted. Nuthin my foot Mama said. Clydene why is your hair green and yellow, what did you do? HUH OH! I didn't know what to say so I just stubbed up and stood there.  She put a perm in her hair, I told her not to. LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE I said! Both of you shut up Mama said. Well we knew now that she was really Mad at us so we instantly SHUT UP. Yep we shut up fast. Mama finally got it all out of us and she started crying. Well we couldn't stand that and we started bellering. Auntie came running down there. Mama told her what we had done and I thought she was gonna' cry too. Money was hard to come by then and there was none to buy another perm for Brenda and besides that my hair was ruined. I had long hair and Thank the Lord after Mama cut it real short it was OK but we got in lots of trouble that day and learned anoher lesson or two. We felt bad about the ruined perm but somehow they got another one and it all turned out good. Well good except fot that durn peach tree. One of these days Brenda we'd outta cut that durn thing down!! Another story.  We got what we deserved everytime we got that tannin' and we knew it. We always hated when we made our parents sad too. Would you call that stubborn Or what?  I call it Great Parents. YEP!!

Tags: MEMORIES

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I've already mentioned that it was difficult for us to have much more than a pan bath in the winter.  But in the hot summer we got a good tub bath every evening. If it had rained we had water in the rain barrell sitting at the eve of the house. Late evenings that water would be nice and sun heated. Mama dipped it out into a NO.3 wash tub and there you have it. Other days if the barrell was empty she drew the water from the well and put in that tub. The tub was placed where the sun was on it almost all day. When daddy came home he and Mama carried the tub behind the house for our baths. Most times there were bugs, leafs from trees, and trash in the tub. We just dipped them out and got in.  Boys one house girls the other house. Quiet a production. HUH?  Just so happens that I was terrified of frogs, still am! Now I dont know if that frog jumped in there or someone put it there but what I do know is I didn't see it in the dusky evening light. Brenda and I crawled in and guess where I sat down. YEP!! ON THE FROG!! Brenda wasn't afraid of them but when I reached down to see what was under me, I picked up that blasted frog and the race was on!!!! I slung the frog but it landed in Brenda's lap and she thought it was a snake, and the muffins hit the fan big time. We were both struggling and sloshing around with very little room to do so. I wanted out, Brenda wanted out and neither of us were making any progress. Brenda get out of my way, You get out of MY way, I can't, I can't either. We started screaming and throwing our arms around then and we both later had a black eye that we were kinda' prowd of. Battle scars ya know. But right now we wanted out away from that frog/snake. We succeded (though I'll never know how) in turning that tub over. I guess ya think we were out now, RIGHT?  WRONG!!  When my Mama and Daddy got there  we were UNDER THE TUB. And the frog/snake was under there with us. We were really moving then and that ol' tub had the dents to prove it. Daddy moved the tub and very quickly turned his head.(yes we were taught not to undress, raise our dresses and show our panties in front of anyone but our Mamas. We weren't uneducated)  We heard Daddy and Mama laughing and Boy were we mad. The cat even came out in Brenda that time. It ain't funny! There's a frog/snake in there we said at the same time. It just ain't one bit funny!!! ( still aint funny to me) HE HE! Well of course they had seen that poor ol frog limping away as fast as his little hurt hopper could carry him.  Mama got our towels  off the fence and wrapped us up. Daddy carried me and Mama carried Brenda inside the house and Mama helped us get in our jammies. She kept telling us it was only a little frog and it was gone. It was hard to get us quietened down and in bed. We made Daddy look under and in the bed for frogs/snakes. He told us a story about a brave little Princess, Mama got us a cookie and we were set. But, Hey, I can still feel that frog in my hand and I think Brenda is still about half convinced that it was a snake. We never enjoyed those baths as much after that either. But we grew up in that wonderful invironment amoung all those loving wonderful people and I feel so blessed today by those growing up days. We were happy and content and loved greatly.  YEP!!!  WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES. SURE NUFF!!  GOOD OL' DAYS

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Now I had Dinner today (which by the way is the noon meal here)  but it was not anything like those wonderful dinners we had on Sunday when I was growing up. The best and most scrumptous meal of our entire week.   It was mostly prepared on Saturday and eaten after Church on Sunday. It was quiet a production.  Winters were less because there were no fresh veggies from Daddy's garden. The chickens were molting so no fresh eggs, and no good ol' fresh chicken to fry. No milk from Brenda's Daddies cow ol' Pet. But Boy those summer Sunday's were a feast.  On saturday evening after the chickens went to roost, Daddy would go out to the Chicken house and pick out a nice plump rooster to kill. The hens were kept for laying eggs and hatching more baby chickens to keep things productive. Only needed maybe two Roosters that wouldn't fight each other.  Daddy would pick one and take it by the feet and bring it outside. Now if you are squemish ya' probly' better just quit readin' now. OK??   Anyway Daddy would wrap his hand around the middle of it's neck and swing it around and around till' the head popped off, then let the chicken flop till' it was dead. (IF YOU ARE GASPIN' FOR BREATH RIGHT NOW I WARNED YOU) It was the way it was done then, just a way of life that Daddy had to do to feed us.  Some of you know how the chicken was then put down in boiling water for a spell so the feathers could be plucked. The rest of you probably dont wanna' know the rest of the story.   That chicken  (usually two of them) was fried up in hog lard in Mama's big Iron skillet.  Oh My Sooooo Good.  Chicken gravy made with flour , fresh cow milk, all cooked up in that skillet where the chicken was cooked. Fresh veggies, Chocolate cake with fresh cream. Oh I am so hungry.      Well one fall evening Brenda and I got to wishing for some of that fried chicken.  We decided to go on out to the chicken house and get us a chicken. Heck fire, we could do that. We had watched our daddies do it thousands of times. Right?   Wrong!   First off when we got in the hen house the roost was too high for us to reach. Brenda climb up on that bucket and get one. No, You do it. Brenda you'll have to help me.   We managed to get on the bucket together and looked up to pick one off when I think every chicken in there started pooping. In our face and just about every inch of our body.   Brenda grab one and lets go.  She reached up  and said which one. Don't matter.  When I reached up to help her the bucket tipped over with us and down we went. All the chickens got spooked and started flying down landing all over us with those sharp feet.   We were afraid to get up and we had left the door open so guess what?  YEP! Those chickens scattered and out they went. Now we are in trouble Brenda, them chickens are a'gonna get in Daddies garden and eat everything up.  I'm a'goin home she said. Oh no you're not you're a gonna help me round up them chickens.  The Chicken house was not close to the house but Daddy heard the chickens and come a runnin'. Of course there was no catching chickens. They had been on roost so daddy said,:; You two just better hope they go back in there to roost or they will be in the garden first thing in the morning. What in the world were you a' doin' anyhow?  We told him we just wanted to get a chicken and get it ready for Mama to fry so he wouldn't have to do it.  Girls those aren't fryers, they are layers, but that was nice of you to think of it. Next time ask before you go off doin' somethin' like that. We didn't get a tannin that time even though I know we needed it. Poor Daddy had to sit up that night and close the door after the chickens went back in, and it's a wonder they did. Poor Mama had to heat water and clean us up. We felt so bad. We were sorry that we did it and I think Mama and Daddy knew that. Years later I knew that they were probably hurt also. Hurt that they couldn't get a chicken to fry for us. Daddy killed a laying hen and Mama made dumplins the next day. I'm sitting here crying right now over that. Our parents fed us what they had to feed us and we never went hungry, but oh those Sunday dinners still makes my mouth water. I can almost taste that chicken. No Chicken has ever tasted the same.  I miss those simple days. YEP SURE DO!!!!!

Tags: MEMORIES

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Well folks, I was gettin' ready to go on to school days but got side tracked. I found some old pictures in the old trunk that was my Great Grandma's. Also found her old black purse. Oh my did that bring back some loving memories. Granny carried that ol' black purse everywhere. Hardly ever put it down when others were around. It was hers and it was private and we knew we were not supposed to touch it. Mama said one day to us,, Do not even get close enough to it to breathe cause Grandma Mattie will know. Well, Come on now, she shoulda known us better'n that, Don't ya think. But then maybe that's why Granny never put it down. OOOOOOH. After all these years I GET IT!!!  WEll I'll be, HMMM.  Anyway back to that purse. Brenda was not really Granny's kin. She was from the other side of the family. But who knew, we sure didn't. We had lots of Grandma's and Grandpa's.  Anyway Granny dipped snuff and she was vwry neat about it. Never saw it on her teeth or running down her chin. No sireee. She had her little can in that black purse and a little bitty doll spoon to dip it with. Oh it was just so facinatin' to us, how we would love to get a hold of that teeny little spoon and do what Granny did.  One day we got our chance. Granny sat her purse on a table in the front room(what they call living or family room now a days. Front room to us then and now) so she could stir up one of her delicious cakes. Makes my mouth do crazy things right now just thinking about that chocolate cake. Scrumpdidilious. Yep the best.     Brenda come on lets go look in Granny's purse. Oh boy she was ready. Wouldn't a done it on her own but I doubt that I would have either. We crept in there and very quietly opened that wonderful mysterious black purse. Oh my grasious sakes alive, what treasures we found. Mints, gum, and other stuff we weren't interested in right now.  I grabbed the snuff can and the teensy weenesy spoon and we took off. Now there was a door in the front room but we went right through the kitchen and out that door. You girls get outta the kitchen now and stay outta the way my Mama said. Well we were a gettin' yep, we were a gettin fast. We ran around the side of the house and plopped down in the grass with our treasures.  I took some on that cute little spoon and said here Brenda. Nope you take that one then I will.  I popped that in my mouth and very fast got another spoon full and popped it in Brenda's mouth. OOOOHHHH, it don't taste good we both spluttered out. That's when our lesson started. Yep it was a long lesson. We started spitin' and gaggin' and splutterin. It was coming out our noses and going down our throats. We got strangled of course, couldn't even holler for help. I was gettin' sick and Brenda said she was too. Well we got morbid. We lay there holding on to one another, cryin', splutterin' and thinking we were gonna die deader'n door nails. Well we were ready, we were to sick to die though, we were just huddled on the ground bellerin' when Mama and Granny got there. Oh yeaw The troops had arrived right on time just like they always did. Mama said later that she got to thinking we were acting kinda funny whan we had come through the kitchen. Well her and Granny decided they better see what we were up to. The whole snuff dippin' episode probably was only a couple of minutes from start to finish but it seemed like hours to us. Mainly because we got sooooo sick. Bawlin' like a dying' calf sick my Granny said.  We didn't get to eat any of Grannys chocolatecake that day. Couldna' if theyd' a let us. TOO durn sick. We were really sick sick sick. Never wanna be that sick again. Guess they figured that was all the tannin we needed or maybe we kinda scared em a little. We sure nuff thought we were gonners that day.  That old Black purse is still in the trunk and that teensy spoon and a can are still there. But ya know what I have very seldom ever opened it again. It seems like a sacred thing to me almost. The last time I opened it (yesterday) I could feel my Grannies presense and I started geetin' kinda sick'. All in my mind?? Don't know the answer to that. Nope don't know...

Tags: Memories

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I'm from Arkansas. Born There Raised There Still Here.  Oh I lived in lots of places throughout my life but  I'm home now. In other states I was often made fun of. The way I talked was funny. The way I expressed myself was funny. I said Mama and daddy, Papa and Granny. They thought that was funny. Hey, I still do all those things, say all those things in the same way but I'm home now and we Arkies are all just alike.  I worked in a lot of different states and it never ceased to amaze me how they could think I talk funny. Never ceased to amaze me that they thought sometimes that I was an illeritate,  backwoods hill billie, who had never been outta' them there hills.  One lady (well that's not what I'd rather call her) kept trying to get me to talk and say things so she could giggle at the way I said them. Oh I caught on to that one fast. Yep sure did. I clammed up like a gator's mouth on his prey. She just kept on and I'd smile then just shut my mouth tight. I was in her home and I wasn't gonna' say the things I wanted to say. Well, at least not in the way I really wanted to say it. Nope, My Mama and Daddy taught me some manners and this person sure needed a few taught to her. I clammed up for a very long time and she must have begin to think something was wrong with me. She said Clydene please say something. You are scaring me. Well that's what I was a waitin' on  cause I had a plan in that back woods illeritate hill billie head of mine. When her ol' prune of a face screwed up like she was about to cry I burst out giggling. I mean I giggled I got up from my chair and walked all around the room and my giggles got hysterical. At least she thought they did. That ol' big shot well spoken bitty was  scared to death. I guess she thought that back woods monster that had raised me up was a gonna get her. She jumped up screaming and I grabbed her by the arm and had to hold her up to keep her from falling. Oh My Goodness I felt good. But please don't tell my Daddy cause I might get a tanning if that god forsaken city had a peach tree that is.  Well I said very calmly to her. Honey now you just sit right down there and I'll get you a nice glass of water and I'm a gonna' talk to you.   I said, Betty, you are my friend and if we both want this friendship we've gotta get a few things straight. Now I work with you and you know I'm a dietitian. I didn't get my education in a back woods or on a hill.  I got it the same way you did yours. Now furthermore sugar I know we don't talk the same way and your speech is as hard to understand and as funny to me as mine is to you.   And let me tell you what a hill billie really is.  There was a small town that sat right at the base of a bunch of hills. There was a man named Billie who was a recluse and liked to live alone. He didn't bother anyone, would do anything in the world for anyone, just felt at peace with himself and the out doors.  Billie came down to the town now and then to buy the things he couldn't get in the hills.  Somebody would say There comes ol' Billie from the hills. After a while it was shortened to Here comes Hillbilly. And my friend that is the true story of what a hillbilly is.   Well honey my name is not Billie it is Clydene and that is what I'd like to be called please.  I was raised simple and different than you were but I make more money than you do which shouldn't bother good friends at all.  Your speech is good and proper but we Arkies don't have time to add all those ing's to the end of each word we say. We talk slow anyhow and adding anything would take me all day to get anything said.  Yes We were taught to say them just the way you were we had good educated Teachers too and all of mine were from Arkansas by the way. If we are to be friends you can laugh with me but I don't want you laughing at me. The end of that story doesn't  end with us being buddies but I had to use that same technique with lots of other's that It Did Work On. So I gained some friends who had the sense to see ME as ME and not the way I talked or the different way that my great Parents brought me up.   I learned other's unique ways and I wanted them to learn mine and take me as me and I would take them as who they were. I'm just me sugar JUST ME!!!

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It is 105 here today and I got to thinking about  all the hot summers in the late 40's and early 50's. Brenda and I roamed the area around our homes with ease never thinking it was hot.  The refers then were not self defrost like they are now. All the refers then had those metal ice trays with the pull handle to open and get the cubes out. We were going to fix us a glass of kool aid and had gotten that dad burned cranky tray open.  I said Brenda I've got a good idea. Yeaw What? she said. Lets dump this ice out and pour in some kool aid and make us some purple kool aid cubes to chew on. Oh Yeaw that would be so good.  We didn't know at the time that our idea was already being used. We thought we thought it up our selves.  We poured the koolaid in the tray. Didn't even think about having to carry it over and getting on the stool to be able to set it in the freezer. Auntie was out in the garden working and My Mama had our Brothers so  we wouldn't want to disturb them to ask, now would we? Nosireee. We were good girls. I climbed up on the stool and said Brenda carry it over here and hand it up to me. Well Brenda was and still is a klutz. I shoulda' known better than to trust her with that job. Here she come spilling purple all over her and the floor. She finally got there with some left in the tray. I said Brenda Why can't you do anything. Look at that mess. Well I sat the tray in the freezer spilling some but  not much. Frost was built up in the freezer and it sure looked pretty turning purple. But right now Brenda we better get this mess cleaned up which we did very well if I say so myself. Yep, we knew how to clean up messes. Brenda ran and got on the stool to check our freezer pops. Brenda, Silly, You know they are not frozen yet. CLYDDDEEENNNEEE. Brenda hollered. Look at the mess you made in Mama's freezer. How in the world are weagonna' clean this up? I ran over and got on the stool with her and there was that pretty purple frost. Hey Brenda I've got an idea. Lets lick it off. Hey yeaw that's a good idea she said. GOT THE PICTURE?! Needless to say both of our tongues stuck tight to that freezer bottom. And Boy do I mean tight. We couldn't even scream and it was burning and hurting like heck.  Well You know we had great parents who always came to rescue us. My Auntie came in the kitchen door right then carrying a big box of  veggies. WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU TWO DOING!!!!! Well shoot fire Auntie we can't talk, we can't even move. It didn't take her long to figure it out and she unplugged the refer and started pouring cold water on the bottom under our tongues.  Warm water freezes faster don't ya know.  I'm not sure how long it took but I do know we ate cold soup for several days afterward. And I do know that our bottoms were just as sore as our tongues.  Next time we will ask. Our Parents were upset more about our poor tongues than they were about what we did. We found that out years later. Why didn't they tell us then for goodness sake. We would nota' had to suffer near as much now would we? Like I said before. We had the greatest  Parents God ever made. YEP WE DID!!!!

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 We lived right by a RR track when I was growing up. The crossing was only a small distance from our house and there was a train came by around midnight.  It would start the whistle just in front of our house and it would blow until it got to the crossing. Boy did Brenda and I have fun with that if we had company who were not farmiliar with that procedure. Scared the pants off them!  There were Hobo's who walked the track all the time then.  They would stop at our house and ask for food and water. They always got it. We were not a bit afraid of them. In those days no one locked doors. We just went to sleep with no worry. Sure is different now.   Anyway one night we had a friend staying all night with us. She had never been there before so Of course we planned to scare her big time. We had done it to others but this was a snooty cousin of ours from the city (she called it a city but it was just a small town. Little snot nosed smart elec)   we really wanted to get her good and proper so we planned the event for several days and come up with a neato' plan.  We thought!  We decided to get Pricilla( yep Prissy silly) outside before the train came and scare her spitless then threaten her about what we would do if she told.   We stayed awake because we were so used to the noise we never even heard it anymore. Prissy silly' went to sleep.  Brenda was and still is a sleep hard head. Couldn't wake her with a bomb once she was asleep so I had a big job keeping her awake. Everytime I realized she was driftin' off I'd nudge her very gently with a open diaper pin.  When she would jump and start to holler I'd put my hand over her mouth and nose to stiffle it down. Clydene you better quit or Ima' gonna' tell!   Shut up Brenda and be quiet. Your a gonna' wake Prissy Silly. That was quiet an ordeal. My gosh I sure was havin' to work hard to pull this one off.  Well at just the right time I woke Prissy silly and told her we were going out to pee' so come on.  I don't have to go. Well if you don't go now we are not goin' with you when you need to go. She came but she had to have her robe and fuzzy silly slippers. We were beginnin' to think we'd never get the little smart elec' out.  Well we did get her out just as the train started that mournful whistle. Sounded like all the demons were coming and Prissy Silly just went berserk, banana's and  crazy all rolled in to one.  We had done it YAAHOOO!    But now wait a minute, not so fast, somethin' was certainly not right here!  Remember, I told you about those hobo's?  We we never figured that one would be bedded down in the grass on the other side of the fence. Nope never knew they done' that, Nope, sure didn't know that. He raised up when Prissy silly was screamin' like a hyena and we all saw him.  We all started screamin' and hollerin' and tryin' to run and just succeeded in going to the ground in a big heap, scrambled to get up and got all tangled up in Prissy Silly's robe with the pink tassles that matched her fuzzy pink slippers.  Prissy Silly had long pink fingernails and they were thrashing the heck outta' us. Let me get hold of her, I guarantee you she won't have any more fingernails, Brenda. Well Brenda was screaming and crying and scratching too and lucky for me her fingernails were worn down just like mine.  Mama and Daddy came running out and I heard Brenda's Mama and Daddy a comin' through the pasture just a hollering. Wanna' know what they were hollering, Huh Do Ya? What have they done now?!!! Well that wasn't nice now was it. We coulda been hurt.  We all quited down only to hear such moaning and groaning comin' from over by the track.  We had scared that old man so bad he had got up and run. With the train going by he was blown back down in the weeds which in that spot was a blackberry vine. GET THE PICTURE?  Now what we didn't know at the time was Daddy had told him he could sleep there. He was old and Mama had fed him that afternoon.  We got over our scare of him and started gettin' scared of the peach tree limb.  We always went out at night to use the BR and we weren't scared of the old Hobo. We knew him almost like family. He was through there often but Prissy Silly had us so worked up. Her screaming coulda' woke the dead we thought.  We we taken in and our scratches were doctored and we were put to bed. But We Knew, Oh yep we knew. Morning was comin' and we kinda figured what was gonna' happen'. Well it sure did happen. We were expectin' it and knew we deserved it but this time it was a tough pill to swaller' cause' Prissy Silly got to watch and then of all things, we had to tell her we were sorry and give her a hug. "PSHEW" That was nasty.  Yep, that one backfired on us. And our Parents made us feel so sorry for what we had done to that old hobo. But now fellin' sorry for Prissy Silly was just too much for us to swallow. Nope, We never did feel sorry for her. She had it comin' Don't Ya Think?????

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 Brenda and I could always get ourselves into messes. Still can if we see each other. She lives 300 mi. away and I sure miss her bad sometimes.  When we talk on the phone it is always for hours. I talked to her today and she told me something I had forgotten. This happened when we were twelve and we sure enough knew better by then.

  I was spending the night at Brenda's. Our Parents had gone to visit my Aunt and uncle and we didn't want to go. Auntie left Brenda's older sister in charge of us. She was 16 and should have been more responsible.    Auntie had a bushell of grapes on the porch. She was going to can them the next day. Our friend Travis who was 11 had told us that his Dad made wine in their cellar out of grapes. He said his Dad cooked grapes, put in some sugar and some cake yeast, the only kind there was at the time.  We decided we would just make some. Oh Lord, Yes we did!!  By then we knew very well how to clean our mess up so there was no problem there. We cooked the whole grapes till they were mushy, put in a bunch of sugar and half a pound cake of yeast and cooked it some more. I don't know why Tut  ( her name was Yvonne but we all called her Tut and don't ask me why)   didn't come out of her bedroom when that smell started but she didn't. Smelled sorta' good but also sorta' bad.  We got some of Auntie's canning jars and caps and sealed that stuff up. We cleaned up our mess real good, we were experts at that now.   But Brenda, what do we do with the wine now? We can't drink it. Well she said I've got one dresser drawer that is mine and we can put it in there. Which we did. Right in there went 3 pints of beautiful purple juice. We hid it under Brenda's underwear. We had no idea what we were supposed to do now so We'd just wait and ask Travis when we see him. Well that turned out just fine for a change. We didn't get caught and no one would ever know. OH Boy were We Ever Wrong!!!   Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

   About a week later I was again spending the night with Brenda and we had forgot all about our wine making. We hadn't got caught or made a big mess so it sure didn't seem like a big thing anymore. Not as much fun, if you know what I mean.          Well we were asleep when we heard something. Sounded like a gun might have fired in the woods so we went back to sleep. We heard some more strange noises during the night but that's the way it is in the country at night. A sound carries a long way. Nothing to worry about. Right? Wrong again.   The next morning Brenda went to get clean clothes and noticed something funny looking running out of her dresser drawer. Oh Yeaw, You guessed it. She opened it and there in all it's glory was our wine, broken glass and all.   Brenda what in the world is that I hollered. Well I don't know she said, Tut is probably up to something. She did pester us a lot. So what did we do but go get Auntie and just told on that hateful Tut. Just look what she did we said. Are you gonna' make her go get a switch?   Auntie hollered Tut get in here right now!!!  But in the meantime Brenda and I must have had the same thought because Brenda looked at me and said,,,, Oh My God Clydene do you know what that is? well of course I knew what that was but I sure wasn't planning to tell. Brenda You big mouth. How could you be so stupid.  Of course then we had to fess' up and tell the whole story and all three of us had to go get a switch. Us for what we had done and Tut for not watching us when she was supposed to have been.  All four parents got their turn at us that time and we had to live in antisipation of when each one  would take their turn. They made us suffer for a long time over that one. Now was that fair? Of course it was!!!!  One more thing. You may be wondering why Auntie hadn't found the jars. Wasn't that way. We all had to fold and put our own clothes away so Auntie had no reason to look in Brenda's drawer. I think Auntie and my Mama both started looking then. Never saw them do it but I know my Mama and My Auntie.  YEP!!!

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Now, I remember this incident vaguly and Mama and Auntie filled us in on details several times as we got older.   My Brother was born when I was four almost five. Brenda's brother was born exactly one year earlier. So I was five at the time this happened and like I said I have vague memories of it.   I think Brenda and I were sorta' kinda' jealous of our little brothers. One reason I think that is because I very distincly remember Telling My Daddy to take him back because he was ugly and I don't want him!  Didn't take me long to love him though. But this one time I think we were both kinda' aggervated at them because we had to go on a trip to the Dr when they were both sick. No one home to keep us and our parents would never leave us with anyone anyway. Just the CODE of the families or something.  It had to be hard on them getting all four of us ready at the same time and we went everywhere together. Don't know why just the way it was. No car so my other Aunt was coming to get us and she was soooo! persnickity Mama said.  Brenda and I were first. We got all clean and in our dresses with matching socks and bonnets. No pants and sneakers then. They hadn't even been invented yet.  Well I guess we looked like little dolls cause' our Mama's said so.  They told us to sit down and don't get dirty till' they got the boys ready. We did just that but it was taking so long we got figity'.  we didn't figure it would hurt to go out on the porch where it was cooler now would it!?  Couldn't fault us for that. Could You?  We sat there like the little dolls we were for what seemed like a long time to us. Later we were told it was only about five minutes till' they came looking for us. Can't say I really believed that then.

Brenda lets go look at the garden. OK.  Her Daddy had just ploughed the garden yesterday and it had rained on it. He told us that things would really grow good now so we figured those taters' would be about big enough to eat and wouldn't our Mama's be prowd of us if we got some of them for supper. (I REMEMBER THINKING THAT)  We just walked on out there to do just that. The ground was really soft I guess and our little legs were really short and I had a new white dress on.    WHOOPS! What tha heck? I remember being scared to death because I couldn't move with my legs up to my hips buried in black mud. "BREEENNNDAAA Help!!!  I can't you help me. OH MY OH MY OH MY!!! We're gonna' sink under and no one will find us for a hundret' years!!!   Of course you know our Mama's arrived right then carrying our Brothers on their hips and the rucus was on.  The boys couldn't be put down and they couldn't come in and help us carrying them. ( I told them we didn't want them boys in the first place)  As usual Brenda was right on my heels and she grabbed on and held tight. We were not going to sink more but we sure thought we were.    Well, Thank The Good Lord My Aunt Georgia arrived then. She would not come and get us but she would hold the babies so they could. The very Idea. Can't y'all take care of these kids better than that. Told you she was persnikity'!  Mama and Auntie waded in and pulled us out. I musta' really been stuck cause' I came out without my shoes. Sid. Brenda's Daddy ,dug them up later.  That was the least of our worries though. Guess you know what happened then. Oh sure Peach tree tannin'.  I know, I know, We deserved it but I still get a sick stomach when I see black mud.   Besides It was all Brenda's fault anyway. Wasn't she a whole seven month's older than me? Little smart elec' shoulda' known better!!!

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