Life and Death, the American Way
We are all on our way to our Maker, or as some would just say, on to nothingness. This posting is not meant to be morbid, it is actually a celebration of life that we know and love. I was just thinking back again...because it is sooooooo hard for me to think forward (not knowing what is going to happen and all like that).
Back in 1967 in early February, my grandfather, Clarence Stark,
"Shorty" to some, Papa to Roger and I, asked us to take him to church on a Wednesday evening. We gladly accepted cause it was fun driving at that time in our lives, more so than actually being helpful. Roger commented after we dropped Papa off, "Do old people go to church all the time, just because that are so close to death? or what?" I don't think I commented back, I'm not sure it was anything more than rhetorical anyway. I think the reason this minuscule conversation took place is because Papa was killed in a truck/train accident in Webb City, Mo. a few days later.
Clarence Stark was a very interesting man to me. I never really ever heard anyone talk poorly about him. Like all of us we have our supporters and our detractors. I just never remember bumping into any of the detractors. He was a very hard working man, even into his middle 1960's when he was killed. He always had a story to tell, with only the slightest hint of request to get it started. There were stories others told about him. Thanks Papa for what you helped me to understand about working hard and playing hard.
I wish that the portable cassette recorder had been invented 10-15 years earlier. I would have been able to capture both types to share with you all today. I do remember that when we lived in Orange, Texas in the 50s and 60s, he and Ma (my grandmother) visited twice...actually my dad brought them down for a visit. We had a Sears reel to reel recorder and did tape him once telling a story or two and doing an auctioneer impression.
I looked and looked through all the little reel to reel tapes, but never came across it. Sure would have been nice to have it digitized and preserved.
I did get, on tape, My grandmothers, Ma and Hallie, My mom and dad, and now with the digital video recorders, I have lots of people recorded. I think It is interesting that in another 50 or 100 years that someone (hopefully one of my descendants) will be able to listen to and/or watch people that were around 200 years earlier. The digital scans I have made of the "Tin Types" and family portraits made pre 1900, that I have either included in the family tree or have on DVD, would also be available to see. Looking at images of people that lived 2 or 3 centuries before is exiting for me, but then I am a genealogy geek.
I fear I have strayed from my original topic of life and death. As Death will come to us all, I chose to celebrate the life memories of the people I loved.
My dad's mother, Hallie Myrtle Large Pierson was a nice lady, who always went to church, when she could get a ride(The Baptist Church in Weir, Ks).
I cannot ever remember her commenting anything on religion. She kept it all to herself, at least as far as I could tell. My brother Roger and I would opt to spend time with "Granny" when we would be on vacation in Kansas, because we got to "free range" and "go pea-pickin" with Granny. Pea-pickin was the term Granny used for a trip to the city dump and scrounge through all the discards from other people. It was about half a mile from her house to the dump, through a couple of fences and a few ditches, swails,and up and over some dumps (Explain later). She would collect old pots and pans for planting individual flowers, old blue jeans for making quilts and/or rugs and broken pencils for doing crossword puzzles and writing the occassional letters to relatives, silverware. She was into her seventies at that time but still pretty active in her persuits. She had definite opinions on several subjects.....mostly dealing with the characters on TV. On more than one occasion, she offered up that someone should "ring Rachael's skinny neck" (on "Days of our Lives") and even to Porter Waggoner on one occasion I can remember. I lived with her for a little over one semester in my Sophomore year of college (from which I dropped out and got immediately drafted into the Army..another story). In 1968 she did not have running water in the house, or an indoor bathroom. We had a faucet at the side of the house across the "driveway". We would fill an enamel steel bucket (about 3 gallons) and set it on a stand in the kitchen near the kitchen table. The restroom facilities were about 75 feet to the southeast of the back of the house. It was a "two holer". although in all my years of being on farms with outhouses, I never saw two people share any of the toilets. I guess if two people had the flu or were disposed of a lower intestinal tract problem at the same time, it would be a blessing. Bathing was accomplished in a #3 wash tub on the back porch (enclosed). With my 6'4" frame I sorta couldn't get me all into it. I would either sit with my butt in the water and my legs out on the floor or stand or squat to get other parts washed and rinsed. Washing the head was accomplished by being completely out of the tub and being on your hands and knees, with the hands inside the tub and knees on the floor. I will let you create your own pictures of what it might have looked like. Loved the time I got to spend with Granny, though. She ended up giving me all her family pictures, she said I was the only one that seemed to care on which tree any of my relatives were hung. Thanks Gran for the wonderful times you helped me to have. There are others I will talk about later...don't want to bore you for too long a stretch at once.
Back in 1967 in early February, my grandfather, Clarence Stark,
"Shorty" to some, Papa to Roger and I, asked us to take him to church on a Wednesday evening. We gladly accepted cause it was fun driving at that time in our lives, more so than actually being helpful. Roger commented after we dropped Papa off, "Do old people go to church all the time, just because that are so close to death? or what?" I don't think I commented back, I'm not sure it was anything more than rhetorical anyway. I think the reason this minuscule conversation took place is because Papa was killed in a truck/train accident in Webb City, Mo. a few days later.Clarence Stark was a very interesting man to me. I never really ever heard anyone talk poorly about him. Like all of us we have our supporters and our detractors. I just never remember bumping into any of the detractors. He was a very hard working man, even into his middle 1960's when he was killed. He always had a story to tell, with only the slightest hint of request to get it started. There were stories others told about him. Thanks Papa for what you helped me to understand about working hard and playing hard.
I wish that the portable cassette recorder had been invented 10-15 years earlier. I would have been able to capture both types to share with you all today. I do remember that when we lived in Orange, Texas in the 50s and 60s, he and Ma (my grandmother) visited twice...actually my dad brought them down for a visit. We had a Sears reel to reel recorder and did tape him once telling a story or two and doing an auctioneer impression.
I looked and looked through all the little reel to reel tapes, but never came across it. Sure would have been nice to have it digitized and preserved. I did get, on tape, My grandmothers, Ma and Hallie, My mom and dad, and now with the digital video recorders, I have lots of people recorded. I think It is interesting that in another 50 or 100 years that someone (hopefully one of my descendants) will be able to listen to and/or watch people that were around 200 years earlier. The digital scans I have made of the "Tin Types" and family portraits made pre 1900, that I have either included in the family tree or have on DVD, would also be available to see. Looking at images of people that lived 2 or 3 centuries before is exiting for me, but then I am a genealogy geek.
I fear I have strayed from my original topic of life and death. As Death will come to us all, I chose to celebrate the life memories of the people I loved.
My dad's mother, Hallie Myrtle Large Pierson was a nice lady, who always went to church, when she could get a ride(The Baptist Church in Weir, Ks).
I cannot ever remember her commenting anything on religion. She kept it all to herself, at least as far as I could tell. My brother Roger and I would opt to spend time with "Granny" when we would be on vacation in Kansas, because we got to "free range" and "go pea-pickin" with Granny. Pea-pickin was the term Granny used for a trip to the city dump and scrounge through all the discards from other people. It was about half a mile from her house to the dump, through a couple of fences and a few ditches, swails,and up and over some dumps (Explain later). She would collect old pots and pans for planting individual flowers, old blue jeans for making quilts and/or rugs and broken pencils for doing crossword puzzles and writing the occassional letters to relatives, silverware. She was into her seventies at that time but still pretty active in her persuits. She had definite opinions on several subjects.....mostly dealing with the characters on TV. On more than one occasion, she offered up that someone should "ring Rachael's skinny neck" (on "Days of our Lives") and even to Porter Waggoner on one occasion I can remember. I lived with her for a little over one semester in my Sophomore year of college (from which I dropped out and got immediately drafted into the Army..another story). In 1968 she did not have running water in the house, or an indoor bathroom. We had a faucet at the side of the house across the "driveway". We would fill an enamel steel bucket (about 3 gallons) and set it on a stand in the kitchen near the kitchen table. The restroom facilities were about 75 feet to the southeast of the back of the house. It was a "two holer". although in all my years of being on farms with outhouses, I never saw two people share any of the toilets. I guess if two people had the flu or were disposed of a lower intestinal tract problem at the same time, it would be a blessing. Bathing was accomplished in a #3 wash tub on the back porch (enclosed). With my 6'4" frame I sorta couldn't get me all into it. I would either sit with my butt in the water and my legs out on the floor or stand or squat to get other parts washed and rinsed. Washing the head was accomplished by being completely out of the tub and being on your hands and knees, with the hands inside the tub and knees on the floor. I will let you create your own pictures of what it might have looked like. Loved the time I got to spend with Granny, though. She ended up giving me all her family pictures, she said I was the only one that seemed to care on which tree any of my relatives were hung. Thanks Gran for the wonderful times you helped me to have. There are others I will talk about later...don't want to bore you for too long a stretch at once. 
This is something everyone should do me included surely someone down the line in the family will be interested. I will read all in time. Keep up the good work.
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Granny memories-
- fixed calf brains and eggs for breakfast
- warm morning coal stove and coal bin out back in winter
- feather mattresses
- named all her cats after gunsmoke characters; don't interrupt gunsmoke on tv
- cussed thecommercials during gunsmoke
- wiggled her dangling hand when she walked
- has a vornado fan for an air conditioner
- had gord bird houses for wrens and small birds; hated those damn bluejays
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