How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood
When fond recollections presents them to view
The orchard, the meadow, the deep tangled wildwood,
And ev’ry loved spot which my infancy knew.
I was born at Selma’s Place on Tanner Bridge road, but we moved to the “7th Place” before I was one year old. The farm I grew up on was 140 acres. It had three springs. One was at the edge of the southwest woods so we never saw it much but the other two were close by. One lay in the ravine to the south and the other in the ravine to the north. The farm animals drank from these. The south spring ran on down to what we called the first waterfall and then on down through the Watergate to the second waterfall. This is were we liked to fish and sometimes swim. Further down from the second waterfall was a real good swimming hole. Erosion has changed all of this since I was small, but the springs are still there.
We had an area of flat, blackish rocks, like someone poured bumpy concrete, to the top of the west hill on our land. We played house here a lot. One of the rocks formations looked like a bed with pillows.
I really enjoy these memories that lolly any naomi write about. If only we could get Lloyd sr to start remembering .lloyd tell us about your first day of school. Did you get to go to oak grove or did it close before you started? I wonder where I was at . I can’t remember going to school with you
One time Naomi and I decided we would run away from home, we packed a blanket, string, and other stuff and went up to those rocks, we tied a string to two trees and hung our blanket over it and made us a tent. We had grand visions of what we were doing and how long we would stay in our tent site. By and by we got hungry, took all the stuff down, and went back home to eat. It is wonderful what a kid can imagine. There was also sand up by those rocks, We played for hours in that sand. We also had plenty of clay to play with. The road going down to the house was full of it. When it rained and the milk truck made ruts in the road two feet deep. it wasn’t hard to dig the clay out. Cleo I think I was in the 6th grade at Oak Grove when Lloyd started first grade. He would have never had to walk to school, by that time we rode the bus. I was in 4th grade when we started riding. You were probably a Freshman in High School in Jeff, when Lloyd started. Does that sound right?
Lolly, I don’t remember any of that, running away. I’m so glad you remember the things we did, because I must have had a wonderful childhood and don’t even remember it! I am glad too that you remember when we started riding the bus. I guess I was in the second grade when we started riding, but it seems to me that I walked to school more than one year. We need for Lloyd Sr. to tell us if he ever did walk to school. I would like to have some of that clay. I wonder if it is still there?
Lloyd remembers visiting school and sitting with you when he was 4 or 5. Glenn Paine was his first grade teacher. He drew pictures of tractors on your cardboard back. He thinks he got to do that when your parents went to town. My first year I walked to Oak Grove . His second year they walked to road to take bus to Oak Grove. They closed Oak Grove after his second year.
The water table dropped when they put in water tower out here and one spring doesn’t always run well. Lloyd wants to know why you went to JC High and not Trinity Cleo.
Katherine Hammond was my first and second grade teacher at Oak Grove. John Sappenfield my 3rd grade, and Rufas Kelsey my 4th grade, and Glen Payne my 5th and 6th grade. It must have been my 5th grade that we started riding the bus. Isn’t it terrible that I don’t remember walking to school with Lloyd. I remember being carried home on a rail by Cleo and Naomi after I sprang my ankle. ha
Our parents didn’t think I could walk 7 miles to school like Mahlon did. I am very happy that I didn’t have to.
Glenn Payne was my 8 grade teacher. The 9 grade I stayed with cousin Frieda and went to simonsen high school. I am thinking that the first year that you kids rode a school bus Joan shipman was the teacher at oak grove is that right ?
I never had Joan Shipman for a teacher. Naomi and Lloyd did. I can remember setting on the bus going to Oak Grove.
when the schools were consolidated and we had buses , did each of you go 2 years to honey creek
I did. I forget tho, how many years I went to Centennial. Lloyd would know. I think I went 4 years to Oak Grove, 2 years to Centennial and 2 years to Honey Creek. I am pretty sure Joan Shipman was my last teacher at Oak Grove.