Year: 2016

I’ve been going through boxes tonight and found some stuff I thought would be fun to share. When we lived in Kuna, Idaho and the kids were little (Shaina was 7 and Derek was 10) I asked them to write down some questions they’d like to ask their great-grandparents (Papa Troy “Lum” and Granny Jessie BATES). We wrote the questions and mailed them. Mom asked Granny and Papa the questions and wrote down the answers and then mailed them back to the kids. I decided to make it a blog post. I hope you enjoy it.

This was once a photo of both of my grandparents and both of my children sitting on Granny’s couch several years before they asked Granny and Papa the questions below. I cropped out papa when I posted this photo for a blog post about Granny once and now I can’t find the original that has all four of them in it. If you have this photo I’d love to have a copy for the blog post.

Mom and Granny.

Papa back in his hunting days.
What Was Your First Farm Like?
Derek wrote his own questions and I added sticky notes so the question was clear to someone not used to reading the writing of a 10-year-old. True to Derek- he wanted to know about farm life.

Granny’s response (speaking for Papa because it was a question for him but he could no longer speak well enough for them to understand all he was saying):
“It was up the hollow from Sulphur Springs, Ark. There was 200 acres. Mostly trees (timber). The house had 2 rooms (kitchen & living room) and 2 bedrooms were built on as side rooms (sort of a lean to). Cooked on wood & heated with wood. In this house our son Dennis was born. Troy & Jerry were born in a house that we did not own.
We had 2 or 3 hogs, chickens and cattle. We had a saw mill. We sold lumber and ties. We had a truck & tractor.”
Below, it looks like mom asked for additional information:
Mom: Where did you grow up?
Granny (still speaking for Papa): “Hiwasse, Ark.”
Born: “August 29, 1912.”
Where: [blank]
School: “Rocky Comfort and one around Caverny. He went to the second or third grade. Just went when he wanted to.”
Who Was Your Best Friend?
Shaina, true to her 7-year-old girlie self, just wanted to know about best friends. What else was more important to a 7-year-old girl?
Granny answering for Papa: “Roy Rotramel.”

What Was Your First Car Like?
My all-boy son also wanted to know about Papa’s first car. (Wish I would have found this a few days ago when I blogged about just this topic!)

Papa:
“1913 T Model Ford.”
Mom:
“Dad once said he was almost too small to crank it to get it started.”
There was a follow-up question attached that asked when did Papa learn to drive the car but it did not get answered. (Or else it was answered elsewhere and I haven’t found it yet.)
Who Was Your Best Friend When You Were a Kid?
My girlie-girl Shaina still just wanted to know about best friends so she asked Granny the same question she asked Papa.

Granny: “Tressie Morgan when I was in school. My first boyfriend I got struck on [was] Lester Pendergraft (early teens).”
I’m betting Shaina was happy with this answer. I wish I could remember the discussions these questions sparked with my children.
For some reason, Granny answered this one twice though, so Shaina got a bonus answer.

Mom: “Who was your best friend in school?”
Granny: “Lorene Gwartney.”
Mom: “When did you learn to drive?”
Granny: “When Jerry was a baby.”
Mom: “Who taught you to drive?”
Granny: “Myself. I drove on the road and out in the field.”
Final Notes
Mom wrote a note that I found in the front of the file about Papa’s condition the day she asked my grandparents these questions. I thought I would include it here.

“May 25, 1999
“As I write all of this information, Troy C. Bates is laying in a hospital bed in the living room of his home on MM Highway just east of Southwest City, Mo. He is unable to talk clear enough for us to understand him. And who knows if he would even remember his first farm or car anymore. Although I think he would. His mind is pretty sharp.
“On this day, he is very tired and does not want to get out of bed for anything, so mom carries his urinal to him to use the bathroom.”
I love having this note from my mom tucked in the file. It reminds me how well she cared for her parents and reminds me that one day it will be my privilege and responsibility to do the same. And one day, maybe it will provide me with strength and courage on a day when I will really need it.
Don’t forget to ask questions and write down answers. Someone will thank you for it one day.

Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

“It’s not just a car – it’s my first car.” ~ Derek Kreindler
First Cars
I bet you remember your first car. You started thinking about it as soon as you saw the title of the blog post. You’re either feeling nostalgic or a “thank God I don’t have that one anymore” emotion. Well, read on for a few family “first car” memories.
Bart’s first truck- The Passion Pit
“Fast cars are my only vice.” ~ Michael Bay
My husband was quite a character. I’d add “in high school” but, well…he’s always had a reputation for originality. So much so that by 5th grade I was enamored with him and told my friends I was going to marry Bart WILLIAMS one day. (That “one day” happened in August of 1987.)
Here’s one of his college photos. Tall, dark, and handsome. Just my type!

He still makes my heart race!
His first vehicle was a yellow Mazda pickup truck he called “The Passion Pit”. It was high school…in the 80’s- it was a great name at the time. He’s had a lot of original vehicles but for now we’ll stick with the Pit. It looked something like this:

A Mazda pickup similar to what Bart owned.
Only Bart’s truck had a camper and was a little more beat up than that. (Yellow was my favorite color, by the way). He had to rebuild the engine before he could drive it but he’s a genius mechanic and he was motivated to drive (because how else could he come and see me??). He often had to drive without lights. Once he drove home in a thunderstorm with no headlights because the battery would go dead all the time. He had to weld the exhaust back on at least once a week. He tried everything to get that exhaust to stay on. He’s a good welder but that Mazda wanted no part of an exhaust pipe. There was never any doubt as to when Bart arrived on the scene. You could often hear his music before (or at least at the same time) you saw his truck. Here was one of his favorites:
(I can’t imagine why it was one of his favorites! Lol)
Sammy Hagar- I Can’t Drive 55
During high school I spent quite a bit of time suited up in coveralls and laying underneath some old vehicle working on it with Bart. Actually- he was working and I was learning. Lots of memories. I can’t even include all the memories here. We’ve just had a whole conversation about that vehicle and some of the memories connected to it.
My First Car
“Fast cars are my only vice.” ~ Michael Bay (Yes- I repeated this quote because apparently Bart wasn’t the only one with a “need for speed”.)
My first car was a blue Nissan 200sx- about a 1983 model.

Me in high school.
My car was a cute little sports car. I really liked it. It had a louvered window on the rear hatch. I’m pretty sure I had to argue with my parents a time or two to get that car. As all parents do, they wanted a more sensible (and probably less fast) car for me to drive for a few years. Here is a picture of a Nissan 200sx close to the model I had.

1982 Nissan 200sx similar to mine.
The official color code was “Blue Mist Metallic”.

I loved that color. It was just a great car.
Mine was much prettier. I owned it for about a month and then I totaled it one night. Turns out they don’t teach you how to negotiate sharp curves in the rain at night when you’re taking drivers ed. Who knew? I nearly killed both Bart and I. I went to my bachelorette party with a big ole black eye leftover from the wreck. And frankly- I was lucky Bart and I weren’t hurt more. Yep- I nearly killed (or seriously maimed) both of us just a few weeks before the wedding. The car(s) I got after that weren’t nearly so cool. They were all pretty practical- just like my parents wanted me to have in the first place. I should have been more careful!
Rascal Flatts- Fast Cars and Freedom
One of my fave choices to end my section.
The “Next Gen” of First Cars
My son’s first car was a silver Volkswagon Bug that my parents gave him. And not just any bug-a TURBO bug. We couldn’t take that car to the shop without laying down $1,000 just to get started. I always thought he was a good driver but then he took the bug to Dallas with him and I got one of his tickets from an automated camera at a stoplight. He never did pay me back for that ticket. He called one night begging for a GPS after he’d gotten lost in Dallas (again). We sent him one. He named it Princess Leia.

Derek in high school. Looks like I need to clean up this photo a little. This was during his week as a Page for the Oklahoma Senate.

A silver bug similar to Derek’s.
My daughter’s first car was also given to her by my parents. It was more practical- which is funny because my daughter was definitely the more cautious driver. She got an Oldsmobile Cutlass about a 1997 model. She got hit at a stoplight and it kind of went downhill after that.

Shaina in high school.

An Oldsmobile Cutlass similar to Shaina’s.
This is a song we used to listen to often on our way to play practice at the Amphitheater in Disney, Oklahoma. And yes- we listened to the original version. Bart didn’t believe in censoring music. He wanted to hear it just the way the artist wrote and performed it.
Black Eyed Peas- Let’s Get Retawded

We all had multiple parts in the play. It was fun, but exhausting.
Speaking of First Cars…
When my parents got married, my dad owned a two-tone green 1957 Ford.

My parents when they were young.
She didn’t say what kind of Ford. My mom says they don’t have any photos of that car. In looking at paint codes, I would imagine their car was probably painted with one of these two colors:

Paint codes for 1956-1957 Fords.
I vaguely remembered my Dad talking about a Ford Fairlane and he verified it was, indeed, Fairlane. He called it “The Green Weinie”. Here’s a similar green two-tone 1957 Ford Fairlane:

Green two-tone 1957 Ford Fairlane.
I though this song would make an appropriate ending to this section:
Playmates- Beep, Beep
Lightweights and Cars
My mom has told me stories about my Granny and Papa’s first car (Troy “Lum” and Jessie BATES).

Granny and Papa when they were young.
Papa and Granny used to laugh when they reminisced about that car because it was a crank start and Papa was such a lightweight he had trouble starting the car. He always was tall and skinny. I seem to recall that car was also a Ford.

Ford crank start
I always imagined that car looked like the photo above. I didn’t realize that these were also crank starts:

Newer Ford crank start.
Here is a basic primer on crank-starting one of these vehicles. If you prefer videos, you can get this one on Youtube.
Here’s an old car song I bet you’ve never heard:
Jack Dalton and The 7 Blue Babies- I’m Wild About Horns on Automobiles (written in 1928)
Here’s One (or a Few) For the Road
I hope you’ve enjoyed a trip down memory lane about first cars. Post a photo of you and your first car. I’d love to see it. If you’re not quite done reminiscing, I offer you a little “road music” as you continue down your own Memory Lane.
We must start with this classic:
Johnny Cash- One Piece at a Time
My Uncle Carl LARKIN played and sang this one with my son, Derek, at his 3rd birthday party. Derek sang this song for years afterward. This was right before my daughter, Shaina, was born.
Ray Charles- Hit the Road, Jack

Derek, circa age 3.

Carl playing his guitar.
From my kids’ era (you know you downloaded these from Napster- don’t lie!)
Pink- Get this Party Started
This is one of my all-time favorite songs. I enjoyed listening to it on the radio when Shaina was a newborn and we were driving from Oklahoma to Idaho where we lived for the next 10 years or so.
Tom Cochrane- Life Is a Highway

Shaina- she was only one month old when we moved so this is definitely not what she looked like then but she was a cutie.
One more of my faves from Rascal Flatts and then I’m done:
Broken Road
I’ll leave you on your own now to come up with your favorite tunes about driving and cars and road trips as you truck on down your personal “Memory Lane”. Don’t forget to post that picture. (And you’re welcome for the memories.)

Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives
P.S.- Today’s blog theme was blue. The word ‘blue’ made me think of my first car which was blue and once I thought of that the whole post focused ITSELF on first cars. Also, “The Passion Pit” is a highly inappropriate name for a car but we were teenagers at the height of rebellion and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean, adolescence is all about freaking out your parents. #AmIRight??

“We’re all pilgrims on the same journey – but some pilgrims have better road maps.” ~ Nelson DeMille
I love maps. When Bart and I were young and poor I would drag out an atlas and “travel” with the maps to places I’d like to go one day. When today’s blog theme (‘maps’) came up, I was glad. I’ve been wanting to do this current maps project for a while but it never seems to rise to the top of the “priorities” list. I was happy to get to do it for today’s blog post. This is a much more simplified version of what I’d really like to do but anything more complicated would probably not translate well through these photos.

“The reinvention of daily life means marching off the edge of our maps.” ~ Bob Black
On a USA wall map I have at home, I charted the locations of my direct line DRAKE and direct line BATES families as well as Bart’s direct line WILLIAMS and direct line WOLF families. My direct line DRAKE’s are the black line stretching from NE Oklahoma/NW Arkansas to Virginia (the top black line going through Indiana and back south). My direct line BATES’ are the black line stretching from NW Arkansas to Virginia (the bottom black line going through Tennessee and the tip of Georgia and then back north). Bart’s direct line WILLIAMS’ is the red line stretching between Oklahoma and Kentucky (the line coming in from the western US and extending east to Kentucky). Bart’s direct line WOLF’s are the tiny red line up in Michigan. I put a circle around it so you could find it.

4-surname ancestral map.
This is a fun exercise. I simplified it greatly for this blog post since not every ancestral line would fit in a way that you could make sense of all of them. Plus, I’d need a lot more marker colors to do them all! I confined the results to only one surname (and not including the lines that married into that surname) and the locations are approximate, not exact. I got them close but didn’t worry about precision this time. I also didn’t take into consideration migration routes- I just drew my lines “as the crow flies”. I hope you enjoy a simplified shot of an ancestral map done in this way. I encourage you to print off a US map this week and try it on one or two of your own surnames. Sometimes seeing your data in a different way solves problems you may be having in your research. Plus- it’s just fun!
“Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.” ~ Les Brown

Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Our winter store of Sassafras root.
“You can sip it in the morning, sip it in the evening, Even at a quarter to three, cause I like sassafras, you like sassafras, we like sassafras tea.” ~ Stacey Dillsen, Zoey 101
Today’s theme is ‘beverage’. When I thought of beverage, I thought of Sassafras Tea. I love Sassafras Tea. Bart and I have some root stored up for use during the winter. We love to forage and it’s even better when we can go out and forage together. I often thought that perhaps this was the skill I “inherited” from my Native American ancestors. Then this summer I got to spend about 3 weeks in Georgia researching my family who came from there and I found information about how my Confederate Civil War ancestors often survived during the war by using their foraging skills. I found it fascinating. If you’d like to learn a little more history about Sassafras Tea that even includes information from Appalachian people who lived in the general area my ancestors came from in Georgia, you can go to Appalachian History.
Here is some of the information I found during my research time in Georgia.
This is from an account of a Confederate soldier I found in a book at the library in Rome, Georgia. (I think this was taken from the book: Some Recollections of the Civil War, by a private in the 40th GA Regiment, C.S.A.)
“We were in East Tennessee during our first experience in marching and camping, and although no Federals were near, yet we had our pickets out on all the roads, probably more for the purposes of discipline than anything else, although there was a considerable Union element all through that section.
“One day, a comrade asked and obtained leave from the officer in charge, (on condition we would divide), to go foraging. It was summertime and fruit was plentiful, and we soon came to a brick dwelling near a road nearly surrounded by a splendid orchard loaded with fine fruit. To go and ask for some of the fruit was our first impulse, but, then they might be Union folks and refuse. After discussing the matter pro and con, we finally agreed on a compromise; we would slip in at the back of the orchard and fill our haversacks (and stomachs) with fruit and then my comrade was to take the haversacks to a certain place and wait, while I would go round to the front of the house and, if anyone should be at home, I was to politely ask permission to get some fruit, etc. This plan seemed to have several advantages. In the first place, if no one was at home we would be excusable, for we couldn’t help it if the owner wasn’t there; then, if they granted us permission, we would know we hadn’t done anything wrong; and finally if they were Union people and refused to let us have any fruit, why we couldn’t stick it back on the trees and would be justified in considering it “contraband of war,” and take it into the camp. We carried out our plan, and I came to the front door and knocked. In a few moments a nice, benevolent-looking, sweet-faced old lady appeared, and making my best bow, cap in hand, I told her that myself and my comrade nearby were Southern soldiers, that our camp was not very far away, that we found camp fare rather dry and seeing her fine orchard of fruit, craved permission to get some to eat, etc. With a pleasant smile she replied promptly, “Why bless your heart! Go and get all you want.” Somehow my recollection is that I felt rather crestfallen and sheepish as I went back.
“How completely all such compunctions of conscience were obliterated later on! At a later period in the war I was particeps criminis in a watermelon stea – forage incident – that will show how expert we became.”
The story goes on to tell of a watermelon “foraging” outing but even more importantly it talks about how the soldiers obtained salt when there was no salt to be had. The Southern women who were nearby to the camps and taking care of the soldiers and the Southern women who sent/took goods to the soldiers would, when strapped for salt, dig up the dirt under an area where they had previously cured meats. They would boil the dirt down and strain out the salt. I would never have even thought to do this!
It’s comforting to me to know how resourceful my ancestors were and that when I forage and continue my personal foraging education, I’m carrying on a tradition from both my Native American ancestors as well as the traditions and resourcefulness of the Confederate mothers who walked this earth before me. I hope that if I’m ever in a situation where I am in dire need of this type of resourcefulness and tenacity that I have the same grit and determination as these women! I hope I don’t let them down. I love these women for who they were. They didn’t sit down and cry- they pulled themselves up and did what it took to get through. I love that this is my heritage!!
So today- whatever you may be going through- think about what your people before you went through. Had they given up- would you be here? Don’t give up! If you do, you may be giving up not only on yourself but on those generations that will come after you. The choices you make today may be the strength your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren need for their tomorrows.

Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind- or forgotten.” ~ Lilo, Lilo and Stitch
Today’s blog post will be a near-wordless post. Enjoy the photos.

Drake cousins. Top row left to right: Chris Bennett and Rick Drake. Third row left to right: Cortney Drake, Richard Allen Drake, Brad Rooks, Lisa Drake, and Robert Drake. Second row left to right: Jared Drake, Mark Drake, Gina Drake. Bottom row left to right: Rodney Drake, Angie Drake.

Bates siblings.

Derek & Shaina- 2008, Pensacola, Florida.

My family. Back row: Derek Williams, Lisa Williams, Bart Williams holding Ashton Easter, Timmy Easter. Front row: Melissa Williams, Shaina Easter.

My boys. Ashton, Theodore, August holding Foster.

My family. Top row: Ryan Schreiber, Melissa Schreiber, Ashton Easter, Joyce Williams, Bart Williams Sr., Shaina Easter. Bottom row: Bart Williams Jr. holding August Williams, Lisa Williams holding Theodore Easter.

Reunion. Back row: Sheila Larkin, Michael Kornblum, Gladys Larkin, ?, Bart Williams, Susan Drake, Mechelle Wise, Richard Drake, Rick Drake, Pamela Bennett, Chris Bennett, J. R. Bennett, Connie Drake, Max Drake, Kay Drake, ?. Bottom row: Ray Larkin, ?, Lisa Williams, ?, Juni Larkin, Barbara Larkin, Carl Larkin, Christin Bennett, Roy Drake holding ?, ? (Denise Larkin?).

Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives