At Honeysuckle Farm, LLC I sell handcrafted aromatherapy and other products. I also customize essential oil products for my customers based on their specific needs and goals. You can find the Honeysuckle Farm, LLC online store here.
Days of Our Lives is my genealogy blog that I've had for over 10 years where I write about mine and my husband's family histories. Through Honeysuckle Farm, LLC I offer customized family history research/writing packages for my customers. You can see examples of my writing by going to my family history blog here.
Ink & Perfume is my aromatherapy blog where I write about all things aromatherapy and Honeysuckle Farm, LLC.
While you're shopping online, take a look at my mom's ebay store. She sells interesting vintage items.
The blog theme today is ‘food’. I had no intention of writing about food. I feel like we’ve covered that topic well this month. As I was considering an alternative topic last night, our hot water heater went out so we’ve been dealing with that problem today. That means another short and sweet blog post for you. Dreams and Wishes Bart and I have lived in our current home 10 years now (longer than I’ve ever lived in any one house). That means most of our appliances have now hit the 10 year mark as well. We knew this day was coming soon when the appliances would start shutting down. This little hot-water-heater bump in the road has kicked off yet another round of discussions about getting started on building a new house. You see, the place we’re living in was always meant to be the garage. We never intended to live in it long- and definitely not 10 years, yet here we are. So tonight we drug out this:
Our all-time favorite house plan. It’s a dream we have.
Our all-time favorite house plan. Now we’re hashing out our options and what our next move will be (other than buying and installing that new hot water heater, of course). Here’s to your dreams and wishes. I hope they come true for you.
Today’s blog theme is ‘hobby’. If you’ve read my blog, you know me. What you see is what you get. I love to write, I love to research my family history, I love to travel, and I love to forage wild edibles. If you don’t know that by now you’ve missed some of my posts! (Go back to ‘Go’ and do not collect $200!) The other thing I have fun with that may not necessarily be apparent is trip planning and date planning. I love planning! I’ve planned day, weekend, and spur-of-the-moment trips- mostly for dates and genealogy research. I’ve planned longer trips- mostly for anniversaries and vacations. I’ve planned trips for other people who didn’t like the planning aspect. When our kids were at home and I couldn’t travel with Bart, I even planned day trips for he and his travel buddies when they would get a day off unexpectedly. My mom always said that when I was little I could be asleep and dead to the world but if someone said the word ‘go’ I was instantly wide awake and ready to go- just like my Granny Jessie BATES. I’m sure I’ve told you that when Bart and I were young and broke I would break out my trusty atlas and plan future trips to different places. Just thinking about going somewhere makes me feel better and it really doesn’t matter where we go! Maybe my middle name really should have been ‘go’! Being a trip planner means you keep in mind what your fellow travelers will enjoy as well as what you will enjoy. I think one of the reasons Bart and I travel so well together is because we respect each other. He wants me to have a good time and I want the same for him. Any time we go on a trip together you can bet we’ll be riding motorcycles (even if we have to rent one) and we’ll be digging around in courthouse basements for information to add to my family history. Why does he dig around in basements or tromp through cemeteries with me? Because he respects and loves me. Why do I hop on a motorcycle and go for day rides with him? Because I love and respect him. It’s a two way street. The funny thing is, I’ve learned to enjoy riding and he’s learned to enjoy history and family research. We both win because we’re both happy. But we also win because we’ve made each other feel valued, accepted and loved. The benefit is we’ve stretched the boundaries of our comfort zones and done things we wouldn’t have otherwise done. Studies show that when you learn something new it helps to keep your brain healthy (it fights against Alzheimer’s). I’m predisposed to Alzheimer’s/dementia on both sides of my family so the more I can fight it the better off I am. But mostly we both benefit because we’ve kept ourselves from becoming selfish and self-focused. When we’re sharing experiences with each other it keeps our feelings for each other alive in a way that I don’t completely understand and can’t explain. And nothing beats sitting on the couch on a winter night and reminiscing about some experience we had together. By actively participating in each other’s activities and hobbies we say to each other, “You are important enough to me that I’m willing to do this with you even if it may not be my favorite thing.” The willingness to do things together builds confidence and bonds us together. So enough talking already. I’m sure you get it. Here are some examples of some dates, vacations, and trips we’ve taken together.
A cowboy themed date we went on:
Historical sites in Dewey, Oklahoma including the Tom Mix Museum.
The remake of True Grit was in theaters when I planned this trip and I wanted to go see it but I wanted a full date experience so I planned a cowboy themed date. We had a lot of fun. We went to Dewey and went through the little Tom Mix museum. We went to Claremore to the gun museum, watched True Grit, and had a great meal. We had a lot of fun and spent the whole day running around and enjoying each other’s company.
Weekend trip to see Elmer McCurdy:
Elmer McCurdy’s grave and the Apothecary Garden both in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
This was a weekend trip to Guthrie. Sometimes I don’t know why Bart does some of the crazy stuff I plan for a trip. I became absorbed by the story of Elmer McCurdy a few years back (if you have time you should definitely look up his story). I decided we should go to Guthrie and visit Elmer’s grave at midnight and make a recording to see if we could record any strange occurrences. Just for fun. We left Elmer a beer for his trouble. It was a great weekend. One of our favorite trips was to Massachusetts in 2010. It was one of my all-time favorite trips. He was hooked on history by then and always loved the Revolution. We went to Lexington, Massachusetts, stood on the green and heard the story about the Redcoats and the Minutemen, and toured the area all the way to Concord.
Massachusetts:
Sites in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.
One of the trips we took this year was to Georgia to Chickamauga Battlefield. It was amazing. We were there most of the day and did not get to see everything that was there.
Georgia:
Chickamauga Battlefield, Chickamauga, Georgia. My ancestor’s company, the 59th Ohio, fought here.Bart checking out the cannons on the battlefield at Chickamauga, Georgia.
The field I’m standing in front of is a field where my ancestor’s unit fought a battle in the Civil War. (My 3rd great-grandfather, Joseph LARKIN- 59th Ohio.) I love to trip plan and Bart’s job has afforded us lots of opportunities to travel and trip-plan. For a girl who was born understanding the word ‘go’ Bart’s job has been a real blessing. If you ever need a trip planned keep me in mind.
Until my next trip- however short or long it may be- Lisa @ Days of Our Lives
Today’s blog theme is ‘album’. My two immediate thoughts were “photo album” (way too broad) and “Eagles album”. Yes…Eagles album. A few years back Bart and I were in Winslow, Arizona. We took our pictures on the corner in Winslow, Arizona.
Bart standing “on the corner in Winslow, Arizona”.
Bart on the corner in Winslow, Arizona.
Me standing “on the corner in Winslow, Arizona”.
Lisa on the corner in Winslow, Arizona.
Eagles album cover.
Eagles album cover Enjoy the tune while you’re reading: The Eagles live- Take It Easy. It was a fun trip. We enjoy that area. As it happens, I have distant relatives in the nearby Flagstaff, and Winona, Arizona area. I’d like to focus on the folks south of Flagstaff and directly south of Winslow, though. I’d like to write first about my dad’s family- Pearl Belle DRAKE GANN- and then second about my mom’s family- Short and Ella Amanda GIBSON LONG. She Waited with Hope- Pearl Belle DRAKE GANN Pearl DRAKE GANN was my 2nd great-aunt. Aunt Pearl made headlines in April of 1959 when she needed (and received) a cornea transplant.
Pearl (Gann) Drake made headlines in April, 1959.Article about Pearl (Drake) Gann’s history-making cornea transplant.
About a year and a half later in November of 1960, Pearl and her daughter, Bonnie, were called back to Oklahoma because Poppy Lon DRAKE (Alonzo Ervin DRAKE- my 2nd great-grandather) was sick. I thought possibly 1960 was when Poppy Lon was attacked by the hogs but Dad said it was more likely when Poppy was diagnosed with cancer. Dad said Poppy was attacked by the hogs about a year before he died and never quite recovered from the attack before he died. Poppy died in 1964. I wonder if Pearl thought about the fact that the cornea transplant allowed her to see her dad’s face again before he died. I wonder if this was the last time she saw him before he died. Pearl was able to see (and possibly quilt again) for 9 years before she passed away. Shorty Long the “Bug” Conductor and a Missing Branch of My Family- Ella Amanda GIBSON LONG You might remember my post about my 2nd great grandfather, James Thomas GIBSON. He was accused (and later the charge were dropped) of raping his daughter, Ella Amanda GIBSON. I never knew much about Manda (the name she went by before marrying Shorty LONG). I sometimes wondered if Manda and Dettie (my great-grandmother and Manda’s half-sister) knew each other or even knew about each other. I think they probably did because over the years I found a photograph of Manda and Myrtle (Myrtle is Dettie’s full sister). So I think I can safely assume both that Dettie and Manda knew about each other and that they had met and actually knew each other. I don’t have any pictures of Manda and Dettie but I do have the photo of Manda and Myrtle.
Half-sisters Manda and Barbara “Myrtle” Gibson.
Manda is on the left with glasses and Myrtle is on the right. (I think!) Weren’t they beautiful? I’m not sure why or how Shorty and Manda ended up in the border town of Nogales, Santa Cruz, Arizona. They married in Monroe County, Iowa. I suspect they ended up in Arizona due to Shorty’s job with the railroad. Shorty spent much of his life being a train conductor for Southern Pacific railroad. While in Nogales he conducted a passenger train called the “Bug” that ran between Nogales and Benson. At some point either this train crossed into Mexico or Shorty worked another railroad job where he did cross into Mexico. I know this because Shorty had to get a passport for his job.
Shorty Long’s passport.
Shorty LONG’s passport photo.
Shorty Long later in life.
Later photo of Shorty. In January of 1911 Shorty’s train was in an accident. Shorty was lucky and only sustained an injury to his hand.
Article about Shorty Long’s train accident.
Clipping about accident. As an adult, Shorty and Manda’s son, Virgil, moved to New Mexico but soon moved back to Nogales, Arizona. When he moved back to Nogales he became the assistant postmaster. This is what I know about Manda. I’d like to connect with her descendants someday to try to piece together story (and subsequently her dad’s story). Maybe I’ll get lucky one day and one of them will do a Google search and this post will turn up.
Hubbard Coat of Arms (photo shared on Ancestry). CAVEAT: Research that we are related to Thankful HUBBARD MILLER was done by others and has not been verified by me. Take this with a grain of salt and do your own research. Today’s blog theme is ‘thankful’. There isn’t much in my life that I’m not thankful for- in fact, I can’t think of anything. So I decided to take a different approach and look at people named Thankful (and one named Thanklord whom some say was really named Thankful). There are 10 such persons in the Drake tree and all – ALL- of them trace back to my great-grandmother, Edith HUBBARD DRAKE. Thankful HUBBARD (said to be my 10th great-aunt) was the daughter of Nathaniel and Mary EARLE HUBBARD. She married Joseph MILLER and together they had at least 8 children at least two of whom died before reaching adulthood. Joseph was a descendant of Lady Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmoreland. Lady Joan was a powerful land owner in Northern England in the early- to mid-1400’s. You can read Joan’s love story here. Thankful’s sister, Abigail HUBBARD, married Jonathan BURR. It is said by BURR surname researchers that anyone with the surname BURR is in some way related to former Vice President Aaron BURR through one of his cousins.
Aaron Burr, Jr.- 3rd Vice President of the United States of America.
Aaron Burr, Jr.- 3rd Vice President of the United States of America. Photo from Wikipedia. No one is known to be descended directly through Aaron or his sister. If you want to, you can read about BURR research here. The Wikipedia version of Aaron BURR’s and his father, Aaron BURR Sr’s history can be read by clicking on each of their names. Aaron Sr. was a Calvinist and married to famous preacher, Jonathan EDWARD’s daughter, Esther.
Esther Edwards Burr.
Esther Edwards Burr. Photo from Wikipedia. Like I said before, I’m not 100% sure Thankful is my 10th great-aunt or Nathaniel and Mary are my 10th great-grandparents because I haven’t done the research myself. What I do know is that I’m thankful for each and every pair of parents that God brought together to create me. Consider this: Starting with Nathaniel and Mary (and including them), God brought together 4,096 individual people to create 1 me- and that’s only back to my 10th great-grandparents! That’s biological ancestors- not including step-parents that stepped in when biological parents died or couples divorced. Thankful died just a couple of years before the American Revolution so really, those 4,096 people basically only include people from about one or two generations before the beginning of the USA. It inspires a feeling of awe to really consider how many people God has to bring together to create one person in the world today. Be thankful. Be awed. Be inspired. There is only one you and you have exactly one lifetime to make the world great. Do your best.
It’s been another busy day so today the post will be short and sweet- again. The theme is ‘worn’. I was going to do something different but I can’t access the photos I needed from where I’m at so I’m going with some photos my cousin, Mechelle WISE, sent me today. This is a bedspread (?? I don’t even really know what the proper term is) that my great-grandmother, Bess WILLIAMS LARKIN, crocheted for my cousin’s parents when they married. It’s absolutely gorgeous. I only ever saw my great-grandma do doilies and small things. I had no idea she could or did ever do anything like this. Thanks for sharing, Mechelle!
A crocheted bed cover made by my great-grandma, Bess (Williams) Larkin.A close-up of the crocheted bed cover made by Bess (Williams) Larkin.
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.
Granny Bates with Derek and Shaina.
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 Bates.
Mom and Granny.
My Papa “Lum” Bates and one of his hunting dogs with some coons they got while hunting.
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.
One of Derek’s questions for his great-grandpa, Troy “Lum” Bates, with Jessie (Riter) Bates’ response handwritten by my mom.
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.”
Shaina’s question to her great-question to her great-grandpa, Troy “Lum” Bates. The response was handwritten by my mom on behalf of my grandpa.
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!)
Derek’s question for “Lum” Bates.
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.
Shaina’s question to her great-grandma Jessie (Riter) Bates. My mom wrote the answer on behalf of my grandma.
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.
Another question from Shaina to Granny Bates.
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.
A note from my mom about my grandpa’s health the day these questions were answered.
“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.
Blog theme today is ‘advice’. (I’m not sure why it isn’t ‘thankful’ or ‘gratitude’ but that’s coming on the 26th.) Today I’m going to give you another “short and sweet” blog post about advice given by my grandpa Eugene DRAKE. My Papa said whenever you have a tough decision to make think about what is the right thing to do- and then ALWAYS choose what is the RIGHT thing to do. It’s timeless advice. So I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family or friends- or alone if you’re an introvert and that’s what you choose. And when you’re making that next decision, choose to do what’s right. You can’t go wrong with that.
Today’s blog theme is ‘heirloom’. It’s been a busy day so I’ll keep it short and sweet. My Treasures
A pitcher my Mam (Audrey Drake) gave me.
Mam’s vase that goes with the wash stand. This is a water pitcher that goes with a wash stand and basin. The wash stand has a mirror and two candles- one at each side of the mirror. One of the candle/stand sets needs to be repaired. I’m not sure how I was so fortunate to end up with the set but I love it. Yellow is my favorite color. I think of Mam every time I look at it. I wish I had a photo of it when it was sitting in her house.
A plate that belonged to my Granny Bates. It was dug up from under an apartment building my parents lived in when they first married.
Granny’s plate. This is a small plate that Granny had on a wall shelf in her bathroom. My bathroom was done in purples and flowers like Granny’s so when Granny passed away I asked for this trinket. (I doubt anyone has a photo of it in her house but if you do, I’d love to have it.) I keep the plate in a curio cabinet that belonged to Bart’s grandmother- Esther WOLF. Behind the plate you’ll see a set of brown glasses. Derek died on a “homemade Christmas” year. My mother had finished this set of glasses for him early in the day on the day Derek passed away. She gave them to me to keep. On the other side you’ll see a cup that my kids made for me one year for Christmas. In front of the homemade cup is a glass coaster that my great uncle and aunt- Carl and Barb LARKIN- brought back to me from Germany. On top of that coaster is a Christmas ornament one of my kids made for Bart and I when they were little. I love all these treasures. I would love to see pictures of the heirlooms you have and cherish.
“He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” ~ Psalm 1:3, The Holy Bible Today’s blog post theme is ‘tree’. I knew right away what I wanted to write about and that’s actual TREES! A little side note about the verse above, there’s an old hymn that was one of Bart’s favorites when we attended Poynor Baptist Church. I found the version below on Youtube. I don’t think I’ll ever find a version like the one we sang at that church but here’s a link to one that’s close: Johnny Cash- I Shall Not Be Moved (In case you’re a statistics nerd: this is the second day in a row Johnny Cash has been featured in a blog post.) The Heritage Tree “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” ~ Proverbs 13:12, The Holy Bible I recently blogged a little about a trip I took in 2011 to the Boston, Massachusetts area. (See the post on the Salem witch trials here.) While in Massachusetts I was going through an ancestral chart on Ancestry that listed a lineage showing the ENDICOTT family as our ancestors. A quick search on Google showed that in Danvers, Massachusetts (near Salem) was a pear tree that was several hundred years old and was brought over to the USA by the original ENDICOTT immigrant ancestor. I went to Danvers and photographed the tree.
The Endicott Pear Tree, Danvers, Massachusetts.
Endicott pear tree. I later learned there was a whole society devoted to this tree and that they had a project going to keep the tree alive. Part of the project was grafts from the tree that they sent out to members who could then grow a descendant pear tree. All of this was an effort to continue the legacy of the tree. My parents and I got two successful grafts from the pear tree and they are growing in my orchard and doing well. Subsequent research has shown that the genealogy on that particular line was incorrect. Genealogy (especially from the early years of this country) seems to be somewhat cyclical so it’s quite possible that even though that line was incorrect and did not ultimately lead to the ENDICOTT family, a future line will lead back to them. So until a connection shows up in future research I will keep nursing the trees and hope they produce fruit. If it turns out that we simply aren’t connected to them, well then I have a very unique tree with a great history and it’s a unique memento of one of the best vacations I ever took.
My first Endicott Pear tree.
My Endicott pear tree.
Granny and the Chinquapin Nuts
The Lorax quote, Dr. Seuss.
When I was young (elementary school-aged) I was staying with Granny BATES one day and we went for a walk. She picked up a couple of Chinquapin hickory nuts off the side of the road and told me about Chinquapin trees and how she hardly ever saw any anymore because a disease had come through and killed them all. She cracked one open and we ate it. I don’t really remember how it tasted, I just remember her talking about how sweet the “chinky pins” tasted. I kept the extra nuts in a drawer for a long time. (Yikes- I might have a “saving” problem!) I even took them to school for show-and-tell. I never saw a Chinquapin hickory after that until I was an adult. Bart and I like to plant unique trees and we were talking about a project where we could preserve a native species. I told him the story about Granny and the Chinquapin hickory nuts and we decided that was the project we wanted to take on. We ordered 5 Chinquapin hickory seeds from Ozark Chinquapin Society and planted them in honor of Granny’s 100th birthday. The seedlings didn’t make it. My dad has since tried. He gave two of the seedlings to my brother and sister-in-law, gave two to me and kept one in the hopes that one of our trees would survive. Once again- mine didn’t do so well (unless, of course, they sprout up next summer and surprise me). I hope they do. I’d love to have some Chinquapins growing here again.
Granny Bates and I at her 100th birthday party.
Granny and I at her 100th birthday party.
While We’re Talking About Chinquapins… “For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoot will not cease.” ~ Job 14:7, The Holy Bible
Ralph Waldo Emerson quote.
Speaking of Chinquapins, Bart and I saw a huge Chinquapin Oak tree this fall when we were traveling in Georgia. The tree was at Tunnel Hill, Georgia and it was so old the guide said it would have been there during the Civil War when my 3rd great-grandparents- John and Mary (MOBLEY) BATES lived in that area. She allowed us to take a few acorns off the tree and we are going to try to sprout them and grow trees from the nuts.
Ginger and I leaning against the Chinquapin Oak tree at Tunnel Hill, Georgia. The tree saw battle during the Civil War. It’s possible my ancestor also leaned up against this same tree – it’s that old!
Me at Chinquapin Oak
The Orchard “And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.” ~ Genesis 1:29, The Holy Bible Bart and I have a small orchard. I love that orchard. We order heirloom trees from Trees of Antiquity. The quality of their trees is excellent and I love that they carry varieties that are very old. They try to keep these old varieties from becoming extinct. One year I chose an Arkansas Black apple tree in honor of my 2nd great-grandfather, George BATES, who had an apple orchard in Arkansas at the time he filed his Homestead Entry file.
Homestead Entry File for George “Lum” Bates.
Homestead Entry file document for George BATES. It seems like Granny always had an apple tree wherever she lived. If I’m not mistaken, the tree behind Uncle Butch in the photo below is her apple tree on the place that is now Junior Anderson’s outside Southwest City, Missouri.
My mom, her parents, and most of her siblings.
The “Maker” Trees “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30, The Holy Bible My Dad (Roy DRAKE), brother Jared, and nephew Patrick, have used trees from my Papa (Eugene) DRAKE’s and great-grandfather Mark DRAKE’s old home places to make things like pens and other woodturned items. My husband cut a huge burl from an old tree on our place hoping that Dad can find some time to practice turning a bowl. Dad has made Christmas ornaments, bats, gavels, and other things out of the trees that have been cut. He does a great job!
A gavel that my dad made and my cousin, Mechelle Wise, won at the family reunion.
Mechelle’s gavel My sister-in-law Becky and I have made jellies and syrup from tree fruits/nuts. One year I picked the blossoms off our Redbud trees and gave them to Becky. She made them into Redbud Jelly. (It tastes a lot like grape jelly, in case you’re wondering. Very delicious!) I’ve helped make a couple of batches of hickory syrup and in fact, I have a pint sitting on my kitchen table ready to send to a friend in exchange for the maple syrup she sent to me one year. My friend, Kendra, and her husband tap their maple trees up north and make their own syrup. It’s heavenly! Bart and I enjoy foraging together. This year we dug up some Sassafras root for tea and picked/dried some Sassafras leaves for filé powder so we can try Filé Gumbo. We also picked up Black Walnuts but it didn’t appear to be a very good year for walnuts. In fact, it wasn’t really a good year for most wild trees and plants. I’ve even foraged juniper berries and used them in a roast. We love to try new things like that. I Just Love Trees! “…Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy…” ~ Psalm 96:12, The Holy Bible Recently the weather has been windy and I’ve enjoyed hearing the wind blow through the leaves and branches. It’s a soothing sound. The solitude and peace out here in the woods is refreshing. Take some time this week to walk through the forest and enjoy the peace and quiet. It’s good for the soul. P.S.- If you’re a Christian, you have this glorious tree to look forward to. I can’t wait to see it, too. “Through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” ~ Revelation 22:2, The Holy Bible
“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!
Bart Williams, playing softball at college in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
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:
Mazda pickup.
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 my high school years.
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.
Nissan 200sx.
1982 Nissan 200sx similar to mine. The official color code was “Blue Mist Metallic”.
Official color code for my Nissan 200sx.
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 during his week as a Page for the Oklahoma Senate, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
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.
Volkswagon Bug.
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 during her time at the modeling school.
Shaina in high school.
Oldsmobile Cutlass.
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
2003 Cast photo from Picture in Scripture Amphitheater, Disney, Oklahoma.Picture in Scripture Amphitheater cast photo showing Bart and I, Shaina and Derek.
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 early in their marriage.
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:
Official paint codes for 1956-1957 Fords.
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.
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).
Troy “Lum” and Jessie (Riter) 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.
Crank-start 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 crank-start Ford.
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
Bart and Derek shaving.
Derek, circa age 3.
Carl Larkin, my great grand-uncle.
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, about 1 or 2 years old.
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??
