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Paper Drives

Each year, the PTA would have a large one-day paper drive.  We went around the neighborhood asking people to save their papers for the next month and to please tie them in liftable bundles with a string. We took our little red wagon and went house to house asking for old newspapers. Some folks were extremely diligent about saving their papers and had stacks of papers many feet high waiting in their garage. We felt we had hit the jackpot when we got the house with an extensive collection of newspapers. These were some of the identical houses we loaded up with our fresh-picked blackberries to sell to the moms in the neighborhood.

There is no denying the usefulness of our classic little red wagon. It was the most special, practical, and long-lasting toy ever invented. Besides being a favorite toy, the wagon was also used for household moving chores. The red wagon helped move anything heavy that needed to be moved. It could haul all your equipment for a lemonade stand, including a radio, an ice bucket, and a chair to sit on while you made your sales.  A perfect time in the backyard riding down the terrace. Our wagon has lasted for five generations of kids from our original family.

School Playground

Today’s playgrounds have undergone significant changes since I grew up in the fifties. Safety concerns have led to the removal of many old favorites, including merry-go-rounds, monkey bars, turning bars, seesaws, and hot metal slides.  We also had two softball fields to play work up. Hitting my right eye on the turning bars resulted in a huge black eye. Mom had to pick me up from school and let me rest the rest of the day.

 A game called workup was played on the softball field. Work Up is a game for when you have too few players to form two teams. Three batters, a catcher, a pitcher, a first baseman, a second baseman, a third baseman, and two outfielders means you need 10 players.
The three batters keep hitting and advancing as long as they aren’t put out.  When a batter is out, that scout moves to right field, and all fielders work up to the next position, with the catcher becoming a batter. If a fielder catches a fly, that scout switches spots with the batter who hit it.

Saving Bond Stamps

I remember purchasing these “savings stamps” at school in the 6th grade. This would have been in the late 50s. Once a week, Mrs. M. Heinline would offer stamps in either 10- or 25-cent denominations to fill a book to a value of $18.75. At the time, these books could then be taken to a local bank and exchanged for a $25 Savings Bond. These were Treasury Bonds and had nothing to do with the USPS. Two of us, responsible girls, would walk down Grand Street to the U.S. Post Office to buy the stamps. The post office was on the corner of Grand and National. Kids learned to save money while enjoying the process of pasting stamps in the book.

 

Declaration of Independence 6^th Grade Play

 

Our final presentation to the Rountree parents was a play performed by the two 6^th-grade classes. Parents watched us on stage in the school’s basement.  The boys got the good parts of the play.  My friend and I were the only girls who scored a part in The Continental Congress. We both said we didn’t want to wear a long dress, so I took the part of Ben Franklin.  My friend’s mom made us vests and short pants to complete our look.  Mom was not the typical costume maker, but decided I could wear a string mop on my head to look just like Mr. Franklin. I recall my well-known phrase, “I Smell a Rat.”   Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the Declaration of Independence over the more qualified and skilled writer, Ben Franklin. Just think, I could have been the star.

Other Memories of Being at Rountree School

Bluebirds – Campfire girls, ice-cream socials, spring gardens, wooden floors, coal furnace, and steam radiators. Mom, president of the PTA, involved in school carnivals. Weekly readers, cigar boxes used for school supplies. Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, duck-and-cover drills under the desk, afternoon milk. Spanish and science on the black-and-white TV. Skirts, no slacks, and chalkboards with erasers.

What is one of your favorite memories of your mother?

Mom had many special qualities. She showed leadership and was an excellent cook. Her good looks were admired by many. She was a caring wife and mother. Additionally, she volunteered and was a devoted sister. Being a faithful Christian was important to her. My number one memory of mom would be her wonderful singing voice. Her high school teacher back in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, helped mom perfect her voice. Mrs. Hearne was a graduate of Julliard School of Music in New York City. Mrs. Hearne drove out to the country. She picked up Mom so Mom could join her trio. They sang each Saturday morning on the local radio station. Mom was a soprano. Her voice was a natural gift to the people around her. One time, I took mom to decorate her family’s graves in her hometown. There, she said, “I want you to take me to see my music teacher, Mrs. Hearne.” We arrived at this beautiful historic home, and Mom said to pull in the drive. Mrs. Hearne spent her childhood and adult life in the Kinser Street house her parents owned. The door opened, and seventy years just seemed like yesterday. Mom and her teacher visited, then went to the music room, where Mom sang while Mrs. Hearne played the piano.  During a conversation in her eighties, Mrs. Hearne reminisced that she had been briefly disappointed with the gift she received for her 16^th birthday. She wanted a sports car. Her parents gave her a grand piano. During Mom’s graduation, she was named the best musician at Poplar Bluff High School.

After marrying my dad, my mom became well-known in Springfield for her singing abilities. She sang for countless church services, funerals, weddings, and music club meetings. When in Florida, she enjoyed singing the Hallelujah Chorus at the Christmas Eve Service. My favorite song she sang was His Eye Is on the Sparrow,” which is a gospel hymn written in 1905. 1. Why should I feel discouraged?
Why should the shadows come?
Why should my heart be lonely
And long for heav’n and home,
When Jesus is my portion?
My constant Friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

I decided to become an elementary music teacher. I often think about how supportive my mom’s music teacher was in her love of music. I would try to give a kid a ride so they could practice in the after-school choir. Mrs. Hearne paid it forward to me to make children learn to love music.

Pauline Hearne and Fern Christian Nevatt

What was the first thing you ever remember buying yourself?

While walking from Stewart Street to Glenstone, I found a twenty-dollar bill lying on the roadway. I was walking to get my hair cut at the beauty shop. $20 was a lot of money in the early 1960s. Mary Boatman had a shop that faced Glenstone. I could hardly wait to walk back home to tell Mom of my good luck.

I had watched Grandma Nevatt fish on the banks of the James River. She was an excellent fisherwoman. Her tackle box was an old black pocketbook. For bait, she would take a box of Wheaties Cereal, make a wet dough ball, and put it on the hook. Usually, a carp or catfish would take the bait.

Fishing with Grandma is more than just a cherished tradition; it brings back memories of the gravel bar and picnics on the long picnic tables. Grandma taught me to cast my reel to a perfect spot across the riverbank. I took my twenty dollars and went to Consumers Hardware Store. Consumers Hardware has been in Springfield forever. I bought the Zebco 33. One of the key features of the Zebco 33 was its push-button casting system. It was a perfect rod for a beginner. Remember, the joy of fishing lay in the moments spent together with my grandma. Sometimes she would fish on some big rocks near the water’s edge.

Fishing is much more than catching fish; it’s a gateway to patience, curiosity, and a lifelong connection with the outdoors. My grandma Nevatts’ great-great-great-granddaughter has now taken up the love of fishing. Ava June won her first fishing tournament at the age of seven years old. What started for me over 60 years ago with a Zebo fishing reel continues with a new generation of fish women. Yes, Ava uses a Zebo push-button reel to catch fish.

Dad had a very dry sense of humor. At the church talent show, he would dress up as a revivalist preacher and perform “It’s in the Book”. It told a story of Little Bo-Peep. Anyone who attended a fundamentalist Baptist or Pentecostal church would recognize the style of preaching. The sheep would be found wagging their tails behind them. Pray tell, where else would they wag them?

Another memory of Dad also involved the church. One time, Dad invited the church members to join us for a picnic at our place on the James River. He even ordered a portable potty for those who need one. Some kids who delivered the toilet painted a lady on the inside door.  The pinup photo was of a leggy blonde in a bathing suit.    Dad went and bought white spray to cover up the artwork

Mom always had a big smile on her face when we picked up the three grandkids in Grand Isle, La. Every house and building is lifted at least 8-15ft in the air! One granddaughter, Tara Dawn, was the Tarpon Rodeo Queen. Once, an alligator chased Stephanie home from school on her bicycle. When Mom and I would pull up in the driveway to pick up the three kids, they would be anxiously sitting on top of their suitcases. They were waiting for a great summer vacation with family in Springfield. Mom always saved her biggest smile when entertaining the grandkids.

Oakvale Mississippi

Friendship in a small town

Visiting a small town in Mississippi was like time standing still.  The wrap-around porch looks like it should be on the cover of Southern Living Magazine. Large ferns hang from the eaves beside the red, white, and blue American Flag flying in the breeze.   Song by Tracey Lawrence                   

 If the world had a front porch like we did back then,
                        we’d still have problems, but we’d all be friends.
                        Treatin’ your neighbor like he’s your next of kin,
                        wouldn’t be gone like the wind.
                        If the world had a front porch like we did back the then

Pull up a chair and feast on our spread of crayfish, shrimp, jambalaya, and a beer or two. Melissa and Julie always have room for you. A special group of friends and family share stories of times long ago.

Take a stroll inside the big front door, where the dining room and kitchen greet and make everyone feel welcome. Chairs where you can watch a good old Southern meal await you.

Shrimp and grits, cornbread, fried green tomatoes, collard greens, and sweet tea if

 you’re not a beer drinker.

After lunch, load up on the off-road utility vehicles and head for the river. Sand Creek appears as we round the road through the swamps. The water sprays beside the ATVs as we drive in the stream. Lookout for copperheads and alligators. Stop off at the Sand Creek Bridge.  

The White Sands Creek Bridge was built in 1913. It is one of three historic iron bridges in Lawrence County. The bridge is a designated Mississippi Landmark. Great place for a photo shoot.

Just as we arrive back at the house, the boys have made a wonderful campfire. Pull up a chair and tell a story or two.  The story of the white horse is a favorite to tell after dark, looking at the full moon. Drag another log to put on the roaring fire.  It’s time for Robin’s tasty pie irons to make a custom sandwich. Maybe a peanut butter and banana or a blackberry jam sandwich. It is probably time to head back to the house and crawl under the blankets for some more adventure tomorrow.