More about old time music.........

[Bob Wright]

My aunt and uncle lived in Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee. My aunt was wheelchair bound all the time I knew her, and their adopted son and his wife lived with them and took care of my aunt. There was a creek that flowed by in front of their house, and a path to town followed alongside the creek. Their house sat on a hillside and had a very high front porch, just over waist high. On Sundays, my cousin's wife (Although no blood kin, I always called them cousins) would cook a big dinner and set it out on the front porch about time for church to let out. Folks coming from church by that path could stop and take dinner with them. Then someone would go into the house and play the foot-pumped organ in the front room and a singing would begin. All were welcome, Baptist, Methodists and whatever else there was back then. Shakers wouldn't come, though, I don't think they approved of singing.

Old hymns were sung, but there was a mix of non-hymn songs, inspirational songs but no honky-tonk stuff. Sometimes women would help with the dishes while the men sat around the yard and talked "man stuff." Then everybody would sort of just drift away towards home.

A fond memory.


Bob Wright

 

[eveled]

That's a lot of work making a meal like that every week. Not to mention an expense. I hope she was appreciated.

Sounds like a nice way to spend an afternoon.

 

[Mike J]

That sounds like a lot of fun. Though I agree with eveled that would be a lot of work & expense. I would think a lot of good may have come out of them doing it.

 

[Bob Wright]

That's a lot of work making a meal like that every week. Not to mention an expense. I hope she was appreciated.

Sounds like a nice way to spend an afternoon.

It was a labor of love, so hard to put a price on it. Most, if not all, of the food came from the garden or smokehouse. The meal had to be cooked anyway for the family, so it was only a little more work.

Was she appreciated? I'll never know this side of the River. But my Uncle Arthur was very well known in the community and later became Estes Kefauver's campaign manager for Macon County, Tennessee. He also was an impromptu auctioneer at times. And he could tell stories! He had a reputation as a good story teller and was often at shindigs because of that.

Bob Wright