My latest book, High Cotton

10/2/2013

High Cotton is a book of memoirs of two little girls, my sister, Gayle, and me, growing up on a forty-acre cotton farm in northeastern Arkansas in the 1940 and 1950 era.

On March 16, 1929 our Daddy, Johnie Brackston Kirksey, married our Mamma, Elberta (Birdie)White. Both were hard-working farmers who lived during difficult times.

Daddy and Mamma raised four girls. The oldest, Bertha, was born July 11, 1930. Then, Louella was born March 25, 1932. Nine years later, Gayle was born May 25, 1941 and I was born December 17, 1942.

This is the history of Gayle and me, as we remember it; how we laughed and cried; how we played and worked on the farm, and how both of us became a teenage bride at the age of sixteen.

10 Comments

Gayle Kirksey Jetton

10/9/2013 12:57:28 pm

First, I'm on the squirrel's side!
The windows are up tonight & the hickory nuts are falling on the tin roof of Jimmy's shop. They hit with such force the noise startles & scares me.
Pat, a hundred years ago in ....1913, rural folks depended on wild game and fruits and vegetables that they grew. In the summer of 1913 Daddy would have been 4 years old. The next year he lost his mother, our grandma Ada Lee. I can imagine the Kirksey table was laden with all kinds of food that grandma Ada prepared. Aunt Ella told me that they never went hungry because they raised everything they ate. In the summer of 1913, a hundred years ago, Mama would have been 3 years old. I am sure the White table was also well supplied with food. Mama's brothers hunted and in one of grandma White's old letters to mama she mentioned that her garden needed rain. Our ancestors were of the earth, earthy people who knew how to live off the land. In 1913 bread was .05 a loaf though I just bet our grandmothers made their own yeast bread from scratch. Butter was .40c a pound but I'm sure they churned their own butter. Milk was $1.23 a gallon but I'm sure they had a cow. I would have loved to sat down with grandpa William and grandma Ada and all their children and eaten a meal with them. I could have told them that I was their granddaughter who wouldn't be born for another 28 years!

I have a post card written by one of the Waldrep girls. It was in Lola's things. The card wasn't dated but it is very old and it says that Bill came to see them & brought the children. I am sure this was after grandma Ada's death. Grandpa William Kirksey was called "Bill." Grandpa "Bill" called grandma Ada, "Spadgie." Aunt Ella said she didn't know why he called her by that nick name. It could have been a little secret just between the two of them. They were a handsome couple & I think they had a great love for each other. Aunt Willie told me that grandpa William had the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen.

Pat, a hundred years ago the world was a hard place for a woman. It was work and childbirth, repeated over and over. Life was fragile and cruel, yet sweet and not without happiness.
Gayle

Patsy Kirksey Ross

10/9/2013 08:42:29 pm

What LOVELY memories, Gayle. I can see 'Grandpa Bill' bringing his children to visit, after Grandma Ada died. He must have been overwhelmed knowing he had so many children to care for. I am sure the older ones helped with that, though, as best as they could.
Brenda, let us hear more from you.
Love, Pat

BRENDA M LOCKER

10/11/2013 12:37:25 am

I just love reading about our ancestors. I can imagine the simpler times of long ago. Hard life for sure but not so rushed. I don't have many memories of Grandma except for the one time she was in the kitchen and I am watching her. I couldn't have been more than 4 or 5. I remember the smells of the kitchen that day even today. Sometimes, not often, but I will get a whiff of something and it will bring me right back to that morning. I think it has something to do with oatmeal. And it doesn't happen every time I am around oatmeal cooking, only certain times, maybe it is a mixture of smells with the oatmeal. I remember her dishes were a light pink or pale orange and when I see similar dishes I think of her.
I miss having Grandpa call me Princess. And he would always purse his lips together and make that funny noise for me to make me smile. I look forward to the day that I will see them again and we will all be together.
It has been raining here for three days. I drive 40 miles to work unless I ride with my boss. The last three days I have had to drive. When I leave it is dark so since we have had some flooding on I-70 I have been taking it a lot slower than normal. Dan is gone this weekend. He went over to the Eastern Slope with a friend to hunt some ducks and geese. I not too long ago cooked some squirrel for supper. Dan's Uncle from Illinois brings a bunch of them back when he visits. Dan loves to hunt so much. I still have some bear in the freezer to fix. And there is a bunch of Buffalo Fish (which is carp) but it comes from the Mississippi River and the way that they clean and score the fish makes it pretty good. Let's see I also still have one package of Bobcat in the freezer. It's good also. And of course there is always Deer and Elk. We need to be eating that because it is getting close to the time when he will be getting some more deer and elk. I just cooked the last of the Salmon that we caught at Gunnison Reservoir. Next weekend my P.E.O. group is putting on a fashion show to raise money to help girls with their education. And Serenity and Makinzie are going to be in it. Also Claybud will be the one to guide all models up on the stage with his hand. He's going to be in a suit. The last time I seen him in a suit was his graduation. I hope my girls don't chicken out. I am helping with the food preparation. I will try and get some pics and put them on facebook. Love to you both

Patsy Kirksey Ross

10/11/2013 10:50:42 pm

Two little Kirksey girls climbed up the ladder following their mother and aunt into the loft of the old, two-story house sitting alone in the pasture. Both girls were excited, their heart beating fast. They were entering a WONDERLAND that was usually forbidden to them. In the semi-darkness, their eyes tried to adjust to all the treasures surrounding them as the grownups searched for glass Mason jars. The girls spied boxes of books and recognized Nancy Drew and Zane Grey spilling over the tops. Their small hands pilfered through the boxes, closing on several to take back downstairs. Pat spied two huge dolls lying on an old trunk and snatched one up, hugging it close. Gayle followed suite, taking the other doll. Next to the wall sat an old, wooden high chair, partially covered with spiderwebs. Deathly scared of spiders, Pat stayed clear. Gayle hurried to the chair and wiping the spider webs aside, sat her doll in the seat.
Seeing that the grownups were finished looking and each carrying a box of jars, they were ready to descend the ladder. Both little girls started begging to take their treasures with them. Finally, Aunt Cora and their mamma consented, except for the high chair. They drew the line at that. They took their Mason jars below and helped the little girls bring down their treasures. :)

Gayle Kirksey Jetton

10/12/2013 08:58:49 am

Pat,
Your memories brought back all those wonderful visits to Grandma's Attic. You asked what else we got from the attic. This is a small portion of what I remember for you & Brenda.
We usually got one visit to the attic when we went to grandma's house. We waited for that trip to the attic with the greatest anticipation & excitement. I remember that Cora would always lead the way up the dark old staircase. Pat, it was a closed in stairwell instead of a ladder. Mama could have never climbed a ladder. The stairwell was on the outside wall of Cora's room and you couldn't see the staircase because it was enclosed. There was a door that opened & the stairs ascended upward from the door. I remember the odor. I thought it was the most wonderful smell in the world. There was no other like it because it was grandma's attic smell!
I remember that the stairwell was always dark and as we walked up each step the boards groaned and squeaked. Mama asked Cora if the steps would hold her weight & Cora told her "yes". Just climbing the stairs made the anticipation almost unbearable. When we reached the landing the Fairy Tale dream unfolded before our eyes. The excitement was almost more than I could stand. My heart thudded. The moments were dreams coming true.
continued

Gayle Kirksey Jetton

10/12/2013 10:35:55 am

continued...Grandma's Attic
I remember the attic as being one large room with windows on the front & back sides. They were open holes. There was nothing there. The windows had rotted away over the years, else they never had panes. I don't know. Surely they had rotted & fallen out. Mama, daddy & Cora always warned us not to go near the open windows because we could fall out of them. Also, part of the attic floor was weak & Cora told us not to walk in a certain area. I was very frightened of the windows & the weak floor area.
Everything else was perfect! I remember there were numerous iron skillets hanging on the wall. I had forgotten that memory until Lou mentioned it & then my eyes could see the skillets as they hung on the wall.
One time we found two doll cradles & each of them had a blue pillow that fitted inside the cradle. The doll cradles rocked. I never knew why there were two perfectly matched doll cradles but they were identical. I fell in love with the cradle and you did too, Pat. We took them home with us to Arkansas. It was like finding a pot of gold. It was magnificent and the attic was full of magic and mystery. Even though I was young I felt as though it called to me from years past. It was as though I felt the pull of history & something I didn't understand but all of it was sweet and wonderful.
The first book I remember reading was White Fang and it came from grandma's attic. I took home many fairy tale books. I read the Tinder Box with awe and the words ran off the pages into my mind...a marvelous story that intrigued me.
One day I was alone in the old house with grandma Julia. She was in the living room sitting in her chair. Mama was helping with the milking & the old house was mine & grandma's at the time. I wanted a book from the attic but we were forbidden to go up alone because of the danger from the open windows & old floor. Temptation won and I quietly went up the dark old stairs & found the most wonderful fairy tale book. It was a treasure to me. I came back down stairs clutching the book, loving it. Being a kid I just couldn't keep quiet about my joy. I showed the book to grandma. She asked me where did I get it & I told her I went up stairs & got it. She scolded me, telling me I knew I wasn't supposed to go up there alone, that it was dangerous. She was kind to me but firm.
Later, mama came in from milking & the first thing grandma did was tell mama what I'd done. Mama scolded me & told me not to go up there by myself. So, I got a scolding from grandma & a scolding from mama but neither was bad. I remember thinking that the book was worth the scolding.
That's all for tonight.

Patsy Kirksey Ross

10/12/2013 11:16:16 am

Thanks for sharing all those memories, Gayle. In the back of my mind, I thought there was something about 'cradles' instead of high chairs in the attic. I don't remember the iron skillets, though, nor the open windows and rickety floor. Probably if we stepped in the wrong places, we would have broken through the ceiling below. Was the floor solid wood, or was it only ceiling joists?

Gayle Kirksey Jetton

10/12/2013 01:30:21 pm

Pat,
The floor was solid wood boards but it was old & unstable in one area. The house was built before the North/South War so it was almost a hundred years old when we were kids.
The floor was safe to walk on except for one place that Cora mentioned.
One time you & I took a bath in the attic. We used the same bath water in a wash tub. You & I were up there alone while we bathed & the tub was set in a safe place. Of course daddy gave us instructions not to go near the open windows. I would have never gone near them anyway because it was real scary to think of falling out the window to the ground below.
After we had finished bathing daddy came back into the attic. I remember we left the soap in the bath water & he got it out. He was a little bit aggravated with us because he told us not to leave the soap in the water & we forgot & left it in the water & I guess it got mushy. He didn't say much about it though. I don't know why we were bathing up there. It was probably summertime & we needed a bath & the attic was private. It's funny how I can remember the bath but not the reason for it other than we may have just needed a bath.
Goodnight.

Gayle Kirksey Jetton

10/14/2013 09:17:23 am

Brenda, I wrote Pat & Lou an email & asked Lou to tell me about the sleeping arrangements in the Old House in Mississippi. Pat wrote back & asked me to post the memories that I mentioned along with my questions for Lou. I don't want to be the only poster on here so youall write too.
Here are my comments & questions: Plus a little more.......
Lou, do you remember where everyone slept in grandma's old house? I remember Cora & uncle Curtis Reed's room & that is where the old stairwell was located. I remember the door that opened into the stairs. I remember the bed & I remember a tall chest against one wall close to the fireplace. Seems like there was a door that opened into the old breezeway where the wash pan, water & snuff set on a table or other kind of stand. I remember there were more things in Cora's bedroom but I can't remember what they were. I think her big old cedar chest was in there. I do remember the fireplace in her room. The walk-through closet connected Cora's room to the living room. Pat & I used to play in that closet. There was a door in the living room that went straight through the closet to Cora's room. The closet was neat. I remember there were quilts or something stacked on a trunk??. It was big and a wonderful place to play. The fireplace in the living room & Cora's room were back to back. There were 2 beds in the living room. So, grandma & grandpa slept in one of the beds & did Hilda sleep in the other bed??? Where did Billy sleep? Where did uncle Johnie sleep? I know uncle Johnie slept in the attic when company came. He said it was terrible cold up there in the winter & when it snowed it would blow in on his bed. Did he sleep there all the time??
I remember the dining room in the old house. I can see the long table in my memory right now & I know where grandpa sat. I remember seeing grandma when she could still walk & talk. I was in the living room with some more of the family & grandma was going to go to the kitchen. She had a stroke & it left her partially paralyzed. She took an old straight back wooden chair & held to the back of it & dragged it along as she walked. She was talking & cheerful at the time. I can still see her as she looked that day. I was real small.

Years later, after the new house was built & the beloved old house torn down, some of my memories are sad. Grandma couldn't walk or talk so she sat in her rocker. Her mind was still good & as the days & hours passed she would scratch the wooden arm of her rocking chair with her fingernail. Over time she scratched all the varnish off a small part of it.
I HATED when it was time for us to leave and go home to Leachville. We would hug grandma & she would begin to cry. She would shake with her sobs & it was almost more than I could bear when mama leaned down to hug grandma goodbye. Mama was crying & grandma was sobbing, her shoulders shaking from her sobs. It was so hard for me to see grandma suffering like that. It is so sad to see old people cry.
That's all tonight. Some memories hurt.

BRENDA M LOCKER

10/15/2013 11:41:25 pm

It is so sad to see the people you love grow old and suffer. You want so much for them to be vital and healthy and wish for the times to return when they were.

My latest book, High Cotton

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