The Sewing Lesson

Our "almost 13" year old granddaughter Caroline came
from S.C. came for a visit recently and I taught her how
to use the sewing machine and how to sew. One entire
afternoon was spent learning all about the machine; how to thread the machine and bobbin, and to learn to use the foot pedal. Then I gave her a "sewing license" I designed on the computer. Her goal was to make something to wear while she was visiting us.

Skirt made from old neckties

For 4 days she sat at the machine and sewed all kinds of things. We cut out a dress and she sewed all of the straight seams. I used a pencil to mark the seam lines. She would get so excited as we finished up each garment. She made a dress, a blue and a yellow top, 2 skirts, and some bags. I am including a fashion show below.

Dress Caroline made

Her favorite thing was the necktie skirt she is wearing in  photo on the left.. We bought 

Skirt Caroline made

a white top to wear with the skirt. She opened up some of Jim's old silk neckties and I helped her sew them to make a unique skirt - an original! It has an elastic waistband and a lining.

Blouse and skirt Caroline made

We had so much fun while she was here. She, my sister Carolyn from NC, and I went to visit Aunt Ida in Brewton and then on toDestin, FL for an overnight sunset at the Gulf. Carolyn went home to NC the next day and Caroline began her sewing lessons.


The last night at our house Caroline finally had time to ride the golf cart in the yard. She asked if I'd take a picture of the beautiful sunset.


I took Caroline to Atlanta and met my sister Alice
there for an afternoon at Fernbank Science Center and
to Stone Mountain that evening for the laser show
and beautiful fireworks. The next day my sister took
Caroline back home to SC. Caroline is the youngest of
our 5 granddaughters and they've all spent time at Grandma Camp each summer.

Flay Day - June 14

Today is Flay Day and we put our flag out early this morning while it was still foggy. We have been flying a flag on special occasions for as long as I can remember.


I always enjoy seeing the large US flags flying on tall flagpoles when we travel places. Especially if the wind is blowing, making flag furl in the breeze. It bothers me when people leave tattered and torn flags hanging. Before he died, our neighbor used to call and tell people when they needed to replace their flag.


You only have to leave the US and travel to other parts of the world, and come home and see our flag displayed to make your heart swell with pride.


As a member of the Daughters or the American Revolution, we take great pride in promoting "fly your flag". We say the Pledge of Allegiance at our meetings and sing the Star Spangled Banner. I belong to some other civic groups and we too always say the pledge. I hope we never stop doing that.


I remember when Alaska and Hawaii were added as states and 2 more stars were added to the American flag in 1960. We had a flag with 48 stars for a long time.


Today we are saddened with the death of a great newsman, Tim Russert, who died from a heart attack yesterday while at work. I think it is very fitting that his home town of Buffalo, NY has their flags flying at half-staff. Recently our young friend David Bannister, who was a city councilman, died suddenly, and the city honored him by flying the flag at half mast.


God Bless America!

Our family's Boy Scout experiences

When we heard on the news today about a tornado hitting a boy scout camp in Iowa, so many memories of our sons Ronnie and Bill and their scout camping experiences came to mind. I'm sure there were many that they didn't tell us about in fear that we'd never let them go again!

One of the first is when Ronnie went on a camping trip to N. GA when we lived in Atlanta in the 1960's. He was with an advance group that went ahead to the mountains to prepare for a troop week-end camping trip. Soon after they arrived it started getting dark and started snowing. It was almost a blizzard. They packed snow around the base of the cabin to keep out the wind. They had enough food to last for awhile and I don't remember if they had any heat. All I remember about the trip was being so concerned about if they were keeping warm. Of course, the trip was called off and the other campers remained at home. It was a couple of days before the snow melted enough for them to get down off the mountain and come back home.

Bill Gilmer

We went through the Cub Scout, Webelos, and then the scout ladder all the way to Eagle with Ronnie and Bill. James was in boy scouts at his sheltered workshop in NC for a short time. He definitely did not like going camping after one experience where it rained and they were in tents and he got wet. That was enough for him.


Bill and Ronnie both spent summers working at Camp Dierks in SE Oklahoma when they were in high school. Bill started out working in the dining room. I remember that one summer Ronnie taught Archery. Most of all I think they enjoyed swimming and canoeing in the cold lake. What I remember about Camp Dierks was the big bags of very dirty clothing, esp. towels, they brought home occasionally to wash. They weren't paid very much but loved working there, meeting new friends, the good food, and learning a lot about the outdoors.

Ron hiking at Philmont 

Perhaps the most memorable time for us was when Ronnie went with a friend Doug to Philmont Boy Scout Ranch in New Mexico one summer. He started cutting grass for friends and neighbors early in the spring to earn enough money for his trip. He and Doug went by charter bus with scouts all over East Texas.

We had traveled out west with the boys the summer before and had some idea of what the area looked like; lots of big mountains once you get out of the desert area going north. I remember that some of the mountains had snow on top all year long.

While Ronnie was away and Bill was working at Camp Dierks, Jim and I agreed to work at a camp for mentally handicapped kids which our son James attended. The camp was held at a Girl Scout camp just a few miles from Paris, TX where we lived. It was really isolated and we didn't have cell phones, TV, etc. to get any news during the week. One day Jim went back into town and went by our home and the phone was ringing. The Paris News reporter had been trying to reach us to see if we had heard from Ronnie and we told him where he was. They had seen an AP news release about a scout who had died and they suspected bubonic plague and all the campers were quarantined until they could find out what caused the scout's death. As I said, there wasn't any way we could get info except that the scout was not from Texas and we than assumed Ronnie was ok. He was on a trail in the mountains and they let them move to an area with a cabin and pack mules to ride. Food was dropped to the campsites while they waited out the medical report. Ronnie showed us his pictures of the "Bear bag" and how the bear got to their food one night and pulled it down from the tree. The bear bag photo here was from Google.

We were anxious to get back home to listen for any news from Ronnie, and we finally heard that his group was fine and would be coming home the following week. It was decided the boy died from a complication he had before coming to camp, with a chest infection, etc. The high altitude was too much probably.

Ronnie and Bill both earned their Eagle Scout rank and I'm sure they remember a lot of good scout experiences. Their dad accompanied them on some of their camping trips but didn't volunteer too often. He said it was hard work! Besides, he didn't like sleeping outdoors and all the bugs, etc.

Memorial to the Confederate Dead at Elba United Methodist Church

                                             "The Confederate Dead" inscribed near bottom of window. 


Every Sunday I sit next to this beautiful stained glass window at Elba United Methodist Church. The windows are beautiful, especially on bright sunny days. Most of the windows have names of the donor families except for two.


I learned why these two windows are memorials to "The Confederate Dead".
Stained glass windows were added to the church when the present church was built in 1911.
Two of the large stained glass windows were installed as the Coffee County Memorial to Confederate Soldiers from Coffee Coffee. Mrs. Cordelia Lee Costello was in charge of the memorial fund to erect a monument on the courthouse square in Elba, but post-war poverty was so devasting until this was impossible. Since the church was under construction, Mrs. Costello got permission from the congregation and the contributors to use the funds to help buy the windows.


Mrs. Costello's husband, Pierre Darcy Costello, was born in Limrock, Ireland. He immigrated to Elba and married Cordelia Lee. He served as Probate Judge of Coffee County (1856-1862). He went to war and served until his death on Jan 4, 1863 in the Battle of Murphreesboro, TN and is buried on the battlefield. There is a large monument for him at Shiloh cemetery near Elba.
The Costello's had several children but all died before reaching maturity. His wife and children are all buried at Shiloh Cemetery. Mrs. Costello lived for a long time after her husband was killed.


I found this information in the Coffee County Heritage Book and it was submitted by Marion Brunson, member of Elba UMC.


I wonder if there are any other stained glass windows dedicated to the Confederate Dead.


I once took some lessons to learn to make stained glass. After making two panels for our front door in NC, I retired from doing this craft. I learned enough to really appreciate the work involved.

A New Musical Experience

Yesterday, Sat. May 31, 2008, I went to my first Sacred Harp singing at Shady Grove Primitive Baptist Church. My cousin Linda had invited us several times and since this one was at a country church near us, we decided to go see what it was all about. We arrived around 11 a.m. and had a hard time getting James to go inside. He wasn't sure about what was taking place inside when he heard the "unusual" singing taking place. He was ready to come home after lunch. Go to this site and click it on to experience the "sound" of sacred harp: http://www.awakemysoul.com/


The singing started at 10 a.m. and lasted until 3 p.m. They stopped for a delicious covered dish lunch at noon. As soon as they finished lunch, they headed back inside the church and started singing again, with gusto!


I went online to read about Sacred Harp music so I would have some idea of what we were going to hear. It was beautiful harmony. At first I didn't have any idea what they were saying. I asked someone for a songbook so I could follow along. At first they were just singing the shaped notes and then they would start singing words. Sometimes, when I knew the songs, I would sing along.


Copied from Google: Sacred Harp uses printed shapes to help untrained singers read the music. A triangle represents fa, a circle for sol, a square for la and a diamond for mi. There is no musical accompaniment -- "harp" refers to the most-used tune book, "The Sacred Harp," first published in 1844.

Also unique is the way singers are organized -- in an open square, with tenors, bass, alto and treble voices each taking a side. Singers take turns leading the group and beat their hands to keep time.
The result is a loud, clear, almost astringent sound that some describe as ancient, others like a human bagpipe or organ. Singers usually perform a song using its notes before singing the lyrics. And everyone is expected to participate -- there is no division between a choir and audience.
You have to participate in singing to really enjoy and appreciate sacred harp music. Most of the singers were older people with a few younger family members learning the art of singing the shaped notes. Many were there because their parents and grandparents enjoyed Sacred Harp music and they passed this legacy on to their children. I'm afraid my children and grandchildren will never experience Sacred Harp music from Jim or me. Jim loves singing in our church choir and "high" music (not gospel) and I can't carry a tune in a bucket! But I love listening to all types of music, especially when it's a tune or song I know.


The recent movie "Cold Mountain" featured some Sacred harp singers from Alabama. Click on this site: http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Mountain-Various-Artists/dp/B0000E1WL4
then on the left side of the page, click "Play samples". When the list of songs is shown, click on #9 and then #19 and listen to the Sacred Harp selections from the movie Cold Mountain.

Birthplace home of Big Jim Folsom - a Place in Peril

Yesterday I received a copy of the Alabama Historical Commission's Summer 2008 Newsletter. I finally got the Commission to add the birthplace home of former "Big Jim" Folsom to the top 10 list of Places in Peril - that need restoring, etc. Look in left column of the newsletter, and you will see Folsom home in Elba, AL. I have worked on this project since the home was moved to Elba in 2003, 5 years ago!!

VISIT THE TRUST ONLINE - http://www.alabamatrust.info/

The old Folsom farm house, built before 1900, was located about 18 miles northwest of Elba, near Old Tabernacle Community, until it was moved to Elba a few years ago and donated to the city. It was being destroyed by vandals and when Coffee Co. Commissioners were contacted about what to do about preserving the old home, they contacted the City of Elba and asked if they would like to have the old home since the Folsom family were long residents of Elba after they moved from the farm in the early 1900s. It is now located on city property next to the old city jail on Putnam Street.

The old house is in bad shape but still standing after all these years. A new chimney replaced the one that had to be taken down in order to move the house. Not much else has been done to the house except to clean it out (a big truck load of junk left over from when the house was used as a hunting lodge). Also bathroom fixtures were taken out. Neglect and a leaking roof caused some of the flooring to rot in corners and along walls. The windows and doors need replacing as well as some of the boards on the exterior walls. It needs a new roof. There's so much history in this old home.

It is listed on the Alabama Historical Commission's historical sites (1976) and has a large granite marker placed in the front yard (that was moved from the country also). (click on photos to enlarge them)

The old house looked so bad after it was moved to Elba in 2003, that the Woodmen of the World Lodge 1933 took on a project to plant a southern antique garden in front of it. Materials were donated for the high school welding class to build a sturdy wrought iron garden fence to enclose the front yard. I served as the committee chair for this project, and ended up doing most of the work and I still maintain the flower garden.

Now we will wait and see what interest is expressed in helping restore the old house when the news is printed in Ala. newspapers the first of June. I can't do this alone and there doesn't seem to be anyone else interested in helping. Not only is this the home of the only Gov. from Coffee County, but the old house is a dying breed - old wooden farmhouses. Not many are standing anymore, except in museums. We need to protect this one for future generations to visit.

Our "Man Child" and How we Cope

A couple of things happened today that made me realize that we are fortunate in our "caretaking" duties, taking care of our mentally handicapped 51 year old son James, Jr, as compared to what some other parents encounter. I watched a special with Jane Pauley talking about parents taking care of wounded veterans returning from Iraq. I watched as the mothers talked about having to quit their jobs, moving to be near their sons or daughters, and how their lives were put on hold indefinitely, maybe forever.

At least this didn't happen to James after he was grown. We've been caretakers for him all his life. We don't know what it's like not to have him around. We just take it for granted and go about our daily routine as we have done for the past 51 years.

A day in the life of James begins when one of us goes to the bathroom to start his bath water. He doesn't feel the temperature of the water and will burn or scald himself if we don't regulate the water. He wants it to be hot. He likes the tub bath; hates showers. Every couple of days I wash his hair while he's in the tub and makes sure I rinse the shampoo out. If he washes his hair, he uses too much shampoo and doesn't get the soap out. He also likes to get a bath as soon as he finishes dinner every night, and then puts on his pj's "to relax" he tells us.

We have to wash 2 or 3 sets of bed linens every morning, depending on how many times we wake up and change his bed for him. I usually wake up around 2 or 3 and again around 5. Jim sleeps through the night. So I'm the night caretaker. I can do this in my sleep!

James can dress himself and we have a hard time getting him to wear different shirts. He has dozens of shirts and he alternates between two or three favorites; Coke, Special Olympics, Alabama, Auburn and most lately, Relay for Life. He can't handle buttons so he wears knit shirts to work every day. He can't tie his tennis shoes and usually puts his socks on with the heels on top so we have to check that before tying his shoes for him.

While he's getting his bath and getting dressed, I am in the kitchen preparing his breakfast. He wants the same thing every morning: grilled cheese sandwich, a small glass of orange juice to swallow his many pills, and a big glass of 1% milk. He doesn't like for me to have the TV on for the Today Show when he is eating or waiting for the van to come. I have a little one in the kitchen if I want to watch something special, and he even complains about that one being on.

Once he finishes breakfast, his dad takes charge and helps him with grooming. He has to shave him and comb his hair and gives him drink money.

By this time, it's time for the bus to arrive to take him to Enteprise to the training center (sheltered workshop). He leaves around 8:05 a.m., Mon - Fri. and gets back home around 2:30 p.m. His favorite time at the center is "break" where they go to the dining hall, buy a soft drink, sit around and talk. He has lots of friends there. They break up into small groups and go to their designated classrooms for activities. He likes to go with his supervisor to an elementary school every morning to pick up their hot lunches which are in large serving containers. They have hot lunches every day except when schools are closed and when he takes his lunch, it's always a peanut butter sandwich, an orange cut in half, and 2 choc. chip cookies. That's all he wants.

They go outside on good days and play basketball or take short walks, or go to the park sometimes. At 2 p.m. they load the buses and come back home. Twice a month on Fri. the men go bowling and he really looks forward to that. The Pilot Club comes once a month and brings refreshments for a birthday party for all who have birthdays that month.

We sometimes wonder if we could keep our sanity if we didn't have this respite time every day.

He can hardly wait to go to work every day and doesn't want to go on vacations or miss a day for some reason.

Once he gets home in the afternoon, we have a snack prepared for him and he is usually very tired after the long ride home on the bus. He sits in his recliner and relaxes for awhile, often watching cartoons or baseball games. That's another thing we can't do without - TV. He has certain programs he watches, especially the Atlanta Braves. His TV is in the den, where we each have computers. So we are with him in sight to take care of his wants and needs.

James has many hobbies, one being his baseball card collection. He can't read or write but he can put his baseball cards in groups according to teams, years, etc. He has a remarkable memory and always reminds us when we have dental or Dr. appointments. He likes to go to the grocery store with me on Sat. He plans all week what we need to buy.

We always make sure that one of us is near James at all times to protect him and to keep him out of mischief. So after 2:30 pm, Jim and I can't do anything together outside. We have to do things together between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. We have Monday designated to play golf while James is away. We take turns going on trips or to things at night. There aren't too many things we can take James to as he has a lot of fears of what might happen and is too nervous.

He's so funny and comes out with words and statements that amaze us. He has learned a lot of this from TV. Right now he is really looking forward to going to Bama Jam on June 8th and we have 3 free tickets to the first day when his favorite member of the group "Alabama", Randy Owens, will be performing. But he doesn't come on until 9 P.M. I hope I can stay awake.

This blog is much too long, but I just wanted to put what a typical day is like with James. Most of the time he feels good, despite the fact that he has kidney failure and on a lot of medication and his legs and ankles are so swollen he can't walk very far at the time. He never complains.

While putting together a slide show of pictures of our youngest son Bill for his upcoming 50th birthday party, and looking at old photos of James, I didn't realize how far he has come since he was born. He didn't walk until he was 4 and was so thin his early years. He was so unhappy most of the time for several years and cried a lot.

Right now he is in his bedroom playing Jingle Bells on his record player! He loves Christmas and it lasts all year at our house. I have to stop this blog because it's past time for his evening snack - a peanut butter sandwich which he usually asks for at 9 p.m.

Don't feel sorry for us. We have always taken care of James and it's just part of our daily routine. He brings a lot of joy and entertainment to us and we wouldn't have it any other way.