My daddy was strict but loving. He sometimes cried when he had to discipline us. He read the Sunday funnies out of the paper to us until we learned to read. One time (I was two), I took my little round pointed scissors & cut little nips along the crease in his pant leg. It was a new suit & we sure did not have enough money to buy him a new one. I think Mother was more upset with him than me. I was a ‘baby’ & he should have been more observant while he read the funnies. I have NO memory of this but it has been repeated many times.
Daddy was manager of the Yellow Front Store until I was about eight. Then he & a cousin, Hilburn Pollare bought a store.
While Daddy & Hillburn had the store, Daddy took Billy Joe & me to Memphis with him. He had gone for animal feed for their farmer customers. When we got to the feed mill, the truck broke down. The salesperson was nice. He was a Christian & a Mason & saw Daddy’s Masonic. He invited us to spend the night with him & his wife. They had no children & his wife seemed to be glad to have two children for the night. Billy was 12 & I was 9 (I guess). Anyway, that night, I had my very first inside bathtub. Since Daddy’s plans were to return home that day, we had no pajamas or toothbrush, etc. Our hostess let me borrow a sundress to sleep in that was identical to my nightgown at home. Daddy took us to the zoo that afternoon until the man of the house came home. During the night, a gas station blew up & a big boom woke everyone up. We had a lovely breakfast the next morning & were able to return to Hamilton. Hamilton had no pigeons at that time & we were fascinated by them. Of course, Daddy let me take a pigeon home. Billy rode in the back of the truck & there was Daddy, me & my pigeon UNTIL the pigeon needed to use the restroom & since I was holding it, you know who received the ‘gift’. The window went down real quick as Daddy was laughing at me. Since it did not make it to Alabama, I am NOT responsible for the over population of pigeon
We were in church every time the doors were open. Mother & Daddy took us to church & stayed with us for study & worship.
Daddy was a volunteer Fireman while we lived in Hamilton. One time he fell through the upstairs of the house that was burning & Mother seeing him fall, thought he’d fallen into the downstairs that was flaming big. His Masonic ring caught on the hose he was using to fight the fire & his fellow firemen drug him back up. Mother had already fainted & been carried home when he was brought to safety.
Having worked for Yellow Front before being drafted, Daddy returned to that company when his service to the U.S. Army was over. Including the time he worked as a student , he was with the Yellow Front store for 11 years.
Then he began what is now referred to as job hopping. He worked with Hilburn for a while in the store, worked as a breadman for Hardin Bakery & ran the peddling truck. We took the truck to Amory, MS., & he worked there for two years. When he saw a decline in the need for peddling trucks, he sold his. Next, he unloaded freight cars for Hodo Brothers,. His back that had been broken long before with subsequent surgery at age 21, would not hold up for him to continue with that job.
He & Mother then sold aluminum alloy waterless cookware. It was & is great cookware. It was “party” cookware & they would prepare sweet potatoes, white potatoes, carrots, cabbage & fresh green beans to cook at night the day of a party. Mother made up cake batter & pancake batter for use in demonstration of that cookware. Then at a party, they cooked everything in front of a home gathered group. The problem with that job was that Billy & I were young enough that we needed someone to stay with us at night. Details of how long they held that work are not clear but at least for the school term.
We moved back to Tuscaloosa & Daddy worked for Hardin Bakery that school year. When that school term was done, we moved to Gordo where he sold standard Coffee. After the Standard Coffee job, he worked for a life insurance company. He worked for them my senior year & until I graduated & got married.
Daddy went to work for the State of Alabama & retired as Manager of the laundry at Partlow School for the mentally challenged.
We were ALWAYS in church with all moves & knew we had food & clothes & a place to live with parents who loved us after God. God was first place in their hearts. They were the best!
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