October 19, 2010

• Dearest ________,

  It’s hard to believe that so many weeks have gone by since I last wrote to you. Time really does fly when you’re having fun….and working….and everything in between. I’ve composed many letters in my head in these last weeks, but today I resolved to sit down and put pen to paper. So here goes!

  First, let me dispense with the sad news. We bade goodbye to our old friend, Delbert, in September. It was a very difficult time for me, because even though the old bird sometimes gave me fits (I verbally threatened to kill him more than once!) he was truly a very good rooster. Like so many males, Delbert had mellowed as he aged, and I had come to admire him very much. Even as an old fellow, he never relented in his duties as keeper and protector of the flock. And he never lost his virility, of which he was most proud. Delbert still loved the ladies, right up to the end. We do miss him but are comforted to know that he had five good years here.

  It really was difficult to mourn too long because Delbert left such a strong legacy. His sons, D.J. (Delbert Junior) and Trey (Delbert the third), born in May, are now in full strut and are both the spittin’ image of their daddy! It’s just like seeing him out there…twice! The boys are identical except that D.J. has yellow legs and Trey’s are white. And they act just like Delbert. Exactly. No mistakin’, they are his boys.

  Enough about sadness and roosters. There was also cause for rejoicing in September when I finally held in my hands a copy of THE BOOK! The book that I had spent the last year working on, Lard Buckets and Paper Pokes: Ozark County’s Rural Schools, was finally published! The project was a labor of love, a joint effort of several of us, and how rewarded we were to see it finished and to witness its wonderful reception. We debated about how many to print: would 500 be too many? Was it really as good as we thought? And now, a mere seven weeks later, fewer than 80 remain! The best thing is hearing how people have enjoyed the book. With more than 100 stories about our county’s one-room schools and nearly 150 vintage images, almost everyone finds something to which they can relate. How satisfying!

  And it’s all for a good cause, as you know. Every penny from sales goes toward the restoration of the Historium, our society’s new home in the old store building on the square. Work is nearly finished, and we’re busy planning lots of events for the future. We packed ‘em in during our little town’s fall festival, and people seem excited to see what happens next. Perhaps you can drop in the next time you’re in town? I’d love to show you around!

  Did you get the postcard I sent you a couple of weeks ago? My farmboy and I took a much-needed break earlier this month and headed east for a little ramble, away from the farm and day-to-day concerns. Our trip took us near the New River Gorge in West Virginia, so we detoured for a look at the  beautiful bridge over it, and we weren’t disappointed.

  You will appreciate how thrilled I was to step into the visitor’s center and find a quilt show on display, with beautiful specimens hanging from the soaring rafters.  What is it about these old-fashioned works that so intrigues me? I believe it is the fact of their humble beginnings–simple cloth and thread–leading to marvelous works of art, from the least likely of sources–hardworking homemakers who were so very resourceful and creative. So inspiring!

  We headed on to a site I’d long yearned to visit:  the Bushong Homestead 

  at New Market, VA.  Here  we were guests at a family reunion where we came as strangers and left as friends and cousins. The Bushongs who lived at this place were in the middle of an important Civil War battle, and the site is preserved by VMI and the State of Virginia. We had a lovely time, exploring the area and finding out more about this branch of my family tree. It was fun to combine heritage and vacation here.

  The New Market Battlefield is very near the upper end of the Skyline Drive, convenient for us to embark upon the next leg of our trip. From beginning to end, this experience was delightful! If you’ve never made the drive, including the adjoining Blue Ridge Parkway, I’d suggest you add this to your Must Do list. We had four perfect days of pleasant driving, admiring countless breathtaking scenic views, hiking both moderate and demanding trails, peeking into rustic cabins, and totally just absorbing the history of this place. The uncrowded, leisurely pace was just what the doctor ordered;  right now, I feel more relaxed just thinking about our time there. We saw snow on Grandfather Mountain ,  drank hot apple cider at a historic orchard, imagined life on a rugged mountainside in a two-room log cabin–and drank in the views at every single bend of the road. This is a trip you don’t want to make in a rush!

  Perhaps the reason I loved this trip so much was because it felt, the whole time we were there, like we were home. The parts of Virginia and North Carolina we saw were much like our beloved Ozarks, only a little steeper or deeper. It’s a fact that many of our forebears came from those places. I can easily imagine that as they felt the push to move a little farther west, once they crossed that Mighty Mississippi and came to our hills, they realized it was a lot like home. The old log cabins and the mills and the barns that we saw were similar to the few remaining old ones here. The music sounded the same as what old-timers play here, the quilts were made of the same calicoes and the same patterns, and the smiles on faces seemed just as honest and sincere. It was, family reunion and all, more like a homecoming.

  But as with all vacations, our real homecoming was welcome. We were ready to get back to our own bed, our family, even our cares and concerns. There really is no place like home!

  This is more than enough about me and mine…how about you and yours? I do hope that you’re enjoying the beautiful fall weather we’ve been having. Although it is very dry here, the weather has been so pleasant. I have been enjoying my walks so much, and Chip, as he trots alongside me, seems to also have a bit more vigor. Are you getting outside to admire the vision of lovely leaves against the deep blue sky?

  On closing, let me tell you how much you mean to me. Even though I don’t get to see you or visit with you often, I always feel you there. And when we do talk, your comments and kind words always make my heart glad. I hope to be a better communicator, now that the busy summer season is over. My mind just swirls with things I long to tell you…very soon…

  Your friend,

  A.J.

   

   

  • 2:57 pm
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