Rosalie's Diary
1987
June 6, 1987
I just got to thinking about my Grandfather Belew and Wilbur Mixson. I never
knew Grandpa Belew but I know he made chars, rockers and straight chairs.
He made some for my father-in-law Jim Mixson and I have one still.
He made them to sell and probly did very well. Now Wilbur could make anything
or repair anything, from shoes to gun stocks and saddles, was a good carpenter,
a good farmer, his crops was always clean. He made a fiddle,
turkey calls and us a dinning table out of ceder he made boats for us and
a duck boat for Elbert Zetrouser. He loved to fish but only when there wasn't'
any other work to be done. When we were first married he trapped for possums
and coons also skunks, the fur brought good money then so it helped out.
He also worked for the other farmers when he could, to earn money.
July 4, 1987
Four years ago I had my right eye operated on. I have inter-lokies lense
now on the 11th of June I had another lense in my left eye. I am writing
this without glasses in about 2 more weeks I hope to get glasses. Thursday
Morris and I went to Jacksonville (July 1st) he to rent a camper and I to
see Andrew. Andrew seemed to be as well as a one could expect. He would
forget a lot of things but could remember things that had passed years ago.
July 9, 1987
It's a hot and rains nearly every day which cools things off! The garden
is "layed-by" had a lot of corn but not too good as we didn't have rain
when we needed it. The tomatoes did very well but not as good as 1986, we
had really large tomatoes, I carried some over to the P.O. and had them
weighed, they weighed 1 lb and ther were some larger!
Morris hoeing the garden in spring
July 14
Still haven't got my glasses and still can't see too well. My eye sight
seems sorta fuzzy.
In 1915 Papa came home from McIntosh where he'd been shopping (took eggs
to sell) and an od man was with him his name was Danial T Smith (after we
got to know him, we called him "Picture taking" Smith) his hair was a sandy
red and in long braids. Mama had supper ready and he stayed for supper and
spent the night. He ate slow and mixed all his food up together. He was
a strange looking man and he talked strange, he said he use to live in Ky.
and had race horses. He said he'd been married once but on night his wife
ask him to get a drink of water for their child so he went out the door
and never came back. He took pictures of everone for food and meals and
a place to sleep.
Ed Hogan
Ed was the slowest speaking person I ever have seen. First time I ever saw
him, he was on horse back and was talking to Mama as she hoed in the garden
and I thought he was already gone, when he finely answered something that
Mama and he and been talking about. After Wilbur and I were married Ed would
come and stay with us weeks at a time. He was good to get water and cut
wood for the stove and fire place, that was before the boys were big enough
to get wood. He helped with breaking corn or anything we were doing, cutting
wood for firewood or fixing fences. He would stay for several weeks than
one day he would dissapear and we wouldn't know where Ed was then someone
would tell us Ed was at Ben Simmons or
Gilberts Mixsons. Once he told me
he was going hunting and he never came back to our house for three months.
He was at Ben Simmons. They said he always did that even when he was a boy,
he would take off and go over to uncle
Jims (Wilburs Dad) Ed & Wilbur were
first cousins, Mr. Jim Mixson
was his brothers brother.
Sept. 19, 1988
This month has bee a long one for me. First it was so dry then we had a
rain, the lake was low but now has plenty of water. The water poured like
out of a bucket, but we or most of us were glad to see rain. Then a huricane
went up the Gulf coast and into Mexico with winds 130 miles an hour which
did a lot of damage and into Texas too but not like Mexico. Sunday night
about 10:00 oclock Amber Lee called me to tell me Andrew had passed away
but they hadn't mad any plans then and would call me back. I was ready for
church so I went and when I got home at 6:00 Morris called and said Sandra
had called him and told him about the funeral which will be Wed. at 2:00
oclock.
Bill said he couldn't go as Toby was in Tallahassee and he wasn't going
to call Wilma to come a 100 miles up here and then to Jacksonville. So he
couldn't go. Barbara has to have her heart monatere and we don't know what
they will do. Yet we all went to the funeral Morris & Barbara, Arnold, Bill,
Toby, Adrian, James & Wayne, Wendel.
July 21, 1987
It seems I can see and feel change in the weather. We are having afternoon
rains with lightening, but very hot until the afternoons. The grass and
weeds are very lush. In the garden the grass is waist high. The yard grass
grows so fast, before it is time to cut it in two weeks it is already to
cut. Candy (Gandy) has been catching young quail and rats too: She finds
it hard to find a dry spot to sleep at night so in the mornings I find her
on the front. The daylilly that were set out last fall are blooming, they
are about knee high. I was so happy to see them blooming.