June 30, 1979 Saturday, Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, cloudy     I went to Pennington early to grocery store.  To drug store for Aunt Rosalee.  After I got back I washed a load of clothes.  Picked up the apples and visited Mrs. Orr.  I was out to Sandra's a minute. 


Footnote by Pat:       Pennington Gap is a town about 7 miles west of Deep Springs.  Aunt Rosalee is her aunt by marriage.  She is the wife of Millard Baker who is the half-brother to Lula Baker Reasor, Aunt Estelle's mother.  Mrs. Orr is a neighbor.  Sandra is her neice, the daughter of Everette Reasor, her youngest brother. 
!!!
If you know how to get to the comment section of this blog, please click on the comment that Wendi wrote yesterday.  It sure gives a lot more insight into the daily happenings.     Here is what Wendi wrote just in case you can't read the comment:       "Actually we went to the neighbors houses to pick their beans for them  Lizzie, Uncle Jennings, Aunt Ruth.... Also hoed their potatoes, picked (and shucked) their corn, did a little weeding, fed some livestock from time to time..  It filled the space in between funerals."         And Wendi, we thought you just sat around and read books all day!!!

June 29, 1979, Friday Aunt Estelle wrote

Cloudy.  Wendi's here.  I went up to Curt's and picked razzberries early.  Came in and cooked dinner and canned berries.  Hargus was here a while, allso Reba.  Wendi & I went for milk.  Picked beans late for Ruth, Mrs. Orr, Aunt Rosalee and us. 


Footnote by Pat:    Wendi is her granddaughter.  Curt is her brother-in-law.  Hargus and Reba are the brother and sister of her husband.  They all live nearby.   Ruth  Reasor is her sister-in-law, married to her youngest brother and she lives nearby.  Mrs. Orr is a neighbor.  Aunt Rosalee is a relative, married to Uncle Millard Baker (her Mother's half-brother).    She  surely had a big bean patch in order to pick beans for all the neighbors.   I don't even have time to buy the beans that someone else picked, nor cook them for my family and neighbors.   

June 28, 1979, Thursday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, cloudy       I picked up apples for Elizabeth.  Worked in the garden awhile.  Washed some and canned some apples.  Got Lillie Davis to mow the lawn.  Pearl and her drivers were in. 



Footnote by Pat:  Elizabeth is her sister-in-law, married to Jennings.  Lillie Davis must have been a neighbor, don't know her.   Pearl is Pearl Barkley, a cousin who lives nearby.  I think that Pearl never drove a car and when her husband (W. L. ) died, she had to get someone to drive her around.   We always knew Pearl's husband as W. L. - never knew what the initails stood for.      Like to have some of those canned apples to make an apple pie.  She made the best stack apple cake - about 7 layers of cake with cooked apples between each layer.  Let it sit for a couple days so the apples soak into the cake and yummy it was good. 

June 27, 1979, Wednesday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, cloudy   We had Wendi.   Wendi & I went for milk, brought Va Shuler, Lizzie and Norma Giraffe and Radious some Buttermilk.  To church tonite.  Radious & Walter were down awhile. 


Footnote by Pat:    Wendi is her granddaughter and is out of school for the summer.   Virginia Shuler is a neighbor and her Mother (Aunt Rose Baker Slemp) and Aunt Estelle's mother (Lula Baker Reasor) were sisters.  Lizzie and Norma and Radious were neighbors.   Guess the all needed buttermilk that day.   Radious and Walter were actually related but I don't know how.    

June 26, 1979, Tuesday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, cool again.   I washed some and Wendi & I took Aunt Rosalee to grocery store.  Then I picked up apples and canned some.  Went to the garden late for beans and mustard.



Footnote by Pat:    Wendi is her granddaughter who lives in Big Stone Gap, Va.   Aunt Rosalee is the wife of Millard Baker who is the half-brother of her Mother, Lula Baker.   She made the best stack apple cake.     Did the mustard grow like lettuce?         Sorry for the delay today, my computer decided to take a break and it took me all day to get it back online.  OK for now. 

June 25, 1979, Monday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear  58 degrees. so cold we had to have heat on early.  We have Wendi.  Well diggers come but decided not to get in yard.  We went up to Curt's and picked razzberries this eve and I made jam.  Dug by the side of the drive way. 


Footnote by Pat:   Wendi is her granddaughter.  Curt is her brother-in-law.   That raspberry jam was so good on a hot biscuit. 

June 24, 1979 Sunday Aunt Estelle wrote

Cloudy, rain   Cold too.  Janice & Wendi were home.  We went to Magic Mart awhile.  To church. 



Footnote by Pat:  Janice is her youngest daughter and Wendi is Janice's daughter.  They live in Big Stone Gap, Va.  about 9 miles to the East.   Magic Mart is a general store and I think it was either in Dryden or Pennington Gap, Va.   Her church is the Deep Springs Missionary Baptist church and if the doors were open, she was there. 

June 23, 1979 Saturday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, cloudy    Jennings picked us up and we went down to land sale at Dryden awhile.  Curtis came with us.  Picked some razzberries and I canned them.  Hargus came awhile.  I went up to Jennings late and Smith was in a minute. 



Footnote by Pat:    Jennings is her brother and they all live about 5-6 miles from Dryden, a small town just west of Deep Springs.  The kids all rode the bus to school in Dryden.   Curtis and Hargus are brothers of her husband, Millard.   Smith is her nephew, the youngest son of her youngest brother, Everette.    Sure would like to have some of those canned razzberries about now.  She could can just about anything and it was good. 

June 22, 1979 Friday Aunt Estelle wrote

clear, cloudy, rain     Very cloudy & foggy this morn to clear & hot and a rain storm before night.   I washed some, cleaned the rug in the  front room, picked a mess of beans.  Late we went for milk and gas. 


Footnote by Pat:  In spite of rain and heat, she still had a busy day.  Would like to have a plate full of those beans right now.  She did know how to cook those vegetables. 

June 21, 1979 Thursday Aunt Estelle wrote

Cloudy, rain.   Rain early.   Jennings & I went to Jonesville on farm business.  I sewed
 on some quilt pieces, hardly did anything.  Went up to Stell Kelly"s a minute and late out to Sandra & Rob's new trailer.  Redge is 41 years old today. . 


Footnote by Pat:   Jennings is her oldest  brother who lives on a farm nearby .    She made a lot of quilts and gave most of them away.  She made them for new babys, weddings and graduation.   I wish I had one but I don't.   She gave me one of her patterns that she had cut out of a ceral box.     Stell Kelly is a friend, neighbor and fellow church member.   Sandra is Sandra Reasor, her neice.  Sandra is the daughter of Everette Reasor, Estelle's youngest brother.  She is married to Rob Hunt and they live  nearby.    In later years, Sandra moved to Norton, Va where she works in the local hospital as a Respiratory Therapist (I think).    Redge Ely is Estelle's son who lives in Charlotte, NC.   He worked for Pet Milk Company all his life.  Same company my Daddy, Roy Shuler worked for all his life.    

June 20, 1979, Wednesday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear     I didn't feel much good all day.  I washed a load of clothes.  Went to prayer meeting tonite. 



Footnote by Pat:   Don't know if I could wash a load of clothes if I didn't feel good.  You know she had to hang them outside on the clothesline to dry.  She didn't have a dryer that I remember.   She loves her church and is there everytime the door is opened. 

June 19, 1979 Tuesday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, Hot today.  Jennings & I worked in the garden some.  I took Aunt Rosalee to grocery store this morn and went for milk and come by Va Shulers & Lizzie's and Elizabeths with milk.  Radious come for milk tonite. 


Footnote by Pat:   Jennings is her brother who lives nearby.  Aunt Rosalee is the wife of her Mother's half-brother.    Virginia Shuler is a cousin and neighbor.  Lizzie is a neighbor and Elizabeth is Jennings wife.  Radious is a cousin and neighbor.  She must have been the  "milkman"  today if she delivered milk to all those homes.    This is raw cow's milk she is talking about.   When we would visit  her, my girls loved to drink that milk.    

June 18, 1979, Monday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, cloudy.  Cool this morning to very hot by evening.  I washed some.  Curt was here for lunch so I never did get much done.  Reba was in awhile. 


Footnote by Pat:   Curt is her brother-in-law who lives in Big Stone Gap and seems to visit often.  Reba is her sister-in-law and she lives nearby.  Her husband is Millard and Curt and Reba are his brother and sister. 

June 17, 1979, Sunday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear,   cool at morning.  We had to have some heat on.  After church we went up to the chicken house for lunch.  Stoped at fabric shops coming back.  Charles Grabiel & Mary Kate visited late.  We went up to Radious before church awhile. 


Footnote by Pat:   The chicken house was a restaurant in Big Stone Gap, Va.  The fabric shops were also in Big Stone.  I have heard the name Charles Grabiel but I don't remember who they are, whether a cousin or just friends.  Radious is a neighbor and is related somehow, not sure just how. 

June 16, 1979, Saturday Aunt Estelle wrote

Cloudy, rain.  Cool at morning, cloudy and light rain by night.  Janice & Wendi come this evening and we went down to Pearl's a bit.  Rained all night. 



Footnote by Pat.  Janice is her daughter and Wendi is Janice's daughter.  Pearl is Pearl  Reasor Barkley.    When I was visiting with Mother last week, Janice and Stephen Reasor came to visit on Sunday and we had a conversation about Pearl.  If I remember this right, Pearl is a first cousin to Aunt Estelle.    Pearl's mother was Rebecca Reasor who was a sister to Martin (Pappy) Reasor, Aunt Estelle's daddy.  Pearl and her husband W.L. lived with Rebecca in a big house on a hill about halfway between Deep Springs and Woodway.  Those are two very small villages in Southwest Virginia.  W. L. was a business man and ran a business out of the house, we can't remember just what the business was but he was successful.   I remember the land  had beautiful grape vines but don't remember if they made wine.    Also don't know how Pearl meet him as he was from Pennsylvania, I think.  The house was big and had a library and an office.  There was a china cabinet full of beautiful dishes.  Outside there was a spring house where they kept the milk and butter.  The spring house was made of concrete and had water running thru it.   That kept everyting very cold.   It was a lovely home. 

June 15, 1979, Friday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, cool to hot.   I went to the garden awhile this morn.  Then went to Kingsport by myself for medicine.  Tonite went up and helped make hot dogs for the kids at Vacation Bible School.  Janice, A.T. and Wendi got back from Florida tonite. 


Footnote by Pat:  Kingsport is just across the Tennessee border, about 45 miles from her home.  Janice is her daughter and A.T. is Janice's husband and Wendi is their daughter. 

June 14, 1979, Thursday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, cool to hot.  Millard didn't feel good this morn, but got better.  Pearl, Gene and Val come awhile.  I went to Penn. to grocery store late.  Was up to Jennings a minute. 


Footnote by Pat:     Millard is her husband.    Pearl is Pearl Reasor Barkley, a cousin who lives about 6 miles away.  Gene and Val are the people who take care of Pearl.  Penn. is Pennington Gap, Va, about 8 miles away.  A nice town with a hospital, grocery stores, banks, shops and funeral homes.  They always  had a yearly tobacco festival  with a big parade, floats, marching bands and a Carnival and a Beauty contest to crown Miss Lee County Tobacco Festival queen.   I was in the contest one year and I think my cousin, Rosemary was also in it - not sure though.   I remember a gal from Pennington, Nancy Gibson was a lovely tall blonde who could sing like a bird.  I think she won the contest that year.  She later sang with the Cincinnati Opera and I got  to see her in performance when the Opera had outdoor concerts at the Cincinnati Zoo.  She was a great performer.  I believe she studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.   Good memories of growing up in that area.  
Jennings is her brother.  

June 13, 1979, Wednesday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, rain.  Cool again, but warmed up fast.  The painters got done and Curt was here all evening.  Stell Kelly was in,  Roy & Edith was in.   I served the vacation Bible school refreshments tonite. 


Footnote by Pat:      Curt is her brother-in-law.  Stell Kelly is a neighbor and fellow church member.  Edith is her sister and Roy is Edith's husband.  She was always working for the church. 

June 12, 1979, Tuesday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear   58 degrees- cool at morning.  Our painters come and I run to Big Stone for paint.  Then Beulah Blair and I went to Cas Walker's to buy refreshments for Vacation Bible School.   I went up to Elizabeth's late awhile. 


Footnote by Pat:    Big Stone is Big Stone Gap, a small town about 9 miles away.   Beulah Blair is one of her neighbors and fellow church member.  Cas Walker's is a grocery store.  Elizabeth is her sister-in-law who lives nearby.     
        Sorry about missing a couple days, I am on vacation with Rachel and Hope .    We have been in Kingsport, TN. visiting with my Mother for a couple days and now we are in Gatlinburg for a couple days.   Mother was doing really good.  Fixed a big supper for us and made gravy for breakfast.  She is still able to cook and that makes her happy.    Janice and Stephen, her neice and nephew, came on Sunday and spent the afternoon with us.  It was a nice visit and Mother enjoyed the company so much.     Now we are off for a little shopping and game playing.  

June 11, 1979, Monday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear 58 degrees  Cold    Sunshine but windy & cool.   I washed two loads.  Got the yard mowed in the afternoon.  Jennings & Elizabeth were in awhile. 


Footnote by Pat:    Jennings is her brother and Elizabeth is his wife.  They live close by. 

June 10, 1979, Sunday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, rain.  We had a hot day and rain about 10 tonite.  We had Bob Goskin for preacher and enjoyed him.  Some of our folks followed Bud over to Olinger and this hurts me real bad.   Redge and girls left this morning for home.   Janice called they had got to Florida.  


Footnote by Pat:   Bob Goskin must have been the guest preacher.  Bud must have been their preacher who left the church and went to small neighborhood about 6 miles away.   Redge is her son and he has two daughters and they live in Charlotte, N. C.   Janice is her daughter who has gone to Florida on vacation.  

June 9, 1979, Saturday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, cloudy, rain.    Had all kinds of weather.  Cloudy to clear and rain about 4:30.  I washed some and cooked.    Was up to Maudie's yard sale awhile.   Redge & girls stayed all nite.   Curt was here awhile. 


Footnote by Pat:      Maudie was her neighbor.   Redge is her son and he has two daughters.  Curt is her brother-in-law who lives in Big Stone Gap. 

June 8, 1979, Friday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, Cloudy     We had Wendi.    She and I walked over to Mrs. Orr's this evening.  I worked in the garden this morning.  Redge & Jennifer stayed all night.  Mr. Scalf buried today. 


Footnote by Pat:    Wendi is her granddaughter.  Mrs. Orr is a neighbor.  Redge is her son and Jennifer is her granddaughter.  Mr. Scalf is Redge's father-in-law.  

June 7, 1979, Thursday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, cloudy    We had Wendi.  I worked in the garden 2 hours this morn.  Redge, Jennifer, Leisha and Sherrie (their cousin) come and spent the evening.  We went to the funeral home tonite where Fred Scalf lay corpse.  Mrs. Scalf is better in the hospital.


Footnote by Pat:    Wendi is her granddaughter.  Redge is her son and Jennifer and Leisha are his daughters.  Fred Scalf is Redge's father-in-law.  Mrs. Scalf is Fred's wife. 

June 6, 1979, Wednesday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear    We had Wendi.   I didn't feel good all day.  We went for eggs.   Redge, Jennifer & Leisha and Sherrie (their cousin) came for lunch.  Kenneth & family were down awhile and we were up there and eat watermelons.  To prayer meeting tonite. 


Footnote by Pat:  Wendi is her granddaughter.  Redge Ely is her son and Jennifer and Leisha are his daughters, her granddaughters.   Kenneth  Reasor is Jennings Reasor's son.  Jennings is her brother.  And let me tell you, those watermelons were the BEST.   They would buy them from a neighbor who had just come out of the watermelon patch with them.  

June 5, 1979 Tuesday, Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, a nice day.  real cool this morn.  Wendi and I took Aunt Rosalee to grocery store and out to Ramey's for milk.  We were up to Jennings 2 or 3 times.  Curt was here awhile.  Reba was here too.  To W.M.U. tonite.  Mr. Scalf died this morn. 


Wendi is her granddaughter who lives about 9 miles away.  Aunt Rosalee is her Mother's half- brothers' wife and they live nearby.  Ramey is a neighbor with milk cows.  Jennings is her brother and he lives nearby.  Curt is her husband's brother who lives in Big Stone Gap, Va.  Reba is her husband's sister and she lives in the neighborhood.    W.M.U is the Women's Missionary Union and was an organization in the church.  Not sure just what they did but I think it was a group of women who would study the Bible and contribute money for the support of a mission or a missionary.     Mr. Scalf is her son, Redge's father-in-law.  He lived in Big Stone Gap, Va.   

June 4, 1979, Monday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, a nice day.  I washed.  fixed greens for Jennings bunch.  We had Wendi, she is so sweet.  We were up to Jennings a couple of times and they were down here off and on all day. 


Footnote by Pat:   Jennings is her brother and his son, Kenneth, and family are visiting from Iowa.  Wendi is her grand-daughter who lives in Big Stone Gap, Va, about 9 miles away. 

June 3, 1979, Sunday Aunt Estelle wrote

really rained this morning.  Janice was home and we went to the Magic-Mart.  Reba came down.  Kenneth Reasor taught from the Old Testament in church tonite. 


Footnote by Pat:    Janice is her daughter who  lives 9 miles away in Big Stone Gap, Va.  Magic-Mart is a grocery general store, I think.  Reba is her sister-in-law, Millard's sister.  Kenneth Reasor is Jennings' son who is visiting from Iowa.  Jennings is her brother. 

June 2, 1979, Saturday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, Hot  90 degrees  I baked 2 cakes, one for Jennings and washed a load of clothes.  Kenneth got in this evening.  We walked up late to visit them.  Roy & Edith was down too.  Kenneth Reasor & family got into Jennings this eve.


Footnote By Pat:    90 degrees and she is baking 2 cakes and she had no air-conditioning in that kitchen.  Jennings is her brother and he had company coming so she baked him a cake.  Kenneth Reasor is Jennings' son and he has a wife, Jeaneene and 4 children and they live in Iowa.   Roy and Edith is her sister and brother-in-law. 

June 1, 1979, Friday Aunt Estelle wrote

Clear, rain  foggy this morning, then clear all day, but showered before dark.  I went down to Suzy's and got a hair cut.  Jennings & Elizabeth  come by allso Pearl, Val and Jean.  . 


Footnote by Pat:  Suzy is the owner of a beauty shop located nearby.  Jennings is her brother and Elizabeth is his wife and they live nearby.    Don't know Pearl, Val and Jean.  They must be neighbors as they stop by often.