Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween Memories.....


Well, as I won't be able to sleep tonight (i should have known better than to watch  Dark Secret of Harvest Home) , I thought i might share a bit of my family Halloween memories.  Mom had a bit of a dark side when she saw the opportunity to scare the kids a bit.  She loved dark stormy nights, when the lights went out, and the wind went howling through the trees. Then every so softly she'd start reciting the poem she learned when she was just a girl... About the Gobluns coming to eat you up!
Little Orphant Annie
Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep;
An' all us other children, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun
A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!
Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,--
An' when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl,
An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wuzn't there at all!
An' they seeked him in the rafter-room, an' cubby-hole, an' press,
An' seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an' ever'-wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an' roundabout:--
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!
An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin,
An' make fun of ever' one, an' all her blood-an'-kin;
An' wunst, when they was "company," an' ole folks wuz there,
She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care!
An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide,
They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side,
An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'fore she knowed what she's about!
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!
An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!
An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,
An' the lightnin'-bugs in dew is all squenched away,--
You better mind yer parunts, an' yer teachurs fond an' dear,
An' churish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,
An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,
Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!
  - James Whitcomb Riley

To this day, my sister and I still cringe when we hear those words.  Needless to say, having experienced many sleepless nights over the years because of that poem,  i find it rather satisfying that i can pass it on, and scare the hell out of our next generation!  Yes, I do have my mother's twisted sense of humor!

Happy Halloween, folks!!!!  Keep an eye out for the Gobbluns!!!


 

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The Gang's all here....

It's been quite a summer!  Recently, I attended a reunion of some of our old neighborhood where we grew up, as well as impromptu family get-togethers when cousins came up to the area.  It was great to see everyone again and catch up with what's been happening with them all.  I got to see the next generations (the big kids to the smallest).  Amazing how when folks collaborate, the memories come flying right back.  Things we hadn't thought of in years bounce to the front of our minds.

Now that the weather starts to chill and the holidays loom ever closer, i find myself ready to relax and get back into my research during the colder months.   I was glad to present the first hard copy of my research to my cousin Gordon (like most folks in the family - i call him Skip) , who has always been the one to keep in touch with all the family. 

Enjoy the winter folks.  A toast to our families, one and all!