Rainy Days

The summer I turned 15 was like all summers in West Texas; hot, dry, windy and for a teenage boy boring. It was mid- July or so and the wheat crop was harvested and sold. A summer task for a 15 year-old was to plow the wheat fields. In these days before herbicides were abundant, plowing controlled weeds and loosened the soil so any rain that happened along would more readily soak into the relentlessly dry earth might yield a crop the following year.

Assigned the task of plowing for my Uncle Calvin who farmed a rented place not too far from my grandparents’ house in the country west of Abilene, I would stay nights with the old folks. This farm was near the Clear Fork of the Brazos in Jones County, good wheat land. Proud owner of a driver’s license, I was delighted when Mom, and mostly Dad, decided I could take our old F150 pickup truck on the trek to Grandma’s house. It was a late 1940s model and a bit worn, but it as what we had and I was happy to drive the 35 or so miles to my summer assignment.

Spending time after long workdays with grandparents was not terribly exciting for a teen of the new decade of the 60s. They fed me well on the chickens that Grandma had raised and when the feed bill got too big called in the family to “process” the chickens for the freezer. These few months later, chicken was served 3 meals a day, some times cold. Bed time was as welcome as the food they provided me. Grandma was used to boys having raised a bunch in her house full of 12 children. Grandma and Grandpa seemed much older than they really were. Such were the times they had lived.

Plowing wheat ground was a boring task. Equipment was smaller and less powerful in those days. A mid-sized John Deere and a one-way plow. I don’t remember having a shade from the relentless sun. Starting on the outer edge, one drove the outer edge of the field cutting a swath of maybe 8 feet turning up the soil to a depth of 6 inches or so. The route around the field was counter clockwise as the disc plow could only be turned to the left, hence the term “one-way”. As the starting point as reached after a “round”, the large rear tractor tire could easily slide into the furrow cut on the previous round. Plowing shallow, for there was never much deep tillage in the arid lands, caused a “hard pan” to develop helping to keep any rain that did fall near to roots of the plants. Of course, sometimes a powdery soil resulted and the winds would carry the dust into the next county or beyond. The fields were usually large, maybe 40 or 50 acres. So round and round you went for hours in a single field. Then back to Grandma’s and some chicken, maybe fried this time.

As this story goes, several days of this ritual had passed and boredom was really setting in. Something needed to happen.

Thunderstorms in West Texas often is spectacular, clouds building to tower heights above the flat and seemly featureless landscape. Visible on the horizon for 50 or more miles, one has an anticipation of rain and relief to come. More often than not, the once sighted storms moves another direction and someone else get any benefits promised. Stormy nights illuminated with a flashing strobe and bursting with continuous roars in the distance signal promises missed.

But this night the promise was met and at the time for sunrise a gully washing thunderstorm had settled into a steady rain. No work today! Sleep in today!

Then I realized that the creek near Grandma’s house subject to some flooding when the big storms came was quickly rising and would soon cover the low lying road. Time to quickly gather the few things I had taken with me into the old F150 and get going while I could cross the creek.

Home beckoned for a few days of rest from boredom and chicken.

I love rainy mornings to this day.

Not a Day Over 50 Years

Class of 1963

How did the time go by so quickly. Seems only a short time ago that our little group of graduates were lining up to get the diplomas that our high school graduation promised. We were indeed a small group. The majority of us had attended all 12 years of school together. I think 20 graduated that May of 1963. We were students, drama performers, the club sweethearts, the FFA and FHA, and the sports stars. We were everything, because we were the senior leaders of a very small high school. The students (almost all of the students) were the life and heart of the school and participated in almost every activity. Otherwise, there would have been no activity. We didn't know large schools where students were left in the distant corners to struggle for community and friendship.

I read with great interest how Roscoe High School (in Roscoe, Texas) is changing.
Changes that take it for beyond the average small rural high school. This year there were 23 graduates; 19 of whom will also receive a Associates Degree from a local community college as they graduate from high school. There is a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics research building approved and in the planning. The old Roscoe High School building in which we attended classes, played basketball, preformed plays, and graduated is no more; replaced by a new building with a somewhat similar facade. And, of course, the teachers are now in the second or third generation of teacher since that May of 1963. The faith that that mostly farm and energy dependent community place in the schools is evidence of a forward looking attitude.

That attitude has prevailed in Roscoe for decades. We felt it as we were watched over by teachers, parents and community leaders (and every neighbor that might be in a position to do so). We had our troubles, but the attitude and expectations for success were everywhere about us. And, perhaps, there were more than average successes among the graduates. I remember (at this age that memory might be fading) that eleven of the graduates from 1963 attended college for at least a semester or so. Most of the 11 graduated college or university.

Some of the Class of 1963 as we were in 2004

Now, we are noting the anniversary of that May graduation day in 1963. Little did we know the adventurous and uncertain time in which we would live would become. It got going right away; civil right, JFK assassination, Viet Nam, hippies and all. Mixing that with dating, marriage and families and breaking of families. Whatever the times would bring got rolling that spring. We were soon on our own in the adventure of life. We  moved into our lives quickly, without much looking back. We seldom saw each other over the years.

Some of us got together in 2004 for the only real reunion we have had as a class. I guess eight (Gary Richburg, also in the picture, did not actually graduate with us, having moved away a year or so before) was a large group. We missed those who did not join us.

Class of 1963 gathering in 2007

An even smaller group got together in 2007. We look good for the years we have traveled. In so far as I am aware, two of our graduates have died, Lynn Wallace and Stanley McGlothin. We missed them, but honor the memories that we shared.

We don't have a 50th reunion planned. Most of us are too far away from that West Texas farm community in both distance and life to plan or attend an event.

No matter how much Roscoe High School changes, I will always remember the start that it gave me some 50 years ago.

I couldn't let this 50th anniversary pass without remembering the group of kids from not a day over 50 years ago.

A Valentine Box

Today Sophie and her mother are busy making a Valentine Box, a place for her school friends to put the Valentine cards they bring to school for her. Mother and daughter are having a great time.

Seeing the Valentine cards made me think of some cards I found in my uncle Carl Butler's box. I wrote about the box in 2009. Carl died in the Pacific during World War II.  He and his only brother both served in the U.S. Army Air Corps based out of New Guinea.

He was the oldest child in my mother's large brood of siblings. In many ways, everyone in the family idealized him. I was named for him.  But I really don't know much about him, other than what I have been told or found in that box.

A man of the depression, he managed to attend Simmons College (now Hardin-Simmons University) in Abilene, Texas, and through many trials (most likely financial, given the times) graduated from North Texas State Teachers College (now The University of North Texas) in about 1937. This led him into a short career of teaching in small rural schools in Texas. The "box" included some letters of job offers with annual salaries of $90. He later left teaching to join the Texas Highway Patrol for a salary of about $100 per year.

This brings me to the Valentine cards. The "box" contained about 1/2 dozen cards from Carl's days of teaching. The cards and messages are simple and illustrate a regard of students for a teacher. Maybe they were reciprocal, we just don't know. Uncle Carl taught in small schools at Olney, Dunn and Balmorhea, Texas. He likely taught, at least some of the time, in a multi-level environment or a one-room school. The school at Dunn has been closed for more than half a century.

In the pre-war (1937-1941), depression years, a little card must have been difficult to come by for some students.  Some of the student names on the cards are of Spanish origin, perhaps, indicating that they were from his last school in Balmorhea in far western Texas where more Hispanic students would have lived at that time.

A simple Valentine wish that survives for so many years after a teacher and probably the student are long gone registers in one's heart.

So maybe, making a Valentine box and the cards that are dropped into will make life-long impressions for another generation.

Note: Yes, it has really been over three years since I last posted on this blog. Maybe I will do a few more in coming days.

Snow Bound 2010 or 1973

Clearly, I have not posted too often on this blog. However, today we find ourselves snowbound in our house AND we expect to be here for several more days. This early February storm is historic for the Washington, DC, area. It is also historic for us. But as historic, as it is, it reminds us of another storm.

Iowa is the location, a more appropriate place for historic blizzards, and the year was 1973. We were approaching the end of our first winter at Iowa State University. We were living in University Village, a university-owned housing populate mostly by graduate students with families. Our girls were 7 and 3 years of age, respectively. The winter had been hard on us all. A major change from our previous home in Austin, Texas. Ames, Iowa, was then, and I expect remains, a wonderful small city with a major university. Schools were great, people friendly and helpful and for the most part we were comfortable if somewhat cold from what seemed to be an eternal winter.

That winter in Ames, the weather had been warm enough that most of the snow removal equipment had been placed in storage by late March. While my memory is a little vague, some web research reveals some details and a photo or two. The snow began on April 8 and continued through the 10th. The snowfall totals were "only" in the 15 to 20", but wind speeds ran up to about 70 miles an hour, and there was a lot of thunder. It was, I believe, the first time many of our neighbors in student housing had ever experience a thunder snowstorm. The windblown snow buried our cars beneath many feet of snow. The drifts started at the roof-line of our two store student apartment. I guess that that would be about 15-18 feet at the peak. The drifts extended over the parking areas burying the cars. The wind was so fierce that it packed snow under the cars and into the engine compartment. The cars were frozen in place. The photo above was borrowed from the KCRG-TV (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) website. The storm is considered one of the all-time largest snows in Iowa.

From inside the apartment, we could not see out from the lower floor because the drifts covered the view from the windows and doors. However, because of the roof-line configuration, the drifts were about 18" from the actual windows and doors creating a small walkway near the unit. Getting out was not easy, but some gaps did exist.

On a positive note, the weather improve rapidly following the blizzard. And even though at that time it was the only time the Iowa State University campus had been closed for snowfall, the challenge was to dig out the cars. I worked almost all day along with many others digging out our cars (with some snowball fights and hot chocolate thrown in for warmth). Unfortunately, I got too warm moving the snow and caught one of the worst colds I have ever experience missing work for most of the next week.

I was pleased to learn from my web research that the Iowa Blizzard of 1973 is considered one of the worst in modern history and not just the poor memory of a Texan in a snow storm.

In Memorium

Memorial Day was initially celebrated to commemorate the Union soldiers that had served and died in the American Civil War. Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day eventually became a time to honor those who served in the U.S. military.

My Dad died five years ago (2004) this coming July 4th. He served in the US Navy. He was a seaman at 18 years of age. He saw action in the Pacific campaign including the Battle of Leyte. His service campaign citation lists five major engagements in the Pacific. His life was forever altered. Almost 60 years after his service, he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. He died in a Veterans' Hospital. I miss him a lot.

A couple of days ago, my daughter mentioned her grandfather should be remembered on Memorial Day. Certainly, I agree. As I thought about it, I thought that it would be great to make a list of my ancestors and living relatives that have served in the U. S. military. The danger, of course, is that I will leave someone out. Be that as it may, I list below my ancestors known to have served in the U. S. or Confederate States military units organized by conflict (in-so-far as I know).

I am open to information on other family members that should be added to this list. I have noted each person listed relationship to me and a few notes on each person if appropriate. I did not include any of the ancestors for my wife. Unfortunately, I do not have as good of records for her family.

A big thank you to all of them.

American Revolutionary War (1776-1783)

• John Petty (4th Great Grandfather). Petty served in North Carolina in Battles of Cane Creek and Lindley's Mill in 1781. He applied for a pension for his service in 1832. He lived out his life in Chatham County, NC. His granddaughter married James William Wade, my 2nd grandfather, in Tennessee.

Texas Revolution (1836)

• Joseph White, Fought at the Battle of San Jacinto, 2nd great grandfather

American Civil War (1861-1865)

• James William Wade (CSA) 44th Tennessee Infantry. 2nd Great Grandfather, service unconfirmed, applied for a Texas Confederate Pension in 1913 (denied). Likely served at the Battle of Shiloh in a Tennessee Volunteer united that become the 44th Tennessee Infantry.
• His brothers who also served. All are 2nd Great Grand Uncles.
  
  Hampton Wade (CSA) 44th Tennessee Infantry, Died during the Siege of Petersburg/Richmond, VA, 1865 (likely buried in a mass grave in Petersburg, VA)
  
  Elias Wade, (CSA), 28th Tennessee Infantry, Died in Kentucky at Battle of Mill Springs, 1862 (burial site unknown)
  
  Josiah Wade (CSA), 44th Tennessee Infantry.
  
  Eli Riley Wade (CSA), 44th Tennessee Infantry.
  
  William C. Wade (CSA), 44th Tennessee Infantry.

• Benjamin Franklin White (CSA), 10th Texas Infantry. His daughter married the son of James William Wade, Elias Hampton Wade (my great grandfather). Son of Joseph White listed above. B. F. White is one of my 2nd great grandfathers. He receive a pension for his service.
  
• Ford Butler, (CSA), 7th Mississippi Battalion Infantry, 2nd great grandfather. Captured at Vicksburg and paroled. Captured again in Marietta, GA, during the Atlanta Campaign. He died in 1864 while a prisoner in a Union Prison in Rock Island, IL.
• Henry Harrison Venson, (CSA), 45th Alabama Infantry. He was in the same prison as Ford Butler. After the war he married Butler's widow. He is my step 2nd great grandfather.
  

World War I (1914-1918)

• Ike Doby (Great uncle - my grandmother Wade's brother). Further information is needed.
  

World War II (1941-1945)

• James Benjamin Wade, Jr, US Navy - my father
• Airgtee Wade, US Army - my father's brother, my uncle (said to have been at Battle of Iwo Jima). Wounded, spent many years in a Veteran's Hospital, where he died in 1999.)
  
• Louis Butler, US Army Air Corps - my mother's brother
• Carl A Butler, US Army Air Corps - my mother's brother. He went missing in South Pacific in 1944 when his plane did not return from a mission. The plane and personnel were never found. He was a radio operator on a B-24 Liberator flying out of New Guinea. I was named after him.
  
• Jesse C Nix, US Army - my mother's brother in law, my uncle (died in Philippines in 1942, said to have been a part of the Bataan Death March)
• Alvis Vancil, US Army Air Corps, my mother's brother-in-law, my uncle (retired US Air Force)
  
• Ross Bobbitt, US Army, my first cousin's 2nd husband
  

Korean Conflict (1950-1953)

• Velpo Blankenship - First cousin's husband

Viet Nam War (1959-1975)

• Dan Vancil, US Air Force - First Cousin
• Leroy Shaffer, US Army - Second Cousin
  

First Gulf War (1990-1991)

• Russell Klepper, US Navy, my brother-in-law (retire US Navy)
  

Non-conflict Specific

• Dick Vancil, US Air Force, my cousin (retire US Air Force)
  
• Brenda Wade, US Army, my sister
• Brandon Wade, US Air Force, my uncle
• Ronald L. Wade, US Army National Guard, my brother
  

Chive Flower

Chive Flower
Originally uploaded by jcwadeaz

Spring garden is underway. One of the nice things is that I have a small set of chives that always over winters and, of course, flowers early. I did a little Photoshop work on this closeup view. I thought the photo turned out well.

I planted the little garden last Saturday, May 9, and it mostly looks good. Unfortunately, one of the tomato plants looks like it was almost immediately "cut" by some kind of insect and will not likely survive. I will have to get another one. Got to remember to get some basil, parsley and cilantro to add to the garden. I just forgot to get the herbs when I went to the nursery last Saturday.

Looks like rain tomorrow, but maybe I will have a bit of time between showers to go to the nursery and to plant the new items.

Farm Boy at Heart

This little piece of ground is what serves as a vegetable garden for me. It is small, about 7'x15'. I can't do much with it. I guess that is good, since I don't have much time to spend with a garden. I usually plant a few tomatoes and peppers. I always have a tomatillo plant or two. Not much work in keeping these going. I don't use much fertilizer and no pesticides unless there is a major problem.

Last Sunday (March 22), I cleaned and dug the little garden. I need to add some soil amendment - compost this year before I plant. I probably will not actually plant before May 10 as I wait for the soil temperature to rise a bit. The soil is not very good, since I started with the fill clay around the house and have added soil amendments to create a more acceptable soil.

I keep this location and small plot for several reasons: it is located on the south side of our house and get very good sunlight. It warms up quickly. Probably more important is that it is a bit protected from the deer that roam our neighborhood. They occasionally find the garden and do some damage, but I am amazed that they do not eat more of the plants.

We have a much larger yard with some very nice plants including about 50 azaelias. I'll add some photo as they come into bloom. I would put in a much larger vegetable garden, but the deer would take most of the produce and it would be a lot of work to upgrade the soil.

Next week we will begin to get the spring flowering trees including the cherry trees.

The little vegetable plot fills this the farm boy's spring urges.