When we began traveling down memory lane, stories begin to pop up everywhere. One story lead to another some
were funny and others were a bit on the sad side but life has two sides to it. So here we go folks...taking another
bend in the road to more of The Webb Stories.
Joyce woke up early one morning and recalled another story.
Remember when Reagan Looney brought all those chickens to our backyard and we all dressed them out? Oh my goodness! Chicken is still not a favorite of mine.
Reagan had asked Mom if she would dress them out on the halves (we got to keep half of all we killed and dressed). Of course, Mom said yes, that meant a lot of Sunday dinners for us. Boy, here he came, the bed of his pickup loaded down with chickens in a wire basket. Mom lined us up, each of us had a job and we got busy. She would reach in there, grab a chicken and wring its neck. Then we got busy cleaning. Goodness gracious, I even remember the unlaid eggs were taken in and put in the refrigerator. That meant eggs for breakfast or baking a cake. Wow, just thinking of doing that makes me hate chicken even more!
By: Joyce (Webb) Smith
Now a note from Pam about those gosh darn chickens! I can remember Larry and Sam taking the feet of those chickens and pulling on the muscle or tendon and making that chicken foot go up and down and chasing us girls all over the place with them. I also remember plucking the feathers and having to singe the chicken! YUCK! That's why chicken isn't my favorite!
By: Pam (Webb) Hill
Mary Rose shared a memory of our Mother, Bessie Webb.
"My own memories are of Mama Webb teaching me how to bake sugar cookies, and using bacon grease for the lard. And I remember how those cookies didn't taste like cookies, but bacon!"
The following is a story told to Mary Rose, by her Mother, Anna Lee.
When I was growing up, we lived in a house that was up off the ground. The chickens were forever goin' under the house and layin' their eggs. Well, Mama would always make me go under the house to fetch the eggs. But one time, I decided I didn't want to do that, so I sent Alfred Henry under the house after the eggs. When he crawled out from under the house, he said, "Sis, I felt somethin' cold under there." Well, I knew what he had felt, so I got a stick and drug that ole cotton mouth Copper Head out from under the house and killed it. I never sent Alfred Henry under the house again.
By: Mary Rose Patterson
It seems as though there are lots of family stories that revolve around Al! Here are two more as told by Bob.
"I always used Al to check out my inventions. I recall I had stretched a rope from the top of one tree to near the bottom of another on the other side of Dutch Creek. Then I found a pulley. The thought was to climb the tree, put the pulley on the rope and ride to the other side of Dutch Creek. Well, I gave Al the first ride! Only problem was I had tied two ropes together and there was a knot in the middle. You guessed it! I got another whipping this time by Grandpa Stanberry."
"When Dad, Al and I first came to Texas we were batching in the house on A.L. Black's place. We milked a cow, and churned the milk for butter. Well, we churned it three times, got butter each time and still used "sweet" milk on our cereal."
By: Bob Webb
The days of our childhood make believe! Wouldn't it be nice to be able to do that today?
When I was a little girl I used to pretend a lot. I'm not sure if I remember this or if my family enjoyed telling it and I think I remember it.
Anyway, I was small and was playing like I was a lady visiting my Mother. Mother was cooking a meal and I had my dolly (I think it was one Mom had made for me). I came into the kitchen, Mama had a skillet of hot grease and was walking to the table with it. Of course, I was right under her feet and talking away, for I was a visiting lady! I saw the hot pan and said in my not very plain talk, "Oh, Miz Webb, don't spill that hot grease on me".
My Mom used to enjoy telling this story so much. At times, I think I can remember it even to the place where we lived in Arkansas, up Dutch Creek Valley.
By: Polly (Webb) Mills
I remember when we lived on A.L. Black's place and behind the house there was a barn and pens. As a child in seemed as though there were lots of cows out there, but there may not have been that many.
One day, Sam and I were out playing and wandered out to the cow pens. We decided to climb up on the railing and be able to look over the top of the fence....this led to a rather funny happening.
When we got to the top of the railing, it just so happened that I was close to the gate that kept those cows penned up. Now this gate just had a wire looped around the top of the gate and over the fence post. I have no idea how it happened, but somehow that wire was removed from the fence post and was opened just a bit. Now, those cows seen Sam and I there and they just moseyed on over to where we were and we decided to go back toward the house. Sam was ahead of me and looked back over his shoulder, then suddenly took off running. So I turned around to see what it was he had seen and here came this cow running up to me. Well, Mother didn't raise a dummy, so I took off running too! I ran all the way around the house and finally made it to the front door, to find I COULDN'T open it! It was locked. Well, here came the cow up on the porch straight at me, I started screaming like a banshee. Mother finally got the door opened and I ran in. She asked me what had happened and I told her that the cows had gotten out and one of me them chased me around the house. I also told her that Sam had "locked" the door and wouldn't let me in! She did her best to convince me that the door wasn't locked that it had swollen from the rain we had had. I know Mother was a very honest person....still Sam was the baby of the family! I know it was a cow....cause it was red! hahaha
By: Pam (Webb) Hill
The next story is told by my brother, Bob. He tells of a great disappointment he discovered one Christmas but also of the joy he felt with the end results.
When I found out there was no "Santa Claus"
"We were living on H.L. Gelispie's place. I don't recall where Dad was, gone looking for a job, or working away from home. I was 15 years old. June had just gotten out of the hospital at Pine Bluff. Dad had trapped some mink and possums and had dried the skins. Mom had told me to take the skins to Altheimer, sell them, and buy something for each one of the children, myself included. When I asked why she said, "So they will get something from Santa Claus". I'll never forget how heart broken I was, "There's really no Santa Claus!" Well, I did as Mom told me. No one in Altheimer would buy the skins. It was Christmas Eve. However, a man told me about a man in Dewitt that would buy my skins. I hitch hiked 36 miles to Dewitt, found the man and sold the skins. Then hitch- hiked back to Altheimer. I went in that big ole General Store and bought and bought. I had $25.00..The most money I'd ever seen! After I bought all the things Mom had told me to, I had enough money to buy a plastic rose, for Mom. I had to walk home. It was late, and I was scared! (I was afraid of the dark) Also I had to carry all that stuff! My what a load. After walking the eight miles home, Mom was walking the floor with worry, it was 11 P.M. All you kids were asleep. When I showed Mom what I had bought she begin to cry. When I gave her the rose, she said, "Oh Son, why?" I said, "Because you are the true Rose of Sharon". Boy the tears really came then. I had just gotten saved the summer before and had heard the preacher preach on the "The Rose of Sharon". Then when I gave Mom the $5.00 in change, she cried again! I'll never forget that Christmas, the best one I ever had while I was home. The next morning I secretly cried with joy to see all of you so excited over your gifts from Santa Claus. Mom's face beamed with Joy to see her children happy."
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