The Rock Wall

If you want to talk about neighbor helping neighbor, the El Dorado Springs Volunteer Fire Department’s fundraiser to help the Caplinger Mills Volunteer Fire Department last Saturday raised $15,700.

– Kimball had an appointment in Springfield last Thursday and I rode shotgun. I don’t think I’d volunteer for road duty like that again, but I did earn my keep in Greenfield. At a confusing V intersection, I think she wanted to go west on Hwy. 160 instead of east toward Ash Grove.  She was headed to Hill Top Nursery five miles south of Ash Grove which is about to close its doors on June 27 so the owners can visit their grandkids. When I told the owner he doesn’t look old enough to retire, he said he is 62 and makes more off his social security than he does “off the farm.” He said he has a grandson born in November in California he hasn’t seen yet. I told him I have one born Sept. 9 in St. Francisville, north of New Orleans, I haven’t seen yet.

– Everything is really locked down in Springfield because of the virus. You can’t go into any restaurant to eat. You have to order and pickup at the window and find your own place to eat. El Dorado Springs is way ahead of them on virus recovery. I’d say our officials are doing a good job.

– I enjoyed my interview with Darrell Eason about his 21 plus years on the El Dorado Springs School Board. It’s not like I had to get acquainted with him. I’ve been in  the audience for all of those years.

-Oh, Kimball and Adrian were helping Van, at two plus, and Reese, at one plus, visit on Facetime one day last week. Van gave a rousing version  of “Happy Birthday, Kimmie.” The conversation exceeded Reese’s one year old attention span and she walked away from the cell phone Kimball was holding. From 800 miles away, Van hollered, “Hey, come back here.” Reese kept going.

– When I was a kid, Grandpa Everett Dewey (Harvey) Miller lived in Bakersfield, CA. Once every year or two he made a trip to Missouri to visit his daughters,  Mom and Aunt Reba Ingram, and his grandchildren. No Facetime for us. And long distance phone calls were too expensive.

Grandpa and I did have a good time hunting. I have a photo of him and me with some rabbits he shot in the snow when I was about five or so. I claimed one of the rabbits with my cap pistol. He was holding the rest of the rabbits and the 12 ga. semi auto that did all the heavy lifting. In the background of the photo which includes corn shocks, you can see the Koonts house where Bob Stebbins dad, Steve, lived. That’s close to where Tom and Margaret Gough live now. They own the house site, but the structure is long gone. When Dad tore down the house, he  discovered a mink that had gotten its head caught between rocks in the foundation. During St. Clair County roadwork, the grader scattered iris bulbs from that yard and they now bloom volunteer untended for over a quarter mile on both sides of the road.

– At the prom in the Old Community Building Saturday night, Kimball was talking to the chaperone, Head Football Coach Kelly Beckner. When a slow song started, he told Kimball, “I’ve got to go make sure they leave room for Jesus,” meaning not dancing too closely. Kimball said it was so hot in the un-air-conditioned Old Community Building that the kids probably wanted to keep their social distance. KL