The Rock Wall

Saturday afternoon I was guarding the home nest while Kimball was at the office. I answered the phone and it was Fern Barkley. Sheila Benham’s mother. She had seen my mention of Peggy Jones and wanted to know how to call her. I told her she is at Park View in Bolivar and gave her the main number.

Fern, who said she is three months shy of turning 97, worked with Peggy at the shoe factory in El Dorado Springs in the 40s. Peggy’s 98th birthday will be Dec. 1.

Fern and I had a delightful conversation then she asked me a question I have never been asked before: “Did you know June Miller?”  It rocked me for just a second, then I responded as soon as I figured it out. “Yes, she was my mother.” All my life she was called June Long.

Fern told me that she and June Miller graduated from El Dorado Springs in the Class of 1941. Mom would have graduated sooner, but the school bus didn’t run near her house for a couple of years after she graduated from the 8th grade, then she went to high school.

Mom would have turned 100 on June 24, 2020.

I asked Fern if she knew Reba Miller, Mom’s older sister who married Russel Ingram, She did not.

• I was saddened to learn of the death of Virginia Beydler at 98. She was a friend of Dad and Mom back in the day and has been my friend for years. Her maiden name was Gilpin and Dad dated her sister, Marie, for awhile. Then Teke Cox (Genora Driskell) introduced him and Mom.

Grandma Boultinghouse had her own way of keeping Mom from getting too serious about a guy she was dating: She’d tell Mom, “I think it is time you find someone else to date.” When she told Mom it was time to move on from dating Dad, Mom told her, “You waited too long this time.”

I’ve visited with Virginia many times when she attended Hazel Dell Missionary Baptist Church with her daughter, Colleen, and son-in-law, Rick Coale. Her daughter said Virginia testified about her salvation many times.  At Virginia’ request, Colleen said, Brother Mike Owen will preach her funeral.

-After 10 weeks in various medical facilities, I’m finally at home, but I can’t walk without something to lean on: my 4-wheel walker or my cane. I don’t know if I can go turkey hunting but if I don’t, it’s not for lack of want to. Of course, the kiss of death for a TV series is for me to like it. Same goes for shotgun ammo it appears. I’ve got the turkey guns in the family (all three of them) set up to shoot 12 ga. 3 inch magnum shells with 2 oz. of No. 6 Hevi Shot. I just learned they don’t make anymore.  It looks like they offer the shells with a combo load of 5, 6 and 7 shot. I heard from some of my turkey hunting buddies last year that the combo load works well. We may see…if I can find any. Of course, I do have a few of the good shells left. KL