My excellent friend and next-door neighbor, Bill Woodard, allowed me to share his amazing story of two members of his Methodist Church Sunday School class. Bill penned a very intimate, detailed account to honor them. It was so incredible, I had to share it with my readers in an edited, scaled down form. I hope it blesses you the way it did me.
There is a chemical compound called carbon disulfide– commonly known as “High Life.” Its vapors are very poisonous, which is why the bottle has a skull and crossbones on the label. It is also very flammable, and the gas formed by burning is even more deadly than the natural fumes.
It was kept on most farms in days past for many purposes. A big bed of fire ants could be exterminated with only two treatments. Just dig a small hole in the bed area and pour a couple of tablespoonfuls inside and cover it up. It was used more widely to keep weevils and insects out of grain that was stored in a barn. A small hole in the cork of the bottle let enough fumes out to keep insects out for a long time.
Perhaps it was called “High Life” because when it was squirted on any animal, the poor victim came to life. A few drops into a hollow tree would bring a rabbit or possum out instantly. Some knew it by the name, “Dog Disabler.” More than a few mail carriers from yesteryear kept handy a water gun loaded with High Life.
The following is another “true story” excerpt from my upcoming book about my late father, Calvin Coolidge Sims. I hope to have it released by September. Enjoy.
We called my dad’s mother Mama Sims. She was not just a grandmother, she was the grand matriarch of the family. Certain things about the house she called home are forever embedded in my mind– there are things about a house that little kids never forget. My ten first cousins and two siblings who share memories of Mama Sims’ house will certainly remember them all, but it’s time to share them with the world. Let’s take a tour of Mama Sims’ house through the eyes of me as a child. Continue reading MAMA SIMS’ HOUSE
It was in the middle of December in 1862, just west of the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia when a sign from God appeared, suddenly and without warning. The fighting men of both the Union and Confederate armies witnessed it, and the survivors of the bloody battle told their children and grandchildren about it. They swear that they witnessed the appearance of an angel.
Modern history books, bent on revisionist history have all but forgotten it– but it cannot be erased. The historical record is intact. A sign from God appeared on the battlefield during one of the bloodiest days in the American Civil War. It all began after just before midnight on December 13, 1862.
Family stories are the best. Aunt Charlotte, my mother’s only sister and my granddaughter’s namesake, loves family stories as much as I do. Sometimes we laugh and carry-on during a phone call like nobody’s business! I can seem to get Charlotte to laugh at almost anything, and we enjoy every moment of it. When we’re not discussing politics, religion, or Auburn football, we are recalling and re-telling our family stories. Aunt Charlotte and I are truly oral history junkies.
