SILO, what silo, I don't see a silo

NO RAIN! It was dry the whole time we were in Kanawha but did cloud up a bit Monday as we packed up to leave.

We went for a walk down 410 south of the store and saw a possum who seemed to have died of natural causes. The fence on this land was most likely built by my Great Grandfather George W Boulware. It is like stepping back in time, with every post different and planted by his hand. The Easterwood family, my cousins, have kept this original homestead in the family. While we were working on the store, Ricky Easterwood stopped to visit. He is always a welcome sight. He showed us a Caddo arrow head!

We also got a visit from Pat Smith who said he and his wife built a home north of
Kanawha. Pat offered to remember us if he comes across any shelving. We appreciate the offer. Pat is originaly from this general area and plans to retire here.

We spent all day Saturday building something with no name. Bill says Silos are round. I said are you sure? We have yet to identify it and I take the full blame. Not everything that looks good on paper looks good built. Those were my husbands words as he gave up trying to make me feel better about it. We can not get rid of it as it cost a good deal of our time to build. I think it will be pushed to the back side of the store and used as a cubby for our jackets.

Sometimes I think God just wants to get us to a place we should listen and maybe this strange object we built is just the push we needed. Because this "?silo?" did not turn out, we pulled one cabinet forward and one sideways to close the gap it should have filled leaving us with a better footprint for the counters.

Bill got the counter tops on, the backsplach covered, fixed the paper and twine caddies I built. I built most of the caddies and grouted the tile in the coffee cabinet. Bill filled the small ditch that ran along the north wall of the outside and threw away quite a bit of the vines there as well. So we thought it was a productive trip even if the silo idea was a time consuming expensive dud.

Jody came for a visit and confronted with the unusual task of "naming that cabinet" had quite a chuckle. She told us about the Wildlife Preserve down the Shoal Road. We decided we needed a drive so we took her directions and found REDBUD to be all she had suggested. If you come to Kanawha don't forget to take it in, either coming or going. It is kinda like a drive through zoo without a cover charge.

Monday traveling home was time to visit my parents. We learned where the Kanawha school was located. It disappeared long ago, but may help explain the number of teachers living in Kanawha in the late 1800's to early 1900's.

We will return this next week for a few more to-do's but NO MORE SILOS, not round or any other shape.

Texas IS a state of mind

We are undergoing change and it is all because our son Stephen introduced us to Tim McGraw. Tim is a web designer who has offered to help us launch our christophers on-line store. He has been very polite about it, but I know I am a headache beyond his wildest imagination. With a truck load of opinions and ideas but no experience or understanding I keep filling his email box. He has lasted a week. He must be one tough Texan. If he survives this experience I will highly recommend him and you will be directed to our new store on-line.

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I have been blessed to hear from another cousin, Michelle Ann. She lives in New York! This is our most distant cousin yet! She is from the Brown/Chambless families that settled Kanawha. Not only did she provide a connection between our Walker families and the Browns but she shared many beautiful details that help bring these families to life.

This is some of what she had to say: "...my Great Great Great Grandfather was Dr John Albert Chambless born in Forsyth Monroe Georgia... He traveled to Texas in the 1850's where he met Mary Virginia Brown. Perhaps they met because he and her father (Dr. Charles Porus Brown) were both local country doctors... My Great Grandma,John Albert and Mary Virginia's daughter, Mary Winifred Chambless ...was also a nurse and one of the first graduates of Paris's nursing school."
[Thank you Michelle! for these connections, and much much more you have provided.] Michelle is also sending us a picture of Dr. John Albert Chambless to add to our collection of growing materials for the store. She is a genealogist!

salt of the earth
One thing is becoming evident, the pioneers of this area spawned more than their share of doctors, nurses, teachers, ministers and social workers. They also had more than the average number of fraternal twins and practiced the Methodist faith. There were a considerable number who lost loved ones (husbands, fathers and brothers) in the Civil War.

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Please keep Michael Bryant in your prayers. He has serious heart problems.

We will be in Kanawha for the usual four days, building that silo which involves a good deal of duct tape. The weatherman has promised no rain...we'll see.