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Reflections

Mules Know When Not To Cross The Line

By Charles Cooper

 Hello everyone, hope you’re having a good week.        

  Like so many other people, I’m still waiting for the adjuster so I can get started repairing my house. Most of us are patient as we realize the tremendous backlog of claims. I’m sure they’re moving as fast as they can.

  Since I don’t get my paper until a week later, I just learned of the death of Mrs. Dovie Burke, and I offer my condolences to Kenny, Jody, and Donna. On a recent visit to the Valley I stopped in to see her but she was sleeping and I didn’t disturb her. She and Mother were best friends and her trips down to see her were greatly appreciated. This brought back a lot of memories of Boyd Street when we moved there at the end of WWII.

  Starting at the top of the hill we had Mr. and Mrs. Dee Gore, Cleve, Anna Lou, Jimmy, and Gay Peacock, Fred and Fannie Lou Champion, Mr. and Mrs. Burke, Merle and Georgia Harmon, Ruth Bell Smith, Nannie, Papa Badley, Mother and I, Bo and Margie Green, Oscar Palmer, Mr. and Mrs. Jim McCullar, Mr. and Mrs. Johnnie Jones. At the corner of Lafayette, Vernon and Frances Crews, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Peacock and Tommy and Verdie Lewis. They were considered part of the Boyd Street Community.

  We had some visitors that were almost part of the community since they came around so often. Mr. Morris, father of Dude, Mr. Jim Gore, and W. O. Vick. I’ve lived a lot of places over the years but I have never found as close a group of people.

  I mentioned Oscar Palmer and there was a real character. He was an admitted former moonshiner and he had some hair raising stories to tell. He still liked to drink and he would come to our house and discuss the bible with Nannie. The only remark she ever made was she wished Mr. Palmer would discuss the bible when he was sober.

  About the most excitement we ever had was when Fred Champion was plowing in his garden and his mule stopped and refused to budge. Fred went around to try to pull him and saw a line in front of him. He foolishly picked up the wire and it grabbed him. The only thing that saved him was his little boy running screaming next door to Mr. Jim Peacock and he saw what was happening and tried to get the wire off Fred with a stick. It knocked the first stick out of his and and he used a long fishing pole to finally dislodge it. They thought Fred was dead but he came alive and you could hear him screaming all over the neighborhood. They took him to the hospital in Tommy Lewis’ car and he recovered but lost a couple of fingers. He continued working for the railroad until he retired years later.

  Let me hear from you either at P. O. Box 613189, Memphis, TN 38101, or call me at 870-636-2503.

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