Home Remedies

"My ears hurt," cried Rena and crawled into Ma Minnie Ledford's lap.


Ma rocked her little girl and sang, "Hush little baby, don't say a word..."


But Rena bawled louder.  Nothing could console her. Ma told Ralph to get the sewing machine oil.  She put a few drops into Rena's ears and soon she fell asleep.  Ma put her to bed.


About that time, Reuben raced through the living room coughing like a steam engine.  He let loose and coughed in Reba's face.


"Ma, Reuben coughed in my face.  I'll get the flu.  He has no manners at all."


Pa interjected, "Stop that, Reuben.  If you ain't got no sense, you could have some manners."


He didn't mean to do that," said Ma.  "Come here, baby."


She hugged Reuben.  About the time she started to kiss him, Reuben reared back and sneezed.  He sprayed her face with spit.


Ma rubbed lard and turpentine on Reuben's chest.  For extra protection, she tied a dirty black sock around his neck with the heel centered over the Adam's apple.


"Shoo! I can't stand that stink," yelled Reuben and started untying the sock.


"Leave that sock on your neck," said Pa.  "That will cure your cold.  Now go to bed."


Ma dragged to the kitchen to fix supper.  She hoped none of her other children got sick.  As she kneaded dough, Robert pulled her apron strings.


"My head hurts," he said.


Ma felt his forehead and it was hot as coals of fire.  She sent him to the chest-of-drawers for a flour sack.  Despite his protests, she tied the sack around his head.  "That will cure your headache," she said.


Next Robenia whizzed through the kitchen to see if supper was ready.  "I hate my freckles," she said.  "I look like a beagle pup!  Do you have anything I can rub on my face, Ma?"


Ma caressed her red-headed daughter's face.  She assured Robenia that she was beautiful, freckles and all.


But Robenia wouldn't accept that.  She grabbed the bucket and headed to the spring to fetch water.  Reba had told her to put stump water on her face to get rid of the freckles.


Robenia found a stump where Pa cut wood for the fireplace.  It had rained that morning and was full of water.  She splashed stump water on her face to clear up the freckles.


To make sure the home remedy worked, Robenia got baby Ray's rabbit foot from his crib.  She put it around her neck for good luck.


Finally, Ma Minnie finished her chores and it was bedtime.  Her feet cramped from standing all day.  She recalled her granny's old-time remedy.  Minnie turned her shoes upside down before she went to bed.  She also put a Bible under her pillow to prevent nightmares and said her prayers.


by:  Brenda Kay Ledford

Decoration Day

Despite the protests, Ma Minnie Ledford ran her kids out of bed early on Sunday morning.  She would not allow anyone to "sleep in" on the Lord's day.

"Rise and shine," she yelled.  "Wash up, eat your breakfast and get ready for Myers Chapel."

"Oh, no!" moaned Ralph.  "Can't we stay at home and get some shut eye?"  asked Robert.

Ma frowned and shook her head.  That was a definite no.

After a hardy breakfast, Rondy, Ralph, Robert, and Reuben headed to the barn to milk the cow and feed the livestock.  They helped Pa hitch the mules to the wagon for church.

The girls dragged their feet getting ready.  Reba, Robenia, and Rena kept primping before the mirror.  They had their eyes on some boys at church and wanted to impress them.

"Lands sakes!"  said Ma.  "You would think you girls were going to the White House to meet President Hoover.  Church will dismiss before we get there."

Ma carried a poke of flowers to the wagon.  She and the girls had made crepe roses to decorate the graves at church.  It was decoration day,

"Reba, get baby Ray from the crib.  Get the box of food, Robenia," added Ma.

Pa helped Ma on the wagon and she cuddled baby Ray as they rode to church.  The narrow road wound through the Matheson Cove and the wagon bounced over ruts.  When it rained, the wagon got stuck in the mud.

Ma kissed her baby and recalled when he was born.  The mail carrier, Mr. Andy Padgett, wondered what she would name her child.  After all, she had given each of her seven children names that began with the letter R.

"What will Mrs. Ledford name her eighth child?" asked Mr. Padgett.  "I guess she will call him Rabbit," he said and laughed.

But Minnie came up with another name beginning with the letter R.  She called him Ray Andrew Ledford.  She was proud when her son grew up and became a preacher.  Her oldest son, Rondy, also was called as an ordained Baptist minister and was pastor of many churches in Clay County, NC.

Now as she held baby Ray, she hummed the hymn, "Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so..."  The family broke loose singing with her and they finally made it to church.

Ma's brother, Luther Matheson, was leading the choir with shaped-note music.  The congregation tapped their toes and clapped their hands with the peppy song, "I'll Fly Away."

Joy filled the little country church.  Suddenly, Aunt Mae Hall (Pa's sister) got happy and shouted all over the church.  Her red hair unpinned from the bun on her head and flowed as she praised the Lord.

It was decoration day.  The guest preacher, Dr. George W. Truett, delivered the sermon.  He was a world-renown Baptist preacher born and reared in Clay County, NC.

Worship service ended around 1:00.  Everyone was starved and could hardly wait to dive into the food spread on tables under the maple trees.

The mountain women outdid themselves cooking.  They brought homemade strawberry cobblers, buttermilk pie, chocolate cake, banana pudding, blackberry jam, green beans, corn-on-the-cob, fried chicken, pork chops, molasses, biscuits, cornbread, buttermilk, lemonade, and iced tea.

After lunch they decorated the graves of loved ones.  Then folks gathered in the church for an afternoon of singing gospel songs.  Several groups performed.

As dusk fell, Ma and Pa loaded the sleepy younguns on the wagon and headed to the Matheson Cove.  Whippoorwills resounded on Shewbird Mountain and a Full Flower Moon glowed on the faces of the Ledford family.

by:  Brenda Kay Ledford

Going Barefooted

Each spring Rondy Ledford looked forward to the jonquils blooming in the Matheson Cove.  That's when he and the young'uns could kick off their brogans and go barefooted!


"Ma, when I got a bucket of water at the spring this morning, I saw the jonquils coming up," said Rondy.  "Can I go barefooted?"


"No, son.  It's too early to pull off your shoes. You young'uns would get the flu.  Wait until the flowers bloom."  She smiled and patted his curly black hair.


A joint groan came from Rondy, Reba, Ralph, Robert, Reuben, Robenia, and Rena.  Even baby Ray whined.


"Hush your moaning," said Ma.  "You boys go to the front porch.  Robert just got his barber's kit from Sears and Roebuck catalog."  She shooed them out the door with her apron.


"Ain't no way old Doe's going to cut my hair," yelled Reuben.  "He would scalp me."


Reuben took off to the outhouse with Rover at his heels howling.  Ralph and Rondy caught Reuben and dragged him to the "barber's chair."  He kicked and squealed as they held him.


Doe's razor hummed as he mowed off red hair.  It piled up on the porch like hay.  "Let me go, Doe!" pleaded Reuben.  At last he finished the hair cut.


Reuben looked at his reflection in the living room window.  "Oh, my Lord!" he hollered.  "I'll have to wear a toboggan the rest of my life.  I'm ruint!"


The other boys jumped back like rabbits from the barber's chair.  But Pa gave them a stern look, and they reluctantly let ole Doe lower their ears.


That afternoon it got so warm the boys broke out sweating as they planted taters in the field.  They begged Pa to let them go barefooted.


"Don't tell Minnie," said Pa.  "You can go barefooted just this afternoon.  Careful and don't stump your toes.  You'll have to let Ma put some rags and Red Rose salve on them if you get hurt."


The boys peeled off their brogans and headed to Hyatt-Mill Creek.  Ralph climbed a sourwood tree and swung on a fox grape vine and splashed into the cold water.  The other boys grabbed vines and sailed like flying squirrels through the trees.


As the sun set like beets over Shewbird Mountain, the boys put on their brogans and trotted to the log cabin.  They never told Ma about their going barefooted that afternoon.


by:  Brenda Kay Ledford

The Plunge

Before the Polar Plunges,
kids in the Matheson Cove
sneaked to Hyatt Mill Creek,
and went skinny dipping.


Kids in the Matheson Cove
scattered their clothes on bushes,
and went skinny dipping;
teeth chattering in icy waters.


Scattered their clothes on bushes,
held to the limbs,
teeth chattering in icy waters;
dipping into the deep.


Before the rooster crowed,
they sneaked to Hyatt Mill Creek,
and made history
before the Polar Plunges.
                      --Brenda Kay Ledford

The Rolling Store

Barbara Virginia was Rondy and Blanche's first baby and the first grandchild in the Ledford family.  They lavished her with love.

Grandma Minnie and Granddaddy Bob Ledford lived in the Matheson Cove.  They bragged to everyone about their beautiful grandchild, even to the rolling store clerk.

The store truck covered the mountain  communities in Clay County, NC.  The back roads twisted with hairpin curves and cars got stuck in the mud when it rained.  Many mountain folks rarely went to town to shop.  The store on wheels served a great need for groceries and dry goods.

"I hear the rolling store coming up Murray Holler," said Reba.  "Its tires are click-clacking over the gravel road."

"Buy me a Baby Ruth candy bar," said Robenia.  "I want an RC Cola and moonpie," yelled Reuben.  "Me, too!" chimed Rena, Ray, Robert, and Ralph.

"Quiet!" yelled Ma Ledford.  "You younguns stay here at the house and watch baby Barbara.  Rondy and Blanche went to the picture show."

She put on a shawl and stocking cap and scurried to meet the rolling store.

"Where's your grandchild?" asked the store truck clerk.

"She's taking a nap.  The younguns are watching her."

The clerk arched his eyebrows.  "You sure that's a good idea?" he asked with a chuckle.

"My children are very responsible," huffed Ma Ledford.  "This is all I'll need today," she added and rushed down the steps of the truck to the house.  She toted the box of groceries herself and refused help from the clerk.

She barely put the box on the kitchen table when the kids dove into the groceries.  "Hold it, you old goosey things," hollered Ma Ledford.  "Reba, go get baby Barbara.  I want to give her a dose of Karo syrup.  That will make her strong and healthy."

Reba couldn't find Barbara.  Ma trembled and feared someone had stolen her grandchild.  The children searched everywhere for Barbara.  They finally found her under the bed fast asleep.

When Rondy and Blanche returned from the picture show, they heard about Barbara getting lost many times, with many different versions of the story.

by:  Brenda Kay Ledford