Simply Nell

I cannot write about my life without including this story of a girl called “Nell”.

When I was a child and I would go to Grandma Higdon’s house, there was a photograph on her dresser (the dresser was one that dipped in the middle and the sides were higher; the mirror had three sections also).  The photograph sat on one side on top of a little doily.  I was always so intrigued by that photograph, and 60-some-odd years later I can still see it in my mind as though it is today.

When I was little I would always ask who that was.  They always replied that it was “your Aunt Margaret’s friend, Nell”.  The photograph was of a beautiful young girl in a nurse’s uniform, a blue cape, and a stark white starched cap with a black ribbon.  This showed that she was an RN.  She had really blue eyes and soft brown hair.  When they replied that she was my aunt’s friend they also would tell me that she and Aunt Margaret helped to deliver me at the hospital and the two of them named me.

When I was older and a teenager, I was told the story of Nell.  They said she almost quit nursing because of a young, beautiful woman who was admitted to the hospital.  The woman had been in a car wreck and they had to amputate an arm.  She told them the girl had long red nails, and she would never forget the sound the arm made when it fell into the pillow case.

The doctor that delivered me and Nell had an affair.  He was married and had planned on marrying Nell, but his little child got real sick and he didn’t leave his wife.  This is the story that was told, but you know how that goes.  Well, Nell had a little baby girl by him.  The girl would be close to my age now.  Nell died when the child was really young, and Nell’s mother raised her.  She did carry her father’s name, though.  I saw her as a teenager at one of our high-school functions that was at her school.  She was well-known because she was so beautiful, and I think she won a beauty contest.

I wish I could write well – I so would write a novel of this story!

More Bits and Pieces

I have always loved books.  We never had any in our home when I was little, but I would troll through our small school library and find all kinds of great wonders in the books that were there.

I remember getting one one day and my eyes feasted on one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen.  It was a Faberge egg.  I looked at that book over and over.  I kept telling myself, "When you get older and go to work, you can buy you one of these."

Oh, my goodness!  How naive that little girl was!  With the price of those great treasures, it will always have to remain just a sweet day dream.  It did spark my interest in later years of reading and studying Czar Nicholas II and Alexandra.  Their story has always intrigued me.

Bits and Pieces or Random Memories

In the 1950's under President Eisenhower, "Under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.  I can remember the very first time in school when we said it.  I can't remember what grade I was in, but I do remember the room at school.  Back then we started each school day with a prayer and the pledge.  Now the kids can no longer pray in school, and the crazies are trying to take "Under God" out of the Pledge.  Then everyone wonders why things are so bad.  Don't you just think that if we didn't take God out of everything, society and things might be better?  I sure do!  We were always glad to say our prayer and pledge.  It gave us a love of God, family, country, and each other.

Mr. Parker (As Told by Dee Dee)

What can you say about someone (outside of family) that has had the biggest impact on your life?  Well, for Mr. Ted Parker, I will have to say he was a once-in-a-lifetime teacher.

He came to teach at our school when I was in the 7^th or 8^th grade.  He was a high school teacher, but he was the junior high girls’ and boys’ basketball coach.

When I got in high school, he helped me overcome so much of the inferiority complex that I had.  He pushed me into playing basketball, and he always gave me a part in the plays and operettas (even though I couldn’t sing a lick).  He would always give me a speaking part.  I did fairly well at acting.

I don’t know how he taught all the classes he did.  He taught geography (yes, we did have that), history, civics, music, and coached all the basketball teams.  He always called me "Gaye Bell".  I can still hear him as I would be running down the basketball court:  “Come on, Gaye Bell – you can do it!”  He made us learn all the states and their capitals; I still know them today.  We had to learn all the U.S. presidents and the order in which they served.  I don’t remember that.

He took time with every student and worked with each one on their weaknesses.  I’m not bragging, but for a shy, introverted girl as I was, I ended up winning many honors.  I was voted “Most Popular”, “Best All Around”, “Class Queen” and a couple of others.  But the best one of all – I made All-Tournament Team.  Mr. Parker wrote in my year book that it was one of his proudest moments when I was the first girl guard from our school to make all-tournament team.

He always said he had high hopes for my going to college, and when our college test was submitted to Canyon State College my scores were one of three highest submitted to them and the college personnel office was looking for me to arrange a scholarship.  The only thing is I had married in January, and I did graduate in May, but Larry had plans on going back to school at Weatherford.  I did finally get a college degree at age 48, and although it was only an Associate’s, I was proud to have at least gotten it.

I regret that I never contacted Mr. Parker and let him know what a good influence he had on my life.  So all of you that have had a once-in-a-lifetime teacher, if they are still living, look them up and tell them.  You’ll be so glad you did, and I’m sure the teacher will appreciate it, too.

(Note:  Below is the newspaper article and accompanying pictures that appeared in the “Hollis News” that profiled Mr. Ted Parker.  An advertisement on the back of the clipping advertises an upcoming event on July 31, 1991.)

Family Fudge Recipes (by Dee Dee)

When I was a little girl and we lived in the old house, one of the better memories of that time was winter time, when my mother made homemade fudge and popped popcorn.  We always seemed to have a friend of one of us kids over and Mama would always make a big batch of fudge (the recipe she used is in this posting).  She would pop a dishpan full of popped corn and we would eat ourselves silly.  It sure was good.  I did not have her fudge recipe.  I did know what ingredients were in it, but didn’t know the amounts.  But thanks to the internet I found the recipe.

As I mentioned above we lived in the old house.  We were very, very poor when I was little and to this day I don’t know how my Mama and Daddy managed to keep us fed and the old tin roof over our heads, but they did.  The house was four rooms and little storage room.  Mama, Daddy, five kids, and Daddy’s mother (Grandma Ollie) all lived there.

We had no bathroom and no running water in the house; therefore, we had an old wooden out-house for doing our business and a big tin bath tub that Mama would heat the water for our baths.  Needless to say, we didn’t get a bath every day – at least once a week and sometimes twice a week.

The kitchen was so cold in the winter that Mama wouldn’t let us eat in there.  She would cook it and serve it in the living room.  We didn’t have an electric refrigerator, but we had a big wooden ice box.  It had one big door and shelves on one side and two smaller doors on the other side.  We had big blocks of ice that would go in the top of the side with two doors.  It kept the milk and everything cold.  I remember it even was cold enough to make jello.

The only thing good about that house was the tin roof and how good the rain sounded hitting it.  The tin roof reminds me of a funny story.  My Daddy and younger brother, Ronny, were putting a new tin roof on.  My older brother, Buddy, was sleeping and it was about noon time.  Buddy yelled, “Quit making that noise!  I’m trying to sleep!”

Daddy came off the roof in a flash.  He let out a string of curse words that would put any sailor to shame and told Buddy to get out of that bed and help them.  I have to admit I took the cursing like a sailor after my Daddy.  I can let loose with some pretty choice words.  I’ve done better through the years, but I still sometimes let loose.

Ma’s Fudge Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened

1/8 tsp. salt

1-1/2 cup milk

¼ cup butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with foil; butter the foil.

In a large heavy sauce pan, stir in the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.  Mix well.  Gently stir in milk with large wooden spoon.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to full rolling boil.

Boil without stirring to 234° F on candy thermometer.  The bulb of the candy thermometer should not rest on the bottom of the pan. (Should take about 20-30 minutes.)

Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla.  Do not stir.

Cool at room temperature to 110° or lukewarm. Do not stir.  (Takes approximately 2 hours or more.)

Beat fudge with a wooden spoon or until it thickens and loosens some of its gloss (15-20 minutes – it will look more like frosting instead of syrup when it is ready).  Quickly spread onto prepared pan; cool.

Cut into squares using a warm knife that has been dipped in hot water and dried off.

Wrap loosely in foil and place in refrigerator.

Dee Dee’s Fudge Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

¾ cup margarine

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 12-oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 7-oz jar Kraft Marshmallow crème

1 cup chopped nuts

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Combine sugar, margarine, and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring.  Remove from heat, stir in chocolate until melted.  Add marshmallow crème, nuts, and vanilla; beat until blended.  Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.  Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.

Addition by Lori:  My whole family loves Dee Dee’s fudge, especially Mandy.  Christmas is made even more special by the fact that we know that Dee Dee will be making big batches of fudge for everyone.  I had to laugh when Mandy informed me several years ago that if I wanted to make sure that she came for Christmas every year I would have to learn to make Dee Dee’s fudge!

Dee Dee Adds:  I have made fudge for the whole family at Christmas for over 30 years now.  Last Christmas (2011) was the first time ever that I was not able to make fudge (I was suffering from pneumonia).  Next year I plan to make doubles -- I guess that's the optimist in me!

Top Notch Military Team (Posted by Lori)

Although military couples are quite common these days, at the time that Larry and Dee Dee were serving having a married couple serving in the military was a little more unusual.  Hence the following newspaper article about them: