Dumb Things to Do.& A Letter from Ora Lee Fredrick

I recall when I was seven years old, and we kids cleaned the Church on Saturdays, so it would be ready for Sunday. There really wasn't a lot to do, just a little dusting and sweeping out the floors. On this particular Saturday, we were romping and rough housing while working, and I climbed upon the back of one of the pews. (We all were doing that, except for Buddy. He always did his job as quickly as possible. ) All of a sudden; the pew turned over, and I landed flat on my bottom. I probably deserved a lesson, but that was a very painful one. For ages, I couldn't get up to a standing position by myself. Then, if I stooped over to pick up something, I couldn't stand back up without help. If I squated down to pick something up, I couldn't get up without help. I don't think I made that particular mistake ever again. When we lived in Spade, we had a cellar, and us kids would swing on the rafters, and drop to the floor. There was a day when just as I swung out, I went all dizzy.Next thing I knew, I woke up on the floor. That is the first time I ever fainted. It was kind of scary. But it didn't stop me from swinging on rafters. There was a big barn, seems like a mile from the house, but probably not that far. We would climb up in the loft and swing out and drop. I had a habit of going with my tongue sticking out the side of my mouth (Uncle Clifford used to do that when he was concentrating on something, and they told me I took after him that way), and this time when I dropped down, my chin hit my knee. I almost bit my tongue off! That is the thickest slimiest blood in the world. My tongue swelled so I could hardly eat. I thought I would starve to death! Then, one day. Mom cooked up a big pot of pinto beans and she cut up slices of dry salt meat in it. I would take a slice of the meat, and lay it on my poor old tongue, I couldn't even stand to suck on the meat, but the juices sure tasted good. From there, my tongue gradually healed. I had bitten clear through it, and it is still scarred on both the top and bottom from that incident.

Ora Lee Frederick was Grandma Lewty's niece. Her Mother, Arminta Pace, (Lewty's sister) married Isaac Jackson Forbus in Sebastian Co AR. I don't have the date handy, but want to do some of Ora Lee's letters, as they are about the tornado that killed Grandma Lewty and Aunt Effie. ------------------------------------------------------------- from Ora Lee Frederick 805 W Sears St Dennison Tx 22 Mar 1985 to Me on S Ong in Amarillo Tx (She was in private duty nursing for 12 or 15 years and was still working at this time.) Mary Ellen Phillips was a first cousin. Mary's mother was my mother's sister, a beautiful lady. Her husband was Lewis Phillips. Effie Phillips was Noah's wife. Was killed with Lewty in tornado. Ora Lee's brother, Robert, was at Aunt Lewty's that afternoon and was almost killed. They had put Effie's three little children under the bed and they didn't get hurt. ---Truman Phillips must have been in town at the time of the storm, because he said he went home and the home was gone. He saw Effie trying to get up but that she would fall back before he could get to her. He said it seemed like someone hit him in the face with a bucket of mud and that was the last thing he remembered until several days later.