more music

Continuation

As part of my book, "What Might Have Been", I will relate a story to you about a friend called Stella Parton yes Dolly's Sister).

When I was touring on the road, one of the places that I perfomed was a club in Winchester, Virginia and the house singer at the time I was there was a girl named Stella Parton. Stella was always sweet and kind but people expected her to be "Dolly" and she was the first to admit she wasn't.

At the time I had a fantastic bass player/front man named Clay Price and we did a lot of Dolly and Porter songs which I must admit were quite good. (A friend of mine told me that it is a poor train that can't toot it's own whistle). Anyway, after the first night performance, Stella came to me and begged me to let Clay perform duets  with her (the Dolly/Porter ones of course) because the club owner wanted her to dress like Dolly and sing like Dolly. I, of course told her I could not do that because it would take away from my part of the show and then I told her that she should sing her songs the way she wanted to and forget trying to be someone she wasn't. Stella did just that and was received by the audience very well.

I have not heard from  her in a long time but I am sure she is doing well wherever and whatever she may be doing.

To Catch Up!

Well it has been some time since I wrote anything about my life or anybody. I have had some bad months but I know things have turned around. My Faith is stronger and I know that has helped the healing process. I have met a lot of people since August 2011 and a few of them have become friends, with one; a special friend. I hope there will be more on this later.

I have made a few short trips and had some fun but in early November I had a car accident (not my fault thank God) and I was having some medical difficulties and then I took a spill down the hill of the driveway and it delayed my healing but I believe the worst is behind me. Things happen for a reason and I believe the reasons were to strengthen my Faith in God and in my own life. I am  a strong person and I have had a good life with a lot of twists no doubt, but overall a good life and I believe I have many more great years ahead of me and  a very special someone whom I hope to find if I have not already.

My book will have some new posts within the week so please stay tuned and thanks to all of you who also give me strength.

What Might have been

After my Father passed away we were left to wonder what would happen to us, where would we live, how would we survive?
When you are tenant farmers, you live on someone else's land so we finished the crop that Daddy had started with the help of many people. The song, "With A Little Help From My Friends" was never more true than that year and the next few.Farming we soon discovered was not so easy without years of experience and my Daddy had that which I am told made him an excellent tobacco farmer; he was so good I am told that he won awards from the County and the State. Rufus Junior and Jimmy tried very hard and we finished that year and I was supposed to help because after all I was ten! The three of us went out to weed the corn crop and there I was with my well sharpenend hoe trudging along with my big brothers. Now the corn rows were long and it was HOT! I made it about half way down the first row and they are about three quarters away from me and I was so hot and so tired that I decided I needed help or something so I thought that I would bring them back to me. I came up with this bright idea, Snake I yelled as loud as I could and they came running only there was no snake; boy did I catch it from both of them. "Get back to work" is what I got from them and they went WAY back up the row and I was left to catch up so I hoed for another couple of hills and guess what? a huge black snake wrapped around a corn stalk!
I started screaming SNAKE, SNAKE and they yelled back, "that is not going to work this time" so I starting crying and screaming and finally Jimmy said, "Rufus I think she might be telling the truth this time" so here they came to my rescue. My Heros! I was told to stop crying and get my behind back to the house so off I ran to tell Mama of my escapade; she was not amused! "That will teach you to tell a lie" is what she said and left me to think about what I had put my two brothers through that day.

Dreaded Flu!

You wash your hands often, you keep sanitizer on your desk and lysol in the drawer to spray when people leave and you take the Flu Shot; what happens? you get the Flu!
What a crappy night I had last night; headache, stomach issues, chills and thirst. Today, same problems and dizziness has now crept into the mix. I have not had coffe today so you know I am sick!
Hot tea earlier with lemon and honey and OJ and water.
Why can't people that are sick stay away from others? Do they say to themselves, "let's go to Leda's office and sneeze and cough on her today?" yes and then, they talk about you not being there, give me a break!
Well, I have opened up the blinds to let the sunshine in hoping it will make me feel better. I hope you have enjoyed my story of the dreaded Flu!

What Might have Been (continues)

From a loyal reader of the blog. she asked me to expound on my Father! here is more of my Daddy:


I so loved my Daddy! I have been told by others that he was mean when he was drinking but I don't remember any of that, just his fun loving way with us smaller children.
We grew tobacco on the farm where we lived and once it was harvested and placed in the barns to cure; it had to be watched so the men and older boys took turns. I always wanted to help with the tobacco but I was told to "stay out of the way", I didn't listen. When I was seven, I wanted to loop the tobacco on the stick and I twisted my neck so bad I was screaming in pain. My Daddy had to leave the field and take me to the Doctor; he was not happy with me about not listening but once in the car, he was kind and loving.

At another time, I begged and cried for my Mama to let me go to the barns at night with Daddy and her brother, My Uncle Lon. She always said no but after begging and asking Daddy she said okay; I was so excited because I knew they were going to have fun! They did of course have some "moonshine" and they were doing their job but laughing, singing and once they even danced a little jig! I asked if I could taste the drink and my Uncle Lon said to my Daddy, "Ruf. you better not give her that or Lizzie will be mad!" Lizzie was my Mama! I swore I would not tell so he poured some in a lid and let me sip it; oh my what an awful taste! I never wanted to do that again.
That night as we lay on the pallettes made on the tobacco trucks, they starting talking about the flying horse they were seeing and how beautiful and white it was so I looked and looked for that horse until I was told that "you could only see it if you had more of the drink", I decided I did not care about that old flying horse.

My Daddy; as I said earlier passed away just before my tenth birthday. I was so much in shock that morning in August. As usual it was very hot even at 6 or 7 AM, can't remember now. Mama woke us to say that Daddy would not wake up. My little Brother Jerry was lying in the "crook" of his arm so she reached over and picked him up and I guess she laid him on another bed. She said that someone needed to go and call Annie and Punch; our Sister and Brother in law.
We did not have a phone and the nearest one was about three blocks away (on a country highway) at the Brock Country Store. I was told to go and in my shock and haste, I ran all the way there in my petticoat (or slip as we called it). I yelled for the Brock Sisters and told them what happened and while one called my Sister, the other one drove me back home. It was a sad day at the Carters.

What Might have Been, new section

As promised, here is a couple of paragraphs from my novel:

I was born in the rural South, daughter of a tenant farmer with seven Brothers and three Sisters. We were poor but we had food, clothes and love. I know my Mother loved us all and I know my Daddy loved me as well. My life was happy, as I remember; until a month before my tenth birthday and I lost my Daddy; he was 49 years of age. My Mother was left with 5 children at home, the youngest was going to be four that month, August. We were tenant farmers which meant we had to take care of the land or we had no place to live, what were we going to do?


My Mother was a very religious woman so we were made to go to Church even if we did not want to but the good thing was the Music! I listened, I clapped my hands and I tried to be happy at Church. My Uncle Bill, my Mother's Brother played an old accoustic guitar at Church and had heard me sing so one day he told me,"If you sing, they will probably give you money" so that is when I learned I could be paid for doing what I loved;Singing! (Forgive me Lord for that transgression) After that, I knew what I was going to do some day, I was going to Sing as a Professional! I did not know how hard that road would be to travel-------