Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Ps. 51:10 NIV

Sister Donna with cousin Sue and the old rock

house in the background.

I want to tell you a little about the house. This

is where my sister, brother and I were raised. It

was a 5 room house, 3 downstairs and 2 upstairs,

built of native sandstone that was quarried in the

pasture east of the house. The original house was

built in 1873 with 4 rooms, one room was added

on the south later on. I want to draw attention to

the upstairs window behind Donna. That was LaRoy

and I's bedroom. The ceiling was tapered so that the

outside wall was only 4' tall. You had to be almost in

the center of the room to stand up straight. The stairway

was a steep L-shaped stairway so you had to watch

yourself when you went up or down. There was no heat

upstairs so it was very cold in the winter. The window

wasn't very tight so a lot of times when it snowed the snow

would sift through the window on the floor and sometimes

on our bed. As it was cold in the room, a lot of times

homecured hams and bacon would be hung there. When

the house was torn down we found a button-up shoe, a silver

spoon and 2 hedgeballs (osage oranges) in a hole in the wall

that had been placed there when the house was built.

LaRoy and I

When LaRoy was a senior he got a new 1951 Ford

pickup. There was nothing in a 4 county area that

could outrun it. Don't ask me how I know that. :-)

Me and LaRoy

Dressed up for something. Don't

remember what.

Me Donna LaRoy

LaRoy
8th grade graduation. We went to a rural
school so the graduation for all 8th graders
from rural schools in the county was held in town.

LaRoy by Donna's Pontiac

LaRoy

I THINK on senior trip...?

Darlene Postlethwaite and LaRoy

They started in country school together

in 1st grade and graduated from high school together.

My 8th grade graduation.

Mom Me Dad

Me and Don Casey (a neighbor)

In high school we had a relay team of guys over

200 pounds that we were both on. No one

could beat us because Don could run like a deer.

Donna

Donna

High school graduation.

This huge vine was on the west side of the house.