1944

Ma and Dad lived in house on the hill.  My dad was a sharecropper.  We lived in a house down the hill by the creek.  Between the houses was a field oh maybe 4o acres.  Dad farmed this field.  Sometimes he would have cotton, corn, or watermelons.  This was my play yard.  I would meet dad out in the field and follow him around.  I especially liked when he planted watermelons.  Dad and Ma were my mothers parents.  This was in OK.  My moms  brothers were in the army in Germany.  Walt was home but he worked for some one else.  My Dad and Dad M. would get the field ready, using a team of horses and a plow.  Then other horse drawn implements to prepare the the ground.  I would go along with Dad M. and he would make little hills and plant the watermelon seed.  Some snuff was placed in each hill then the seed.  He then carefully covered the seed not to deep just deep enough. (the snuff was to keep bugs from eating the seed)  Now we waited for rain to give enough moisture to sprout he seed.  During this time any weeds were hoe'ed out.  Many hours were spent in this manner.  I loved every hour I spent with my Grandpa M.  When the watermelons got ripe they sure was tasty.

When he had cotton in the field and it was cotton picking time the family all helped.  Each had a cotton sack(a long bag open on one end, closed on the other.  On the open end was a strap sowed to the bag off center.  You put his strap on your shoulder and drug the bag behind and beside you while you picked the cotton from the stalk and put it in the cotton sack.  I was unfair to my mother because I would get on the cotton sack and ride while mother picked cotton.  When the sack was full we had a team of horse's pulling a wagon with high chicken wire sides.  When this wagon was full of cotton we would drive the team and wagon to town to the cotton gin.  I remember riding with my Dad and Dad M. to town and the cotton gin.  Lots of work to being a farmer back then.  More later.  Have a good day.
Pappy