BoydandKayla

I just found Kayla's blog, www.boydandkayla.blogspot.com and loved reading about her day to day life. She writes on a more consistent basis than I do! I first got acquainted with Kayla when LeaAnn was playing and singing with "Witness". That was when Ashton was a toddler and NOW Ashton is almost 15 years old! Unbelievable. Anyway, Kayla's brother, Rob Hunsaker, also sang with the group and we have watched his children grow up along with Ashton. In almost fifteen years we have watched the kids grow and also see changes in ourselves. When Rick and I recently had new pictures taken, we noticed that our hair is the same color! Funny, we never realized that before:)

Bright Hollow Adventure

Dogwood Acres Weekly 03/23/09

DOGWOOD ACRES, 03/23/09, ELANE CRUM
Hello friends. This windy day is meeting all expectations for a March day. At least the sun is shining; a sunny windy day is more enjoyable than a cloudy windy day. With three sets of wind chimes on my deck, it is definitely not a quite day. Just outside my office window here at home, there stands a tall dead oak tree. I can only pray that it will fall down hill if the fifty mile an hour wind gusts should uproot it.
When we moved to this house in 1991, Neal and his friends tied a rope in one of the high branches. Most of his friends, at least the braver ones, would see how high above the treetops they could swing. When Martin Hodges lived here in Grandpa and Grandma Crum’s trailer, he brought his friends over to swing. It was definitely a feat for the brave of heart. I always held my breath fearing the rope would break and someone would sail over the treetops into the deep hollow below.
While we were at Bill and Mary Lou’s Sunday afternoon, LeaAnn and Erin brought a little black calf out of the barn to play with. It is one of a set of twins that the Mama cow will not take, so they are bottle feeding it. Martin fixed the bottle and Erin held the calf still while Amy fed it. It was quite a team effort but there is nothing sweeter than a newborn calf.
Norm France is on the road to recovery following his recent surgery. Connie tries to make sure it is not a fast track, but Norm is a hard man to keep down. She helps feed the calves, but Norm is driving the Gator. Connie dreamed that he had moved the bull, so I think she is keeping an extra close eye on him now. He is planting seeds in his greenhouse and I am looking forward to some Big Boy Tomatoes by July 4. Norm is always generous and sends veggies to the office with Connie.
Hobart Collins called and asked me to help get the word out about the Alzheimer’s Benefit Gospel Sing to be held on April 4 at White River Association Youth Camp near Taneyville. The time is from 6:30-9:30, no charge, but donations will be accepted to benefit Alzheimer’s research. There is quite a lineup of singers, including Bill Burns, Ricky Harville and Bob Hammond.
Bessie Rossner Gideon called to tell me how much she enjoyed her visits in Oregon with Betty Crum and Bud and Juanita Essary. She is glad to be back in her California home, although the time spent with son, Gary, and his family in Washington was very nice.
I just heard from Abigail Biggs who is on spring break today. She has been outside cutting out a four-wheeler trail. What a girl!
Rick wants to take me on a four-wheeler ride to Bright Hollow this afternoon. We will stop on the way to look at a property for sale, so I believe that makes it a business trip. I love this job! Bye for now.

WINTER'S BONE

Justin's pickup on the movie set of Winter's Bone

DOGWOOD ACRES WEEKLY, 03/16/09

DOGWOOD ACRES, 03/16/09, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. There are obvious signs that Sucker Grabbing time is here. I took an alternate route to church on Sunday morning and The Corner of the Lower Field on Swan was full of pickups and fishermen. I saw at least one fellow on a ladder, but I know it was not my husband as he was sick at home. ...or was he? That is where I left him and he was there when I got home with no evidence of having been fishing.

When I was a kid, Daddy would bring home Suckers and Mother would can them in the pressure cooker; to be made into fried fish patties at a later time.

Emmett Biggs asked me to remind those with loved ones buried at the Forsyth-Swan Cemetery that there will be a spring clean-up day next Saturday. That will be at 8:30 a.m. on March 21. Bring rakes and whatever other tools you expect to need.

Christie and I attended a family gathering in Branson Wednesday night, spending an evening with our cousins, Alvie and Judy Davis, from Charleston, Illinois. They stayed for a week in a lovely condo, went to some shows and enjoyed an Ozark Mountain Country spring vacation. It has been a long time, close to sixty years, since Alvie lived on a farm at Ponce.

I stopped to see Uncle Bill and Aunt Roma Smith in Forsyth on Saturday afternoon. Their yard is so colorful with a number of early blooming shrubs and trees showing their colors. Friends, family and neighbors have helped rake leaves and get their little garden ready to plant. While Uncle Bill did a little raking and burning on his own, an old dead tree was shooting some hefty flames and scared Aunt Roma so badly that she asked a neighbor for help. She said before she knew it there was fifteen cars and a fire truck or two at their rescue. Not only did they put the fire out, but cut down the old tree for them. They are so appreciative of this great outpouring of help.

Frank Layson has moved from the hospital to Cox Walnut Lawn Skilled Nursing Facility, where he will continue physical therapy. Jim Bilyeu visits often and brings home encouraging reports on Frank's recovery.

The Winter's Bone movie set has moved from Layson's home to other locations, but we continue hearing bits and pieces. Daddy's string of turkey beards was used as a prop in some of the log cabin scenes. I think they hung them on the wall for added atmosphere. Richard and Kelly Michael had two long strings of sweetheart rocks that were hung from the front of the log cabin. For those of you who do not know, sweetheart rocks are simply rocks with holes in them; they can be found in the gravel beds along our local creeks.

Ken and Nita Puchta took Jim, Dawn, Justin and Kasie on a guided hike through the woods Sunday afternoon. Jim said they visited a spot near the head of Bright Hollow where it was said there had been a sawmill at one time.

Daddy had told Ken that he remembered being there when he was about seven years old. Jim took Daddy's metal detector to see what treasures could be found, but did not find much. There was half of a horse shoe, a piece of an old iron stove and then quite a few short pieces of twisted iron scattered over a large area. Jim said it made him wonder if the sawmill had blown up.

It is too early for mushrooms so Ken and Nita took hotdogs and they had a little weiner roast way back in the woods. They had dropped off in the hollow behind Puchta's house and walked through the hollows coming out on the road near the Phillip's Field. Way back in there somewhere they found one of Daddy's old tree stands with his trademark cedar steps.

Rick said he remembered when that tree stand was built and used only one deer season as it was a long haul to drag the deer out of the woods.

I think basketball tournaments are over for us for this year. Granddaughter, Erin, played seven games in the last two weeks; first week at Taneyville, then last week at Bradleyville. She is in the fourth grade and still learning all the ins and outs of the game, but we were all busting our buttons at the last game. She was top scorer, making eleven of the total thirteen points that her team had. I think that game put them in third place for the Bradleyville Tournament.

A house full of neighbors were at Jim and Dawn Bilyeu's for coffee and breakfast Saturday morning. Mike Stenger told me that the men were fixing breakfast and if the ladies did not like it, they could cook next time. Fluffy hot biscuits and sausage gravy was very good; I heard not a single complaint so surely there is no danger that ladies will have to cook next time around. Bye for now.

Anderson Ford Baptizing

John Comer, Pastor of New Haven General Baptist Church, held his first Baptismal Service with these four kids. The boy is Carl Stewart. The girls, L to R are Bonnie Bilyeu, Leta Meier & Christie Bilyeu.

DOGWOOD ACRES WEEKLY 03/08/09

DOGWOOD ACRES, 03/08/09, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. Second Sunday of each month is fellowship dinner at Sandy Church. Pastor Neal knows he can preach extra long because nobody will leave without eating, These Sundays are always a special time to be together. The dessert table was extra good today with strawberry shortcake, chocolate pies, lots of brownies and Judy Wilson’s cinnamon rolls. I think everyone left with full tummies and wondering if they would ever need to eat again.

John Lee and Brenda Comer were at Sandy for Sunday evening service. He said they were not visitors as Sandy Church is home for him. I feel privileged to have gotten an autographed copy of his book, “Life through the Seasons”. It is a personal memoir of his life growing up in the Sandy community.

It just so happened that I had a copy of an old picture in my Bible that I gave to John Lee. Going through old photo albums recently, I found a picture taken in 1966 of a Baptismal Service at the Anderson Ford on Bull Creek. John Lee, then the pastor at New Haven, was holding his first baptismal service and the four young candidates for baptism were Carl Stewart, Christie Bilyeu, (little) Bonnie Bilyeu and Leta Gail Meier. Forty-three years ago? That hardly seems possible.

Last week was a busy one with Erin playing three nights in the Taneyville Basketball Tournament. The first game was Tuesday night and since that was Rick’s birthday, he and I stopped at the Coffee Break for supper. We sat with Emmett Biggs who was killing a cup or two of coffee while waiting for the game to begin.

Emmett is a big fan of the Taneyville Tigers and seldom misses a game. From him we learned a little history about Taneyville School. Emmett was in the 8^th grade in 1951. That was the year the “new” gym was built and the first time he ever played basketball on a wood floor. There were no Tigers then, as they were called the Taneyville Tomcats. I do not know when the change from Tomcats to Tigers was made. Cannot say that I ever knew of a team called the Tomcats, but am sure they had a howling good time.

This tournament of third and fourth graders from four different schools could have been a grandparent’s convention or family reunion. We saw so many of our former classmates from forty years ago who were proudly watching their little ones, just as we were.

Billy and Brenda Cummings came from Marshfield to watch Jeff and Tracey Shipley’s little girl; boy is she fast! A little cheerleader got Rhonda Turner to the game, also saw Jim and Della Russell, Brandy and Lisa, so just about the whole family was there.

Jack and Linda Matthews had ballplayers and cheerleaders, what a busy family they are. Thursday night I sat with them for a while and visited with Linda and her little sis, Carla Jennings. I took a picture of the girls, and they gave me permission to post it on the Bilyeu Family website. Carla’s little fellows were really getting into the hoop shoots. She told me to tell Kasie that she will be up to hunt mushrooms soon.

Great-Gramps, Newton Matthews, came to cheer for Brynne Mitchell.

One night we sat beside Lenny and June Boyd. June asked if I was kin to Danny Frazier and I had to admit that I am. They go to church with Danny and Danita at New Vision, so know that he is a pretty good guy.

Rick, Ashton, Erin and I visited Jeremy and Stephanie Chambers Friday afternoon. Stephanie took some pictures for us, but we enjoyed seeing their new home and walking along the creek. They have such a wonderful place for Carissa and Hunter to run and play. Jeremy had turned the garage into a workshop where he was building Stephanie a new entertainment center. Young families are so busy nowadays; it was good to see them working and playing together.

Jim Bilyeu visited Frank Layson a few days ago and said he was talking some and anxious to get out of the hospital. There is still a long road to recovery but at least the long days of waiting for Frank to open his eyes are behind them.

I went to see Beverly Otto at Skaggs on Friday afternoon and was glad to see her sitting up and smiling. It had been ten days since she had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery. She was looking forward to going home on Saturday.

Sunday afternoon, Bill and Mary Lou Hodges took Martin, Amy and Erin out in the fields to see the new set of twin calves. There is nothing sweeter than little spring calves.

Happy Birthday to Charles Edwards, III, who just turned fifteen. He had a busy Sunday celebrating with family and friends. Bye for now.

Pine Ridge Bobcats

Cliff Bilyeu

DOGWOOD ACRES WEEKLY 03/02/09

DOGWOOD ACRES, MARCH 2, 2009

Hello friends. Our granddaughters were here all weekend and on Saturday we pretended to be snowed in, cooking, eating, napping and playing board games. Erin likes to play checkers but I beat her three out of three. She also helped bake a chocolate cake for PaPa Rick's birthday, which is March 3. We took it to Granny Hodges for Sunday dinner.

It snowed throughout the day on Saturday, leaving us with two or three inches of snow. There was still snow in the shady spots of our yard on Monday morning, but this nice sunny day has surely melted every last flake.

Rick's uncle and aunt, Almus and Dorothy Ragsdale celebrated their wedding anniversary on February 28. They have been blessed with 67 years together, twelve children, many precious grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Rick’s mom had a surprise visit from Bessie (Rossner) Gideon and her son, Gary. Gary was taking Bessie back to her home in California and stopped in Cottage Grove, Oregon, to visit Larry Stegall. Larry is the son of Skip and Edna (Rossner) Stegall. After visiting with Betty Jo, they planned to stop in Roseburg to see Bud Essary, so, you see there are Taney County folks scattered all up and down the Pacific Coast.

Bessie had been with Gary in Washington ever since she broke her leg last summer. It has been quite an ordeal for her but she is on the mend now and looking forward to being in her own home again. Bye for now.

TWINS' BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday to Ricky Lee Crum & Roger Dee Crum

Born 03/03/1947
Longview, Washington