Sitting on the front porch swing at my grandfather's house in Montcalm, listening to it creak as it moved back and forth; hearing the lonesome baleful howl of a hounddog in the night air; watching the heat lightening streak across the star-lit night sky; and, the beautiful melody wafting from the little Pentecostal church as the choir sang Amazing Grace or When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder.

Duhring brings back memories of feather beds, walking across the bridge to go to the little store that always held a fascinating array of penny candy (back then you could get just about a whole week's worth for a nickel); listening to the sounds of the creek as the water cascaded over the rocks lazily going nowhere.

Sagamore Hollow - remembering this boy (Justus) that used to walk me to school everyday at my mother's request, making sure I got to and from where I was supposed to be; remembering the night I woke up and venturing into the bathroom only to see this orange glow bouncing off the walls, then having my mom and dad tell me the coal tipple was on fire; watching the company store burn to the ground and everyone that lived there at that time standing around as if one big family...back then, that's exactly what we were...a big family that reached out to help each other without hesitation; if someone was in need, another would share. That's the coal mine where my daddy took me to work with him; that's the same place where my mom's dad got his finger cut off and my dad had to rush him to the hospital, in an old studebaker truck he had.  

Sorry, there I go again.  Rambling on about things that I treasure, but whenever I get to talk about West Virginia, I don't seem to know when to shut up.    I hope one day in the very near future to be able to journey to NC and take my mom out of the center for a couple of days as I promised her she and I would make a trip back in time and return to visit one last time where she was born, where she grew up as well giving me the opportunity to once again revisit the places where my most treasured memories were made.  

Diana