Stories

*Carl’s Grandma Holmes was Rose (Cheeseman) Holmes. Jasper took Carl to his grandparents house because he had gotten in trouble at home. While there he was messing around and locked his grandma out of the house. Grandma was not very happy with him. She ended up getting into the house and said that she wouldn’t spank him but he said she lied because she actually did. Jasper whipped him worse when he got home. He still feels bad to this day about doing this.

*Although his grandparents lived in the same town as they did, he can’t ever remember them coming to his house.

*Carl’s Uncle Henry (his mom’s brother) used to cut his hair. He said the first time he went to a barber shop to get haircut it cost .35 cents.

*Aunt Mercedes and Uncle Arnold. (Arnold was his Dad’s brother) They were at a dance in town and Aunt Mercedes must have been a good dancer. As she was dancing with one particular fellow and told Uncle Arnold the she could keeping dancing with him all night. Apparently Uncle Arnold did not like this comment and went out to his car and just left her there.

*Uncle Arnold must have been quite the character. He was running low on gas for his car and stopped at a church parking lot during a service and siphoned gas out of one of the unsuspecting parishioner’s vehicle.

*In 1978 Indiana had one of the worst blizzards in history. Carl was able to go to work on a snowmobile that some of our friends had. He stayed at work for several days and continued to work since he was able to get time & a half.

*There was a traveling carnival that stopped in Huntington at one point. Carl became friends with a couple who had an act with the carnival, Betty & Benny Fox. He decided he was going to join their act and traveled with them for about a month before going back home. He would climb a 10 ft pole and would stand on the platform (a round board the size of a steering wheel). After he was on the platform he would perform a dance. This is something as his daughter I had never heard of before and can not imagine it!

*Carl has had a recurring dream for years. He’s always been curious about it and wondered what it could mean. In it his brothers Kenny and Everette are walking ahead of him and going into a door and Carl is walking toward the door when it closes before he can get to it. Then there is another door with them ahead of him again with the same scenario. I think with him being the youngest child he never felt like he was a part of the two of them. They were always ahead of him in the stages of life.

*At one point Kenny and Wilma were living in Florida with their own family. Carl, Everette and their dad went to visit them in a 1948 model A. While they were there Carl lied about his age and said he was 18 so he could get a job at a saw mill. He earned .50 cents an hour and worked 10 hour days. He was happy to be able to work. Jasper made his chairs and tables out of willow branches to sell. After a while they all decided it was time to head back to Indiana. So they all loaded up in the Model A, there was a total of 9 of them! They also had the roof of the car tied down with all of the willow furniture they were going to sell along the way to finance their trip home. I always have known my Aunt Wilma was an amazing woman but to go on this trip with the cramped quarters and taking care of her children gives me another level of love and appreciation for her!