Lining up some ducks

Stopping to look at wildflowers

Near Palmdale sometime in the late 1960's

 Before starting, a wise person would probably have gotten her files and photos all sorted. A smart person would have done more research and planning and had all her ducks in a row. I, on the other hand, knew I had to jump right in and get started while the spirit moved. So now I have a few ducks to try to herd between the stories. 

The biggest is that I unearthed an interview my grandma did with her local paper. Now I know this paper was very local, small town, and often changed some things. In this case, though, it cleared up some things that were confusing me. It is understandable that my grandma didn’t go into some details when I was a kid. When I was an adult, she talked and remembered less. 

The first correction, then, is that her family went to Oklahoma in 1900, when she was 7. So her one year of school would have been in Denton. Her dad first leased tribal land in Oklahoma and then homesteaded. It does not seem like he did so trying to claim Cherokee heritage. 

In 1906, they homesteaded in Colorado. I never heard my grandma mention this or tell any stories about it.  As her older sister, Nora, was married in 1903, this was likely only my grandma and her parents. Soon after this, one of her dad’s parents in Arkansas became seriously ill, and he sent his wife and daughter back to Arkansas to help out. Eventually he joined them there. 

In the story about losing the farm during the depression, I was unsure about some of the timeline. According to another, later newspaper article interviewing my mom, they lost the Arkansas farm to bank foreclosure. The second year after moving to Oklahoma near Vinita is the harvest that was lost to grasshoppers. It was hay. 

When I can get good, readable copies of these articles digitized I will share them. But remember, I included the idea of mythology in the name of this blog for a reason. Stories are not always facts. Trust me, not every newspaper version is facts either. 

So, a few more notes.  I decided not to change the blog settings to adult. it makes it to difficult for people to access. I was just realizing that from this point on, the stories will likely need to include things that some people might not be comfortable with sharing with kids. For example the next story I want to write will include the death of a child. I will start adding content warnings for things like that, as well as about and references to other things I know people may be sensitive to.. If there are specific things you would like to be warned about, please do let me know.  

I figure from time to time I will add an extra post like this. These may include additional information or corrections. I may also share more photos I come across or other related images. 

I am so thankful for those of you following this blog. I would love to hear more feedback and any questions you may have. With this next story, I will be moving more into stories from my lifetime. There will still be older stories, but they will be told in the context of how and when I heard them. 

Remember, the reason people have always told stories is to entertain and teach. If you find these stories useful in these complicated times, do feel free to share my posts with other people.  Remember to always tell your own stories. You matter.