The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Coal camp living was a great life

Whitesburg



Hello everyone, hope you are all doing well. It has sure been cold, but we missed the snow again. I saw lots of cars with lots of snow on them. I don’t know where they came from, maybe Pine Mountain.

Hugh Pennington, I can’t believe you got a big laugh over my little cat bite. I laughed over it too. Linda (Pennington) Hall called me laughing. I love making people laugh. If it takes something like that, so be it! I’ll laugh with you.

Shirley Breeding and I enjoyed Jim Cornett’s story about Graveyard Hollow. Shirley lived there and I lived close by, so we knew the people he wrote about. I’m sure the people who grew up there enjoyed reading about it. I know the people who grew up in Marlowe tell me they love to read about the Marlowe people.

Lots of people talk about coal camp people, but to me it was a great life. The people all loved each other and helped out when someone there passed away. The men all dug graves and sat up all night with the family and the women all cooked food and took it to them and helped out in any way they could and they all helped each other.

My parents always had a cow and pigs and chickens and raised a big garden and shared with everyone. My mom made clothes for lots of the children and never expected any pay.

Nowadays lots of folks away from here don’t even know their next door neighbors and never get close to them. I still keep in touch with some after over 50 years and we share our good memories. We all seemed to have a bond. Good friends are a treasure.

I don’t think I ever saw Whitesburg more beautiful than it was this past Christmas. The Christmas tree by the courthouse was so pretty and the corner out near Jimmy Asher’s office was so pretty and the scene in front of Dr. Narramore’s office was really pretty and so were all the other street decorations. You people did a great job! I hated to see it come down, but life moves on.

I attended the funeral of Daniel Sandlin on Friday. My nephew, Brother Caleb Howard, was the minister. We offer our sympathy to all the family. I know lots of the Sandlins.

Roland Brown and his wife, Ruth, were in Roanoke, Va., visiting his sister, Roberta Willie. Roberta’s husband, Robert, had surgery on Thursday. I heard he is doing OK after surgery. They are such good friends! I’d love to see them.

Well, since Christmas and New Year’s are all past, it’s hard to get settled back down after all the gettogethers. We should do it more often. Everyone is so busy, but families need to stay close. I sure love all my family and I’m thankful we have so many. We never need to be lonely, most of ours live close by.

Our big new health department building is coming right along. It sure is a beautiful building.

My sons, Rob and Billy, and I enjoyed dinner at Pine Mountain Grill. We missed that while Rob and his family were on vacation. We enjoyed having Billy’s son, Joe, and his pretty girlfriend, Hannah Joseph, with us.

We were so sorry to hear of the death of Chad Gilliam, Paul Gilliam’s son, who died in Kuwait while in service there. He was one of our Whitesburg boys. We offer our sympathy to all his family.

A big hello to all our old Marlowe friends who are scattered all over. You are all remembered.

May God bless all of you. Try to be in church somewhere this week.

Longaberger is coming to town! Mike Trempe, director of Basket Operations in Newark, Oio, is coming to National Sales Leader Sandra Cook’s NSL meeting, Saturday, Jan. 17 at Red Roof Bingo Hall from 1 to 3 p.m. He is bringing baskets, new products, and new information about the Longaberger Company. Sandra asks all to come and join the fun.

For more information, call Sandra Cook, (606) 633- 4969.


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