Nickellton Christmas

      Do you have fond memories of Christmas as a child?  Every year Nickellton School would celebrate Christmas by hosting a Christmas Festival. The school would come to life with tinsel and pine garland and a Christmas Tree. The stage depicted a scene by the fireplace and all the comforts of home. Parents and community members would gather at the school in the afternoon to watch the children perform the Christmas Festival program.

        The children would memorize verses, short stories, lines for a Christmas play, and songs. Grandpa Willie Borron, at the age of 6, stood before a crowd of parents, fellow classmates, and community members to say his first recitation, "Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old mans hat. If you haven't gotta penny, a half penny will do. If you haven't got a half penny, God bless you." My mother, Charlotte Borron, sang for the Christmas Festival in 1951, she was in the 4th grade. Her white crate paper dress with red bows was made by her sister, Shirley Borron.

Ronnie Perry and Charlotte Borron singing a duet.

Joyce Crawford and Sarah Demmitt

Mickey Farmer, Judy Perry, Katie Farmer, and James Replogle

Ronnie Perry and Charlotte Borron

A couple weeks before the Christmas Festival the children would draw names for the gift exchange after the Christmas program. The gifts were simple yet thoughtful, handkerchiefs and Blue Waltz Perfume for the girls, little dime cars and trucks for the boys. Other gifts were coloring books, magic slates, and Old Maid cards. The teacher, who had little resources to give gifts, often gave the students pencils, candy, and fruit. Miss Ida May Parren had the children decorate wooden trinket boxes to give to their parents for Christmas Gifts.

        

One year the teacher instructed a group of boys to cut enough pine branches to adorn the stage in festive greenery. The boys knew the exact tree to use, the tree just up the road from the entrance to the Borron home place on the north side of the road. They didn't cut the tree down, but instead cut off all the branches on the north side of the tree. The little tree survived, but grew lop sided having branches only on the south side of the tree. Strangely enough this pine tree became a part of my childhood Christmas memories as I always knew we had arrived at Grandpa's house when the pine tree came into my view on the horizon.  The tree lived through many years of ice storms, tornados, and the wear and tear of children using it's branches. The pine tree finally died and was cut down in 2009. I miss that tree.

I hope you have enjoyed reminiscing. Have a Merry Christmas!

Stay Tuned

The blogging has slowed down, but not to worry many more stories to come. Stay tuned for stories about discipline, carnivals and festivals, the pot bellied stove, and many more.

The restoration of the Nickellton School has come to an abrupt halt. It is much easier to do the demolition and prep-work, than it is to put it back together again. Remember Humpty Dumpty and his great fall.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King's horses
And all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again!

I'm a optimist. I think the King's men eventually put Humpty Dumpty back together. It just took the King's men longer than expected. They probably had to make the glue, hollow out an egg shaped mold, build scaffolding around the mold, and then climb the scaffolding to put the pieces back in the correct places.
The King's men haven't even arrived on the scene at the Nickellton School, so you can imagine the wait time.


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What are Little Boys Made of?

What are little boys made of?

Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails, and... skunks.
That's what little boys are made of !

It was a school day in 1941 when the trapping incident sent Miss Mildred Henry to find a handkerchief to cover her nose. In the days of one room school houses one of the favorite past times for boys was trapping. Back in those days there were boyhood requirements and one was knowing how to make and set a trap, and the other was knowing how to get as dirty as possible. The boys did have goals, one was to trap any varmint they could, and the other was to create as much mischief as possible.

Jim Nickell was in the 8th grade and Leland Moyer was in the 3rd grade. Jim loved to trap any varmint he could and he was quite good at it. Everyday the two boys walked to school checking all of Jim's traps. Of course Jim took it upon himself to train Leland to be the second best trapper in the Nickellton area. Jim was the best. Part of the training was not only to learn to make and set a trap, but to take the animal out of the trap. Jim had shown Leland how to take out coons, opossum, squirrel, and fox. On the day the two trapped the skunk it was time for Leland to show Jim his training in action. Leland trusted Jim and knew he could do it. Plus he wanted to show an 8th grader he was fully capable of taking on a young man's task.

Leland proceeded to open the trap door just slightly. He stuck his hand inside reaching as far back as he could, nothing. Nothing was in the trap. Then the two boys heard scratching coming from the back of the trap, so Jim told Leland to get a long stick to poke at the skunk prodding it to move closer to the front of the trap. Nothing happened, the skunk wouldn't move. By that time the school bell was about to ring and they needed to get the skunk out quick or come back to it after school. Well the two boys couldn't wait all day. So Jim told Leland, "We'll shake it out. When I start shaking, you open the trap door." It worked. The skunk landed on the ground sprayed Leland all down his front side, and then it ran up the outside of Jim's pant leg spraying everywhere. The boys stunk and the skunk had escaped.

Jim and Leland stunk so bad they almost got sick right there by the trap. They knew they had to go to school because they would be in big trouble coming home smelling like a skunk. But they also knew they would be sent home from school if they went to school smelling like a skunk. It had just rained that morning so the grass was wet and there were puddles of water all along the trail to school. Jim and Leland rolled in the wet grass to get the stink off, didn't work. They pounced into every mud puddle along the way, practically bathing in the mud. Nothing was working. By the time they got to school they had been counted absent and the lessons had begun.

They didn't even get a chance to step into the classroom as Miss Henry, handkerchief in hand covering her nose and mouth, could smell them coming and met them in the hall. In fact the entire school was in an uproar over the smell coming from the hall. All the students were pinching their noses to avoid the smell. It wasn't possible to avoid the smell. Jim and Leland were covered head to toe in mud, their clothes soaked clean through and the smell was radiating from their bodies in a green halo.  Miss Henry directed Jim and Leland to go to the porch, but that was not far enough way. She did not ask what happened, but quickly sent them home and instructed them not to come back until the smell was gone. The smell didn't leave the school house all day, even with all the windows open and a nice breeze.

Leland did try trapping one more time. He caught a field mouse.

Tune in next time for more updates.

Picture: Mildred Henry-Bragg with some of her students. We think Leland is in this picture, but not sure.

Nickellton School gets foamed

Last Tuesday, after the water receded, the foam insulation crew was finally able to foam the inside walls and ceiling of the Nickellton School. Looks much different.

East Wall-chalkboard wall

North wall-no more holes

West wall-mom is looking for bats. I don't think she is going to find any.

Front hall-east side. There will be a door added to this wall. It will enter a small addition which will have restrooms and a kitchen area.

Front hall-west wall

Rafters and ceiling

Next we will be adding a new porch and vinyl siding.

What are little boys made of? Tune into my next blog post to find out what some of the Nickellton School boys were made of back in the days of one room school houses.

We were getting foamed today, but ...

Lots has happened since we started the process of restoring the Nickellton School. It was a complete mess.

Then the Washington Woodsmen gutted the inside of the entire building.

Charlotte removed nails left after taking off the plaster lathe.

Then Kurt and Dad put in new windows.

We put in a new door.

The holes were fixed for mouse and varmint proofing.

To get ready for the foam insulation we put in new electrical wiring. Electricity was added to the school house around 1948. Before that time the school used the natural lighting from the windows. If an evening event took place kerosene lamps were used. 

Notice the outlets are about 4 feet up the wall, not close to the floor. Electricity was new, many homes did not have electrical outlets. The electrical outlets were place high on the walls to keep small children from harm. Hmm... not a bad idea.

 The foam insulation has been slightly delayed as the insulators have no way to get to the Nickellton School. Mom and Dad are now on a island. All  bridge roads are closed as you can see below.

Bear Creek to the southwest of the house.

Salt River to the east of the house.

Bear Creek to the north. When I took this picture the bridge was still open. As soon as I crossed the bridge they closed the road. Within 10 minutes of crossing the bridge the water was over the road on the east side of the bridge.

Tune in next time to see if the school finally got foamed. Sounds like some kind of prank.

That's a bunch of Bull.

Donna Faye McMichael-Ayres and her sister Pat and brother-in-law John Cox stopped by yesterday to visit the Nickellton School renovation project. Donna attended Nickellton School from 1929-30, her first grade year,  to 1934-35, her 6th grade year. After the 6th grade her family moved to the Atlanta, Missouri area so she and her siblings could attend the Atlanta High School. While attending Nickellton School her teachers were Miss Eunice Marsh, Miss Mary Laughery, and Miss Genevieve Henry.

During the first grade Donna road Chubby her pony to school. By the 4th grade Donna had moved up to riding the big horse. Arthur Hale "Jack" her younger brother took over riding Chubby the pony. Ronald "Cookie" road the big horse with Donna as there was only one pony; and Jack and Ronald were to young to ride the big horses.

Donna recalled passing a bull while riding to school one day.  Most of the families in the Nickellton Community raised live stock, so it was not uncommon for cattle to get out of the fences or be roaming the grounds along her trail to school. She recognized the bull as belonging to her family, but figured her pa knew the bull was out.  When she arrived at school the kids were sitting on the porch and playing on the school grounds waiting for the bell to ring. The day started like any normal day at school. When the bell rang the students filed into the school, hung up their coats in the front hall, sat their lunches on the floor below their coats, and then stood by their assigned desk.  The Pledge of Allegiance was said and the Star Spangled banner was sang. The lessons began as usual.

Some students were busy working on lessons at their desk while Miss Henry was instructing a small group on the stage. The older students were helping the younger students with math. As usual it was calm and quiet. Suddenly there was a loud rumbling roar coming from the front of the school. It was the sound of clanging chains and pounding sledge hammers. All the students stopped their lessons to listen. The teacher went to the window to look then walked onto the porch. The students, unable to contain their curiosity quickly went to the hallway windows to look. Some of the older students rushed onto the porch. All stood in awe watching three bulls butt, kick, bite, and push. The bulls were thrashing around and stirring up dust. One bull had a ring in it's nose with a long chain hooked to the ring. It's head was rearing up and down, the chain hitting the other two bulls. Then the chain became hooked within the hove of one of the other bulls and as the ring nosed bull pulled up the ring ripped from his nose. Blood and snot flung everywhere.

The teacher, Miss Henry, realized the bulls were on a rampage and would not stop fighting until the pecking order of the community bulls was determined. Alarmed for the safety of her students she quickly hurried them back to their seats.  A couple times the bulls kicked the outside of the school's east wall shaking up the chalk dust and moving the pictures. You would have thought it was an earthquake. The bulls continued to push, shove, and ram one another for hours. It was time for the children to go home, but the bulls were still fighting.  Miss Henry did not want to let the children walk home, but two older boys convinced her to let them leave to get help. The two boys left taking Ivan and Iris Allred home. Then the two went to get Oliver Belt and Donna's Dad, Hale McMichael. Oliver, Hale, and Willie Borron road in on horses carrying pitchforks. Using the pitchforks and maneuvering the horses, the men were able to separate the bulls and get them headed back to their respective cow lot.  Once the men confirmed the bulls were contained, Miss Henry dismissed school. Donna noted, "It was a very scary day at school."

Cyber-bullying is the craze among our youth today.

The first picture is of Nickellton School, class of 1930-31. Left to Right: Donna is the 4th student in the bottom row. Wayne, Donna's brother, is 4th in the top row.  The second picture is Miss Genevieve Henry.

It Must Be in My Genes

Science has proven DNA determines a person's genetic predisposition.  Genetics determines your eye color, hair color, height, and skin color, and also plays a role in a person's intelligence and health.  Our Genes comes from bits and pieces of DNA from all generations before our time. I could go into the exact genetic coding, but I won't bore you with those details.  Plus, I'm really not a geneticist.

Since starting the renovation project I have learned I have several genetic predispositions that date back to generations before me. Not only was my Grandma Jennie a prankster, so was her daughter, my Aunt Shirley.  My Momma was the baby of the family, 9 years younger than my Aunt Shirley; which made for an easy target. When my mother, Charlotte, was about 6 years old Shirley decided it was about time for the "ole baby" to experience a Shirley Borron prank.

Since Charlotte never left her momma's side, Shirley waited until Charlotte and her momma Jennie were outside. Once the two left the house to do chores, Shirley went about the house collecting items for her dastardly prank; an ironing board, the brand new mop her momma just bought, a lipstick, rouge, black, blue and brown pencils, an old white pillow case and pillow, a long sleeve shirt, a long jacket from her momma's closet, gloves, and a scarf.

Old houses are full of nooks and crannies not open floor plans, perfect for hiding places. In order for Charlotte to get to her room, first she had to open a door to enter another room, then walk a few steps to the door to her room.Shirley set the stage for scaring Charlotte to death just behind the first door. She propped-up the ironing board, flat side facing the door, and dressed it to look like a person. Shirley being the talented artist and pillow sculpture made a face with a nose, big blue eyes with log black eyelashes, rosy cheeks, and voluptuous red lips. She placed the long roping of the mop on top of the pillow for hair and placed a scarf around the hair. She tied the knot of the scarf under the chin. Shirley put the shirt on the ironing board, then the jacket, stuffed the sleeves and pinned the gloves to the ends of the sleeves. Lastly she rigged the arms to look as if they were reaching out for someone. She was ready. Now all she needed was for Charlotte to open the door and walk into the ironing board. I'm sure she was tickled with herself.

It was getting late and the sun was setting. Jennie, Charlotte, and Willie finished the chores and returned to the house to get ready to turn in for the evening. Shirley was sitting in the main room next to the carosene lamp reading a book, probably peeking over it to see how close Charlotte was to opening the door. Hard to contain herself Shirley snickered under her breath. Jennie, knowing Shirley liked to play pranks on Charlotte, went to the door, opened it and let out a scream "Oh my heavens!" Jennie grabbed her chest, leaned against the door jam and slowly slid to the floor. She sat with back her propped on the wall.  Shirley's prank meant to scare Charlotte, scared her momma half to death. Jennie had had a slight heart attack. Grandma Jennie did survive, but to this day they claim Shirley's ironing board prank was detrimental to Jennie's heart for the rest of her life.

You may be asking, "How does this story connect to my genes?" Well I have to admit I am a pretty good prankster myself; although, I don't think I ever gave anyone a heart attack.

My birthday is October 16th and I absolutely loved Halloween, and still do. On my 12th birthday, my parents let me have a sleepover with six of my closest friends. In our backyard was an old bunk house. The sleepover was going to take place in the bunkhouse.  The festivities for the sleepover included a hayride,  a wiener roast in the woods, entertainment by a witch who read our palms, and a scary ghost story back at the house. Unbeknownst to me (Momma Charlotte being a bit of a prankster too) mom enlisted Lee and Cheryl Cheek to be partners in crime. While mom was telling the ghost story, Lee and Cheryl, disguised as goblins, lurked around our house looking in the windows with flash lights lighting up their faces. We were all screaming, even me. Once we were scared out of our wits, we headed for the bunkhouse to sleep. From what I can recall, I don't think we slept.

A couple days earlier I decorated the bunkhouse to look like a haunted house. I made a life size witch and hung it just inside the door. I used string to rig the hands to move up and down as people entered the bunkhouse. All my friends, accept Kim, figured I had decorated the bunkhouse so they did not want to go in first. Kim was a timid, kinda clumsy girl and new to the group. We coaxed her into walking in first. I tugged on the string to move the hands and the entire witch fell on top of Kim. She was screaming and rolling around in the floor with the witch attached. Finally, she calmed down and I pulled the witch off of her. Needless to say Kim did not spend the night. 

Now you see the connection?

A little note on Shirley and myself's behalf. We really didn't mean to hurt or scare anyone half to death.

Picture: From my 12th birthday party. Left to right is Jill Jennings, Rhonda Cheek, Cori Burnett, Angie Shackelford, Julie Hageimeir, and Kim Hageimeir. No picture of the ironing board person exists, wonder why?