Legend of Pigeon Roost Road
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My husband, Cliff, got a plow and used that mule to break some ground for a garden. He did not listen to me about planting the garden. The whole spot was planted. In time the seeds sprouted and the corn never got more than four inches tall. The beans grew but were a pale green. It was all a waste of time because you cannot grow vegetables without fertilizer. It was evident that we needed fertilizer. So Cliff was not to be outdone and showed up with a truckload of cottonseed hulls and covered the whole area. He then plowed the fertilizer under and we planted a crop of potatoes. The seed potatoes came from some discarded produce that Cliff got from a super market in town. You cut the eyes of the potato and plant them. After the potato crop which was very successful we had a garden spot that would grow anything. I bought a canner and could can all the apples, wild plums, berries and any fruits and vegetables that we had access to. My canner was a cold pack and I could can eight quart jars at a time. We grew so many tomatoes, green beans, squash and beets in our garden that Cliff was taking them to work and selling to his fellow workers. I never owned a pressure cooker canner as I was afraid of them. We planted vegetables that produced on top of the ground by the light of the moon and all those vegetables that produced under ground by the dark of the moon. It was just an old wives tale but seemed to work for us. The veggies grew mainly because our soil was so rich.
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About the Book
Tommy spent his early life in an old house on the Pigeon Roost Road. His first pet was a bird dog named Rex. They were inseparable until Rex matured a year later. Rex was born to hunt birds. Tommy had to give up his companion when the hunter saw Rex point to a covey of birds. Rex was sold to him for $75.00.
Rex was replaced by a pair of Beagle Hounds. When nine puppies were born and matured they chased Tommy. The baying sounds were so loud and disturbed the entire family.
Tommy was instructed not to pick the pretty tulips that bloomed in the yard. "Okay mom," he said and went outside. The next few minutes he came in the house crying because a bee had stung him on the hand. He just wanted to catch the bee. Everybody knows that bee stings are very poisonous to some. Tommy was relieved of all this when vinegar and soda was applied to his hand.
The property was infested with copperheads. These snakes are very poisonous if they bite you. We actually found a copperhead in our bedroom just minutes before Tommy's father left to go to work.
About the Author
This book was written about my son's life just outside of Memphis, Tennessee. We lived on the Pigeon Roost Road in an old house with five acres of land. We grew vegetables, chickens, turkeys and livestock. Tommy, our son spent his formative years in this environment. When five years had passed we moved to the big city of Memphis. In 1956 we migrated to California. My ability to work was evident and my first book was published in 2007. Since then I have enjoyed writing true life stories.