Some pics of my dad and his cars and some of his dad's cars too [my Big Paw Paw]. My dad was a little wild back then & liked to drag race. [rolling eyes heavenward] Boys will be boys...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wordless Wednesday: Boys & Their Toys
Boys & Their Toys
Some pics of my dad and his cars and some of his dad's cars too [my Big Paw Paw]. My dad was a little wild back then & liked to drag race. [rolling eyes heavenward] Boys will be boys...
Some pics of my dad and his cars and some of his dad's cars too [my Big Paw Paw]. My dad was a little wild back then & liked to drag race. [rolling eyes heavenward] Boys will be boys...
©Copyright 2011 Caroline Pointer
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The List
"Add another one to the list," my dad said as the nurse wheeled him back into the room.
Rolling my eyes heavenward and with dread, I asked, "Why?"
"Oh, I was waiting forever for my MRI, and this tech was complaining to the other techs about how bad of a day she was having. What a bad week...life...and she just went on and on while I just sat there waiting for her to tell me to get up and into the MRI machine. Then, when she was good and ready ~some 30 minutes later~ she told me to get up there."
"Oh, no," I thought, then prompted him, "And?"
"Well, she was so caught up in her 'bad day, week, life' that she forgot to ask me if I had any jewelry on."
I closed my eyes and shook my head. This wasn't my dad's first MRI by any stretch of the imagination and he had come back from the MRI alive, so I knew he had done something, if not nefarious, it was definitely going to be mischievous. "So what did you do?" I asked and silently added the word "now."
"Well, while she was helping me get down from the MRI and into the wheelchair, she suddenly remembered what she forgot to ask me before the MRI, and she started to panic and then asked me if I had any jewelry on."
"Oh dear God," I thought. Then asked, "And?"
"So I told her that yes, I had a big necklace on with a big cross. And while I was in there, I saw an arc of electricity," my dad explained. "Then she really looked upset. She looked like she was going to cry, so I quickly told her I was joking and that if I had had any jewelry on before the MRI, I'd be dead now."
"Oh my God, Dad. You didn't."
With a big smile on his face he replied, "Yes, I did, but I think I pissed her off, so we need to add her to the list with the rest of them. And she's going to need chocolates, too. Don't you think?"
Rolling my eyes heavenward, I replied, "It sounds like it, " and then I had to ask, " Why'd you do it?"
"Because I was tired of hearing her complain about how bad her life was while I sat there waiting to take that stupid MRI to see how big the tumor is in my brain. And she needed cheering up," he explained.
"Oh okay.," I thought sarcastically. So, I added her to the list. The list that contained the names of medical personnel that Dad had somehow offended in this hospital stay. A hospital stay that was keeping him away from his sweetheart on Valentine's Day.
My dad wasn't usually a difficult patient, but I think he got bored a lot of the time, and he expected the medical personnel that he dealt with to be "real" people when they entered his room. And maybe he'd throw in a joke or two. Also, he'd always ask the nurses and other medical personnel what kind of grades they made in school. I always found it humorous to watch their faces when they realized he was serious. He'd say it in a joking way, but he was definitely serious. He'd quiz them on why they made anything less than an "A", and he really wanted an honest answer. I once asked him why he wanted to know, and he answered me with this question, "Why would I want someone working on me that made less than an 'A'?" Made sense.
But this particular visit had my dad really stressed out. I mean, here he was on Valentine's Day in a hospital while his sweetheart, my mom, was seven hours away, and they had found a tumor in his brain, which meant that his kidney cancer had spread. Again. And he was going to need brain surgery to remove it. Heavy and serious stuff, and also the reason why Dad was so stressed and cranky this time and the reason for "The List."
And that's why my sister and I went to the local drugstore and bought Valentine's cards and candy for those he'd been a little less-than-cordial with. [Get it? Cordial. I wonder where my sense of humor comes from. Hm...] There were enough names on the list to warrant a box of value-pack cards, and when we brought them back to him in the hospital, he wrote on each one an apology and a wish for a happy Valentine's Day. Pretending we were cupid, my sister and I spread his apology throughout the hospital with cards and chocolates.
My Dad really did have a big and generous heart, and a lot of the time he worked behind the scenes to help people. He didn't do it for the glory. He just did these things from his heart because he felt they needed to be done. He made an impression on not only people, but people's lives with his acts of generosity.
So, when I was looking up the history of Valentine's Day, I was struck by what I'd found on Wikipedia. It indicates, "the feast of St. Valentine was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among those '... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God.'"
And that's kind of like my Dad. I only know of some of his acts of generosity. And the rest? Well, those are between him and God.
Rolling my eyes heavenward and with dread, I asked, "Why?"
"Oh, I was waiting forever for my MRI, and this tech was complaining to the other techs about how bad of a day she was having. What a bad week...life...and she just went on and on while I just sat there waiting for her to tell me to get up and into the MRI machine. Then, when she was good and ready ~some 30 minutes later~ she told me to get up there."
"Oh, no," I thought, then prompted him, "And?"
"Well, she was so caught up in her 'bad day, week, life' that she forgot to ask me if I had any jewelry on."
I closed my eyes and shook my head. This wasn't my dad's first MRI by any stretch of the imagination and he had come back from the MRI alive, so I knew he had done something, if not nefarious, it was definitely going to be mischievous. "So what did you do?" I asked and silently added the word "now."
"Well, while she was helping me get down from the MRI and into the wheelchair, she suddenly remembered what she forgot to ask me before the MRI, and she started to panic and then asked me if I had any jewelry on."
"Oh dear God," I thought. Then asked, "And?"
"So I told her that yes, I had a big necklace on with a big cross. And while I was in there, I saw an arc of electricity," my dad explained. "Then she really looked upset. She looked like she was going to cry, so I quickly told her I was joking and that if I had had any jewelry on before the MRI, I'd be dead now."
"Oh my God, Dad. You didn't."
With a big smile on his face he replied, "Yes, I did, but I think I pissed her off, so we need to add her to the list with the rest of them. And she's going to need chocolates, too. Don't you think?"
Rolling my eyes heavenward, I replied, "It sounds like it, " and then I had to ask, " Why'd you do it?"
"Because I was tired of hearing her complain about how bad her life was while I sat there waiting to take that stupid MRI to see how big the tumor is in my brain. And she needed cheering up," he explained.
"Oh okay.," I thought sarcastically. So, I added her to the list. The list that contained the names of medical personnel that Dad had somehow offended in this hospital stay. A hospital stay that was keeping him away from his sweetheart on Valentine's Day.
My dad wasn't usually a difficult patient, but I think he got bored a lot of the time, and he expected the medical personnel that he dealt with to be "real" people when they entered his room. And maybe he'd throw in a joke or two.
But this particular visit had my dad really stressed out. I mean, here he was on Valentine's Day in a hospital while his sweetheart, my mom, was seven hours away, and they had found a tumor in his brain, which meant that his kidney cancer had spread. Again. And he was going to need brain surgery to remove it. Heavy and serious stuff, and also the reason why Dad was so stressed and cranky this time and the reason for "The List."
And that's why my sister and I went to the local drugstore and bought Valentine's cards and candy for those he'd been a little less-than-cordial with. [Get it? Cordial. I wonder where my sense of humor comes from. Hm...] There were enough names on the list to warrant a box of value-pack cards, and when we brought them back to him in the hospital, he wrote on each one an apology and a wish for a happy Valentine's Day. Pretending we were cupid, my sister and I spread his apology throughout the hospital with cards and chocolates.
My Dad really did have a big and generous heart, and a lot of the time he worked behind the scenes to help people. He didn't do it for the glory. He just did these things from his heart because he felt they needed to be done. He made an impression on not only people, but people's lives with his acts of generosity.
So, when I was looking up the history of Valentine's Day, I was struck by what I'd found on Wikipedia. It indicates, "the feast of St. Valentine was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among those '... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God.'"
And that's kind of like my Dad. I only know of some of his acts of generosity. And the rest? Well, those are between him and God.
©Copyright 2011 Caroline Pointer
One Jerk Does Not A Family History Make
"Dear, I am a Truitt."
Having seen my Gran's signature on a dedication of a set of books to my elementary school when I was about 8 years old, I asked her about her name. I mean, I'd never seen her sign her name with "Truitt," and her reply was, "Dear, I am a Truitt." Nothing more and nothing less, but I remember she said it definitively. Like it didn't need any more explanation. Like her declaration was enough.
Now I "Get It"
However, apparently I needed more clarification. I've researched them, and now I "get it." I know what and who a Truitt is, and now that my Gran is gone, I wish I could ask her if she knew how she was a Truitt, or if she just had been raised with a certain attitude. An attitude that included pride, patriotism, and a long history.
George Truitt I
I would really like to know if my Gran knew her 6th great-grandfather was George Truitt I [a.k.a. "The Immigrant"], and that he was a Quaker. A man from England who came to Virginia in about 1635, married an Alice Watson who was also a Quaker, and was brought up on fornication charges in Accomack County, Virginia because he hadn't been married in the Church of England and the government did not recognize his marriage.
James Truitt I
Did my Gran know that her 5th great-grandfather was George I's son, James Truitt I? A man who married Mary Riley [another Mary ~ *rolling eyes heavenward*], daughter of Thomas Riley, Sr., and who sold his land that he'd inherited from his father ~Muddy Creek Plantation~ in Accomack Co., VA and with his brother, George II, moved to Somerset Co. Maryland to escape religious persecution in Virginia. Did she know that after Mary died James married her sister, Sarah Riley?
James Truitt II
Did my Gran know that James I and Mary [Riley] Truitt had a son named James II, who after his father died in 1718 was in charge of raising his brothers and sisters on the plantation in Somerset Co., MD?
Did she know that James II, her 4th great-grandfather, married Sarah Williams and bought land at "Chestnut Oak Ridge" in Worcester Co., MD with one of their sons, Riley, and that James II died in a year of great upheaval in the colonies, on the brink of the start of this great nation in 1775? That two of his grandsons ~Purnal/Purnell and James~ would fight in the American Revolution?
Peter Truitt
Did she know her 3rd great-grandfather was Peter, one of James II's and Sarah's sons, and that he, along with other Truitt family members, moved to Sussex Co, Delaware? That he met and married Elizabeth "Betty" Tatman [daughter of William Tatman] in 1759 in Sussex Co., Delaware?
John Burton Truitt
Did she know her 2nd great-grandfather was one of Peter's and Betty's sons, John Burton Truitt [b. 1771] who met and married Nancy Ross [daughter of William Ross, who signed an Oath of Allegiance to Delaware] and that their first child, Elizabeth, was born in Sussex Co., Delaware, but their next two children ~2 sons~ William Riley and Weldon were born in Kentucky? That John Burton and Nancy pulled up stakes and moved westward looking for new opportunities? That, sadly, Nancy died in 1802 in Fayette Co., Kentucky? That John immediately remarried in 1802 to Amelia [but everyone called her Milly] Gilbert and would continue westward through Logan County, Kentucky to Ralls County, Missouri, having 11 more children and finally dying in 1838 in Ralls County, MO? Did she know that John Burton's 3rd cousin was the 18th governor of Delaware, George Truitt?
William Riley Truitt
Did she know that her great-grandfather's name was William Riley, the son of John Burton and Nancy [Ross] Truitt, and that after his first wife's death [Catherine A. Morrow], he married Miranda Hurt [daughter of John Hurt] in Warren Co, KY in 1829? That their 12th child, Leroy Wood Truitt [born in Warren Co, KY] was her grandfather?
Leroy Wood Truitt
Did she know that after her grandfather's older brother fought in the Civil War, her grandfather, Leroy, lived with him in Marshall Co., KY? Did she know that Leroy met and married Magdalen A. McGee in Marshall Co, KY? That their first born son was born in Paducah, McCracken Co., KY, while their next 4 children were born back in Marshall Co., KY? That their first born was Claudius Roy Truitt ~her father [a.k.a the "jerk"]?
Claudius Roy Truitt
Did she know they pulled up their stakes and moved to Missouri, where Leroy's uncles, aunts, and cousins were located? That they had 3 more children there before moving on to Dallas, Texas sometime before 1900? That in the 1900 census, her father, Claudius Roy Truitt, was listed as being a salesman in San Antonio? Did she know what he sold?
Did she know that her father, Claudius Roy Truitt, met and married her mother Alice Vaughn in San Antonio, Texas in 1901? Did she know why my mother called him a "jerk?" Did she think her father was a "jerk?"
Yup, Another Mary... [Sigh.]
I may never know exactly what my Gran, Mary Alice Truitt Blacketer knew about her family. I may never know why my mother thought her grandfather was a "jerk." I do know, though, that just because somebody can be a "jerk," doesn't mean that they were a complete "jerk," and whatever he did to make my mother think he was one, doesn't mean Claudius Roy Truitt was a complete "jerk." [Of course, he might've been ~ I don't know.]
Far Be It From Me To Tell Them What They Should've Done, But...
It may mean, perhaps, he should've left behind his memoirs, so that we'd know exactly who and what he was and what he knew, if anything. That perhaps along the way through the generations of these Truitt's, an oral history ~or even better a written history~ should've been passed down of the triumphs and tribulations that this family went through, so that it wasn't just a feeling or attitude passed down, but the family's history.
So that today's Truitt's would know the part the past Truitt's played in American history.
So they'd know why they are able to worship freely in these United States.
So they'd know the Truitt's contributions to many states including Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri ~ to name a few.
So they'd know the "jerks" in the family too, or maybe just the "jerky" decisions made by imperfect people.
For, dear reader, even if Claudius Roy Truitt was indeed a complete "jerk," one "jerk" does not a family history make.
My proud and patriotic Gran did pass down one thing about her Truitt's to me. Something tangible. Something I can hold onto.
That I, too, am a Truitt.
Having seen my Gran's signature on a dedication of a set of books to my elementary school when I was about 8 years old, I asked her about her name. I mean, I'd never seen her sign her name with "Truitt," and her reply was, "Dear, I am a Truitt." Nothing more and nothing less, but I remember she said it definitively. Like it didn't need any more explanation. Like her declaration was enough.
Now I "Get It"
However, apparently I needed more clarification. I've researched them, and now I "get it." I know what and who a Truitt is, and now that my Gran is gone, I wish I could ask her if she knew how she was a Truitt, or if she just had been raised with a certain attitude. An attitude that included pride, patriotism, and a long history.
George Truitt I
I would really like to know if my Gran knew her 6th great-grandfather was George Truitt I [a.k.a. "The Immigrant"], and that he was a Quaker. A man from England who came to Virginia in about 1635, married an Alice Watson who was also a Quaker, and was brought up on fornication charges in Accomack County, Virginia because he hadn't been married in the Church of England and the government did not recognize his marriage.
James Truitt I
Did my Gran know that her 5th great-grandfather was George I's son, James Truitt I? A man who married Mary Riley [another Mary ~ *rolling eyes heavenward*], daughter of Thomas Riley, Sr., and who sold his land that he'd inherited from his father ~Muddy Creek Plantation~ in Accomack Co., VA and with his brother, George II, moved to Somerset Co. Maryland to escape religious persecution in Virginia. Did she know that after Mary died James married her sister, Sarah Riley?
James Truitt II
Did my Gran know that James I and Mary [Riley] Truitt had a son named James II, who after his father died in 1718 was in charge of raising his brothers and sisters on the plantation in Somerset Co., MD?
Did she know that James II, her 4th great-grandfather, married Sarah Williams and bought land at "Chestnut Oak Ridge" in Worcester Co., MD with one of their sons, Riley, and that James II died in a year of great upheaval in the colonies, on the brink of the start of this great nation in 1775? That two of his grandsons ~Purnal/Purnell and James~ would fight in the American Revolution?
Peter Truitt
Did she know her 3rd great-grandfather was Peter, one of James II's and Sarah's sons, and that he, along with other Truitt family members, moved to Sussex Co, Delaware? That he met and married Elizabeth "Betty" Tatman [daughter of William Tatman] in 1759 in Sussex Co., Delaware?
John Burton Truitt
Did she know her 2nd great-grandfather was one of Peter's and Betty's sons, John Burton Truitt [b. 1771] who met and married Nancy Ross [daughter of William Ross, who signed an Oath of Allegiance to Delaware] and that their first child, Elizabeth, was born in Sussex Co., Delaware, but their next two children ~2 sons~ William Riley and Weldon were born in Kentucky? That John Burton and Nancy pulled up stakes and moved westward looking for new opportunities? That, sadly, Nancy died in 1802 in Fayette Co., Kentucky? That John immediately remarried in 1802 to Amelia [but everyone called her Milly] Gilbert and would continue westward through Logan County, Kentucky to Ralls County, Missouri, having 11 more children and finally dying in 1838 in Ralls County, MO? Did she know that John Burton's 3rd cousin was the 18th governor of Delaware, George Truitt?
William Riley Truitt
Did she know that her great-grandfather's name was William Riley, the son of John Burton and Nancy [Ross] Truitt, and that after his first wife's death [Catherine A. Morrow], he married Miranda Hurt [daughter of John Hurt] in Warren Co, KY in 1829? That their 12th child, Leroy Wood Truitt [born in Warren Co, KY] was her grandfather?
Leroy Wood Truitt
Did she know that after her grandfather's older brother fought in the Civil War, her grandfather, Leroy, lived with him in Marshall Co., KY? Did she know that Leroy met and married Magdalen A. McGee in Marshall Co, KY? That their first born son was born in Paducah, McCracken Co., KY, while their next 4 children were born back in Marshall Co., KY? That their first born was Claudius Roy Truitt ~her father [a.k.a the "jerk"]?
Claudius Roy Truitt
Did she know they pulled up their stakes and moved to Missouri, where Leroy's uncles, aunts, and cousins were located? That they had 3 more children there before moving on to Dallas, Texas sometime before 1900? That in the 1900 census, her father, Claudius Roy Truitt, was listed as being a salesman in San Antonio? Did she know what he sold?
Did she know that her father, Claudius Roy Truitt, met and married her mother Alice Vaughn in San Antonio, Texas in 1901? Did she know why my mother called him a "jerk?" Did she think her father was a "jerk?"
Yup, Another Mary... [Sigh.]
I may never know exactly what my Gran, Mary Alice Truitt Blacketer knew about her family. I may never know why my mother thought her grandfather was a "jerk." I do know, though, that just because somebody can be a "jerk," doesn't mean that they were a complete "jerk," and whatever he did to make my mother think he was one, doesn't mean Claudius Roy Truitt was a complete "jerk." [Of course, he might've been ~ I don't know.]
Far Be It From Me To Tell Them What They Should've Done, But...
It may mean, perhaps, he should've left behind his memoirs, so that we'd know exactly who and what he was and what he knew, if anything. That perhaps along the way through the generations of these Truitt's, an oral history ~or even better a written history~ should've been passed down of the triumphs and tribulations that this family went through, so that it wasn't just a feeling or attitude passed down, but the family's history.
So that today's Truitt's would know the part the past Truitt's played in American history.
So they'd know why they are able to worship freely in these United States.
So they'd know the Truitt's contributions to many states including Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri ~ to name a few.
So they'd know the "jerks" in the family too, or maybe just the "jerky" decisions made by imperfect people.
For, dear reader, even if Claudius Roy Truitt was indeed a complete "jerk," one "jerk" does not a family history make.
My proud and patriotic Gran did pass down one thing about her Truitt's to me. Something tangible. Something I can hold onto.
That I, too, am a Truitt.
©Copyright 2011 Caroline Pointer
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