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Uncle Wallace was born in ‘33 and Dad in ‘37. When Uncle Wallace was born, Uncle Dale was ten years old. Aunt Hortense, Aunt Carmen, and Aunt Davilee were between Dale and Wallace. Wallace was almost four years older than Dad, but Dale was quite a bit older than Wallace and was into older things.
Wanda was born between Wallace and Dad, but sadly, died as an infant. So when Dad was born, Uncle Wallace was probably happy to have a brother closer in age.
Uncle Wallace and Dad were pretty close growing up. They were partners in crime and enjoyed each other’s company. They played together. They hunted together. They dug coal from the coal bank together. They were just very close.
Wallace, Grandma holding Dad (Donald), Dale, Davilee, and Carmen in back
Wallace, and Carmen holding Dad
Dad and Wallace
Wallace and Dad
Of course, children grow up, marry, move away, and begin families of their own. Wallace and Dad followed this same pattern. Wallace, Alpha, and their family would end up in Loveland, Ohio, and Dad and Mom would start out in Dayton, Ohio.
When we lived in Ohio, I can remember going to visit Uncle Wallace and Aunt Alpha occasionally. Dad worked more than one job and often spent any rare “free” time to travel to Kentucky to pick up my uncles from the children’s home for visits. We probably didn’t visit Uncle Wallace as often as Dad would have liked. I remember one time especially. Uncle Johnnie went with my family to Uncle Wallace’s and then we all went to the Cincinnati Zoo! That was a wonderful experience.
When we lived in Ohio, I can remember going to visit Uncle Wallace and Aunt Alpha occasionally. Dad worked more than one job and often spent any rare “free” time to travel to Kentucky to pick up my uncles from the children’s home for visits. We probably didn’t visit Uncle Wallace as often as Dad would have liked. I remember one time especially. Uncle Johnnie went with my family to Uncle Wallace’s and then we all went to the Cincinnati Zoo! That was a wonderful experience.
Zoo trip: April (Me) and David in front;
Wallace, Alpha and Mom (Loretta); Johnnie in back.
In ‘68, we moved to Middle Tennessee and we didn’t get to see Uncle Wallace and Aunt Alpha as often. We did visit family in Dayton a couple times a year and we would try to stop on our way to or from Dayton to visit them.
Dad and Mom used to go on vacation once a year in the Smokies, or a couple times to Branson, Missouri. They would coordinate with Uncle Wallace and Aunt Alpha so that they could spend those vacations together. Cousin Elsie Middleton Davidson and her husband Carlo met up with them for a day or two a few times. They so enjoyed those little reunions.
I was with Mom and Dad during one of those Smoky get-togethers. Elsie and Carlo had come and Wallace and Alpha came. Unfortunately, Aunt Alpha got to feeling really bad and they had to go home. I hurriedly made a batch of peanut butter fudge for Uncle Wallace to take home with him. Uncle Wallace loves peanut butter fudge, maybe even better than my dad and that is a tall claim! He licked the fudge pan clean.
Alpha’s childhood home was on Sextons Creek very close to where Anglin Branch tees into it and Uncle Wallace still owns it. A few times, Uncle Wallace and Aunt Alpha would go to Alpha’s old home place and Dad and Mom would meet them there for a few days. Sometimes another cousin like Goldie would pop in there for a visit. They enjoyed those visits there close to everyone’s childhood homes too.
Over time, age and health problems gradually cut back on the reunions. Uncle Wallace and Aunt Alpha couldn’t travel as much anymore. We would continue to visit them anytime we went to Ohio. A time or two, Dad stayed a few days with them. Uncle Wallace and Dad have talked to each other on the phone at least every other day or so.
Aunt Alpha passed away in 2018. I don’t think that Uncle Wallace has traveled far from home since. He had talked of wanting to visit Harlan, Kentucky in the past. Both Grandpa and Grandma Smith had been born in Harlan. When Dad, Mom, and I went to Harlan, we tried to talk him into going with us. I even told him that if he didn’t wanna drive, I could pick him up and we could meet Dad and Mom there. I assured him that I was a good driver but he declined. We have tried to get him to go to the Smokies when we are there. I told him that I could drive up and pick him up and then we could meet Mom and Dad in the Smokies. He always declines.
Wallace, Tony, and Kevin Smith in the foreground
1885; visiting Aunt Dezza in Ohio; Dad,
Dezza Middleton Sandlin, Tony, Alpha and Wallace
Wallace, Dad, and Gayle
^2000; First Family Reunion, Lexington, Ky v
Davilee, Wallace, Dad, Gayle
2001 Reunion; Dad, Hortense, Wallace, Gayle
2002, Reunion; Davilee, Wallace, Gayle, Hortense, Dad
2003; Anglin Branch Boys; Dad, Glenn Edwards, Wallace, Gayle
2004 Anglin Branch Boys; Dad, Wallace, Glenn Edwards
2005; Dad, Mom, Wallace, Alpha in Kentucky.
I think they were visiting Joe Powlas.
2006 Reunion; Wallace and Alpha
2007 Reunion; Dad, Hortense, Wallace
2008 Reunion; Hortense sitting; Wallace, Davilee, Gayle, Dad
2010 Anglin Branch Mischief Makers; Wallace, Gayle, and Dad
2012 Reunion; Dad, Alex Hajjafar and Wallace
2013 Reunion; Dad and Wallace
These girls loooove their Uncle Wallace
2016 Ohio visit; Dad and Wallace 
2017 Ohio Visit; Alpha; Mom, Dad, and Wallace
I imagine that they are enjoying sitting around, doing pretty much nothing but munching on peanut butter fudge and reminiscing about sweet days gone by. They are probably going to be remembering folks that are long gone from this Earth but always present in the attics of their minds. They are probably finding memories stored away for decades nearly lost in the clutter of eighty-plus years of memories. I know they are enjoying getting together with their partner in crime.
We have talked to Dad a few times on the phone while he has been visiting Uncle Wallace. Dad is a pretty stoic guy and tends to keep his emotions held undercover but when we talk with him, Mom and I both agree that he sounds happy!
Now, all of that came from this! My kids are surely correct when they tell me that I beat around the bush. That is why I could never be a tweeter!
I am staying with Mom part of the time and Sydney is staying with her the other part of the time so that Dad can enjoy his visit without worrying about her being by herself. Dad asked me to carry a bucket of water down to the garden to water three cucumber plants and six tomato plants. I thought that doesn’t sound like enough, so I will give them one and then carry a second one down for them.
Well, I filled my five-gallon bucket with water and carried it about 100 feet to the garden. I stopped at least three times on the way, switched hands and by the time I got to the cucumbers and tomatoes, I think that I needed the water more than they did! I decided that one bucket was enough!
As I was carrying this water, I thought that Dad does not need to be doing this. He hurts anytime he has to pick up something heavy and if he does that every day, it is no wonder that his side is always hurting.
Also as I kind of struggled carrying that single bucket of water, maybe 100 feet, I thought of all of the buckets of water that my ancestors had toted, Lord only knows how far! I know that Dad has told me when they planted their tobacco, they put a little water on each plant. I am sure that they did the garden likewise. They had to tote buckets of water to do their laundry, to do their canning, to quench the thirsts of their families,…! How many times had they toted bucket, after bucket, after bucket of water over much further distances than from the hose to Dad’s garden?! I am sure they did it without even considering if it was difficult or not. Regardless of the hardship, it was something that had to be done and so they did so resignedly. Of course, my hardship was just their everyday fare and was likely not even considered a hardship to begin with. They were used to hard work and had muscles that could likely carry a thirty-gallon bucket in each hand without a single huff or puff. Here I am, nearly a sessile sponge, toting a five-gallon bucket of water a few feet!
Anyway, as I carried that bucket, huffing and puffing with more than one pause to switch hands, I could just imagine my ancestors elbowing each other up there in Heaven, shaking their heads, asking each other, “Is she really kin to us?!”
Well, I am pretty sure that I may disappoint my ancestors on a regular basis. I am also certain, that in spite of my inadequacies, I am so very, very proud to claim them as mine!
2015 at Alpha's Sextons Creek Homeplace; Wallace, Alpha, Me, Mom
2015 Mountains; Alpha sitting; Mom and Elsie middle;
Dad Carlo, and Wallace in back
2015 Mountains; Alpha, and Wallace licking the fudge pan clean
2015 Mountains; Dad and Wallace
2016 Ohio visit; Alpha front; Mom, Alex, Wallace, Dad
2017 Ohio Visit; Dad and Wallace
2018 Ohio Visit; Wallace and Dad
Well, Dad went to visit Uncle Wallace a couple days ago. He is gonna stay a week but I hope that he stays at least a couple. I sent two batches of peanut butter fudge so Dad could enjoy it without feeling guilty for eating Uncle Wallace’s fudge.
I imagine that they are enjoying sitting around, doing pretty much nothing but munching on peanut butter fudge and reminiscing about sweet days gone by. They are probably going to be remembering folks that are long gone from this Earth but always present in the attics of their minds. They are probably finding memories stored away for decades nearly lost in the clutter of eighty-plus years of memories. I know they are enjoying getting together with their partner in crime.
We have talked to Dad a few times on the phone while he has been visiting Uncle Wallace. Dad is a pretty stoic guy and tends to keep his emotions held undercover but when we talk with him, Mom and I both agree that he sounds happy!
Now, all of that came from this! My kids are surely correct when they tell me that I beat around the bush. That is why I could never be a tweeter!
I am staying with Mom part of the time and Sydney is staying with her the other part of the time so that Dad can enjoy his visit without worrying about her being by herself. Dad asked me to carry a bucket of water down to the garden to water three cucumber plants and six tomato plants. I thought that doesn’t sound like enough, so I will give them one and then carry a second one down for them.
Well, I filled my five-gallon bucket with water and carried it about 100 feet to the garden. I stopped at least three times on the way, switched hands and by the time I got to the cucumbers and tomatoes, I think that I needed the water more than they did! I decided that one bucket was enough!
2021 The bucket that I almost kicked, and the garden in the far, far, far distance!
As I was carrying this water, I thought that Dad does not need to be doing this. He hurts anytime he has to pick up something heavy and if he does that every day, it is no wonder that his side is always hurting.
Also as I kind of struggled carrying that single bucket of water, maybe 100 feet, I thought of all of the buckets of water that my ancestors had toted, Lord only knows how far! I know that Dad has told me when they planted their tobacco, they put a little water on each plant. I am sure that they did the garden likewise. They had to tote buckets of water to do their laundry, to do their canning, to quench the thirsts of their families,…! How many times had they toted bucket, after bucket, after bucket of water over much further distances than from the hose to Dad’s garden?! I am sure they did it without even considering if it was difficult or not. Regardless of the hardship, it was something that had to be done and so they did so resignedly. Of course, my hardship was just their everyday fare and was likely not even considered a hardship to begin with. They were used to hard work and had muscles that could likely carry a thirty-gallon bucket in each hand without a single huff or puff. Here I am, nearly a sessile sponge, toting a five-gallon bucket of water a few feet!
Anyway, as I carried that bucket, huffing and puffing with more than one pause to switch hands, I could just imagine my ancestors elbowing each other up there in Heaven, shaking their heads, asking each other, “Is she really kin to us?!”
Well, I am pretty sure that I may disappoint my ancestors on a regular basis. I am also certain, that in spite of my inadequacies, I am so very, very proud to claim them as mine!
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