The James Mountain Family Saga

This seems like it might be a good time to share with 'yall a little secret.
Back in 2001 I was a mess. My husband had died the year before and I had some issues I was wrestling with making 2000 and 2001 the darkest times of my life.

As a form of therapy I began writing what was to be a short story and has since grown to epic proportions. And nope....don't fret because I'm not going to ask you to be my captive by reading the whole thing! Dang it girls cut me a little slack here LOL
I wrote the tale in the first person as the Matriarch of a hill family up in Tennessee. As I wrote I wanted to SEE my family so I cut pictures (most of whom you will recognize) from magazines and gave them my own family names. Of course each had their own quirky captions and was assembled in photo album forum which I have scanned for you. This entire story was tongue in cheek humor and I can't say the story is TRUE but again I can't say it is FALSE. So what we have here is a little sure 'nuff "Truth and Spoof".

The tale begins almost 50 years ago and continues to the present so my dearly beloved Mike (Punkin Darlin) will be referred to as Marcel Breedlove later on, but first you'll get to know "Reuben James", which will represent my late husband, Alan.
Writing this little hillbilly story was instrumental in putting me back together and on the right track as I was indeed a broken woman. In writing this I ALWAYS have the Vince Gill song "Go Rest High On That Mountain" playing or at least playing in my mind. It will literally bring you to your knees in tears.
Now for a little "yarn spinning while gathering the wool of my memories".

"Rest High Upon The Mountain"

Hit ain't a fancy tale nor one of much interest to most I 'spect but jest a good many rememberances an memories of a quiet an simple family. The little funnies an happenins I aim to tell about wuz jest the ordinary livin of a family whut loved an cared fer one another.

We wuz knowed as the James clan from east Tennessee an there were the head of the family, Reuben Kelly James (my life long darlin), me Mollye Lou and our youngins; Suzie Lou the first gal, then little Georgie Lou. Next wuz Luke Albert, Dixie Lou (the onliest one we lost) and Jakey Gee.

I were from the Flowers clan. My pap were knowed as Clifford Jofred Flowers an my mammy were Lou Margaret. Me an my twin sissy Irma Lou wuz the oldest an we had one baby brother knowed as Sugar Boy. Oh he had a real name alright. His given name were Fredjoe. But to us girls he were always our sugar boy.

These two shots are of my sweet an lovin husband Reuben.
Wuz there ever a more hansom thang to look upon?

My pap were a country lad. One from up in the hills of New York an my mama were an Arkie. They had come about a'bein in Tennessee from some dealins with my mama's gran folks on her pa's side and after us youngins had been growed they up an went to Louisiana to visit Sugar whut had gone there to become a lawman an they wuz so took with hit they stayed put an wuz there til they wuz both gone. They had left Foxton Mountain to all us youngins. But that there is another tale I aim to git off into later on. Reuben's ma an pa, Miz Rosie an old Johnnie T-Bone James give us a parcel of land up on a fine ole mountain top that we called "James Mountain", sos we could raise up our youngins in a good an beautiful place. An beautiful hit were.

This heres little Dixie Lou (the one which wuz lost to us a short time after this wuz took)

Miz Rosie Louise were a fine gal an a hardworkin one whut raised up six boys a'countin Reuben James. She never onest had herself a girl an I reckon owin to that fact of her bein the onliest woman in the house she didn't rightly know jest how to take to another gal. Oh she tried alright an she were mostly good to me. Specially at all the birthins an helpin me to learn a more growed up way of mountain livin. But all in all she knowed I had my own mammy an she held off fer that reason an never onest aimed to mother me. For that I wuz grateful an I held her up in the most respectful way. Miz Rosie were my rock after my mammy an pappy wuz gone. An after Reuben had lost his own pap we wuz real close to her but she went on down to Louisiana to live where she had sissys an other kin. Hit jest werent the same fer her without T-Bone around, an after a few real lean years she plum give up an went on to her redemption.

T-Bone were an ornery an hard un to pull close to. But lordy if the old man didn't love all his gran gals.

A'lookin back upon hit all I reckon me an Reuben James wuz always made jest one fer the other.Kindly like the good Lord made us sos we could jest be together til he called us on to glory. We wuz not a whole bein without the other. Many a time wuz when Mollye Lou would be laid low an Reuben were there to hold hit together and when he wuz low I wuz able to hold the chinks in enouf til he wuz up agin. We jest couldn't have did hit without the savin grace of a lovin an merciful Lord Jesus Christ.

Now don't git me wrong we wuzn't the best folks aroun an I'm rightly shore we made ourselfs a whole passle full of mistakes in livin an raisin up the youngins but we always tried to learn all the little fellers right from wrong even when we wuz wantin to have some fun an friskiness in our lifes.

A'settin here a thankin on hit seems like only yestiddy then agin hit feels like a whole eternity of livin. But afore my thankin gits lost back in relivin all the happenins I tole you I'd aim to jest recall some funnies when we wuz all together high upon that ole mountain. Some might tickle you an some might jest bring on a tear, but lordy honey, hit were all jest a part of the circle of life.

So as Mollye Lou James would say "hits been a pleazure folks an I hope you'll come on back now that you is knowin each of us you kin set a spell an I'll tell you'ns some more of whut went on high up on top of that ole mountain.

Bye bye now,

mizmollye