September 05 '96
Volume 11
Ada Guthrie is
101Carter Family Longevity
My
grandfather
Carter died May 29, 1960, at age
79, two days after I graduated from High School. Of the 10 children reared
by my great grandparents, a single daughter remains alive at age 101. At
least she will be onTuesday, September 03. Among her siblings, 8 lived past
their 73rd birthday and 6 past their 79th.
I attended a birthday luncheon given by her children and held at the Pontotoc
Inn on Sunday, September 01. It was not as big a hoop-la as last year, but
still well attended by family and relatives. It was my ‘honor’
to lead the group in singing Happy Birthday to Ada Carter Guthrie. I can
only imagine why I was selected, but I suspect that one of my cousins is
the culprit who suggested my name.
After the luncheon, relatives were invited to stop by the home of Ada Guthrie
to view snapshots taken at the prior year’s celebration, and to view
old pictures of other relatives now in scrapbooks owned by Shannon Carter
of Starkville, MS. My elderly great aunt is still ambulatory and her mental
health is about as good as her physical health. I will not be surprised if
she celebrates yet another birthday.
During the Labor Day weekend, my family had the rare treat of entertaining
Lamar Carter, our uncle who now resides in New York City. In preparation
for retirement, Lamar has begun a process of disposing of all unnecessary
baggage that clutters his life, particularly real estate holdings, household
possessions, and automobiles. It is his desire to continue to live in
New York. God only knows why, but I suppose the popular song line of an earlier
era explains, "how you gonna keep’em down on the farm after they’ve
seen Pair’re." A friend who is also a financial consultant has advised
him how he can maintain his present apartment and lifestyle by divesting
himself of certain possessions and practicing a bit of frugality. I do not
wish to imply any indulgences or excesses exist. Lamar is our world traveled
bachelor uncle, whose achievements are legendary in the annals of Carter
history. I recently described him to a close friend as ‘the most interesting
and memorable individual I had ever met’.
Upon hearing of the situation of Sarah Sue and of Brett entering the Math
and Science School in Columbus, he decided to give Sarah the 1980 Caprice
Classic (40,000 miles) that he had purchased from the widow of a friend just
a year or so ago (unprofitable, but gets rid of some clutter. 1 car down
and 1 to go). He drove the car from New York to Pontotoc over a leisurely
3 day period that transported him along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway in
the Allegheny Mountains. Lamar arrived in Pontotoc prior to noon Saturday
and departed on Monday the 2nd of September. He also visited his sister,
Nettie Mae who is confined to a nursing home in Ripley, having suffered a
stroke and later treated for brain cancer. Rebecca Ann Franklin, the only
daughter of Nettie Mae, arrived in Pontotoc on Sunday to attend the birthday
luncheon of our great aunt and to visit her invalid mother. Rebecca drove
Lamar back to Atlanta on Monday where he would, on Tuesday, fly to New York.
Labor Day was a day of good-byes, as we left Lamar and Rebecca preparing
to drive to Atlanta, from the Ripley residence of Rebecca’s parents.
We then traveled to Walnut where we deposited and said good-bye to Lillie
Belle. Lillie had stayed with us in Greenville and Pontotoc for several days,
and a part of the stay included a stint in the New Albany hospital. Test
results indicated an assortment of gall stones that will need to be removed
at a later time, and a mild urinary tract infection. After returning to Pontotoc,
we were at Sarah’s house when Brett departed for MSMS in Columbus and
after dinner at my home we bade good-bye to Sarah and Felicia until the weekend.
Ken Prewett
Update
Labor Day afternoon, we also visited Ken Prewett who is still recovering
from injuries resulting from his fall beneath the out of control pickup truck.
Ken appreciated my newsletter report on his accident, but pointed out that
I needed a proof reader for the newsletter. He had noticed a headline that
stated he ‘tied’ rather than ‘tried’ to stop a rolling
truck. I agreed that I could use a proof reader, but noted that the report
could have contained, ‘......though his face could stop a clock, it
could not stop a truck’.
Kenneth reports the doctor has released him (09/03) and he will return to
work Tuesday, September 10. The broken ribs are expected to heal within a
month. Never able to sleep lying on his back, he is presently confined to
a large recliner, since the rib situation prevents him from assuming a side
position in bed.
Moral - Rolling trucks like sleeping dogs are best left untouched.
Moon Glow At
Midnight
Our Moon glow plant displayed two beautiful blooms Monday evening. The plant
must have set a speed record in bloom opening. In something under an hour
two blooms appeared and opened fully from a completely closed state. I want
to set aside some time next summer to simply watch the opening of this remarkable
flower.
 |
Editor's artistic rendering of Moon glow plant |
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