The Lucky Dog Blog

TIFF

All the talk about rocks yesterday reminded me that we had a strange rock in our storage shed. Marilyn & Ben brought it to the creek when they emptied out the garage in town. Marilyn said it was used as a door stop when she was growing up, and her mother called it “tiff”. She (her mother) said it was a by-product of lead mining. Marilyn just thought it looked like a piece of green glass.

Tiff is a strange word. I knew that there was a town called Tiff City in the NW part of the county. Several of Marilyn’s relatives lived there, including her dad’s family after his mother passed away. She doesn’t know who brought the rock to Pineville.

I did a little research on tiff on the internet. It is a common name for barite (baryte, if you are English). It is a mineral that comes in many colors depending on the impurities in it. It is associated with lead and zinc and was discarded as useless for many years until its usefulness in several processes (including drilling oil wells) was discovered. The chemical formula is BaSO4 and it also a source of barium, the key ingredient in the aging person’s old friend, the barium enema. Yuk. More pleasantly, it is also used as a filler for paints and it can be cut and polished as a gemstone for jewelry. It is found all over the world. China is the foremost producer, but Missouri also has commercial mines.

One of the most informative sites is from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. They (MO DNR) do a good job with their website. It’s too bad that they do so little to protect our natural resources, but that is topic for another day. For additional information (probably more than you want to know) go to the Mineral Institute site.

The piece of tiff that we have is about 7 inches wide and is very heavy. In fact, the name comes from the Greek word (barus) for heavy. All I can say is that it is kind of pretty. Since it has been rescued from the storage shed and cleaned up, it will now be used for a door stop in the cabin.

Lucky

STONE BALLS

The McDonald County Historical Society met on Nov 15, 2009 with the president of the Missouri Archaeological Society as the guest speaker.

 

Dr Sparkman had invited the audience to bring in artifacts for identification.

 

One type of artifact, Dr Sparkman was unable to identify. They were two stone balls. One was the size of a baseball; the other one was considerably smaller. Both were of hard pure stone. They were found in a river bed in McDonald County by someone named Fred. (I don’t know his last name or initial.)

 

In the photo on the right are the two balls brought to the meeting. Note the nodule on the one on the far right.  

   

One of the board members (Virginia H.) said that her mother had had a collection of these stone balls of assorted sizes. Below are pictures from Virginia's mother’s collection taken by Carol K.  She is the lead investigator.

 

          

 

Our search has led us to conclude that the balls shown above (she apparently bought them at a flea market) were made by a marble manufacturing company and were sold by the millions to water treatment plants as part of a water cleaning process. Carol learned that from a man in Ohio who is familiar with that process.        

 

Marilyn’s sister had something that was made of stone in the shape of a ball (below) but it was not the same as the stone balls that Virginia’s mother had. It was more that likely an American Indian hammer head or maul. 

 

                                                          

 

Several people are looking into the “Stone Ball” mystery. Suggestions have ranged from petrified dinosaur innards, to bolos, to hammer stones, to “Cherokee Marbles.” Do any of my readers have a clue? As you know, I love to solve a mystery.

 

Lucky

THE KITTEN IS GROWING

Yesterday was a slow news day around here.

Pictures of Oliver Saffron (aka: Little Yellow Kitten) is all I have for the Lucky dog Blog post today.

You will remember that Marilyn brought the kitten in the house in early September. We think he was about a month old then. He still had blue eyes, but was able to eat dry cat food. As you can see, he bonded well with the older cats, that him with CC below.

     

As the Kitten get older he is into more things. Below he is helping Marilyn on the computer. The computer chair is his favorite napping place. He has enormous paws. I think he may grow up to be a tiger.

    

Al said that Saffron is eating his Christmas Cactus. If it’s is down to Kitten or Cactus I think the kitten will win.

Lucky

WATERSHED MEETING

Tuesday night Marilyn and Al were in town for a meeting about the watershed in our area. Since they live beside Big Sugar Creek, what happens to the watershed is of great interest to them. About 30 people came to the meeting.

       

There were two speakers from the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees Watershed Alliance Foundation – John Gillette and Carl Metcalf. Water is one of our most precious resources and the quality and quantity of water in our region is of great concern. The watershed covers 10,298 square miles. It is a critical national resource. We can live with out oil, but we haven’t figured out a way to live without water.

      

The foundation was formed to build an alliance of the people in the sub-watersheds to present a united effort to preserve and improve water resources in the region. This is no simple task because our watershed encompasses four states, two EPA regions and almost countless political jurisdictions and personal opinions on the subject; yet, there are examples of successful efforts like the Chesapeake Bay and the Lake Champlain watersheds. The major problem of all is elevated sediment/nutrient (primarily phosphorus) levels. The reasons are complex and sources are not always easy to identify. If you are interested in knowing more, there will soon be a website – GLWAF.org. Also, if you would like to get a copy of the strategic plan and/or a copy of “Living with Land and Water in the Ozarks, a landowner’s guide to streamside living” write to me.

     

Water is very important, I know I drink a lot of water.

Lucky

GOLD TOOTH ANNIE

INTRODUCTION  – A DIFFERENT KIND OF STORY

Recently, someone came to the courthouse to inquire about “Gold Tooth Annie”. The County Recorder didn’t know about the story, but he contacted Marilyn’s sister, Zella Mae as he knew she was knowledgeable about local history. She couldn’t remember any details except she thought it happened in the late 1930’s or early 1940’s, so she called Marilyn. Marilyn remembered only part of the story – when she went with family members to Southwest City to shop or to see the Dr. or Dentist, when they crossed the Togie (Saratoga) Bridge someone would usually point to the top of the hill and say “That’s where Gold Tooth Annie lived. She was a poisoner.” That got a little girl’s attention. 

Then Marilyn mentioned it to a group of women yesterday morning, and one said, “I think she died at a nursing home in Lanagan.” Armed with scant facts, Marilyn went to the library, where she knew that her sister, Zella, had collected articles about local crimes (among other topics) while she was the Librarian at the McDonald County library. Marilyn was told that they had looked for information as there had been some recent inquiries, but hadn’t found anything. Marilyn was free to look for herself if she wished….

Marilyn did wish. She sat down with books of old newspaper articles. Fortunately the articles were in chronological order. The first article she found was in the Pineville Democrat, July 11, 1940.

This will be a long post as Marilyn wanted me to transcribe the newspaper articles since most people don’t have ready access to the files of the McDonald County Library. Besides there are some parts of the story that you just can’t do justice to without a literal transcription. In other words, you just couldn’t make this stuff up.

 First are photos of the three plotters: (L-R) Troy Markle, Mrs. Irene Ball, Charlie Markle. The transcriptions follow the photo below:

                          

Pineville Democrat – July 11, 1940

Saratoga Woman Accused of Murder
 Mrs. Irene Ball Charged with Poisoning Her Employer John Branson.

Prosecuting Attorney W.G. Tracy has announced that he will file a first degree murder charge against Mrs. Irene Ball, 48 years old, in connection with he alleged poison death of John Branson, 55, a widower, at Saratoga Springs, where they both lived.

Branson was found dead at this home at 7:30 Tuesday evening by C.A. Kirk, a neighbor, and Dr. R.E. Warmack, county physician, said he had been dead 15 to 18 hours.

Mrs. Ball implicated a neighbor of Branson, Troy Markel, 39, and charged that he mixed arsenate of lead with flour and that Branson used the mixture to make bread for his breakfast.

Mrs. Ball said she obtained the poison from the Branson home where she worked as housekeeper, and took it with the pan used in the Branson home for mixing batter to the Markel home nearby where Troy Markel mixed it with flour. She said both she and Markel went back to the Branson home and that she went in and put the pan where it was usually kept.

Markel and his father, Charley Markel are both under arrest. The younger man is expected to be held as an accessory in the alleged crime.

A coroner’s inquest will be held this morning in the Justice Court of C.C. Caldwell at Noel. Dr. Warmack and Dr. W.H. Horton removed Branson’s viscera which was sent to the State Highway Patrol chemical laboratory in Jefferson City to be examined. The physician stated that there were unmistakable signs of poisoning.

Some pieces of bread and the remainder of the batter have also been sent to Jefferson City for chemical analysis.

Poisoning of Branson was suspected when dead cats and chickens were seen about the house.

According to the story told by Mrs.
Ball, Branson and the Markels had been quarreling and that they had persuaded her to poison Branson.

The younger Markel maintains that he knows nothing of the poison and that he went with Mrs. Ball to the Branson home after she told him that chickens and a cat had died there.

Mrs. Ball said that Markel accompanied her to the Branson home Monday evening and found Branson suffering. He begged for a drink of water she said, but Markel would not allow her to give it to him.

Mrs. Ball said that she had recently left the Branson home because he refused to buy her clothes or allow her to seek outside employment.

[Editorial comments: Marilyn marked in bold a couple of statements that made her stop and re-read them. They wouldn’t be in today’s papers. 
Dr. Warmack was our family doctor for many years. He was the only M.D. in the county when Marilyn was growing up. He last treated her when she was 2l years old in 1962. Dr. Horton was the physician who delivered both Zella and Billy Max at home births. Faithful readers know that Marilyn was born at Cardwell Hospital. It seems there was a lot going on during the summer of her birth.
They were pretty cold hearted to deny a dying man a drink of water.
I sounds like Mrs. Ball may have had additional duties in addition to housekeeping.]

Pineville Democrat – July 18, 1940

Three Held In Poison Murder Charge
Chemical Analysis Reveals Aged Man Died From Poisoning

A report from the chemical laboratories of the state highway commission at Jefferson City revealed that John Branson, 55–year old resident of the Saratoga community, came to his death Tuesday, July 9, as a result of arsenate of lead poisoning.

Two men and a woman, charged with first degree murder, are being held in connection with the death. The aged man was found dead on the floor of his home late Tuesday afternoon, July 9, by a neighbor, C.A. Kirk.

An investigation of the death by local officers and the state highway patrol led to the arrest.

Mrs. Irene Ball, 48, a former housekeeper at the Branson Home; Troy Markel, 27, a neighbor, and Markel’s father, Charles Markel.

Died of Poison, Jury Finds

Prosecuting Attorney W. G. Tracy filed the charges after an Elk River township coroner’s jury Thursday afternoon found Branson came to his death “by violent poison” mixed in food. The inquest was held before Justice Caldwell at Noel.

Meanwhile Tracy advanced the theory that the motive for Branson’s death was a purported desire to obtain control of the property where Branson resided.

Branson had been caretaker of the farm, which was owned by a Kansas man, and Tracy said he has a letter purportedly written by Mrs. Ball and the younger Markel to the Kansas owner asking if they might “take care of the place.” Tracy said the letter was written Monday, the day before the body was found.

Previously, Tracy had obtained a sworn statement from Mrs. Ball declaring that she obtained the poison at the request of Troy Markel, and that it was mixed with flour. Markel and his father deny any connection with the case.

The viscera from Branson’s body was sent to the state highway patrol laboratories in Jefferson City for tests to determine whether poison caused his death.

[Editorial comment: Troy became 20 years younger in this account. A typo? Note the ages of those involved seem very fluid depending on the reporter. It is interesting also that the victim was “aged” when one of the killers was older than he. and  he was only 7 years older than Mrs. Ball]

 The Pineville Herald – August 29, 1940

Mrs. Irene Ball Enters Plea of Guilty

Mrs. Irene Ball, 48 years old, one of the three persons charged with first degree murder in the poison death last July 9^th of John Branson, 55, a farmer near Noel, pleaded guilty before Judge Emory E. Smith in circuit court here Monday. Judge Smith deferred passing sentence until the close of the August term of circuit court which began here Monday.

Troy Markle, 27, and his father Charles Markle, 57, both charged with Mrs. Ball, pleaded innocent when they were arraigned before Judge Smith Monday and their trial was set for Tuesday September 3.

The three were arrested last July 10, the day after Branson, a bachelor, was found dead at his home near Saratoga. Authorities stated an autopsy disclosed Branson died from poisoning, and a cororner’s jury found that he came to his death by poison administered by the two Markles and Mrs. Ball, a former housekeeper for Branson.

Mrs. Ball later made a sworn statement Prosecuting Attorney. W.G. Tracy said, admitting that she mixed poison in flour at the Branson home and received $5 from the younger Markle for obtaining the poison.

The three have been held here in the county jail since their arraignment last July 12.

The state contends the Markles instigated the alleged poison plot against Branson in order that they might gain control of the property on which he lived, and which is owned by a Kansas man.

The Pineville Herald – September 12, 1940

Noel Farmer Freed of Charge

A first degree murder charge against Charles Markel, 57, Noel farmer, shown above [no photo in the file], was dismissed here last week in circuit court upon recommendation of Prosecuting atty., W.G. Tracy, but his son, Troy Markel 27, held on a similar charge, remained in jail for trial at the February term of court.

The two were charged last July 12 with the poison murder of John Branson 55, of near Noel, Mrs. Irene Ball, 48, also charged with the two men, entered a plea of guilty at the opening of the August term of McDonald county circuit court 15 days ago.

Judge Smith announced he will pass formal sentence on Mrs. Ball at eh conclusion of the Markel case. Mrs. ball and Troy Marcel are both being held here in the McDonald county jail without bond.

The Pineville Herald – November 14, 1940

Father, Son Admit Parts In Poisoning

Charles Markle, 64 year old McDonald county farmer, and his son, Troy Markle, 38 Tuesday made confessions before assistant prosecuting attorney James Paul, the latter announced that they were implicated in the Poison (sic) death last July of John Branson, neighbor farmer.

Mrs. Irene Ball, who had been Branson’s housekeeper, had confessed her part in the crime shortly after her arrest July 10 and had implicated the two men. She is awaiting sentence on a first degree murder charge after having pleaded guilty in circuit court in August to the charge.

The senior Markle and his son also were charged in the original information with first degree murder. The younger Markle pleaded innocent when arraigned, and the charge was dropped against Chas. Markel.

Mrs. Bell (sic) and Troy Markle have been held in jail since. Charles Markle was rearrested two week (sic) ago and a new charge of first degree murder filed against him.

According to the signed confession, Mrs. Bell, who was housekeeper for Branson, tenant on a farm between Noel and Southwest City carried out the act of putting arsenic of lead in pancakes after the two had plotted it.

Young Markle, it was brought up, according to Paul, was jealous because of domestic troubles with Branson, while the elder Markle had quarreled with Branson over a strawberry plot and the sale of the berries.

The three are being held in the jail with out bail trial of the Markles is schedules (sic) at a special term of court about December 10.

Branson ate poisoned pancakes the statement said, July 5, but did not died until July 9.

Pineville Democrat – November 14, 1940

Two Confess Part in Poison Murder

Father and Son Admit Planning the Murder of John Branson Last July

Charley Markle, 64, and his son, Troy Markel, 35, Tuesday night admitted and signed statements that they planned and aided in the poison murder of John Branson of the Saratoga community last July 5. The statements were made to James Paul, assistant prosecuting attorney, who has been working on the case for several days.

According to the statements, Troy Markle gave Irene Ball, who had been Branson’s housekeeper, a note in Noel asking her to come to the Markle home, that there was something they wanted done and there might be some money in it.

Troy Markle was not at home when she came, but his father supervised the mixing of arsenic in pancake batter, which she took to the Branosn home.

Before going to the Branson home, at the suggestion of Markle, she cooked a part of the batter and ate a piece of the cake to make it appear that Branson had tried to poison her.

The poison batter and the partially eaten cake was taken to the Branson home on Friday July 5. On Monday, July 8, Irene Ball and Troy Markle went to the Branson home, according to their statements, to see if the old man was dead. He was not dead but very sick and asked for water. He was found dead several hours later by a neighbor.

The Markles gave as their reason for planning the murder that Branson had caused trouble between Troy and his wife and had quarreled with Charley over a strawberry patch.

The Markles were arrested immediately following the death of Branson, but the elder Markle was released during the August term of Court. He was re-arrested about two weeks ago. Both men are being held for circuit court.

Pineville Herald – Thursday, March 6, 1941

Three Get Penitentiary Sentences For Murder
Circuit Court Adjourned Saturday after Five-Day Session

Penitentiary sentences were pronounced in circuit court here Monday for Troy and Charley Markle and Mrs. Irene Ball after the Markles followed the example of Mrs. Ball in entering pleas of guilty for the murder of John Branson, aged man near Saratoga Springs last July.

The sentences pronounced were as follows: Troy Markle, 3 years; Charley Markle, father of Troy Markle, 25 years; and Mrs. Irene Ball, 25 years.

The guilty please of the two Markles came unexpectedly after preparations had been made for a jury trial Friday. Mrs. Ball entered her plea of guilty in the August term of court. the tree were placed under arrest about last July 9^th after Branson had been found dead at his home where he lived alone. Death was attributed to poison after an autopsy was performed. the tree admitted putting lead arsenate into batter from which the aged man cooked and ate pancakes.

[Other cases discussed in next paragraph are omitted here; in the same article the following:]

Divorces Granted

Divorces were granted in the following cases: Eva Markle vs. Troy Markle; ….

Joplin Globe – December 10, 1969

Mrs. Irene Ball
ANDERSON, MO. – Mrs. Irene Ball, 77, died at noon Tuesday in a local nursing home where she had been a patient 12 years.
Mrs. Ball was born Sept 27, 1892 in Michigan.
There are no immediate survivors.
Arrangements will be announced by Ozark Funeral Homes.

Joplin Globe – December 12, 1969

Mrs. Irene Ball
ANDERSON, MO. – Services for Mrs. Irene Ball, 77, Anderson, who died at noon Tuesday at a local nursing home, will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Ozark Funeral Home Chapel. The Rev. Dean Royce will officiate. Burial will be in the Anderson Cemetery.

POSTSCRIPT

And that is the end of the story. No one seems to remember why Irene was called “Gold Tooth Annie.” One would presume she had a gold tooth & that either her nickname or middle name was Ann, but so far, no clues. If any of my readers know the answer, please let me know by posting a comment.

Lucky

SMACK-OUT

Yesterday Marilyn and Al took Marilyn sister, Zella up to Springfield, MO to visit with Marilyn and Zella’s sister-in-law, Joyce who has recently been ill.

On the way, a few miles east of Granby MO, they passed a sign for a Missouri Department of Conservation Access to Shoal Creek boating and fishing location. It was such a strange name that Marilyn mentioned it out loud.

Zella told them the story of Smack-Out: There once was a grocery store at that location. When a customer came in to order something the grocer was out of he would say that they were “Smack-Out” of the item.

As it turned out the store was out of many items most of the time and the name for the store became Smack-Out to people in the area.

Lucky

HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Yesterday afternoon, Marilyn and Al were gone to a meeting in town of the McDonald County Historical Society.

The speaker for the day was Dr. Lyle Sparkman, President of the Missouri Archaeological Society.

Dr. Sparkman gave a talk on “The Indians of Southwest Missouri.”There was a good size crowd of over fifty people in attendance.

 

 

 

      

About and hour of slides and other demonstrations made for a very interesting presentation. It was a trip back in time about living conditions in McDonald County. The known pre-historic tribes that lived here were the Caddo an Neosho. For a period of time after the explorations of DeSoto and his men, the European diseases that they introduced to the area decimated the population. When the Osage arrived from the east, they almost literally found a ghost town.

    

Marilyn and Al are sure there are lots of artifacts on our property by the creek, but they have never found any. I bet I could if they would let me. I am a very good hunter.

Lucky

DEER SEASON

Saturday the firearm deer hunting season opened here in Missouri. To find out more than you ever wanted to know about the complex rules, click on the following link. Not that all hunters around here follow the rules strictly. It is not uncommon to hear gunfire in the hills any time of year. Poachers are fond of “shining” deer (blinding them with a bright light and making them an easier target.)

Actually deer hunting season is a good thing, because with few natural predators, the deer multiply and overpopulate. That makes them susceptible to the Wasting Disease, which is a terrible thing, not only for the deer, but makes the venison unfit for consumption.

Neither Marilyn or Al are hunters and are not looking forward to the hunters roaming on the road in front of the cabin looking for deer. They tend to stay inside the cabin as much as possible and wear bright colored clothing if they are outside. One year a 9 year old hunter shot a deer in their yard from the road. That got their attention. The fact the father was in “law enforcement” meant that a complaint would do little good.

I don’t think a hunter would mistake a little black dog as a deer, but I will stay in the cabin for the rest of the season, just in case.

Lucky

FRIDAY FISH FRY

Last night Marilyn and Al went to the Friday Fish Fry at the Methodist Church that is put on every second Friday by the Christian Men’s Group as a fund raiser.

There have been other times they went to the Friday Fish Fry: November 15, 2008 and October 10, 2009 and did enjoy themselves.

 

 

The men really like frying the fish and fixing all the other food to go with it.

    

Just for the night, Marilyn and Al went off their plant-based food diet. They figured that a once a month treat would be ok. Especially if it is for a good cause.

    

They brought no food home for me, but that didn’t bother me as I don’t like fish anyhow. The cats do and they were VERY upset.

Lucky

UNION CEMETERY

On one of Marilyn and Al’s trips they went by the Union Cemetery. Actually, it is officially the Owsley-Union Cemetery, but Marilyn didn’t know that until recently as the family had always referred to it at “Union”. Some of her family members are buried there – her Aunt Dink (Sarah Ellen Bunch Edmonds) and an infant child of her Aunt Fannie’s (Francis Miller Bunch Legore).

     

Union Cemetery is located on Highway 76 in the eastern part of the county, between Bethpage and Longview.

One of the earliest settlers in the Newton-McDonald County area was a man named Henry Taylor. He had a 5000 acre grant that, according to history books extended south to the Union area. Part of that grant was sold to Moses Eagle who established a post office and the village of Stella in Newton County. Marilyn’s great-great grandmother, Elizabeth A.M. Christian Taylor is buried at the Rocky Comfort Cemetery (an apt name, Marilyn thinks). She was the widow of Nicholas P. Taylor. It is unknown if these two Taylor lines have any connection as Taylor is a very common name. If any of my readers know something about these Taylor families, I would like to hear from them.

Lucky

HEDGEAPPLES REVISITED

Nothing going on here around the Lucky Dog cabins. Marilyn and Al were here under my paws all day, they did not go anywhere.

Al did go out to the mail box a couple of time before I reminded him that it was a holiday, Veterans Day.

While he was out there he did noticed that the hedgeapples are on the ground.

    

Currently hedgeapples are selling on the Internet at four for $10.00 plus shipping. It looks like we have over $100 on the ground.

About a year ago I did a very nice Lucky Dog Blog story about hedgeapples, see October 22, 2008.

Lucky

RAZING THROUGH THE TOWN

Marilyn was very upset the other day when she came home. She saw another house in her home town of Pineville had been torn down. Granted the house was not in the best repair, but it was also one of the oldest houses in town. 

     

She found out that the house was removed to make room for a parking lot. In the past 10 years four homes have been torn down for parking lots. Pineville was once a walkable and vibrant community, but apparently the leadership has never heard of “best use” concepts.

Just what a town of 768 people needs  –  another parking lot.

Lucky

SUN DOG

Marilyn and Al were gone most of yesterday to a doctor appointment in Springfield, MO. While they were there they got their seasonal flu shots.

Also, while they were in town they did some shopping at their favorite Health Food store, MaMa Jean’s.

On their was home to the Lucky Dog cabins they saw a Sun Dog up in the sky.

      

Neither Al or this reporter knew what a Sun Dog was. Marilyn said that Sun Dogs, also called mock suns, are colored, luminous spots caused by the refraction of light by six-sided ice crystals in the atmosphere. (As the article below says, it was at the same height above the horizon as the sun.) She also said that her cousin Billy Ray sent her more information about temperature & other conditions necessary, but it is on her old computer. Perhaps he can comment more about them for my readers as  he is a pilot who was once a “hurricane hunter”.

Being a dog myself I was curious about this kind of dog. I found on the Internet more information on Sun Dog

Very Interesting!

Lucky

FINISHED ROOF

Yesterday, Builder Bob and his crew finished with the new roof on our Main Cabin. We were so lucky (so to speak) to have two weekends in a row with excellent weather.

     

It was great to have this big job finished. They will come back another time to put a new roof on our Shed.

           

All I can do now is to give them my new Lucky Dog bark – Roof, Roof!

Lucky

POSSIBLE THONG TREE

On a recent trip Marilyn saw what she thought was a Thong Tree. (The sharply bent tree in the photo below.) She couldn’t get very close to the tree, so she isn’t sure, but it appears to have the “button” where the original top was cut off and the sapling bent. It is located near the Salt Peter Cave and river crossing at Crag-O-Lee that might have been pointed out by the “message tree”.

         

As a reminder to my readers about Thong Trees, the early Native Americans marked trails and other items of significance with trees bent to grow in an unusual fashion. These were called Thong Trees, and they are found throughout the southeastern part of the U.S. There were many in this area and some apparently remain. They should be identified and preserved. They were created to mark trails, springs, herbs used for medicinal purposes, salt supplies, and caves, etc. Marilyn thinks they might be an attraction for “green” tourism, but there seems to be very little interest in that in this area.

I have written about Thong Trees several times in my Lucky Dog Blog: See April 08, 2007, December 01, 2008 and February 24, 2009.

Lucky

WILD FUNGI

Yesterday Marilyn came home from a trip to town with some pictures she took of some unusual stuff on the side of the road.

          

Al said that he thought they were wild mushrooms. Marilyn didn’t know what they were, but thought they were interesting and strangely pretty. It doesn’t take much to get her attention.

         

At any rate, Al thinks that these are the kind you should not eat.

As if I would be consider such a thing. Good old dog food for me.

Lucky

SNAP

Marilyn was gone yesterday to the church for a SNAP activity. SNAP stands for “Shared Network Access Point” and it is not easy to remember that for some reason. Anyway… the purpose of SNAP is to provide computer access to data bases listing jobs available throughout the state and even in nearby places in Arkansas & Oklahoma. It also provides opportunities for job seekers to improve their skills by using computer based learning programs and gain certification of achievement levels in basic areas like math.

     

The opening was well attended. The photos caught only a few of them. Marilyn was busy helping some job seekers and neglected her roving reporter role for me. That’s ok as she is doing something useful and it keeps her out of my fur a couple of days a week. Of the three young men who came to check it out yesterday, two found jobs. That is a pretty good start.     

Lucky

INTERNET DOWN

Our Internet connection here at the Lucky Dog cabin went off line last night about 5:00 PM. Al finally got it going this morning about 10:30 AM.

Since I have not had any time on the computer this morning the only think I could think of for a quick blog post is my photo. One of my faithful readers, Kathee, requested a look at a recent photo. I wish Marilyn & Al would get me a harness that fits. This one is way too big!

                                  

You can see that I need some new things to wear.

Lucky

CHRISTMAS CACTUS

Last year Marilyn and Al received a very nice Christmas Cactus in the mail from our east coast family.

                                        

After the flowers were gone, Al repotted the plant, fed and babied it and this October it started to flower again. This year it looks like a shower of fireworks.

                           

The plant really looks nice but I think it should have been called a Halloween Cactus.

Lucky

EAST COAST FAMILY ON HALLOWEEN

Eric getting ready for a hockey game. (His team won.)

  

Katie getting ready for Halloween.

  

I hope they get another chance to visit us soon.  I have big teeth, too, but no one ever takes a picture of them because I am too speedy to capture on film. (Hmm. Maybe I can go trick or treating as a ghost.)

Lucky

HOTEL

In early August I wrote a Lucky Dog Blog post called City Improvements. The story was about the City of Pineville buying some old eyesore properties in order to tear them down. On the right is one of the property, an old hotel that was being used as a rental.

Mary DeLand a blog reader from Arizona sent me the following about the hotel:

Hey Lucky,
My heart skipped a beat when I heard "old hotel" mentioned. When I saw the photo I recognized it as my birthplace. I was born there Nov. 29, 1939. My folks ran the hotel during the making of the Jesse James movie and had many stories to tell. Sorry to see it go...

 

David Sparlin another blog reader just sent me some photos. of the property coming down:

       

          

Based on the last photo. I would say that the hotel is gone. Marilyn is very sad that no effort was made to save it. It was part of our history, but that isn’t a very high value these days.

Lucky

RURAL LIFE DECLINE

As my Lucky Dog Blog readers know we live in a very rural area. The picture shows some of the natural beauty that we live in.

Marilyn read a article in Newsweek about Rural Brain Drain that she found interesting. It was a review of a new book called, “Hollowing Out the Middle” and in the article, the authors expressed some of the concerns that Marilyn has had for many years.

“The future of rural America looks increasingly bleak: fueled by the rise of agribusiness and the corresponding decline of family farms, the loss of manufacturing jobs, and the flight of young people to urban centers…” Although McDonald County has not lost population, but has gained a bit, the rest of the scenario fits its plight fairly well. The book divides residents into four categories – the Achievers (those who leave), Stayers (those who remain), Seekers (those who leave to travel or join the military), and Returners (those who leave and come back). (Marilyn is one of the Returners, as you know).

The authors’s research led them to conclude that small towns must adopt a new way of thinking and change their attitudes toward their high school graduates. Instead of focusing on the Achievers, they should provide more support for the Stayers who need better training in computer technology, health care, sustainable agriculture and green energy – areas of future growth in the global economy. This is the time for rural communities to capitalize on the federal stimulus package by investing in green agriculture and energy. These are areas that Crowder College, our local community college has encouraged for years. It is to be commended for that, but the local school system should be carefully evaluated and is in much need of improvement.

Easily said, says Marilyn, but much harder to accomplish without a significant change in attitude. Too many say ”we don’t want things to change” while turning a blind eye to the negative changes happening before them. She hopes that her readers who live in rural areas – not just the Ozarks –  will take the time to read the article given in the link above.

Lucky

ROOFING MATERIAL ARRIVES

Yesterday my afternoon puppy nap was disturbed when a big truck arrived and a couple of men started to unloading stuff.

    

The “stuff” was the material that Builder Bob needs to install a new roof on the cabin.

        

The new roof will be started today and Al will take some pictures. I don’t think Marilyn or Al will be on the roof, but will be spectators.

I will be cheering them on with my new bark –  ROOF, ROOF.

Lucky

AFGHANISTAN

The news we have been hearing coming out of Afghanistan has not been good.

Al’s son David is keeping us up to date about his time in the country.

We heard from him this Monday that his job there is going good and he is OK.

We are looking forward to his E-Mail messages.

Lucky

DINNER AT CHEZ MARILYN

Last night Marilyn and Al went to the York’s cabin next door to have a taco salad dinner. My Marilyn made the “fixin’s” and she & Al took them to Marilyn Y’s house for assembly. They prefer a more critter-free zone when dining with friends.

            

There was good food on the table. Lots of items from which to choose – lettuce, onions, cheese, guacamole, taco “meat” (yes, they are still not eating real meat), ripe olives, corn chips, sour cream and salsa. Yum.

   

But there was not much food left. Al must like yucky photos.

   

Do my readers think that they brought any thing back to my cabin for me? Not a chance!

Lucky

A FAMILY PICTURE

Below is a photo of Marilyn’s father & his siblings. Clockwise– starting with the boy in the center front– Hiram (Uncle Shorty); Florence, Hazel and Thomas Alton, Marilyn’s father (self named “Bill”). Marilyn remembers them all except for Aunt Hazel, who died very young of heart disease, also leaving 4 small children – 2 boys and 2 girls (Bill, Bob, Helen and Jane Embry.)

The photo was taken in 1910 when Bill was 6 years old. It was quite a year. Their mother died from complications of a miscarriage. She was always called “Grandma Babe” and the family talked about her as if she had just stepped into another room. That same year,  Halley’s (rhymes with Valley) Comet passed by. Bill described seeing the comet vividly as looking like a “washtub of fire”. He said no one knew it was coming and the women ran to gather up their children, thinking the world was coming to an end. It was a day of panic.

             

In looking up when Halley’s Comet was seen, Marilyn learned something interesting. Halley’s Comet was expected in late April, but before that, in January, probably the brightest comet of the 20th Century (simply called the “January Comet” )was seen in North America in the late afternoon. Halley’s Comet was visible at night, but much dimmer than the January Comet that was easily seen in daylight.  Now, Marilyn thinks that perhaps 6 year old Bill was mistaken about which comet he actually saw. A lot of people apparently confused the two.

Lucky

KITTEN ON TV

Last week Saffron (aka: Little Yellow Kitten) found that sitting on Al’s laptop computer was a nice place to be.

After Al moved Saffron several times the kitten kept coming  back to the computer.

The only way Al could discourage the cat was to shut down the laptop and close the lid.

That worked, but it meant that Al could not use computer so he went into the other room to watch TV.

           

It is interesting that Saffron is getting the best of the cabin humans.

Lucky

ZELLA'S NEW ROCK GARDEN

Marilyn and Al were gone yesterday to visit Marilyn’s sister Zella and to see Zella’s new rock garden. The first picture was from last December before her new rock garden. The new garden has lots of plants and a special path to her bird feeders and bird bath. The rocks are Arkansas stone, a favorite of Zella’s.

  

     

It look very nice but I am not sure why anyone needs more rocks around here, especially imported ones.

Lucky

HALLOWHATSIT PET PARADE

Saturday a group of people? got dressed up for a pet parade. It was an event sponsored by the Back 2 Basics group to celebrate the end of the first season of the Farmer’s Market. The photo is courtesy of Peggy W. My roving reporters were too lazy to get to Anderson for the event. I wanted to go and was working on a costume, but sometimes you just can’t motivate humans. Maybe next year. They were a little sorry they missed it, and I don’t think Al needs a costume. He is pretty funny looking as it is.

          

I am not sure I know any of the people, but for sure the pets were better looking.

Lucky

KITTEN ON THE KEYS

Yesterday when Al got ready to work on his laptop computer he had a surprise.

            

Saffron had some bills to pay.

Lucky

Marilyn Joins an Exercise Class

Marilyn joined an “Arthritis” exercise class this week. It is, as you can see (top left), a pretty sedentary exercise class. The goal is to become stronger, improve balance and reduce the pain of movement. Marilyn needs to do all of those things after a couple of years  of not feeling very good. She reports that it is an excellent experience and that there still time to join if some of her local readers are interested. They meet on Tuesday & Thursday from 9–10 am.

    

    

After class yesterday, some of the people gathered for lunch. (I’m not sure if that is counterproductive or not, but Marilyn swears she had a lo-cal lunch.) They met at the Subway shop at Stang’s that has a great view of the fall color of the trees.

It looks like they had a nice time.

Lucky