Oris George

Mother’s kitchen range

Note: This photo was taken by Oris George of his wood-burning heating stove. Inside, behind the glass, the fire flashed and light flares through the glass and travels out through the room.

While doing dishes this morning, I listened to the snap and crackle of cedar wood burning in the wood-burning heating stove. My memory raced back to the years when I was a small boy at home. The sound of wood crackling and snapping in the stove brought back fond memories of mother’s large, grey Monarch kitchen range. That stove was always hungry. I could never keep the wood box full. I thought again this cold winter morning about that stove and how mother had to coax it into life each day. That friendly old stove dried out wet gloves and mittens in the winter. The warmth from that stove made home comfortable and safe. From its oven, came loaves of homemade bread, fluffy golden biscuits, cornbread, apple and cherry pies, baked ham, and turkey for holiday dinners. I miss my mother and that old stove on this cold winter morning.

A corncob fortune

As the years march along, I vividly recall the fun, and not-so-fun, times, my friend, Henry, and I spent from the third grade through the ninth grade. I’m working on a story that took place during the fall of 1941. We were eight years old. Neither one of us had any money. We put our heads together and decided to get rich!

Ol’ man Foster raised many hogs on his farm. He would drive a pickup loaded with ear corn into the hog pens and shovel the corn onto the ground. The hogs ate the corn and left the cobs. We came up with this bright idea of sacking the corncobs in burlap sacks. Mr. Foster agreed. He told us we could have all the corncobs we wanted. We loaded eight sacks at a time into the cart, hooked my mule, Red, to the cart and headed for town. Eight sacks of cobs piled high in that small cart didn’t leave much room for us. We sat high on the sacks. Down Greenwood Avenue we went, door- to- door.

We must have been a pitiful sight–two ragged boys, one red mule and a cart filled with burlap bags full of corncobs. I’ll say this, “Henry was a darn good salesman!” But then, what housewife could resist his smile? He was a charmer!

We sold the sacks of cobs for 10 cents each. I don’t remember how many sacks of cobs we sold that fall. The movie was 9 cents. We had money for show tickets at the Rex theater, popcorn, and, after the show, an Orange Crush at Brickle’s Texaco Station at the southeast corner of River Street and 9^th.

Note from the Coyote Brothers

Last week’s blizzard dumped snow. Then along came a strong north wind which piled snow in deep drifts and left the ground bare in other spots.

This morning I found a note fastened to the kitchen door. It was from the Coyote Brothers, Elmer and Melvin.

The blizzard messed up life in the Coyote community. The north wind piled snow into large drifts. In places, the snow was so deep we couldn’t get out to hunt. We hunkered down to wait out the storm.

The morning dawned a brilliant day. Junior Coyote ventured out to look around. He came back to tell us he had seen you out in your yard and that you were having difficulty getting around in the snow. We told him we heard you recently acquired a new knee and that humans have trouble getting around on one leg.

Junior observed seven deer and a very large flock of wild turkeys and many cows eating the corn stalks in the field just south of your house.

We want to let you know it’s fun sharing the area with you.

Signed: Elmer and Melvin Coyote

It’s Merry Christmas Time

Decorating at the George Mansion this year fell to Patsy, since Oris is still laid up with his knee. No running through the mountains to chop down a tree this year! Oris sits on his throne with his knee on a pillow and Patsy waits on him hand and foot keeping the home fires burning (well, at least according to me). According to Oris, he says he’s been keeping the home fires burning, checking on Patsy in the kitchen, slaving over a hot computer all day and beating the eggs out of the chickens every morning before breakfast. But, we all know what a story teller HE is.

Happy Thanksgiving

NOTE: Since Oris is still laid up (although healing quite nicely), we thought we’d share a Thanksgiving greeting from his daughter Marcia Lynn McClure — this is posted from her newsletter along with her promotion for Oris George’s book “Along the Back Roads of Yesterday” and one of her books too. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From Marcia:

Oh, I hope that everyone enjoys Thanksgiving Day! And I hope you’re planning on stuffing yourself sick—and then stuffing yourself some more with Pumpkin Pie! I don’t care if it gives me indigestion (it’s the spices and middle age that do it)—I’m setting a whole pie aside just for me! I think I’ll cut into it for breakfast Thanksgiving morning and go from there! Ooo! My mouth is watering at the very thought of it!

As Thanksgiving dawns and fades, and as we start revving up for Christmas, I hope we can all steal a little time to truly relax, reflect and enjoy! I don’t know about you, but I always try to do too much and then end up worn out and too tired to really enjoy certain things. Thus, I’ve promised myself to make sure I take the time each and every evening to sit before the fireplace or Christmas tree and just relax, listen to my favorite carols and truly enjoy the beauty of the season.

Meanwhile, whatever your Thanksgiving plans are, relish them to the fullest! If you’re a Black Friday shopper, have fun—and if you’re not (like me) wrap, rest, or read and relish every moment!

Happy Thanksgiving!
~Marcia Lynn McClure

The Perfect Gift for Grandparents!

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for a grand parent or great-grandparent, or any friend or relative between the ages of 65 and 145, we’ve got it! Now available for a limited time at www.marcialynnmcclure.com, Along the Back Roads of Yesterday is a compilation of humorous, nostalgic, real-life stories written by Marcia Lynn McClure’s father, Oris George! Told just the way Oris lived life as a boy, growing up in rural America during the great depression and WWII, Along the Back Roads of Yesterday will warm the hearts of anyone, especially those who remember when life was much different than it is today—when fresh eggs, raw milk and mule apples were a part of every day life, and fun was had using only imagination and mischief!

Visit www.marcialynnmcclure.com to order your copies of Along the Back Roads of Yesterday in time for Christmas gift-giving to those special people in your life who truly enjoy reminiscing on days gone by!
Excerpt:
Heck! I was almost eight years old and knew for sure-and-certain I could drive a mule to take eggs to Cathcarts’. All summer, I pestered Mom to ask Dad if he thought I was old enough to make the drive alone. I gave up on Mom’s asking and decided to ask him myself.

As I finished the last of my apple pie, Dad lit the kerosene lamp and placed it in the middle of the kitchen table. I looked up at him. “Dad, ain’t I old enough ta take the eggs ta Cathcarts?”

With his calloused right hand, he tossled my hair and said, “I think it’s about time ya took on some additional responsibility ’round here.”

The Chimney Sweep Charm will Sweep You Off Your Feet!

The printed softcover version of Marcia Lynn McClure’s new holiday romance, The Chimney Sweep Charm, is now available to order! Click here to order your printed copies of The Chimney Sweep Charm today! (*Copies begin shipping December 1st and check back on Thanksgiving Day for details on the e-book version’s availability!)

Believe it when we say, that nothing will add romance to your holiday season faster than The Chimney Sweep Charm! Order your copies now to be sure Santa has The Chimney Sweep Charm to tuck into your stocking on Christmas Eve!

“Crackle Glass” Contest Ends November 30th!

Don’t forget to drop in at www.marcialynnmcclure.com and enter the contest for three Yankee Candle Pinecone Crackle Glass Votives! November’s contest ends at midnight November 30th, so enter today!

Be sure to visit Marcia’s Blog!

Oris Recovering Well…

He’s out of surgery and thinking two women telling him what to do is at least one too many, little does he know… there could be many more if he doesn’t behave himself.

Pasty, call if you need back up. We have chains and anchors ready for him if needed.

Although, I’m quite certain Patsy can handle him (she’s been doing it for a bunch of years).

Prayers and healing thoughts are appreciated!

Leave him a message!

Oris George Donkey Christmas Cards

If you haven’t seen Oris’ new Christmas Cards, you’re in for a nice surprise. These deliciously simple designer cards are ready to sign and send with a simple message inside.

Order as many cards as you’d like @ $1.50 with $3.50 shipping for all the cards you order!

(So, for those of you who want to know — if you order 20 cards, it still only costs YOU $3.50 to ship all of them.)

Just hit the buy now button below and tell us how many cards to send you. Be sure you include your address!

Kids Pranks & Elmer’s Bull

It’s that time of year when kids play pranks, such as swiping calves from pens in the country.

The pumpkin patches all over the country are missing pumpkins that will be splattered over the roads, across intersections and around the neighborhood, amid the toilet paper swagged trees and egged house walls. Who knew children could be so rambunctious?

Oris George shares a tale about Henry and hiding long time neighbor, Elmer’s bull in another neighbor’s tool shed. The story, shared on page 145 of his book, “Along the Back Roads of Yesterday” reveals, “Little did I know that for the rest of my life, on occasion, that hot summer in 1948 would bubble to the surface of my memories.” Oris shares many stories that bubble to the surface of our memories, from pranks we pulled in years gone past. If you’d like to relive those memories, gloriously shared, click the link on the right and buy a copy of Oris’ book.

He’ll add your name to the inside of the front cover, along with a personal note and send your memories right out. You’ll read it from cover to cover, because you won’t want to miss a twinkle in time, not a single one. Between now and Christmas, order a second book as a gift. Oris will include a card to send with the gift book.

For Christmas

For Christmas this year, give the gift of warm nostalgia to friends and loved ones!  Along the Back Roads of Yesterday offers escape from the chaotic world in which we live. The reader is whisked back to a time when hard work, creative imagination, and good times spent lingering with family and friends made life rich and full.

Order Along the Back Roads of Yesterday today, and receive a FREE $1.50 value donkey note card to enclose with your special gift to someone else, or for yourself!

Book Trailer for Oris George

Sometimes the opportunity to meet someone arises and you just have to take a leap of faith. Building a business online connects one to a whole rift of people you might never have met otherwise, right in your own neighborhood. Such it is with Miss Kimberlie King, who created the video trailer for my book Along the Back roads of Yesterday.

Be sure to visit her site: