Bell Choir

Clayton and Greta were part of the bell choir today at church.  Silent Night, Holy Night

Gone Shopping

 We give the grands money for Christmas.  Clayton bought new jeans for church, but hated turning loose of part of his cash.  Then he purchased a game for the tv.  It is a simple one not one of the ones where you kill people.

Greta got a new spread for her bed and I think the things on the bed.

We gave the "big" kids money, this year too.  I think Erin spent hers on her kids.   She bought a few things for the baby--arriving in May. 

Screaming for Ice Cream

On a freezing day—high 37 degrees— Ingrid is craving ice cream.  Some of Ingie’s favorite foods are:  chocolate milk, potato soup, pumpkin pie, apples with peanut butter, beans, and ice cream.  She loves mashed potatoes with brown gravy or biscuits with white gravy. She doesn’t care much for potato chips, nuts, and a whole list of other foods.  She loves journaling, making lists of favorite things, reading, listing to records—vinyl ones.  Ingrid likes Johnny Cash and many older artists.   Dogs, cats or any pets are not her thing.  Sleeping late and staying up late are habits she likes.   Going to the movies or just watching them on tv is a pastime for her.  When she was a young girl, the movies she loved had dancing and singing in them.  She makes A’s, has lots of friends.  She could have a steady boyfriend but they get in way of her goals.  I bet she makes lists of goals too.  She thinks she would like to be a college professor.  I hope all her dreams come true.

Christmas Gifts

Astrid bought gifts for Phoebe and Penny.  I know they got elf costumes, toys, a new bed for each.  They are loved and spoiled.

Astrid, Logan’s Mom Bo, sister Whitley, Jana, tyreek a friend, Landon with dog, and Logan with borrowed glasses.  Bo had a little electronic Game  and Logan was going for top score.

The Man On The Train

And this is the  book that I read recently about the serial killer who road the train and murdered victims--chopping them with an ax.  Was the killer riding the train near Crooked Creek and spotted the pretty Ella riding her horse to the neighbors' house.  He could have jumped from the train and waited for her to return trip ambushing her raping and chopping her to pieces.  The book tells about a man in bloody clothes being seen in Fort Smith, Arkansas within days of Ella's killing.

Too bad there was no DNA testing in 1912.  Ella's murder might have been solved or at least Odus could have been cleared.

From a book reviewer—

This book centers around The Villisca Axe Murders of 1912, a case often described as the greatest unsolved crime in American history. 

James’ book goes way beyond that one horrific act – the gruesome murder of an entire family of six plus two young neighbor girls in the small town of Villisca, Iowa – to connect that crime to a series of axe murders (perhaps as many as 110 victims in all) that took place across the United States between (as best the Jameses could determine) 1898 and 1912. One of those murders (of the Lyerly family) took place near Salisbury in 1906, and resulted in the mob lynching of three African-American men believed to be innocent of the crime.

James uses the research and statistical skills he honed as the author of “Baseball Abstracts” in the 1970s and ’80s to make his case: that the Villisca murders and many others like them were committed not by persons known to the victims, nor by robbers, but by a psychopathic madman who rode the rails from Florida to Washington state, carefully picked his targets, and then carried out his mayhem in a pretty predictable way.

The Jameses discovered that a large number of the axe murders they found by scouring newspaper reports from the period had the same characteristics: the murders took place near a train track; entire families were murdered; the weapon was picked up outside the home – perhaps in a woodpile – and dropped at the scene; the murders took place on the same day of the week and same time of day; the blunt side of the axe was used instead of the sharp side; the victims were murdered in bed while sleeping; there was the presence of young children – usually young girls – in the home; there was often an oil lamp at the scene with the glass globe removed; there was never any sign of robbery at the murder scene; etc.

James recounts each of the murders they discovered, making a case for each one to either be counted or discounted as a Man From the Train murder. If it doesn’t fit the criteria, he doesn’t try to force it. He lays out the facts in a straightforward but not gratuitously gory manner, calculates the likelihood that it could be attributed to anyone other than The Man From the Train given the variables present in the case, and decides yay or nay.

Ella Murdered at Zinc, AR

 I recently read this book about Ella Barham.  She was raped and murdered November 21, 1912 in Boone County, AR.  Ella had rode a horse across Crooked Creek to the home of a neighbor seeking help to design a pretty hat or fitting a new dress.  On her way home, she was attacked and killed.  After murdering Ella, her killer chopped her in many pieces.  He moved some of the body parts to another location.   Some brush was piled on part of the slaughter but some left in plain sight.

 Zinc, AR was once a thriving little village.  It was near the railroad and the area developed around a zinc mine.   Once the usage of zinc lessened, the little town disappeared.

Shortly after Ella's brutal murder, her neighbor Odus Davidson and his brother were arrested.  Odus was a poor country boy.  He owned one pair of shoes and only an outfit or two.   No blood was found on any of Odus' apparel or shoes--not one drop.  His father gave a lawyer 80 acres of land to fight for Odus.

 Odus was found guilty and hanged on the square at Harrison, AR.  He was the last man hanged in Arkansas.

 Odus is buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Harrison, AR.  His sister had this stone placed on his grave.  "Here rest the ashes of Odus Davidson, born January 22, 1883. His life taken August 11, 1913, by misrepresentations born of excitement." 

 Here Odus goes handcuffed to his gallows.  He proclaimed his innocence with his last breath.

Good citizens prepared the gallows.

 Men came dressed in their best clothes and many of the ladies sported a pretty hat.  Notice the man atop the building and those looking out the windows.

it seems ironic that Ella was laid to rest in the Davidson Family Cemetery.
Lillian Ethel “Ella” Barham
BIRTH 6 Feb 1894
Boone County, Arkansas, USA
DEATH 21 Nov 1912 (aged 18)
Boone County, Arkansas, USA
BURIAL
Davidson Cemetery
Olvey, Boone County, Arkansas, USA
Erin traveled to Olvey today and visited Ella's grave.   Maybe she will go next to Maplewood and view the grave of an innocent Man--Odus Davidson.

The Davidson family moved from Boone County, AR to Oklahoma after the murder as they were threatened by their good neighbors--move or be burned out!

What a sad story this is.  Ella's murder has never been solved, but I have also read another book recently about the "train murderer".   He rode the train and hacked his victims to death with an ax just as Ella was killed.  I can't help but wonder if the train rider was not Ella's killer.  Odus brother was allowed bond.  He was never tried for Ella's murder.

Pie Today

 Larry wanted a lemon pie, his favorite.  I made one today.

Walked over to the pond.  It is full.  A little ran out the spill way.  Took 6 months for it to fill.  We have had lots of rain.

New Boots

 We bought our  Chevy truck in 2006.  So we have had it 12 years.  It has been a loyal friend to us.  Larry bought some new wheels for it this week and had them put on.  They are Chevy wheels not some other fancy wheels.  The truck looks really good with the new dressier shoes.

You can see the older wheels in this photo.  This truck has always started, ran like a top, etc.  We have put tires and batteries and changed the oil, but nothing major ever!  Keep purring little silver friend!

Mount Nebo

Logan’s Dad and family came for Christmas from Arizona.   I know Logan loved getting to see him!  They always stay atop Mt. Nebo.

Mount Nebo State Park

Area:	2984 acres

Mount Nebo State Park, Arkansas’s second oldest state park, encompasses more than 3,000 acres on Mount Nebo, a flat-topped plateau that rises 1,350 feet above the Arkansas River valley of west-central Arkansas. Roughly 100 acres of the park are on the tabletop portion of the mountain, the main destination of tourists visiting the area.

Mount Nebo was a prominent landmark for early navigation on the Arkansas River, got its name sometime after the Civil War. Louis C. White of Dardanelle (Yell County) owned land around the springs on the Bench Trail, and according to local folklore, his wife named the mountain after the biblical Mount Nebo, from which Moses saw the Promised Land. Inhabited by white settlers since pre–Civil War years, the city of Mount Nebo was first laid out with streets and lots in the late 1800s.

The mountain became a popular resort in 1889 when the Summit Park Hotel was established on the mountaintop. It was a popular destination for the upper class nationwide, many traveling by steamboat on the Arkansas River to visit the mountain. At one point, the mountain was home to two hotels and up to 5,000 people who lived on the mountaintop as summer residents. Today, approximately fifty private residences are used full time or seasonally on top of the mountain, and many of the owners are descendants of families who lived on Mount Nebo from the late 1800s.

In 1918, Mount Nebo’s widely known reputation as a popular summer destination abruptly ended when the Summit Park Hotel caught fire and burned to the ground. Costs incurred by recent remodeling had left the hotel with no money for insurance. It was never rebuilt.

After the destruction of the hotel, the town of Mount Nebo remained. City amenities included gazebos, boardwalks, a post office, a doctor’s office, a bowling alley, and a local telephone exchange. Residences were owned mostly by local families of Dardanelle. Some were used year round, but as time went by, the popularity of the mountain decreased.

In 1924, Mount Nebo became the first town on record in Arkansas to have an all-female government. At that time, the women’s rights movement had just struck. Empowered, the women of Mount Nebo saw many changes needed in the town that the male city council members were not enacting. At reelection time, the women ran for office, in some cases against their husbands, brothers, and fathers. A female mayor and a female city council were elected in April 1924. During their time in office, the women made many improvements, but their efforts were not enough to bring more people to the mountaintop.

In 1926, in efforts to re-popularize the mountain, the Dardanelle Chamber of Commerce proposed to make Mount Nebo a state park. Many of the delegates attending the Sixth National Conference of State Parks that year were summer residents of Mount Nebo and in favor of the idea. The first step in instituting the state park was for the State Park Commission to acquire the land. A call for donations of land was made, and in 1928, a deed of 500 acres owned by the state due to delinquent taxes was handed over to the commission. In addition, the state negotiated for 800 acres close to the base of the mountain, which were owned by the Missouri-Pacific Railroad. After 1929, and through the Great Depression, even more land was acquired due to delinquent taxes. Mount Nebo State Park became Arkansas’s second state park in 1928. Private ownership of land within the park boundaries remains today, making Mount Nebo unique among the Arkansas state parks.

Victorian-style architecture was typical to the park until the 1930s, when logs and stones from the mountain were used by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to construct most of the trails, cabins, bridges, and a large pavilion. These CCC structures were turned over to the state park system when the CCC disbanded from Mount Nebo in 1935.

Today, park facilities include a visitor center, rental cabins, a campground with twenty-four campsites and bathhouse, ten primitive hike-in campsites, picnic sites, a large group pavilion, a standard group pavilion, an amphitheater, a swimming pool, playgrounds, tennis courts, and a ball field. The park has fourteen miles of hiking trails, and the mountain’s bluffs and steep slopes also make it a popular destination for hang-gliding enthusiasts. Hayrides are given on the mountaintop roads, as well as on the Bench Trail, which circles the mountain below the bluffs and affords views not only of the park’s plant and animal life, but also remnants of homes from the 1800s. Sunrise and Sunset points are popular places for sightseers and photographers.

Seasonal interpretive programs take place from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Many of the special events planned by the park staff carry on the tradition of what has historically taken place on the mountain—dances, a Victorian Christmas open house, an Easter sunrise service, and ice cream socials. The most popular events are the Mount Nebo Chicken Fry, usually in September, and the spring and summer hang-gliding fly-ins, usually in April and August.

Mount Nebo State Park is about seven miles west of Dardanelle on Arkansas Highway 155.

We Gathered with Love

 Clayton is a growing boy.  When he arrives he is ready to eat.  After he eats, he is ready to open his gifts.

 Greta is showing off the doggy elf.

 We had lots of good food.  We use paper plates!  Not many dishes to wash.

 Laura has lots of ornaments that are especially hand made.

 Laura's bakes spinach dip and pepper rolls are delicious.

 Pop smoked a Petit Jean ham.

My grandson Clayton is kind and sweet.  He tells me a new joke every time I see him.

 Sigrid made Greta a necklace with her name!  It was special.

 The three sweet grand girls are discussing a deep topic.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas.

Astrid and Logan heading out to spend time with his Dad who came from Arizona.

Ingrid, Sigrid and Penny the elf!

Notice Clayton is enjoying licking his fingers as he decks the cookies.

Ingrid with Astrid and Penny the Christmas Elf!

Shakes Alive

Ingrid’s friend’s Grandmother took them to Branson to see Samson!  Ingie said it was really good.  She’s enjoying a milkshake here.  I love her nails!

Phinnie says

Momma since it’s Christmas can I sit on the couch and rest on this soft pillow.  Me, “sure”!

Shy

Some are just naturally shy.   Others seek attention.

It is warmer today.  I like the sun shining.

Endings

2018 is ending and 2019 is coming our way.  Time marches on.  Laura brought us some fudge that someone made for her.  Well, it was Alivia's grandmother.  It was good.  Laura often shares her goodies with us.  She is cutting down calories when she does this! 

An ending brings a beginning.  One can look at it as being over or just starting.  Turning the page can be a very encouraging thing. 

Sigrid finished all her tests and will get to sleep in for a few weeks.

December 20th used to be my pay day.  It still feels sort of like it used to!

Choices

Ingrid Elizabeth loves dancing.  After being a member of the dance routine group in 8th and 9th grade, she said she was not going to try out for the RHS team.   Reason--takes too much time and she wanted to take more classes.  She has the New York Times crossword app on her phone and does it daily.  She takes the hardest classes.  She reads a lot.  She is just a Junior and yesterday her score came from her ACT test.  She made a 29.  I am sure she said--I want to make higher.  That is the way she thinks.  With this score she will have tuition paid, but she will take the test at least two more times.  I looked and out of 2 million who took the ACT she is above 90th percentile.   I was thinking a quarter of her genes come from me.  Maybe I gave her that crossword puzzle gene!  But not the dancing one!  Proud of Ingrid!  Her middle name is from me!

Sisters Aspiring Actresses

Fleta and Helen are always part of the Christmas play at their church.  They usually play the part of two old women.  Wonder why?  Their church plays are original productions written by the pastor's wife.  Looks like this one may have had a frontier theme.  Helen played a red head!   I know it was a great performance.

Basketball at Hollister, MO

Greta is heading to Hollister to play basketball.  Her long, tall brother is not too sports crazy and would just as soon not have to tag along.  Maybe he can stay with Dad.   Hope Greta has some assists and some baskets.  I got that head sweat band for her birthday.  I love her high top tennis shoes!  Go Greta!

I sent money for Clayton and Greta to buy presents for their Mom and Dad.  I thought they would enjoy doing it.   Well, they already shopped for Dad today and hopefully they will shop for Mom soon.  They each wrapped their the gifts and put them under the tree.  Hope they bought something Dad will really like!

A Steadfast Friend

Laura has an old friend.  Katie is not old but they have been friends for a long, long time.  Not as long as Jonell and I as our friendship started in 5th grade at Green Forest Elementery--best I can figure that was 1960.   We never have had a cross word because Jonell is just too nice.  Katie and Laura became friends in Middle School.  So maybe that would be 1986 or so.  As far as I know, they have never had a disagreement.  Katie is just too nice.   Katie's husband is a professor at West Point.  West Point is near NYC so Katie made sure to make her way to see Laura and our two girls.  Katie has two girls also!  Katie is a CPA.   I love that Laura and her friend are getting spend time together.  Two sweet girls!

Ring Those Hand Bells

Greta and Clayton are going to be in the hand bell performance this Christmas!