Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Spring Flowers by Larry B. Gray









An excert from A Boy From Down East by Larry B. Gray

There is something magical about spring and the return of new life to the world of plants. Spring is a time for pruning, clearing and planting in gardens everywhere and it is no different for me and my little garden and yard.

Over the past three weekends I have pruned, raked, and dug up all of my flower beds.  All this work was done to get ready for the new growth and new plantings which the warm temperatures of spring bring. With the help of my 5 year old grandson, we have transformed the shrubs and flower beds into a photograph out of “Southern Gardens.” Yeah, right.  Well it does look better.

It is only natural that I enjoy working in my spring flower beds. I have been doing it for more years than I care to remember. Thinking back, I had to work preparing flower beds for spring planting since I was a young child. Between Mom’s flower beds and Granny’s (Mom’s mom, Mary Foster) flower beds I spent most of my spring Saturdays working in the yard.

Mom was always very meticulous about her flowers and yard.  Everything had to be done just right and meet her approval.  Her basic routine seldom varied and after a couple of years I began to know what, when and how to do it.

The first step was to remove all the old mulch, flowers and anything else left in the bed. She wanted to start fresh every year.  After chopping the ground up with the hoe and raking it out we would mix in the several buckets of chicken manure she had me shovel from Granddaddy’s chicken coop.  This had to be mixed and chopped into the soil at just the right amount, acting as a natural fertilizer but not burning the plants.

During the previous week Mom would have gone to a nursery in Bridgeton and selected the perfect plants to be transplanted into her bed.  Depending on the bed she would have marigolds, petunias, daisies, begonias and many other varieties.  Each was arranged in a grouping to be sure the size and color of the group was emphasized. Each flower had to be spaced uniformly and laid out exactly as she wanted. 

After we had all the flowers planted and watered it was off to the woods to rake up pine straw. Once again this was no simple task because Mom knew exactly what she wanted. It had to be fresh fallen straw with no other trash or plant material mixed in.  We went to certain pine tree woods where we knew there was very little undergrowth so it was easier to lightly rake the fresh straw off the top. It was amazing how much straw it took to cover all of her flower beds.

Once we got the straw back to the house it had to be placed just so in the beds.  Once again it had to be uniform and even in every bed.  It sounds simple but it took time,  especially when I had to redo half the beds because I would just pile it around the plants.

It was a lot of work but the rewards came a few weeks later when the yard was in full bloom.  It truly put some of the pictures in the gardening magazines to shame. Mom and Dad always had one of the prettiest yards in the area.

After the work was done I breathed a sigh of relief until Mom said, “You’re not done yet! Next weekend you have to go to Granny’s house and help her do her flower bed.”

Granny was not as particular as Mom but she still wanted her flowers done a certain way and she had several very large beds.  Again I spent the day digging and cleaning out all the old growth from the previous season.  I then worked up the beds and prepared the soil. When she thought it was right we would start planting.

One difference between Mom’s and Granny’s flower beds was that Granny liked to grow her flowers from seeds.  She mentally designed her beds and told me where and how to plant each packet of seeds.   Her flowers would come out later in the summer and she always had a beautiful yard when they were in full bloom.

Even though I complained about the work at the time I always enjoyed working with Mom and Granny in the gardens. Back then they both got down on the ground and helped me do the work.  I especially remember Granny with her big straw hat tied under her neck down on her knees digging and planting the seeds.

When I think back, that was the way Granny was.  She worked in her yard until she was physically unable to due to age. She worked in tobacco every summer helping the different members of the family get their crops in until she just could not do it anymore.  Granny was always a hard working woman.

I still love working in my yard and flower beds.  There is something special about putting in the hard work and effort and then being able to see the results.  I love fresh flowers blooming in my yard.  Whether it is a simple marigold or one of my hybrid tea roses there is a sense of accomplishment when you see them fully bloomed in all their glory.

It is fun working in the yard with my grandson and watching his eagerness to learn and participate.  I hope I can have the same effect on his life that my Mom and Granny had on mine by sharing the love of gardening.

I never can quite match the beauty of their yards but I am going to keep trying and maybe someday I will.





Monday, May 12, 2014

A Boy From Down East by Larry B. Gray




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Monday, March 31, 2014

What Readers Are Saying About A Boy From Down East





           on March 31, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition
I love the fact that I grew up on a farm and in a farm community. There is no place like home. It is obvious that Larry feels the same. I am envious of his ability to remember and get written down for posterity, all the little things that made it a good childhood. My daddy was born and lived in Aurora also and I knew I'd be able to picture daddy in the scenes that Larry painted and I could and did. As Bob Hope sang "Thanks for the memories."



 

           on March 6, 2014
 
Format: Kindle Edition
Larry Gray says that growing up in eastern North Carolina in a small rural community was "the best possible childhood you could wish for." And it would certainly seem so from this loving, gentle and always entertaining memoir. He talks about the joys (and otherwise) of the local library, church, grandmomma's kitchen, basketball camp, the country store and much else. He writes with wit and style, with numerous amusing stories. Highly recommended.
 
 
 
 
           on March 5, 2014
 
Format: Kindle Edition
A Boy From Down East is an ambitious reflection on the 1950s and 1960s by Larry B. Gray, with its short chapters and coming-of-age structure. Those who lived during the same era and grew up on farms or in small towns will read through the pages with a warm smile of recognition on their lips. Others, who like me are generations younger or more familiar with city living will find great first-hand history lessons about the times when electronic devices weren’t used as babysitters; when involving children in the family business was considered a way to build character and not child labor; when a secret date behind a haystack only led to a stolen kiss. Though I believe that the world is constantly changing around us and we need to keep up with those changes, I also believe that reflecting on history is very important if we want to live better and learn from the mistakes of the past.

While I was reading the author’s – now a grandfather – very personal recollections about his childhood, I realized how every word a child hears, every action he or she lives through, has a great impact. As a mother of two children, I got myself thinking about how my way of parenting will affect my son and daughter later in life. I’m sure others who pick up this book and read it will do the same.

This is a very positive book; mostly descriptions of lovely memories fill its pages. In a world where the media and our society question the importance of family every day, it was refreshing to see that we parents, who sacrifice, who work hard to create a new generation of productive people, are doing the right thing. Family life does matter and it is very important. A wise and hardworking grandfather, a kind and home-making grandmother, a friendly neighborhood can make a world of difference in a child’s life. For better or for worse, we all have learned something from our close relatives and people with whom we grew up and around. If you don’t have any good examples in front of you, read Mr. Gray’s biography. If you are surrounded with positive influences, you should nevertheless read this book to fill your heart with warmth.

I have received a copy from the author for an honest review.
 
 
 
           on February 22, 2014
 
Format: Kindle Edition Amazon Verified Purchase
It is magic to hear the telling of part of your own life. Even if it is a brief portion. This author certainly captured the flavor of times I had a brush with. He fills in gaps and explains things about a real town and real lives, I could "taste" those good old days again. Read this knowing he is real, and the friendships and stories are as well. You will love Aurora too.
 
 
 
Order Your Copy Today
 
 

Kindle: 
 
 
 
 
 




Print - Paperback:

Order Direct From Author: Book = $8.75 + $.61 Tax + P and H = $4.00 Total $13.36


Email me for details at larrygraysells@live.com






Retailers:

Own a shop or store? Would like to sell A Boy From Down East? Contact me to discuss terms.

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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Guest Review of A Boy From Down East: A.B. Whelan's review



14323853
's review
Mar 04, 14

didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing (my current rating)

Read from February 22 to 24, 2014


A Boy From Down East is an ambitious reflection on the 1950s and 1960s by Larry B. Gray, with its short chapters and coming-of-age structure. Those who lived during the same era and grew up on farms or in small towns will read through the pages with a warm smile of recognition on their lips. Others, who like me are generations younger or more familiar with city living will find great first-hand history lessons about the times when electronic devices weren’t used as babysitters; when involving children in the family business was considered a way to build character and not child labor; when a secret date behind a haystack only led to a stolen kiss. Though I believe that the world is constantly changing around us and we need to keep up with those changes, I also believe that reflecting on history is very important if we want to live better and learn from the mistakes of the past.

While I was reading the author’s – now a grandfather – very personal recollections about his childhood, I realized how every word a child hears, every action he or she lives through, has a great impact. As a mother of two children, I got myself thinking about how my way of parenting will affect my son and daughter later in life. I’m sure others who pick up this book and read it will do the same.

This is a very positive book; mostly descriptions of lovely memories fill its pages. In a world where the media and our society question the importance of family every day, it was refreshing to see that we parents, who sacrifice, who work hard to create a new generation of productive people, are doing the right thing. Family life does matter and it is very important. A wise and hardworking grandfather, a kind and home-making grandmother, a friendly neighborhood can make a world of difference in a child’s life. For better or for worse, we all have learned something from our close relatives and people with whom we grew up and around. If you don’t have any good examples in front of you, read Mr. Gray’s biography. If you are surrounded with positive influences, you should nevertheless read this book to fill your heart with warmth.

I have received a copy from the author for an honest review.
 
 
 
 

Kindle: 
 
 
 
 
 




Print - Paperback:

Order Direct From Author: Book = $8.75 + $.61 Tax + P and H = $4.00 Total $13.36


Email me for details at larrygraysells@live.com






Retailers:

Own a shop or store? Would like to sell A Boy From Down East? Contact me to discuss terms.

Email me for details at larrygraysells@live.com







 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Just Released - A Boy From Down East


 
Just Released
 
 
A Boy From Down East
 
 
by
 
Larry B. Gray
 
 
 
 
 
Growing up in eastern North Carolina in a small rural community during the 1950’s and 1960’s was the best possible childhood you could wish for. Family, church, friends, school, and working on the farm was the center of my world.
 
I have often heard people say ‘if only I could change this or that of my past’ or ‘if only I knew then what I know now.’ I would not change anything because this is what made me who I am today.
 
This is a collection of stories of my childhood. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have enjoyed remembering them.
 
 
 
 
Order Your Copy Today
 
 

Kindle: 
 
 
 
 
 




Print - Paperback:

Order Direct From Author: Book = $8.75 + $.61 Tax + P and H = $4.00 Total $13.36


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Retailers:

Own a shop or store? Would like to sell A Boy From Down East? Contact me to discuss terms.

Email me for details at larrygraysells@live.com








 
 


Thursday, November 29, 2012

I Lost a Friend Today

I Lost a Friend Today





I found out today one of my oldest friends died. Henry (Hank) B. Bland was born on July 25, 1953 and died on November 27, 2012 after battling cancer and several other illnesses throughout his life.

Hank was possibly my oldest friend. I cannot remember a time we were not friends growing up in Edward, NC. In some of the pictures I have of us together we were only 3 years old.

Most of our early years were spent living across the street from each other and we spent many hours at the others home. The Bland home in Edward was one of the first places I where I was allowed to go alone. We spent most days playing together and exploring our world.

We had our own little gang which included Hank, Billy, Al and I. Edward was a very small town and we were it. We played together, went to church together, and rode the bus to school together. We had lots of adventures together.

One of those adventures occurred after church one night. As I said Edward is a very small town with only a couple of streets. We lived on the main street through town and the church was on the back street. Between our house and the church was a small wooded area with a path through it maybe a 100 yards long. I remember going to church with my friends, Al, Hank and Billy and one of them suggesting that we walk home through the path in the woods. It was like a badge of courage we were each trying to earn and this would be the first time we attempted it. I am not sure about the other guys but that 100 yard walk was on the longest walks I have ever taken. That should have been a short distance, but it seemed to go on forever. The woods were darker than on any moonless night. It was quite, not even the wind was blowing. After walking for what seemed like hours without saying a word between us, we finally made it to the other end near Al’s house. It was like the moon come out and the stars were shinning and we started laughing and teasing one another. From that night on we always took the short cut through the woods, I guess we earned our badge.

At first my friends and I only played at each other’s houses, but as we got older and braver we ventured out into the area. Behind Hank’s house was an old abandoned barn. This soon became our clubhouse and our base of operations from which we explored deeper and deeper into the woods. Finally around age 1o or 11 we began exploring the creek and for the next couple of years Hank and I had many great adventures along the banks of Durham Creek.

Hank and I started school together in the fall of 1959 at Aurora High School and for the next 12 years we went to the same school building. I remember how it was so great riding the school bus with the big kids and we felt grown up. We were lucky that there were a couple of “High School” girls who kept an eye on us. Thanks Miriam and Deanna, Hank’s sister.

One Christmas day Hank’s sister Deanna took us to the movies in Washington at the Turnage Theater. The movie Swiss Family Robinson had just come out and we got to see it that first week.

Hank was part of the group that went with me to be on the Romper Room TV show in Greenville, NC on WNCT. We both worked hard back then to be good Do Bees.

After high school I got married and moved to Florida and only saw Hank a few times. He came to Florida for a visit once and we talked for a long while about old times. On several occasions I saw Hank when I went back to North Carolina for a visit, but these times became rarer and rarer.

Even though we had grown apart, separated by time and distance, it is hard to lose an old friend of almost 60 years. I will miss Hank and the world has changed now that he is gone. I know he suffered many illnesses in his adult life but I also can rest assured he is resting peacefully now in the arms of God.

A joy I have today thinking about Hank is all the great times and memories we had together. He was and still is a great friend.

This too is part of growing up in Aurora, NC.

 




 

Friday, April 8, 2011

Date Night III - Raleigh


During the time I was going to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Sara was attending college in Raleigh at Hardbarger Business College. Dating was always a challenge because neither of us had a car. But, where there is love you find a way.



On a few occasions Sara would take the bus to Chapel Hill and we would spend the day walking around the campus. In the late afternoon we would go to the bus station so she could catch the bus back to Raleigh. She didn’t do this often because when she got back to Raleigh she had to take a cab to Mrs. Murray’s where she lived while going to college.



Other times one of the other girls that lived at Mrs. Murray’s would drive her to Chapel Hill if I would “fix them up” with one of my friends. My friend Lonnie who roomed across the hall in my dorm was always ready, willing and able. The four of us would have a great time especially since we had a car and could go somewhere.



Usually I would go to Raleigh on the weekends to see Sara. My favorite, by necessity, means of transportation was to hitchhike. During this time in the early 1970’s I thought nothing of hitchhiking anywhere I needed to go. A friend and I hitchhiked from Chapel Hill to Myrtle Beach, SC and back one weekend and slept on someone’s floor we met at a club. That was one wild weekend and I only have hazy memories of it. Enough said.

When I was going to Raleigh I would wake up early Saturday morning and get out on the road. The key to a quick ride was to dress nice and smile. Just like today you had to “dress for success.” Using this technique and with my handy dandy sign that read “RAL” on one side and “UNC” on the other it rarely took long to catch a ride.

Usually it was the “hippies” that would stop and give me a ride. I like that because they would often take me all the way to downtown Raleigh even if it was out of their way. I have caught a lot of rides in VW mini vans with peace signs painted on the side. Often the lingering smell of a certain burnt plant would fill the van and the glazed look in their eyes confirmed what it was.

I remember once being picked up by an older gentleman in a big white Cadillac. He was short, overweight and wore a white suit. He talked my ears off all the way to Raleigh. He had gone to Carolina in the 1950’s and now owned several tobacco warehouses/markets. I had forgotten about him until the other night when I saw a rerun of the old TV show “Dukes of Hazzard.” This man looked just like Boss Hogg.

The goal of leaving early on Saturday morning was to get to the downtown Belk’s store on Fayetteville Street before noon. Sara worked at the Belk’s store on Saturdays but got off at lunch time. I would meet her at the store and we would spend the afternoon together.



A typical day was spent at the various parks downtown, at the museums, or around the Capitol. We were glad to be together and the fact that we could not go anywhere did not seem to matter. With little or no money, simple things were what brought us fun.

After she got off work we would get something to eat. If we were really hungry we would eat at the lunch counter at Eckerds or Grants. You could always get a filling meal for a very inexpensive price. Other times we went to a great pizzeria off one of the side streets from Fayetteville Street that had the best homemade pizza.

We spent a lot of time on the grounds of the old Capitol building walking and talking. When we got tired, there were plenty of benches to sit on. I remember once we were sitting on a bench in a secluded spot and kissing when all of a sudden one of the Capitol police walked up, cleared his throat and said, “Don’t get to carried away kids.”



We would also spend hours “window shopping” at various department stores in the downtown area daydreaming about the future. Sara worked in the little boys department of Belk. She would tell me that while she was folding the pants and shirts she would image she was folding her children’s clothes. It is kind of funny that several years later she was still folding little boys’ clothes, only these were for our boys.



When the weather was bad we would go to the movie theater on Salisbury Street. We would sit through the same movie two or three times in a row. When the original movie “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” came out we saw it at least three times that day. I knew the Umpa Lumpa song better than most of the popular songs of that day. This still is one of my favorite movies of all times and occasionally I find myself singing, “Oompa Loompa Doompadee Do, I’ve Got A Perfect Puzzle For You.”



Before it got too late in the evening I would ride the local bus with Sara and take her home to Mrs. Murray’s because there was an early curfew for the girls that lived there. Then it was either hurry back to the bus station to catch the last bus to Chapel Hill or find some place to sleep. More often than not I missed the last bus.



If I was lucky and had a few dollars in my pocket I could walk to the YMCA on Hillsborough Street and get a room for the night. On a couple of occasions I was able to get in contact with some of my friends who went to NC State and I would sleep on their dorm room floor. Both of these two options were good and I got a good night sleep.

There were several occasions when either I did not have money for a room or could not get in touch with my friends. On these occasions I had to make do. If the weather was real cold I would sleep in the bus station under the guise that I was waiting to catch the morning bus back to Chapel Hill. There were several times when the weather was warmer I slept outside, once in a baseball dugout on the NC State campus and twice under park benches. Life is an adventure and a lot of fun.



They say love is blind and it must be true. We had some great times during that period in Chapel Hill and Raleigh. Looking back I cannot remember it being cold or raining but only that we were together. The amazing fact is I asked Sara to marry me during that time and she said YES. As of this writing it has almost been 39 years and we are still having a great adventure and a lot of fun together.

This too was part of growing up in Aurora NC.