I was an ugly child. The cartoon photo of me in part #1 chasing the car looks more like me as a child than my real photos did.
Photo credits
Judy Meeker
One night around the first of December, the north wind whispers through the tall white pine. She bends and sways but does not shed her gown beneath old man winter's icy wet kisses as the maple, oak, and hickory had done. The wind dies to a whimper and leaves the modest pine alone to stand fully clothed in a forest of naked trees. Up right and decent, she stands, her lush green gown a sparkle with hoarfrost. But not for long...
By the middle of December her branches would hang across city streets, stretched from pole to pole like long feathery snakes attired in gemstones. This green decoration was call Christmas roping by city folks. It was called tying pine by the gentle hill folks who made it.
Mommy and daddy Cottle had been tying pine all week. They had a big order to fill and so little time. Dudy had hindered them causing them to get behind. Mommy had to stop every hour around the clock to wear the tiny imp out with a pine brush. Watching the child hop about the cabin in showers of green rain and squalling soon begin to wear on their nerves.
Then one day, mommy went to whip Dudy and she had jumped behind the sofa where daddy sit rolling wire. The enraged mommy Cottle had raised the pine brush to strike out at the sofa, but missed and struck daddy Cottle across his face. He had packed Dudy up then and there and drove her to mam-maw Henches, and the old woman had to keep her until roping season was over.
Head Lice
Mam-maw Hench hides a fine toothed comb in her apron pocket, and tips to the poarch on stealth feet. There she sits on a wobbly old bench to smoke her pipe and to wait in perdition for the wicked Dudy Cottle. The old woman wants to catch her grand-daughter and run the comb through her tangled locks, then cut them off to the scalp if possible- The child had let the little Perdue twins wear her coonskin cap on their lice infested heads. Now she had them too. Mam-maw could see the tiny bugs crawling through her hair, but Dudy would not let the old woman get near her with a comb.
She had been trying to catch her for two days now, but the fast young imp had always out run her and hide in the woods.
Dudy's cousin ''Nell Gritt'' comes out with a pair of sissors and reaches them to the old woman. ''Mam-maw are you aimin' to scalp Dudy today?''
''Shhh!'' ''Maw-maw warns around the stem of her pipe. ''Just act like we be done gone and forgot about them lice. ''Don't be namin' it, then when she start pass me on her way in the cabin for sweet-milk and cornbread, I will get her. ''Here she come now, step back Nell soma us is bound to get hurt.''
Nell sees her cousin skipping down the beaten path and singing at the top of her voice.
''It weren't God who made honky tonk angels like you wrote in the words of a song. Too many times married men think they still single and has caused many a good girl to go wrong!''
''He-he-he, Nell giggles.
''Be quiet Mam-maw hisses.''
Every nerve in her body is tensed in readiness to catch the little singer, but Dudy does not come on the porch as the old woman had thought. The child is alerted by her keen insight for survival and commences swinging on the saggy gate instead. ''Gimme some sweet-milk and corn bread.''
Mam-maw ignores the request and tries a different approach. ''Dudy honey, where did you learn that prutty song about them angels? ''I do believe its the pruttiest song I ever heard!''
A shamed smile crosses Dudy's dirty little face. ''I made it up my own self! ''Mommy and daddy say I sing just like Kitty Wells!'' ''She lies''
''Sang me and Nell that one about the blues.'' Mam-maw suggest around her pipe.''
Of course the proud little singer does as it is told.
''Wella I never felt more like singin' the blues, I never thought I'd ever loose your love dear, you got me singin' the blues!''
A sad frown crosses the old woman's kind face. ''That song puts me in mind of poor old Matte. ''Her man up and run off with some old strumpet from outa Letcher County, leaving poor old Matte with five little youngins' to raise all by herself. ''She never did get over that soft headed sum-o-bitch. ''Her heart is broke to this very day.''
After a moment of silence, she turns her mind back to Dudy, and the plight of poor old Matte and her two-face husband is soon forgotton. Dudy commences to show off just like the old woman knew she would. The child stands on its head, does a cart-wheel, jumps up in the air and clicks its heels together before taking a bow.
''Y, pond my honor Dudy C. Cottle, iffen you aint the pertest thing, brags the old woman. ''Come over here and gimme soma that sweet sugar.''
Dudy feels so proud of herself that she is nigh into bursting with pride. A pride that goth before destruction...
The proud imp runs into mam-maw's open arms for a kiss, then like a bolt of lightening the old woman snakes out a hand and grabs her by the nape of the neck. Dudy cannot move her head. Mama-maw holds her like one would hold a poisinous snake.
''He-he-he, Nell giggles. ''Mam-maw aims to comb your hair then scalp your head bald as the tars [tires] on your daddy's truck, the she gonna pour coal-oil over it to kill the nits!''
''You just hush up your mouth Nell before I slap a horse face on yoy, Mam-maw warns, before she begins to cut Dudy's hair. ''Snip-snip-snip!''
''Wa-wa-wa!''
Mam-maw cuts the tangles off to the scalp on one side and goes to cut the other side when the wobbly bench gives away beneath the battle. The old woman lands on her butt, her pipe still clenched between her gums, a surprised look on her face. The sissors fly one way and Dudy flies another, running up the beaten path toward the woods. The right side of her head is bald as a billiard.
One night around the first of December, the north wind whispers through the tall white pine. She bends and sways but does not shed her gown beneath old man winter's icy wet kisses as the maple, oak, and hickory had done. The wind dies to a whimper and leaves the modest pine alone to stand fully clothed in a forest of naked trees. Up right and decent, she stands, her lush green gown a sparkle with hoarfrost. But not for long...
