Remembering My 2017

2017 began as a very traumatic year.  The New Year came a few days after my brother, Tom, died. Perhaps that set the tone for most of the year, or perhaps it just needed to be such a year.  I'm not sure, but there were a LOT of major changes in my life in 2017.  Here are some of the things I need to remember.  It was a very full year and I'm sure I'll forget to mention many things.  I'll apologize in advance just in case I forget to mention you as I write this tonight.

January 2017

January began with high hopes and fireworks in my neighborhood like many other Januarys before it.  In the beginning it was nice.  My friend, Boo, visited from Indiana and a bunch of us friends all got together at Pam's house on January 6th.  It was a fun evening.

But January took a turn for the worst.  A couple of weeks into the year, my dear friend and pottery teacher, Kris, took his own life.  I'm still shaken by this because Kris was one of the people in my life that I considered stable.  Dependable. 

Kris and I lived only a few blocks apart and we were both the proud parents of two fur children, so we saw each other at the local dog parks often.  It was always good to see him.

Kris's memorial was held at the Ackermann Dog Park in Charleston, SC.  Many friends, both human and canine, gathered for the memorial, and the couple who adopted Kris's dogs brought them to visit us for a last time.

It was a bittersweet day with high emotions.  So many people loved Kris and his dogs.

While we were there at the memorial that day, my male dog ended up in a dog fight over a dog treat someone brought, and I fell and tore the meniscus in my knee trying to break up the fight. At first they thought it was the medial collateral tendon, but whichever it was, it ended up costing me a LOT of money. I had to be in physical therapy from January until July this year to avoid surgery.  It was not fun.

(NOTE: Please NEVER bring treats to a dog park.)

Kris's dogs are pictured above with their new parents.

Toward the end of January some my friends from my hometown showed up for the Annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival. We got together a couple of times while they were in Charleston, SC. It was great to see them!

The last week of January I found a deer tick in my hair after a trip to James Island County park with my dogs. -shudder- No Lyme Disease symptoms so far. -knock on wood-

January was a struggle in 2017.

February 2017

In February I made a quick dash to Kings Mountain, NC to pick up my son, Eric, who lived with me from February until April while he attended Miller Motte Technical College's truck driving school  in North Charleston, SC.

I admit I LOVED having Eric stay with me a few months.  I will always miss my sons until I die.  Maybe longer.

I also had a quick visit with my eldest son and both my granddaughters while I was in Kings Mountain, NC.  I love them. 

These are my beautiful teenage granddaughters.

March 2017

March was spent working, making sure my son made his classes and had a way home, and painting painting painting in preparation of putting my house on the market come June.

Above: The newly painted bedroom in my West Ashley house in Charleston, SC, March 2017.

April 2017

April was a blast!  It started with my friend, Sarah's retirement party.  What fun!

You go Sarah!!

These are wild women!! Old friends.  So much fun!

I was still painting in April.  I LOVED the way my front door turned out!

My son, Eric, celebrated his birthday by testing for his CDL license.  He passed!!!  We celebrated by going out for pizza and then had birthday cake at home.  It was a BIG HAPPY DAY!  I'm so very proud of my son, Eric. 

 

Sadly, a few short days later his trucking job in Atlanta started and he moved away to do the over the road leg of his training with an experienced truck driver.  He received his own truck after a few weeks of that training and has been driving ever since.

The key words in that last paragraph are "moved away." -sigh-  Story of my life, but I'm happy to have had him with me a little part of this year.


Easter came and went. Church was beautiful, as always. Eric and I visited my sister-in-law and her family.  It was bittersweet without my brother there.  I spent a lot of time missing my brothers this year.

My beautiful granddaughter, Paige, celebrated her Sweet 16th Birthday (pictured above) in mid-April!  Eric and I drove up to Kings Mountain, NC to celebrate with her.  I took her shopping and told her she could have anything she wanted as a gift.  She wanted a new game controller, so that is what she got from me!  She loved it.

My male dog, Stark, pulled me down while we were walking and I skinned myself up pretty badly.  Skinned my leg and my hand.  Thank goodness I didn't hurt my knee again.  That boy dog is dangerous!  He never means to hurt me, but I get hurt all the same. 

April ended on a high note.  It was the Huguenot Society's Annual Meeting held at Charles Towne Landing this year.  I had the BEST time, as always.

At the French Huguenot Society Meeting with Huguenot friends, April 2017.

May 2017

May was a whirlwind.  I was still painting the inside of my house.  Finished painting the kitchen in May, but I hired the outside painted.  They did a great job!

Here is the before and after:

It was extremely hot outside in Charleston, SC in May.

A can fell out of my Walmart cart and broke my toe. 

My beautiful granddaughter, Sharon, attended her Junior Prom this month.  I didn't get to see her in her dress, but I enjoyed the photos she sent me.


We celebrated my friend Linda's birthday at the Joe watching the Riverdogs play.  It was very hot, but we always have a good time together.

They recognized my retirement at Dean Larry Daniel's annual end-of-the-year party at his house and gave me gifts!  It was great!!  Dr. Daniel's wife, Caren, is always such a good hostess.  I really enjoyed myself!

At the end of May, my son, Eric, got his own truck and a few days off.  This Mama was sure proud of her son when he showed up driving that big transfer truck!  He worked so hard to get his CDL. He deserves his success!

June 2017

Wow.  What a month! 

On June 6, 2017 I put my house on the market. 



The rest of the month was spent working, cleaning out my office, and preparing for my retirement.


At the end of June 2017, I celebrated my 62nd birthday and I RETIRED!!! 

Leaving The Citadel after 17 years was so bittersweet.  I miss a lot of the people, but honestly, I do not miss working at all!

Hmm...it seems I'm using the word "bittersweet" a lot to describe this year.  It fits.

July 2017

July was spent cleaning my house so the realtors could show my house, putting both myself and the dogs in my car and driving around or parking nearby until the showing(s) were finished...over and over and over and over.  

The only good part was getting to spend time visiting with my neighbor and friend, Norma, on her porch some days while they were showing my house.

August 2017

August was spent the same as July, but I did take the dogs to the groomers that month.  Look how beautiful they are!

   There was also a solar eclipse in August 2017.  Charleston, SC was in the path of totality.  My neighbors and I watched it from their yard.  Fascinating.

Toward the end of August I reduced the price for my Charleston house and received multiple offers.  I accepted one of them!  SOLD!  The closing was set for October.

After that the rest of August was inspections inspections inspections.  Ugh.


August 2017 was stress incarnate.  After all the inspections, those days (and nights!) were spent packing and house hunting in earnest.  My Charleston house was in escrow and I needed a place to live after the closing.


September 2017

September 1st dawned with a new house popping up for sale in Spartanburg, SC.  It was perfect.  I called my Upstate SC realtor, grabbed my purse and drove to Spartanburg.  

I loved the house, met the neighbors, put an offer on the house, and got approved for financing over the phone, all while standing in the driveway in Spartanburg that afternoon. 

The Spartanburg house ended up with multiple offers, but mine was accepted.  I had a house that I loved and could afford!  Whew!  What a relief...until all the inspections and finance paperwork, etc. but that's okay.

Hurricane Irma came to visit and caused record flooding.  The Folly Boat floated away!  But the flood water did not get deep enough in my neighborhood to get inside my Charleston house.  Thank goodness for that!

The rest of the month was spent mostly packing, but I also took some time to visit with friends to say my good-byes. Even though I sure hope to see them all again at times, I know it will never be the same as living close where we could get together anytime. 

I drove up to Murrels Inlet to visit with my friend Jennifer and her son, Ashu.  We went out to lunch and had a wonderful visit.  I hadn't seen her in years, since she moved away from the Charleston area.  That was a great September day!

There was a music concert in Allen Park in front of my friend, Margaret's house.  We all gathered on Margaret's front porch to listen to the music and enjoy each other's company.  That was a good night.

My friend Kathy and I visited our friend, Dan, in Mt. Pleasant.  Wow.  You should see Dan's house.  He has everything, and he even baked us some homemade sour dough bread!  We all went out for lunch.  It was such a good day.

My friends, Judy, Linda and I finally got around to celebrating my birthday with a day trip!  We went to Blackville, SC to eat at the Mennonite Restaurant, Miller's Bread Basket (YUM!!) and drink water from the Healing Springs.  We also did a little antique shopping in a nearby town and stopped in Branchville, SC for ice cream.  It was a great day!

October 2017

In October my friend, Karen and I went to the SC Aquarium to celebrate her birthday.  It was so good!  

But, honestly, almost all of October was nothing put packing and house closing stress.  

Finally the day came to load up the moving truck.  The movers couldn't get everything to fit, so I had to leave some things behind, but almost everything did fit.  

My good neighbor Isabella helped me get even more things loaded up after the movers left.  

The dogs and I were the last things loaded.  My male dog, Stark, accidentally broke my finger, and Isabella gave me a bandaid for the bleeding.  Poor Stark.  He was a rescue.  I fear the last time he saw a big moving truck his owners left him at the SPCA when he was 3 years old.  The truck really freaked him out.

I drove the truck pulling my car to my nephew's house in Moncks Corner.  His wife, Cindy, let the dogs and I stay with her for a few days until both houses closed.  

Thank God for Cindy!  I don't know what I would have done without her. 

The Charleston house closed the next day and I was homeless for a couple of days until the Spartanburg house closed and I drove everything up to Spartanburg for the Upstate movers to unload, which they did.  Four hours late, but they finally showed up that night.

My son, Dave, came and helped me take the U-Haul truck back, and then he helped me get my bed set up so I would have a place to sleep that night.  Thank goodness for that!

Then the unpacking started.  I'm still not finished, but I am working on it.

The first order of business the next morning was to get the new dog door installed into the kitchen door that goes into the fenced backyard.  It took a long time, but I got it installed.  

I had my new washer and dryer delivered the next day so I could start all the washing before putting things away.

I met more of my neighbors and liked them all.  They are so nice!

It was Autumn in the Upstate and so beautiful.  My nephew and his wife brought my older sister to visit and we all went to Hendersonville, NC to buy some fresh-picked apples and see the beautiful leaves.  We ate at a great Thai restaurant downtown and did a little shopping.  Then we shopped for farm fresh apples.  YUM!!  It was very cold that day.  There was actually a snow flurry while we were there!  Beautiful, but it didn't stick.  It was a great day!

At the Thai Restaurant in Hendersonville, NC with my sister, Miniver.

My granddaughter, Sharon, celebrated her 18th birthday!  My son, my granddaughters and I all went out to lunch together that day.  I was so glad to get to see her for her 18th birthday.  That's a big deal!

 My granddaughters and me on Sharon's 18th birthday!

I didn't have any Trick-or-Treaters for Halloween 2017, but that is okay.  I was just happy to have a wonderful house I can afford that is near most of my family and especially my older sister!!

November 2017

Autumn!  After 22 years away, I finally get to see Autumn everyday!  This is my neighbor's house across the street.

I figured out how to light my gas fireplace!  That was good.

My nephew and his wife took my sweet sister, Miniver, and me to Asheville one weekend this month.  We had lunch, went to the Farmer's Market, and took a ride on the Blueridge Parkway to see the gorgeous Autumn leaves.  It was a great day, and I bought some Amish butter that was sooooo good!

I bought some beautiful used chairs for my dining room on Craigslist and got a great deal!  I LOVE them!

My friends Sarah and Lorna stopped by for a quick visit and lunch one day when they were on their way back to Charleston, SC from the mountains.  It was so good to see them!  

My nephew,  Chris, and his wife, Debbie, put my awning up for me over my back door one rainy November 2017 day.

My childhood friend, Marilyn, came to see me and we went to lunch at Wade's Restaurant in Spartanburg.  It was so good to see her.  Such a great day!

I went out for dinner in my hometown with a group of my high school friends from my hometown. So much fun to see everyone!

I found some good hiking trails and took the dogs for long walks.

My son, Dave, brought his girlfriend, Sarena, to meet me.  We had Thanksgiving lunch together and visited most of the afternoon.  It was a good day!

I joined a Meetup group called The Spartanburg Walkers and took a couple of walks with them.  We walked in downtown Spartanburg and then went to the Spartanburg Christmas Tree lighting.  Fun!

December 2017

My old and dear childhood friend, Ruth, came to see me!  We were once best friends when we were young, and the years just fell away that day.  We went out to lunch and went to the SPCA to look at the dogs and talked and talked and had the best time.  It was a great day!

It snowed!!  The photo was taken when it first started, but it ended up being 4 or 5 inches deep.  Notice my swing that I bought.  I put it together myself in November! This is my backyard.

I went to visit my son, Dave, and we went out to breakfast in Shelby, NC for his birthday.  Then we drove to Lake Wylie and I got to see his girlfriend's house.

My friend, Terry, invited me to my lifelong friend,  Sudie's surprise birthday party!  It was a good time! I got to see Sudie's children and her sister, Annie Laura and her husband, Joe D.

My lifelong friends, Janice and Sudie.

I went to the Blacksburg Oyster Roast and saw a lot of people I haven't seen in over 20 years!

Dave's girlfriend, Sarena, became his fiance, and I met her children when they came and brought my granddaughter, Paige, to help me decorate my Christmas tree. 

The dogs and I explored more great hiking and walking areas!

Christmas came and went.  My son, Marcus, and his wife Anne, sent me the small version of an Instant Pot that I have been wanting!  So good!  Other family gave me too many things.  I ate too much and laughed too much, and generally had a great Christmas season. 

My son, Eric, came to see my house the day after Christmas in his big red truck (just the cab, no trailer attached).  It was so good to see him!

My friends Carol and Karen from Charleston and Bonnie from Spartanburg came to see me one day.  We had lunch together and just a great visit!  It was so good to see them!

All in all it has been a wonderful year.  Bittersweet, yes, but wonderful all the same.  It has had its ups and downs.  Good and bad times, like most years, but this particular year is a year to remember.  I absolutely love being retired and I LOVE my new house. I LOVE getting to see my sweet older sister every week too.  I'm enjoying settling into life here in Spartanburg as 2017 comes to a close, and have high hopes for 2018!

If you are still reading, you are a real trooper!  All the best to you and yours.  May love and joy come to you in the New Year!

HAPPY 2018!!

First Day of School

Here in lovely Charleston, South Carolina it is the first day of school for most students.  I spent part of this morning enjoying all the "first day" photos of my friends' children on Facebook.  Many of the younguns in the photos were holding signs saying things like, "First Day of First Grade!" or "First Day of Second Grade!"  They were all just adorable, and I find it amazing that those babies are growing up so fast.

My own granddaughters are both high school students this year.  The older is a Senior.  So hard to believe they are almost adults.

Time is such a tricky thing.

After seeing the photos I turned my attention to my teacher friends' posts.  Some said things like, "I'm so happy to be retired!" but most said things like, "I'm ready for the new year!" with excitement and happiness and hope. 

Teachers are like that.

With each new year they start anew.  Full of possibilities and plans.  Each bright new face reminds them why they decided to enter the teaching profession.  They are overworked and underpaid and certainly underappreciated, but they are driven to make a difference.  I've come to believe it is in their genes.  They have to help to be fulfilled in life.

If humans had breeds like dogs, teachers would be herders. 

Think about it a minute.  You can say these same things about both teachers and herding breed dogs.  They both:

• have to go to school/training for a long time in order to do their jobs effectively
• enjoy orderliness 
• demand respect from their herd/students (at least while in their presence)
• keep a watchful eye on everything
• immediately jump into action when one of their responsibilities strays from the herd (classroom)
• break up fights
• teach others how to behave
• move large numbers of beings from one place to another in an orderly fashion (lunchroom, recess, special subject areas, buses, etc./barn, field, pasture, truck, etc.
• remove troublemakers from the herd/classroom as needed
• understand that love and discipline go hand in hand
• make a difference to all who know them
• are well loved or well hated depending on the circumstances
• often inspire and delight all who know them
• have changed my life for the better

What would you add to this list?  

Hopefully everyone has a great year this year!  I'm hoping for many changes for the best!

For those of you who have time to explore, click HERE to see pictures of the training classes my herding dogs have completed. 

Have a great day!! 

This was my high school.  Torn down in the 1970s.
I marvel that I lived through all those school years with no air conditioning!

Sixty-Two Years Ago Today My Mama Was Pregnant

Sixty-two years ago today, it was a Friday, in the little Upstate South Carolina town where my parents lived with my three brothers and my older sister.  My Mama was nine months pregnant and it was June and HOT.  

Oh, the old Victorian house up on the hill with its wrap-around porches where they lived had its twelve foot ceilings to trap the heat up high and its many tall windows to let the air pass through, but if you're nine months pregnant with no air conditioning, it was hot.

Now.  My Mama had to have been pretty miserable what with her being "in the family way" and all. It being a small town and most of the people kin didn't help her misery much.  I'm sure they all stopped by to ask her why she hadn't had that baby yet and such, as if she had a choice in the matter.

Mama wanted the baby to come today because she used to work for and with a couple who lived up in Cliffsides, North Carolina who were both born on June 24th.  They were good friends and both were delighted when she told them the new baby was supposed to come on their birthday, but there was no sign of the baby.  Not that day, but that night brought a trip to the hospital.  

Aw...you probably already guessed.  That baby was me!  I was born on a Saturday morning after keeping my poor Mama up all night long the night before.  Born a day late and a dollar short they always said. 

When I was still right little, Mama took me to Cliffsides to meet the couple she knew who were born on June 24th.  I remember them.  They were a happy pair.  Both were thin with dark hair and big laughs.  The woman was a good bit shorter than the man.  They lived in a house that was "neat as a pin" Mama said, but all I remember about that house was there was one of those old telephones on the wall that had a crank on the side and you put the piece to your ear and talked into the other piece.  I remember standing on a little stool and playing with that phone that day.  It kept me busy quite the while.

Their phone looked like this, but it was black.

The lady asked me why I didn't come a day sooner?  I didn't know what to say.  This made everyone laugh, but I didn't get the joke.  I felt embarrassed and wanted to leave, but Mama was having a high old time with her friends so we stayed till almost dark.

I wish I could remember their names.  They were very nice people.  I think I saw them once more during my childhood.  I think they visited us one time, but we never went back to their house in Cliffsides.  Mama didn't like riding in the car much.

Isn't it funny what the mind remembers?  Not sure why this memory popped into my head today, but I thought I would share.

Flood, Hurricane, Fire - Earthquake?

The past couple of years have brought one weather disaster after another.  

• Record high temperatures.  
• 1000 year flood.  
• Hurricane Matthew, and 
• fires in the Appalachian Mountains so large that the smoke came all the way to Charleston, South Carolina.

This leads me to ask, "What next?"

I fear an earthquake.

We've already had wind, water, and fire.  Earth would be next, I think.

Many people don't know that there is a major earthquake fault line on the East coast.  Most people only think of the "San Andreas Fault" on the West coast if they hear "earthquake fault," but the "Woodstock Fault" is located on the East Coast.

On August 31, 1886, the most destructive earthquake ever to hit the east coast, hit Charleston, South Carolina.  The ground rose and fell causing major property damage and claiming 110 lives.  Some say the quake and its aftershocks were felt as far away as Boston and Chicago.  Geologists estimate that the earthquake would have been around 7.7 on the Richter Scale.

The earthquake caused about $5,500,000.00 worth of damage in 1886.

$5,500,000.00 in 1886 → $133,699,250.72 in 2016

Pretty much every building in the city was damaged.  Over 14,000 chimneys fell.  Whole buildings fell.  So many windows were broken. Masonry destroyed.  Foundations ruined.

They used "earthquake bolts" to pull the structures back upright and support them after that earthquake.  Any building you see in Charleston, SC with real earthquake bolts dates back prior to the 1886 earthquake.  I say "real" because some modern buildings have "fake" earthquake bolts installed to better blend in with the cityscape.

Now, the old sayin' goes, Charleston, SC only gets a big earthquake like that once every 100 years.

Hmm...1886?  2016?  Seems we are 30 years overdue.  Not good.

Let's hope the elements have finished with us for awhile and there will be no earthquake, no more floods, no more hurricanes, and no more fires.  Let's hope the next few years bring us brighter, happier and more prosperous days!

Still...I wonder....

Hurricane Matthew: Wednesday Before Landfall in Charleston, SC: A True Story

My workplace closed at 5:30 PM yesterday (Tuesday) and began evacuation of the students.  It took me about an hour to do my normal 15 minute drive home.  There was so much traffic that I didn't stop for gas thinking I'd go later after the traffic had time to clear.

The traffic still has not cleared.

Last night I ventured out to buy that gasoline for my car.  Wow. I have not seen gas lines like that since the gas shortages in the 1970s. The cars where lined everywhere, and many gas stations were actually out of gas.  It took me an hour to find a station with a line I could safely enter and after waiting in line another hour, the car in front of me pumped the last of the regular gasoline.  Thank God they still had "Plus" gasoline, so I paid more, but I filled up with gas.  My tank was nearly empty.   

Roughly 700,000 people live in the greater Charleston, SC area not counting tourists and business travelers.  It looked like a fairly high percentage of those people were buying gas last night.  Many were obviously on their way out of town with cars packed with pillows and luggage and people.  What a nightmare.

Today (Wednesday) everything is still and gray. Not even a breeze is stirring the leaves this morning.  It's as if the whole world is holding its breath in anticipation of Hurricane Matthew.

When I opened my window blinds first thing, I saw what looked like a Carolina dog with a collar wandering loose in the neighborhood sniffing at all the garbage containers awaiting pick-up today.  (I sure hope they pick up the garbage today otherwise all that garbage will be projectiles in the wind.)  By the time I jerked on some clothes to go catch the dog to keep it safe, it was gone.  

I'm worried about the dog.  Today is mandatory evacuation day for close to a million people. The traffic will be astounding.  The poor dog may be hit by a car or worse.

I wonder if its family evacuated and abandoned the dog outside to fend for itself?  Maybe thinking it the best thing to do given that their house may be destroyed and if the dog was left inside, it would be trapped and killed.

Sometimes I really hate humans.  Okay.  MOST of the time I really hate humans.  To me leaving a dog behind is the same as leaving a child behind.  I will NOT leave my dogs.

Now there are sirens sounding.  Probably a wreck.  Unfortunately the traffic will have no place to go to yield for emergency vehicles today.  There are just too many cars.  I pity those whose lives hang in the balance.  

South Carolina's governor is speaking on television right now.  She did say, "Take care of your pets," but she gave no information as to how to really do that when most hotels and shelters do not allow pets, and if you get in that evacuation traffic, you are stuck and will not be able to get out of that traffic to even use the bathroom, which makes a lot of people not want to have pets in their cars.  For those who have no transportation, they are sending buses to take them to Greenville, SC, but pets are not allowed on the buses.

I'm staying in Charleston for right now, but as the storm approaches, I might leave, but not in today's traffic and not via I-26.  At this moment they are saying Charleston will definitely flood (nothing new...Charleston floods every time it rains hard), hurricane force winds are possible, but tropical storm force winds are more likely.  If it is only a tropical storm when it hits us, then I should stay here with my dogs.  If it hits as a CAT 2 hurricane, then I should still stay here with my dogs.  If it is going to hit as a CAT 3 hurricane, then I should leave and sleep in my car if necessary for one or two nights.  We shall see what happens. 

The looters will not leave.  I have to also take that into consideration as I make my decision.

Today I plan to batten down the hatches, bring everything moveable that is outside inside.  Bathe the dogs in case I have to evacuate, as clean, brushed, well-mannered, groomed dogs will be more welcome anyplace than dirty stinky dogs.  

I'm also going to keep a close eye on the news and weather, but most importantly, I am going to pray.  I am going to pray for all the people who can not evacuate. For all the people in the hospitals.   For all the people stuck in the traffic.  For all those who are stressed and panicked and worried about loved ones.  For all those who will be missing work because of the storm and won't be able to pay their bills this month.  I am going to pray for all the abandoned pets and for all the wildlife birds and animals in Matthew's path, and I am going to pray for guidance.  

If I do not post for a few days or longer, it is because I am evacuating or because my electricity is off.  I'll keep in touch as I can.  I honestly can not wait to retire and move to mountains!  There are no hurricanes in the mountains as a general rule.  I will not miss hurricanes when I go.

Projected Path and Intensity from weather.com

Remembering Hurricane Hugo: A True Story

Hurricanes are like wars.  The destruction is brief compared to the clean up of debris and lives.  The emotional scars of both seldom ever truly heal.

Back in late September 1989 Hurricane Hugo, a category 5 storm, set its sights on South Carolina.  It made landfall as a category 4 hurricane just north of Charleston, SC, and people 27 years later are still thinking and talking about it.

To view some photos of the devastation click HERE.

The coastal regions of the Carolinas and Georgia took the brunt of the storm, of course, but Hugo was not satisfied to just destroy the cities on the coast.  Hugo went to Charlotte.

I was married with three sons (ages 11, 13, and 15) and living in Blacksburg, South Carolina at the time.   Blacksburg sits in Cherokee County on the North Carolina / South Carolina line on I-85 about an hour's drive from Charlotte.  The storm raged all night that night and into the day that day and then it became eerily quiet as the eye passed.  We thought the worst was over.  We were wrong.  The back side of the storm was worse than the first.  The wind howled and stormed its way through those hills like I had never seen it do before or since.  It was a nightmare.  

I was home alone with my sons that day and we were scared to death.  

Our house was located in the middle of a hardwood forest.  You could not see the neighbors from our home.  The hurricane force wind that somehow made it so far inland was whipping our trees like they were just hickory switches.  Many trees fell in our forest.  Everyone anywhere around lost power, which means, since we had well water, we lost water too because our well pump was electric. 

We fared better than most.  Our house was left intact with no damage.  Our cars were okay.  We were alive and well.  

But that was not the tale for our Carolina lowcountry people and our neighbors to the north and east, York, Rock Hill, Kings Mountain, Gastonia, Belmont, Charlotte.  All those cities and areas had major damage.  

Once our electricity came back on and we could see the news, I experienced sheer terror.  You see, I couldn't reach my brother, Tom, on the telephone and Tom and his family lived in Summerville, South Carolina at the time. Ordinarily, Summerville is a lovely little city just north west of Charleston, South Carolina, but at that time Summerville was devastated.

I tried and tried and tried to call Tom, but all the phone lines were down.  We did not have cell phones back in 1989, so we were relying on Southern Bell (BellSouth) whose lines between the upstate and the lowcountry were mostly all cut by fallen trees and such.  It took nearly a week for me to reach my brother.  By that time I was truly frantic, but he was okay.

Tom, who had been career US Navy, wasn't afraid of storms.  He's seen many a storm on the high seas, so he thought he'd go outside to see the hurricane that night, but about the third freight train that came down his street drove him indoors.  Those "freight trains" were actually tornadoes spawned by the hurricane.  Everyone said they sounded like freight trains.  

Tom's neighborhood was in shambles, but his house was spared major damage.  His family was okay in Goose Creek, South Carolina as well although their house had roof damage.  

I breathed a long sigh of relief once I was able to talk to Tom.  I felt like I had been holding my breath for a week not knowing if he and his family were okay.  

Six years after Hurricane Hugo I moved to lovely Charleston, South Carolina.  Then in September 1999 Hurricane Floyd, another category 5 hurricane decided to visit the Carolinas.  It had downgraded to category 2 by the time it made landfall, but made its mark all the same.

But that is a story for another day.  I'll tell it to you by and by.

My Ancestor, William Humphries, a Patriot, Wounded at the Battle of Kings Mountain, October 7, 1780

Yesterday I told you that my sons and granddaughters are direct descendants of Col. Frederick Hambright, who fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain. 

Today, I am going to tell you about my ancestor who fought and was wounded in that same battle, so my sons and granddaughters are direct descendants of more than one Patriot who fought and was wounded in that battle.

My ancestor is not famous like Col. Frederick Hambright.  He was not a commander.  He was just a soldier fighting to protect his home, family, and way of life.  He was an honorable man. 

Most of us born and raised in and around Blacksburg, SC and/or Kings Mountain, NC probably have more than one ancestor who fought in that battle...just a matter of tracing the ancestry and making the connection.

I am a direct descendant of William Humphries, who fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain.

Here are the generations  from William Humphries to me. Some further  information follows:

• William Humphries (1750-1827) - Marianne Walker
• Samuel Humphries (1781-1849) - Nancy McCraw (1772-1850)
• Sylvester "Cill" Humphries (1830-1864) - Margaret Lemmons (1832- )
• John T Humphries (1851-1928) - Adalissa "Lissie" Lemmons Humphries (1853-1943)
• Janie Susan Humphries Batchelor (1891 - 1956) - Dawson Marcus Batchelor (1892-1927)
• Ruby Batchelor H. Batchelor (1917-2005) - Thomas R. Batchelor (1900-1962)
• Alice J. Batchelor Hambright (1955- )

William Humphries was born in Virginia about 1750 and died May 30, 1827. At some point in his life he migrated from Virginia to settle in Cleveland County, N.C. 

His war records describe his service in the Revolutionary War, and show that he served at different times under Colonels Campbell and James Williams in the South Carolina troops and was brigade quartermaster in General Sumter's brigade. The records also show that he was wounded at the Battle of Kings Mountain by a ball passing through his thigh.*

He served two years as a Patriot and was pensioned under claim No. W4000 (The number was partially illegible.  W4000 may be incorrect.)*

The site of his old residence is about one-fourth mile North of the North and South Carolina state line.  He was buried about one hundred yards west of the old home place, his grave being marked by a stone furnished by the War Department for Revolutionary War soldiers.  His grave and stone are no longer there though.  Please see below for why and where.

William Humphries was married twice. First to Marianne Walker, who was the mother of his son, John Humphries, born in 1768.

William Humphries' second wife was Francis Sarratt. 

Names of the known children of William Humphries are:

          (1) John
          (2) William II
          (3) Samuel
          (4) Jesse
          (5) David
          (6) Margaret
          (7) Francis
          (8) Susannah
          (9) Anderson
         (10) Jane

There is some discussion about which wife had which children.  Some records show Marianne as mother to the first five children and Francis the rest, but some records show Marianne as mother to the first eight children and Francis the last two, so I'm just listing the names of the children for you. 

I do know that Samuel, my ancestor, was Marianne's son.

William Humphries' Headstone Camps Creek Baptist Church, Cleveland County, NC
William Humphries' headstone is presently at Camps Creek Baptist Church in Mooresboro, Cleveland County, North Carolina. However, his remains are not there. They are still located at his home place, unmarked.

After William's home was sold the new owner plowed under the graves and discarded the tombstones in a ditch where members of the Humphries family found them and placed his headstone and his son William Jr.'s headstone side by side at Camps Creek Baptist Church.  May they rest in peace.

*Reference: "History of First Humphries Family Settling in No. 1 Township, Cleveland County, North Carolina" by J.C. Coleman Humphries