Rediscovered. Painting of my mother from 1966.Well, yes.  It was done by little me and it has resurfaced.  It is still located in Georgia, where I grew up.  It was painted in 1966 in Searcy AR with my signature.  She was probably in her 20's at the time.  She does look young and pretty here.  What I have noticed this time and probably before about her hair covering.  It looks a lot like this style.  Seems as if ladies could use a hankie or scarf to hold back the hair and tie the wrap above the forehead.Like this very famous poster.  I believe it is called Rosie the Riveter and dates back to WW 2 when the men were called to war and women became defense workers during the war.  It stood as a symbol for women in the work force and for women's independence.  I vaguely remember my mother hav... 06/13/2025

Look who is admiring my new shirt!  Tom Brannon, who gave me the shirt, and who is pictured all over it, points to it.  My daughter, Valerie Canepa, is trying to take it because she likes it so much.  Actually, it is last year's shirt but I didn't get one last year.  The Cereal Drive is held yearly by KTHV11 TV station and goes to several different cities to solicit cereal for our kids.  The sign below shows how successful Searcy was with 6503 boxes.  Tom Brannon and Karen Fuller are in the group below.  The white haired lady in the middle is Karen's mother, Anita Hart Fuller.  She grew up in Searcy and has been a great helper with my historic blogs about our area.  If you want to read my blog about their coming, click this.                                           https://activerain.c... 06/12/2025

 HEY!!SO!!  We have had Searcy in the news a lot in the last few years.  Our Mayor Matt Faulkner has done a great promotion job for our town.  He is going to support this drive and will come and visit the drive.  KTHV11 is having their 25 anniversary cereal drive this year.  They visit cities and collect cereal to help our children.  It is time for them to visit Searcy.  The drive will be held Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at the front of our large Walmart store beginning at 6:30 am.My connection is through one of their star reporters, Karen Fuller, and her mother, Anita Hart Fuller. (Both shown in picture above.)  Karen's mother and dad grew up in Searcy.  Hopefully, you remember that I have over 2000 blogs on line and Anita helped me so much with the many historic ones.  Google Anita Hart ... 06/09/2025

Book Discovered.George S. Benson was president of Harding College for years and years, approximately 1936 to 1965.  The book was written in 1991 by John C. Stevens.  I am sad to say that I never knew that it was written and published.  How about you?  Just a few days ago I found it at a Searcy AR estate sale and now own it and can put it in my collection of publications by Searcy-interested folks.  And now I wonder how the book escaped me.  I even graduated from Harding back in the early 1970s.  I have not had time to read it but it says that "The Conflict" begins in 1936 when he came to Searcy. So, Searcy Sleuths, do you have or have you read this book???? 05/18/2025

No picture today. Well, perhaps a picture of my daughter, whom the blog is about.  As normal, she had encouraged me to try something new. To be honest, she has insisted that I do many things!!I was a real estate agent and blogging was something new so off I went.  How many years is that?   18!!   How many blogs have I done?   OMG!!   2078 blogs.  They began as real estate related and have now grown to be more like historic things from my area.  So here goes the first one. Click https://activerain.com/droplet/7Kcg .Or read it here.  Using your wit.Using your wit is a great way to make it in life.  My daughter decided to go to San Francisco shortly after graduating from college.  She'd been in small cities all her life and all at once she was on her own in a huge city where one side of th... 05/12/2025

 Let's see.  2025 -1904 = 121 years ago?  That's a long time ago when this cookbook was compiled by the Ladies' Aid Society of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Searcy AR.  The gift was from my good friend and great Searcy artist, Howard Johnson.  He says it is a copy of the original and  reportedly possibly the oldest church cookbook in Arkansas.  The Church is still in great shape and was already 54 years old when the original book was done.  Here is a page showing a few recipes and the style in which they were done.  My daughter looked at it and said, " That Lemon Pie looks easy to do!" No list of needed supplies like today's cookbooks!  AND.....the ladies were known by the hubby's names!  I did a blog about this custom that still existed for years and years..... Click to read it... 05/08/2025

I received a surprise package in the mail today!It has no name on who sent me the package of 10 wonderful old photos of the beginning Pee Wee football players in Searcy AR from 1969 to 1972.  This one is of the Duncan's Roadrunners.  Look at the coaches in the back.  Aren't they handsome!!  The one on the right is of my husband Rodger Duncan and one on the left is Sidney Quattlebaum and they were instrumental in beginning the teams and the program. Okay, next you are seeing a group of 9 pictures.  Someone way back there saved them and knew I would like them.  The gift was mailed from Alabama.  I'd love to thank the person who sent them!  I love and will cherish them so         SPEAK UP!  Tell me who the wonderful gift-giver is so that I can say THANK YOU!!!        04/16/2025

We all loved Sears, Roebuck and Co.I stumbled upon this very old looking packet of sandpaper with the Sears name on it.  All 6 sheets of sandpaper were still in it.  I could find no price or date on it anywhere.  One of the sheets is shown below.  What is Aluminum Oxide?  Our beloved Sears has been gone for a long time so this is sort of a memory of Sears and how they sold everything!  From sandpaper to houses!As a matter of fact, we have at least one Sears house remaining in Searcy AR!  Wonder if they'd like this memory to hang on a wall? I did a blog about it back in 2011 and the blog can be pulled up here      https://activerain.com/droplet/4F9S    if you'd like to read it.  It no longer looks like this but the house is still there.  Should I stop by and offer them this little gift?L... 04/11/2025

WHAT A CREW!    WHAT A MEMORY!I know, I know!  Can't remember some of this crew?  Realize it was about 33 years ago and that helps with the reason and I have the same problem.  But it is a REALLY good memory.  I am on the bottom row right proudly wearing my new RE/MAX jacket and I guess we were holding fingers up because we aimed to be #1!RE/MAX was a brand new franchise in the country and the guy in the white shirt and tie, Robert Cargile, brought it to town.  Several agents joined him and I was one of them.  And I love this happy picture! I also love knowing that RE/MAX has been an asset to Searcy AR!! 04/08/2025

Wonderful MemoriesCheck your bookshelves.  As I did.  You may find this wonderful book of memories of Searcy AR.  As I did. It was written in 2012 by Patsy Pipkin, a Searcy lady, and Carolyn Boyles, who seems to go from place to place writing these memory books.  She chose Searcy for one and had Patsy Pipkin help her write it. Patsy  was an award-winning author and longtime resident of Searcy and White County.  She was a local newspaper columnist for over 15 years and she and Carolyn Boyles compiled a wonderful collection of photos contributed by many different groups and individuals from White County.  I have not looked it over since 2012 and decided to look at it again.  It is filled with old historic photos of downtown, community, commerce, personalities and folks of leadership.Patsy... 03/30/2025

Another "style" picture from 1970.Old yearbooks are a lot of fun to look through.  I was searching the 1970 one and saw this group picture of the Future Homemakers of America. Looks like all girls, doesn't it.  Then I noticed all those legs on the front row. Notice two girls with what we used to call "saddle oxfords" and they date way back to the 50's and were worn with socks, always with socks. Note there are no socks on these girls but all of the shoes look as if they need socks! A style change, I guess.And sadly, the reason I was checking the old yearbook was because one the girls, third from left on front row, was Vani Jo Quattlebaum Geroy who passed away this month.  She was lovely and always fashionable.  Notice the hairstyle in the picture below!  That style became so beloved so ... 03/22/2025

Moving Notice!  On handkerchief!  Unusual??  I stumbled across a large stack of old vintage handkerchiefs a few weeks ago. It startled me to find this one!  Someone had evidently used handkerchiefs to announce their move.  I'd never seen that before.  Here's a picture of the whole hanky.  It was Earl Bernard who was moving to 35 West 39 Street in New York, NY.  I wish it had a date.  The artist was, I guess, Gale.  That's the name at the corner.  03/10/2025

1950's typing class.Who remembers this?  Do they still have them?I found this old picture inside a 1950 Searcy Arkansas yearbook.  It was a free picture just inside the book with several other pictures, mostly football.  So I assume that it was from the 1950 school year. Searcy Sleuths may even recognize some of the students.  I definitely remember being in a classroom that looked like this and learning how to type.  Now I think that it was one of the best classes to take and learn typing.  Typing is still something I still do a lot of when using the computer. The knowledge has stayed with me all through the years.So.....do they still teach typing in school? If not, what took its place?  03/04/2025

 The Ultimate 1968 Fashion Photo Example!Hold it!!  I was not referring to the people in the photo even though being a hippy was popular back then.  I was talking about the wrought iron porch pillar posts.    Driving now through Searcy's first subdivisions with covenants, Lambert Terrace and Cloverdale, you can still see lots of wrought iron decor like these.  Some has been replaced with wood but lots remain. If curious, click the link below for my view of what happened regarding carports and garages in our area.  In 2007 I wrote a blog about the unofficial history of carports and garages in the south.  Read the blog by clicking the link below.  It tells an interesting story.               https://activerain.com/droplet/tnNBQuestion? Oh, the couple? That is my husband and me dressed to ... 02/24/2025

Pine cone roses?A long lasting gift.So many, many years ago these rose-shaped cones were given to me.  I sometimes think that if I were going through motherhood right now I'd end up in jail for giving my kids the freedom that I gave them when they were growing up.  We lived on the edge of town near pastures, streams, woods, etc., and I let them roam around at will.  They survived and had a great time.  I might receive gifts that they found and brought home.The picture above shows probably the best gift and the longest lasting.  They were off a tree that grew somewhere in the McRae Street, Searcy AR neighborhood.  They were beautiful then and they still are.  They had a small hole in the back and I glued stems in the holes  in lots of them for putting in vases.The tree died and we don't ... 02/21/2025

Norma Young and Kay WrightRemember 1971?  Searcy AR was home to a wonderful cook who may have invented Chicken Dipper's Nuggets and won a $10,000 award. (How much would that be today? Google says $77,927!) Norma Young is shown on the right above and her daughter, Kay Wright, on the left.  I cannot remember going to a restaurant and ordering chicken nuggets at that time so that is why I say she possibly began them.  I am showing her recipe below.  She entered a cooking contest and won!  I just rediscovered the cookbook, Kay's Kitchen, which was published in 1984, and written by Norma and Kay.  Kay was a great cook also.I seem to remember making them and serving them to the family.  The kids loved them!!  You had to cut the chicken yourself. One chicken breast made 12 nuggets! It is calle... 02/15/2025

     Handsome Hubby Always a great memory from 2008!  I have blogged this before but it is still one of my favorite Valentine's stories and so true.  Valentine's Day has rolled around again and this memory always pops back up! It is about my husband and a new side of him.  He has never been a romantic!  The club that we attend decided to delay Valentine's until Saturday night and charge an enormous amount for the dinner.Well, our buddies decided along with us that we'd boycott the dinner and celebrate Valentine's Day on the proper day.  We were sitting around the table at the club discussing what we'd do instead. Two of us left to go to the ladies' room and when we got back the rest of the table said, "We've got it planned.  ____ will buy the steaks, Rodger (my hubby) will cook the stea... 02/11/2025

Tour was so delightful and educational.This historic home is for sale right now and the REALTORS were invited to tour it.  I accepted the invitation and was delighted to see all the historic items still in and around the house.The windows in the house are original.  The tile on the roof  had to be special ordered to be the same type as the original when built in 1924 and designed by Charles Thompson, architect. The Edward Lightle family moved into the house in 1926.  Thus, the name Lightle House.  Notice the wonderful brick work that looks as if it could be around another 100 years!It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.  Go there to read more about the home and to see it.  Howell Realty Pros have the listing and it would be wonderful to have another owner che... 02/07/2025

Phyllis Alexander, Searcy artist, impresses me again!I have blogged (bragged) about this lady before.  She has been a successful Searcy AR artist for many years and here she has accomplished another successful venture.  She has illustrated two children's books!  Here she is in my kitchen (she is also my neighbor) and I asked her to let me picture her with the books!  One is written by Wesley Thompson and the other one is written by Stephen W. Smith.  She did wonderfully expressive illustrations on each page!!You would love going back to two of my blogs and see other examples of her art skills. Check these out!  You will be as impressed as I am!! Click on each one below.                      https://activerain.com/droplet/4Jst                       https://activerain.com/droplet/JjDXPhyl... 01/26/2025

This artistic bag, or sack as I call it, popped up in an upcoming estate sale.I do not remember its being done so tell me if you Sleuths remember. About 33 businesses evidently advertised on the outside of the bag.  I think you can see the names in the pictures of the bags.Notice in the picture above there is a "Free Kittens" ad.  Wonder who paid for it? In fact, the artwork is pretty creative and humorous.  But in the final picture it has a name and date but I can't tell what the name is.  So that is the reason I am yelling for help from the Sleuths!  HELP! 01/13/2025