VETERANS DAY, 2009

PaPa Rick was Erin's Veteran guest of honor at her school assembly today. I had to work, but rest of the family was there...left to right: Neal, PaPa Bill & Granny Mary Lou, Erin, LeaAnn & Rick
Rick's dad, Lloyd Crum, served in WW II, participating in the Tiger Operation, prior to the Normandy Invasion. The ship he was on was torpedoed and sank and he was one of the few survivors. Thank God that his life was spared.

Roger Dee Crum, Rick's twin brother served in U.S. ARMY 1966-1968,

with overseas duty in Germany.

Ricky Lee Crum served in U S ARMY 1966-1968

Overseas Duty in Vietnam, 1968

9th Infantry Division, Mekong Delta

Roger and Rick at their Grandma Ragsdale's house on summer leave after being drafted in May, 1966. Twins, but sent in different directions. Roger had basic training at Ft. Ord, CA, and went to Germany. Rick's basic training was in Ft. Riley, KA, where the 9th Infantry Division was reactivated and sent to Vietnam.

DOGWOOD ACRES, 11/09/09

DOGWOOD ACRES, 11/09/09, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. Today we are thankful because our friend Mike DuBois has a new heart. It was late last night when the call came that they had a heart and would begin surgery in a few hours. Mid-afternoon today his wife called Neal to let her know the surgery was completed. I am sure there is still a long road ahead but we are thankful to at least have Mike on that road. Please do keep Mike and his family in your prayers.
Rick got home Friday night after being in Little Rock most of the week. He had taken Jeff Dalton to the V.A. Hospital for the second knee replacement and now Jeff has two new knees. He has been lopsided since the first knee was done and that leg straightened out a couple of inches. Janet may have to take the hems out of his jeans to make them long enough for those new long legs.
The animals and I made it okay while Rick was gone. I would not let Little Fox get up beside me on the couch, so she would lie on the floor near my feet or just crawl into her crate. The little dog pretty much went crazy when Rick got home. He said she acted happier to see him than I did, but I guess we just have different ways of showing affection. I told him I could jump up and lick him in the face if that would make him feel better.
Well, I just had to have a little fun, but it is good to have him home again. Ashton and Erin came over Friday night and stayed until Sunday. Rick went hunting Saturday morning and the kids and I went to Branson Saturday afternoon. We did some shopping at The Landing, ate at McDonald’s and went to see The Dutton Family show. It made for a long day, but was a lot of fun.
Christie and Madison came to see us before we got out of the house on Saturday. Madison had a cute new haircut and was all dressed up for an outing with her Grandma. She brought me some of her artwork, a beautiful froggy picture that is cute and makes me smile.
Work is progressing in our bathroom remodel. The new shower is in, all trimmed out and as beautiful as a shower can be. It is a corner shower, they call it Neo-Angle; and was a real pain to put together. Thank God, that Neal is a patient man and it went together beautifully. This time tomorrow night, the new vanity will be in and I will spend all evening reorganizing.
Little Fox and the fluffy kitten helped me plant pansies and flowering kale in the two half-barrels on either side of the steps. It has been awhile since I had winter pansies, so am looking forward to watching their bright faces peaking through the snow.
The fluffy kitten remains unnamed. I asked Erin for help and she got on the computer and pulled up several name lists. After checking all of her favorites, there are at least two dozen to choose from and I am not ready to make a decision.
Our family is sad to hear that Larry (Buzz) Glover passed away on Saturday. Just last week brother Jim was looking through my old photo album and found a picture of us and the Glover kids, taken about 50 years ago, I guess. The old days were fun when families would just drop in to visit. We did not have TV to occupy our time, so it was great when there were other kids to play with. Our sympathy goes to the Glover family. Bye for now.

DOGWOOD ACRES, 11/02/09

DOGWOOD ACRES, 11/02/09, ELANE CRUM
Hello friends. November greets us with many changes, both daylight and dark come earlier, rain has stopped, most of the trees have lost their leaves, sun is shining and the sky is blue.
Halloween was pretty uneventful for us. I bought Hershey bars and Pumpkin Kisses just in case anyone should come by. Our only visitors were Jim and Dawn, who treated us. They had prepared some treats at their house, but when nobody came, gathered up their treats and visited the neighbors. We had a good visit and caught up on some of the family happenings. Dawn’s home canned green beans are a special treat that we will enjoy.
Patsy Ayers called last week to check on some of our family, I found out she, and Butch have had a lot going on this year. They are both recovering from some health issues and Butch’s dad passed away a couple of months ago. I am so sorry; it is always hard to let our loved ones go.
Guess it was a week for family connections as I also got a call from Patsy’s cousin, Ron Lathrope, who lives in Kansas. We met Ron several years ago when he came to visit Rick’s mom, while she was here in the trailer. He does a lot of family research and thought I might have an answer or two. I don’t think I was much help, but was nice to hear from him. Ron also mentioned his cousin, Glen Lathrope, who keeps up with local news through Dogwood Acres.
I don’t think we have met Glen, but I have fond memories of his mother, Thelma Rice Marler. I knew her as Belle when she worked with my Granny at the Brown Hotel in Rockaway. She was so jolly and good to us kids. Belle was also a talented artist; in fact, I still have a gallon vinegar jug that she painted strawberries on. It sits high on my kitchen cabinets with other red and white vintage kitchen things.
Neal was here early last week working on our bathroom, then he was called away to help people move all the rest of the week. Martin and Amy closed on their new home in Nixa on Wednesday and the family worked hard all day moving their belongings from storage. We will miss having them at Forsyth, but Nixa is a good location, halfway between their jobs. Martin is a Physical Therapist at Skaggs in Branson and Amy is a Speech Pathologist at Clever Schools.
On Thursday Neal and LeaAnn helped move the DuBois family from our Sandy Church community to Rochester, MN. Mike is in Mayo Clinic awaiting a heart transplant and his family needs to be close by. They were blessed to find a house not far from the hospital and close to school for the kids. After getting them unpacked and settled, Neal and LeaAnn were able to spend some time at the hospital with Mike and then, came home on Sunday.
I think I am back on Neal’s list for this week and look forward to having the new shower and cabinets completed.
Since Pastor Neal was away on Sunday, Sandy Church was blessed with the anointed ministry of Sister Frances Humbyrd. On Sunday night she led us in a “God Bless You” testimony service, encouraging each one to share about their walk with God.
Mike Stenger gave us a good report on Joyce’s mom, Anna Belle Dalton. She had surgery to repair an aneurysm, is up and around and doing her own cooking. I wonder if she has baked any pies lately? She sure knows how to make ‘em good! Annie, we wish you continued good health! Bye for now.

Kids Day and Pastor Appreciation @ Sandy Church

Kids helped Pastor Neal open his gift - a Shofar from Israel

Sunday morning
This group of kids and adults picked up walnuts from Bob Siler's yard. Proceeds from sale of walnuts donated to Nancy Humbyrd, Director of Options Pregnancy Clinic in Ava.

Trick or Treat!

Here are just a few Halloween memories when it was still just fun! See if you can identify anyone in the old pictures. These are all from my personal albums, but some so old that I am not sure who they are.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Dogwood Acres Weekly, 10/26/09

DOGWOOD ACRES, 10/26/09, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. I have gotten face book messages from friends who are seeing snow in the mountains of Washington State and in Germany. It is the right time of year for snow there, but hopefully we will have a few more weeks without snow warnings here in the Missouri Ozarks.

As rain was just pouring down during Sunday morning church service, Pastor Neal announced that we would have a hayride up Glade Top, rain or shine. He did digress just a little saying that if it were still raining at 4:00 p.m., we would stay at the church and eat. Well, the Lord smiled on us, the rain stopped and the evening was just right. Not quite shirt sleeve weather, but cool enough to keep the ladybugs in their hidey-holes, wherever that might be.

On Saturday Rick, Neal and I went to Marshfield to attend the funeral of our friend and old neighbor, John Berg. We got in town early enough to go out for breakfast and happened to see another neighbor who was Neal’s bus driver for ten years. Jo had not seen Neal for 17 years and she thought he was Rick. We had a good laugh about that.

After the funeral we went to the home of another neighbor to have lunch with the Berg family and other friends. The kids who were little when we moved there are so grown up now and getting closer to middle age than they want to admit. That really made us feel old.

Friday was moving day for Martin and Amy as their house in Forsyth sold. Bill, Mary Lou, Neal, LeaAnn, Ashton, Erin and the 4 DuBois children helped move everything to a storage unit in Nixa. We will be closing on their house there in a few days and then, all the stuff is moved again.

Marguerite Burger Jennings called me a few days ago. I told her we were having a beautiful fall day in Taney County and she said, “I know, I am in Forsyth!” She and her son Ralph, who lives in Roseburg, OR, have been visiting old friends and places. It is always good to hear from her.

June Rossner Anker passed away on Saturday. She enjoyed several years of retirement in Forsyth before moving to be near her daughters in Washington. We missed all of the Rossner family at Lone Star Homecoming this year.

I got a real letter in the mail last week from Georgine Cummings. I love mail of all kinds, email, face book mail, but real handwritten letters delivered by snail mail are always a treat. She wrote to tell me about a trip the family had taken recently. Eugene, Dallas, Iva and Georgine had gone to Springfield, Colorado, to see Ann Cummings Wade. She is in a nursing home there and has been unable to talk for 10 years. They also saw Ann’s sister-in-law, Margaret Wade, and brothers-in-law, Audie Wade and Jess Wade.

Neal spent today at our house working on the master bathroom. It is getting a complete makeover with new shower and cabinets. We had quite a time getting a shower that worked. The first one I bought and carried home in the back of my Ford Escape.

The next day I went off to work expecting Neal and Rick to have it in before I came back home again. Well, they called and told me it was about as thick as heavy poster board and was not fit for anything. They boxed it up and I took it back where it came from. After a little more shopping, I found a really nice one at L & J Plumbing Supply and it is a keeper. It did not fit in my Escape and was delivered in a truck. Looks like it may be next week before he gets the new hickory vanity in, but progress is being made.

Paul and Hazel (Ragsdale) Spurgeon visited us today. First, they came by the house to see Rick and then, drove into Branson and stopped at my office for a few minutes. Hazel has had some health problems this year, but feeling much better now. Their daughter-in-law passed away in February and, then Uncle Almus was so sick for several months before passing away just a couple of weeks ago. It has been a rough year for the family.

Bill Biggs Aunt, Sharon Griffith, lost her battle with cancer, passing away just a few days ago. She was a lovely lady with a sweet family who will miss her more than words can express. Our sympathy goes to each one of them.

My brother Jim called tonight and we had a good long visit. Before we hung up, I told him it was time to write Dogwood Acres and he told me not to write anything he said. I guess I had better not tell who has been fishing, how many they caught or any of that kind of stuff. Bye for now.

ELANE CRUM
Cell: 417-239-4059
Website: www.elanecrum.net
Website: www.elanecrum.com

Blog: www.dogwoodacresOnline.blogspot.com

John Berg's '57 Chevy

Neal Crum @ Incredible Pizza for Erin's
10th birthday party ~ 12/01/08

This shiny '57 Chevy made us all think of our Marshfield friend, John Berg, who years ago had restored one that looked just like it. Today, we learned that this actually was John's car. The '57 is back home now and will wait until grandson Jonathon, grows into it. Jonathon is a spunky little guy with blonde hair and blue eyes that remind us so much of his daddy, Robert Berg. Our time spent with old friends on this day has reminded us of the value of friends and memories. John and Robert have left behind an abundance of both.

In Memory of Our Friend

John F. Berg, Jr.

11/11/46 ~ 10/18/09

DOGWOOD ACRES, 10/19/09

DOGWOOD ACRES, 10/19/09, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. Weather is always a safe topic of conversation, hot, cold, rain, wind, and now, a little frost on the pumpkin. We are loving these last couple of gorgeous autumn days. They are like a balm to our souls after a week of cold and rain.

Rick’s uncle, Almus Ragsdale, passed away last week and was laid to rest on Saturday morning. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, 12 children, 26 grandchildren, 28 grandchildren, 1 brother and 2 sisters. Rick, Neal and I drove out to Mt. Vernon on Friday evening for the visitation; Rick and Neal were there on Saturday morning for graveside service at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery.

Thankfully, it did not rain and was not as cold as we had feared it might be. Neal preached the funeral sermon and Rick read a beautiful poem written by daughter, Carlita. It is never easy to say good-bye to a loved one.

Uncle Almus had been very ill for several months and with help from his large and loving family was able to stay at home with Aunt Dorothy. They did a wonderful job of working together and seeing that he was well taken care of through this time of sickness.

After leaving Mt. Vernon, Rick and Neal stopped to visit our friend, John Berg, in St. John’s Hospital. Recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, he was suffering with spinal fractures. They had a good visit, but we are saddened today to hear that he passed away on Sunday night. We lived near John and Barbara when Neal was born and drank many cups of coffee at their kitchen table. Their daughter, Denise, is three years older than Neal, and son, Robert, was two years younger.

John repaired office machines and had a computer long before we ever even thought of having one. Neal learned to play pac-man on their computer and also borrowed their four-wheeler for his first deer hunting expedition. That four-wheeler carried Neal and his first buck out of the woods. Neal will be preaching another funeral sermon on Saturday as John is laid to rest beside Robert in Marshfield, MO.

On Saturday afternoon, Sandy Church had a “Kids Day”, with many activities, lots of singing, and story times for our little ones. The older kids and teenagers all had an adventuresome and historical outing with Juanita Comer Menzies as their guide. They went to the old Sandy Schoolhouse where the Comer and Hodges kids walked two miles to school until it consolidated with Plainview. Church was also held there until the time that a “new” church was built up on Hwy 76.

Juanita pointed out places of interest along the way, including the old Siler home place and the well where they stopped for a drink on their way to school. After doing some cleaning at the school, they stopped to visit Bob Siler and picked up the walnuts that covered his yard. They all came dragging in with a few back pains and walnut stains on jeans and hands, but they had a good time.

The little kids made thank you cards for Pastor Neal and presented those during Pastor Appreciation time before the evening meal. It was a good day.

Next Sunday afternoon our church will be going on the annual hayride up Gladetop Trail and to Caney Mountain. We always look forward to that, no matter whether the weather is freezing cold or hot enough for the ladybug swarms. Looking ahead to the weekend forecast, we may be swatting ladybugs this time.
Bye for now.

STANLEY BILYEU

Stanley Bilyeu's 90th Birthday

ALMUS HAZEN RAGSDALE

Rick's Uncle Almus Ragsdale passed away on 10/14/09. His obituary and service times can be viewed on the website of Fossett-Mosher Funeral Home, Mt. Vernon, MO.

http://www.fossettmosherfuneralhome.com/obituary.php