What's a "truck patch"?

As an individual digging in the ancestry garden, I have had a great time.  I have been busy researching; finding names and places and drawing them together to make a pretty good picture.  There is a ton of fact checking to be done, and I don’t want to report anything incorrectly.

However, as your blog host, I am realizing that I am failing to share the fun.  While the names and places are important.  It’s the stories that make it rich and beautiful.  And they are more beautiful when they are shared. 

I do not need to have it perfect before I start sharing the story.

A few weeks ago while visiting Grandma (Mary Jane Bair Fallis) she told me about her own parents.  We all know that Cletis and Olive Bair lived next to the railroad. Evidently their home was marked by the hoboes as a place to find a meal.  Grandma remembers them leaving food easily available, in particular, Great Grandma’s pies.  I’ve been told pies were her specialty.  But, Grandma takes a lot of pride in her own pies- especially her butterscotch pie.  (Debbie, she brags about how good yours is and that you put her name is on the recipe!)

Grandma told me about her grandfather, Irwin.  She told me about his “touring car” and the hard candy he kept in the glove box because his throat gave him trouble as he drove.  I also heard about his rocking chair in the yard under the tree.  I now feel like I need a rocking chair on my porch too.

Grandma also told me about her Uncle Charley and how much he loved kids.  Charley kept a “truck Patch” by the lane at Cletis and Olive’s farm and grew produce that he sold in Summitville from his truck.  Grandma loved her Uncle Charley.

While it’s hard to fact check a story, I will offer the following evidence.

I can personally verify the perfection of a real butterscotch pie- Grandma’s pie is perfect and Debbie, you are amazing!  I needed to google “truck patch”.  I don’t have a rocking chair in my back yard, yet, but I’ve spent enough time on porches at the lake with you all to believe it is a really good idea!

The facts are great, but stories are priceless because of the connections.