Norma Patrick Seto - Life Goes Better with Chocolate Gravy: Mountain Memories—Mischief and Misery

LIFE GOES
BETTER with
CHOCOLATE GRAVY

MOUNTAIN MEMORIESMISCHIEF and MISERY

NORMA PATRICK SETO

Copyright 2020 Norma Patrick Seto.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery Getty Images.

Bible scripture from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-1333-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-1335-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-1334-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020923134

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/10/2020

CONTENTS

Dedicated to Maxine Crase Patrick.

Recorded with much love for Bethany, Rob, and Nathanial Mueller; Kelly, Jeffrey, Jared, and Perry and Whitney Neal; Matthew, Patty, Hero, and Max Seto; Juanita and Gary Richter; Dennis, Nancy, and Ian Richter; Diane, Blaine, Nicholas, Sydney, Taylor Maxine, Bailey, and Lilianna Bacher; Debbie, Clay, Mason, and Elianna Rettig; and Dale McCoy Richter.

In loving memory of McCoy Patrick, Vencin Patrick, Juanita Patrick Richter, Andy and Lucy Belle Elam Crase, Fairsh and Lizzie McGuire Patrick.

In appreciation of the late Nina K. Brown Flynt, English teacher, Salyersville High School.

NORMA PATRICK SETO In this book, Norma Patrick Seto paints pictures with words. Words of legends, of mysteries, and of histories. Broad strokes of bright paint will allow your mind to feast on colorful stories. Folklore often gets lost over the ages. Norma documents much folklore with the telling of incidents shared by elders, memories of situations in her own home, growing up as a child. She does this in the way a grandmother might share a family story as she gently rocks a nodding head who desires to hear more, and strains to stay awake to that end. The stories unravel as if from a favorite uncle willing to enlighten his next of kin with ramblings that may be hard to believebut which did in fact happen. Many of these stories are hard to believe, and by sharing, she reveals the hardships of a steely strong people of people who survived in the most challenging of times. She shows the curiosity which people had to have in order to find relief in some of the maladies they faced. She shares happy stories, fun stories and sad stories, and like the story the uncle is sharing, one never knows what is coming next. I have had the distinct pleasure of knowing Norma since we were eighth graders. Through many years, we have been best friends and a great support to each other. We grew up in the same area of Kentucky and thus shared many of the peculiarities of the place and the people. I mean this in the sweetest most sincere of ways, for she and I both are grateful for our beginnings, for the families we each had, for the teachers who offered encouragement, for our friends and neighbors and for the values we learned from all of those around us. We discuss these gifts often. One of the greatest gifts a friend can offer another, is to believe in them, give them confidence, to support them when they are weak she has been all that and more for me. She is a true friend. Norma shared many of her stories in this book with me through the years. We broke the routine of our lives to pen stories we each wanted to share on writing getaways. Her stories are most interesting because they are all based on real people, real life situations, personal beliefs, and real-life pain and suffering. She retells stories which reveal solutions to situations or conditions which may appear unbelievable. And though I doubted some of the customs or beliefs practiced and revealed herein, specifically pertaining to certain water which was 100% bacteria free and used in certain healing situations, I dove into a modern-day source and confirmed it is, in fact, true. The reader will find sheer enjoyment in her style of presentation. Right to the point, interjections of comments as to customs and again legends, mysteries and histories.

Dolly Kohls, friend of Norma Patrick Seto since 1958!

Through her heartwarming, humorous, and entertaining memoir of growing up in the hills of eastern Kentucky, Norma invites us to meet colorful characters who lived life the way it was meant to be lived simply and to the fullest.

Dr. Jeffrey F. Neal, Director, Cooperative Education Program

Clemson University, Center for Career and Professional Development

P eople from eastern Kentucky are smart, creative, talented, and good-looking.

I am proud of my heritage.

While recorded history might be accurate and informative, the simple, funny, actual events and attitudes are sometimes lost to the record as generations die off. My desire is to record for my own family and others the incidents, stories, sense of humor, certain beliefs, survival, neighboring, and child-rearing that give flavor to our history. If some of my writing offends, just be aware that we have come a long way in how we now livesome good ways and maybe some not-so-good ways.

All the stories recorded here are true and not intended to undermine anyone or any way of life. I wrote to convey a slice of life mostly during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. The people and circumstances you will read about helped to shape my life, lay the groundwork for good work ethic, nurture and build a strong faith in God, and give me an appreciation for the simple things. I believe that what I experienced growing up positively impacted my own life and the lives of my children.

These experiences were not the same for everyone. Within the small communities on Johnson Fork, there were people who lived comfortably and those who struggled to get by and get a start in life. My family struggled. People who lived and grew up in the small town of Salyersville, our county seat, might find some of these stories as far-fetched as someone who lived in a big city far away.

T he plunder (household furniture) was piled high on the bed of a mule-drawn wagon. The rockers of my small red chair turned upside down on the top made a fitting crown for all the worldly goods my family owned.

We had moved from Turkey Branch to the Jesse Williams Farm on Johnson Fork to Long Branch and, with this move, back to Turkey Branch.

When Mom and Dad had an opportunity to rent or sharecrop a small farm, we simply moved, and a dwelling place was part of the package. No money changed hands. A place to live and a portion of the crops were exchanged for all the hard work it took to run a small farm. The agreement was sealed with an honest mans word and a handshake.

In the early days, none of the houses we lived in had indoor plumbing or electricity. An open grate fireplace or woodburning stove provided heat but seldom warmed more than just a portion of one room. I remember on occasion waking up thirsty and going to the kitchen for a drink of water, only to find the dipper frozen solid in a bucket of ice.