Episode 15 - Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

January 1999

This series of posts on each Friday, henceforth, moving forward during 2015 will continue the stories of “The Homeplace Saga” series of family saga, historical fiction families in the area of Oak Springs following the novel “Christmas at the Homeplace,” which ended as 1997 began. Earlier, we have seen the community move from January 1997 through December 1998. We are now into January of 1999, in an episodic format…

Episode 15 - Beverly (from Chapter 8 draft); Tuesday morning…

Beverly was pleased when Don Kirk, in the Ogden & Kirk Law Office, said he would be happy to see her at 11 a.m. She was waiting in his outer office to see him as she remembered her earlier conversation with motel General Manager Brady McClellan. It had gone well, and he seemed pleased that she had taken the time to talk to him about their new situation, and that she had expressed full confidence in him. They had a good working relationship, and she wanted to assure him that her new presence in town was to have no reflection on their working relationship. She was now living in Oak Springs as a personal choice, not a business imperative.

Don came out to greet Beverly, and they walked back into his office together. After they got settled in, she broached the subject of her visit, the possible name change. She wanted both to understand the local procedures that would be required, and what his reaction would be.

He listened very carefully before he took a few minutes to explain the local procedures. There was an Assistant County Clerk in the County Building that housed a single courtroom and several branches of county government. A County Judge was present most every week for a day or more on a scheduled basis. Paperwork could be completed any time and filed with the clerk. It would then be put on a schedule for an appearance before the judge. That part was relatively routine, he said; it just normally took a week or two to get through the process. There was no need to go to the County Seat in Eminence. It could all be done here in town.

The decision to change her name, however, he said was entirely up to her, of course. She had asked his opinion, so he said, after some reflection, and a couple more questions that she answered, “Here are my thoughts.”

Don continued, “The Bevins and the Gates names do both have meaning in this town, each with certain associations. The Threshold name is only generally on the fringes of discussion, about your late husband and yourself. I suspect most people, to the extent they think of you at all, still think of you as Beverly Bevins... married two times. That being said, I feel there are a couple of things to consider, perhaps. Should you talk to Karen, Bart, Peter and Paul before you make the change? Should you ask them about it, or should you simple tell them what you plan to do? Again, only you can decide how to approach that. Those are my thoughts. I hope they are useful to you. I suppose the other question might be simply timing, but I’m sure you’ve thought about that.”

As a good lawyer, Don then sat and waited for Beverly to speak the next words. He had said his piece that he had been asked about.

He was not surprised, then, when Beverly simply said, “Thank you, Don. That was exactly what I needed to hear.” She seemed to take a deep breath, which ended the formal conversation, put on a smile, and shifted to her southern charm, friendly approach, “I don’t think I’ve spoken to you since you and Linda married. It’s been a while, but I hope congratulations are still in order.”

Don smiled, shifting his own demeanor ever so slightly, and replied. “No, never to late. Thank you very much. We have each found a new, and very happy, life together, I’m pleased to say.”

Linda, of course, was the widow of Carter Odgen, Don’s late law partner, and Christopher’s mother. She had started going to see Don in some plays he did at the community theater at the local college, a couple of years earlier, and those “get-togethers” had surprised each of them when they flourished into a very real romance. They had gotten married the previous summer. As a result, Don had moved in with Linda at her house, and Brian and Jennifer had moved from her apartment into the condo full-time, that Don and Brian had shared, earlier, before Ashley was born in the fall.

Don continued, “It was musical chairs with our housing, for a time, but everyone seems happy the way it all came out.”

“I’m certainly pleased to hear that,” Beverly replied. “Well, I really shouldn’t take any more of your time.”

“I’m pleased to talk with you anytime, Beverly. Never hesitate to come see me.”

Beverly stopped at McDonalds for a Fish Fillet combo that she ate in the parking lot at the City Library. As she ate the fries, she couldn’t help but think to herself, “No matter how many gourmet chef banquets I’ve eaten at, I still enjoy McDonalds’ french fries, now and then!”

[To be continued - after a holiday break, on Friday, January 15, 2016]

"May everyone have a homeplace, if only in your mind."

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Episode 14 - Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

January 1999

This series of posts on each Friday, henceforth, moving forward during 2015 will continue the stories of “The Homeplace Saga” series of family saga, historical fiction families in the area of Oak Springs following the novel “Christmas at the Homeplace,” which ended as 1997 began. Earlier, we have seen the community move from January 1997 through December 1998. We now move into January of 1999, in novel format…

Episode 14 - Jennifer, Monday evening, at home with Brian and Ashley

Arriving home, Jennifer knows her first responsibility it to feed Ashley and get her ready for bed. She talks to Brian about the journals as she feeds Ashley, and he reminders her it is important to let Karen know she has them. He even says “I’m surprised Harry didn’t give them to Karen before telling his wife, Sarah, about them.”

Jennifer replied, “I think our work together at the Oak Springs Historical and Genealogy Society asking folks to gather old family history information played into that. Harry knew that, and knew that Sarah would know what to do. She knew from our work together, there, that I would take good care of them.”

“I understand that,” Brian said, “But you have been sharing everything you find with Karen, who was your mentor, and you need to talk to her before Sarah or Harry do.”

“You are right, of course. I’m finished feeding Ashley. Can you start getting her ready for bed? I’ll call Karen, and then come help putting her down. Then, we’ll look at those journals, together.” They went about doing that.

Karen was surprised to get Jennifer’s call. She asked if Jennifer would bring the journals over to Karen’s for lunch on Tuesday, like they used to do with Jenifer’s earlier genealogy discoveries. Jennifer said she would be happy to do that and thanked Karen for the invitation.

A bit later, talking with Brian, Jennifer said she was a little surprised that Karen didn’t seem especially excited about the discovery of the journals. Jennifer added, “Actually, she seemed to be totally distracted, like she had something else very important on her mind. Maybe she is more concerned about Beverly being back in town.”

“Beverly back in town? When did that happen.” Brian hadn’t yet heard that news. Jennifer related what she knew, and they talked about that issue for a bit. Before long, however, they had each picked up one of William’s journals and were reading.

Shortly, Jennifer got up and went to her computer to open her family history database. “William’s wife and mother had each died a year or two before this first journal started on January 1, 1920. Karen and I assumed those deaths were related to the flu epidemic.” Then, she was looking at a copy of the 1920 U.S. Census. “In the 1920 census, William, 56, was living alone, on the farm. Joe, 32, Beth, 32, Ethel, 9, and Mildred, 3, lived on the farm next door. This is the only mention of the ‘Ethel’ we ever found. We need to check that out better sometime. I’d kind of forgotten about that, from our earlier research. I wonder it she is mentioned in the journals at all.”

“William is very good at recording the weather conditions, each day, and what he did with the crops,” Brian said. “He certainly doesn’t mention family stuff everyday.”

“I noticed that in the few pages I’ve looked at, so far, as well.” Jennifer was back to looking at the first journal.

[To be continued - next Friday]

"May everyone have a homeplace, if only in your mind."

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Episode 13 - Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

Life in Oak Springs, the Homeplace

January 1999

This series of posts on each Friday, henceforth, moving forward during 2015 will continue the stories of “The Homeplace Saga” series of family saga, historical fiction families in the area of Oak Springs following the novel “Christmas at the Homeplace,” which ended as 1997 began. Earlier, we have seen the community move from January 1997 through December 1998. We now move into January of 1999, in novel format…

Episode 13 - Lori, from Chapter 7

Lori was on her way to a business appointment, including supper, on Monday evening. The Jensen & Watkins Construction Company office was only a few miles from the Homeplace Country Inn. As Lori turned north on State Highway 37 from State Highway 24, she thought back to what she knew of this company. Gary Jensen had been in residential construction for more than ten years. He was in his early 70s, but still looked trim and fit, with a well-trimmed mustache. He had been joined, about two years earlier, by his nephew, Trace Watkins, who looked like he could be a son, in his early thirties. Some people around town also compared him to Trace Atkins, the country music singer, including Lori, who had met Atkins in a concert in LA. Since Trace joined the firm, they had built an office and shop out on Highway 37 and expanded the type of work they took on.

Gary Jensen had a house back in the woods, over a hill and behind the office, but Lori had never been there. Apparently Trace lived there with him, as well. Lori had been to the office, before, and had been impressed that they had built in a small kitchen and a stone pizza oven. It appeared both men spent most evening going over plans and blueprints... and eating pizza.

As she entered the office, Trace moved away from the charts on the table he had been examining to greet her. Gary was taking the pizza out of the oven. They each greeted her heartily, and offered her a choice of drinks: beer, wine or soda. She chose Diet Coke, tonight, but welcomed the choices. They sat at a table for four in the corner and enjoyed their pizza, before getting to the work at hand.

Conversation ranged among their earlier life experiences. Although they had met together on several occasions, they still did not know that much about each of their backgrounds, and they were each happy to respond to questions. Lori enjoyed talking about the people she spend time with in Los Angeles when she wasn’t in the air as an airline flight attendant. She also shared how much she liked to talk with passengers, on her usual long flights, about their homes at either end of the flights. She had learned that folks loved to talk about their home, their preferences and their longings. Back home, she would share this information with her friends in the residential development business. “Sure beats reading a magazine on those longs trips,” she liked to say.

She learned that Trace was the son of Gary’s sister up in the Kansas City Area. He had worked construction through a combination of jobs since high school and classes at the local community colleges in project management and construction techniques. He had been happy to get away from the larger winter snows of the Kansas City area to the somewhat milder climate of the Ozarks.

They each enjoyed hearing Gary’s stories of his earlier years as an over-the-road long haul truck driver. They came with no end, and he rarely repeated a story, very unusual in Lori’s experience. As folks got older, they generally repeated stories, over and over. Gary didn’t seem to do that. It made spending time with him very pleasant.

Eventually, they got around to their current project, the proposed "Homeplace Estates housing development. They talked in generalities, at first, and then began to get into specifics on the latest updates to the concept plan. They were soon circling the tables and drawing boards, looking at and asking and answering questions about the specific details of each. They were looking to build in as much flexibility as possible, without running up the costs too much. Finding the best balance of type of housing units along with appropriate activity sites was crucial.

[To be continued - next Friday]

"May everyone have a homeplace, if only in your mind."

Dr. Bill  ;-)