Sentimental Sunday: Dough Ball Fishing

L. E. & Fern Runyan
Lisa Wallen 1956

As a kid I got to spend a lot of good quality time with my maternal grandparents and a good portion of that time was spent outside with Granddad, no matter what he was doing. He might be painting an old metal chair, fixing the lawn mower, cleaning a fresh catch of fish, or even when he was just reading the newspaper in his rocker on the porch, I'd be playing nearby.

We went to the river nearly every day. Granddad loved to fish and when he ran out of worms he made dough balls to fish with and naturally, he taught me how to make them too. I got pretty good at making dough balls and I'd make them for Granddad so he wouldn't run out. I never once caught a fish with a dough ball but I caught plenty of minnows and tadpoles along the riverbank by scooping them up with my coffee can!

To make dough balls you just take a piece of soft white bread and tear off a piece of whatever size you might need depending on what you were fishing for. You can chum the water with the crust because the crust is pretty useless. Then you squeeze your bread and roll it in a ball and squeeze some more and after a while it would turn in to a little ball of dough. You could form the ball around the hook and completely hide the hook inside or you could thread the hook right through the dough ball for the dumber fish.

 

And when you are done for the day and heading for home, it's always kind to throw all your left over dough balls into the river for a treat for those fish that got away!

Lawrence E. Runyan - A typical day's catch - 1962

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Sentimental Sunday: We Are The Story Tellers

The Story Tellers

    "We are the chosen.  In each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors; to put flesh on their bones and make them live again, to tell the family their story and to feel that somehow they know and approve.  Genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts; instead, it is breathing life into all who have gone before.  We are the story tellers of the tribe.  All tribes have one.  We have been called as if it were in our genes.  Those who have gone before cry out to us:  Tell our story, and so we do.   In them we find ourselves."    .....Unknown author

I love that quote, it couldn't be more perfect.  

Cheers to all  the dedicated family historians, genealogists, and geneabloggers out there and to all those in my own family; in particular, those of the Wallen ancestry of which I am a fourth generation family history preservationist; from great grandfather Oliver, his daughter Sula, his grandson Charlie, and now to me, the great granddaughter. We were chosen. We are The Story Tellers. 

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Sentimental Sunday: Ordained at Freedom Church

Oliver Morton Wallen

My paternal great grandfather ordained at age 29 in Rockcastle Co., Kentucky

Mt. Vernon Signal Newspaper - September 29, 1899

"Oliver Wallin ordained to the ministry Sept. 23rd at Freedom church. The deacons from Brodhead and Pine Hill churches assisting. Bro. Wallin is one of our county boys and a bright young man. We predict a grand work by him."

Oliver was actually licensed to preach at Freedom Church in January of 1896.  He preached his first sermon on May 3, 1896 and from that time on he continued preaching in various churches in both Rockcastle and Pulaski counties in Kentucky.

I found this clipping today.

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Sentimental Sunday: Teach A Man To Fish

...And He'll Feed His Family For A Lifetime!

My dad, Robert Leroy Wallen - Circa 1955

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Sentimental Sunday: The Raysville Cemetery Peonies

Janet Runyan Wallen, Peony Bush, Raysville Cemetery, Indiana

I'd never seen a Peony before. Ok...so first of all, I'm from FLORIDA. We have Azaleas...and Oranges of course! Those things we take for granted. So, when Mom and I went to Indiana in May of 1999 for our genealogical excursion, I just had to know about those bushes of fluffy flowers. Mom was surprised and a little startled at my wide eyed wonderment. To her Peonies were quite common and after I was in Indiana for a few days, I understood why. Every yard had Peonies!

My very first glimpse of these lovely flowers was from our trek to the Raysville Cemetery in Raysville, Henry Co., Indiana just southeast of Knightstown where these beauties were adorning the fence near the entry way. (Actually I don't think there WAS an entry way. As I recall, we had to clamber over the fence!) Raysville is a secluded old cemetery and you have to drive up a private drive to get to it and then park your car and walk a little ways back and up a slight incline. It was early morning and there was still a light mist. After getting a picture of my mother beside a large bush of Peonies, Mom held one bunch carefully in her work gloved hand so I could get a good close up photo.

Mom holds a cluster of Peonies for a close up photo

I am thankful I took these two photos, a great memory of a beautiful flower and a wonderful trip with my beautiful mother!

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Sentimental Sunday/Saturday Night Genealogy Fun Combo

I'm a bit late responding to Randy Seaver's latest Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge, so I decided to combine it with Sentimental Sunday and make it a package deal!

The instructions for this week's SNGF were as follows:

1) Go to the www.ImageChef.com website and explore their FREE offerings. Click on the "Create" button, or choose to make a slideshow or posters from their main page (there are more than one screen of poster backgrounds).

2) Make one or more posters or other creation - perhaps they relate to genealogy or your own family history. 

Here's mine! Thanks Randy, this was a blast! 

Greatest Dog in the World, Our Best Vacation EVER!
Spanky (Doodle Dandy) and Me
Palm Island, Florida Summer 2004

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Sentimental Sunday: The (Vintage) Florida Seashore

Delicious memories of childhood and a carefree time... 

Sand crunching between the toes, the glorious warmth of the sun, salt spray carried on the breeze, collections of sea shells, starfish and sand dollars, brightly colored plastic shovels and buckets, clumsily built sand castles, coquinas digging into the sand after washing up on the beach, little crabs fleeing to their holes, sailboats on the horizon, the constant cry of hungry seagulls...and falling asleep on the gritty blanket underneath the beach umbrella near the end of day. And lastly, waking up just minutes before the brilliant orange ball of sun created an imaginary sizzle as it appeared to touch the water, and then watching as it slowly slipped downward and out of sight into the darkening sea.

Watercolor Painting by my mother, Janet Eilene Runyan-Wallen
Typical view of a 1950s Clearwater Beach, Florida sailboat race

I Was A Blonde Bathing Beauty

Once Upon A Time...in 1953!

And I still was
...in 1954

Mom always called me her "little fish" and told everyone I could swim before I could walk and since I had just turned 2 years old here, I'd long been doing both. And of course, this is the side most often seen of my dad when he was at the beach! 

Now...I'm a red headed bathing beauty...uh...red over grey, that is!

Me and "Sergeant Major Diggs" (Sarge)

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Sentimental Sunday: Grandbabies At The Beach 2004

Taryn Alexandra and Caleb Austyn 

Summer 2004

Children of my daughter Hallie

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Sentimental Sunday: "Thorn Between Two Roses"

The caption my mother wrote on the back of this picture is:

"Kate, Dad & Me 'Thorn Between Two Roses!' Taken Summer of '42 Indianapolis"

Kate Jackson (18) - best friend (a lovely lady still living as of this writing), Lawrence Runyan (49) & Janet Runyan (18) - Father & Daughter 

I'm just wondering about the "summer" part since the ladies have on warm coats!

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