Dannie and Dianne Evans spent  few days in Gatlinburg. Dianne went in a store to get a few items they needed and ran into Gary and Loyce George and family from Indiana. Gary and his son had ridden their bikes all the way from Indiana. When asked if they were going to ride them home, they replied ‘no!’ Gary is in the church Youth for Christ. He and his brothers stayed in Smithville with their grandparents a lot when growing up. They played with my son, Ralph. It tickled Gary when I wrote about them going skinny dipping in his grandaddy’s pond.
Kevin Kent, of Lebanon, and Birdie Bennett, of Alexandria, and Barbara Burton visit Barbara Self recently.
Valerie Means visited Mabel Pack on Saturday. Richard and Becky Mears also visited recently.
Sympathy is extended to Clara Driver in the unexpected death of her son, Donnie.
Betty Sue Vaughn was the guest of her son and daughter-in-law, Randy and Natasha, on Lower-Helton, Saturday evening. They enjoyed a cook-out to celebrate her birthday.
Linda Grant, of Nashville, spent the weekend with Faye Adkins and came to New Home Church with her on Sunday. We are always glad to see Linda.
Clara May Hawkins and Queda Ferrell attended Calvary Baptist Church babtism on Sunday afternoon. Queda’s grandson and Clara May’s great-grandson, Cole Wright, and others were baptized in the creek. There was a large crowd on hand.
Lu Autry Malone had the following guests Monday evening for a steak supper cooked on the grill: Joyce Wright, from Murfreesboro, Jeff, Jaylene and Rawlin Vanatta, Jessie Strickland and Miles Malone.
While musing this week, I thought about when my son, Ralph, started school at Cross Roads in 1953.  He was only five-years-old but would be turning six in the fall.
Miss Alice Foster was his first grade teacher, and thinking that Ralph might be scared of taking his required vaccination shots, Miss Alice sent a note home with him suggesting that I come to the school on the date that the County Health Nurse would be there.
We lived, at that time, on what is now Vickers’ Hollow Road, which was about two-miles from Cross Roads School.  I don’t remember what time she wanted me there, but I walked from our house to the school.
I got there a little early, so Miss Alice invited me to sit in the Little Room and wait.  Back then, the Little Room had grades one through four while the Big Room had grades five through eight.  Rex Hayes was the principal and teacher in the Big Room.
While listening to Miss Alice teach the second grade class in reading, her son, Mike Foster, was one of the students called on.  I remember that he had a big piece of bubble gum in his mouth.  Miss Alice stopped him and said, "Michael, park that chewing gum!"  He did as his mother said.
Miss Alice told me about when Mike was getting ready to start first grade.  He mentioned to her that he would rather go to Smithville Elementary and be with some of his friends from the Cookeville Highway area instead of going with her to Cross Roads.  So, she drove him by there. When she stopped the car, he quickly changed his mind and said that he’d decided to stay with her and go to Cross Roads.
I find it interesting how a person will remember little snapshots of life.  I guess most of us forget a lot, but we’ll remember little things like that day I visited Cross Roads School.