The House that Pop Built

OK, I know its been two years since my last post on this blog. Would you believe I've been busy? Oh, well, I won't try to make excuses. But I was going through some old photos the other day and I thought it would be a good idea to share some of these before they deteriorate any further. It's also a great opportunity to get this blog back where I originally intended it - Cork!

This is Pop and Grandma's (Sherman and Flora Acree's) house in Cork. I don't remember all the details, but I know that my dad (Edward Acree) travelled frm Baltimore to spend some time helping his father and brothers build the house. I don't know exactly what year that was, but I'm guessing in the neighborhood of 1956 - 1957. This first view shows the house almost complete (just the front porch posts need to be finished) looking toward the southeast. Here's another view looking east.

Of course, I don't remember when the house was built, but I do remember spending vacation time there with Pop and Grandma. It was always a wonderful place to visit in the summer. I remember sleeping in the attic, where there were many fascinating things. First, there was that incredibly steep (to me at least) staircase. Along the wall of the staircase Grandma displayed pictures of her military men - Pop (Sherman) from World War I, Dad (Edward), and uncle Buddy from World War II, and uncles Jimmy and Preston from the Korean War (I think). Despite the hot, humid Kentucky summers, I never remember the attic being hot unless we went up there during the day. In the attic were curious treasures - old books and magazines, curious machines (like a fluting iron), and the ornate iron crib that had been my Dad's as a baby (and presumably his younger siblings' as well). Most importantly, there was in the attic a ventilation grate leading into the kitchen. If we put our ears right to the grate and held our breath, we could just hear what the adults were saying in the kitchen. Even more importantly, in the morning we could smell Grandma's breakfast! I'm sure Grandma was a wonderful cook for all meals, but for some reason the only thing I remember is breakfast. Grandma got up impossibly early to make breakfast for everyone. But I never remember her yelling at us to come down to eat (Mom, maybe, but not Grandma). When everyone had eaten, Grandma would throw a kitchen towel over the ham, eggs, biscuits and gravy and let it sit there all morning. We would sneak a piece of country ham (still one of my favorites) as we went by - Grandma would keep a close eye out to be sure there was going to be enough for dinner (aka, lunch). If we tried that today, we would all die of a combination of salmonella and botulism - but back then we were ignorant of such things, and thus I suppose, safe from them. This is the only picture I have of the interior of Grandma and Pop's house. Of course, we spent most of our summers outdoors anyway. It was a common thing to eat supper in the front yard, or at least to eat watermelon there. Is it just me, or was watermelon bigger, sweeter and just all around better back then? Eventually, a banjo or two would come out and there would be music. Uncle Joe spent most of his time either trying to get his nephews to say "calf-rope" or paying a nickel to get his back "tickled." Here's a picture of some of our gang on the lawn during one of those times in the early '60s. From left to right, that's Joe, Ted (Glenn) (I think), Shep the dog (I think), Bob, me, Grandma (Flora), Pop (Sherman), Bonnie, Tom (Serman T.) and Mel. Speaking of Shep the dog, I remember he had what I thought was the coolest doghouse in the world, built by Pop as a miniature log cabin, complete with a closing door with a little window. It sat out behind the wellhouse. Directly across the road to the west was another house that Pop owned. In the late 60s, uncle Jimmy and his family lived there, later it would be my Dad's TV repair shop. There were also garages and woodsheds and smoke houses, and in my earliest memories Pop had pigs in a pen over there. I remember an old sow the size of a hippo (at least it seemed that way to me then) - Pop would have us kids scratch her back with an old dry corncob.

But the most mysterious and fascinating of all (at least to me) was "the store." Grandma and Pop had run a little country store for some time. In my earliest memories it had been closed for some time. But at the time the house was built, it must have been a going enterprise. Here is a picture of the store from that time. I believe that's Joe with his foot on the cinderblock step; that's definitely Grandma and Pop on the right. I have no idea who the other two people are. The caption handwritten by my Dad on the back of the snapshot reads, "The business man and woman." By the time I remember, the store was locked up and we were rarely let in to explore it's mysterious treasures. I remember curved-front glass display cases and a big, brass NCR cash register that would probably be worth $1000 today. I want to include one more picture for this post that you all might enjoy. The caption on the back (written by my Dad - Edward) reads, "Mom and Dad gathering corn with Elaine's baby Lucy. Look at Dad's cigarette (Bull Durham)."

If you can correct or add to any of my memories of the House that Pop Built in Cork, please write and let me know. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures and my distant memories, and God bless you!

Chuck

The Scots Are Here (and gone)!

We've just finished a visit from three friends from Scotland. Craig, Colin and John are on a tour of America to celebrate their graduation from the University of Edinburgh. Craig is the son of Chris Nicholson, a very close personal friend of Kim's (whom she's never met in person). Kim got to know Chris via the internet. She first met Chris' father Duncan on some Scottish Fiddling blog, and he mentioned that his daughter was a Christian battling cancer. He asked Kim to pray for her... of course she did, but she also contacted Chris directly to offer encouragement and loving support (long distance). Well, with the healing touch of God, Chris beat the cancer, and they became fast friends. One of these days, they may even meet!

The boys arrived on Wednesday from LA. It was Craig's first time driving on the right (that is, "correct") side of the road, and in LA, no less! But they made the trip just fine. While they were here we have had our hottest time of the year (up to 115 degrees F!). Nevertheless, they stayed outdoors much of the time they were here. When I first met them, they were enjoying hot chili on the back patio - since it was nearly 10 PM, the temperature was down to a refreshing 99 degrees or so! Colin particularly liked the pool, staying in for over five hours one day and staying underwater for over one-and-a-half minutes!

They enjoyed hiking at Red Rock Canyon, and they spent two days camping at the Grand Canyon. They also enjoyed the Las Vegas night life with their local tour guides, Lauren and her crew. The lads were amazed by American food, especially endless fries and free refills on soda! Colin managed to down five cokes at one sitting on Monday night (but only after John challenged him to "man up")! The boys departed for San Francisco on Tuesday morning.

It was a real pleasure to have Craig, Colin and John visit. What friendly and polite young Christian men! Pray that the remainder of their trip is safe and pleasant until they return to Scotland! God bless, Craig, Colin and John!

Savior on the Street

We received an unexpected package in the mail today from "Savior on the Street." Before I opened the package, I noticed it was from Kingston, OK. Kingston being a pretty small town, I figured it must come from Elaine or one of her tribe. Then it dawned on me, just as I got the box open that it must be Stephanie. Sure enough, there was a note inside from Stephanie and Johnny saying that Lainey had told her we were interested in her "project." Well, this project was quite a bit more than a small, local program to aid the homeless. In fact, the box contained several t-shirts, rubber bracelets, leather bracelets (very cool!), and, most importantly bags.

"Bags?" you say? Yes, bags, but no ordinary bags. These bags are intended be filled with essential items for those living on the street - you then keep a filled bag in your car to give to homeless people you meet. There are two things that make these bags extraordinary. The first is that they are really cool microfiber mesh bags with drawstrings that must be a real convenience for anyone living ont he street, printed very professionally with the Savior on the Street logo. The second (and more important) thing is the sheet of paper each one holds. This sheet of paper is a list of things to include in the bag: at the very top of the list is a Bible. I have seen other projects to aid the homeless, and some of them, even though they may be church-sponsored, seemed ashamed of the Gospel. Their attitude was, we don't want to scare anyone away, we just want to feed them. In response to this sort of thinking, our Lord said, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" (Luke 9:25).

So I say, I'm proud of you Stephie and Johnny, keep up the good work! Walk strong in the Lord, and your reward will be great in Heaven. If you want to learn more about Savior on the Street, visit their website (see link in the links section of this blog). God bless you all!

Chuck

Easter Play, 2009

The first photos are back from the Easter play, "God's Masterpiece" in which Kim and I both played. A DVD version of the play is in the works and will be done soon. The play was a big success, playing over Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Sunday. Nearly one hundred people came to Christ as a result of the seeing the play. It was a great experience, even though it was a HUGE investment in time and energy. People are already talking about "next year." Although there were a lot of great photos, I am only posting afew that show me and/or Kim. Hope you enjoy seeing the photos. If you would like a copy of the DVD when it comes out, let me know!

Chuck

In Memoriam - Ruby Acree

As I contemplated Mom’s passing, I wondered how I would really handle it. I was a basket case when Dad died, but I am a very different person now than I was then. Still, when the news came and we prepared for our trip to Baltimore, my feelings were very complex. They still are. I miss Mom very much, and I daily think something along the lines of, “Oh, Mom would know that, I’ll call and ask her,” only to realize that I can’t call her. Now that we are home again, and getting our lives back to “normal,” I want to share something with you all that has made my grief light and easy to bear.
As we were preparing for Mom’s memorial service, Pastor Bill Akehurst asked all of us children if we might want to say anything. We all said no; but as we sat there waiting, I was convicted to say something about faith. My thoughts turned to the Apostle Paul who wrote “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). I thought, “Mom has gotten the gain, and she is with our Savior; but what about the other part? While she was living, she was not the kind of person who boldly shared her faith.”
As I pondered these thoughts, Pastor Bill began the service. He told us how he had really not gotten to know Mom well, until he visited her three days before she passed. He related how he had shared the 23rd Psalm with her. After going over the Psalm verse by verse, he said to Mom (paraphrasing), “Ruby, these are promises God makes to those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior: do you believe Christ died on the cross for you?” When he told us that Mom had answered, “With my whole heart,” my heart soared. I knew that Mom was a Christian, but had never heard her make a profession of faith. My brother Tom confirmed what Mom had said that night. Suddenly, I realized that I was crying tears of joy. As Pastor Bill continued, he shared the good news of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, and I realized, that Mom was a powerful witness. As I sat there in the front row, I looked back to see something like seventy-five people filling the room – many of them I did not know, but they knew Mom and loved her well enough to come to her service. I presume that most of these people had never heard Mom speak of her Savior. But now! – Now they were hearing her powerful testimony as Pastor Bill related how Mom loved the Lord and prepared herself to meet Him face to face.

Mom, I love you and I am proud to have you for my mother. Because of your witness, even in your passing, many have heard the Gospel of Christ who might never have heard it otherwise. Many seeds of hope and faith were planted that night. I know that God is faithful to complete the work he has begun in them and I pray for them all. I look forward to seeing you again soon!

Chuck

Welcome to the Cork Clarion!

Welcome to the Cork Clarion! This blog has been setup up as a family communication tool for the sons, daughters and grandchildren (and great-grandchildren, etc) of Edward and Ruby Acree. I chose the name Cork Clarion to honor my father Edward Acree who spent many of his 63 years living in Cork, Kentucky, and also because I spent a few years of my own there. In fact, in the late 1970s, Dad was the de facto mayor of Cork (only because the mailman delivered all the mail addressed to "Mayor, Cork, Kentucky" to him).

My hopes for this blog are that all my brothers and sisters will read and submit, and that this will be a place to reminisce about Mom, Dad, Pop (Sherman), Grandma (Flora), Granny (Marie Nault), brother Bob, what it was like living on the farm in '59 and throughout the 70s and what it was like to live in Baltimore in the 50s, 60s and on. I also want this to be a place where we can share our values, our faith, and our love for our families and for each other, as well as news and so on. I do not want to compete with the Acree Family website created by Tom, but I just wanted something easier to post thoughts on. It is my hope that the two will be complimentary.

Please be patient with me as this whole blogging thing is new to me. I hope to improve the site as I go along and add more features. For now, I have just started and look forward to posting more!!

Chuck