Thanksgiving 1955

I was 11 years old in 1955, Mom and dad had bought an old hill farm about 4 miles northwest of Bell City. It wasn't much of a farm, mostly run down. The old house had seen better days many years before they bought it. There was an old water well by the house where rain water was caught and guttered into the well for drinking and cooking and other uses. Now the old house didn't have a good wall in it. When it snowed we would wake up with snow on the bed, the floors had big cracks in between the boards and if you looked down through the cracks you could see the chickens walking around under the house. We had a few head of cattle and most days as we would come home from school we would have to get off the school bus and drive the cows home for they would get out of the pasture. They, like us I guess was looking for a better life and more to eat. I had one old Jersey cow to milk as my job everyday. One day in the cold winter the old cow had been in some water and cockle-burs. The burs had stuck to her tail and the water had frozen to the end of her tail. Now you ain't never been assualted until you have been hit up side the head with a frozen cocklebured cow tail. This really hurt as I was already cold and mad at the cow for having to milked.
In the fall of 1955 around Thanksgiving my dad had purchased 2 fields of cotton from another farmer that didn't want to mess with getting it out. The two patches were not much, both would not have made one good patch. I don't know what kind of deal they made but I am sure My dad was probably drinking at the time and got the raw end of the deal. He could make some pretty bad deals sometime.
On Thanksgiving day of 1955, I am sure the year is right. It was so cold and the wind blowing, it was miserable. So, my dad deceided we needed to pull bowles on this day. Now if anyone don't know what pulling bowles is. After most of the cotton has been picked some of the bowles will crack open and there is a lot of cotton still in the field. Being poor and winter comming on strong this was a way to make a little grocery and Christmas money.
As I stated this was the coldest day of the year so far. I remember mom stayed home that day and had to take care of a little sister that when born my brother wanted to get rid of. He wanted to throw her in a pond we had on the farm. Anyway, the wind was so sharp and at the time we did not have the clothes they have now days. We liked to have froze. Fingers and toes were beet red when finally about 3 oclock dad finally said lets go to the house. Mom had fixed the biggest pot of chicken and dumplings, pies, dressing and all the other trimmings. It wasn't turkey but it is the most memorable Thanksgiving of all. To all that read this have a very blessed Thanksgiving and enjoy family.