Doris Marie Gillespie

Howard was my mother’s little brother.  At the time of this adventure, the family lived right outside of Humble, Texas. in a settlement called Moonshine Hill   When imagining Moonshine Hill, ignore any thought of a raised area visible from a distance because of its altitude. Hill, in this part of Texas is any designated area more than 10 feet higher than the surrounding countryside. This area was known by all residents to be at least 14 feet higher than Houston; in fact, our family evacuated to nearby Humble, which was was not nearly so high, during hurricanes.   There is no information  regarding the Moonshine part of Mother’s birthplace.  Mother said, ”That’s what somebody named it and so that’s what it was called.”  Mother’s suffered from a prodigious lack of interest in background details. Continue reading →

Doris Marie Gillespia

Texas is a haven for roaches.  They certainly flourish and, as near as I know, live without fear of predators They are a fact of life and roundly hated by all Texans.   We grew up with roaches; there were the big black/brown ones that came in from outside and, inside, lived the smaller ones we called German roaches.  We had no choice but to adapt our lifestyle to the behavior of this pest. Mother fought them daily.   They always won.  It’s one of the conditions of living in Texas.   As I’ve said, we adapted. Continue reading →