33. Heardie Rivers
Transcript
Jim Collie (00:01): In case you've just joined us, this is the Memories program. Today we're going to be visiting with Mrs. Heardie Rivers. I'm Jim Collie. Mrs. Rivers welcome to the program. We're glad you're here. Heardie Rivers (00:01): You are so welcome. Jim Collie (00:15): You were born where Ms. Rivers? Heardie Rivers (00:17): Clarence. Jim Collie (00:17): About when was that? Do you remember? Heardie Rivers (00:22): I don't remember the year. Jim Collie (00:22): Well how old are you? Heardie Rivers (00:22): 72. Jim Collie (00:24): 72 years old. Well, you were probably born in 1904. Sounds about right. Heardie Rivers (00:33): Yeah. Jim Collie (00:33): Your family lived in Clarence? Heardie Rivers (00:35): We lived in Clarence, and from Clarence to Campton. From Campton to Alexandria, too. From Alexandria, my Papa want to go back way home on the farm. And my mother didn't want to. So she come on and [inaudible 00:00:52] she had started working for Ms. Royston. So she bought the place in Grady Town. And Papa seen, finally he come. And he stayed and he went on to Campton got his old job where he had left. And he worked in Campton and come every two weeks home. Jim Collie (01:13): So you moved around a lot? Heardie Rivers (01:15): Yes sir. Jim Collie (01:15): And your mother lived in town cause she liked city life and didn't like farming and [crosstalk 00:01:20]. Heardie Rivers (01:20): She got tired of farming. Jim Collie (01:23): Farming was pretty hard work. Heardie Rivers (01:24): Yes sir. Jim Collie (01:25): It sure was. We were talking just a few minutes ago about the kind of home medicine people used to have. Heardie Rivers (01:33): And... Sassafrass tea, pine tea, and bitterweed tea. Jim Collie (01:46): What was bitterweed tea for? Heardie Rivers (01:49): Fever. Jim Collie (01:50): How did you make it? Heardie Rivers (01:51): We'd boil it. Jim Collie (01:52): Just get some bitterweed leaves? Heardie Rivers (01:54): No, the flower. Jim Collie (01:55): The flower? Heardie Rivers (01:56): Yeah, the flower. Jim Collie (01:58): And you boil that? Heardie Rivers (01:58): Boil that for tea, for fever. Jim Collie (02:02): What was pine tea for? Heardie Rivers (02:03): Purify your lungs. Jim Collie (02:07): Purifies your lungs? Heardie Rivers (02:08): Yes sir. You know when you had TB they'd take you to the pine dome. Jim Collie (02:08): Mm-hmm (affirmative). Heardie Rivers (02:08): Yes sir. Jim Collie (02:13): How would you make pine tea? Heardie Rivers (02:15): Boil it. Jim Collie (02:16): Boil the pine needles? Heardie Rivers (02:18): Tea leaf, the needles. Jim Collie (02:19): Uh huh. (02:21): What is? You were mentioning, horehound candy. What's that your mother used to make? Heardie Rivers (02:26): It's something's weed is gray. I wouldn't know it now if I would see it. I've been looking for it, but I wouldn't know it. And that's what's for cold tea. Jim Collie (02:35): Mm-hmm (affirmative). Was it a sweet candy? Heardie Rivers (02:38): Well, she put a little... Make it up with honey and stuff, you see. Jim Collie (02:42): So children liked it when they were sick? Heardie Rivers (02:42): Oh yeah. They liked it. Jim Collie (02:45): What is blue maize? Heardie Rivers (02:49): That's for babies with colic and worms. Jim Collie (02:55): How would you make that? I take it that some kind of... Heardie Rivers (03:00): Yes. It come in a little block, like a thick piece of gum. You know, little square, four corners. Something like that. And you just take a little piece over and put in a little water if you had the stomach ache and drink it. Jim Collie (03:16): That helps, huh? Heardie Rivers (03:17): That helps. Jim Collie (03:17): What's calimer? Heardie Rivers (03:20): Oh, that's medicine that clean you out, too. But you can't get it now. And I used to take it twice a year, in the spring and in fall. Jim Collie (03:31): Getting ready for the warm weather and getting ready for the cold. Heardie Rivers (03:34): You have to keep your inside cleaned out, just like the out. Jim Collie (03:38): You have to do that? Heardie Rivers (03:39): You can't... You'll kill yourself with too much in medicine. Jim Collie (03:43): So you don't try to take very much? You were telling me about the time when you went to work. Heardie Rivers (03:51): Yes sir. That was in 1942. I was sitting at the table. We was at the table eating dinner and my heart got full. You always feels trouble, but you don't know what it is. And I start to cry. And Papa asked me what was the trouble, which I told him the truth. I didn't know what this... What I seen. I say, Papa, tomorrow I'm going to seek, go out and seek for me a job. And he told me, no, you're not healthy and neither strong. And I told him these words. I say, Papa, if you and mama would die, both of y'all are died. I say, I would have to work health to know health. And so he consent for me to go. (04:51): So I went. Ms. Carrie obliged. Y'all, I hate it. I didn't visit like I should. She had old frightened cat. That's what kept me from going. The girl, forgive me that, though. She was nice to me. And she fixed me nice little lunch. I take it to school. Yeah, I wouldn't take time to fixing it. Wasn't a need to fix a lunch for school age and working. And she'd fix me a nice lunch. I'd taken it to school, and all my little school mates, when lunchtime, here would be all around. I had to divide. I'd give them a little tease. And so after my mother fell sick in the mind. (05:40): And so she stayed away a little while and she come back. And one day I've come from work, she was gone. And that was it. And my little sister was left next door. So I take my little sister and brother home. All three of us to eat in the house. Three months, not afraid. Jim Collie (06:05): Ms. Rivers. We're going to have to stop right now and hear this word from People's Bank and Trust. But we'll be right back after this word from our sponsors. (06:15): This is Jim Collie on Memories. And we're visiting with Mrs. Heardie Rivers. Ms. Rivers, when was the first time you ever left Natchitoches? Do you remember? Heardie Rivers (06:15): 1953. Jim Collie (06:29): Where did you go then? Heardie Rivers (06:30): I went to Monroe, to a church concert. Jim Collie (06:33): Uh huh. Heardie Rivers (06:37): And 1957 flew from Shreveport to Houston on the airplane. That was my first trip. Jim Collie (06:47): What was that first airplane trip like? Heardie Rivers (06:48): Oh, that first airplane trip was wonderful. I thought I was going to heaven. Jim Collie (06:54): It didn't scare you at all? Heardie Rivers (06:55): No sir. It didn't scare me. Jim Collie (06:58): You just went out on that plane. Heardie Rivers (07:00): I went out on that plane. I enjoyed it. Jim Collie (07:02): Did they serve you a meal? Heardie Rivers (07:03): Yes sir. Jim Collie (07:04): So you've been traveling ever since? Heardie Rivers (07:06): Ever since. Jim Collie (07:08): How many places have you been to now? Heardie Rivers (07:10): The last place is Cleveland and I hope someday I can get enough money to go across before I get too young. Jim Collie (07:23): You're not growing old. You're growing young. Heardie Rivers (07:23): Yeah. Jim Collie (07:24): Is that what you're trying to tell me? Heardie Rivers (07:27): I'm growing young on my second foot. Jim Collie (07:29): I see. Well, we sure appreciated visiting with you on our show today and we're glad you're here.
Jim Collie speaks with Mrs. Heardie Rivers about growing up in Natchitoches Parish and her experience with home remedies.