The Strip Down
I moved from Orlando, Fla., to Moore County in June 1952. My husband was from here and graduated from Elise High School in 1948. He enlisted in the Army for three years. The Korean War broke out, and he had to stay an extra year in service. The last six months of his service was spent at the Army base in Orlando. That is where we met and fell in love. I was a junior in high school. My mom made me promise to get married in my church and finish high school, which I did. I graduated from Elise High School in 1953.
The world I came to in Moore County was so different from the one I left. I had never seen snow, knew nothing about killing hogs, making homemade sausage, planting a garden, canning, planting tobacco, or chicken houses.
The Strip Down was the vehicle we used to haul drums of water from the spring for the chickens. (We did not use water from the well for fear it might go dry.) My sister-in-law and I learned to drive on the Strip Down. She and I were the same age. Her birthday was May 19 and mine was May 29.
I am sure my new family felt like they had another daughter. They are all gone now. My husband passed away eight years ago. Had he lived we would have been married 60 years this past April 10. Today I live on 31½ acres. I have 175 grape vines that I take care of and 10 acres that I mow and many, many memories.
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