Monthly Archives: July 2003

Audrey: I’m doing fine. We went to Aunt Carrie’s Chowder and Clam Cakes Restaurant in a bus. It was white chowder and very good. It was a lot (of food). We had a nice long drive. There is always something going on in the dining room. I’m looking out at the birds—red cardinal, gold finch (stocking) and a brown bird.

Audrey: Yes, right after breakfast around 8:30 AM (EST) is the best time. I’m still in my room by then.

MaryJane Vaughn Spencer

Audrey: My mother (MaryJane [née Vaughn] Spencer) always drank tea. We always had tea. There was a white dish with a handle always sitting on top of the stove with the tea. It was not a teapot. It always had tea in it, however. I never knew what coffee was until I was married. Dad’s folks drank coffee. I liked coffee. I thought it was good.

Mother had an old wooden box that played the records—the round plate record. She would put the needle on the record. The handle had a needle on the edge. Mother played the song “Yama Yama Man” and it scared me to death. I was a quiet kid. I never talked with anybody, not even to Aunt Mandy.

Audrey: “Yama Yama Yama Man

Horrible eyes with a face of tan.

Run to your mother as fast as you can

Here comes the Yama Yama Man.”

The kids would run into the house. I guess he was a mean man who hurt people.

Mary Jane Vaughn Spencer and her first daughter, Edith Anna

Audrey: She was so much older than I was. Her teddy bear was “Prince”. The most beautiful doll was “Princess”. Edith had a beautiful doll that was put together with string inside it. I was not supposed to touch it. As soon as Edith got in the car (or horse and buggy, I can’t remember which) to leave for Providence, I ran to get the doll in a little black trunk. The doll had clothes and I would dress and undress it—very carefully and I never got caught. Edith named her old rag doll, Cinderella Angelina Rachel Maude Portia Elizabeth. Everyone cut out rag dolls themselves. I don’t think we could buy them. Rag dolls were the size of a pillowcase. The arms went out straight and were stuffed with cotton. The doll’s lips were black—penciled in. I don’t remember dolls with yellow hair or red lips. That would come later. I played with Cinderella. I remember my phone number. It was 70J4. When they first began, the numbers were shorter.

Audrey: I got 6 quarters playing Bingo. We got a beautiful yard here (Alpine Nursing Home) There goes Margie and Jean. Jean is waving! Oh, there are yellow birds going after the little tiny seeds they love. I look out my window and watch the shed and the garbage truck. The handyman dumps the trash into the bin and then the truck comes and gets it. The handyman is called Charles or Paul. I can’t remember which but I call him Sobersides because he never smiles. He is here all the time and never smiles, so I knighted him as Sir Sobersides. I can’t find any fault with anybody here. There is delicious food. We had string beans. I’m not to crazy about them, but I eat most everything. The meals are very good here.

Audrey: Everything is going fine! Everything is good here. It is very pleasant. The sun is shinning. Crystal comes most always and Spencer too. Dede generally brings Julie. I’ve seem them all. I’m reading To Kill a Mockingbird that you sent me. The books are piled up on each other.

Audrey: Oh, the birds out there. There are little yellow birds, crows and once in a while cardinals. The stocking feeder is hanging right outside my window. Oh, there goes a yellow bird, so cute. He is sitting on the stocking.