Monthly Archives: April 2004

Audrey: Yes, Grandma (MaryJane [née Vaughn] Spencer) always had flowers. She always had a half-barrel (barrel cut in half) with special flowers planted inside. The half-barrel was on a cut off tree stump (the stand for the half barrel) so grandma would not have to bend over to plant flowers. Also, all along the wall in front of the house were flowers. There (the dirt) was dug out so grandma could plant flowers.

Dad (Milton) was great with flowers. He was great with rose bushes. He would study about them and knew most of them (different species) and planted most of them. It takes a lot of work to get roses to come back each year.

Audrey: I don’t like it but I do!  They (Alpine Nursing Home staff) are very kind. They just have a hand on my shoulder and I get assurance, without that I feel like I am falling. I get along with the walker. I am glad to do (use the walker) only once a day. If I had to do it three times a day, I’d just stay in bed. (laughter) I do things because I have too, but not because I like it.

William J.B. Spencer with the horses, carriage, and plow with Audrey Mae Spencer behind the plow

.

.

Audrey: I would follow Grandpa (William J.B. Spencer) along in the furrow (dirt flapped over) after the horse carriage plow. I was so small that I could follow (walk) in the furrow. I could only follow in the furrow at the beginning because after that, the harrow, an iron piece of rake that scrapes the dirt into little pieces (was used). (After the harrow was used) if I stepped on the dirt, I would sink in four to five inches, so I didn’t walk in it.

(There were many steps to prepare the land.) The land was then smoothed (smoothed it over) and then Grandpa would pull along a little feeder and the seeds would bury themselves. Grandpa would go over the rows with a board to flatten out the land. Going over the land a couple more times to sprinkle dirt over the rows as well as the rain and the sunshine in a few weeks, (resulting with) little green things would come up and then long stalks of corn.

I waited and knew when the (ear of) corn would be yellow and I would pull out the biggest (ear of) corn and sneak and hide and eat it (uncooked) because I loved corn. Grandma (MaryJane [née Vaughn] Spencer) wanted me to wait for it (ear of corn) to be bigger, because (by picking it early)I was wasting one-half of it. I loved corn!

Mary Jane Vaughn Spencer and daughter Edith Anna

Audrey: Grandma (MaryJane Vaughn Spencer) would go out to the field and call “Come, Prince” and Prince would come right away. Grandma would put the harness on the horse and hitch him to the wagon. Grandma and I would ride to Arctic, where the Bedard sisters owned a store. Grandma would always have long talks with the Bedard sisters as they must have been good friends.

Grandma was very brave. When we would hear all the cows bellowing out in the barn, she would light the lantern for me to carry, and Grandma would take her cudgel, a big stick as she called it and go out to the barn. The dog, Ned, always went with us. There was never anyone there. It was just a cow stepping on another cow that caused the ruckus.

A tramp or beggar could come along and go into the barn and sleep in the hay. Each beggar had his own nick (mark) on the gate, so the farmer would know who was in there. They would go along unless the farmer needed help and then the farmer would hire him.

If hired, Grandma cooked three meals a day for the hired hands. Grandma was always there for anyone that needed (help). If people were on the farm, they could eat at Grandma’s. Grandma was sharp enough to know who deserved a meal. It was only those men who were workers who deserved a meal. Grandma was so sweet and gentle, but yet so strong and brave! She’d light the lantern. Ned was barking. She was strong and brave!

(There was a student that graduated [1960 from J. F. Deering High School] with Heather whose last name was Bedard.  Mother and I met his brother at Alpine Nursing Home when the brother was visiting his parent at Alpine. Mother told him that she knew the Bedard sisters in Arctic when she was a child.  Bedard said that there used to be a street in Arctic that was called Bedard, but they did not know how that name originated and he did not know anything about the Bedard sisters who mother had met.  The street most likely was named after the Bedard sisters (family) that owned the store in Arctic.)

Spencer home at Spencer’s Corner (Division Rd at Shippeetown & Crompton Roads junction)

Audrey: Grandpa (William J.B. Spencer) worked and lived in Crompton. He stayed in a room over the barn at Uncle Ern’s (Alfred Earnest Spencer) house. Grandpa was a very good housekeeper. He took care of himself. Grandpa was a carpenter! He had quite a business just doing the neighbors’ jobs, (such as) wanting a window fixed, small jobs like that. Kept him busy.

Audrey: I liked it better. I had a church, Knotty Oak Church, to go to.  Mr. Buecker, the minister, had twin sons who went to Africa as missionaries. The twins were both handsome

Beatrice and I were baptized at the same time.  We were dunked in the water. The minister told me to close eyes and hold breath. Grandma and Mrs. Shippee and Beatrice and I were always in Church.

Audrey’s Great, Great Nephew

Craig Evarone O’Keefe

Born April 8, 2004
6lbs.  10oz.   19 3/4 inches
Proud Parents are MaryAnn (née Evarone) and Dennis (Denny) Patrick O’Keefe

Audrey: The painting of the blue teapot and the pink rose.  Elise Gardner was the teacher when I painted the teapot and pink rose (watercolor).  She kept one picture of every artist that she had as a student.  She would have Exhibitions of Elise Gardner’s Student Artists.  She asked me if she could keep my drawing of a calf.  Of course, I said yes.

I had drawn a calf from the farm. I remember my father was standing there. The calf was sleeping, a little calf, all curled up and sleeps.  She liked my calf because it was different.  It was different because as a farmer then there were no artists.  Everybody (students at RISD) was from Providence. There were no farmers there.  They were all from Providence.  The little calf was just lying there. Grandpa was there looking at the calf.

Audrey: I’m just looking at my book that you made for me.

(Explanation: Book refers to a WilsonJones Catalog Rack used to display 11″ by 8″ copies of Mother’s art, writing, history, etc. There were over a hundred different copies of Audrey Mae’s work.)