Pa Davis

James Kelly Davis loved dogs, especially white spitz. In this 1945 photo, he is holding a couple of white spitz puppies in front of the old Bean homeplace in Peaceful Valley. The little girl on the porch is his granddaughter, Brenda Pennington. Another granddaughter, Jo Ann Pennington, shared some memories of Pa Davis with me earlier this year.

Pa slept in a nightgown every night, usually made out of bleached fertilizer sacks. Each night he would wrap his head up in a special scarf, covering his ears. The scarf was like a night cap but scarf-like.

Pa Davis had to have biscuits with every meal, never cornbread. Ma made her biscuits each morning with lard and buttermilk, and leftovers went into the "warming cabinet" or were kept on the table under a cloth until supper time. When he ate, Pa would take a biscuit and put part of it under his plate in order to make his plate slant downward. The Davis dining table always had Dixie Queen maple syrup. Ham, bacon and sausage - all cured at home - were commonly found too but bacon was called "side meat" not bacon.

For New Year's Eve, Pa always got a stick of dynamite. He would stay up until midnight, put the stick of dynamite in an iron pipe and light it. Aunt Jo said she usually could be found under the bed at midnight with her ears covered.

Pa did not cuss at all. Neither did Ma. They loved their grandchildren and enjoyed having them visit. Sunday was family time, and their children and grandchildren would come by after church for visiting and a family meal.