The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-07-30
THE HIGHER
THE FEWER
There's Always Plenty of Room
At The Top
By
NANCY ]. MIDGET

self, put off till tomorrow what
should be done today? For in
stance I have just been to the
dentist and had a lot of digging
and delving done after roots be-
cause the tooth broke, because !
had let it get too bad before 60
ing for attention, because-.And
so on and so ON and the worst
of it is we never seem to learn
for 1 expect l will do the same
thing next time which is Just
plain foolishness for we just
give ourselves more pain, trouble
or expense, whichever applies to
the case in hand.
can remember Capt. w. ].
Tate, with twinkle in his eye,
admonishing myself or some
member of his family for pro-
crastination as he called it, and
quite correctly too but plain
putting off, is bad enough,-the
other sounds too, too devastating,
and Capt. Tate certainly found it
SO for he was great man for
getting things done and action at
all times as soon as possible.
Even at the age of eighty plus
he would be up bright and early
and rarely stayed still for long
all day long. When evening came
he would look over the paper or
the Geographical Magazine, fas-
cinating reading to me, perhaps
visit about and then retire at a
reasonable but not too early
hour. He had one of the neatest
yards / have ever seen and his
vegetable garden always looked
thriving and healthy and in ship
shape order and so it should for
it received all the time and at
tention he was able to give it
and most any plants will show
their best for some one who
really cares for them more than
the aching back and grubby
hands that working with the
soil can give you. Of course a
green thumb" is also an asset
and a water supply and hose
that can at least relieve the
parched earth when rain is long
in coming.
Capt. Tate and my mother are
two of the most active elderly
folk I have ever known. My
mother too, although loving her
home and wanting it to be in ap-
| pie pie order also had a terrific
driving power in her to be out
and about and know what was
going on. I've known her to set
off down town to see the shops
and get out in the air when she
could hardly drag one foot after
another. and going down town in
our community or part of our
community meant walking about
two hundred yards or more
down our road, waiting for a
trolley-bus, unless you were
prepared to walk the whole
twenty minute, or half-hour
walk to town, and then walking
through the busy shopping
streets and markets when you
got there. Sometimes 1 would
get so anxious when I got home
from work and found her note
that she had gone out that /
would pop in and out of the
house like a jack-rabbit until !
saw her turn the corner of the
road on her way home. We tried
to get her to rest more but when
we realized how much enjoy
ment she got from it, we gave up.
Like Capt. Tate, my mother
was a great one for getting
things done and not being afraid
to try new ventures. When
think now of all the work she
used to get through as well as
sewing and gardening and do il
so much better than most and
yet find time for outings, I feel
very feeble. She was brought up
though to work and few of the
present generation could even
imagine living the life she and
others of her generation, born in
1885,. found ordinary and ever
day. She was one of nine living
in a small farm or holding in the
lonely countryside of Aberdeen
shire, walked all or most of the
| five miles to school except in the
bad winter SHOWS and was ex-
pected to do a full and heavy
share of the farm and house
work, she being the Oldest girl.
| Its a very good thing in most
ways that those health and heart
breaking chores have passed