Welcome to Coffin Hop 2015. 

You can visit the list of blogs on the side after you start the tale of a girl who lived through the Dust Bowl, well sort of. Leave a comment so you can get added to the contest for a book, a Hello Kitty Halloween doll and an unedited first page from my new book Lily Starr. 

You will also get information on my new book.

Have fun... Bahahaha

                Dust Bowl

So this is how it all started for me. Sounds good but...

It was 1935 when we all got in the truck and left. It was sad. Dad’s store was closed and Mom was pregnant with a baby. I was fourteen and so tired of dust. My older brothers were so glad we were going. 

It was a dusty ride in the back of that truck. I sat on a mattress with our dog Micky. The big mattress was on top of truck and gave us shade. My brothers sat in the back with me. I tried to read, it was hard with the dust. The twins Bobby and Betty rode in the truck with Mom and Dad. Mom dressed them alike him as a boy and her the girl version. It was creepy I thought, but they were creepy. 

First stop was at Memaw and PawPaws in eastern New Mexico. I was looking forward to a bath just to get the dust out of my hair. We drove for three days and finally got to their house. It was cooler at their house and the water was clean. Memaw saw me and said “Sugar get in the tub,  you look so dusty. I can’t even see your red hair.” It was so nice to soak off the dust and rinse out the tub and fill it again to a nice bubble bath.

My brothers were hosing themselves and Micky off in the back yard. The joked around a bunch. The twins were next for the tub. Mom had her bath last and Memaw said give her quiet now. 

Memaw and Pawpaw had made us a huge dinner. It was green chili stew and corn bread. She even made us cake. I didn’t even get a cake on my last birthday because we didn’t have the money to spend. I sleep all night in peace and quiet. No wind howling and no dust. So it was we all got a good nights sleep.

We stayed there for a few days and then the trip was to begin again. Mom and the twins were going to stay in New Mexico until after the baby was born. I was going on to California. I looked at it like well, maybe I could see movie stars and swim in the ocean. It was the only way I could deal with it. I really just wanted to stay at Memaw’s with Micky our dog. 

PawPaw and Dad cleaned the truck up and got as much of the dust anyone could off it. They made the mattresses lie in the back so it was comfy. The one on the top of the truck was tied down so I could ride up on it. One brother sat in the back and sleep on the mattress waiting his turn to drive. The first day went fast and I read a book. Memaw gave me four books to read.

The second day was overcast so the sun didn’t bother me so much. I took a nap after lunch. We had sandwiches to eat all day. Memaw had packed for us.  I sleep through the first stop after lunch and dinner the boys couldn’t wake me up. We were in Arizona just past Flagstaff. 

“Wake up Sally. Dad got us hamburgers,” my brother said.

“Come you two,” My Dad yelled.

“Dad get up here quick,” my brother yelled.

I had died. I am not sure how I remember watching a dry storm go over the lightning was so neat looking. I just fell asleep up there looking at the high desert. I was sitting there looking at my body. Dad kept shaking me to wake up and he was crying. My brothers were too. It was odd seeing my sixteen and eighteen year old brothers cry. At least I died without dust in my hair or clothes. I also had meals without dust in them too.

Dad walked to the phone box and called Pawpaw. The police came and took my body to the morgue. I stood and watched it all. Pawpaw came the next day with Memaw in his truck. They had a coffin and my body was placed in it. The family was so sad looking. 

“You and the boys go on now. I will take her home and bury here by our Henry,” Pawpaw said.

“Thank you. I just don’t get it why did she have to die?” Dad said more than asking.

“Well, God called her home,” Memaw said.

Tomorrow part 2