Traditions: Ohio Heritage Fellows; 102; Edwin George interview, part 2 of 10

Q:

Edwin: You mean art? I cr—I use uh, with a canvas so.

Q:

Edwin: Uh, they call me artist...

Q:

Edwin: I was born in... it’s called Cherokee North Carolina back in the towards Smokey Mountains. I lived in the mountains in the... and we lived in log house. As I growed up, uh-huh... and uh, my mother had a wooden stove and we had a fireplace. That’s where my mother cooking cornbread in fireplace and uh, mo—molten stove. And uh... and uh, we didn’t have no bed, had to sleep on the floor, all growed up on the floor sleeping. And uh, my dad and mother had a bed they sleep on and we sleep on the floor. And um, it was just one big room, didn’t have no rooms. Uh, just... we all just uh, lay down on the floor and go to sleep and uh, my mother did say (inaudible) two door on each side just like a box and one window. We just put a big, like a block put it in there when night we’re really close out so, and the door (inaudible). And that’s the way I, we lived and we go get the water early in the morning about four o’clock in the morning in the... by the creek in the spout and um, that’s what we used uh, and uh, when we... when we eat, my mother and daddy plant a garden all summer, you know, eat—they canned stuff for the winter and we fatten up the hog and then we kill one in the Christmas, uh-huh. And we... we had few chicken with the... we wasn’t farmers, we just had a few chickens. And we didn’t have no cow or, sometimes somebody gave us a buttermilk and uh, that’s when I drunk. I didn’t drink everyday or mi—really I didn’t drink milk. Daddy didn’t like milk, so... and uh, we get... what I growed up on is (inaudible) and the cornbread. And the flour once in a while they get a bag of flour. You know what they did, they bag... bag flour in the morning and then we eat cornbread in the evening. That’s the way it was, my mother. So... uh, I u—I used a lot of grease bust the cornbread in there and uh... I loved that and that’s why... and um, I did... I growed up with all that. And um, fried potatoes... always loved deep fry... everything was deep fry. And uh, so... and um, and um, that’s why... I still do eat deep fry today, uh-huh. And... somebody says you’d been dead thirty years ago (laughing)... I’m seventy—I told him, seventy-nine I’m still doing that.

Q:

Edwin: Yea I went to school but I didn’t finish I just quit almost uh, halfway to eight—ninth grade. I didn’t finish it. I couldn’t learn nothing. I couldn’t... even today I can’t spell, I can’t write. I have to use dictionary when I write text I use diction—I still do write dictionary... I still use dictionary when I write a check. See I can see the word... I say the words but I can’t spell it. Then I use dictionary to spell it... whatever I say word, uh- huh.