Some time after Wade’s visit to Uncle R. V. in 1940, Uncle R. V., who was somewhat older than Daddy, bought a place on the big road just beyond Aunt Willie and Uncle Raymond’s store.  They built a house and barn, and operated a farm.  They had five children: Ralph, Donald, Joyce, Bob and Bill.  All except Bill were born before the bought the farm and built the house.  Bob was just older than me, born in 1940, and Bill just younger than me, born in 1945.  When we lived at the Little House, Bob was a favorite playmate.  And Bill was close to Chan.

To get to Uncle R.V.’s house “around the road” we would have to go past Uncle Earl’s, up to the big road, turn right, go about a quarter of a mile and turn right into his 150 yard driveway.  But without a vehicle, the footpath was a better choice.  From Uncle Earl’s house there was a path through the woods that went to Uncle R.V.’s place, and we used it often!  Sometimes, we would meet Bob half way, all with BB Guns, to hunt for birds.  Occasionally, we actually killed one.

We would spend the night with Bob, and he with us.  Uncle R.V.’s place was fascinating.  Of course, Pet and Emma, the mules were usually in the barn, or in the pasture.  There was a concrete back porch, and on that porch there was a shower.  Of course, the water had to be put overhead, so the shower probably didn’t come until there was an electric pump for the well.  And there was no water heater for the shower water, at best it was heated by the sun.

But Uncle R.V. had an outdoor privy.  Initially, it was a two-holer, east of the scuppernong vine behind the house. But later, a really first class one-holer, that actually had what I remember to be a store-bought seat.  It was west of the scuppernong vine.  Uncle Earl had an outdoor privy also, but we didn’t have anything except the woods behind the bus body, except slop jar for Mama that went under her bed.

About the time that we moved from the Little House in 1950, Uncle R.V. with family help built a house for Aunt Ida and Uncle Willie, a two-room house east of his house.  The family installed a bell up on a pole in the yard, so that if either Aunt Ida or Uncle Willie “got down,” Aunt Ruby could ring the bell for help.