Mae's Interviews with Floyd

Floyd's Emporium | home

Mae's Interviews with Floyd (sequenced like most things here, from the bottom up)

4. Floyd's big vacation

Floyd sent us a postcard.

Q. Floyd, did you have a good time on your mountaintop vacation? Tell us what you saw.

A. Mostly mountains and pine trees. And a few meanderin' streams. I figured you-all would like that little bear.

Q. You didn't run him up that tree, did you?

A. Naw. If I'd seen a bear up that close, I'd'a been the one up the tree. You know, where there's a littl'un like that, Mama Bear ain't far behind.

Q. But Floyd, you can see that even little bears can climb. What would you do if you climbed a tree and Mama Bear climbed right up after you?

A. I'd pick a little tree that she wouldn't climb.

Mae's final comment : Well, you best stop eating so many of Mawie's honey-biscuits, or you'll bend down a little tree just like a mama bear.

Floyd's comeback : I had my vacation already, and you know there ain't no bears around here, so I reckon I'm safe.

3. Mae questions Floyd about Wind-Up

(See that pooch as a pup by clicking the link "Floyd's Friends")

Q Floyd, I see that you got Wind Up when he was pretty young. Did he chew up your socks and turn over the kitchen trash can, like most puppies do?

A Oh, I lost a few socks. A watch. Some newspapers before I got to read them. And I'm still looking for my belt (hitches up his pants in an unconscious gesture). As for trash, he was pretty good about that since I rinse out cans and the scraps go to the chickens and pigs. The ones he don't eat out of my hand first.

Q So what does he like to eat?

A Whatever I'm eating. He gets mostly fresh cooked meat, NO CHICKEN BONES, some high protein dry food, and a can of something tasty every day. He likes all kinds of vegetables, and a lot of fruits. Now that he's grown up, and helps me in the garden, he picks his own corn and peas.

Q I see a leash over there. Do you take him for walks?

A He takes me. There's a first-rate walking path down by the river. He likes to swim, too. But he mostly loves to bark at the squirrels. He'd stay under a tree lookin' up for hours if I let him.

Q Besides walking, and eating Mawie's biscuits ( if you missed reading "Introducing Floyd" in February, you can still read it in Josie's book ), what else does Wind-Up like to do for fun?

A He likes to chase snakes but he's too smart to catch one.

Mae's Original Interview

Q Floyd, for the record, and my Project on which I want to make an A, will you answer a few questions?

A I'll do my dead-level best.

Q What was it like growing up in the hills 50 years ago?

A It was HARD.

Q Um....care to elaborate?

A Guess I should say, It was hard if you was poor. And we sure were poor. You ever watch any of

them public teevee shows about Appalachia? Well, it was a lot like that.

Q So you've seen loads of change in your lifetime.

A I'll say. My first car was this one

Q That's your sister?

A Nah. She's my girl friend's niece.

Q You had a girlfriend??

A I had LOTS of girlfriends.

Q But you never married.

A It's kinda hard to settle down when you're runnin'---

Q Running?

A Runnin' a business. Driving' fast cars. Movin' from place to place.

[ note: typical Floyd grin, which means that thread of inquiry is closed ]

BACKGROUND NOTE FROM MAE:

I chose to research Floyd for my Senior Project. Believe me, it took some doing to get him to part with HIS senior picture, but here it is:

No--wait--that's not it!

Floyd!! Come back here! That's not funny.

Well, maybe it is.... That reminds me of the story my sister Josie wrote, called "Floyd and the

Watch Possum." Her book at Lulu.com used that as the logo, and it certainly fits the occasion.

I have it on good authority that the photo you see on the front page of this site REALLY is the honest-to-goodness FLOYD, who used to have some kind of unlawful business involving Mason Jars and Strong Medicine. After he met Mawie and the rest of my family, about the time I was born, I guess, he gave up that line of work and started his resale operation.