Author: Mary Beth Hensley

I started my mini sabbatical a week ago by volunteering at Camp Able. At first it didn’t look like it was going to work out. I emailed the food bank, and quickly had a response that someone would get back with me shortly. That didn’t happen. I never thought volunteering for places that really can use volunteers would be so challenging. None the less, Ray mentioned to Nadene who is chairman of the board for Camp Able that I was having issues. As only she can do, she took the proverbial bull by the horns and I was a volunteer.
As I arrived I was still quite unsure as to what was expected. I learned quickly that Nadene had bragged on me and that left me just a little scared! Renee Hicks, owner of Camp Able is a super sweet lady that has a tremendous love of horses, mainly ones that have been abused or neglected. Not only does she love horses but she is loves children with disablilities. She uses her horses to help children and adults.
There is much going on and the day to day life on a ranch is busy. There was another volunteer already there. A girl name Chloe who has been volunteering for a while. She is 15 and knows her way around the horses. My initial job wasn’t much, but it was something that I love. The farrier was there to trim hooves and replace shoes. I was to brush the horses. I am not tall by any means, but I seriously could only see over 1 horse’s back and that is only because her breed is short. One horse name Buddy literally has hooves as long as my foot with my tennis shoe on! His back was way over my head. So dirt and horse hair was blowing right in my face. Now to some that might seem a bit well, nasty, but to me it was great. I love animals of all kinds, but horses are such majestic creatures, each with their own personalities and nature. My day lasted only until 130 but that was ok. I was pretty dirty by then.
Tuesday, Renee had appointments and wasn’t going to be around so I did not go out, however, Wednesday, when I arrived, Cary and Lota, nephew and wife were working on the new tack rooms. It is going to great and so much easier for everyone to work with. Very organized. Renee had another appointment, but ask if I would use the weed eater and get rid of a very annoying weed that was growing primarily in the fence rows. This particular weed has a dried “pod” that gets in the horses mane and leaves a tangled mess. I said sure! I love a good challenge. The weed eater only beat them, but would not cut them. I however was very determined to get rid of them. So I proceeded to pull them up by the roots and pile them up. During the process I encounter some very angry and potent fire ants and a bumble bee that decided my temple was a good place to plants his stinger. I did persevere and spent hours pulling weeds, but I was quite pleased with my progress. I did decide that part would have to wait until Thursday and I would bring my battery operated hedge trimmers. The weeds would not win this battle and neither would the ants and bees. She had also ask me to catch Tara, a beautiful paint that I had met and brushed the day before. She had gotten her face in those hideous weeds and her forelock was a mess. So after pulling weeds I got the halter and lead and went for Tara. At first I thought she was going to be a pill and just run, but after flying past me she stopped and I was able to put the halter on her and brush her mane. I gave her extra brushing as a treat to myself. I also caught one of the miniature horses and gave her a good brushing.
Lota said if I had time would I mind checking out the concession stand and see how dirty it was. It was filthy. Someone had kick the door in, breaking the door jamb. Now this was something I could definitely fix. I went to town for a new lock and to get our nail gun and some caulk and paint. I clean as much dirt as I could possible get out of there, replace the door lock, painted and paint the door and the jamb. My day ended around 345. I felt I had done a good job and was proud of what I had accomplished.
As promised I went Thursday with my hedge trimmers and cut down and pulled up weeds. I also rode with Renee to another place to get 3 other horses.

My sister, Kim said she had google sabbatical and it said the number one thing you should do and the most fulfilling thing to do is to clean your sister’s house.  I laugh so hard I thought I might have a dislocated a rib!

Camp Able does tremendous work, but in order for Renee to do what she loves best, she needs a team of volunteers and money. Horses are not cheap to take care of and anyone who has every owned land or even a house, the care and upkeep is never ending. She is surrounded by great people who work hard to help her out. I for one plan on going back and I hope you will as well.
Thank you Ray for telling Nadene and thank you Nadene for calling Renee. Thank you Kris for a mini sabbatical.
Now for my vacation week I am doing something else that I love to do. I am painting the inside of my house and I am already off to great start.

Wow, this week really flew by. I have had a terrific week and have enjoyed every minute of it. Tuesday and most of Wednesday I was going through the pictures I had taken and making sure the names on the markers aligned with my notes. I also needed to compile a list of pictures that I thought needed to be re-taken. I have learned I am not a great photographer but for the most part the pictures were good. Thursday and Friday Butch and Kim (sisters) took off work to help me and be a part of the project. A huge part might I add and a debt of gratitude is owed to them. Not only for taking off of work but for helping me now and in the future until the project is finished.

Thursday, Butch drove from Sonora, about 2 1/2 hours, arriving around noon. The three of us drove to Breckenridge first. We wanted to go to the courthouse to get a copy of the deed to the cemetery and see what other things we could scrounge up. In an earlier life Butch had done some land work thus knew more about what we needed to ask. So she took the lead on this. We soon learned she probably knew more than the very sweet young woman at the court house. However, while we were standing there, a landman named Lucas Knickerbocker, from Ft. Worth who happened to be working in the area, volunteered his time to help. He not only pulled out the county maps but also said we needed to go the abstract office and look for some records. He told  us they charged $150 an hour, minimum of 1 hour for us to do our own research. I was taken back a bit at that amount. He said he had about 45 minutes on his time left and he was more than willing to help us on his dime. So off we go to the abstract office where we were able to get a copy of the warranty deed that was done in 1909 and later another acre in 1983. He then suggested we try the tax appraisal office for assistance with other documents. As we thought, no disrespect intended, they were useless.

We continued our day by driving out to the cemetery to meet Mr. and Mrs. Cooke. They have a rough sketch of the new part of the cemetery. I do mean rough, basically a piece of paper with with crude squares and names written by hand. I can only imagine what the old part will look like as we have not seen it as yet. None the less it was already 3 pm and we had not even started on cleaning off markers and re-taking some of the pictures.

As we started down the rows, Kim was cleaning off the markers that were covered with dirt and grass. It only made good sense for this to be her job since she is only 4′ 10″ and was much closer to the ground! 🙂 Butch was in charge of going down the list telling us who was next and I was taking pictures. Sometimes we were standing hip to hip hats off shoulders reared back trying to block the sun. The term we were using was “I need a 2 butt block!” On we went row after row sometimes together and sometimes off on our own hummers reading markers and taking note of so many children and the numerous soldiers including one from the Civil War or better known in the South as the War of Northern Aggression.

Kim was down the row from us cutting back some overgrown lantanas and gladiolas that were blocking the name on the marker. All of sudden Kim starts screaming ” Help me, Help me, my foot is in the grave” I am doubled over laughing trying to run down there. She told me to quit laughing and help her. My reply was….as soon as I take your picture! She had literally fallen in a hole at the head of the grave. One leg was was in the ground up to her knee! It almost scared her into residency! Of course she was thinking snakes and I was thinking she missed a prime opportunity for a practical joke. The only other incident was I was viciously attacked by 1 of 3 things; a flying marauder with no buzz, a minuscule one fang snake or a very nasty spider with an attitude. No real lasting effects except for a small hole and about a 4 x 5″ red spot that is warm to the touch and really itches.
We later drove down the road a spell to where the original school building still sits. Of course over the years upgrades (no pun intended), have been done and it was used for a while as a community center. It is now in disrepair and is over grown with weeds. We decided to go ahead on the dirt road journey driving through Moran and on into Cisco; driving over the recently completed bridge that had been washed away not too long ago. We stopped down where the old Cisco pool use to be along with the old zoo and vacation cabins. I found it to be rather creepy. Butch was very disappointed in the shape of it. A funny note on Butch, her sight has never been her strongest sense and as she was taking pictures of the dilapidated old pool, she pointed to something dead on the ground. I ask her what she was pointing at. She said some kind of big bird that was dead. As we were driving away I stopped next to the offending object, rolling down my window to see. I turned to her and said “for the record, birds to not have long rat like tails. That is a dead opossum.” I may not remember what I went in to the room for, but I will not let her forget that.

Friday we started our morning talking with a gentleman from a company that has software which allows you to log the cemetery data complete with pictures, links and so forth. It is not cheap, but after talking with Miles we are willing to pay the cost.

The rest of the day was for us to just to shop and do whatever we wanted to do. There isn’t anything better than good quality sister time. My day was great.

Even though this project is far from complete it is well on it’s way and we will continue to push forward toward the goal.

I turned left off of 183 onto CR 192 in Stephens CO. into a community that is but a distant memory. A gravel road lined with trees and a few scattered houses. Cows graze lazily in the pastures. Most days I would fly down the road, but not today. I am taking my time to look at the beauty around me. The scenery reminds me of my childhood. The grass still has some green to it as the summer sun has not yet turned it brown. I am on my way to Harpersville Cemetery. The land for this cemetery was was deeded to Stephens Co. by my great grand father John H. Harper in 1909. My grand parents are buried here as is mothers only sibling, a sister who died some 19 years before I was born. She was just shy of her 22nd birthday. Mother is also buried here. It has been almost 3 years and yet it seems like yesterday that we were watching Criminal Minds or CSI.

I’ve brought my lunch today and I have spread a quilt so that I can have lunch with mother. It is rare that I go anywhere by myself. Usually my sister Kim is with me or both sisters. Today, I am by myself.
My goal this week is to take a picture of each grave marker to be used on a website for this cemetery. With much help from my sisters we will build this site so that those that are researching ancestry have a place to browse. Some of the markers are just moss covered rock placed hastily as no money was available or time afforded for a proper marker. Many of the engravings have vanished with time and the lack of attention by a man shredding with a tractor. Before the land was deeded, people were buried here from wagons coming through in search of a better life.
I was able to get a picture of each marker. I will have to go back with some tools to cut back a tree and briers that have taken over one and to scrape dirt and weeds off of others.  I wonder what dreams some of them had. Many children are buried here. Was it an epidemic that swept through stealing their lives or was a snake bite the underlying cause? I will never know. I just know that they should not be forgotten or misplaced. If you have a good imagination like me then you can sit and listen as the birds sing and imagine those children playing, and the moms and dads going about their daily chores.

I only had a couple of incidents, a spider ran under my hand as I was attempting to brush a way dirt and grass. It’s body was surely as big as my big toe. I absolutely detest spiders. I was only stung by 3 fire ants after I riled up their mound. Did you know sunscreen will kill fire ants? And even though I had been watching very carefully for snakes since rattlers and copperheads tend to frequent the area, I did not notice until I was within 3 feet or less of not one but two snakes. Non poisonous variety, maybe prairie racers or coach whips. I am not sure as I did not ask for their identities. They were a minimum of 5 ft long each and were doing what I can only assume should have been done in the privacy of their home and not in the cemetery in broad day light. They scared the bejeezus right out of me. Luckily I was close to being done. I had spent 4 1/2 hours walking rows taking pictures, writing names, getting sun burned and visiting with mother.