Haints or Flyin Squirrels gone amuck

My maternal grandparents lived in Montezuma near Linville and my paternal lived in Estatoe, near Spruce Pine. I have sat at Wiseman's view and watched the Brown Mountain lights appear and have encountered a personal visit from my grandmother who passed in 1984 or a group of rogue flyin squirrels. Her name was Effie Murphy Hoyle of Brushy Creek Rd. in Estatoe at the foot of Woody Mountain. Her and my grandfather John Ernest Hoyle lived in a small 2 bedroom slat board home built in the 30's by Ernest, and his sons James and Cecil. They raised 7 children in the small home which was no larger than 800 square feet.
Effie was particular about her small flower garden just south of the home and forbid us kids to walk into it or even be around it. It was surrounded by huge chunks of feldspar taken from either the Hoot Owl Mine or the McKinney Mine where my grandfather worked as a driller. He was short but very strong and was called "The Little Giant" by coworkers. He could do the work of 4 men. They lived a simple, yet full filled life. We were very close as a family and when Effie suddenly died due to complications with Gang green of the intestine it was a shock to the family. At the hospital my grandfather was with the rest of the clan as the doctor told him that with life support she would live but only as a vegetable and that once they removed the life support then she would more than likely die. He did not want her to be in any more pain and along with the rest of us decided to discontinue the life support. I was a police officer in a small town near Thomasville and my grandfather told me to go make sure that they did everything properly.
I went into the room and saw her chest heaving upwards with the help of the machine and knew she was not comfortable. The nurse turned off the machine and she stopped breathing. She looked so peaceful. We buried her at Liberty Hill Baptist in Estatoe which is the family church. Before going to the cemetery I took a tiger lily from her flower garden and when she was lowered I tossed the flower with her in the grave. I felt as if it would be something that she would want.
A few months later I was married and took my new bride to stay one night with my grandfather. We stayed in the second bedroom which was next to my grandfather's room. There was one light bulb on the ceiling and had a string that run to the headboard. After getting settled in the bed I told my ex-wife Sherry to pull the string as to cut off the light. It was not more than 2 minutes later we heard the door to the room open up. Being in a hollar at the foot of the mountain the only light at night is that of the moon or stars. When the light was off then it was pitch black. I figured my grandfather was coming in to retrieve a pee pot from under the other bed in the room as they did not have indoor plumbing and plastic milk jugs were kept under the bed.
I heard footsteps come across the floor in what sounded to be hard soled shoes. The steps continued to the end of our bed and came up the side between me and the wall and stopped. I then thought maybe he was sleepwalking and I told Sherry to turn the light back on. She did and there was no one there and the door was closed. The unnerving thing was that the mirrored armwar (I know it ain't spelled right) at the foot of the bed had her favorite dresses and shoes in it and the mirrored door was wide open. It was closed and had been that way since her death. Needless to say, Sherry and I did not sleep the rest of the night and never stayed in the house again. Yes, the possibility of a nightly visit by the flying squirrel family was there also.

Stan the ramblin man

Haints or Flyin Squirrels gone amuck

My maternal grandparents lived in Montezuma near Linville and my paternal lived in Estatoe, near Spruce Pine. I have sat at Wiseman's view and watched the Brown Mountain lights

appear and have encountered a personal visit from my grandmother who passed in 1984 or a group of rogue flyin squirrels. Her name was Effie Murphy Hoyle of Brushy Creek Rd. in Estatoe at the foot of Woody Mountain. Her and my grandfather John Ernest Hoyle lived in a small 2 bedroom slat board home built in the 30's by Ernest, and his sons James and Cecil. They raised 7 children in the small home which was no larger than 800 square feet.

Effie was particular about her small flower garden just south of the home and forbid us kids to walk into it or even be around it. It was surrounded by huge chunks of feldspar taken from either the Hoot Owl Mine or the McKinney Mine where my grandfather worked as a driller. He was short but very strong and was called "The Little Giant" by coworkers. He could do the work of 4 men. They lived a simple, yet full filled life. We were very close as a family and when Effie suddenly died due to complications with Gang green of the intestine it was a shock to the family. At the hospital my grandfather was with the rest of the clan as the doctor told him that with life support she would live but only as a vegetable and that once they removed the life support then she would more than likely die. He did not want her to be in any more pain and along with the rest of us decided to discontinue the life support. I was a police officer in a small town near Thomasville and my grandfather told me to go make sure that they did everything properly.

I went into the room and saw her chest heaving upwards with the help of the machine and knew she was not comfortable. The nurse turned off the machine and she stopped breathing. She looked so peaceful. We buried her at Liberty Hill Baptist in Estatoe which is the family church. Before going to the cemetery I took a tiger lily from her flower garden and when she was lowered I tossed the flower with her in the grave. I felt as if it would be something that she would want.

A few months later I was married and took my new bride to stay one night with my grandfather. We stayed in the second bedroom which was next to my grandfather's room. There was one light bulb on the ceiling and had a string that run to the headboard. After getting settled in the bed I told my ex-wife Sherry to pull the string as to cut off the light. It was not more than 2 minutes later we heard the door to the room open up. Being in a hollar at the foot of the mountain the only light at night is that of the moon or stars. When the light was off then it was pitch black. I figured my grandfather was coming in to retrieve a pee pot from under the other bed in the room as they did not have indoor plumbing and plastic milk jugs were kept under the bed.

I heard footsteps come across the floor in what sounded to be hard soled shoes. The steps continued to the end of our bed and came up the side between me and the wall and stopped. I then thought maybe he was sleepwalking and I told Sherry to turn the light back on. She did and there was no one there and the door was closed. The unnerving thing was that the mirrored armwar (I know it ain't spelled right) at the foot of the bed had her favorite dresses and shoes in it and the mirrored door was wide open. It was closed and had been that way since her death. Needless to say, Sherry and I did not sleep the rest of the night and never stayed in the house again. Yes, the possibility of a nightly visit by the flying squirrel family was there also.

Stan the ramblin man