TELL ME ABOUT THE GOOD OLE DAYS story by Kaci Woodrome and photo by Grace Diaz
T
he “good ole days” – times when things were done differently and usually remembered as better than the present. Of course, the good ole days look a little different for everyone. But there are a few favorite hobbies and activities that are timeless, spanning generations despite the ebb and flow of societal trends and the digital age. What makes certain pastimes everlasting? The people who share their passions with others. For Nell Shepherd and her husband, TJ, college sweethearts who met 57 years ago, it’s important to spend time outdoors and find teachable moments in nature with their children and grandchildren. “The main thing I love doing with them is gardening,” Nell Shepherd says. "The kids have a chance to explain to me how a plant grows. They will go to the extent of telling me about photosynthesis, and about hummingbirds, and about nature. Those are things that I don’t think they would be interested in had we not brought it up.” Years ago, the Shepherds planted a tree with one of their grandsons. At the time, the tree was not much taller than he was, but now it’s three times his size. “He asks about the tree all the time. That’s something he’ll take with him the rest of his life,” Nell says. Nell inherited her love of gardening from her mother. She now grows enough peppers, tomatoes, mustard greens, and kale to share with neighbors and friends at Precinct 4’s Big Stone Lodge. The Shepherds, who have 16 grandchildren and great grandchildren ranging in age from one to 28, also believe in teaching their family about the importance of volunteering. “We have a garden in Old Town Spring Heights – it’s called a prayer garden that was dedicated last year for that community – so I have them go down there and help me to clean that up,” Nell says. While sharing their love of the outdoors and community involvement with their family is a top priority for the Shepherds, they also want to pass down “lifelong skills that they can use once they mature and get their own place,” TJ says. 20
Precinct4Update Spring/Summer 2021
“Instead of getting gifts that they’ll discard, introduce them to the importance of handling their money,” TJ says. “Let’s take this dollar and see if there’s any way that you can invest it.” Longtime Humble resident David DeFord has devoted much of his life to collecting and selling vinyl records, comics, glassware, pottery, and antiques. He owned a small shop in Humble for more than 20 years and operated out of various antique malls throughout the Houston area.
In many cases, the popularity of collectibles changes over time. “It’s a good hobby and a good investment because a lot of people still invest in old records – a lot of collectors and people who are into music like me.” His deep love for collections and history began when DeFord was growing up with his grandparents, who owned a small grocery store. “Back in the late ‘40s and ‘50s, I used to collect soda water bottles. And then at that time, I was collecting comic books, and I’d trade and sell comics. And we used to sell bubble gum cards and baseball cards,” DeFord says. In many cases, the popularity of collectibles changes over time. As demand fluctuates, production of the collectibles is impacted too. For example, vinyl records have transformed significantly from their debut in the 19th century. Although people have created music for more than 35,000 years, the ability to record and play back music is relatively new. The Victrola, the first record player available commercially, was only introduced in the late 1800s. As technology advanced, so did vinyl record design. Initially, records were played at 78 revolutions per minute. They later slowed the speed to 33 1/3 RPM and increased the size of the records to 10 inches and then 12 inches to allow more songs on each side for “long play” - or “LP,” as they are commonly known.
