Miss Coca-Cola enjoys a warm day on the porch

May 7, 2011

What a long royal title for a very unique, pretty, whimsical, living and breathing QUEEN.. “She” was a bred, born, and home-grown girl right here in Starkville, Mississippi.” She” is also definitely without a doubt just a “cutie pie.” Who in the world is “Miss Cola Cola?” In our great state of Mississippi we seem to have a habit of constantly asking three questions: “who are ya?’ (using the “ya” rather than “you”, “where did ya come from?”, and “who are ya folks?”
Let’s see if I can be the voice of “Miss Coca Cola”, and attempt to answer these three questions for ya. I’m “Miss Carole.” I, too am a native Starkvillian,and I am a artist. I try to be creative every day that I get up, get dressed, and put a whimsical hat on for the day ahead. I have
spent my entire life right here in Starkville, Oktibbeha County, and Mississippi State University, but I have traveled around the world with Frank and my three now grown children...(two sons and one daughter, and now six grandchildren...four grand daughters and two grand sons.) We lived in The Philippine Islands for six months in 1980-1981 going and coming two different ways so that we could take our then three young children ‘around the world’. Alone I went to San Salvador, The Bahamas, Scotland , Ireland, and recently Frank and I traveled to China. As I grew older I began to hear a new title to my name which was, “Miss Carole.” I realized that the new title, “Miss” was bestowed upon me out of love and respect so I graciously accepted the “Miss’ before my first name, Carole spelled with an “e” at the end of Carol. I was born on March 4th, My Mother, Elizabeth Lewis McReynolds was a musician, and she named me for the Christmas Carol’s adding the “e” to my name. My full name is, Carole Elizabeth McReynolds Davis. I use my entire name when I sign my paintings to honor my own parents as well as my sweet husband, Frank Davis, Sr. Legally we are often ask, “what was your Mother’s maiden name?” My own Mother’s was a Lewis. I am Scot/Irish/ English by birth, and “American to the bone.”
“Miss Coca Cola” is also a real “slice of apple pie”, and” she” has a true Ameican heart that “beats,” “ beats,” “ beats,” with a deep very sincere love for everyone” she” meets because” she” definitely has personality plus.” She “is friendly with a big smile on” her” face, twinkling eyes, and a
wave in” her” hand for everybody.” She” is loveable and very sweet. Who is” she?” How was” she” created? Where does” she” live?
One “zippty -do- da day” with a “skip in my step” I felt a great inspiration to suddenly be very CREATIVE that fine early spring morning in the merry month of March, 2011. I opened our white shutters, looked outside our bedroom window, and I suddenly saw all the yellow daffodils swaying in the breeze, new lime leaves appearing on the limbs of our one hundred year old Pecan Trees, and I knew exactly what I would do that day. I would create with my head and my hands a living, breathing, girl. Little did I know for sure what truly lay in store for me to satisfy my deep driving urge of creativity that was stirring inside my own heart and soul that early spring morning.
My very favorite color is red. “ She’”must be red and white. Dr. Frank MarvinDavis, Sr. is my caring, sweet husband of 47 years as well as my very best friend. In all the world. I love and appreciate Frank more that he will ever know for simply “putting up with me” as a creative artist with wild and very inspiring ideas I might have from time to time. He is an entomologist, and is suppose to be retired, but he is not. He was already in his office as an Emeritus Professor at MSU at the Clay Lyle Entomology building. Frank conducts International Workshops for other scientists from
all over the world. I loose count of the exact number of workshops he has and will preside over this autumn. He will conduct his fifteen or sixteenth Entomological International Workshop here at MSU teaching his students of all ages how to raise insects for a living to use commercially for research or for other purposes. Frank loves and lives in his own world of tiny insects. He spent his life in his own “bug world.” as a United States Department of Agriculture Research Scientist for our federal government, and as a Mississippi State University Adjunct Professor. He is a fine southern gentleman, and is a “prince of a man.” He grew up in Money, Mississippi in the heart of our Mississippi Delta, and came to Mississippi State University in 1957...winked at me as I was singing in the First Presbyterian Chuch Choir in 1959, married me in 1964, and never left, “God’s Country.” Frank, answered his cell phone that early morning, and said, “Hey,Carole, what do you need?” He just knew I needed something out of this ordinary morning. “Well, Frank, I need your help?” “Together we are about to create a tin girl.” “Would you go by and pick me up 3 large boxes of Coca Cola canned Cokes which will make I think thrity-sixCokes, and ten tall bottled Cokes?” “I need the pot tops off of these bottled Cokes for a mouth and eyebrows” “What did you say, and Carole what in the world are you about to create?” “She” is going to be so cute and so pretty all rolled up into a girl”, I said.... I noticed a silence on the other end of the cell phone. He agreed, and I was in luck. “Oh, Frank, I’ll pick up some
wire, and I’ll need you to get out your drill from our garden house...we’ll decide on what” her” head might be, I’ll get all of her clothes together... her dress, white gloves, shoes, socks, hair, hat, and” her” crown...and Frank” she’ll “be oh so beautiful cause “she’s” to be a “Queen” with a real “Title.” Frank’s last sentence was, “Carole, I’ll get the boxes of canned Cokes and the bottled Cokes...I’ll help you, and see you soon.” I was in real luck or as we say in Mississippi...”I was going to be in high cotton” today. Frank was going to become my partner, and did I appreciate his help that I was
about to receive. Around town my Frank also has a title, and it is ‘Saint Frank.” Frank Davis is my special saint, and he rightfully deserves this perfect title too. I appreciate and love him more than he will ever, ever know.
It was an hour or so before Frank drove up into our drive way with my needed supplies, and I began to pop the tops and pour out the sugar and sweet brown liquid out of the Coke cans onto the ground to empty all 36 cans to become “Miss Coca Cola”s body. I had been down to the Oktibbeha County Co-Op, and was searching for a head for “my girl”. I love Dixie Hunt McMinn, and she was working there that day. “Hey, Dixie, I am about to “give birth” to a “tin girl”. You be my model, and let’s dig out of the garbage bin a soft drink can so we can measure “her” size to make “her’ body. She has to be five feet and four inches tall. “May I use you to measure how many cans it will take to make...” “my girl?” Dixie agreed, and she held out her arm out for me to see that I would need... at least five cans to form “her” arm, and one can for “her” hand. I would need seven or eight for “her” two legs and one for “her” foot. “She” would need one for “her” neck, and about four for “her’ chest. I would need strong wire to put” her” together can by can after Frank added a second drilled hole to connect “her” can by can. I would buy the necessary strong wire from the Oktibbeha County Co-Op. I would use the bigger popped hole, and Frank would drill me the second hole for “her”connected ‘can by can’ body. I would use white gloves for “her” hands and fingers. “Her” head would become a large bright yellow tennis ball which was the perfect size of a head from the toy section of our Starkville’s Walmart. “She” had to be a red-head too, and this came also from Walmart’s ribbon area. I bought out
all the red ribbon bows for “her” hair, and threw in a white visor cap to fit” her” now to be big rounded head filled with curly red hair. “She” had to have a shiny crown to go on the tip top of “her” head. I had a plastic crown at home with shiny silver bows to add to the crown to make it fluffy and “girly”. “She” was to wear a colorful rainbow net skit of lots of colors, and long rainbow colorful matching knee socks, with hot pink rubber clogs for “her” shoes. “She” must be “dressed to the nines.” Agree?
Frank and I began “our creation” before lunch, and we did not stop until late into the afternoon. My two sentences for hours was, “Oh, “she” will live in a few minutes, and I promise that “she’ will have “personality plus”.... “wait and see her come alive.”... “smiling and winking.”
Well, “Miss Coca Cola” did truly “come alive”, with five Coca Cola bottle tops glued on as” her” red lip stick mouth, and two one top cut into for two eye brows, rolled up pieces of tin foil wrapped in red duck tape for a nose that stuck out from” her” face, big plastic eyes that wink at you, and curled up eyelashes that blink and flirt with you. Those popped off tops of the Coke cans became “her” choker and a long red necklace with the same pop tops tied on in sections. A red bow for a bow tie to cover up the dripped hot glue around” her” neck to hold on” her” big bright yellow tennis ball for “her” head.. “ She” is sporting a colorful bracelet or two on her wrist, and clutching onto a tall bottle of real thirst quenching Coca Cola in one of “her” hands. “Her” canned legs are crossed, and” she” is wearing very colorful stylish glasses on the tip of her nose.
Where does “Miss Coca Cola” sit? “She” sits as ...“the royal queen,” in “her” antique white victorian rocker throne in” her” Starkville, Mississippi family home which celebrates 100 years this year, 1911-2011 as the family home, “She’s A Grand ‘Ole Lady”..”.The Peason Place” at 501 Louisville Street presiding over “her”.... “kingdom” of “her” big wrap-around front wooden porch smiling, flirting, waving, and “jest a rocking, rocking, rocking” watching all those cars, trucks, and school buses pass “her” by day after day. Right beside her “rocking throne” is” her” big red title written in the Coke motif in red color with white lettering on a big poster political type of sign stuck into the slates of the wooden grey-blue porch... smiling, living, and breathing.