28 | March• 2018
THE BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT
littledoortoanookbeneaththepan-
try window in which Nettie stored
her canned green beans, tomatoes
andjarsofapplejam.Onthereplica
home, that door conceals three C
batteriesthatpowertiny,twinkling
interior lights. Small stones line the
base of the miniature
house, echoing the large
river rocks that Kather-
ine’s uncle once hauled
up from his farm to un-
derpin the foundation
of the original. And
there’s a teeny f lute on
an itsy-bitsy table in the
replica’s hallway.
That flute set the
soundtrack for Katherine’s life. She
was proudly playing it in her high
school marching band when she met
Malcolm ‘Mack’ Jones. The two mu-
sicians got together after a Christmas
parade in 1942. Mack, a horn and
trumpet player, proved to be the per-
fect accompaniment for Katherine;Carolina,US,tocruisepastKath-
erine’sbelovedoldhomeinnearby
Gaffney. While admiring the charm-
ingone-storeydwellingshewasborn
in,Katherinewouldsay,“I’dliketo
have that house back.”
Oneday,asEmilystrolled down
thedollhouseaisleof
her local craft store,
inspiration struck: her
mothercouldhaveher
houseback–inreplica
form. Emily’s friend
Thomas McAbee put
herintouchwithRay
Meyers, a local retired
dentist with a talent for
woodworking. Ray paid
multiple visits to the original home,
taking precise measurements and
compilingdetailswiththehelpofthe
house’s current owners.
There’stheinvitingfrontverandah
where Katherine and her mother,
Nettie, spent hot summer nights
cooling off before bed. There’s the
Batteries power
tiny, twinkling
interior lights.
Small stones
line the base