"I'm just an old country boy," said the man on the phone. "I'm 79 years old. But I still like to get out now and then, when I can."
He had read a story I had written about a yodeler. He said he wanted to hear her sing.
So I called him back at his Clearwater home and left a message. The singer, Bettina Makley, has gone to New York, I told him. "She won't be back until spring," I said. "You can catch her at the Florida Folk Festival."
The next day, the man called back:
"Hey, now, this is Charlie Cote, I called you earlier about this gal that does the yodeling that you got in the paper. And I had to go see about my hearing aids, and they're not working very good. But anyways, you know, if it's possible to send me something, literature on her or something . . .
"Of course I'm an old man. But I still enjoy that, music and all that.
"And I was married 50 wonderful years to the most wonderful woman in the world. And we had nine children, and I took three different orphans home, so I raised 12 children. I got 44 grandchildren and 59 great-grandchildren.
"But she died in that no-name storm in '93. She had Alzheimer's disease 10 years, and I took care of her right here at home. I walked her every day. I'd walk her down there, take her to the beach. She loved the beach.
"Although she didn't know nothing, I still loved taking care of her. That's the most wonderful experience in the world, to take care of somebody you love like that.
"Oh, I really enjoyed taking care of her, washing her and diapering her and feeding her and all the things you got to do for a woman. Making up her eyebrows and everything.
"But we had a farm in Michigan, and if she hadn't got Alzheimer's, we's gonna take more orphan children. But anyways, that's so much for that.
"And she come from Louisa, Ky. That's where Loretta Lynn come from. And her brother used to date Loretta Lynn's mother.
" 'Course they're all dead now. The whole family.
"My wife died in that no-name storm in '93. And our grandson drowned the same day. He was on that shrimp boat in Tarpon Springs.
"The week after that, her brother died. And the week after that, her sister died. So I lost four or five of them there within four weeks' time in '93.
"And then I been fighting cancer for a year. But the good Lord has blessed me, and now I'm coming out of that.
"So anyway, if you can mail me some literature on this yodeling gal, I'd sure appreciate it, honey. It'd be wonderful to know when she's gonna get back and where she might be singing at because, well, I love that kind of music.
