I'm here with my 103-year-old great-grandmother. Ask her anything!

What event in world history has had the most effect on you personally?

The invention of the automobile.

When I was learning how to drive, I would sit in the front seat and watch what they were doing with the pedal and gas. One day when they were all at the lunch table I decided to see if I could drive. Well, I got in the car and looked at everything and decided that I could do it. I looked at the wheels and pedals and everything, and then took off into the pasture. I drove in a big circle through the pasture then went back to the house. They caught me and I got talked to about using the car. They told me that they should know where I was going, and that I shouldn't be driving because I was too young. (12-13)

How did your family make out during the depression?

We had to be very careful what we selected to eat and if we could afford it, and how much we could afford.

Papa always had a nice garden, and it was always in good soil. He planted watermelons because he liked watermelons. On Sunday afternoons it was his pride to serve up one of his big watermelons to everyone.

We had milk cows and food from the farm. I was excited to learn how to milk cows, which I couldn't do at first because my hands were too small. Eventually it was my job to milk the cows with the help of one of my sisters.

We had pigs and chickens, too. Papa would butcher a hog and hang it up in the smokehouse to be safe from bugs. We would eat one ham at a time until the hog was done. Papa made bacon and it was different from what you could get from a store, but it was still good.

What were your thoughts when you saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon?

Well, it was exciting to know that anybody could go to the Moon.

What is the earliest memory you have?

Well, I can remember my mother being a good cook, and she liked to cook things what we wanted, and she would notice what we liked best, and she would prepare it often for us. She liked for us to have a good breakfast.

For you, when were the good ol' days?

I guess the 30s were pretty exciting. New things were coming in to use, and Mama and Papa always thought that they had to have everything new if they could afford it.

Papa was able to buy a Ford car. He didn't want any other kind of car. It was a 2-seated Ford so that we could all go wherever we wanted.

Were things better back in your day?

In some ways, but progress is better.

Any pointers on how to live such a long and healthy life? Good diet, exercise, low stress, or something else? I'd love to live as long and witness as much of the world as you have!

Live right, eat right, sleep right, take good care of yourself, and enjoy the new things that come along. My mama was a good cook, too. Aunt Birtie would have tips on healthy living and would pass them on.

How does it feel living in so many different ages? How did living so many years feel?

I think that it's a great feeling to know that we were able to progress through this world like we did.

Thanks for the AMA, three questions:

1. What is your greatest memory?
2. Do you have a 'greatest regret'?
3. What do you look forward to the most in the coming years?

1. When I was learning to play the piano, we would go to Coleman. There was a variety store. The owners daughter could play the piano. There was piano by the door that she would play to draw people in. When we got on the street with the store, I would run in and watch the woman play the piano. My first song was When the Road is Called Up Yonder. I played it over and over, and when family came visit they would ask me to play. It was a big deal then, but not now.

2. Since I like music, I wish I could have gone and taken piano lessons, but Mama and Papa couldn't afford it. It was also too far away- 14 miles in a horse-drawn buggy. The woman at church could play, but we didn't like the way she played. It was too jerky. She could read music, and I couldn't. I played by ear. One uncle wanted me to come live with him and his family to learn music. They were managers of a big apartment complex in Dallas, which is a long way from Coleman, so they didn't let me go.

Sorry, but we need to go. We would've answered the third question, but the AMA took longer than we thought and we're running late

What do you think was the most amazing advancement in technology in your lifetime?

I think going to the Moon was pretty important.

What was the most significant change in her life until to this moment?

Well, it was exciting to have my three children. Ann was the oldest, and her four uncles would play with her.