Holley had many artworks tied to the trees in his yard. One of the pieces was an assemblage with a hobbyhorse, a Coke bottle, a mirror, a comb, articles of clothing, and many other objects, all of which came from or related to the life of a dear old woman in his neighborhood, Mama Reed, who had been like a second mother to him. She was in the hospital, seriously ill, and the thing tied to a tree was a healing charm for her. She was the source for much of Holley's information about the old ways, traditional folk medicine, folk wisdom. His wife used to fix the old woman's hair, and once after cutting it, according to Holley, "Mama Reed told Caroline, 'Burn it up! Burn it up!'"
