(Click the button on right to see the family) My mom’s family is huge. She had seven brothers and sisters: Juanita, Alvin, Elvis, Mom, David, Charlene, Orville, and Troy.
The first three and the last four were spread apart, so Mom was kinda like the oldest – like me, to her younger siblings.
I remember every Sunday, we would go to church and then to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for Sunday dinner. Many of Mom’s family would also be there.
All the kids, Uncle Orville and Uncle Troy – who wasn’t much older than us grandkids – would all play football, or scale the barn roof, or swing in the tire swing. Aunt Juanita and Uncle Johnny made homemade ice-cream. Dad, Uncle Alvin and Uncle Troy were shade-tree mechanics.
We always looked forward to letters from Uncle David and Uncle Elvis, who were in the service. Everyone got a chance to read them.
I also remember standing around a piano, listening to my Mom and Aunts sing gospel songs. Sometimes Uncle Troy and Uncle Orville (with his deep bass voice) would sing too.
Grandma was an excellent cook. She made THE BEST chicken dressing. It would delight your taste-buds like you just can’t believe. Everything was always fresh; all the vegetables came from Grandpa’s garden. And, Grandma made this wonderful chocolate cake dripping with icing that tasted like hot cocoa.
Even the water from the well, that Grandpa witched himself, tasted like ambrosia. It was the best well water I've ever tasted.
Grandpa had a huge garden. We would watch him work it. It was amazing to see everything grow. Unfortunately, I didn’t inherit his green thumb. I can’t grow anything and every plant I adopt turns brown.
Grandma was a very independent woman – like me. She wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is. (I got that from her.) She used to call me up, just to say hi and see what I was doing. (I miss those calls now.)
She usually drove when she and grandpa went anywhere. Some even said she had a lead foot. She lived to be 85 years old; and until then she never let anything get her down.
Grandpa drove too, but it was kinda scary when he did. I went fishing with him a couple of times. As we were on our way to the fishing hole, he would drive sorta in the center of the road. If a car was coming to us, he would move the car way over toward the ditch. He never had any accidents that I could recall, but it was an adventure to go with him.
He was such a big soft-hearted man. He was very sensitive to others and I've even seen him cry at times when he heard something that was sad. He was a very smart man too. He use to teach Agriculture at Joe T. - way before I went there.
I will always remember our family and all the wonderful times we had at Grandma and Grandpa’s. These are cherished memories.