After his father died , Daddy told of his family moving in a battered old shack sitting in a open field occupied by a bull and herd of cows. It was really not much better than a barn, just unpainted planks with unfinished walls inside, tin roof visible above the open rafters. The cows offered little threat, but the Jersey bull raged when the cows were in heat. Mettie and the kids had to always had to keep a look out for him when they stepped outdoors to do laundry or fetch water from the well. Mettie kept the little girls close by in case they had to make a run for the house. She and the older boys made sure he was nowhere around before starting across the open field to the road. Continue reading
babies
Aunt Mama Ellen and the Twins
My friend Ellen planned to adopt her sister’s newborn due about the same time as her own. She was her sister’s coach and put the newborn baby girl to her own breast at its birth, taking it home with her the next day. Her sister, the birth mother went back to college, missing only one day of class. Seven days later Aunt/Mama Ellen was sitting Continue reading
Post Partum Depression
When my first child was born, I suffered from Post Partum Depression. I had expected to welcome him joyfully into my life, but I was so depressed, I wasn’t able to do that. I cared for Continue reading
I Can’t Find Anything for Lunch!
Bud came in about noon announcing he and Buzzy were going to look for some lunch. About three minutes later, he came back to where I was writing, announcing they’d given up. That’s what he always does when nothing jumps out of the refrigerator onto his plate. Sure enough, I went in the kitchen, finding he’d done a late night raid. The fridge was empty. There wasn’t a slice of meat or cheese, a teaspoon of mayonnaise, a leaf of lettuce. There were the sad remains of a bowl of potato salad, but it didn’t look too tempting since he hadn’t wrapped it back up after last night’s raid
. Alas, no cookies, no chips, nor bread. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t innocent of this information when he announced he couldn’t find anything for lunch. I did find six potatoes and a bag of baby carrots unmolested in the crisper.
There were no quick foods in the pantry, except for those I’d canned, which Bud doesn’t recognize as real food. I pulled out two jars of homemade Italian Vegetable Sausage Soup I made from fresh vegetables from my garden last summer, added the fresh carrots and potatoes, and fresh thyme, parsley, oregano, garlic, and onions from my herb bed. I found frozen hot dog buns and toasted them with fresh garlic butter. It was absolutely wonderful.
Loving My Babies
On the subject of preference among children, I loved both my children best. Enjoying a loving moment with one, I’d think, “I could never love another child this much!” Conversely, when I was with the other, I’d have the same thought. I confess, I didn’t always treat them the same. One was more wayward, pushing as far as they dared, knowing I couldn’t commit murder, as attractive as it might seem at the moment. Most of the time, the other child was empathetic, well-behaved, a total joy, unless they weren’t, which also certainly happened on memorable occasions. Sometimes the needs of one overshadowed the other, challenging us to the maximum of our feeble parenting skills.
Often either, one of them would cuddle up to me, asking, “Who do you love more, me or ……….? I usually delighted them by saying, “Well, you can never tell, but right now, I love you more.” They found my other answer equally delightful. “You’re so silly! You know I don’t like either of you!” Then they’d dissolve into a fits of giggles as I tickled them. They loved either answer, secure, knowing I loved them, no matter what.
Footloose and Fancyfree (Part 4)
Inez was good company, but didn’t worry much about germs. It kind of bothered Mother when she wiped the baby’s nose with the dish towel and then put it back in the dish pan. After that Mother told Inez not to bother with the dishes. She knew Inez was tired and needed a nap. Mother didn’t like it much when she let the twins run around without Continue reading
Sex Education in the 1950s
I learned all this valuable information back in the 1950’s with absolutely no sex education!
Probably until about the time I started school, I thought when people wanted a baby, they went to the hospital and picked one out from a collection there. Those that were not chosen grew up to be doctors and nurses. The sex of the baby was determined by the way the parents dressed it and fixed its hair.
Unmentionable, Thrilling Sex
Repost:
Anything regarding sex was dark and unmentionable in mixed company. Children were not to embarrass adults by noticing any veiled reference made in their presence, never asking why any adult was in the hospital, and vacating the room if the words complications, hormones, or nature came up in conversation. Above all, women should never refer to their “period.” Continue reading
Unmentionable
Anything regarding sex was dark and unmentionable in mixed company. Children were not to embarrass adults by noticing any veiled reference made in their presence, never asking why any adult was in the hospital, and vacating the room if the words complications, hormones, or nature came up in conversation. Above all, women should never refer to their “period.” Continue reading
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