My Daddy was a person who liked to stay in touch with his siblings, and as a result, we visited them often when I was a child. I loved going to see his sister, Aunt Flora, because that’s where my cousin Betty Lou lived, and it was always so much fun to go there. To begin with, Aunt Flora was a great cook. She always cooked “dinner” at noon time, and it seemed to me that she served the proverbial multitudes. There were always so many people to feed, because she provided lunch for all of the farm workers as well as anyone else who happened to be there. Fried chicken, roast beef, and farm-grown vegetables on the table made the meals outstanding. And she made wonderful pies! Nobody before- or since- made such good corn bread. She fried so much chicken; there were always lots of “crumbles” that Betty Lou and I always were allowed to eat. She always had snacks for us that were available while we were playing too. At the back door, there was a deep well where water was drawn by a windlass and bucket with water so cold that it tasted as if it came from the refrigerator. I was always fascinated as to how it could be so cold since the water was coming out of the ground!
The front porch was covered by vines that provided day-long shade, and on the porch was an old-fashioned swing that was wonderful. It would extend out over the yard when we really got it going, and jumping out at that point was great fun! We were reprimanded for it, but we sometime disobeyed! Big green rocking chairs were available for the adults, and after the noon-day work was finished, they were often occupied. Just outside the door, Aunt Flora had a water garden in a tub – except it was not called a water garden at that time. She just said they were her water plants. I thought it was “neat” because I’d never seen anything like it. The blooms of lavender and purple and white were constant all summer.
The farmyard provided all sorts of interesting things: wagons on which we could climb, bales of hay piled high enough to make a mountain, animals of all sorts. Some of the most interesting of the animals were the peacocks with their fan-like tails as big as I was, the most beautiful blue and green iridescent feathers spreading high and wide into the sky. I loved them! I didn’t particularly like the geese however. They were mean! When we were outside, they chased us and pinched the backs of our legs. No amount of running or screaming helped. In fact, that made it worse! The cows and calves were fun. The cows were kept for fresh milk and Aunt Flora churned milk to make butter and buttermilk. That too was fascinating to me. How that milk could turn into butter by just moving it up and down with a stick was unbelievable! Of course, there was a little more to it than that! Mules were kept to pull wagons and machinery. They all had names and were revered as working members of the farm. There were soft furry cats and kittens all over the place scurrying around the barns, working hard to keep the mice away. More often, they just curled up in the sun.
Uncle Frank had a car- a coupe, I think it was called – that had a rumble seat; and he let us ride in it occasionally. The wind in our hair and face was wonderful. It made us feel free! We didn’t get to ride in it often, so when we did, it was a real treat.
I loved to go to Aunt Flora’s house. It always felt good to be there. Betty Lou still lives in the same place, and I don’t see her nearly often enough.
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