It's a Long Way to Go

My aunt Julie was more like a mother to me in the formative years. She was a wonderful cook. A baker of big, lightly brown, crusted bread. After school she would give me a generous slice of a round loaf, country butter, and brown sugar. That was gourmet eating. The bread was many times a prelude to a later supper of country ham and home fried potatoes topped off with a generous slice of elderberry pie. What a dear soul aunt Julie was, no children of her own, she babied me and made my young life meaningful. I say here that I loved her and wish I had expressed my feelings to her when I was young. Thanks aunt Julie.

I had many cousins, girls and boys including: Helen, Genevieve, Herb, Henry, and Bill. Bill lived about nine miles away and it was my good fortune when I was invited to his house. There were ten children, mother and dad. It was a real experience in large family living. The father was a lifetime trapper, hunter, fisherman, and woodsman. With twelve mouths to feed, nothing was wasted. On my visits there, I ate rabbit, coon, opossum, groundhog, skunk (yep- skunk and not bad if cooked right), squirrel, many types of “ greens”, and always good, fresh milk from their cows. They also prepared many pork products like bacon, sausage, pon haus, liver, pan pudding, country ham, red-eye gravy, and corn meal mush. They were a handsome family; some of the older girls were real beauties. My visits there were a real test of survival living. The elderberry pie was outstanding too. Cousin Elmira could have made a fortune as a chef but she chose ten children instead.

Friends, Ringtails (3), and Free Enterprise

My good pal Charlie, a husky lad and quiet fellow, lived across the street. One day I said to him” Charlie, I dare you to knock this chip off my shoulder”. And he did. His second swing caught my left eye and my butt hit the ground. That black eye taught me to leave the quiet ones alone and to hit first and hard, funny how one learns.

About a dozen of the older boys, ten to fifteen years old, were the envy of other town boys. They were the “ Ringtail Gang” complete with a tree clubhouse, furnished with what each boy could spirit away from home. And they did quite well, their mothers never knowing where some of their treasures got to. Thus the den was cozy. Bylaws were strict and covered most every situation.