Memorial Day is for Remembering
I drove out to Heltonville, Indiana today to a graduation party for one of the sweetest students I have ever had; and as I was driving I reflected on Memorial Day and what the holiday means. Of course, I knew it had to do with honoring those who have died in service of our country, but for me it is a great holiday to also reflect on memories of days past as well. As I drove, I passed more than three houses set in the country side that were the setting for a party. Cars were plenty in the drives and yard, and everyone was sitting around in a lawn chair circle. It really made me remember.
I started thinking about holidays and times spent with my grandparents, my Mamaw and Papaw Whiteley. I never ever went through a phase in my life when I didn't want to go to an event at my mamaw and papaw's. I loved it there. I spent the night with them several times when I was a teenager and even a young adult with my own children; and have so many fond memories. To many, the memories I have probably would seem boring or lame, but to me they are so full of love that they were anything but that.
My mamaw and papaw had an old farmhouse that they had lived in all of my life, and much of my mom's. It sat not too far off of a highway but surrounded on both sides by space and farming fields. On one side was a garden that would rival any I have ever seen since, and the other was a gravel drive leading to the barns and fields, as well as a grassy lot we played kickball, baseball, whiffle ball, or any other outdoor game. Behind the house were the barns, silo, and fields. It was a natural amusement park with never ending entertainment.
Some of the AMAZING things we would do while at mamaw and papaws were: helping in the garden, watching the pigs, catching fireflies in mason jars, snapping green beans, shelling peas or shucking corn while swinging on the front porch, counting colors of cars that went by, aforementioned games when the cousins were there, hanging laundry on the line or playing among the laundry hanging on the line, learning to dance in front of the huge cabinet-cased record player, playing Yahtzee, gin, or poker at the kitchen table, playing with an ever changing swarm of new kittens (once we found where the barn cat had birthed them), watching soap operas, taking baths in the old ceramic tub, listening through the hole in the floor to the adult conversations when we were supposed to be in bed, and eating. This is just a sampling, and the eating usually was the main event.
My mamaw was a GREAT cook. No she was not a gourmet cook, but on any given day one could drop by her house and within a half an hour, she would have a full course meal on the table, including pie and sweet tea. Some of her specialties were #1 her meatloaf!, her homemade egg noodles lovingly turned into beef and noodles (I will never be able to cut them as thin as she did), chocolate pie, zuchinni cookies and bread, and persimmon pudding. The tea was my papaw's convection. He used instant tea (gasp) and one thousand pounds of sugar per pitcher and he stirred it with his big ole tanned farming hands for at least three hours to mix that sugar in. And the pitcher would be gone in precisely 3.4 seconds. And he would start again on the next pitcher. And when I say that eating was an activity, it could be that it was an event in itself when we were all there. Some holidays and get-togethers the menu may have been: beef and noodles, meatloaf, green beans, corn, mac and cheese, zuchinni bread, zuchinni cookies, chocolate pie, zuchinni pie (don't knock it until you taste it), blackberry pie, persimmon pudding and sweet tea. Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, etc? NO WAY....we had all of the above for almost every event. Often you could throw in a bucket or two of Kentucky Fried Chicken because that is all my sister would eat so of course papaw would make a trip 20 miles into town to get that as well.
The very best of times I hope my siblings and cousins would agree! Both of my grandparents passed away in 1994 within four months of one another and I can honestly say I miss them every day.
The picture doesn't include everyone in my family from my mamaw and papaw's line- I am sure Fred's bunch were probably living out of state at this time, and some of those cousins probably weren't even born yet, but it is a favorite photo of mine. Too many in the photo were gone too soon from my life though!
From front left - cousin Jeremy Whiteley; my mom, Dianna Lowry; my granny (papaw's mom - Juanita Owens, and my Pap-Pap Fred Owens).
Middle Row - my brother, Mike Gill (looking really unhappy), cousin Jason Whiteley (looking hot); younger sister Chris; and ME (I told you I loved being there!)
Back row from Left - Papaw - Donald Whiteley - the MAN; Aunt Cathy Whiteley, my Mamaw (role model, hero, etc) Rebecca Whiteley - Becky; my youngest brother, Mark (whom I miss terribly); and my Uncle John (whose competitiveness I will save for another blog).
I hope this post made you smile, made you think about your own memories, and I hope you appreciate the ones you are making today for those kids who will fondly remember!
Most of all, God Bless America and those who died for our country!!! Happy Memorial Day!
I started thinking about holidays and times spent with my grandparents, my Mamaw and Papaw Whiteley. I never ever went through a phase in my life when I didn't want to go to an event at my mamaw and papaw's. I loved it there. I spent the night with them several times when I was a teenager and even a young adult with my own children; and have so many fond memories. To many, the memories I have probably would seem boring or lame, but to me they are so full of love that they were anything but that.
My mamaw and papaw had an old farmhouse that they had lived in all of my life, and much of my mom's. It sat not too far off of a highway but surrounded on both sides by space and farming fields. On one side was a garden that would rival any I have ever seen since, and the other was a gravel drive leading to the barns and fields, as well as a grassy lot we played kickball, baseball, whiffle ball, or any other outdoor game. Behind the house were the barns, silo, and fields. It was a natural amusement park with never ending entertainment.
Some of the AMAZING things we would do while at mamaw and papaws were: helping in the garden, watching the pigs, catching fireflies in mason jars, snapping green beans, shelling peas or shucking corn while swinging on the front porch, counting colors of cars that went by, aforementioned games when the cousins were there, hanging laundry on the line or playing among the laundry hanging on the line, learning to dance in front of the huge cabinet-cased record player, playing Yahtzee, gin, or poker at the kitchen table, playing with an ever changing swarm of new kittens (once we found where the barn cat had birthed them), watching soap operas, taking baths in the old ceramic tub, listening through the hole in the floor to the adult conversations when we were supposed to be in bed, and eating. This is just a sampling, and the eating usually was the main event.
My mamaw was a GREAT cook. No she was not a gourmet cook, but on any given day one could drop by her house and within a half an hour, she would have a full course meal on the table, including pie and sweet tea. Some of her specialties were #1 her meatloaf!, her homemade egg noodles lovingly turned into beef and noodles (I will never be able to cut them as thin as she did), chocolate pie, zuchinni cookies and bread, and persimmon pudding. The tea was my papaw's convection. He used instant tea (gasp) and one thousand pounds of sugar per pitcher and he stirred it with his big ole tanned farming hands for at least three hours to mix that sugar in. And the pitcher would be gone in precisely 3.4 seconds. And he would start again on the next pitcher. And when I say that eating was an activity, it could be that it was an event in itself when we were all there. Some holidays and get-togethers the menu may have been: beef and noodles, meatloaf, green beans, corn, mac and cheese, zuchinni bread, zuchinni cookies, chocolate pie, zuchinni pie (don't knock it until you taste it), blackberry pie, persimmon pudding and sweet tea. Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, etc? NO WAY....we had all of the above for almost every event. Often you could throw in a bucket or two of Kentucky Fried Chicken because that is all my sister would eat so of course papaw would make a trip 20 miles into town to get that as well.
The very best of times I hope my siblings and cousins would agree! Both of my grandparents passed away in 1994 within four months of one another and I can honestly say I miss them every day.
The picture doesn't include everyone in my family from my mamaw and papaw's line- I am sure Fred's bunch were probably living out of state at this time, and some of those cousins probably weren't even born yet, but it is a favorite photo of mine. Too many in the photo were gone too soon from my life though!
From front left - cousin Jeremy Whiteley; my mom, Dianna Lowry; my granny (papaw's mom - Juanita Owens, and my Pap-Pap Fred Owens).
Middle Row - my brother, Mike Gill (looking really unhappy), cousin Jason Whiteley (looking hot); younger sister Chris; and ME (I told you I loved being there!)
Back row from Left - Papaw - Donald Whiteley - the MAN; Aunt Cathy Whiteley, my Mamaw (role model, hero, etc) Rebecca Whiteley - Becky; my youngest brother, Mark (whom I miss terribly); and my Uncle John (whose competitiveness I will save for another blog).
I hope this post made you smile, made you think about your own memories, and I hope you appreciate the ones you are making today for those kids who will fondly remember!
Most of all, God Bless America and those who died for our country!!! Happy Memorial Day!
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