Parties, or just going to visit people, were rare, but important parts, of our family life. There were three families with which our father and mother, Allen and Virginia, were particular friends: Jim and Grace Pearce, Thurman and Reta Miser, and Gene and Valeta Odell. Jim Pearce carried the mail on a rural route from Stratford. Besides farming, Allen and Thurman worked various jobs hauling gravel with their dump trucks. Gene Odell farmed on a place a few miles north of us towards Asher. The women were equally good friends. Their families were the same age. Among the four families there were thirteen kids all within about five years of each other. The families gathered for Pitch or Dominos and played until the wee hours of the morning. We kids played Kick-the-Can and Monopoly until we finally piled up asleep anywhere we could find. To these parties the women brought food. We especially remember the fried chicken, potato salad and chocolate cake. The big treat, however, was the homemade ice cream.
Holiday meals are an important part of our family tradition. Later in her life our mother became known for her fabulous Thanksgiving spreads. Thanksgiving menu included: turkey (not stuffed), cornbread dressing, giblet gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, potato salad, deviled eggs, candied sweet potatoes, green beans, a relish tray, cakes, pies, cobblers and iced tea. Christmas dinner was about the same except that the centerpiece was usually ham, not turkey. New Year’s day brought out the ceremonial black-eyed peas with cornbread and cabbage.
© 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003 Portia Isaacson Bass and Veta Leigh. All rights reserved.