The Old Home Place: Letters From Shirley I asked my friend Shirley, 84, to send me her childhood memories of the old farmhouse where I live now. Shirley begins in my kitchen. “Theres a fire in the old “Majestic” woodstove. The coffee is ready now. There is hot water heating in the reservoir tank on the side of the stove by the fire box. Three sad irons are heating on the stove and will soon be hot enough to begin ironing. There is a huge iron pot beside the springhouse under the big branches of the old sweet gum tree. Wash day takes most of the day. My beloved Uncle Davis builds a hot fire under the pot he has filled with water from the spring. He puts the clothes in and stirs them with a huge wooden paddle. He uses a washboard to scrub each garment and then he hangs them on the line to dry. After drying some of the clothes are dipped in the starch that was cooked earlier and has now cooled. The clothes are rolled into a tight ball. After soaking in the starch they are ready to iron. It takes a long time to iron because the iron cools quickly and must be heated over and over on the woodstove. Above the springhouse is a huge handmade knife sharpener my Grandpa Jake made. I can see him now, whetting the edges of the scissors and knives until they are very sharp. Now its time to carry buckets of fresh water to the kitchen. The cows have been milked and I have been trusted to carry the big crocks of milk to the springhouse to place them in the spring branch to keep them cold. The water never freezes and the milk keeps fresh and cold as the heavy cream rises to the top. Back in the kitchen mama is resting in the rocking chair in front of the woodstove. A bluebird house hangs in a beautiful Maple tree outside the kitchen window. Mama watches the Bluebirds as they feed their young and try to wax them to fly. Grandma Adaline has beautiful Hollyhocks of every color growing along the yard fence and I make Hollyhock dolls from the blossoms. Outside the kitchen window and by the porch are grandmas Lady Slippers and Bleeding Heart. I can see the deep pink of her Lady Slippers and the heart shaped blossoms of the Bleeding Heart in my mind even now. Three very tall Lombardy Poplar trees and a Grape Arbor separate the yard from the henhouse. Inside, the ironing is finished now, the dishes are washed, and all is neat and tidy once again. The doors and windows are open. There is a wonderful breeze filled with the aroma of the old fahioned roses that climb the garden fence. Its time to rest now as the day fades away. I can hear in my mind, even now, the sound of the kitchen match being struck to light the lamps as the day draws to a close. Grandma Adeline reads from her Bible. All is quiet and all is well.”
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:44:45 +0000
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