What does bananas, cantaloupe, Hershey’s Mr. Goodbars, homemade ice cream, pink things, daiquiris’ in the barn, over salted brownies, Kraft macaroni and cheese topped with Pace Picante sauce and spud nuts have in common?
What does sudsy, slippery, cold water fun, diving to the drain and Marco Polo imply? What is the combining force behind sleeping in the car because I missed curfew, clothes-lining myself- literally- I had a giant-sized, hickey looking bruise across my neck for weeks, and determining whether you have the mumps by drinking pickle juice.
Why does macramé, playing cards to see who washes the dishes, Polly Ana, competing in a race to shell peas and snap green beans, and piano sing-a-longs, say” I love you”?
What does feet too small to fit in water skies, rodeos, bowling league tournaments, and miniature golf suggest? How do German shepherd dogs, rattlesnakes, planting seasonal bulbs, moving pipe, the north forty and flipping a three-wheeled ATV relate?
What does scavenger hunting in country abandoned homes and buying out a small Texas town’s entire supply of” pink things” and The Red Rooster indicate?
Why does the thought of Thanksgiving, cotton harvest, frosty Christmas mornings, tumble weeds made into snowmen, whiskey for cough syrup, and countless hours traveling up and down the same road make me smile?
I might have a few of you bewildered with terms like pink things, spud nuts and red roosters. “Pink things” were a type of frozen treat similar to a Popsicle, but way better. As a child, my cousins and I bellowed “Pink Thing, you make my heart sing...” to the tune of the ever popular hit- Wild Thing. “Spud nuts”, not to be confused with "sputnik", are donuts made of potato flour, these light and airy glazed pastry circles were always a special morning delight. Oh, and the Red Rooster was a quaint little drive in restaurant, not more than a shack really, with a red rooster on top. It was usually my family’s first stop on the way into Brownfield from Amarillo. Regardless of appearance, they had the best hamburger in the basket.
I am sure some of you are curious regarding daiquiris in the barn, but I promised to keep that secret to my grave! And whiskey for cough syrup, what can I say, it was truly for medicinal purposes. I was a sickly child; I came down with a case of tonsillitis one Christmas. Needless-to- say, I had the family chuckling as I staggered down the hallway that Christmas Eve- one too many hot totties, I suppose.
The answers to these questions are found held within my childhood memories. My cousins and I had such fun as kids spending our summers in the pool, celebrating the holidays and vacationing together. Oh yes, and we got into our share of mischief- cruising the streets of Brownfield and in various bowling alleys across the great state of Texas. The night we slept in the car, we were past curfew and Missy, the German shepherd, knew it. She would not let us out of the car! Yes, we learned our lesson and were never late again. Missy took being watch dog to a whole new level; she was more like “mistress of the manor”! Oh dear, now I can't remember if was Missy or Lady, who kept us trapped in the car... so many great German shepherds and age is fogging up my memory. I do know that it was Bo-bo, who stood guard and frantically raced around the pool, every time all of us where in it. We made that dog so anxious!
All of the above questions can be answered with one person - my Aunt Ellen. She is the one common thread weaved throughout all of these what? why? and how? questions. She made my childhood so memorable; she turned chores into games, sickness into a comedy, and West Texas country living into a grand adventure. My aunt was a bit rough around the edges, she had a raspy voice from years of smoking, but held within her stern correction, was a sincere twinkle in her eye. Her life experiences created such a rare and priceless wisdom. She imparted her knowledge with the perfect blend of hilarity mixed with reality and always topped off with truth- shaken not stirred. She had a way of shaking you up, then gently pouring out her nurturing tonic upon you. At our family gatherings, oh the stories she and her sisters would tell.
Thank you my wonderful dear Aunt Ellen, you are an enduring legacy, you left a lasting imprint my childhood.
What does feet too small to fit in water skies, rodeos, bowling league tournaments, and miniature golf suggest? How do German shepherd dogs, rattlesnakes, planting seasonal bulbs, moving pipe, the north forty and flipping a three-wheeled ATV relate?
What does scavenger hunting in country abandoned homes and buying out a small Texas town’s entire supply of” pink things” and The Red Rooster indicate?
Why does the thought of Thanksgiving, cotton harvest, frosty Christmas mornings, tumble weeds made into snowmen, whiskey for cough syrup, and countless hours traveling up and down the same road make me smile?
I might have a few of you bewildered with terms like pink things, spud nuts and red roosters. “Pink things” were a type of frozen treat similar to a Popsicle, but way better. As a child, my cousins and I bellowed “Pink Thing, you make my heart sing...” to the tune of the ever popular hit- Wild Thing. “Spud nuts”, not to be confused with "sputnik", are donuts made of potato flour, these light and airy glazed pastry circles were always a special morning delight. Oh, and the Red Rooster was a quaint little drive in restaurant, not more than a shack really, with a red rooster on top. It was usually my family’s first stop on the way into Brownfield from Amarillo. Regardless of appearance, they had the best hamburger in the basket.
I am sure some of you are curious regarding daiquiris in the barn, but I promised to keep that secret to my grave! And whiskey for cough syrup, what can I say, it was truly for medicinal purposes. I was a sickly child; I came down with a case of tonsillitis one Christmas. Needless-to- say, I had the family chuckling as I staggered down the hallway that Christmas Eve- one too many hot totties, I suppose.
The answers to these questions are found held within my childhood memories. My cousins and I had such fun as kids spending our summers in the pool, celebrating the holidays and vacationing together. Oh yes, and we got into our share of mischief- cruising the streets of Brownfield and in various bowling alleys across the great state of Texas. The night we slept in the car, we were past curfew and Missy, the German shepherd, knew it. She would not let us out of the car! Yes, we learned our lesson and were never late again. Missy took being watch dog to a whole new level; she was more like “mistress of the manor”! Oh dear, now I can't remember if was Missy or Lady, who kept us trapped in the car... so many great German shepherds and age is fogging up my memory. I do know that it was Bo-bo, who stood guard and frantically raced around the pool, every time all of us where in it. We made that dog so anxious!
All of the above questions can be answered with one person - my Aunt Ellen. She is the one common thread weaved throughout all of these what? why? and how? questions. She made my childhood so memorable; she turned chores into games, sickness into a comedy, and West Texas country living into a grand adventure. My aunt was a bit rough around the edges, she had a raspy voice from years of smoking, but held within her stern correction, was a sincere twinkle in her eye. Her life experiences created such a rare and priceless wisdom. She imparted her knowledge with the perfect blend of hilarity mixed with reality and always topped off with truth- shaken not stirred. She had a way of shaking you up, then gently pouring out her nurturing tonic upon you. At our family gatherings, oh the stories she and her sisters would tell.
Thank you my wonderful dear Aunt Ellen, you are an enduring legacy, you left a lasting imprint my childhood.
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