The old Pot Belly Stove..............Boy, does that bring back memories! I remember standing by the stove many times to warm myself, your front side baking while your backside was cold. Then you would turn around & bake your backside! The fire was "banked" at bedtime, so it wouldn't go out by morning. In really cold weather, Mommy would hold a blanket close to the stove. Then when it was real warm, she would tell us to hop into bed. Then she would cover us in that warm blanket & then pull the rest of the covers over us. I still remember how warm & cozy I felt. I know now those extra touches of love that mothers do was a BIG part of that warm feeling I always had. She always got up first in the mornings & got the fire to burning good. She didn't wake us until she had breakfast almost ready. I remember it would be so cold & dreading to crawl out of that warm bed. But in looking back, I can imagine how cold it was for Mommy when she got up, before the fire was burning high & the room still ice cold. You know, I never recall her complaining about it, though. In looking back, I don't recall her complaining about anything.

Mommy's Quilts...................When winter came, it was time for Mommy to start her quilting. She had a pair of frames that she hung from the ceiling. Then she would tack the lining, padding, & quilt top to the frame. She would take chalk & mark her sewing pattern on there. Then sitting on a straight back chair, she would start sewing those tiny stitches with  needle, thread & thimble as her only tools. When she had sewed as far as she could reach, then she would roll it over the side piece of the frame & begin again. When she wasn't quilting, the frame was raised up to the ceiling out of the way. When her quilting was done for that winter, the frame would come down & stored until next winter rolled around again. I feel honored to have one of her quilts. Every stitch sewn with love & all by hand. She made a quilt for all her seven children, & now working on getting one made for all fourteen grandchildren. I think she has about four to go!

Winter games....................It got dark so early in winter that we played inside. Mommy & Daddy often joined in our indoor games after supper was over & dishes were done.   We would play I Spy, Who's Got The Thimble, Poor Ole Tomcat, Fruitbowl Turn Over and anything we could think of. I guess the most popular of those being, I Spy. We kids could never beat Daddy on that game! Another thing we did was putting puzzles together. I remember many winter nights spent putting a 5,000 piece puzzle together with everyone helping. Mommy would pop a big pan of popcorn & we all enjoyed working on the puzzle. Later on, after I was a teen, Daddy bought a board game called Aggravation. How he loved to play that!! He would just laugh when he got a chance to knock our marbles back to the starting point! lol We did have a TV, but it wasn't on a lot of the time.

It's Snowing!!!!!..................Oh the joy of waking up to a big snow or to look out the window during the day to see those big flakes falling!!! We would get busy rounding up boots, gloves & coats, then rush out to build a snowman. The first evening after a snow, we kids all started begging for Snow Cream. Then Mommy or Daddy would take a big pan out & fill it with clean snow. We couldn't seem to wait until it was made & put into bowls for us. I remember trying to eat it too fast & getting a headache. It was sooo good!!!!

Of course, I can't forget the snow sledding!! What fun!! We had a lot of hills on the farm, so there wasn't any problem finding a spot to ride a sled. We would stay outside until we couldn't feel our toes, they would be so cold! lol This sport didn't stop with our childhood! lol After some of us were married, we still went "Home" when a big snow fell. By this time, we progressed from sleds to huge Big Mack Truck tire inner tubes. Daddy & Mommy joined in on these rides, along with a lot of our neighbors & friends. Oscar & Geraldine Long & their family, Ronnie & Katha Thomas, Carl, Eva & Darrell Brooks, Charles & Priscilla Bridges & Girls, just to name a few. We had a blast!!!! One thing about tubes, the more weight on them, the faster they go! I especially remember one ride off that hill! Mommy & Daddy were laying side by side on their stomachs as the first "layer" on a tube. Then Geraldine & I piled on top of them. I can't recall now who piled on top of Geraldine & me. Anyway, someone gave us a push & off we went flying down that hillside!! We sailed over a hump, we bounced,  then we really were flying.....all in different directions! lol My glasses were thrown off my face & got bent. But the funniest thing was....when we looked to see where Daddy landed, there he was with his head down in the snow, looking very much like an ostrich!! lol It was so funny. I don't ever remember Daddy laughing so much over anything as that ride.   Daddy even "rigged" together a stove & set it on top of the hill, so we could warm ourselves. That way, we could all stay out longer without freezing to death! When we would all get tired, usually way after dark, then we would all pile into the house. There would be cover-alls, coats, gloves, & boots everywhere! On some occasions, Mom would get busy making Fried Apple Pies! Can you imagine how many pies she would make???? She really is someone very special!!!!!!! And Daddy.......He got so much enjoyment out of being a kid along with us. Times like that is how I love to remember him. He still makes us laugh and he laughs along with us, even though he's sick now. He'll always be "young" though....through my eyes.

My mind goes back to so many memories as I write, that I could probably go on forever! But I will stop here. I hope you enjoyed reading some of them. Thank you for dropping by!!! Come again!

~ Bobbie ~

Page Created October 28, 2000