Growing up Thanksgiving was such a big deal to me. I can still picture my grandmother's old grey house, that she paid $1 a year rent for. The house that my mother moved into when she was in 4th grade. The place I would go to when I would get sick at school and my mother couldn't pick me up right away.
The grandkids, 8 of us before the wedding rings started appearing, mostly played in the large back yard. The lot behind my grandmother's house had a bright red barn that I dreamed about playing in, though I never did. There was usually a game of football going on. I tried to act like I knew what was going on. I remember sliding down the tin door of my grandma's cellar and walking back up it.
The spare bedroom, with two full size beds was where we talked and played when it was too cold or too dark to play outside. We tried to stay out of the way of the adults. I just tried to stay away from my uncles Willard and Carl, they were mean I thought! They tried to tickle me or would reach out and grab me just to hear my scream!
I adored my cousins. They were all older then me. My brother was the closest to me in age and he was 5 years older. I even had a crush on my cousin Jerry before I knew that you weren't suppose to have crushes on your cousins. Tanya and Sheri would "torture" me. I remember crying once because they were swinging me back and forth by my hands and feet and I just knew they were going to drop me on my head and it would hurt! But I still wanted to hang out with them because they were so beautiful! They got to wear makeup and talked about boys! From time to time they would dote on me and play with my hair.
Each year my grandmother would bake a ham, fix mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, sweet potatoes (with the marshmallows of course) oh and the turkey dressing... my dear mother's dressing comes very close but it's just not the same and I couldn't tell you what the difference would be except that it was my grandmother making it back then. My aunt Lorene would make green stuff that I was sure had another name (pistachio pudding) but I didn't know it. To us it was green and actually good. Because my grandmother's table would only seat 8 we had to eat in shifts. The men always went first and everyone else after that depending on how hungry you were and how fast you got to the table. The women ate last. Sometimes if I was especially starved I would get to eat mine on a TV tray in the living room.
Because of the condition of the house and my grandmother's health she had to move to a smaller house a few years before she died. That's what I miss most. The house usually got hot because there were around 25 people crammed into this tiny house, but we didn't mind, and usually dressed for it! I loved it! I loved the closeness of the family. The hugs and laughter filled my heart. My grandmother died in the Spring of 1998. Just a few days after my 19th birthday. With her death came a separation of the family. Oh, we still love each other very much and see each other from time to time, but my grandmother was the glue that held us together. Now we are scattered to the four winds. Our lives no longer intertwine during the months of November and December, but the memories of a time when they did will always bring a smile to my face.
