Somewhere in the middle of Georgia....there is a family home back in the midst of those trees. Every time I'm in a rural area and see a homestead with nothing around it for miles, I die a little inside and smile a lot. How I would love that. I spent much of my childhood...especially summers with my Mamaw and Papaw on their cotton farm in West Texas. It was not too far from the very small town, I was born in, but far enough; and they had LOTS of land to explore. I never watched TV but instead helped Mamaw collect rocks for her rock garden, picked and shelled peas, washed dishes in the sink, played outside for hours with lemon juice on my hair, picked and shucked corn for supper, put sheets on or took them off the clothes line, played with Cynthia...the girl who lived on the farm across the road, walked down to the RR tracks to leave a penny on it and then walked back the next day to retrieve my smashed coin. I also picked cotton by hand and drove the tractor. Mamaw would take me in town on Fridays. She would get her hair done at the beauty shop, take me to the Super Dog or HaTaHoe for lunch, the Dime Store for a toy and the Drug Store for an ice cream soda. I would usually see a cousin or 2 (on my dad's side) while in town. Sometimes we would stop by the courthouse, where my Papaw, was the County Clerk and then the Judge of Jones County for as long as I can remember. On Sundays and Wednesdays we went to church and occasionally, we would drive into the big city aka Abilene to go bowling or visit the zoo. Once a week, the 3 of us would go to the laundromat and do the laundry and stop by Dairy Queen for a treat while we waited for our clothes. I remember when they got a washer and dryer, everyone was so excited...except me. I loved our laundromat days. Thankfully she still used the clothes line for sheets sometimes. Every single night, Mamaw would serve me vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate syrup, lemon ice box pie she made from scratch or fresh peaches and cream after supper. Papaw would always have dessert with coffee that he sipped from a saucer instead of a cup, so it would cool faster. We would watch Johnny Carson and then go to bed. Mamaw and I always slept in the guest room together, and Papaw slept in their room all alone. He needed to get some sleep for work the next day, and she and I would stay awake talking while she would tickle my back and sing me nursery rhymes until I fell asleep. I adored them and treasured those times. They are a huge part of me still. And to think...I can't remember where I put my keys most days; but I can remember so much of my days with my grandparents. Isn't it funny how our brains work?
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