June 27, 2015

REAL HOUSEWIVES AND SUMMER'S PAST


These were 
THE REAL HOUSEWIVES.

My Grandmother Grace is the second on the left....
with her arms wrapped around the porch column.
I love this picture.
Some of these women lived in her small Ohio town
for their entire lives and I knew them all.

Yes, our country is in the fast lane..
and 
not a very pretty place to be at times.

Remember that song..
The Time's.....They Are a Changin'
by
Bob Dylan....

So, those days of childhood long ago
were the best of times.
It was a gift to spend summer months in a small
Ohio town of only 300 residents.



We woke to summer mornings
with Dove calling.
We could hear conversations in the distance
as they strolled down the sidewalk
to the post office to gather their mail.
They delighted in receiving letters from old friends and family.



We could hear the screen door to the post office slam shut over and over.
We could hear Goldie Fay laughing...


We woke to the aroma of a roast in the oven
which was to be served during the noon meal
when Granddaddy would walk home from the sawmill
for lunch.



Miss Judy and I set the table and helped Grandmother
wash the dishes.



There were no toys and her television rarely worked,
so we played outside all day long and into the evening.
We caught fireflies every night.
We played Red Rover and Mother May I with our cousins.



Neighbors shared  their summer garden bounty
by leaving fresh vegetables on her back porch.


It was the way we were
and
it was such a good place to live!

12 comments:

  1. Sounds wonderful. I sure do like your pictures and the reminiscing.

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    1. Hi Stacey! I am so happy you stopped by Estelle's today! Have a lovely summer!

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  2. 'Those were the days, my friend! We thought they'd never end.....'
    Beautiful post!! I am getting up early in the morning to put a roast in the oven for my daughter and her husband and the quads!
    They will be coming over after church. I hope I am making memories THEY will post - or whatever they do in the future! - as 'the good old days!'

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    1. You always have something good from your kitchen Linda! I know the children love coming to visit! Blessings to you!

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  3. Oh- We were so lucky to have childhoods like that, weren't we? We were not in town-we were on top of a mountain but there are lots of similarities. We were blessed! xo Diana

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    1. We were blessed indeed Diana! I love hearing that others shared similar childhood memories. Big hugs!

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  4. Beautiful summer reminiscing Betsy. I love the old photos that tell a story of another time and place. Your childhood games were the same as ours. Lovely post!

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    1. Hi Pamela! I love hearing that you enjoyed this post. I wish you a lovely summer ahead! Hugs!

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  5. I've read through this post more than once and really enjoyed it. I love your old photos and memories! Very nicely done! Hugs, Diane

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    1. I thank you Diane! What a joy to have you visit me! I hope you are having a wonderful summer.

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  6. WHAT a beautiful post!!! love love love it!!!!
    notice how you mentioned.....we would HEAR. we would SMELL. We SAW. All the senses that I remember growing up. How I loved all the sounds of life....screen doors, lawn mowers, balls bouncing on four corner areas of streets(the corners defined by lines in the street), moms hollering at their kids to come for bath time or supper time, birds singing and I remember listening to the swish swish of the mimosa blooms on an early summer evening. Sigh...........now the only senses the kids utilize are the feel of the computer and phone keys under their fingers.
    I miss the good ol' days..........when summertime actually meant lazing the days away and drinking sweet iced tea by the jugful.....
    thanks for the memories on this hot june night with the sounds of crickets and frogs all around me!!

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    1. I just love this jmac! Isn't it funny that so many of us share similar memories of our childhhoods/ We savor the thoughts of those days. I so appreciate you sharing yours with us and I am ever so grateful that you took time to read and share! Hugs!

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