Childhood Memories

Originally written and published in our local newspaper, Public Opinion, in July 1996:

Anita

Gathering Easter Eggs
with my nephew!

 The red and white faced beef cattle graze languidly in the meadow. The butterflies flit from one flower to the next. And under the shade of a maple and two buckeye trees is the sound of laughter. A path has been worn into the lawn by the rumbling of bare feet playing tag.

Its a lazy summer afternoon. A blanket is spread on the soft grassy cushion and there are three children, resting from their morning's chores ad play. This scene is about 60 years old.   I was one of those children. The place is Franklin County, Hamilton Township, Cashtown (not the one in Adam's County). This is where I was brought as a newborn infant. I grew up here.

I remember . . .husking corn till night fall. Pulling weeds out of the field corn. Butchering steers on the barn floor and hanging the halves up in the garage. Going sledding, sometimes at night; I recall the time there was a crust of ice on top of the snow – how we flew down the hill but had to poke our heels into the crust to walk back up the hill!

In the summer, we would tie a rope from two trees, drape a blanket over it and this became our tent! We made it our secret place to talk and play and occasionally, to sleep in overnight. I recall sitting up at night and looking up at the moonlit sky. I used to imagine various shapes within the moon.

Anita in the middle between two foster children

Other summer activities – sitting on the wall and eating watermelon, spitting the seeds out into the road; taking my red Radio Flyer wagon out into the pasture fields. Dad would chop off the thistles with a dirt shovel. We children would gather them into the wagon with a pitchfork and one of us would put a spoonful of salt on the exposed root to kill it.

I remember the smell of hay as we fed the cattle; the flurry of cats and kittens as milk started to fill the pail; the cackle of chickens as we moved among them gathering eggs; the sound of rain as it beat against the tin barn roof.

If it was a “warm rain,” Mother would allow us to go out and gather water from the rain spouts. We had great fun throwing the water on our siblings as we chased each other around the house.

Winter time we were restricted to the kitchen and living room. Each had a stove to provide heat. We played Checkers, Parcheesi, Monopoly and Dominoes. Sometimes Mom and Dad would play “Hot or Cold.” One of them would hide something – a bean or a button or maybe a jar lid. As we children hunted for it, they would say we were getting close (hot) or cold (far away).

Anita and her Pappy

As a young child, I spent many hours under the kitchen table. It had places to hide things underneath

and it became my play house. Sometimes we would drape a blanket over two chairs for a club house.

When we became school age, Dad would sit in his rocking chair and ask us our spelling words. He was a whiz at math and could do lots of figuring in his head. He called it mental arithmetic. I recall him sitting there when I was about five; I was sitting facing him and he patiently taught me to tie my shoes. If I awoke early before he left for work, I would sit on his lap as he rocked in that rocking chair.

Our community had a typical country store when I was a kid. We felt rich with a nickel or dime to spend. It was a challenge to see how much candy you could get for your money. Mrs. Over would wait patiently as we took our time deciding.

My Dad holding his grandson and me with
my Pappy reaching out to me

The scene hasn't changed much. Instead of cattle – there is a horse grazing in the meadow. We still have the butterflies, the crickets and the katydids. But now I am the “woman of the house,” the mother, the grandmother. The sound of children laughing is that of my grandchildren and they are too young to have a path worn in the grass. But it's a great place to live and preserve memories for another generation.

Anita playing in leaves

Epilogue:

It is now twenty years since I wrote this article. We sold the farmhouse and built a new house on the back side of the farmette in 2004. We drive past the old home place occasionally to “take a look” and renew memories. Some of those grandchildren have grown up and more have been added. Now there are great grandchildren!

But no matter where we live, we are still making memories, living life and loving all those who join the family. We have been blessed and try to be a blessing to those we meet.