I cherish the years I grew up and it all started in Racine Wisconsin where I was born. I never knew much about Racine, because we moved to Missouri back to my Dad’s home when I was six months old. I do remember a lot about my life in the Ozarks of Missouri. We were poor people, but as a child I never knew it. Why, didn’t I know it? Because we always had something to eat and a roof over our heads. It was a lot of work for all of us and especially in the summer months when we grew gardens to raise enough food to carry us through the coming winter. We did not run to the store every time we turned around. We raised most all our food. Flour, sugar, coffee, and a few things we could not grow caused us to make a few trips to the store. We raised potatoes, white and sweet potatoes, corn, beans, pole & bush, beets, onions, radishes, cabbage, pumpkins, cucumbers, and any wild foods we could find such as blackberries and blueberries. It seemed someone always had extra apples they would give us to can, a few pares, and some peaches. We did have some fruit trees on some places we lived. We would always pick enough blackberries that we did not have to worry about jelly for biscuits or sometimes good jam. We did eat a lot of wild meat, but we did raise some. I can still cure out a hog ham or a side of bacon that is very tasty. I learned to cook just about everything we did grow. I still grow a good garden in my back yard every year. I don’t know that we were poor, because we lived a life that I will never forget, but it was a good life. We did not have running water in any of our houses. We carried water from a spring usually located not far from the house. On washing day it seemed it was a lot father than it was as we carried water to fill the tube. We did catch some rain water off the roof to help us fill the tube, but most of the time we would still have to make a few trips to the spring. I knew what it was to live in some houses with kerosene lamps for light, because we had no electricity. This poor person was made very rich with memories in growing up like I did. I still look back on those days and cherish all the skills I was taught. Homemade light bread was always a treat, but I thought you just could not beat big ole buttermilk biscuits or cornbread. Biscuits and gravy with bacon or sausage and some kind of jelly or jam was always a great breakfast. Beans, fried potatoes, and corn was hard to beat for supper with a big slice of cornbread and a piece of apple or blackberry cobbler. I don’t know we could have been called poor. We did not have as much as some others, but we had all we needed to get by. What a great childhood we truly did have. How rich is your heritage? Blessings on all. Written by Harold E. Miller
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 06:30:21 +0000
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