Yes, yes, yes…I’m moving on up in years. But, I really don’t mind, I have only 1 other choice…and I’m not ready for that…well, I’m ready…just not homesick!

Anyway. A few years ago, in some reading, some where…I read this story about Julie Andrews.

To commemorate her birthday, actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a special
appearance at Manhattan’s Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP.
One of the musical numbers she performed was ‘My Favorite Things’ from the legendary movie
‘Sound Of Music’. Here are the lyrics she used:
(Sing It!) – If you sing it, its especially hysterical!!!

Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs and cataracts ,and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don’t feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin’,
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin’,
And we won’t mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I’ve had,
And then I don’t feel so bad.
(Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over
four minutes and repeated encores)

Very clever, huh? Soon after that, my friend, Bonnie, and I were celebrating our birthdays, just a few days apart. This was while I was still working. And, we knew there was going to be a party. I thought that it would be fun to surprise the rest of the teachers by singing this to them after they sang Happy Birthday to us. But, the more I looked at the verses, the more I realized that it was written for folks way older than us…and it would never do. So, I began working on my own version. Bonnie and I talked back and forth, and finally we had it right. Now the verses fit these ‘middle ages’ much better. We did indeed surprise the rest of the teachers…and they loved it! We did NOT, however, receive a 4 minute standing ovation! 🙂

So, here is our version…and remember…it’s funnier if you sing it!

MY FAVORITE THINGS

REVISED for the 50-something crowd…by Tonja Owens
—————————————————-
Maalox and eye drops and clothes that aren’t fitting,
Holding the handrails and cushions for sitting,
Sweating profusely that hot flashes bring,
These are a few of our favorite things.

Gravity and cataracts and hearing aids and gasses,
Correctol and prilosec and bifocal glasses,
Weddings and grandkids and porches with swings,
These are a few of our favorite things.

When the ‘pipes’ leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
We simply remember our favorite things,
And then we don’t feel so bad.

Toast and hot coffee and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy dishes or food cooked with onions,
Elastic waist pants and the old songs we sing,
These are a few of our favorite things.

Back pain, confused brains, and no time for sinnin’,
Old friends and new friends and lines made from grinnin’,
Being so careful while spreading our wings,
These are just some of our favorite things.

When the joints ache,
When the hips break,
When the eyes go dim,
Then we just remember the great fun we’ve had,
And then we don’t feel so bad.

Fun…..Friends…..Memories !

I can not tell all the details…now don’t ask me, cause I promised. But, I think I can walk all the way around the last 2 days without breaking any promise I have given.

Yesterday, I felt bad…all day. Achy and Yucky. I was still on Finn Duty, and I took him out several times. He would pee every time…but only once did I convince him that we were going to stay outside till Jesus comes if he doesn’t poop! So he did. The other times he conveniently waited until we got back into Al’s room, and he stopped right in front of me and ‘did the deed’. And, once I did not see him stop there, and I tripped on him right in the midst of the action. The dog went yelping one way…and I went sliding the other…poop following him as he went. It really didn’t matter to him at all, but I was trying to sidestep poop as I slid so gracefully across the floor! I landed on my ‘you-know’, and that puppy, who probably thought I was after him for not obeying my explicit instructions, came whining slowly towards me, with fear and trepidation, and climbed up in my lap and licked my face. Being as I can’t hop up from a fall like I once could… we sat there awhile and talked about how we should always obey our Mommy if we want to grow up and be a happy, well adjusted boy dog.

Then I got some bad news, and I was sad…very sad. And, I was mad…very mad. And, I wasn’t thinking about all those sweet, uplifting things I say to people when they are disappointed about something. I just whined and fussed and said it wasn’t fair and nothing ever works out for me and I’m the saddest girl in the world and why doesn’t God hear my prayers. Unfortunately, I said some of these things out loud. And, someone who lives in the house with me and is older than me heard . He gave me a most disapproving look…but I ran out before he could start the lecture series on “How to Be Happy When You’re Not”….. a series of 14 one hour sessions. I’ve heard them all…and heard them all…and heard them all. Thing is, I knew what I said wasn’t true, just sometimes it helps me to go ahead and say it…get it out of my mind and soul…and then just get on with living. I am not saying that is the right thing to do…it’s just what I do..at times. And, besides, I was in my own studio…and NOBODY should be listening to what I say in there.

Not less than15 minutes later, the bad news got taken back and good news came in its place. Oh, I was a happy girl! The sky turned blue with fluffy white clouds, and the sun shone right through my window, and 2 little blue birds came swooping out of the skies carrying a banner I embroidered myself that stated…”All’s Well With The World”. And, I revelled in that blissful moment. Why I think 10 pounds just fell off me for good measure! I was thinking about all the’ happy’ that the good news would mean, and I could have set there the rest of the night thinking and then gone to sleep and dreamed sweet dreams all night.

But, no-ooo-ooooo! Someone had to rain on my parade. Some one had to burst my bubble. Some one had to take their sticky lollipop and rub it in my hair. Someone had to intrude into my ‘happy’…because I needed to hear session 12 and 13 of ‘How To Be Happy When You’re Not’. Lesson 12 entitled: Don’t react to bad news…just accept it! Lesson 13 entitled: Are you setting a GOOD EXAMPLE or a BAD EXAMPLE ? I had to sit through 2 sessions, people, with no intermission and no popcorn and fountain drink. And, yes, there was a test…with ‘fill-in-the-blank’ answers!

Then this morning, still feeling happy, I got up and went to take my shower and get dressed. Some workmen had come to repaint our ceiling under the porch. We have a dumb pool cleaner that rolls all over the whole pool and when it comes to the one spot on the whole trip that it could do damage…it rears its ugly head up and shoots water up onto the porch. Well, it used to spray it onto the ceiling and it ruined the stain. Now it shoots it onto the furniture and ruins the cushions…but we’re moving in the right direction…so someone told me. Now the porch is waaaaaay over there, next to the far left column of this blog…and that’s the general vicinity the workers would be working in. Waaaaaaaaay over there…on the far right column is the small window up near the roof line that brings lovely light into my warm and inviting shower. And, there I was…in my warm and inviting shower…doing all those things you should be doing while you are in there. When all of a sudden, a thought came to me…”I feel some one’s eyes on me.” And, then this is exactly the thought process that followed…”Isn’t that funny for me to think that? I have always heard people say they could feel when someone was looking at them, but I just don’t think I would ever know. But, it’s funny that I had that thought right now. Wonder why I had that thought just now? I think I used too much shampoo…I can’t seem to get it all out. GREAT! Now it’s in my eyes…I hate to get shampoo in my eyes. Well, if some one’s eyes were on me right now, I afraid they’d be a mite disappointed . I wonder what made me think of that?” And, with my sweet little face lifted towards the ceiling, so as to get ALL the shampoo out of my hair, I opened my eyes. And, RIGHT. THERE. RIGHT. IN.THAT. TINY. LITTLE. WINDOW.AT. THE TOP. OF MY. SHOWER. was the head of one worker, and the rear end of another. IN. MY. WINDOW. Faaaaaaaaar from where the work was supposed to be done on the roof.

In case you’ve never had this situation come up before, it is nigh unto impossible to hide thy self in thine shower. Even if thy take thyself into a corner, there is no hiding there. And, if thy should embark on a foolish attempt to hide thine nakedness with thy hands and arms and legs…thy will surely find out that there is way more to cover than what thy hast to cover with! I’m just telling it like it is!

So, there I stood, in the corner that I felt gave me the most coverage for my money…..and waited…..and waited. Occasionally I stepped out carefully to see if I still saw head and rear. Then I would go back to my corner. FINALLY!!! There was nothing in the window but sky…and I high-tailed it out of there…so to speak! 🙂

I dressed…I came into the studio…and I started reading an article on FB. And, I got a phone call…not at all related to the one I got last night.

But, this one stopped me in my tracks…and this one made my heart sink. And, thankful that I had already gotten ready, I did what needed to be done. And saw what needed to be seen. And, hugged who needed to be hugged. And though the waters are quite rough at the moment…up ahead we see calm, smooth waters.

When I read this recently, I thought the words were beautiful…and very comforting.

Psalm 89

^{1 -4} Your love, God, is my song, and I’ll sing it! I’m forever telling everyone how faithful you are.
I’ll never quit telling the story of your love‚Äî
how you built the cosmos
and guaranteed everything in it.
Your love has always been our lives’ foundation,
your fidelity has been the roof over our world.

^{5 -7} God! Let the cosmos praise your wonderful ways,
the choir of holy angels sing anthems to your faithful ways!
Search high and low, scan skies and land,
you’ll find nothing and no one quite like God.
The holy angels are in awe before him;
he looms immense and august over everyone around him.

And, this is what I stake my life on…this is what my husband and I taught our boys…this is what we stand on. This is our Truth. And, no matter whether the phone call is good…or bad…or scary…or sad, God is who He says He is…God will do what He says He will do…And, when things happen so quickly that we don’t even have time to pray and ask for help…He’s got us covered. And, nothing is a surprise to Him. And, that, my friends, brings such peace to this mother’s heart.

Just a few things going on at the Creek House….

1. When I was in Birmingham a few days back, Ian brought me a gift. He said since he would not be with me on my birthday, he wanted to give it to me now. He went into a store selling signs with many different sayings but not this one. So he had them make it special for me! I love it! I found the perfect place for it! And, I think it looks great!

I love giving gifts. Always have. I think long and hard about my gifts and am on the lookout all through the year wherever I go. I despise the idea of having to buy a gift, at the last minute, and putting no thought in it. AND, I am so proud of Ian for thinking about what I would like and getting it made. Lots of thought! Thanks, Ian!

(JUST A NOTE)… Why ‘The Creekhouse’? When we began building our house, I found that I felt boastful and inconsiderate when I would continually refer to ‘the new house’. I wasn’t, but I felt like others may begin to tire of hearing about it. And, I wrote about it so often on Gatherings, it just bothered me to continually say …”in my new house…”. Also, being a voracious reader, I always loved it when old Southern homes had names. Yes, Tara was one of those homes. We have a lady in our church who was involved in music all her life. She was the organist at church, and she taught organ and piano for a hundred years (Joy and I included). Her daughter was a special friend and I spent many summers on vacation with them. Anyway, her home was filled with kids taking music for as long as I can remember. She named her home, ‘The Harmony House’. Loved that. My home is on a street that has a creek running from one side of the road to the other. There is also a very quaint wooden bridge that you cross mid way the road. The name of the street is Cross Creek Lane. I could have called it The Cross House, but that felt like we were always mad at one another. So, since ‘creek’ was in the name of the street, and I had to cross a ‘creek’ every time I left or came home…I chose The Creek House.

It is just fine with me if you think it is silly. I don’t mind a bit. I’m still going to call it that, and I’m old enough now to be a little silly if I feel like it.

2. We had 2 very fine men, ‘pillars of the church’ as they are sometimes called, who died on Monday and Tuesday of last week. Neither was a big surprise, but they have been such fixtures at Southside, they will be greatly missed. Both of them had children that grew up with Joy and I, so we have known them as long as we can remember. Both of their wives are still living. I wanted to show you the beautiful flower spray that one of them had on their casket. This gentleman was such an outdoors man…he loved fishing especially. I just thought this was so perfect. Very masculine, and tied to what he liked. The spray on the other casket was equally as lovely, this one was just so different.

Do you see the about midway the last picture…all the way to the right….the fish! There are 2 of them! Neat, huh? And, did you notice the burlap netting in the first 2 ? It all looks so masculine and so appropriate for him.

3. Alex has been having a really bad few days, so I have been getting to have some of the ‘Finn Duty’. We went out a little while ago, and even though he stayed under my feet most of the time, I did mnage to get a picture or two. He is a sweet puppy and just is in love with Alex. He actually whines when Alex moves out of his sight!

Over achiever ? He tried his best to run with this stick, but it kept getting stuck on other plants. Cute, cute, cute!

“Mommy, let me smell the flowers.”

“Wait, Mommy! I need to kiss the angel!”

4. AWARD TIME ! My sweet friend, Debby, of Just Breathe, has honored me with this “CHERRY ON TOP AWARD”. Isn’t that nice? I thank you so much, Debby, and will try to live up to the spirit of the award. (I am so sorry that I can not link to her site, but Ian has not taught me to do that yet on this new blog. Tried to figure it out…couldn’t. She is linked in my ‘LINKS’ section, however)

The rules for this award are:

1. Thank the person who gave this award to you.
2. Copy the award and put it on your blog.
3. List three things which you love about yourself.
4. Post a picture you love.

5. Pass this award along.

THREE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT ME

1. I love the fact that I am not bound by a ‘black/white’ viewpoint. My mind has always been open to quirks and differences and ‘other than normal’ way of seeing things. But, always within God’s laws. I have never been able to color inside the box…there’s just so much wonderful space outside the box!

2. I love the fact that I have learned how to use a computer, and have chosen to write a blog. I love the fact that I am not afraid to let you see who I really am…warts, grey hair, tummy rolls and all!

3. I love the fact that I have dear friends in many differing walks of life. Some from church, some from school, some from childhood, some I have never met IRL, but we meet every day in the Tblogosphere and some…just because. I love that I can share my life with a plethora of friends and am at ease with them all.

And, now a picture I love…Joy and I on Maui in March. This represents fun, and secrets, and support, understanding, and sharing, and love…all the things we share as sisters.

4. While at the grocery store the other day, I picked up a 6 pack of these. I don’t know why…I haven’t had any of these in ages. But, I’m so glad I did, because THIS DRINK IS GREAT !!!!! I had forgotten just how good they were. Very refreshing! AND, they come in 7.5 oz cans that are 100 calories each!

I went back to the store this week, and picked up some more…I thought! However, I did not get the F*nta brand…I got the S*nk*st brand. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE ! I will buy some more, and they will be of the F*nta brand ! I’m just saying…

5. Aren’t these great dishes? Can you see there’s a little nest on the bowl. Wouldn’t they look great on a wooden or woven charger? I think I could probably do a lot with them….if they were mine. They may or may not be living in my kitchen. If they’re not…they should be. And, if they are…well…then…that’s just a good thing! ( The color on the second picture is correct.)

6. Don walked in one night this last week, and handed me a shopping bag from Veriz*n. I looked inside and saw this:

Really…and this is the truth…all I knew how to do was open the box. Which I did. Inside the box was a tiny little instruction guide. Obviously it was written for someone who had spent years as a cell phone designer and programmer. It was intended for someone who understands ‘flash’ and ‘froyo’ and 3 Gh and ‘OMAP processor’…and other such foreign words. It had nothing in there for the average consumer who knows that when a phone rings you answer it and say ‘Hello’. I expect a guide to be just that…a guide. It should be in easy to understand steps that doesn’t assume anything. Such as 1. Take the cord and plug it into the phone and the other end into a socket. Wait 2 housrs while it charges. 2…Unplug the phone from the wall. 3…Locate the ON/OFF button…it is located on the upper right corner of the phone…turn it to ON. 4…Good for you! You have sucessfully charged and turned on your phone! What a great accomplishment! You deserve a break…go directly to the nearest Dairy Queen and buy a Blizzard of your choice! We will continue with the next lesson tomorrow and in just 3 short weeks…you will know how to use your new Dr*id 2!!!

That is all…..for now…

On the way home Sunday, Joy drove me through a new part of the Eastdale shopping mall in Montgomery. We were glad to see a new Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts there. We decided to go in quickly and check it out…and to stretch our legs…and to use the restroom. We meandered through the aisles. Everything was so orderly and clean. We enjoyed browsing. Our Jo-Ann closed a good while back and we miss it!

Joy went to check out and get the car. I waited in line, and my turn came up.

Boy: How you, Ma’am?

Tonja: I’m great, and how about you?

Boy: I’m OK, too.

Tonja: Isn’t that on sale?

Boy: No, it is ringing up 2.99.

Tonja: No…I got them in a bin that was marked $1.00.

Boy: I’ll call the manager.

He finished all the other things, and we were waiting on the manager. While I was in the store, I found a newspaper with a coupon. So, I gave it to him.

Boy: I don’t think you can use this, it’s the 25th.

Tonja: Are you sure? (yes) Do you have a cell phone? (yes) Would you check it? (he did)

Boy: It says 25.

Tonja: Let me check my phone….oh, it says 25, too. OK, I just lost a day somewhere.

A well dressed OLDER LADY was in line behind me.

OLDER LADY: I know the way to settle this. (and she reached into her bag and pulled out a calendar on her checkbook) This is always right. I use it all the time. Look here, sugar, it’s the 25th!

Tonja: Well, I guess I’ll have to accept it. My coupon’s no good.

Lady: You remember, we went to Gulf Shores this week end. ( I has never seen her before)

Tonja: Oh! I had forgotten.

Lady: Well, I want to tell you something. And, you can write it down. And, you can tell anybody you want to. There weren’t no oil on that beach. It was beautiful. I just don’t know if those ‘Bippy’ people are telling us the truth. I’m just not sure.

Tonja: Well, I hear it’s not bothering the people in Panama City or Destin, either. Their beaches are still looking nice.

Lady: Well. there ya go! What have I been telling you? It’s just those crazy Bippy folks. You live here in Montgomery?

Tonja: No, Ma’am, I live in Dothan.

Lady: That’s a wonderful town…our pastor came from there. We love him. Y’all should never have let him go. And, you can’t have him back.

Tonja: And, what is his name?

Lady: L*wson Bry*n.

Tonja: Oh, I remember him. I did not go to his church, but I had several friends who did, and they loved him. He was well respected in the community, too.

Lady: Well,they’ll never get him back. We got him now. Was he your preacher?

Tonja: No, Ma’am. I went to another church.

Lady: He’s a fine man. He had a church in Dothan. We really like him. Did you go to church with him?

Tonja: Boy, it is hot here in Montgomery! Are you staying cool?

Lady: There ain’t much cool here. I try to stay home.

Tonja: Me, too! It’s too hot getting in and out of the car.

Lady: Well, It doesn’t look you went to church this morning.

Tonja: No. No, I didn’t. I’ve been in Birmingham for a wedding and I’m heading home now.

Lady: Is it cool in your car?

Tonja: Yes Ma’am. Very cool.

Lady: I DID go to church this morning and our air conditioner was busted or something. It was hot. I love my church. We’ve got a great new preacher. He came from Dothan.

Boy: (He had been listening intently and was obviously enjoying this exchange very much..so he thought he ‘d get involved, too) to me……..”.Hey, aren’t you from Dothan?”

Tonja: Why,yes, I am.

Boy: I bet you knew her new preacher…L*****B*****.

Tonja: No, don’t think I’ve heard of him.

Lady: Well, you must not cause he is the best preacher we ever had. He came from Dothan.

*********All this was done completely straight faced! The young man was enjoying it very much***********

Tonja: Do you think that manager is still looking?

Boy: (on microphone) Mr. Brown….Mr. Brown……to check out.

Mr. Brown comes ambling up…not in any particular hurry…

Boy: Did you find out about these boxes? They ring up $2.99, and she says she got them in a bin that states $1.00.

Mr. Brown: to me….Where did you get them? …….I told him….. Well, you can have them for $1.oo…but they are really in the wrong place. …….And then he said, “People always trying to get something for nothing.” ******He really did…He said that.******

Now, friends, I try to be so careful. I want to always say things that are kind and helpful to others. I try to let unkind words roll off my back. But, his words….they just got stuck right around my backbone and I had to speak up….you understand…I had to……

Tonja: to clerk…Will you call Mr. Brown again? He did. Mr. Brown came up and asked the boy what he needed, now? The boy said this lady needs to speak to you.

Tonja: Sir, I was offended by what you said when you walked off. I am not trying to get something for nothing. The package( of 4 small container) were in a bin marked a dollar. And obviously it was intentional because there are many more in that bin. If you had walked over there you would have seen it and known I was just going on what the sign said.

Mr. Brown: Well,they were marked wrong.

Tonja: And, I would know that….how…?

Mr. Brown: ignoring me…He told the boy again to charge me a dollar. And, he walked off…never apologizing.

Lady: (whispering to me)…You think he’s mean…or just a little slow…if ya know what I mean?

Tonja: I think it’s a little of both!

I paid my bill, and was gathering my packaging while he checked out the church lady.

Lady: Ain’t that just something? I’m betting he didn’t go to church today either. Where did you say you went to church?

Tonja: Well, I live in Dothan, and I go to Southside Baptist Church there.

Lady: I guess Baptists are OK…like the Methodists better, myself. Hey, I think we got our pastor from Dothan!

Tonja: Was it L*wson Bry*n?

Lady: Yes!!! That’s who it was!! We just love him! Would you want to go to church with me tonight?

Tonja: I’m sorry, I’d love to, but see that car and that Lady in the drivers seat? She’s ready to go and she’s not going to slow down till we get to Dothan.

Lady: Dothan? That’s where our pastor came from!!!

Tonja: Bye now! Tell L*awson I said hello! (he does not know me)

Lady: Bye, now, Sugar!

*******************************************************************************

And that’s what happened on Sunday, July 25, 2010 in Montgomery, AL! I told Joy about it when I got into the car and we had a good laugh. And, I had another good laugh as I wrote it down for you. I’m not laughing at her, understand. She’s probably a whole lot smarter than she acted. But, the whole incident was just fun! I think these little ‘journeys to the delightful’ are a gift from God. Just a little escape from the sameness and everyday. I bet we could all experience more of these if we only take the time to look……..and listen.

When I was in the 6th grade we moved to Florence Street. Pop had the house built there while we were living on Third Ave. We loved our new house. All the bedrooms (3) were in a row down one side of the house. And, the great thing was…….they all had their own bathroom!!! Not huge, but a bathroom, none the less. And, oh! how Joy and I loved having our own space! ‘Cause she was the little sister who always got into my stuff! 🙂

We moved next door to the Peacocks. They had 3 daughters…2 were older and one was right between Joy and I in age. Oh, the adventures we had. But, I’ll have to talk about those another day, this is about time shared with the families.

My Uncle Allison and Aunt Katherine were some of the finest people I have ever known. Aunt Katherine lives with Jesus now. She and Mom have probably started a WMU (Women’s Missionary Union…it’s a Baptist thing ) in Heaven. And, if those 2 decided they wanted to start a WMU in Heaven…you can bet it’s going strong! They were 2 very determined women! Uncle Allison is still going strong. I could say alot about him, but I’ll just say this…I think when I see Jesus, He will remind me of my Uncle Allison is many, many ways.

Our families became very close. Whenever Mom or Aunt Katherine cooked something special, they made another dish for the other. Why, neither would even think of cooking one pie…always 2. But, I think the most favorite was ice cream! Now, Aunt Katherine and Uncle Allison LOVED them some ‘cream’! They had some every night before bed. There was always several varieties in their freezer. But, none of that compared to their love of home made ice cream! I can still hear Uncle Allison sticking his head in the back door and saying, “Y’all leave room for some cream. It’ll be ready in about 30 minutes!”

He would haul out the old worn freezer, along with the ice and the rock salt. Aunt Katherine would have mixed up the ice cream recipe in the mean time. Then she would pour it into the tall silver cylinder and insert the ‘do-dah’ with the little ‘flapper thingys ‘on it, down inside the cylinder. This would then be handed off to Uncle Allison who would pack it into the big bucket, and pack ice and rock salt around it. Then the top would go on. And, the hard work would commence.

I have memories of many folks in my life making ice cream. We always had a freezer…and we used to have lots of ice cream suppers at our church. All manner of freezers would be lined up out under the bus awning…and each owner working feverishly to produce the best of the night! For a long while, this consisted of the men having to turn the crank themselves. They would try to get the sons to help, but they were too clever to come near while the cranking was going on. Occasionally, they would ask one of the kids to come and sit on top of the freezer. (I never knew if that was of any benefit or if it was just a joke to see how long the kid would sit on that freezer!) They would turn and turn and crank and crank…and then without warning they would say…”It’s ready”. The tables had been gotten out of the storeroom at the end of the fellowship hall and depending on the weather, set up inside or out. The ladies then covered the tables with white butcher paper. One by one all the freezers would be opened and brought into our old fellowship hall and put on the tables. Every third or fourth freezer or so, there would be a pound cake or some cookies. A long line of silver cylinders holding ice cream made by some of the finest! I never understood this either…almost always they would leave the’ flapper do-dah’ INSIDE the silver part. It made it so hard to dip down in there and get the ice cream out. Maybe there was some reason or maybe it was just always done that way! Anyway, it was always tasty and the perfect end to a Sunday spent at church!

I also remember there always being home made ice cream when we visited in NC. It would seem as if you could not be together without several ice cream freezers going at once. My Aunt Evelyn made a wonderful peach ice cream that was soooo good, I remember it still after all these years! And, I can recall many freezers made at my Aunt Della’s home.

But, oh how nice it was when they made the electric freezers. NO MORE CRANKING!!! They could just fill them up and turn them on. The men still watched them though. Walk by and pat them approvingly…maybe add a little ice…sometimes throw a towel across the top. I think it may have made the men a little sad that their muscles were not needed to make this frozen treat anymore. The freezers may have gone electric, but the keen eye of the man in charge was necessary to be sure all was going as it should.

Really, home made ice cream was just about everywhere we went in those days. ‘In those days’…lots of things were different. Whole families got together. And, the kids all ages and sizes would play outside, even after dark. Or we would go to the den or the living room…wherever the adults were not! And, we got along. Or we didn’t. But, we got over it quickly because we knew we were all going to be together again soon! We had no video games to play, but we would occasionally watch TV…but being together and talking and playing was much more fun. After the adults had gotten the ice cream they wanted, they would call the kids. We were free to have whatever we wanted…of what was left. Usually the best was already gone! But, none of it was bad, so we were good!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must now make a confession. I really do not like home made ice cream. I do not like how inconsistent the flavor is. I do not like having to dig it out of those cylinders full of flappers and cream. But, mostly, I do not like the texture. It is not smooth. It’s bumpy. It is grainy. There are rivers of milk running in it. It just doesn’t suit my palate. All through the years, I have pretended to like it, because I never met anyone else who didn’t. But, I figure I am old enough now not to care. ( The only exception being the peach that Aunt Evelyn made…it was smooth and creamy.)

I do not know much about the early life of my Granny and Granddaddy Townsend. But, I loved to hear my Granny T. talk about the first time she ever had ice cream. She was 16 years old! It used to delight her to tell us all about that day. And, as we become older and she become older still…..we knew it would be impolite to tell her that we had heard the story before. Instead, we learned to express our awe and amazement one more time…and we began to take the delight in waiting for the telling to come again. Here she is outside her home in Douglasville, GA.

When we are children, we can’t wait to grow up and do all the things that grown-ups do. And, know all the things that grown-ups know. What we don’t know is that the older we get, the more the ‘magic of childhood’ fades away. And, the more the cares and concerns of the world get heaped upon our shoulders. But, if we are wise, we keep just enough of that ‘magic’ hidden away, to share with the little ones in our lives. And, if we tell them the same stories over and over again…it’s OK…we were taught by the best!