Sugar Grove
By Paula Mitchell
During the pioneer times, in this area, every day was a struggle to put food on the table. Pioneers had to make essential tools and meals by laboring, doing chores, such as mending the fence, making candles and soap, and the basic routines of chopping wood, hunting, sewing, weaving with the loom and spinning wheels and making shingles with the shingle horse in the barn.
Children were a source of capable helpers during this time period. They had many responsibilities that parents expected them to take on as soon as they were able. For families living on farms, tending the animals was a must. Children usually handled simpler chores such as feeding, watering, milking the cows and collecting eggs. Children as young as seven would know how to milk cows and drive a horse buggy. If a body of water was nearby, the boys would also fish. During harvest season, boys would stay at home and help harvest crops, mostly wheat and corn. Most families had a small garden that supplied the daily food. Children would gather fruits and vegetables from the garden. Kids would also run any errands that their parents demanded.
Girls everywhere had tasks, such as sweeping, cooking, knitting and sewing, just to name a few. The girls made everything from clothing to bedsheets, keeping the family warm and cozy. Cooking was no breeze either. After milking the cows, children also prepared for cooking by churning butter. Some vegetables needed to be strung for drying, and the rest readied for cooking. What the girls did have to do that the boys didn’t was taking care of younger siblings. There were households of 10 or more. For pioneer families, more children meant more hands to finish necessary chores. Even the second youngest child would have a job: to rock the baby in the cradle. Some chores were also uniquely assigned to boys, such as barrel-making and horse shoeing.
To make candles, they would tie strings to a stick for easy handling, and dip the strings into boiling wax and tallow. Once a coating of wax was on a string, they would lift it out for cooling. This process would repeat until many layers made up a perfectly thick candle.
Having chores taught the children to be dependable, to have responsibilities, be self-reliant, reinforce respect, teach life skills, have a strong work ethic, and to help the family bond.
Life’s daily instructions include the following:
- Snuggle on a cold night.
- Eating vegetables from one’s own garden.
- Climb into bed with clean sheets.
- Have lunch with a friend.
- Listen to the chatter of a babbling brook.
A little more than 2.2 inches of rain was so readily received. The grass seemed to turn a beautiful green over- night. Not only that, it seemed to have grown at least an inch. Rivers and streams are swollen. The channel needs clearing, especially around the bridges, otherwise extensive damage will be the result from high water, for taxpayers to embrace in the future.
Quotes for the week are as follows:
“Love the world as you would love yourself.” — John Denver
“I ask you to ensure that humanity is served by wealth and not ruled by it.” — Pope Francis
“Chocolate comes from cocoa, which is a tree. That makes it a plant. Chocolate is a salad.” — Anonymous.
“The earth is what we all have in common.” — Wendell Berry
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.” — Jane Goodall
It is a definite to sit by the fireplace to hear the “Talk of the Grove.”
Jacob Mitchell (15 years old), and Sawyer Apple from Troop 162 were awarded the rank of Eagle Scout Sunday at the Eagle Court of Honor. Jacob is the son of Jamie and Dennis Mitchell, and Sawyer is the son of Kyle and Jennifer Apple. Congratulations for this awesome award! Only 5 percent of the population earn their Eagle Scouts award. Jacob earned 38 merit badges, including the Order of the Arrow, during his scouting career. Many years ago, Michael Benkert earned the same award. Other notables doing the same were President Gerald Ford and Sam Walton.
Saturday found Phil Downs motoring to Romney to visit with family. He enjoyed holding baby daughter, Harper Ann Thorne. Saturday evening, he enjoyed the South Fork firemen’s banquet where there was a good turn-out.
Evelyn Varner sure enjoyed her birthday. Her daughters, Joyce Marshall, Judy Costello and Janet Judy, took her to Bath, New York, where she visited with her brother, Ona Smith. They departed last Thursday. Sights of this area, which included wineries, waterfalls, and Watkins Glenn, was enjoyed by them all. Their return trip was Sunday. Judy and Evelyn stopped in Sunday to visit with Pat and Junior Saccra of Mt. Sidney, Virginia. Evelyn spent the night with Judy before returning to her home on Monday. Then on Friday, Wanda Pitsenbarger and Evelyn spent the night with Cleo Simmons of Staunton, Virginia.
Visitors in the home of Rosalee Grogg were Marleta Wimer, Leana Leap, and Hendrix Bogan.
This week’s clickety-clacks for the chin waggers are as follows:
- In a single night, a mole can dig a tunnel 225 feet long.
- The Caspian Sea is actually a lake; in fact, it is the largest lake in the world.
- About 75% of Russia’s doctors are women.
- The odds against being dealt 13 cards of the same suit are more than 158 million to 1.
- The first subway was built over 100 years ago, in London.
Concerns for this week are many. They are as follows: Charles Anderson, Roger and Joan Ashley, Mercedes Aumann, Vernon “Fuzzy” Baldwin, Lynn Beatty, Debbie Beal, the Paul Belmont family, Jed Conrad, Jeff Craig, Mary Eye, Donna Fleisher, Lola Graham, Jordan Greathouse, Marvin Hartman, Steve and Armanda Heavner, Gary and Jackie Hills, Virgil Homan, Jr., Myrtle Hoover, Debbie Horst, Anna Gae Hughes, Alice Johnson, Tim Johnson, the Dan Jollie family, Richard Judy, Dennis Kincaid, Kim Kline, Melissa Lambert, Robert Lambert, Rex Landis, Angela Lung, Linda Malcolm, Betty Mallow, Roger and Skip Mallow, Willard May, Neil McLaughlin, Gary Mitchell, Melvin Moats, Sarah Moyers, Aaron Nelson, Ruth Nelson, Don Nilsen, Cheryl Paine, Barbara Parker, Sutton Parrack, Shirley Pratt, Alda Propst, Kara Propst, Kathy Propst, Linda Propst, Sheldon Propst, K.D. Puffenbarger, Dick Rexrode, Gary Rexrode, Harley Propst, Jason Rexrode, Jimmy Rexrode, Pam Rexrode, Max Rodriguez, Donna Ruddle, Annie Simmons, Barry and Phyllis Simmons, Davey Simmons, Robbie Sites, Ona Smith, Rosa Tichenor, Sandra Vandevander, Amy Vaus, Danny Wilburn, Judy Williams and Margaret Wimer.
