I have written a lot about my Aunt Cleo and her life over the years, but very little about my Aunt Wanda. I thought I should change that! Wanda Marie ‘Smith’ Pitsenbarger was the last child born to Gordon and Lula Smith. She joined her twin sister, Wilda, and their 10 siblings on March 15, 1937. Wanda and Wilda were just a month old when their mother died.
Sister, Glenna, and my mom, Sheba, would take over the role of mother, each taking care of one baby. These two sisters would be the only mother the twins would know, but the twins would know them as sisters. I’m sure that their grandma Smith helped as much as she could, but she also had a large family.
Glenna, Sheba and Jane all got married and left home before the twins turned four. This left the mothering role to Aunt Cleo. Cleo has often said that Wanda and Wilda were two mean little girls, and that granddad never once punished them for anything they might have done. Aunt Wanda says no, they were just mischievous!
I now must ask where does the line of mischievous end and the line of mean begin? Sharing the next several events—I haven’t fully decided.
Every household, especially those in the country and on farms, raised and had animals. Every family had chickens that provided eggs and meat that would be exchanged at the store for sugar, spices, coffee, lamp oil and other staples the family might need.
Certain things need to be done to raise healthy chicks—treating for lice is one. I helped to do that on numerous occasions and I didn’t like it. You would catch the baby chicks and rub some lard under each wing and on top of the head. Mother hens didn’t like you catching their babies and a good flopping or two would happen before the job was completed.
Chicken houses were not clean, so you also had the dirt, dust and chicken manure flying all over you. The lice you were treating for were minute, and you could only see them if you felt them on your skin.
Aunt Wanda recently told me about the time that granddad told her and Wilda to put the lard on the baby chicks. She said that they had 11 beautiful, black chicks. Spotting a bucket with some motor oil in it, they decided a dunking would work better than a rub. Realizing what they had done they took the chicks to Stony Run and tried to wash the oil off in that cold water. Granddad asked what had happened to the chicks and they had to confess.
Rabbits were found at most homes. They were raised for the meat, and I never really liked rabbit meat. Rabbits will dig their way out of a pen unless there is a concrete or wood floor. Like most children the girls had a favorite rabbit or two and for some reason the rabbits were outside.
Uncle Homer, who lived below the fence, had a big orange cat. Wanda said, we loved that cat but all that changed quickly after he killed two or three of the rabbits. Cats like rabbits. The girls caught the cat, and I won’t tell you what happened then. Things did not end well!
So where does mischievous end and mean begin? I will let you decide. Aunt Wanda is well known in the county, and I’m sure she would share a story or two—just ask.
Violet R. Eye
