Sugar Grove
By Paula Mitchell
Why not go down memory lane and enjoy the reminiscing for a moment?
Once upon a time, a house often housed a large family, including grandparents. The bathroom was outside, and there was usually one car to ride in. The garage was in a shed away from the dwelling, which meant walking to the house was necessary. To make the grass look neat, there was a push mower. The kitchen had a wall phone that was on a party line, and those on the same line could listen in. There were no cell phones.
There was a living room where everyone congregated, where the TV set had one or two channels, with each channel having its own antenna that would have to be changed outside.
Everyone ate in the kitchen where there would be a table for all to eat around. When company came, folks would meet either in the kitchen or living room. Store bought snacks were very rare, as mother loved to cook, and there would be all sorts of favorite cookies.
Weekends sometimes found one going to see a movie at the drive-in. There was nothing to compare to seeing the movies from the car! Otherwise, outside play took place with neighborhood kids. Catching fireflies at night kept one racing a lot. A good game of baseball was real action….no video games. There was no supervision as each looked out for the other. On Sunday, everyone went to church as it was the thing to do.
At the peak of summer, picnics were so much fun. Packing a lunch and finding a tree for shade was a must, away from ants. Cooling off down at the creek brought about lots of shrieks and laughter. How can one explain the fun in playing Kick the Can?
The doctor was a family friend. One didn’t need insurance, or a lawyer to defend as the doctor had taken an oath to strive to do the best for each one.
One’s own money was used at the grocery store, instead of a credit card. And there was never any junk mail. Folks just wrote letters of thanks, to servicemen or just to each other.
At one glance, when a car drove by, one would know the kind of car, model and make. Gas was selling at 29 cents a gallon. Roads were not black topped, and at times the dust would fly.
Music was listened to from a vinyl, big-holed record called a forty-five. The record player had a post to keep the records all in line, and then the records would drop and play one at a time.
Loads of wash were done on Mondays with them being hung on a clothesline to dry. Trying to get the wash out before the neighbors made life interesting. Ironing always took place on Tuesdays.
The cow had to be milked with churning taking place. Eggs were gathered from the hen house, with wood gathered from the wood house and brought in to the kitchen wood stove.
Oh sure, there were problems then, just like today. Everyone is always trying to find a better way. It was a simple life, which when looking back seemed so simple. But time moves on and so does a person, as nothing stays the same. Reminiscing down memory lane, for a moment, was such a “good walk.”
Life’s little instructions to make life better include the following:
- Good manners don’t cost anything.
- Find the good in everybody.
- Don’t buy what a person can’t afford.
- Return shopping carts.
- No matter how one feels, get up, dress up and show up.
The writer thinks that everyone is in agreement that Old Man Winter is here. This winter has had snow and freezing temperatures; something that hasn’t been experienced around here for many years. Snow plows have been in use on several occasions.
Quotes for the week are as follows:
“The only things you can take with you when you leave this world are things you’ve packed inside your heart.” — Susan Gale
“It takes two years to learn to speak, and sixty to learn to be quiet.” — Ernest Hemingway
“I pray this winter be gentle and kind—a season of rest from the wheel of the mind.” — John Geddes
“Never stop doing little things for others. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their lives.” — Winnie the Pooh
“Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Definitely sitting by the fireplace is a necessity around these parts to hear the “Talk of the Grove.”
The Sugar Grove Lions Club held its January meeting at the rescue squad building this past Friday.
Pendleton Manor celebrated its 50th anniversary this past Wednesday. A large crowd was in attendance with refreshments following.
Dennis Mitchell has been collecting data for several years. He has seen a pattern with the weather, in that this coming week will be the coldest week of winter. Time will tell if this prediction “pans out.”
Sympathy is extended to Phil Downs at the passing of his grandson, Ian.
Congratulations to Ava Bowers, daughter of Shaun and Leslie Bowers, for receiving first place with her Science Fair project Chromatography and her Social Fair project, Greenbriar Ghost, which placed second at the county fair.
Due to the weather, many residents still have their Christmas decorations up and are enjoying that favorite time of the year when everyone is so festive, and hoping this spirit will last the whole year through!
This week’s clickety-clacks for the chinwaggers are as follows:
- Dutch people are among the tallest in the world, with the average height for men being around 6 feet.
- The Tree of Life, located in the desert of southern Bahrain, is an ancient and mysterious tree that has been thriving for more than 400 years with no obvious source of water.
- Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, consisting of more than 17,000 islands, of which about 6,000 are inhabited.
- The province Ontario, Canada, was named after the lake, and not vice versa.
- A dog’s sense of smell is 1000 times greater than a human.
Concerns are for the following: Bob Adamson, Dyer Anderson, John Ashley, Roger Ashley, Mercedes Aumann, “Bo” Boggs, Marie Cole, Stanley Dahmer, Isaac Eye, Linda Eye, Marie Eye, Mary Eye, Carl Gant, David Gillespie, Lola Graham, Patsy Green, JC Hammer, Marvin Hartman, Steve and Armanda Heavner, Donald Hedrick, Hannah Hedrick, Jack and Starr Hedrick, George Hevener, Jim Hiner, Evan Hise, Tim Hively, Edsel and Mary Ann Hogan, Virgil Homan, Jr., Keith Hoover, Myrtle Hoover, Tim L. Hoover, Debbie and Enos Horst, Holly Hubbs, Alice Johnson, Richard Judy, Marsha Keller, Tom and Kim Kline, Tracie Knight, Laura Kropp, Melissa Lambert, O’Dell Lambert, Robert Lambert, Rex Landis, Roger and Skip Mallow, Audree Marie, Yvonne Marsh, Ed May, Gene and Joan McConnell, Gary McDonald, Neil McLaughlin, Rose Miller, Bruce Minor, Barbara Moats, Gloria Moats, John Morford, Bill Mullenax, Helen Nash, Aaron Nelson, Angie Nelson, Ruth Nelson, Cheryl Paine, Terri Parker, Diane Pennybaker, Andy Pond, Janice Propst, Eldon “Butch” Puffenbarger, Alda Propst, Janis Propst, Marilyn Propst, Mike Propst, Sheldon Propst, Tom Rader, Brandon Reel, Jason Rexrode, Linda Fay Rexrode, Dennis Riggleman, Donna Ruddle, Jenny Ruddle, Mary Sawyers, Shirley Shank, Brittany Shriver, Annie Simmons, Erin Simmons, Eva Simmons, Greg Simmons, Judy Simmons, Natalie Stephenson, Nelson Simmons, Tonya Simon, Robbie Sites, Mike Skiles, Ed and Carolyn Smith, Tina Stuben, Steve Stump, Linda and Larry Vandevander, Sandra Vandevander, Amy Vaus, Estelle Wagner, Mary Louise Waldschlager, Rene White, Sherry Wilfong, Judy Williams, Ann and Ed Wimer, New Orleans victims, and individuals and families who continue to be affected and displaced by the fires in California.