Post by sam on Dec 27, 2008 17:54:18 GMT -5
The very first fish I can remember:
It must have been when I was 6 or 7 years old. My father was career Army and gone most of the time and when he did come home to Terre Haute, we moved. A lot of the time my parents would let me stay with AUNT MAGGIE in New Goshen while the move was taking place so I would not be in the way. Now Aunt Maggie was a country gal through and through. Made most meals from scratch. You know, the type of women who when asked for the recipe of one of her tasty fares would say, “a pinch of this, a dash of that”, etc.. Never really giving the true amounts, but I wonder. Whenever she did this it was with a twinkle in her eyes and a slight smile. I think she knew she had a gift that made her special and by golly, no one was going to steal her thunder. As related, a true country gal. Cooked on a coal-burning stove. Had a real honest to goodness outhouse even. The county inspector warned her to get indoor plumbing or he would condemn her place. She fought & fought him till finally she relented, in a way. She put in the indoor plumbing and built a garage around the outhouse! When a visitor would inquire about her new convenience she would just show that special twinkle in the eyes and that smile and say “oh just dandy, just dandy!” Funny I never did see her go into the new bathroom, but, there seemed to me more needed trips to that garage that was needed since she did not own a car or drive… Yep, she walked almost everywhere she went in New Goshen, though not from the lack of being offered a ride from just about everyone in town. She just enjoyed walking, saying it made her feel young. She attended church and was a Sunday school teacher hardly ever missing a day as long as I could remember. Aunt Maggie all her life worked hard and enjoyed life. Everyone knew Margaret Woods as AUNT MAGGIE and called her so.
My Mother on the other hand, to put it simply was a city girl, just the opposite of Aunt Maggie, but just as kind and wise. She did not like the country life and was not averse to telling anyone interested in hearing so.
This sets up the characters in my memory of my first fish. Oh, I might have caught some before this, my Father was a country boy after all, but this is the best memory.
It was in the middle of a typical hot Indiana August that my family was moving from Terre Haute to Ft Knox, Ky where my Father was to be stationed. As what was to become a family custom, I got to stay with Aunt Maggie approximately a week while Mom & Dad made the move and setup household. Aunt Maggie was fun to be with. We took walks in the woods with her identifying trees and plants. We observed wildlife and she taught me a lot of outdoor skills. On the second day of this week Maggie took me to an ole cow pond. Bright, sunny hot day and we caught some Bluegills with an old cane pole, using for bait anything we could pickup, catch or grab. Aunt Maggie showed me the fun of sticking your bare feet into cow pies. I told you she was a fun loving gal. The first Bluegill I caught that day was rather small. I used a grub I found under a rock. Aunt Maggie just plain piled me with complements on what a fine fish that was and how I should remember that fish as the one I first caught with her. As she put, it was a “special fish for the ole memory vault”. Well sir, I looked at that fish in a special way then and seen just how much beauty it did behold. We did catch a lot more that day and all were much bigger, but that was my special fish.
When we got home, Aunt Maggie set about to cleaning the fish for supper, all but my special fish. I asked Aunt Maggie why she did clean that fish and she said “it was special and had to be saved to show to my Mom when she came to pick me up”. She said this with a twinkle in her eyes I have never seen before but, would see a few more times in the future. She then gave me an old cigar box and put the fish in it. Then she told me to set outside so I could show Mom when she came.
Well sir, that week went to fast and the next thing I knew Mom was pulling in the drive. Aunt Maggie and Mom exchanged pleasantries outside and then Aunt Maggie said with a twinkle in her eyes, “Dave don’t you have something to show your Mother”? I remembered, yes the cigar box! I ran and got that old cigar box put it right in her face, opened the lid and said “Mom, are you proud of the fish I caught!”
Well, Mom looked sick for a minute, looked at Aunt Maggie, and told me “That is a fine fish you caught Dave”. Aunt Maggie had that smile and twinkle in eyes that I would get to know and enjoy. I would come to know this smile and twinkle in her eyes to mean that something special was going to happen. She told mom “What a nice to thing to say Joann, under the circumstances. I am going to make a country girl out of you yet.” I looked at both Aunt Maggie and Mom and I swear that I saw a special twinkle in both their eyes and a smile.
It’s as if finally they understood what each other were all about. Being somewhat confused, I looked in the box and seen what a toll the hot August heat and various bugs can do to do to a fish in a weeks time. It was truly not a pretty sight, but besides the initial reaction, Mom never let on. I remember thinking somehow this is not right and something more than I understand is going on. For as long as I can remember, Mom at special times had Aunt Maggie’s Twinkle and smile.
Aunt Maggie and Mom became very good friends after that and Aunt Maggie showed a lot of the country ways, including some of her recipes in her own special pinch of this and a dash of that way. Funny, though Mom came very close at times to copying her tasty meals though they never were as good as Aunt Maggie’s. I wonder…
My Aunt Maggie lived to be 98 yrs young. Walking through the countryside with that special twinkle to her eyes and the smile on her face. Thank you Aunt Maggie. I hope while you are you sitting in your deserved pedestal by his side, that you are approving of the ways I am guiding my children and Grandchildren in your country ways. Though they need the modern day tools to survive this day and age, once in a great while, I see your twinkle and smile on their faces. They understand Aunt Maggie….They understand.
It must have been when I was 6 or 7 years old. My father was career Army and gone most of the time and when he did come home to Terre Haute, we moved. A lot of the time my parents would let me stay with AUNT MAGGIE in New Goshen while the move was taking place so I would not be in the way. Now Aunt Maggie was a country gal through and through. Made most meals from scratch. You know, the type of women who when asked for the recipe of one of her tasty fares would say, “a pinch of this, a dash of that”, etc.. Never really giving the true amounts, but I wonder. Whenever she did this it was with a twinkle in her eyes and a slight smile. I think she knew she had a gift that made her special and by golly, no one was going to steal her thunder. As related, a true country gal. Cooked on a coal-burning stove. Had a real honest to goodness outhouse even. The county inspector warned her to get indoor plumbing or he would condemn her place. She fought & fought him till finally she relented, in a way. She put in the indoor plumbing and built a garage around the outhouse! When a visitor would inquire about her new convenience she would just show that special twinkle in the eyes and that smile and say “oh just dandy, just dandy!” Funny I never did see her go into the new bathroom, but, there seemed to me more needed trips to that garage that was needed since she did not own a car or drive… Yep, she walked almost everywhere she went in New Goshen, though not from the lack of being offered a ride from just about everyone in town. She just enjoyed walking, saying it made her feel young. She attended church and was a Sunday school teacher hardly ever missing a day as long as I could remember. Aunt Maggie all her life worked hard and enjoyed life. Everyone knew Margaret Woods as AUNT MAGGIE and called her so.
My Mother on the other hand, to put it simply was a city girl, just the opposite of Aunt Maggie, but just as kind and wise. She did not like the country life and was not averse to telling anyone interested in hearing so.
This sets up the characters in my memory of my first fish. Oh, I might have caught some before this, my Father was a country boy after all, but this is the best memory.
It was in the middle of a typical hot Indiana August that my family was moving from Terre Haute to Ft Knox, Ky where my Father was to be stationed. As what was to become a family custom, I got to stay with Aunt Maggie approximately a week while Mom & Dad made the move and setup household. Aunt Maggie was fun to be with. We took walks in the woods with her identifying trees and plants. We observed wildlife and she taught me a lot of outdoor skills. On the second day of this week Maggie took me to an ole cow pond. Bright, sunny hot day and we caught some Bluegills with an old cane pole, using for bait anything we could pickup, catch or grab. Aunt Maggie showed me the fun of sticking your bare feet into cow pies. I told you she was a fun loving gal. The first Bluegill I caught that day was rather small. I used a grub I found under a rock. Aunt Maggie just plain piled me with complements on what a fine fish that was and how I should remember that fish as the one I first caught with her. As she put, it was a “special fish for the ole memory vault”. Well sir, I looked at that fish in a special way then and seen just how much beauty it did behold. We did catch a lot more that day and all were much bigger, but that was my special fish.
When we got home, Aunt Maggie set about to cleaning the fish for supper, all but my special fish. I asked Aunt Maggie why she did clean that fish and she said “it was special and had to be saved to show to my Mom when she came to pick me up”. She said this with a twinkle in her eyes I have never seen before but, would see a few more times in the future. She then gave me an old cigar box and put the fish in it. Then she told me to set outside so I could show Mom when she came.
Well sir, that week went to fast and the next thing I knew Mom was pulling in the drive. Aunt Maggie and Mom exchanged pleasantries outside and then Aunt Maggie said with a twinkle in her eyes, “Dave don’t you have something to show your Mother”? I remembered, yes the cigar box! I ran and got that old cigar box put it right in her face, opened the lid and said “Mom, are you proud of the fish I caught!”
Well, Mom looked sick for a minute, looked at Aunt Maggie, and told me “That is a fine fish you caught Dave”. Aunt Maggie had that smile and twinkle in eyes that I would get to know and enjoy. I would come to know this smile and twinkle in her eyes to mean that something special was going to happen. She told mom “What a nice to thing to say Joann, under the circumstances. I am going to make a country girl out of you yet.” I looked at both Aunt Maggie and Mom and I swear that I saw a special twinkle in both their eyes and a smile.
It’s as if finally they understood what each other were all about. Being somewhat confused, I looked in the box and seen what a toll the hot August heat and various bugs can do to do to a fish in a weeks time. It was truly not a pretty sight, but besides the initial reaction, Mom never let on. I remember thinking somehow this is not right and something more than I understand is going on. For as long as I can remember, Mom at special times had Aunt Maggie’s Twinkle and smile.
Aunt Maggie and Mom became very good friends after that and Aunt Maggie showed a lot of the country ways, including some of her recipes in her own special pinch of this and a dash of that way. Funny, though Mom came very close at times to copying her tasty meals though they never were as good as Aunt Maggie’s. I wonder…
My Aunt Maggie lived to be 98 yrs young. Walking through the countryside with that special twinkle to her eyes and the smile on her face. Thank you Aunt Maggie. I hope while you are you sitting in your deserved pedestal by his side, that you are approving of the ways I am guiding my children and Grandchildren in your country ways. Though they need the modern day tools to survive this day and age, once in a great while, I see your twinkle and smile on their faces. They understand Aunt Maggie….They understand.