It is without doubt I love familiar places and people that can bring a memory back in a heart beat. Good times, good people and usually good memories. I'm sure more people than me think of someone or something in their growing up years, the learning and exploring years. What I am trying to describe is ones own history. We all have a history, I often wonder when did mine start that I can really pin point. Of course the farm but there were people that come to mind. Our rural delivery mail man would stop in the summer to eat his lunch under our maple tree. I was fascinated with his lunch. He would unpack it and lay everything out neatly. He was diabetic, I had not a clue what it meant until I got older. He had all of his food measured in little dips and dabs. Funny what sticks in ones mind. I remember being so exited to go to town with the usual stops at the Red & White, Doc Simons was a carry out boy there in his high school years. A few years ago when he was checking my teeth we started talking about Horse Run (we were neighbors) and he told me he still had a grocery order my mom had sent in when he worked at the Red & White! Nice to think what was important for him to keep. The drugstore was one of the stops which brings the memory of mom telling me before we went in one day, "there is a new guy here now and his name is Joe Sprout". He is suppose to be a very nice man. Well that was an understatement, he was the rock of our town. Never a want with Joe he was ahead of the game and would offer assistance even if he was closed we all knew we could call Joe in an emergency. Now his son Ray is the man and just as good as his dad was. Norton's Block Factory was a stop. I can remember setting in the car waiting for Bill Norton (owner) to load up our truck with whatever. Why this sticks in my mind, well who knows about me but I remember Bill telling mom he would lose weight if it wasn't for his love of ice cream every night. Now you might remember after Bill retired he rode bicycle around town at least twice a day. I wonder was it so he could have that dish of ice cream every night? Then there was a meat market run by Tony Franz we would stop at. He was a very interesting man. that would buy all the snapping turtles people took him to make turtle soup..Never had it and won't ;)
You might wonder why traveling brings up these memories. When I'm not driving I knit and watch out the window. We pass many abandoned homes, old gas stations, stores and barns along the way. It leaves me wondering what was the history, why did someone walk away never to look back or care that it would one day fall down and be gone with no story to tell. We have a few places around our area like this but I know a little bit about the who and why which then again brings back thoughts of people and how some of them touched my history.
A part of Dick and my history is in NC, our son and his family. Lucky for me he has all the farm animals and joys of what I love at my own place. It is as quiet as our own place other than a few military planes flying low throughout the day. I don't mind their noise, in fact I love knowing our men and women are getting the training needed to make our military the strongest in the world. God Bless them for their dedication and love for our country.
What are the Bryant men eating for supper? Comfort food, meatloaf (6 lbs), whipped potatoes and shelly beans. A big chocolate chip cookie baked in a jelly roll pan, much quicker than individual cookies. A little sweet to top it off. Around here leftovers are almost as important as the meal. The hens are keeping up with all the cook'n and baking. Nothing prettier than farm fresh eggs. Tomorrow I am going to blog about farm eggs vs store eggs.
Supper was 6:30, this is 3:00! Dessert first today and will not last til tomorrow.
Meatloaf recipe: For every 2 lbs of meat-1 egg, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 TBSP Worcester sauce, 1/2 cup of bread crumbs or cracker crumbs, 1/2cup of diced onion and 1/2 cup of diced green pepper sauteed, salt and pepper. Mix all together and set in frig all day, this really helps the seasonings go through the meat. Bake at 350 til done. Mix 1/2 cup of ketchup with 1 TBSP brown sugar, spread on meatloaf and put back in oven for 10 minutes.
All 6#'s but look quick, it is down to 1# !
| Whipped potatoes with leek butter, southern shelly beans and meatloaf. |
Supper is over and a big NC storm is moving in. There is a weather alert radio that started toning, made my heart thump since I had no idea what it was. Tomorrows blog could possibly be on storms, north and south.
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| Looking west toward Charlotte. |
