2017 – A to Z… A: Conversations with Mama…The Best of!

I married and moved away from home when I was 19, so I didn’t grow up stopping by Mama’s for afternoon chats. Living almost a thousand miles from home, a nightly phone call is how I stayed in touch, as she’s gotten older, it’s how I check in on her. As I became involved in researching my family history, it was often how I heard the family stories. I recorded the usual dates and names, but all the tidbits of family stories…. well where was I going to put them. That was how Conversations with Mom evolved, and I eventually blogged those conversations. What better choice, than to glean an A to Z of my favorites here to celebrate Mama’s birthday month; she turns a spry 87 this April, but “mums” the word on me spilling her birthday number here!

Welcome to Day 1, hope you enjoy!!!!

During the month of April, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for my 2nd year… both on this blog. I will post each day, except Sundays… using a daily alphabet letter in my theme of “Conversations with Mom… The Best of.” If you’d like to read more blogs, hop over to their Facebook page.

A… Conversations with Mama…The Best of!

“We had a horse apple tree in the field that had the best apples – they were so good! Leroy and I hid them green and waited for them to mellow – turning golden. He loved to try and find my hidden apples and eat them – it made me so mad. I don’t ever remember eating an apple that tasted as good as Daddy’s horse apples. One day I found the most perfect mellow apple on the tree, but it was all the way at the top – that didn’t stop me because I wanted that apple really bad. Daddy told me not to climb the tree. He was plowing in the field as I was trying to get that apple. I didn’t listen! I climbed all the way up, got the apple, but then the limb broke and down I came – I straddled across the barb wire fence. Daddy didn’t say anything, but I ran crying all the way back to the house where I sat on the back stoop crying – but eating my apple!”

Mama straddling the famous barb-wire… the easier way!

“I remember how on Xmas Eve Daddy would go to the barn to get our box of goodies he bought for us. Inside there would be apples, oranges, bananas, nuts, and candy. Those items were a treat, as we only had them on special occasions. Sometimes he’d tease saying he didn’t buy any, but before we knew it, he’d be back with that box; Leroy and I’d sit and eat ourselves silly. Children back then were appreciative of what they were given… today, kids have too much.”

In talking with mama tonight she mentioned fried apples and … “My mama made the best-fried apple pies from the apples on our trees. She used the same dough she made for biscuits… she just rolled it out and let it rise with a cloth laid over, then she’d ball it up again and re-roll once more, it was then ready to use; it must be rolled out thin. She crinked the pies around the edges and fried them on the stove – boy were they good!

My mother grew up on a small farm in Georgia and has more memories of her childhood than I can only dream to remember. If you’d like to follow along from day 1, click on 2017: A to Z… Conversations with Mama – The Best of!

If you want more than here, click on Conversations with Mama and More

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