Edith

I want to thank David Rush for all his hard work in setting up and maintaining this website, Mike Rush for coming to visit me and Perry Schultz for fixing my dishwasher last week. Also, Nancy, I see that you have submitted most of the recipes and I will try to do better in the future and help you.

At one time, I knew all of my cousins by name and sight. Now, I do not know half of my second cousins by name, let alone by sight. However, almost all of my first cousins knew my mother, Edith, as a proper lady who didn’t cuss, drink or chew and was always conservatively dressed. However, on some occasions, she did throw off her lady-like manners and do something out of character.

Once, when I was girl of about 7-8, we had taken one of her in-laws to Eufaula for something. On the way back, on old highway 69, we were running parallel to a train. The engineer blew the whistle and waved to us. We waved back and for some reason, my mother decided to race the train back to Muskogee. I don’t remember who won the race. I do remember losing her good white handkerchief out of the window when I waved back at the engineer. She was not happy with me!

Another incident when her playful side got the best of her, she locked Robert out of the house and turned on all of the lights in the back yard. Sometimes, he would draw himself a bath in the long tub and let it set in the summer sun all day to get warm. After a long day of toiling in the sun in the yard and pasture, he would take his bath out under the stars. That evening, he had shucked his clothes in the house and gone outside with a bar of soap and a towel.

My mother sneaked to the back door, locked it and on went the lights, revealing Robert’s white behind crossing the patio to his tub. He was an unhappy with her over that as she was with me for losing her handkerchief.