Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Grandma King

I have spent some time trying to learn how to cut Grandpa out of the picture, but it didn't work. Just look at Grandma!

I have been trying to remember
Thanksgiving and going to Grandma's
for Dinner. I don't remember
too well the actual dinner and
who was there.
What I do remember is the making of
suet pudding in a coffee can long before
Thanksgiving,putting it away, then making
the sauce before dinner.
I remember the turkey stuffed with dressing
sitting on the old black cookstove
and thinking that it was so big,
we would all have all we wanted to eat.
The big kettle, sometimes two, full of
potatoes to be mashed to lightness with
real butter and thick cream.
The pumpkin pies served with real whipped cream.
Mother wanted Elderberry that she
walked in the mountains to pick..
or pecon pie, but I wanted only pumpkin.
No cake. No cookies. Pumpkin Pie.
There were little bowls of relish,
cranberry jelly, pickled beats,
cooked carrots and green beans with bacon.
Grandma ran the kids from under her feet.
"Go outside. You are in the way."
We would go, but soon be peeking back
inside.
The men ate first with the women if there was room...
and then the kids could crowd the table and
eat everything! We thought we did.
I had pumpkin pie...but later
Grandma would dish us a spoon of suet pudding
with dressing. We were special.
We all got to share.
Thanksgiving with Grandma King...

3 comments:

  1. I have been thinking about Grandma King as I intend to write about her for the Boulder festival and her daughter Nethella. I remember Grandma's suet pudding as you, but I also remember bullberry pie and seeing grandma dress in her long sleeves and gloves to go gather them to make fruit for pie and jelly. Bullberry pie with whipped cream was my favorite. Next elderberry. Nothing was too much trouble for Grandma King when it came to cooking. Applie pie always on hand and sugar cookies. First tomatoes in Boulder every year, but she did put on a feast for Thanksgiving! Grandma Wilson cooked chicken and homemade noodles soup if no turkey was available, it seemed, and her specialty was cherry pie, since that ranch came with at least 5 pie cherry trees in the orchard. She always had elderberries, too, since they went to the sawmill a lot. I did think the song over the river and through the woods was made for Grandma King's house in Escalante, as going there could be very hazardous in the winter.

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  2. If this entry doesn't get us all geared up for great food and great memories of Thanksgiving, I don't know what would. I love all the food imagery. "Over the river and through the woods..." I still sing that one to my grandkids. Thanks for this Thanksgiving feast memory.

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  3. I LOVE HEARING ABOUT THE FOND MEMORIES OF YOUR CHILDHOOD...AND MY MOUTHS WATERING FOR SOME OF THAT PIE....

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