When I was a kid, life was really cool. Living with my grandparents while my Daddy was in the Marines was full of farm animals, vegetable gardens, apple orchards, flower gardens and red clay banks.   The new little round screen TV was a pure wonder to me.  I could see programs like “The Lone Ranger, Tonto With Silver and Scout”, “Captain Kangaroo & Mr. Green Jeans” and “Gene Autry & his horse, Champion”  Back then, good guys wore white  hats and bad guys wore black hats.   As kids, we played “pretend” and with my blessing of imagination, I was riding my broomstick horse and pretending to be either the Lone Ranger or Tonto.  Getting feathers from the chicken pen was easier than finding a black mask so, for me, I would paint up my face and have feathers on everything that liked like a feather needed to be there.   As kids we played till dark and then, when the supper call was made, we ran to our homes.  Homes that had Moms and Grandmas washing us up for supper, wondering I am sure as to how in the world could we kids get so dirty.  Cleaned up and well fed, our Dads and Grandpa’s hugged us goodnight.  Moms and Grandmas  kissed  us and, as we were tucked into bed, prayers said, sleep came quickly to our tired little bodies.

My Grandpa and Grandma had four girls, my Aunts and then my Mom. Being the baby of the baby of the family does have some perks, especially if  you were a tomboy like I was.  I think my Grandpa missed having a son.  He was an intelligent, hard working man.  He worked days as a mechanic at the Enka plant, not too far from the farm.  For him, it was up early to feed and water the animals, while Grandma cooked him breakfast.  He loved drinking his first cup of coffee at the round table in the kitchen, coffee brewed on the wood stove in the kitchen near the back door.  Grandma had a gas range near the kitchen sink, but that was usually used to cook on only when convenience, weather or company coming dictated its use.