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Did you all have a great Easter? I hope so. And did you remember to remind kids and grandkids of the sacred meaning of this day? If Christ had only been a prophet, as some believe, this day would never be. But HE DID RISE from the dead after crucifixion and three days in the tomb—proving He was more than a mere human, and truly the Son of God, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Easter is how we mortals humbly celebrate this fact.

I remember other Easters when hopefully the snows had melted, and it was time to put away our hooded snowsuits and stringed mittens, or muffs—if you were a girl, rubber galoshes, (boots worn over our shoes for you kids under 60.) I remember Dad even had zipper-boots that fit over his cowboy boots in the same shape. That was a wonderment to me in those days.

We kids loved Easter or any holiday that gave us an excuse to get together with family and friends. We’d play games and laugh till our sides hurt. Do you all remember Cats in the Cradle—a game played with a simple piece of string, Hand-Jive games while singing sing-song rhymes, Hide the Thimble, Kick the Can, Anti-I-Over, Hopscotch, Skip Rope (done with more rhymes) Mother May I, Hide ‘n Seek, Simon Says and Blind Man’s Bluff, to name a few?

And while we’re reminiscing, do you remember: powdered toothpaste, thunder-mugs, skate-keys, kindling wood, kerosene lamps, featherbeds, outdoor privies, buckets with dippers, etc.? Most of these have never even been seen, let alone used by the younger generation.

Of course, I’m dating myself if you, the reader, think I witnessed all these things firsthand in my own parent’s home. No, my grandma & gramps, who had a small dairy farm, introduced me to featherbeds, kerosene lamps, thunder-mugs, and water buckets that had a community-drinking dipper hanging off the side. This dipper was filled from a hand pump in Gram’s kitchen, no less. How we escaped disease when we ALL drank from that same ladle, I do not know. I think we were just hardy/healthy people back then. There’s no other explanation. 

At our house, we did have an outdoor privy until I was eleven, and we used powdered toothpaste until about then too. We kids learned to skate with metal clamp-on skates that used a key to tighten them on to our street shoes, and we chopped many, many piles of kindling to feed our woodstove to get it started on cold winter mornings.

We were one of the first rancher-type families in the valley to have TV and indoor plumbing for miles around. Folks thought we were suddenly rich one year but Dad just happened to have a good season with his logging business, so we splurged. It didn’t happen again for some time, I can assure you. We had little in material things but the Lord provided all we really needed.

But this year there was no wood to bring in to start the old woodstove for cooking, or cows to milk, or pig to kill for our Easter dinner. No, modern conveniences are here to stay, and I just became a lay-about while my adult children did the cooking, then of course, I ate too much of their wonderful fare. I love it now that they do the holiday entertaining and I am the guest! God is good!

Granny Tam

Here is a poem I thought ya might enjoy…

The Old Porch Swing