Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is full of many wonderful memories.  Yesterday we had our very traditional meal.  With us five of us, we have to be careful not to get carried away with the cooking.  We started our celebration with breakfast at my house: Judy's breakfast casserole, and Judy's curried fruit, and, champagne.  Dinner is always planned around the Cowboys' game, and  Dotsy HAS to make her dressing, and I have to make my sweet potato souffle. 

When we were little, Mom always used her silver,  crystal, and the  china that her Mother gave her, for our holiday meals.   I  learned early that the silver had to be counted before it was put up.  This way we were able to find any pieces that had gone astray.  Maybe into the garbage or in with the every day pieces. Grandmother's china was a set of Haviland she bought in New Orleans from an estate sale.  This was probably in the 30's??? 20's?  or possibly even earlier.

 In college, Mike started bringing some of his UGA football buddies to Thanksgiving dinner.   Mom and Dad would cook at least one turkey, a ham, and tons of food.  Pop made his famous punch, that had a motor.  One of the treats we always had for Thanksgiving, was oysters on toast points. Served with champagne.  If the football players were coming, we made sure to eat those early.  To this day, there are never enough oysters on toast points to go around when the Oakes' get together.  

This year, I did make a different sweet potato souffle: cousin Linnie's scrumptious recipe with the praline topping.  I'll never go back to mine.  The recipe I used came from Lunnie Broughton in Monroe.  It served us well for 30 years.   Catherine and Susie liked having Lunnie for a babysitter, and I certainly did.  She would iron, cook, and clean.  When the family would go off for a vacation or just to Hard Labor Creek,  Mom would have Lunnie make dozens and dozens of fried pies.  I think the apricot were the favorite.  Whenever I make sweet potato casserole, I think of  Lunnie.

I'm grateful for many things in my life.  Some are: that Catherine had friends in Maui to have dinner with, and, Susie had friends in Florence to have an American feast with, even if it was on a Saturday.

Avondale Estates

The very first house I remember was our home in Avondale Estates.  I don't remember very much about our time in Avondale, but I do remember that I fell into the community pool and my grandfather, Paw, 'saved' me.  Our home had two bedrooms, and we were very crowded! Mom and Dad, older brother, sister Judy, me, brother Mike, sister Nell, and, Dad's father, Paw.  Mom said she had bunk beds everywhere.  Paw's wife, Nona Corry Oakes, died in 1947 and Dad and his brother Walter were going to take turns having him live with them.  That, of course, didn't happen.  Paw lived with us for twenty three years.  Sometimes he would visit other friends, and at one time Dad had  a place in Lawrenceville for him. 

Back to Avondale.  Avondale Estates, just outside of Atlanta, was a master planned community, founded by George Francis Willis in 1924.  Mr. Willis purchased the entire village of Ingleside and renamed it after Stratford-upon-Avon.  The downtown buildings were all designed in a Tudor style, and many of the houses also.  There were tennis courts, a lake, a community pool and clubhouse.  The first Waffle House opened in Avondale in 1955.

After the War, Dad had a hardware store, in East Atlanta, and was able to carry a line of  washing machines.  Washing machines were a rare commodity at that time.  The only one he had was a floor model, which he immediately brought home to Mom.  (This is not a picture of Peaches.)  Mom was very grateful for her new wringer machine, as the maid was probably doing the wash in a wash tub. Older brother was a very inquisitive young man, as Mom and Dad found out.  One day, he took her wringer washing machine apart.  I don't know if it ever worked the same again.  About the only other exciting thing that happened in Avondale was connected to older brother.  He tried out a hammer on Paw's head.  Paw didn't think it too exciting.  

There were lots and lots of children on our street; the war boom babies were just starting in 1946.