The Dutchess 2010 blog

Pink Lemonade, Homemade Ice Cream, and Sunday dinners

Tradition can mean different things to different people. Some feel tradition is basically getting together for the holidays, while others feel every day life routines such as family nights watching TV together, Friday night movies and meatloaf every Monday night, are their own traditional. Still some think it is how we raised our children, including believing in Santa, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny, just as their parents did. In Chapter three of “Living Folklore,” it describes “tradition” as a vital, dynamic feature of our culture of folk group. I’ve had many of my own traditions over the years. Anywhere from believing in Santa Claus to receiving allowance for doing chores around the house.


But, when I was a child there was one tradition that stood out to me the most. Those warm summer days on Sunday with pink lemonade, homemade ice cream and Sunday afternoon dinners at my grandparent’s house. A small cottage home, with an attached garage, sitting on five acres of ground with woods and corn fields every where you looked. A perfect country setting, that included a chicken house, shed, water pump nearby, and country roads where you very seldom seen a car drive by.
(My niece Charlie)


Sunday was a time in my family where you didn’t do much but relaxed and enjoyed God’s blessings after church. My grandparents loved their family didn’t get to see their kids as much as they like to through the week. So, my grandparents felt Sundays’ could be a way they not only see their children and catch up with them on their lives, but be with their grandchildren watching them grow, laugh and have some fun. (Left to Right: My dad with his back to us,his brother Rodger, mom and my Aunt Gail.)



Picnic tables would be set up in the garage with the garage door open wide to welcome anyone for dinner. Sometimes nearby neighbors would stop by, along with other family members enjoying the wonderful smells drawn from the garage. Every one would always bring a dish with endless food you could only image. At times there could be over thirty to forty people that would show up off and on all day long. Then, by evening all the food that once filled the table abundantly now would be so hard to find just a nibble.(Mom with my sister-in-law Bonnie)





Those days were enjoyable to me, with the afternoon of conversations, walks in the woods, or just playing catch with my cousins. We would laugh and cut up with one another, sometimes catch up ourselves or play games of cards trying to always out wit the other. Unfortunately, the family was starting to grow up going their own separate ways and it became harder and harder for our grandparents to have those special dinners every week-end. Grandpa’s health was beginning to go down hill and Grandma was having harder times of getting around because of her legs and feet. The family still enjoyed those Sunday dinners, but over time it was starting becoming once a year and eventually even those times were slowly drifting away.(Me relaxing after church.)





My Family, living....Our traditions.......By the 90’s many of the children and grandchildren were starting to have problems of their own, or not able to come due to jobs and other obligations, including myself. And going to the family functions seemed a distance past. Our last reunion took place June of 2004. But since that point many family members are not around anymore or have problems being able to make it the day of the reunion. The traditions I carried with me as a child I thought were coming to an end, until I meant my soon-to-be husband (second) and his family who still have those special dinners we all enjoy. Though we may still not all be able to show up due to other obligations, when we do go, it feels just like it did when I was a child relaxing, enjoying conversation, taking walks or just play catch with the younger kids around. (My brothers, Top, Eric and Bottom Rob, chilling on a summers day)