We all have fond memories of our grandparents and one of my fondest memories is going to my Grandmother Twiford's house that was located in Elizabeth City, NC. She lived in a white clapboard house on the corner of Cypress St and Etheridge St. Out front was a sidewalk that we played hopscotch and other games on many times. I remember the wide front steps leading up to her front porch that ran across the whole front of the house. On the left side of the porch was a green swing and a green wicker rocking chair. On the right side was another matching green chair. My grandparents sat many days rocking in those chairs and we kids would swing until we got in trouble for hitting the banister behind the swing.
I can visualize that old house that no longer is standing. Unfortunately it burnt down in the mid 1980s. I can remember the good feelings I had at her house. Since my grandparents had 7 daughters, there were many grandchildren that spent lots of time at her house. She had so many grandchildren that she would call all her grand daughters "Sis" and all of her grandsons "Bud"...when she wanted something she would say "Sis, will you get me..." and all of us grand daughters would turn to get her whatever she wanted. Same thing happened with the grandsons.
I have a great memory of going early in the morning to her house and the milkman would leave milk bottles on the top of her big steps. What a fun time to go get them and bring them in to have a bowl of cereal at her 1950s style table. She only had Cornflakes but boy were they good. The bowl was nothing fancy but it sure was big and deep and that cold bottle milk and crunchy cornflakes were so delicious. It wasn't until I was many years older and walking through a flea market in the 1980s in the Cherokee area of NC that I was stopped in my tracks as I spotted a bowl that looked exactly like the one I had eaten cornflakes out of. It was the same off white color and had the ribbed sides. No price was on the bowl and no matter what the gentleman was asking I was going home with the bowl. Thankfully for me it was less than a dollar. What a prize I had found. Fast forward to July 2014 - when my first cousin, Nancy Smith Lickey, and I were talking on the phone one night about fond memories of our past. I told her the story of the bowl and to my surprise after we hung up - she texted me a photo of an ORIGINAL Cereal bowl that was indeed our grandparents. She had inherited some of our grandmother's stuff and that chipped old bowl was in the items she had. Oh my goodness...to my delight...she brought me that bowl and gave it to me and I can't explain the warm feelings I get everytime I look at it. I think I'm going to buy me some cornflakes and sit back and enjoy the memories as I eat them. Funny thing is, that bowl isn't as big as I envisioned. As a little girl it was a very deep bowl - an endless bottom bowl and today - it's no where as big as I thought... but one thing is for sure....it's priceless. Thanks Nancy.... love you.
I can visualize that old house that no longer is standing. Unfortunately it burnt down in the mid 1980s. I can remember the good feelings I had at her house. Since my grandparents had 7 daughters, there were many grandchildren that spent lots of time at her house. She had so many grandchildren that she would call all her grand daughters "Sis" and all of her grandsons "Bud"...when she wanted something she would say "Sis, will you get me..." and all of us grand daughters would turn to get her whatever she wanted. Same thing happened with the grandsons.
I have a great memory of going early in the morning to her house and the milkman would leave milk bottles on the top of her big steps. What a fun time to go get them and bring them in to have a bowl of cereal at her 1950s style table. She only had Cornflakes but boy were they good. The bowl was nothing fancy but it sure was big and deep and that cold bottle milk and crunchy cornflakes were so delicious. It wasn't until I was many years older and walking through a flea market in the 1980s in the Cherokee area of NC that I was stopped in my tracks as I spotted a bowl that looked exactly like the one I had eaten cornflakes out of. It was the same off white color and had the ribbed sides. No price was on the bowl and no matter what the gentleman was asking I was going home with the bowl. Thankfully for me it was less than a dollar. What a prize I had found. Fast forward to July 2014 - when my first cousin, Nancy Smith Lickey, and I were talking on the phone one night about fond memories of our past. I told her the story of the bowl and to my surprise after we hung up - she texted me a photo of an ORIGINAL Cereal bowl that was indeed our grandparents. She had inherited some of our grandmother's stuff and that chipped old bowl was in the items she had. Oh my goodness...to my delight...she brought me that bowl and gave it to me and I can't explain the warm feelings I get everytime I look at it. I think I'm going to buy me some cornflakes and sit back and enjoy the memories as I eat them. Funny thing is, that bowl isn't as big as I envisioned. As a little girl it was a very deep bowl - an endless bottom bowl and today - it's no where as big as I thought... but one thing is for sure....it's priceless. Thanks Nancy.... love you.
