Family memories and pictures Nov. 15, 2010

I am so blessed to have a big loving family. When my daughter Tricia went away to college she came home and told me that she was so surprised when she learned that most of her classmates didn't know their Grandmothers. She grew up close to her grandmothers, and her great grandmothers. Granny, daddy's mother and Momma Peacock, my mom's mother were at the center of my life growing up. We lived within walking distance of Momma Peacock and about 7 miles from Granny. I spent as much time as I could with both of them.

Momma Peacock and Butch in the background

My mother was next to the oldest of 6 children. When I was growing up her 3 youngest siblings were still living at home. Ricky was Momma's youngest brother and only 3 1/2 years older than me. We spent alot of time together playing and working. I loved it when we could play with my two cousins, Butch 2 years older and Becky 4 months older than me. They lived close by and we played together at Momma Peacocks as hard as we could when we were together. We were all over the woods climbing trees, and building forts. Becky and I had to play boy games with Butch and Ricky and then they would play hopscotch with us or we played marbles sometimes.

Butch sitting on top of car. Becky standing and me sitting behind the wheel.

We built great forts. Some out of wild finnel that we wove into baracades and stacked to form a teepee. When we were older we all worked on a tree house made out of scrap wood left from the new barn Daddy Peacock built. One day in the fall Butch and Becky came over and with Ricky we went for a hike and took a picnic. Becky and I were about 7 or 8 at the time. Ricky had some matches and built a fire. He was very responsible and made sure we didn't get hurt and he smothered the fire out with dirt when it was time to go home. Later that night I was in the car with Momma and Daddy and the boys, going over to Granny's and we saw a tree on fire in the pasture. It was our tree where we had the picnic earlier that day. Daddy and my uncle Hugh put the fire out. We were in big trouble for playing with fire. Ricky was in the most trouble since he was the oldest and had the matches.

Becky on the left and me on the right. Christmas 1965.
We were in the 3rd grade and we asked for the same thing for Christmas, a doll and record player. We had lots of fun! I had the Lennon Sisters Album, Elvis Christmas, and Hank Williams,.... Sr. of course!

Momma and Daddy Peacock 1970's

Daddy Peacock built houses for a living. He built our house in 1963. Momma and Daddy worked nights and weekends for months doing the finish work on the inside. While our house was being built we were living with Momma and Daddy Peacock. My brother Greg was 3 then and I was 5. He decided to ride his tricycle from Momma Peacock's house over to our house where Daddy Peacock was working. It's about 1/2 mile down a sandy dirt road. A long way for a little guy on a tricycle. Daddy Peacock asked Greg what he was doing over there. Greg told him that he had a phone call and he needed to come home. Daddy Peacock stopped what he was doing and took Greg and the tricycle back home!

Greg 2 yrs old.

Greg and his tricyle were trouble for me before the phone incident. We rented a house nearby for a while before we moved in with Momma Peacock. There is a porch that runs across the front of the house and it is about 3 feet off the ground. There were big boxwoods around the porch, there was no rail on the porch. Greg was learning to ride his tricycle and he wanted me to push him. So we went round and round and he kept saying go faster, faster. I went really fast and pushed as hard as I could and let go. Greg and the tricyle went flying off the porch and landed in the top of the boxwood. I didn't think about he didn't know how to stop. Woops I was in trouble again!

Me 4 and Greg 3

Ricky passed away from heart failure in 1990. Becky passed away a year ago yesterday Nov. 14, 2009. I miss them both very much.

Christmas 1984. Momma and Daddy Peacock, Ricky and me holding Lee Ann.

Aunt Shirley, Tim, Butch, Becky and Uncle David
Aunt Shirley and Uncle David's Golden Wedding Anniversary in 2005

Becky was a really good cook and made beautiful cakes. She made the cake in this picture for Aunt Shirley's 50th anniversary.

I will try to get some of her recipes and post them for you. Her recipe for a basic butter cake is the best I have ever eaten and everybody loved her candy "Rum Balls" she made every Christmas. Everything she cooked was good! :)

Calee, Brandi and Brenda at Brandi's wedding

Aunt Brenda is Momma's youngest sister. She is 5 years older than me. Calee is her daughter and Brandi is Ricky's daughter. We lost Calee in Nov. 2008. Very suddenly she was gone and we miss her very very much. She was a sweet angel that blessed all of our lives.



Brenda and Me

Left Rona, Brenda's oldest daughter and right Tricia my oldest daughter and Brooke my niece in the corner!