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The True Citizen, Wednesday, June 8, 2022 — Page 5
Ronda Rich
THE THRIFT OF MY PEOPLE
This story will tell you a lot
about me. It will tell you what
friends and family already
know about me.
It will tell you what Tink
took a good many years to learn
but knows steadfastly now and
jokes about it.
It will tell you about the
Appalachian folks who raised
me and what, besides the King
James Bible, they taught me.
One of my favorite people
has always been my precious
aunt, Kathleen. She was not
bom into our family but, thank
fully, she married into it by way
of Mama’s brother, Delbert.
There’s not a person who
does not adore her. There has
never been a bad word mut
tered against Aunt Kathleen
because she never offends or
says an unkind word. And,
if you - or I - should utter a
judgement of another’s char
acter or act around her, she’ll
smile sweetly and say, “Well, I
don’t know about that.” Then,
she will change the subject.
My daddy, her brother-in-
law, always said, “That is one
of the finest women God ever
made.”
He backed up his admira
tion by giving her a special
gold coin.
That’s says it all, right there.
Aunt Kathleen plays the
piano by ear, sings specials at
church and funerals, has draw
ers full of costume jewelry,
always wears fancy shoes,
can cook anything that comes
out of the Appalachians - she
loves “poke salad” which she
picks when it is young and
tender - and lives as well as
plants gardens by the signs of
the moon.
When the doctor told her that
she needed heart surgery, she
replied, “Well, let me check the
almanac and see when the signs
are right then I’ll schedule it.”
She picked a time when the
signs were in the legs - mean
ing a faster healing time in the
chest - and made a date with
the doctor.
One of my favorite things
she has ever said was during
a conversation about having
babies. To her sad regret, she
never had children which ex
plains why she dotes on her
nieces and nephews and is,
likewise, doted upon.
In her mountain drawl which
sounds like mine, she said, “It
takes nine full moons to make
a baby.” Then she pressed her
lips together and nodded with
the full authority of the Ap
palachians.
I laughed. “I’ve never heard
that.”
“That’s what my granny told
me and she oughta know - she
had 16 babies. And, they all
took nine full moons.”
Here’s the story you should
know:
Aunt Kathleen was recov
ering from open heart sur
gery last Thanksgiving and at
the same time, my sister and
brother-in-law were down sick.
So, I made turkey, dressing,
gravy, macaroni and cheese,
mashed potatoes and butter
milk biscuits then toted it to
all the sick and suffering. All
was homemade except for the
pumpkin pies which I bought
at the grocery bakery.
My people are thrifty. What
is now considered “recycling”
and fashionable, my people
have been doing for years. We
wash out ziplock bags to reuse
and if a paper towel has only
been used to wipe down, we
rinse it out and reuse it.
I put the food in sandwich
meat and butter containers I
had saved, stacked it in boxes
and took it to the two sick
households. A couple of weeks
later, I made cheesy chicken
noodle soup and a pan of bis
cuits and took to Aunt Kath.
Months later, I stopped by
to see her and she said, “Be
fore you go, I need to get your
bowls.”
“What bowls?”
“The ones you brought with
the food.”
Out of her pantry, she pulled
the same box I took to her at
Thanksgiving filled with the
same butter and sandwich meat
containers AND the cheap tin
pie pan. All spotless.
“I don’t throw nuthin’ out,”
she announced.
“Me neither,” I agreed.
The next time someone’s
sick, I’ll frugally use those
bowls again. One day, some
one’s gonna keep ‘em.
Ronda Rich is the best-sell
ing author of What Southern
Women Know (That Every
Woman Should). Visit www.
rondarich.com to sign up for
her free weekly newsletter.
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