Do you remember when.....?

I don't know what it's like for you when the kids get together, but when my kids get together, I ALWAYS learn something that I never knew about when they were growing up! It's like all the pacts they made growing up have no bearing anymore; like they aren't afraid of getting in trouble anymore! The stories frequently begin with "Do you remember when...?" I imagine it could have been similar with the eight siblings whenever they got together.

Aunt Grace doesn't remember many conversations that began just like that, but there were a few. Frequently, as I'm talking to Aunt Grace, she'll have a side memory that she'll throw into a memory. They don't always fit into the conversation we're having, but they are definitely worth sharing! 

1927 Ford

1927 Chevy

"Do you remember when Ray said, 'Hey Berdie! Can you put a Chevy tire on a Ford?" The family had two cars at the time. A 1927 Ford and a 1927 Chevy. Apparently one day, before she was married, Aunt Bertha was going to take Grace (about age 4) and Ray (about age 7) somewhere. They were going to take the Ford, but it had a flat tire. Realizing the dilemma, Ray came up with a solution... that he was teased about for the rest of his life.

"How about the time Grace nearly drowned?!?!" Uncle George worked at the gravel pit and one day the family went there to swim. Henry and Emily took Helen, Ray & Grace; George and Emily and Bertha and Burdette were all there. Everyone was having a good time and Aunt Grace remembers running down the sand into the water. Suddenly she slipped and remembers seeing the bubbles in front of her face as if it was in slow motion. She was going down for the third time when Burdette saved her! She always gave him credit for her life. After that, all the kids went for swimming lessons. Grace went for lessons four times, but couldn't get the hang of it. She couldn't handle the water in her face. After the fourth time, she was asked not to come back.

Then there was that time that Ray fell out of the cherry tree! "Ma" had sent Ray out to pick cherries for a pie. He fell out of the tree and landed on a spike from the picket fence next to the tree. Grace found him bleeding from a gash in his side. Although he begged her not to "tell Ma," she did. Fortunately, they were able to patch him up at home and didn't have to take him to the hospital, but it's still a mystery as to what he was doing that he didn't want Grandma to find out about. Maybe he spilled the cherries?

How about when Dorothy was about 2 years old and she cried and cried over her first haircut? She had straight, thick hair that was apparently getting in her eyes. Poor Miem (aka Big Aunt Emily)! She was only cutting her bangs!!!

What about the day the cobbler (shoe repairman) thought George was Grace's FATHER?!?! George had taken Grace's shoes in for repair and when it was time to pick them up, Grace couldn't find the ticket. When the cobbler couldn't find the shoes, Grace told him that her brother had dropped them off for her. Familiar with George, the man replied that it was her father who had dropped them off, NOT her brother.

Grace in Wedding Dress

If you think that's bad, remember when Berdie took Grace into Chicago on the bus to shop for her wedding dress at Marshall-Field? As Grace was trying on dresses, the saleswoman would tell Grace to go show her "mother" and see what she thinks! They laughed about that one for years!

Try Corn Silk!

And how about the way Ray was always begging Grace, "Don't tell Ma!!!" like the day she caught him and his friends smoking corn silk in the pig barn? That was one time Grace kept his confidence and never did say a word. To Grandma, at least. Times like that are the times that probably did a lot to grow trust between the siblings.

Think about it. You all have dirt on your siblings. I know I knew things about my brothers that I never told my parents; especially Al (sorry brother!). These memories are the things that cement the trust and make for some good laughs in our old age. Those were the days...