Memories: I'll Open That

Memories: I’ll Open That for You – by daughter Anne Thomas

Mother and I did a lot of traveling together. She always brought along snacks and something to drink so we wouldn’t have to do a lot of stopping or spending our money for something that would cost more than at a local WalMart.

Since she was the co-pilot and I was the pilot, I wasn’t allowed to take my hands off the wheel in order to be distracted by opening something to eat or drink. It was bad enough that I would eat or drink a soda as I drove.

On one of our trips she asked me if I would like a Nutty Buddy to go with my Sprite. I told her, “Yes, please; that would be nice”.

I heard the rustle of the paper as she opened the Nutty Buddy but after about five minutes she still hadn’t handed me a Nutty Buddy. I glanced over to see what was going on.

Mother was crunching the Nutty Buddy and seeming to enjoy it very much. This was a surprise because I had never seen her eat one before. She always said that she didn’t think she would like them, and besides they would probably get under her teeth.

I gave her a few more minutes; glancing over occasionally to see how it was going. When I saw she was fixing to take the last bite I said, “How was that Nutty Buddy? Did you like it?”

Mother’s surprise was so funny I had to laugh; and as usual she joined in. “I hope you enjoyed that, Anne. I know I sure did.”

Every time I eat a Nutty Buddy I think of Ms. Alberta and the day she ate a Nutty Buddy for me.

Life, and The Blog, Goes On

 May 8, 2012

When I first started transcribing mother’s tapes, it was a painful journey. Then I started really listening to the tapes. Most of the things she talked about were what I call “defining moments”, you know those things that had a hand in shaping the adults that we become, and I had heard them; but so many of them were new. Then there were stories that she would repeat. The first time it happened I almost fast forwarded to the next story. I am so glad I didn’t because I found out that the first telling was sometimes just the bones or skeleton of the story; the second telling was the meat and substance of the story.

I had looked into publishing mother’s memoirs; found that it was a highly unlikely thing to happen but went forward with transcribing anyway. Someone sent me a link to a blog they had seen and that made me look into “blogging”. It didn’t take me long to realize that here was a medium that would literally publish mother’s memoirs for family and friends and an occasional stranger to enjoy. It was my intention to transcribe mother’s tapes; place them on the blog, then go on my way.

But like many plans that we humans make there has been a twist that came at me out of left field. Like that long ago baseball that caught me in the throat and knocked me to my knees; I hope I have learned a lesson. No plan is set in concrete – all plans can be changed.

As I have sent links to Ms Alberta’s Memories and Recipes, I have received phone calls and ran into people and the conversation usually goes something like this:

“I saw the blog and I was wondering … ” with the next part going “ did she ever tell you about when ?” or “ did you know ?” and there has followed one of their memories of mother.

So as mother use to say about things, “It just took on a life of its own and went on from there.”

Obituary

2011 May 6

Obituary                      Published in Lexington Herald-Leader on May 6, 2011

Edith Alberta Brandon

STANTON - Edith Alberta Brandon, 84, of Vine Street, Stanton, KY, died Wed, May 4, 2011 at her residence. Born in Cincinnati, OH she was the daughter of the late Leonard Edgar and Myrtle Evabelle Vaughn Shoupe. She was a member of the Fellowship Baptist Church in Elizabethtown, KY and she was a former tour guide of the Boy Scout Museum at the National Scouting Museum. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her first husband, Harold Lee Thomas, by her second husband, Edward Sommers Brandon, by her daughter, Sharon Gail Thomas and by her brother, Willis Shoupe. Surviving relatives are her son, Harold Danny Thomas, Sr. and his wife, Darline of Stanton, KY; two daughters: Alberta Anne Thomas of Stanton, KY and Clara Jean Thomas of Covington, KY; two sisters: Faye (Russell) Harris of Murray, KY and Sue (Buck) McVaney of Kemah, TX; 10 grandchildren: Teri (Barry Lee) Centers of Stanton, KY, Christina Trent of Stanton, KY, Angela Booher of Stanton, KY, Harold Danny Thomas, Jr. of Palmetto, FL, Timothy Lee (Kristin) Thomas of Elmhurst, IL, Dana (Chad) Crose of Stanton, KY, William Thomas Howell of Covington, KY, Jason Michael (Stephanie) Fisher of Lexington, KY, Jeffery Wayne Fisher of Aynor, SC and Jenny Iantha Fisher of Glasgow, KY; 23 great grandchildren, four great-great grandchildren, several nieces and nephews and a host of friends. Visitation will begin at 2pm Fri, May 6, 2011 and funeral service officiated by Pastor Elmer Varnadore and Associate Pastor Jack Dilbeck will be held at 6pm on Fri, May 6, 2011 at Hearne Funeral Home, Inc. 125 West College Avenue, Stanton, KY. A second visitation will begin at 11am with funeral services at 3:30pm on Sat, May 7, 2011 at Croley Funeral Home, Inc., 103 South 2nd Street, Williamsburg, KY. Interment will follow in New Highland Cemetery, Williamsburg, KY with Harold Thomas Jr., Timothy Thomas, Bill Howell, Jason Fisher, Corey Thomas, Chad Crose, Charles Kelly, Kevin Tipton, Bobby Mason, Bill Keaton and Barry Centers serving as active pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers are Robert, Kenneth, Marvin and Jimmy Thomas, Gaylon Jones, Clyde Hill, Archie Hill and Homer Powers. Arrangements by Hearne Funeral Home, Inc. and Croley Funeral Home, Inc. 

2011 May 4 The Final Journey "Home"

Wednesday May 4, 2011

Midnight

Mother is having great difficulty breathing; she doesn’t seem in any pain.

7:50 AM

Mother’s breathing has continued ragged and labored; I fear we may be near the end. I’m glad that Teri will be here at 8:00; this is harder than I thought to watch. I’ve given her meds every two hours and wondered each time if they are really getting into her body.

8:00 AM

Teri has arrived with a plan, she says mother never went anywhere without her hair done and her eyebrows on so that is our job to prepare her for her final journey. This is so true about mother; she has her funeral planned from who will be her pall bearers, preach her funeral, right down to the hummingbirds on the corners of her casket and the spray of flowers she wants on top of that casket.

I am designated official water girl by Teri; who gives me the job of rinsing out wash cloths and handing them to her as she does for her grandmother the same thing she did for her father on his final day on earth.

I watch as Teri brings more pillows to the bed, places one for herself against the wall, then climbs into the bed with her Nana, bracing mother against her chest, Teri places pillows around Mother to hold her head up and then proceeds to clean up her grandmother.

I listen, watch and rinse out wash cloths as my youngest child uses a shampoo for babies to wash mother’s hair. All the time she is washing she is telling mother that this was what she had done for her dad; who of course was bald but loved for his old bald head to shine. When Teri has washed and rinsed mothers hair to her satisfaction, she rolls mother’s hair; climbs out of bed then, together we bathe the rest of her body, change her night gown and as much of her bedding as we can. By now it is 10:30 AM; mother’s hair is still damp so Teri uses a blow dryer to finish the drying process; unrolls her hair, combs it out and styles it.

Not many people know that mother’s eyebrows were lost in a fire over sixty years ago; mother of course, could do them to perfection, but when Teri tries to put her eyebrows on she has to wipe them off and ask me if I know how to do her brows. This was one of the things mother had allowed me to do for her a few times so I get them on the right way after only a second attempt.

We cover mother up; Teri places her hands on top of the covers; then with tears in her eyes she says, “There you go, my Nana, you’re all cleaned and spruced up, ready to go scooter pooting. I love you, we all love. We all know that you’re tired and it’s okay to let go now.”

By now it is 11:45 AM; Teri’s husband Barry comes in the front door, comes to mother’s room; as he comes in her door he says, “Hello Nanny; it’s me Barry.” Mother takes one last breath and releases it. The time is 11:50 AM.

As if on some pre-arranged time schedule, the hospice nurse walks in the front door, as my oldest daughter taps on the window of mother’s room and the middle daughter comes in the back door. Mother was afraid I would be alone when she passed and this bothered her a lot. It was amazing that so many people arrived just as she drew her last breath.

May 4, 2011 at 11:50 AM breathed her last earthly breath. Died of cancer, Stanton, Powell County, KY

Recipe: Chocolate Cobbler

Christina Trent

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees; place a 9 X13 pan with 2 sticks of butter in the oven until melted

Wet ingredients:          In a bowl:        Mix 1 ½ cups of Flour                        1 ½ cups Sugar

                                                            ¾ cup milk                                       1 tsp vanilla

            Pour mixture from the bowl into the melted butter in the 9 X 13 pan.

Dry ingredients:                      In a bowl:        1 cup sugar      6 tablespoons cocoa    Mix dry ingredients well

            Sprinkle Dry ingredients over batter, spreading evenly over contents of pan

Then over the top of all mixtures pour 1 ½ cups water over top

Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees; best when eaten hot with ice cream over the top. Enjoy

1964 - Body Filler better known as Peanut Butter Roll

Mother had a new vehicle that she let Danny drive to a band concert. The signs on a one way street had been taken down and Danny went down the street the wrong way. The result was a collision with another car; which smashed in the car pretty good.

Heinz, who worked at a body shop, knew just what to do. He took a plunger and pulled the dents out, making the car look brand new again. Mother told him she didn’t have any money but she would pay him with peanut butter roll, which he loved really, really well.

As he was eating the peanut butter roll he turned to Mother and said “You know, Alberta, this looks just like body filler that we use to patch up wrecked cars.” So we’ve been calling it body filler ever since.

Recipe:           Peanut Butter Roll

1 lb. Powdered Sugar             1 – 12 oz. jar peanut butter                 1 beaten egg white

Whip the egg white stiff; add powdered sugar and blend until consistency of biscuit dough. Roll out thin on a powdered sugar surface; spread with the peanut butter. Roll to desired thickness; slice with a knife dipped in powdered sugar. Wax paper lined tins will keep this for a couple of days outside the refrigerator. Discard after that; if it last that long.

RECIPE: No Bake Cookies

1 stick butter or margarine                   1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups sugar                                        ½ cup peanut butter

½ cup milk                                          2 ½ cups quick oats

Combine the butter or margarine, sugar, milk and cocoa in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to soft ball stage. Stir in vanilla and peanut butter; stir until smooth. Add oats. Stir thoroughly; pour out onto buttered, flat cookie sheet. Cool, cut and serve.