OurBrownCounty 23Jan-Feb | Page 55

They produced three hot meals on the table every day. Every day.
Aunt Clara had lived in the old home place in Alabama and Aunt Pat lived here in Brown County, over in what is now the heart of“ Arnoldville.” They switched houses. Clara moved here, and Pat moved to Eureka, Alabama.
Aunt Clara always had something to eat on the stove. No matter when you walked into her house— night or day— she’ d say,“ There’ s a little stew( or chili, or soup) on the stove. Get you a bowl.” She was always feeding people.
For years I’ ve had these mental pictures of my various aunts as older ladies. Now, I sometimes come across pictures of them when they were in their teens and twenties.
I was not as close to my father’ s sisters as I was to my mother’ s, mostly because of geography, but at least two of them had a big impact on me.
Aunt Rose was my favorite aunt as a child, and no wonder; she always brought me a birthday present and something really nice at Christmas. She gave me my first( and to date, only) model train set. One of the greatest Christmas presents ever bestowed, based on hours of fun provided,
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