by Jeannie Travis
You got here jist in time for breakfast! Set down at the table and tell me about yourself while I dish up the food. My, don’t the heat from the old wood stove feel good on cool mornings? There’ll be a plenty to eat, ’cause this is our big meal of the day and I always cook extry. I’ve got golden brown cat head biscuits fresh out of the oven, country ham and red eye gravy, and I scrambled up the eggs Pa brought fresh from the hen house just a little while ago. The skillet of luscious Chocolate gravy is thickening up, just about ready to pour over them biscuits. That Arbuckle coffee perking on the back of the stove is strong enough to float a saw log, but Pa likes it that way.You can weaken yours down with some of the sweet milk setting over there on the side table in that syrup can.
If you wouldn’t care, jist prise the lid off, git out the little jug of sweet milk and the pat of butter and put it on the table. Pa just set it over there out of the way after he drawed it up out of the cistern where it’s been cooling all night. That milk sure does have a thick layer of cream on top, but Jersey cows are knowed to give rich milk. Here’s a saucer to set the butter on, don’t it look pretty with the little drops of dew on it? Ma left that butter mold to me, and it’s little sheaf of wheat makes our butter look fancy enough for a Squires table.
Them preserves are kinda special, cause they was made from the rind of that big old stripy Dixie Queen watermelon Pa won a blue ribbon on at the County Fair. If you would, just leave that chunk of lemon in there to flavor it up till it’s all gone. Watch your teeth on them cherry preserves, ’cause I just leave the pits in there when I make em up. Gives em such a good flavor, you know, and I just hate to pit all them cherries when they all git ripe just as the garden keeps trying to get ahead of me . Theres certain things I have to do around here by myself, you know. Pa just aint no hand atall at some things, though he is mighty good to try and help.
Git washed up, Pa! I hung a clean flour sack towel out there on the nail jist this mornin’. You can see we got company for breakfast, and I want you to say a special thank you when you ask the blessing. “We thank you Lord for this food, blessed nourishment of our bodies, forgive our sins, receive us when we die, we ask in Thy name, Amen.” ….Ol Granny, Jeannie T