December 10th 1964 was my grand-parents Bertsch 50th wedding anniversary. This couple had 15 children; my aunt Leona had passed by this time. Fifteen kid's! Wow! I like to do the math! My grandma Henrietta was pregnant 11.25 of those 50 years. Their wedding was at about 2:30 pm and my great grandpa Stoller, said to them, "stay the night, and go home in the morning". Grandpa didn't want any part of that idea! No, he said my horse knows the way, and I have to do chores in the morning. The same buggy that took them home, is still owned by the oldest cousin, Roland.
I was thinking about my Grandparents, and all the fond memories. Grandpa did the grocery shopping, one hundred pounds of flour, fifty pounds of sugar, salt, pepper, yeast, and spices (for all those canned goods). Grandma did the cooking, and she was good, really good! Everything I remember of the good old days was homemade: bread, butter, cheese, pies, cakes. You name it , she made it.
Going to visit them was a treat: making ice cream with my uncles, conversations spoken in German, and grandpa's laugh. When it was time to go home grandma would ask, "would you boys like some bread, with butter, and strawberry-rhubarb jam?" What a question! The answer was always the same, yes!
Harvest time was a great time also my Dad (Gideon), and my uncle (Ephraim) owned grain harvest equipment, they harvested grandpa Bertschs grain crop. Noon time came and we would stop and go for dinner. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and sour cream gravy, like I said she was good, really good! When the meal was getting done there would sometimes be gravy left. It was grandpa's! A slice of homemade bread with gravy. Grandpa didn't say much, but if anyone tried to have that gravy and bread he spoke up Immediately!
I wish I could go back and do it once again! But that's impossible. So I will cherish the moments that I have now with my family; too soon they. too, will be just memories!
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