Grandma’s Bright Eyes

I thought I would post something related to Thanksgiving this week.  My childhood memories for Thanksgiving are focused on my mom’s side of the family.  I don’t think we ever celebrated Thanksgiving with the Landry side of my family.  If we did, I’ll need a reminder.  Photos would be helpful.  Since my memories of Thanksgiving were associated with the Bucklin side of the family, I went in search of associated photos.

This is what I found.  It doesn’t have anything to do with Thanksgiving, but it does have my Bucklin grandparents in it with my oldest sister Jodie.  How could I not choose this photo?  Actually, it chose me.  My grandmother’s eyes literally reached out and grabbed me. 

I spent some time last night cleaning up this scan so I could share it everyone.  Not only is it a great photo of my grandmother, but it is really good of Grandpa and Jodie.  For those of you who may not know, my mom was Betty Lou Bucklin Landry, and she was the daughter of this couple.  Fred D. Bucklin was born Oct. 2, 1907, in Roanoke, Louisiana, and Myrtle Sylvia Bucklin was born Dec. 19, 1906, in Hathaway.

The photo was taken May of 1954, which is seven months after Jodie was born.  Since Jodie was born when my dad was stationed in California with the Air Force, this is likely the first time Grandma and Grandpa got to see little Jodie Lou.  She wasn’t their first grandchild.  Mom’s older sister Sylvia already had two sons.  But Jodie was their first granddaughter.  She was their only granddaughter for less than a year.  Little Toni was already on her way – she’d be born that August.

A few years later our numbers would grow to twenty.  The Thanksgiving get-togethers out at Grandma and Grampa’s in Hathaway were great.  The food was always so good and plentiful – turkey with gravy, dressing, ham, potatoes, and other savory dishes.  But then there was dessert – pecan pie, brownies, toffee bars, and cakes.  The all time best, though, was Grandma’s divinity.   With all of that food, you’d think we’d be too full to move.  But we were kids, and that didn’t stop us.  We ran.  We played tag.  We had satsuma-eating contests.  We played chicken freeze tag.  I wish I could say ‘we’ played with fire out by the old bamboo stand, but somehow I always missed out on that activity.  I may have been too busy playing with the sock monkey.  I guess I can’t really complain.

So ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ to all of my Bucklin cousins!  I still think of you all fondly.  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone else, as well.  May it be safe and joyful.