Mom’s Memories Page 6 AKA Flowers for Grandma
Page 6 of my mom’s memory book.
Here is another page from the little memory book that my mom kept when she started to become more forgetful. She wanted to make sure some of her fond memories would continue. I thought I would help them along.
My mom’s name was Betty Lou Bucklin Landry (1933-2017) and she grew up in Hathaway, Louisiana. This is page 6 of her book. She is in the middle of talking about her paternal grandmother Addie May Hine Bucklin (1876-1960). She never knew her paternal grandfather Louis Bucklin (1873-1927). He died before she was born.
She mentions Aunt Dora on this page. That would be Dora Koll Bucklin (1911-1998). She was married to Herbert Bucklin (1906-1995), the brother of Betty Lou’s dad Fred (1907-1984). Herbert and Dora were the grandparents of our Joseph Connors. Mama always had nice things to say about Aunt Dora and Uncle Herbert. Why wouldn’t she? She was a little girl who appreciated someone giving her jewelry and taking her to the Eunice circus!
On page 1 of her memory book she talked about going to Grandma Bucklin’s house for big covered dish dinners where all the family brought their favorite dishes. She said the food was so good that they were sneaking food all afternoon. I’m sure she was talking about the old Bucklin family home that had been built in 1888. From what I can tell, it was about a mile north of the house that my mom and her family lived in. About halfway between those two houses is where Aunt Dora (she of the beautiful wavy hair) and Uncle Herbert lived.
Hathaway circa 1937 – Alma, Betty Lou, and Sylvia Bucklin
Another thing my mom talks about is making May baskets. She wrote in the plural “we” like I do when talking about my childhood. I’m sure she was talking about herself and her sisters. Her brother was younger and probably didn’t participate in this event. The sisters would make paper flowers and put them in a basket. One basket was for Grandma Bucklin and one for Aunt Dora.
Then they would go to their door, knock, and run away to hide. Of course they would be peeking to see the reaction they got. I’m sure there was a lot of giggling involved as well. And who wouldn’t be glad to see those three little cheerful girls (later there would be four) bringing them a present?
Like she says, it usually got them invited in for milk and cookies. The simple pleasures of childhood.
I remember going to Grandma Bucklin’s house with my mom, Helen Bucklin Taylor, we would sit out on the porch and Grandma would always be sitting in the rocking chair. Great memories.
I was a younger sister, not shown in the above picture. My memories of May Day were that Mama would bake dewberry shortcakes that we would take to Grandma Bucklin and Aunt Dora. We went through the same exercise of knocking on one door and then the other, leaving the shortcakes on the steps and hiding. They always acted like they didn’t know who was knocking.
Loris Woolley, thanks for sharing the extra bits of information. So funny that they would act surprised! Was there giggling involved??
Always! Giggling from the kids and the aunt.