2024 Monday — Memories

Thirty Day Encouragement to Write

In a suburb of Los Angeles our kitchen was the place were the backyard harvest was deposited. In 1957 I was an elementary school kid in second grade, maybe it was third. Moments after 7:00 each Monday through Friday morning I would wander into the kitchen -- the warmest room in the house -- through an invisible wall of aroma to find breakfast just about to be served. Fried eggs bathed in bacon grease, last night's potatoes smashed into patties with sides that were browned and crispy; strips of bacon, some well done, some not. And hot biscuits that dripped butter and oozed sticky honey.

There's plenty I don't remember about that room, but I'm sure the big four-burner O'keefe and Merritt is still today simmering, sizzling, and occasionally offering-up a sauté. The heat escaping from the oven couldn't conceal that biscuits were plumping and browning behind that solid metal door. The old refrigerator looked as if someone had pumped it full of air; its rounded exterior made it look swollen. Across the room and under the window that faced the back patio, the sink was deep and divided with a smooth hump in the middle between two sinks. At night my older sister and I would wash dishes in one side and dip the cleaned dishes into clear rinse water on the other side. The ivory white enamel had battle scars from tangling with cast iron skillets.

We'd sit at a chrome legged kitchen table with matching chairs to eat every bit of deliciousness my stepdad had created and within moments my sister and I were out the front door into the newness of the morning pedaling our Schwinn bicycles toward school.

Good night from
California’s Central Coast,
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol
and Chloe & Mitzi too!
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JANUARY PROMPT - #1

No matter how many places we lived as a kid, there is usually one that sticks in our mind. Our “home”. Take a moment to remember this childhood home. Now close your eyes, and wander through the family spaces. Walk into the sitting room. Look around. Walk out to the dining area.
Have a look at the table, count the chairs.
Wander into the kitchen. See the fridge, the sink, the stove. Open the drawers near the sink. Now wander back through these spaces and have a second look. Remember a time in one of these rooms and write about it.