GRANDMA HUDSON

She was slight of build, barely five feet tall and probably 
never weighed more than a hundred pounds, unless she was 
pregnant with each of her eight children. She was born Lucinda
Catherine Elliott. She married Newton Samuel Hudson in 1896.
Together they were hard working farmers; cows to milk, pigs, 
chickens and horses to feed. They raised corn, sorghum and 
wheat.

A day in their life might seem dull to some people but they were
happy and contented. To their city grandchildren, their life was 
a delight. Every morning, everyone got up just before daybreak.
The men and visiting grandchildren gathered up milk buckets and 
milk cans with much clanging and banging and headed for the 
barn. Everyone knew the cows they would milk and went right to 
work. The children felt really important on these visits to get 
to try their hand at milking. They would squeeze and squeeze and 
finally get a small squirt of milk, what an accomplishment. They 
would laugh and laugh watching their grandpa and uncle squirt 
milk into the cat's mouths. There were lots of cats always 
willing targets for these sprays. When the milking was finished, 
they hauled all the milk to a room where the separator stood. 
They poured the milk into the big bowl at the top and turned the 
handle round and round. Out of one spout came pure rich cream, 
out of the other came what we call skim milk. The skim milk went 
right out to the pigs, of course. They saved some for cooking. 
They saved some cream for butter and table use. The rest of the 
cream went into cream cans that we hauldd out to the roadside to 
await the creamery truck that had contracted to buy the cream.

Now everyone washed up at the washstand by the backdoor. 
Lots of handmade soaps were suds up and lathered on the face,
neck and ears, also the hands and arms. After a good rinse 
everyone grabbed a towel that was hanging by and dried up and 
then combed their hair, then went into the house for breakfast.

All the time this was going on, Grandma Hudson was preparing 
breakfast. It was a real feast, hot biscuits with homemade 
butter, gravy, ham, lots of eggs, potatoes, oatmeal and country 
sausage, all homemade right on the farm. Grandma was a plain 
cook, but it all tasted heavenly to the grandchildren. They 
would mash the good butter with the sorghum until it was a yummy 
caramel color, then put it on hot biscuits, it was pure 
ambrosia.

After breakfast the men went to the fields and grandma did the 
dishes. Her grand children were willing helpers because they 
knew more adventures were in store with her. After dishes, 
outside to feed the chickens. Grandma with a big can of chicken 
feed, would call "chic, chic here chic, chic" and here they 
would come running, flying, clucking and scolding. She would 
throw the feed in a spray from her hand, scattering it so every 
chicken had a chance of getting its' fair share. It was at this 
time she would reach out and grab a nice plump one she'd picked 
out for supper. It would be fried or a big pot of chicken and 
noodles or maybe dumplings. No matter it would be delicious.

Next would be churning time, it was a very special time, Grandma 
would pour the thick cream into her churn. The churn was made of 
very heavy crockery and was designed bottle shape to sit on the 
floor. Grandma sat on her chair in the cool cellar and placed
the paddles in the churn. The lid went down over the handle at 
the center and fit snug. The handle would go up and down through 
the hole in the center. Grandma always sang at her work, keeping 
the rhythm and song together while churning. It was always a 
church song. It all went together perfectly to produce the most 
beautiful bowl of golden butter. She worked it and washed it in 
cool clear water until it suited her just right. Then it was 
salted to taste and placed in a covered bowl, then placed on a 
shelf in the cool cellar to be used as needed. Time to 
straighten the house. she used a big broom to sweep the floors 
and she dusted with a cloth that had a little kerosine on it. 
She made the beds-big huge feather beds-that she had made 
herself from her own chicken feathers. They were fluffed and 
fluffed until they wre just right and were pure heaven to sink 
into at night.

The day went on and on past dinner(that we call lunch) which 
certainly wasn't. All the mens chores were done before supper. 
After the hearty meal and the dishes were done, everyone retired 
to the front porch. Grandma and Grandpa would both sit in 
rocking chairs. Everyone else sat on the edge of the porch or on 
the steps. This grandchild will never ever forget the beauty and 
peacefulness: an exhilaration of this time. Grandma went to 
church every Sunday and all the hymns she learned there she 
would come home and teach to Grandpa. In the peaceful quiet of 
night they would rock and harmonize those songs, sometimes my 
uncle would play his guitar.

They sang and sang, it was truly-awe inspiring, almost reverent, 
really beyond description.

When yawns started, it all stopped for the day and everyone 
headed for bed. As you sank into those heavenly feather beds, 
the mantle clock would chime the hour. God was in his heaven and 
all was right in this world.
Zelpha Hudson Downer

Zelpha is a daughter of,
Bill Hudson-brother to Hazel Hudson Proctor

LUCINDA CATHERINE HUDSON
BIRTH NAME; ELLIOTT
NOVEMBER 15,1876 - MAY 13,1952

NEWTON SAMUEL HUDSON
JUNE 2,1872 - OCTOBER 10,1939

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