Playing House

My parents, Ruby Frances Crowder and John Jackson Hunt, were born within 100 yards of each other in Lattimore, NC. Daddy was born in 1922 and Mama in 1926. Walter Dalton says they are so much a part of each other that their names are intertwined - JackandRuby sort of like Jack-o-lantern.

Daddy remembers how pretty Mama looked when he saw her as a little girl hoeing cotton in Lattimore. Mama is beautiful inside and out and is possibly the only person who can hoe cotton and still look beautiful. Mama remembers how cute Daddy was as a 12 year old, wearing his short khaki pants and driving an old red pickup truck around Lattimore. In those days, no drivers license was required.

Daddy also remembers that Mama loved to play house. He remembers seeing her when she was a little girl playing house on the side of the road in Lattimore using old bottle caps for cups and saucers. He says she has been playing house ever since.

They have set up house in Cliffside, NC where Daddy practiced dentistry; in Ft Bragg, NC where they served during both WWII and the Korean War; in Shelby and in Lattimore where they raised five children and 11 grandchildren; and in Raleigh where they served for 22 years in the NC Legislature.

When Mama sets up a house, she works at it. She thinks about colors, fabrics, furniture and accessories. And she thinks about comfort. Mama's house is pretty, but it is also warm and inviting. And it is always about serving whatever friends and family are there.

In the Lattimore den, hanging over the fireplace, there is a print of a woman and several little children on a picnic. The woman is nudging one of the little girls to offer a plate of food to a little boy. Mama said she loved this print when she first saw it and she bought it because "I wanted to teach my little girls to serve".

I love the print too, but Mama is the best model for learning to serve.