Part 6

No matter how comforting the smells of the kitchen were, we always ended up outside under the big tree regardless the time of year. Almost as if it drew us. This massive creation of mothernature is the largest tree I believe I have ever seen even to this day. It always seemed to be a place to play for the kids and a meeting place for the grownups. Underneath it on the back side was a rough makedo table that was used for skinning any meat that was caught or a good spot to clean fish.
The table was also in demand during hog killings. It held utensils and bowls of meat. I was always a tenderheart child and hated to see the hog hanging from that tree but as soon as I'd go inside and smell meat on the stove cooking or the spices from making sausage, hunger would win out and I'd forget my sadness.
There was one other thing under the big tree, and that was a wrought iron swing. No matter how hot the day was, it was always cooler sitting in that swing. Facing the swing, Granny sat on the left side with a flyswatter in her hand and granddaddy sat on the right with his pocket knife and a stick, shavings littered the ground at his feet as he whittled away.

Amazing that sometimes I can't remember how I felt at great moments in my life but I can still remember the smells surrounding me while sitting around that tree. Smells of the pecan trees and persimmon trees and the wood pile nearby and the smell of grandaddy's tobacco. Those are all part of my childhood. Smells of food, dirt, trees, of wood burning or waiting to be burned. The smell in the sheds where hams were curing, the flowers in the beds outside the kitchen or even the smell of a chicken coop. Those are just odors to some but to me they are talismen that trigger memories of my childhood. Carefree happy days ,that at the time, I was living in them I had no idea the impact they were making on me. Writing this makes me miss those days and the people, but as long as I can hold on to the memories and the ability to conjure them, through one of my five senses, I know that they are close by and will live on.