on top and carefully strain it into milk pans. At this point, my sister and I and our older brothers would be waiting with a drinking glass in hand for Mother to fill our glasses with a refreshing drink of warm milk. Mother would skim the cream off the pans of milk, churn delicious butter, and the family enjoyed the buttermilk. Regardless of where my Mother would hide the pans of cream, my oldest brother, Horace, could find them. All of Mother's sons and daughter enjoyed her delicious 100% whole-wheat homemade bread with freshly strained milk. Horace was the only one that I knew who would put sugar on top of his bread and milk. CREATIVE FATHER My father, having five boys whose shoes were in constant need of repair, devised an iron foot where the shoe could be placed. He would repair his growing sons' shoes until they were adults. In that he was a barber before he was married, he put this talent to good use on his boys as they were growing up and even after they were adults. During the early spring, I would watch my dad plow the earth and plant vegetables for our use such as peas, carrots, turnips, corn, and lovely tomatoes which had a flavor that was so special. Mother was an excellent cook and prepared delicious meals with many of the garden staples raised by Dad. She didn't have the conveniences we have today in storing and refrigerating foods. Many, many times she would have relatives of my dad and hers who would come by for a visit that often lasted for days. I marveled how Mother met the challenges and prepared many tasty meals. Though mother used some white flour, she mostly used whole-wheat grain in various ways. In the evening, she would put some whole-wheat kernels in a pan, cover them well with water, and set them aside overnight. In the morning, she would cook the kernels which made a delicious breakfast cereal. When my sister and I took homemade lunches to high school, we would find delicious sandwiches made with 100% whole-wheat bread. These were very nutritious and satisfied us until we returned from school. Mother was always health-conscious about preparing food for our use. Years later, I remember mother and Aunt Ida Farley Ferrin attending health lectures seeking to make their menus more nourishing. The family well remembers the large dripper pans in which Mother baked the most delicious apple dumplings. She would make a slightly-sweetened creamy milk which could be used over the dumplings for those that desired it. Dumplings were one of her granddaughter Shirley Marriott Murdock's favorite dishes.