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Memories of Golde Dicks Markham (1996) Golde Markham Dicks 21/125

After Tribble and Emerald came along, Ma gave me more and more responsibilities.
After Opal and Fay were bom in the early 1920s, I got so tired of washing dirty diapers.
When Mrs. Nettie came to help with Fay’s birth, .she cooked a meal for us before she went

home. With Ma in bed, it was my job to get supper on the table. All this time, Tribble and
Emerald were fighting, Opal was crying, and I didn’t even get a chance to look at Fay until

that night.
Opal was very frail at birth. A silver dollar could have covered her face, and she would
have fit into a shoe box. When Ma was able to get out of bed and do some household chores,
I would take Fay out of bed and cuddle her up in my arms. I loved her dearly. But I didn’t

like washing diapers for two babies.
Opal cried for Ma but she couldn’t take time to sit and hold her, so I took more
responsibility for Opal. During the winter months, Ma held a blanket by the fire and wrapped

it around Fay. I warmed one and wrapped up Opal and slept with her to keep her warm'.

ICk ore5

I had many jobs when I got home from school. I changed from school clothes into
work clothes to shuck ears of com, put them through the com sheller (C.M. now has that

com sheller), and feed the chickens1. Next I gathered the eggs which involved crawling on my
belly where one old hen insisted on stealing her nest under the crib. The crib was built so

close to the ground I had1 to really flatten myself to get under there. I filled the wood shelf
full of wood for the fireplace. Then I had to fill the woodbox in the kitchen. I also had to put
fat splinters in both places to start the fires.
Next I had to get on Old Beck, one of our mules, and ride down to the pasture to get

Old Kitty, our milk cow. I carried a three-gallon zinc milk bucket. I also used a quart zinc
cup. I milked the cup about full then emptied it into the bucket. After I finished the milking, I

returned to the kitchen, put a boiled piece of sterilized gauze material over a sieve, and
poured the milk through the strainer into big bowls. 'The cream rose to the top of the milk,
and we Skimmed the cream off, put it into ajar, and shook it until it made butter. I then

washed the butter and added a little salt. The milk that was left in the jar after butter was
made became our buttermilk. Oh, how good1!
After putting away the milk in the screened safe, I then had to take all the water

buckets to the well and draw water to fill the buckets. I put one on the water shelf and a
couple in the kitchen. Next, it was time to fill the kerosene lamps. I usually had to wash the
chimneys because they got smoked up so easily. The wicks also had to be kept trimmed.

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