Pork Rinds and My Mom
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 2:05 pm
This is not so much a story, but a brief insight into my mom’s past and her current circumstances.
My mom grew up in the Texas hill country back in the early 1930’s. There were 11 kids which included 2 sets of twins, my mom was one of them. They lived in a shack on the banks of the Frio River near Leakey, TX. They had an outhouse (2 holer), kerosene lamps and a water hand pump in the kitchen. Weather permitting they would go down to the river to bathe and there was a huge wash tub on the back porch to wash clothes every weekend.
Everyone had to work, so when mom was barely a teenager she got a job at the local soda fountain and grill. I don’t know if that is where she learned to cook, but boy she could cook. When we were growing up she could fix a pan of hamburger helper and make you think it was a cut of New York Prime Rib. Her southern fried chicken in an iron skillet would make you get up and dance around the table. We always had 3 meals a day and clean cloths. She was always home when we left for school and when we came home.
My Mom doesn’t cook anymore, she had a stroke back in 2016, but recovered quite well physically. Between home health care and my sister she has had almost 24X7 care. Her speech is still difficult to understand after the stroke and sadly I think now her memory is starting to go. Mom will soon turn 88 years old.
My brother was at her house this past week so I drove over to see him and mom. We had lunch and had a great time sitting out on the porch talking and enjoying the great weather we had that day. When I first arrived she was looking at a group of all the family photo’s in a large frame hanging on her wall. She knew me and my brother, but started asking the names of some of the grandkids and great grandkids. She remembers events from her own distant past, but has trouble with events in her recent past. When she can’t find words to express herself she gets frustrated. She gets confused easily and then gets emotional and cries.
While we were sitting out on the porch, mom said she wanted to snack on some pork rinds and something to drink, so my brother got her the rinds in a small bowel and some milk, she loves milk. In a while my brother and I noticed that she had eaten some of them and instead of drinking the milk she was now pouring it on the pork rinds making pork rind cereal of them. We just looked at one another and my brother went and got her a spoon.
Pork rind cereal, that’s a long ways from southern fried chicken.
My mom grew up in the Texas hill country back in the early 1930’s. There were 11 kids which included 2 sets of twins, my mom was one of them. They lived in a shack on the banks of the Frio River near Leakey, TX. They had an outhouse (2 holer), kerosene lamps and a water hand pump in the kitchen. Weather permitting they would go down to the river to bathe and there was a huge wash tub on the back porch to wash clothes every weekend.
Everyone had to work, so when mom was barely a teenager she got a job at the local soda fountain and grill. I don’t know if that is where she learned to cook, but boy she could cook. When we were growing up she could fix a pan of hamburger helper and make you think it was a cut of New York Prime Rib. Her southern fried chicken in an iron skillet would make you get up and dance around the table. We always had 3 meals a day and clean cloths. She was always home when we left for school and when we came home.
My Mom doesn’t cook anymore, she had a stroke back in 2016, but recovered quite well physically. Between home health care and my sister she has had almost 24X7 care. Her speech is still difficult to understand after the stroke and sadly I think now her memory is starting to go. Mom will soon turn 88 years old.
My brother was at her house this past week so I drove over to see him and mom. We had lunch and had a great time sitting out on the porch talking and enjoying the great weather we had that day. When I first arrived she was looking at a group of all the family photo’s in a large frame hanging on her wall. She knew me and my brother, but started asking the names of some of the grandkids and great grandkids. She remembers events from her own distant past, but has trouble with events in her recent past. When she can’t find words to express herself she gets frustrated. She gets confused easily and then gets emotional and cries.
While we were sitting out on the porch, mom said she wanted to snack on some pork rinds and something to drink, so my brother got her the rinds in a small bowel and some milk, she loves milk. In a while my brother and I noticed that she had eaten some of them and instead of drinking the milk she was now pouring it on the pork rinds making pork rind cereal of them. We just looked at one another and my brother went and got her a spoon.
Pork rind cereal, that’s a long ways from southern fried chicken.
