Trilla Pando: Stirring up memories

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Stars From Miss Williams
December 7, 2005

Mildred Fleming has lots of Bainbridge memories.  She’s had plenty of time to collect them since she moved with her husband John and baby son Johnny into his family home on Shotwell Street in 1939. 

She tells stories of having student pilots from the airbase living in her house while John was off at war.  She’d get up in the night to stoke the temperamental coal furnace so the fellows could get their rest.  She tells about the dance studio where many, many Bainbridge children learned to perform.  She tells about how an ornament John designed and built hung on the White House Christmas tree. 

Mildred has been telling lots of these stories lately, because she joined an OWL Circle, the Older Women’sLegacy Circle, sponsored by the Art’s Council, the Post-Searchlight and Story Circle Network.

Some of Mildred’s best stories are about her sons.  (Johnny was joined by Billy not too many years after the move to Bainbridge.)  When Mildred brought this story to one of the meetings, several OWL members proclaimed it far too good not to be shared.

Here is  Mildred’s story!

A true story of a little white Spitz dog named Skippy, his master, Billy, and his first grade teacher, Maria Williams.

            A story such as this could only have happened in a safe little town like Bainbridge, Georgia around 1950.

            Every day that Billy went to school and attended Maria William’s first grade class, Skippy went with him and quietly stayed under Billy’s desk.  When the recess bell rang and the students filed out, Skippy also took his break and filed back in when recess was over.

            Each month Miss Williams made cutouts of an animal for each of the first graders to place their attendance stars on.  For this particular month, a cutout of a duck was chosen.  She made one for each of the students, but she also made one for Skippy with his name on it.  Billy’s name was on his.

            This particular month Billy had his tonsils taken out and could not go to school.

            Instead of staying home, Skippy trotted off to school as usual by himself.  He marched into class with the other students when the bell rang.  He went straight to Billy’s desk and lay down in his usual place under the desk.  None of the students seemed to think this strange or unusual for Skippy to be under Billy’s desk, for Miss Williams had explained to the class that Billy was sick and Skippy was taking his place.

            Each day a student was present, Miss Williams placed a star on their cutout for the month.  Mothers of the students were invited to attend the last class of the month so that when she gave out the attendance ducks the children could give them to their mothers.

            Each student was called to come to the front of the class, to the teacher’s desk to receive their attendance duck.  When Miss Williams called Billy’s name she also called Skippy’s name, and both of them went up to her desk where she gave Billy two ducks, one for him and one for Skippy.   Billy was happy that Skippy had also received a duck, but when he counted the stars and saw that Skippy had more than he, his question was, “Why does Skippy have the most stars?” 

            She lovingly explained to Billy that Skippy came to class when Billy was sick.

When is a dog not just a dog but a family member instead?

            In honor of Skippy and all the dogs a child ever loved or a grown-up understood, here are two recipes that I’ve shared before.  They’ve been taste-tested by my Frank and my granddog Mannie who proclaimed them both outstanding.  (They really love the one with liver.)

Yummy Peanut Butter Treats

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (or substitute whole-wheat)

1 1/2 cups oatmeal

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup warm water

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix water and peanut butter together then blend into dry ingredients until you get a firm dough.

  Shape dough into an oblong roll, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for an hour.

Lightly grease two baking sheets. Slice roll into 1/2 inch slices, place on baking sheets and bake for about 50 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.

I rolled these out and cut them with a bone-shaped cookie cutter.  The dogs didn’t seem to notice a difference.

 These cookies are a mess to make, but aren’t our pooches worth it?

Watch Your Fingers Liver Snaps

1 pound chicken livers (or any other liver)

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour (or substitute whole-wheat)

1 cup cornmeal

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Place chicken livers with their liquid into a blender and blend until smooth.  Add the egg and blend a minute more—this is the messy part.  Pour into a bowl and add the flour and cornmeal and stir until the batter is smooth.  Pour into a greased or sprayed jellyroll pan.  Bake for 14 minutes or until brown.  Cut into small squares while still warm.

Store these in the freezer.   

            The Arts Council is considering starting a new OWL Circle after the first of the year.  If you are a woman over 50 and would like to learn about writing and sharing your memories please call the Arts Council at 243-1010 and leave your name, number and whether you would prefer a day or evening group.

            Please share your special food story with me.

Trilla Pando is a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance & the Story Circle Network