My “little” brother and his wife celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last weekend with a big celebration at one of the restaurants here in town. It brought back so many memories of our earlier years growing up here in Kosciusko.
I am several years older than my brother, and I always wanted to be the boss of him. Well, he had other ideas. When he was born, I thought he was going to be my baby doll like all my others that I played with. That was until I spent my summers babysitting him. This baby doll cried, wet his pants, had to be fed at a certain time and just all kinds of things to mess up my life as an ONLY CHILD.
He was the baby at that time, and he got away with lots of mischief that only the youngest can. I remember one time we were down at my mama’s garden and had started up the hill carrying a pan of vegetables, and he had his new Daisy BB gun. He shot me in the behind for no reason, just because he could. Of course, I had on enough clothes that it really did no damage, but I thought I had been shot by a 22 rifle. He thought it was funny! Then there was the time he tied my leg to the dinner table with his Will Rogers lasso. I started to get up and turned over the tea glasses and moved the table. Again, he thought it was funny. Of course, with him being the baby, he never got in trouble.
The memory of his wedding day will always be a good-bad-melancholy time for me. I was devastated he was getting married and leaving home. I remember walking to the back of the church, dragging one little boy and another on my hip, looking at his bride and telling her with threat in my voice, “If you ever hurt him, I will kill you.” Now that probably made her want to run for the back door and forget him. But I’m so happy she didn’t. She is my love sister, and I cherish our friendship, lasting over 50 years.
I do love my little brother, and I might have told my sister-in-law this weekend that the threat was still ongoing.
This is my Brother’s favorite pie:
Pecan Pie
1 premade pie crust
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
¼ cup of melted butter
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups chopped pecans
Whisk brown sugar, corn syrup and melted butter until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, and combine. Pour into the pie crust, and bake 45 to 55 minutes on 350 degrees.
