Remembering back in the 60's & 70's when we lived up north in Chicago. Mom & Dad would work hard all week on their jobs, as soon as the week end would come around many folks were headed to Lake Michigan to go to the beach, every weekend we couldn't wait to go to our Grandparents house, by the way, it was always what we called, "the Green House" yep! you guessed it, it was green, out in the western suburbs, a tiny little town at that time, called Keeneyville, Ill. just a few miles west of Addison, Ill. on Hwy. 20 also called Lake st. in Chicago.
We had a very large family back then and we would all get together and it was always a lot of fun, getting together with all my Aunts & Uncles, Grandparents, Mom and Dad, not to mention the rest of our immediate family and of course all of my cousins.
Many times, with all of the relatives that would show up, we would easily have anywhere from fifty to a hundred people and sometimes perhaps slightly over. Food! Oh man, whatchu talkin' about! Of course, Grandmother's cookin' was more than just good, it was wonderful!! ...Oh! not to worry, there was always plenty.
In fact, not only would Grandmother cook, but they would even bring food. We didn't have restaurants back then with buffet's, we never even heard of that back then. Fast food places had not even really caught on yet, like the golden arches, or burger king. I do remember KFC, but our family chicken dinners would easily knock the socks off of any of those places, after all, there's nothing like good ole' Home Cooking.
In fact, not only would Grandmother cook, but they would even bring food. We didn't have restaurants back then with buffet's, we never even heard of that back then. Fast food places had not even really caught on yet, like the golden arches, or burger king. I do remember KFC, but our family chicken dinners would easily knock the socks off of any of those places, after all, there's nothing like good ole' Home Cooking.
My Grandmother's name was Dovie, she was a beautiful lady, she always wore her hair up in what was called a "dovie knot", I never saw my Grandmother in anything but a dress and it would swirl every time she would turn around. I can still see my dear old hard working Granddaddy in his bibbed overalls, his name was Bill McGee, his real name was William, but folks that knew him called him " Bill" but of course he was Granddaddy to me.
He was born and raised in Moscow, Tennessee back in the late 1800's. in Fayette County, just a little southeast of Memphis, Tennessee. But as with most people back in those days, jobs were scarce, and with the big family they had and needing to take care of all those kids, they loaded up in an old truck and headed north, everything had to go with them, chickens, chicken coups, goats and other animals too and moved to the Big City of Chicago.
Daddy said the reason they took all those things was so that when they got to wherever they were going they wanted it to feel like home, sorta like they never really left. They often referred to that trip like the old American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939 " The Grapes of Wrath".
He was born and raised in Moscow, Tennessee back in the late 1800's. in Fayette County, just a little southeast of Memphis, Tennessee. But as with most people back in those days, jobs were scarce, and with the big family they had and needing to take care of all those kids, they loaded up in an old truck and headed north, everything had to go with them, chickens, chicken coups, goats and other animals too and moved to the Big City of Chicago.
Daddy said the reason they took all those things was so that when they got to wherever they were going they wanted it to feel like home, sorta like they never really left. They often referred to that trip like the old American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939 " The Grapes of Wrath".
After we all got together and would eat till we were plum full and of course everyone pitching in an getting all those dishes done, the older folks would all gather round sitting on couches old cane chairs, lawn chairs and even some sitting on buckets, us kids would end up sitting on the floor. they would start telling story after story and then they would get out the guitars and other instruments and they would sing song after song, us kids would sit at their feet and just listen, folks just don't do that anymore. The fabric of the family has deteriorated so much down through the years, it's rare that you hear of families doing this any longer. This is where I got the thought of "Bye! ...Gone days" hence, the story you are reading.
Think about what has become of the family, people say they just don't have time anymore, technology has consumed them, I certainly appreciate technology, I use it everyday, but some are satisfied with just a text message, or perhaps a tweet, or maybe even an email occasionally, but I still enjoy that face to face time, being with folks that you love and appreciate being around, for me nothing will ever take that place.
- Here's an idea! wouldn't it be good to use the technology we've all come to enjoy and start contacting those that you care about and love and say something like this, hey! just wanted you to know that we're all getting together ( pick a certain place and a certain time ) and wanted you to bring a dish and we're just going to sit around and enjoy one anothers company while we sing and talk about the " By Gone Days!".
I'm making my plans now!
Hoping you enjoy!! :-)
Praying with you in mind,
Ev. Frank Mc Gee ~
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