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Josephine Evans Ash Continues to Write About “I Remember” in 2021 By Dr. Charles L. Singleton
Josephine Evans Ash Continues to Write About “I Remember” in 2021 By Dr. Charles L. Singleton
On February 10, 2015, The Summerville Journal Scene, Summerville, South Carolina Poet and Family Journal, USA & Overseas Fishermen’s Hall of Fame First-Ballot inductee 2020, Josephine Evans Ash wrote the unforgettable poem “I Remember.”
Do you remember the white and green house on Dorchester Road, that sits behind two oaks trees; I call them the oak trees with no tail.
I remember.
Do you remember Buddy & Toochin, the way it all began?
I remember.
Queen, Catherine, Jack and Son, you know, ‘Cat man.’
I remember.
Do you remember the children, grands, great-grands, and great-great-grands?
I remember.
Do you remember going to the white and green house to spend the night, being in bed as soon as it got dark? Closing the shutters on the window. It was so dark in there.
I remember.
Do you remember Granny never frying anything; everything was cooked on the top of the stove.
I remember.
Do you remember the homemade ice cream and chocolate layer cake – oh yes, let’s not forget about the Kool-Aid too.
I remember.
Do you remember getting up early on Monday mornings to go in the field to gather vegetables? Going to work on the wagon pulled by the mule?
I remember.
Do you remember eating half-rotten fruit, vegetables and tainted meat, but Granny had a way of fixing it, so you’ll never know?
I remember.
Do you remember Buddy never in the field with us working but sitting under the tree telling us what to do?
I remember.
Do you remember lunchtime, Granny saying, “Yena come and get ya sweet rolls!” I remember.
Do you remember having sweet rolls and bologna and of course Pepsi soda?
In 2020, I Remember Homemade Lye Soap Made from Lard.
I remember “living in the country” during the late 1950s and 1960s. This was a time in the rural areas of Dorchester County, South Carolina, when locals got all the cooking grease (shortening), or lard rendered from hog fat and would take it to my great-granduncle "Bubba Chris and great-grandaunt Patsy Flood's" house.
In their backyard was a big washpot (a large outdoor metal pot that was used for boiling clothes over a hot open fire). They would put all the greasy lard into this fired up washpot and would let the grease come to an extremely hot boil.
Then, they would keep stirring this fatty oil until it became hotter and hotter. Afterwards, Red Hot Devil Lye (sodium hydroxide) was added to the alkaline mixture, which was carefully poured into a mixing container until hardening.
Now, that was how you made soap! I remember, we used the homemade lye soap for mostly scrubbing heavily soiled clothes and personal health reasons. I think sometimes Mama would use Lye Soap or Octagon Soap to wash our sores.
