Robbie Lee (Minter) McLarry: Superchick

By Stephanie (Mattison) Cain

Yesterday, Mom and I had a long conversation. We talked about her [Robbie Lee] garden mostly. Grandmother was, apparently, an avid gardener, and she was willing to take on challenges that I would never think of . . . like growing white popcorn from the kernels in a Jolly Time Popcorn package. She also developed a way of starting her tomato plants early. She made a "hot frame" and she kept it in the pump house.

Mom and I also talked about hog butchering day, which, according to Mom, usually came about this time of year -- after the first freeze. Not only was slaughtering and butchering a hog a major piece of work, but most of it had to be done in one day, including making sausage!

And, all of this work was done in freezing cold, often with sleet/or spitting rain. The next day, Grandmother would put a sugar/salt cure on the hams. The hog fat was melted for lard, and, later in the week, she would make soap from the lard.

The woman was amazing! I miss her more and more as I grow older.

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Stephanie is a granddaughter of Robbie Lee (Minter) McLarry (b.1902 - d.1964). Robbie Lee, who married Guy McLarry, is the daughter of Brice Anthony and Myra Lee (Walters) Minter.