Uncle Cliff

  

     Well it's time for another one of my many stories, so this one will be about my uncle Cliff. He was the second son born to my grandparents and Ma Jones always referred to him as her precious Clifford. I am thinking that this was because her first son died as a baby and then she had girls. I never understood why so many women thought boys were a blessing and girls weren't, because I think all children are a blessing from GOD. Well back to my story. Clifford Clinton Jones was born on July 11, 1913 and he was named for Ma Jones brother, Clifford Kilgore. Often called C C or Deacon he never had children, so all the nieces and nephews were his babies. He was known to often carry the boys hunting, fishing and just work in the garden. He always had a big garden

     Now Cliff loved to go fishing especially to Florida deep sea fishing. When he came home, we would always have a big fish fry in his yard on the Turners Chapel Rd. in Rome, GA. And we would have all the trimmings like hush puppies, slaw, baked beans, and potato salad. And never forget the deviled eggs. Since he had 6 sisters, the desserts were plenty. Banana pudding was made in dishpans. Cookouts were great at Cliff's house. And every fall around Labor Day, he would Bar-be-Que and the Brunswick stew was to die for. His 2 brothers(Charlie and Ed) would cook for about 3 days getting the meat ready. Usually this was a side of beef and plenty of pork raised on the farm. Since uncle Cliff and uncle James raised cows, we always had plenty. Chickens ran underfoot and you never could catch them even though Cliff gave us that job. I think I caught one when I was young but I didn't try very hard. I tried to stay at home when they killed the chickens and plucked them. That just wasn't for me. Well we all had a job of some kind. "You don't work, you don't eat." That is what would Cliff would say. I tried to help Ma Jones so I could stay in the house but she knew what I was about and put me to sweeping the yard. People always swept their yards instead of cutting grass. I guess that is why it was always so dusty.
     The one thing I always liked was shelling peas. I don't know why this was so much fun to me but any peas to shell, that is where you would find me. And snapping green beans-white half-runners were my favorite. I had rather have peas and green beans than anything. I guess that is why I still love them today. I could make a meal from peas, slaw, sliced tomatoes and onions. I could have been a vegetarian growing up. Any kind of potatoes that you fixed, I would eat. Especially sweet potatoes that my mom would fry and cover with cinnamon and brown sugar. Think that might be why I am a diabetic today.
     Back to uncle Cliff. I loved to spend the night with his and aunt Jackie. We would gather vegetables from the garden and cook supper. I liked to help dig up the potatoes and gather cucumbers. Patty-pan squash, yellow crook necked squash, corn, okra, and don't forget the tomatoes. Yum. Nothing was better than corn cut off the cob and fried in a cast iron skillet with sliced tomatoes and a biscuit slathered with fresh butter. The only thing that would beat it was a fresh blackberry pie made with berries that we picked in Cliff's backyard. WATCH for snakes!!! Now I don't think I ever saw a snake when I visited the country but we had to watch for them. Ma Jones kept a hoe handy just for that purpose. Especially in the gardens, between the rows and I thought snakes ate rats and eggs not vegetables.
   "Uncle" Cliff is gone now and all I have are the memories of his old wood house sitting on the hill and his cookouts. When I was about 10, he built a brick house where the wood house sat with a big Bar-be-Que pitt out back. And when anyone died, their body was carried to Cliff's house and everyone came to visit and pay their last respects. This was the last place I got to see the physical side of Ma Jones, Pa Jones and my mother.