FRIENDS- Mrs Roy Lytle

     When I was growing up in Rome, GA, we had a next-door-neighbor by the name of Mrs Roy Lytle. I never knew her first name so we just called her Mrs. Lytle. Her husband died earlier so I didn't meet him but she had four daughters. Joy married a Wood and she had a son we called Bunky but I think they named him Lytle. Merriam had 2 children but I don't remember their names, a boy and a girl. A daughter named Virginia and  Nessmith And she had two girls. Susan and Allison Spurlin.  I remember the girls the most because they spent alot of time with their grandmother. They usually spent 2 weeks in the summertime and we would go to Vacation Bible School at the First Baptist Church on Fourth Avenue. Plus we had tea parties, lots of tea parties. Mrs. Lytle had a beautiful tea set for grown-ups and she would fix us tea and little dainty finger sandwiches. This was the first time I had tasted cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches. I still love them. They were cut from the bread with fancy cookie cutters. Now this was a genuine tea party. Sometimes she even made cheese straws. We had the best of good times while they visited. When the children would leave, Mrs Lytle was so sad that I would  go keep her company. She had a big front porch with hugh white rockers. We would rock and listen to the noise from the school yard. I just couldn't wait to start to school. After school sometimes she would walk across the street with me so I could swing. I couldn't cross the street by myself.
     Now one of the things I most remember about Mrs. Lytle is that she was forever going on a diet. She really wasn't fat just robust. She would eat salads with cottage cheese. This was the first time that I have ever tasted this dish and I have loved it ever since. She served it with pears sometimes with a little grated cheese on top and it was great. But my favorite was with pineapple. Sometimes she would add a little food coloring to make it pretty or top it with a cherry. Yum-yum. And she would walk around the block for exercise or we would walk on the Neely school yard around the City Clock. I am glad she was my friend.
     The last Christmas that my mom and dad were together, I remember wanting another doll. Dad said that I had to many dolls that I needed something else. I had just realized who Santa was and I was very up-set.
My Christmas Eve schedule included blowing out the candles, hanging up stockings, setting out fresh coconut cake and coffee for Santa and kissing mom and dad good-night, and saying my prayers. The last thing that I asked for was Santa to bring me a doll. After going to bed, I forgot to check and see if my stocking was hanging. I think I forgot it and you just didn't forget your stocking. As I went by the tree, I noticed a doll setting just partially behind the tree. This wasn't a new doll, it was my old favorite but with new clothes. And beside her were 3 more dresses and a coat and hat. These were beautiful dresses. I almost cried. I picked up each one so very carefully to check them out and try them on my baby doll. They fit perfectly and were my favorite colors. Red, blue, and orange. I was so excited that I didn't hear my dad when he sat down beside me. I just knew that I was in trouble, but since it was Christmas, he decided it was okay. After all, I was his favorite girl. He let me play for a while and then he told me that it was bed time and I needed to get some sleep. I was 12 years old. Later, dad told me that Mrs. Lytle had made the clothes for my doll and dressed her. She had given her a good bath and fixed her hair so she could wear the hat. I never forgot her for that and later when I married, she gave me the tea set. Unfortunately, I lost it in a house fire. I will always treasure the memories of her and taking time out for a little girl. What I never knew was she was lonely and enjoyed my company.
 I have just found a Georgia death record for Mrs. Lytle and she lived to be 102 years old. I can not imagine all the accomplishments to happen in her world of 100 years. Going from a woodstove to electric. I bet when she was growing up, they had fireplaces or wood heaters. Or even used coal for heat. Cars, electric lights, telephones, TV's, microwave ovens, and computers.  Oh what stories she could tell us if we had only asked. My husband says she went from being a pioneer to seeing a man walk on the moon. I will always remember her and her friendship. I will also know that because of my words, other people remember her and she isn't just a name on paper but according to a family tree on Ancestry my dear friend, Mrs.Virginia Elizabeth Bishop Lytle, my next door neighbor.