When we were all really young I remember staying with Aunt Babsie (as she was to all us WV Hillbillies) when Mamaw Lil was at Cleveland Clinic and swimming in the pool at her apartment complex. We got to see the Indians play (this was back in their "Major League" days) and had no problem getting seats right behind home plate. With under 1,000 in attendance I'm pretty sure we could have sat in right field and no one would've gave a damn. And when we were even younger I recall visiting and going to that evil, awful whale/dolphin hating Sea World. But we had fun, despite the suffering of the aquatic critters. I think it was during this trip that we visited Lake Eerie with her and remember really digging the green rocks on the shore. I remember her changing her dog's name to Freedom instead of Frenchie (I believe it was) after 9/11, when everyone was sure they thought they knew what REALLY happened on that horrible day. I remember her spending SO much time at Mamaw Sal's and her, Mamaw Sal and Mamaw Lil and Papaw all sitting around the card table many a Friday and Saturday night playing gin rummy I think it was, and me being bored out of my mind. But we had fun. The absolute BEST memories I have were all of the summertime cookouts we'd have at Mamaw Sals on the red, back porch with all of Sally's homegrown veggies. Playing croquet and lawn darts in the backyard. And I remember the last conversation I had with Babsie when I called her, much too long ago, and she told me the secret to her and Chessie Milam living such a long and fruitful life was their habits of clean living and their loving families. And she empahsized that. We very much love and have missed our Aunt Babsie.
The Hills
