My Grandma Austill - Her Hearing Aid & Spinach!

Caroline "Carrie" Rettig-Price-Austill

Carrie Rettig-Price-Austill was my mother's (Marie Ruth Price-Cline) mother.  She was a quiet lady who wore a hearing aid most of the time.  When she had her hearing aid in her ear, she was soft spoken.  One Sunday after church, I went home with her for a few hours.  I played near her with childhood toys she kept in her closet for me.  All of a sudden, she said something to me so loudly it frightens me.  My parents said I got up and ran the three blocks home.  She did not have a telephone at the time, so she walked to my house behind me to learn what caused me to run off.  I told her she had never yelled at me before, and it scared me.  My mother laughed because she knew how Grandma talked without the hearing aid.   I think Grandma was embarrassed.  From that point on she never took her hearing aid out around me and I always looked to see if it was in her ear.  Back in the 1940 and 1950s, hearing aids were about the size of a nickel, flesh colored, and worn outside the ear.  They were visible, unlike they are today.  

Grandma’s parents were both German.  Their parents immigrated to the USA in the mid-1850s.  Louis (Ludwig) Rettig immigrated from Evangelisch, Kandel, Pfalz, Bavaria through the Port of New York on 11 May 1852.  He first settled in Louisville, Kentucky where he met Elizabeth Bell Milch, who he married later that year.  Elizabeth immigrated to America from Speyer, Pfalz, Germany in 1850.  After they had married, they moved to Evansville, Indiana where they raised fourteen children.  Carrie’s father, Fred Joseph Rettig, was one of those children.

She grew up hearing German spoken and could understand German, but she did not speak it as well as she understood it.  In 1939, when Germany declared war on Britain and the rest of Europe, American-Germans were embarrassed to speak German.  That was the time older German’s learned to speak English.  Few future generations of German-Americans spoke English after World War II.  Her German-American upbringing shaped her personality.  She believed in cleanliness and was very frugal.

Another thing I remember about her was how she taught me to like spinach.  When I was about five or six years old, I was spending another Sunday afternoon with her.  Grandma started cooking supper for us.  The vegetable was spinach.  After she had cooked it, she ate some of it and went on about how good it tasted.  She said there might not be enough for me.   She then put a big helping on her plate and a small serving on my plate.  That was not her normal way of feeding us.  I watched her eat it and heard her make noises of delight.  She had me wait until after I ate everything else on my plate before eating my spinach.  When I finally tasted it, I thought it was the best vegetable in the world.  I still like it.   She taught me many things in her unique style.  It is odd what we remember about the ones we loved after they are gone.  I loved her very much.

Next week we will take a look at Grandma Austill's unique apartment and learn more of her philosophy of life.  

Memories of Sikeston, Missouri

                                         

Most of us who grew up in a small town have fond memories of our hometown.  For me, it was Sikeston, Missouri. We could walk anywhere, anytime and by yourself, if we wanted.  We knew the neighbors on both sides of our house and usually many more neighbors.  If my parents were not home for some reason and I needed an adult, I just went to a friendly neighbor.  We knew all the neighbor kids that went to school with us too.

I have posted pictures to bring back memories of the place.  From the library to the Bank of Sikeston with its painted mural (I believe it is a Thomas Hart Benton mural) on the back wall, to Kirby's Sandwich Shop.  Everyone knew you, and we were kind to one another.

  

Those of us born in the mid-1940s experienced a freedom of movement that children today could hardly imagine.  We could get on our bikes and ride all over town as long as we were home by the time our Mom told us to be home.  I was blessed with good loving parents, but I am sure there was some child abuse back then too.  We just never heard of it.  Not one of my friends talked badly about their parents.  Their siblings were another story.  That has not changed over the years.  It was not perfect, of course.  The relations between Blacks and Whites were not acceptable. Many Whites had a feeling of superiority over Blacks, and I was uncomfortable with that back then, and still am today.  As a child and teenager, you just seem to go with the flow.  Today, I defend my opinion, when different than the majority, in as non-offensive manner as possible. 

   

Who could forget the Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo?  I looked forward to purchasing my western clothes for the rodeo, the Rodeo Parade, and learning who the movie or TV star would be that year.  I wish I had saved some of the programs to remind me of all the stars that appeared at the Rodeo while I lived at home.

    

     

Another great memory is of the Gay 90's Village and all those moving and loud musical instruments.  I begged my Dad to take me there all the time.  We would go out to the Village about once a week.  Sadly, it is gone now, but I am grateful to Mr. Eakins for restoring all those beautiful instruments so they can continue to bring joy to old and young alike.  My husband Tom and I visited Eureka Springs, Arkansas in 2006.  In the lobby of one of their historical hotels stands one of the larger models roped off to the public.  In the front left corner is a sign stating, "purchased from Paul Eakins of Sikeston, Missouri."  Just think, I played the instrument in the Gay 90's Village weekly.  Today, it is by special invitation only.  I think a bit of each of us remains the child from our hometown.  Our hearts skip a bit when we connect to those formative years.