A Throwback….
A FESTIVAL, A DAY TO REMEMBER
by Theresa (VanderPutten) Byrne
Have you ever been so excited that when bedtime comes, you feel like you couldn’t possibly sleep a wink? When you finally fall asleep, it is a restless tossing and turning while your subconscious is still wide awake….
That was me, age 10, Friday night before the Farmers Market.
I lived and dreamed of the Saturdays that my dad and I would be up, before the rooster crowed, packing the trailer with baked goods, veggies and whatever else we planned to sell.
My sister, Virginia, and I had to take turns on Saturdays but she tended to like her rest more than the thrill of the open market, so many times I could convince her to stay home and let me take her place.
I could feel the excitement down to my fingertips, as we pulled into our selling spot among the other venders.
I was a born saleswoman and I loved people, so this was just ‘my cup of tea!’
I couldn’t understand my sister happily sleeping at home while all this was taking place, but I was glad to have taken her spot!
We would set up our tables and get ready; sales stared at 7:00 am sharp!
As the years passed I established quite a clientele for my baked goods. I hand-painted a sign that said,”Tweety’s Sweeties,” and many an old fellow would dream of Saturday and the fresh apple pies it brought!
I loved being in charge of our stand and my dad had time to wander and build relationships with other vendors, while I wheeled and dealed.
A couple of times we went and picked up trailer loads of watermelons, from the Ozarks, to add to our Saturday sales.
My younger brother got into hand-squeezed lemonade and we would put a big sign on him that said, “Follow me for fresh lemonade.” Then he would wander through the crowds of people and drum up business.
The Farmers Market manager ended up shutting down our superb advertising. I think other vendors were jealous at the amount of business this brown eyed lad brought in! haha
Good, good times! Good, good memories!
A few weeks ago when my Brendan excitedly told me about how Angelo, my youngest brother, was going to have booths and do a sale, all I could see was little me, just waiting for Farmers Market Day!
The day was set; the sale would take place at Grandma’s house. All the cousins were excited and we had two weeks to make our wares.
Devin, my husband, and Brendan decided on sling shots. (Devin makes a wicked sling shot!) They got to work, felling dead and overgrown branches, finding any limbs with a V shape. After trimming off extra leaves they had enough to make thirteen slingshots.
They let the wood dry and about a week later you could find us in our shop, the sander on and camo duct tape ready to go.
Devin cut to size, while Brendan and I sanded and then we all put them together.
This was a bigger task than it sounds but some great family memories were made.
As the day of the sale approached, the kids’ excitement mounted. Just like Christmas, half the fun is preparing for it!
The day before the sale we picked blackberries and Sienna and I made honey blackberry muffins. We wrapped them and priced them at 25 cents apiece.
Yay! The day of the sale had arrived!
At 5:45pm, on Sunday, the fun began. All the parents went traipsing down through the weeds, through some of Grandpa’s junk, down to the far side of my parent’s property. The boys had mowed a spot, set up little booths and a couple small tables for tired buyers….
(Ernie, looking frustrated because he’s last in line and going to miss the great deals! You snooze, you lose, Ernie! 😀 )
My younger sister ran a concession stand with your choice of drinks, snacks and fruit.
There was a booth of hand blacksmithed knives which were unique and priced to sell.
Then we had a couple booths with small toys and trinkets.
The ice cream lady was down the way and you could get a finger lickin’ cone for 50 cents!
My Brendan’s slingshots sold like hot cakes and he brought in a whopping $6.00!
Sienna’s blackberry muffins spoke to the more health conscious buyers, with Grandpa being her best customer! She sold out and was shopping within ten minutes of opening!
A true girl, she spent every penny she had on her, while Brendan saved back the majority of his earnings.
My nephew, Toni, had set up a game with a bunch of empty shotgun shells on different levels. There was a starting time and by it a bucket of gravel. For 10 cents you got a minute of time to try and knock down all the shells.
You should have heard the laughter as the young (and old) guys tried to outdo each other!
There was even a spot the boys had set up that, if you wanted to chat and chomp on your wares (or smoke a cigar) you could do it at their little outdoor coffee spot!
When our coins ran low, hot and a little bug-bitten, we headed back up to the house.
No amusement park, fair, circus or the like, could have held a candle to the fun the kids and the parents had that day!
Without a doubt, this was a day to remember!
“To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today.”
BOOK REVIEWS!
by Monseigneur Landriot, Archbishop of Rheims,
Translated from the French by Helena Lyons
“Long out of print, this rare jewel is destined to become the favored spiritual guide for Catholic wives and mothers. Msgr. Landriot gave these conferences over 100 years ago, but they are as relevant to us today as the Gospels. This book is a guide for women who want to achieve sanctity in the home. Reading this book is the best thing you could do for your husband and children, as well as for yourself. This book was published to help women to raise and keep their families Catholic.” – Loreto Publications
Sins of the Tongue or Jealousy in Woman’s Life
by Monseigneur Landriot, Archbishop of Rheims,
Translated from the French by Helena Lyons
“This book consists of fifteen discourses (four on Sins of the Tongue, three on Envy and Jealousy, two on Rash Judgments, two on Christian Patience, and four on Grace) that were originally talks given to laywomen of his diocese in the late 19th century. At the beginning the good Archbishop says I propose, my children, to give you some instructions on the tongue, and the faults which it causes us to commit. I shall commence today by speaking of the power and beauty of that organ, of the noble use which ought to be made of it, and of the many advantages we may derive from it. There is precious little teaching on the topics covered in these instructions which is accessible to the average man and woman of today.” Loreto Publications
Finer Femininity is a small publication compiled to inspire Catholic women in their vocations. It consists of uplifting articles from authors with traditional values, with many of them from priests, written over 50 years ago. These anecdotes are timeless but, with the fast-paced “progress “of today’s world, the pearls within the articles are rarely meditated upon. This little magazine offers Catholic womankind support and inspiration as they travel that oftentimes lonely trail….the narrow road to heaven. The thoughts within the pages will enlighten us to regard the frequently monotonous path of our “daily duties” as the beautiful road to sanctity. Feminine souls need this kind of information to continue to “fight the good fight” in a world that has opposing values and seldom offers any kind of support to these courageous women. Inside the pages you will find inspiration for your roles as single women, as wives and as mothers. In between the thought-provoking articles, the pages are sprinkled with pictures, quotes and maybe even a recipe or two…
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Available here.
Fun times! 🙂