At the Table With the McGuire Family
Sunday gatherings at my grandma Ethel and granddad Jim McGuire's home always meant a full house of not less than 50 people for dinner.
After hours of cooking by the women, the big, long, oilclothcovered kitchen table was ready for supper to begin. Granddad was seated at the head of the table, his head bowed in prayer. When he raised his head, it was a signal for the men to start grabbing for the food. Men always ate first, then the children, and last, the women—if anything was left.
Then the piles of dishes were waiting. I was usually the one chosen to do them. After carrying buckets of water from the well, I heated the water and began my chore.
In the summer of 1962, Aunt Goldie Markum came
