Red Supplies the Copper

On the coNUNdrum of the Senior Brigade who wanted their own status:




Hi honey,

I'm worn out! I've searched and searched for an old penny with my birthdate on it. I give up! Here's a pile of pennies and I'm assuming there's one in there that matches but I just can't keep on looking knowing there's always a chance I won't find one. Will you please accept this instead?

As for what I could have bought back then with those old pennies? Why, darling, I remember going to the store, and for one rusty penny, I came home with a fistfull of gumballs, or a pocketfull of licorice sticks. Oh, and I'll never forget that penny which bought me the neatest rubber ball that bounced higher than anything I'd ever seen before!

Also, my Daddy believed that a job well done was worth rewarding, and I was mighty eager to please him.  Not like today when kids won't hardly get off the couch to take their empty glass to the kitchen.

Daddy would ask me to help Mama with the laundry. I'd gather up all the girl's dresses and put them in the ringer washer (we were one of the first in the holler to have one). I worked all day on laundry, helping Mama watch the little ones while she prepared the evening meal for the men. When Daddy came home, the laundry was done, folded, and put away, the little ones were quiet and fed, ready for bed. And, the table was set complete with a fresh gingham tablecloth. Stewed chicken and dumplings, green beans from the garden with a piece of fat back and chopped onions floating in the pot, cornbread and potatoes mashed with fresh churned butter and whole milk from the morning draw.

Oh, I'm telling you, when Daddy sat down, he grinned from ear to ear while reaching in his pocket to give me a shiny new penny for my hard work. The best part was when, after the meal was done, he would ask Mama if he could walk me into town. I loved catching those winks shared between them. Off we'd go, proudly holding onto that strong, rugged hand I loved so much while tightly clutched in my other hand was that cherished penny.

My, how times have changed! That's how my pennies were spent back in those days. And, my dear, thank you for allowing me to walk down memory lane this morning. What a delightful journey it has been!

Love,
Red

No, thank you, Red, for sharing those memories with us.  Congratulations on your official entry into Rusty Copper Status.  Additionally, we'll  accept that bag of pennies on behalf of ALL Rusty Copper candidates (those born before 1947).  Now applicants need only send in their tails (pun intended) of what the penny meant to them.