Left to Right, in order of age: Ann, Minnie, and Martha, taken in Minnie’s apartment.
Memories are meant to be shared. That’s what a friend told me a while back after his wife died. He no longer had that privilege to share memories with his wife, and it left a hole in his heart.
I recently returned home from a two-week trip to New Mexico and Alabama, visiting my two sisters. Most of our time we spent rehearsing memories of our childhood. Those times we treasure as valuable for our continued life travels. It had been 17 years since the three of us had been together, and that event in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 2007 we celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary for Bill and me. This recent time in Alabama, we concentrated on our Laird family.
One day for lunch we three sisters went to the Dew Drop Inn in Mobile, Alabama. The food was excellent. I’ve never had fried oysters and fried onion rings prepared any better. But that small local restaurant is special for our family. When our Dad dated our Mother who lived with her sister, Julia would enter the living room to say it was time for Tom to go home. They would sing a line or two of “Too Much in Love to Say Goodnight,” and Dad would leave. Walking on his way home, he would stop at the Dew Drop Inn to eat a bowl of chili. That was in the early 1930’s. The Inn is now 100 years old, established in 1924. That’s history, and continues to this day. We tried taking a selfie photo with the sign overhead, but it’s a poor shot.
Then we stopped by the Dutch Ice Cream Shoppe for a few dips of our favorite treat. Ice-cream is a Laird tradition. During our growing-up years, Mother would make two or three gallons of ice-cream each Saturday, which Dad would churn in the hand-operated freezer. Those flavors satisfied our craving for dessert after every supper meal. My favorite flavor was frozen buttermilk, for it’s like a tangy pineapple sherbet. She also made peppermint and vanilla ice-cream with evaporated milk.
Along with rehearsing past memories, we sisters made new memories to cherish for our todays.
Ann Coker 
I Fondly remember your mother’s (MY Aunt Minnie!) DEEElicious Homemade ice cream. Whenever we went to Mobile to visit all my Aunts, we often stopped at your parents and enjoyed that Ice Cream. Later after I was married, Ray and I often made Homemade Ice Cream on the week-ends! Enough to enjoy all week long!
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Yes, ice cream was a Laird tradition which continues to this day. Good to know you also enjoy the special homemade treat.
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