by June Tucker
Pearlie Aduddell also known as “Mom” or Mrs. “A” was the mother of thirteen children, six boys and seven girls. Twelve of the children were born at home and delivered by the same doctor. I assisted with the birth of the only set of twins, the eleventh and twelfth,when I was fifteen. She was a farmer’s wife and worked from sun up until sundown. She raised a very large garden and lots of chickens. My family enjoyed the last jar of green beans this Thanksgiving which she canned in 2000 at the age of ninety one. She canned lots of vegetables and fruits.
She spent her ninety-three years taking care of her family and sharing the fruits of her labor with friends and neighbors. If you dropped by for a visit, you always left with a dozen fresh eggs. She spent many hours at the nursing home visiting the patients that were much younger than she.
She and my dad were married 61 years. In 1999 she had forty five grandchildren, seventy one great grandchildren and numerous great-greats ( I have lost count since then).
My mother was truly a great example of the pioneer spirit of the Texas Panhandle, exhibiting hard work, integrity and perseverance in every area of her life. The year that I was born Mother and Daddy worked for a dollar a day picking cotton. With much pride they would say, “but we never had to go through the soup lines during the depression.” We were raised poor but rich. We were taught the love of God, honesty and how to work. The things that money cannot buy. I was very blessed.
You could always find lots of Dark Molasses Cookies on her kitchen counter. It was not unusual to see the young and old with a handful.
Mom’s Dark Molasses Cookies
Mix in the following order:
• 1 cup of dark molasses
• 2 cups of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Crisco
• 1 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 tsp. soda dissolved in a small amount of hot water
• 5 cups of flour
Roll into balls the size of a walnut, roll in sugar and bake @375 for 8 to 10 minutes until brown. Makes 6 dozen.
