Tommy’s Turn

My “little” brother Tommy, pictured here with granddaughter Morgan, turns 60 today. Welcome to the club. LBeau and I are at my sister Margie and her husband Alan’s condo in Destin celebrating with Tommy and his wife Susie (the famous Susie that Laurie writes about).

I used to tell everyone that Tommy was three years younger than I because he was three years behind me in school. The truth is that he is only about 2 1/2 years younger, and at our age that six months makes a huge difference.

KBeau, Kathy McGuire, Tommy, David Law

Our early years were spent on Crestwood Road in Camden, Arkansas. The McGuires lived next door and the Laws lived across the street. We spent most of our time outside building pine straw houses, playing cowboys and Indians or playing Kick the Can under the street lights. Notice the clothesline complete with clothespins in the photograph above.

When I was in sixth grade and Tommy was in third, we moved to our new house on the Chidester Highway. We were sandwiched in between our grandparents, Grancy and Poosie, and Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe. Uncle Bob and Aunt Chris live on the other side of Grancy and Poosie. There we could ride horses every afternoon after school or fish in the pond behind the house.

Tommy had his own room while Margie and I had to share. Tommy, however, had to sleep with the deer head hanging over his bed, which I’m sure didn’t bother him at all. He had a BB gun at a young age and got his love of deer hunting from Daddy. Every Thanksgiving he makes sure my boys get a chance to hunt.

Tommy helps Brent skin an 8-point, Thanksgiving 2003

In honor of Tommy’s birthday I made Grancy’s Devil’s Food Cake. This was the birthday cake we always had when we were kids. Here’s the recipe from A Pinch of Salt, published by the Camden Junior Auxiliary in 1971. Susie suggested that I link to Foodie Friday. This will be my first time to participate. Be sure to visit Gollum for more delicious recipes.