The Flour Sack--Monday Memory

This story is about Granner.

Granner had fragile health. She would get feeling low and have to rest to get her strength back. One particular time, she was feeling low, but had the weekly bread to make. She was trying to open a new bag of flour.

The bag was one of those cloth bags with a string to sew it shut. You opened it by catching the string just right and then it would unravel and open the flour bag at the top. She would then have Digger pour the flour into a 5 gallon tin can she kept her flour in.

The kitchen was set up like this…the kitchen was on the main floor, then there were 3 steps down and a landing which led to the outside door.

Digger was standing on the landing, the sack of flour was sitting on the top step and Granner was standing in the kitchen and had a knife trying to catch the string and open the flour sack.

Digger was taunting her. He was saying “Come on Inez, get the sack open.” “I don’t have all day, Inez.” “Hurry up Inez, hurry up.”

With each taunt, Granner grew more irritated and less able to open the flour sack until finally…

She raised the knife above her head and thrust it with all her might into the flour sack, then with a swift left to right motion, slit the sack open and flour went everywhere.

She then stormed out of the room and slammed her bedroom door.

My mother, who had been watching the whole thing asked Digger why he did that, when he knew how bad she felt. He replied, “Oh, don’t worry about it. That will raise her blood pressure and she will be good for several days.”

There was a love in that statement that should not need further explanation.Do you have a family story about love