Toad - One Of A Kind

Well, it has been determined I should write a postscript to my Mother’s Day Tribute to my Mother. I heard from quite a few family members (and some I expected to hear from but didn’t) about memories of Mother.

One said, “You didn’t tell about her working in tobacco”. Another said, I didn’t mention the grandchildren. Someone thought I didn’t talk about how hard she worked.

My memories of my mother could fill a whole book, maybe two -- even a whole library but if I wrote all of those stories most of you would be really bored and never finish it.
So to keep harmony in the family here is a postscript and more insight about my mother.

Like I said in my earlier blog my mother was a very hard worker and could hold her own against any man working in the field. She loved working in the tobacco from the time the tobacco bed was burnt and sowed in February or March until the time the tobacco was sold at market in November or December. She knew how to plant it, hoe it, dust it for cutworms, top it, sucker it, and cut it. She could stick it and spear it faster than my dad. She even had her own spear. It was hard work and getting gummy and dirty never bothered her. She didn’t mind riding the trailer to pack it in the barn and when it came to grading and tying it off she was very particular about her grades and how to pack it into the baskets. She wanted it look nice as to get the best price at the market.

When my oldest niece was born she was so proud to be a grandmother. When she was old enough to talk my mother did not want to be called Granny and she told Pam to “just call her Toad”. That had been her own nickname when she was small. Of course us kids tried to rile my mother by teaching Pam to call her Granny Toad. We, of course got a “talking to “ and it was explained to us in no uncertain terms she wanted to be called Toad.

As she had other grandchildren, the name stuck and all the grandkids called her Toad. She loved everyone of her grandchildren and never showed any favoritism. There was Pam, Dockie, Vikki, Tawnee, Debbie, Jason, Lisa, Don, Little Roy, Doug, Jenny and Brad. She loved for them to come visit and was always happy to see them. She was so proud of all of them.

Again, she was so proud of her sons in laws and daughter in law. I think they were all proud of her and would do anything for her. Her son in law, Dick, always teased her about cooking squirrel and gravy for him. So one day she thought she would fix him. Somewhere she got hold of a couple of squirrels some one had killed and she put them on to cook.

When supper time came and everyone was sitting at the table she placed this bowl of meat and gravy in front of him. She passed him a biscuit and says “OK, Dick there is your squirrel and gravy”. Poor man, he had a stunned look on his face staring at those little drumsticks swimming around in all that gravy. Knowing there was nothing he could do but eat it, he began to ladle gravy onto his biscuit. “Here, have a little meat with your gravy”, she says and proceeded to place a drumstick on top. Now he was really in a pickle, he had to eat it. He did make it through supper but from that day on he never asked her to cook him anything special again.

Another of the things that made her a great mother was that she never interferred in our married lives, she never took sides, she never gave advice unless you asked for it. She never gossiped. If anyone needed help she was always there. She was very quiet and easy going.


As she grew older she was commonly referred to as Toad among her family and friends - it was a name she loved to be called. When she passed away, the minister that officiated at her funeral spoke these words, “When I met her and referred to her as Mrs. Holloway - she explained to me that her name was Toad . With no offense to anyone and no disrespect to the family in my sermon today I will refer to her as Ms. Toad".

One family member said she was “One Of A Kind” and I have to agree. I am often reminded of this saying:

“In all the world there is no other who can take the place of my dear Mother"

A mother's love will never be lost as long as they are remembered. Memories live on in our hearts and minds forever.

That’s it for today.