From under my hat (1952)

From under my Hat —he was blond and blue-eyed, she dark-eyed and brunette— but they were exactly alike in temperament and spirit. I like to think that the twins— Mother and Uncle John, two truly good and great people— sit together up there in heaven, maybe eating apples, while they look after me. Unless you happen to have been born into a big family equipped with healthy appetites, you have no idea of the labor that goes into cooking three squares a day, washing dishes, baking, cleaning house, doing the family wash, and ironing. I was strong as a horse and was at it from dawn to late at night. I liked working alongside my mother. She was a fine housekeeper; it made you proud just to see how fussy she was. Our buckwheat flour was wonderful, specially ground. If a neighbor happened to drop in on the way to town, Mother would say, "Sit down for a minute. I'll have a mess of buckwheat cakes for you in no time at all." We had six different ways of making lemon pie, so in our family lemon pie never got monotonous. We baked bread several times a week. I'd set it before going to bed, then get up with the chickens to knead the dough and make the loaves before the kitchen warmed up, so it would be ready to go into the oven when breakfast and the dishes were out of the way. I was baking cakes when I was still in pigtails. My specialty was devil's-food cake. Instead of using layer tins I baked the cake in one big sheet, then I cut it, put frosting between three layers and frosting an inch thick on top— caramel frosting, at that! My brother Sherman got sick of working in the market— he was only paid a few dollars now and then, when Dad happened to think of it— and went to work for a man who would pay him a regular salary. So Dad told me to help him in the market. I've been asked at times if Hollywood hams don't scare me. Once you've looked a four-legged hog in the face and dissected a side of pork, no two-legged ham is going to seem important enough to frighten you. 28