By Raen Parker Washington
In the dappled sunlight, her stark white socks shone inside of new blue Mary Jane shoes. His overalls, stiff and unwieldy, crackle like vintage parchment having been pressed with determination by his grandma’s hands. Those hands had made the homemade love carried in their tins: lard biscuits with a thumb-pressed hole filled with molasses and a nice slice of crunchy fatback. The rusty red-clayed roadway seems to hum and their pail swings like a pendulum. His new shoes—functional not fancy—good thing as he can’t resist dragging them through the Appalachian dirt he loves. She walks ahead to the schoolhouse. After all, it was the first-day-of-school.
Whether you will be reminded of Julie Andrews or Kathleen Battle & Al Jarreau’s artistic cover of “My Favorite Things,” the whimsical naming of beloved items and moments has drawn us into enchantment. This iconic song has conjured brighter days, where simple pleasures like raindrops on roses and bright copper kettles have soothed a bee’s sting of sadness. In a reimagined twist, we have delved into your back-to-school favorites: unique shopping adventures, the weight of personal responsibility, binder friendship circles, culinary delights, and the occasional discord. Welcome to our Anderson Magazine story—a tapestry of tradition, habits, and practices—and mostly, anticipation. Thank you, dear readers, from the Pacific NW to the Midwest, Kentucky and Texas, Arizona, and coastal waters of the Gulf, Americus, Abbeville, Anderson, and all the way to the Atlantic (and up).
As the warmth of summer has faded, the air has vibrated with anticipation. The school bell has been poised to ring, calling us from the freedom of summer sun-drenched days by a lake or neighborhood pool, hanging in the park or hiking in the woods and fields, vacationing down home with kinfolk or making money for extra favorite things. Yet, before the chalk dust has settled and textbooks wrapped in newspaper or brown paper bags have opened, our back-to-school traditions have revived vivid and some buried memories. The sensorial experiences like the scent of freshly sharpened pencils and newly opened reams of paper and scented markers have brought smiles and ahas! We coveted Trapper Keepers, color-coordinated schedules giggles, and new wiggles. We have posed for pictures in front of fireplaces, front doors, at bus stops with neighbors of the same grades, and in living rooms with plastic furniture, daring us to sit. But, sit you must and reminisce on the twist: My Favorite Things 3.0
Girls with fresh-pressed plaits and swinging tresses have adorned their hair with barrettes and bows. Some have flaunted flat-ironed sleekness, while others have embraced billowy afros. Hair spray and gels aplenty have held up-dos, bobs, and white-blond curls in place and color graces the bold ones in places.
Autumn boxes, hand-me-downs, and homemade clothes, and Great Aunts like Alice, a guardian of style, have sent us autumn boxes filled with sweaters and skirts. These treasures, once gracing others’ wardrobes, have become our runway couture. We have twirled and whirled on Mama’s carpeted, wooden planked, or linoleum floor. Oh, moments we have adored! Fancy kinfolk up North and up North was a big city, have had an eye for fashion, and their hand-me-downs have made us feel rich in quality and memories in the lakes near Hartwell, the borders.
Belks, Macy’s, Rich’s, Jordan Marsh, Filene’s, Sears, Tapps, Murphy’s, and Walmart or Kmart—the names have echoed like magic spells. The original girl trips to shop, shop, and shop! New shoes, new “duds” or “fits” in search of first-day-of-school outfits of lacy socks, cool frocks, and timely clock pieces. Grown-er girls “have enjoyed taking younger siblings shopping,” and, yet others have waited until week two to sport their outfits! Some have even tried on jewelry that didn’t mean a thing til the ring got stuck, the release, and a mama’s spittle. That’s not a riddle—just hilarious.
Boys just a few, three-sport fellas, picked out their own new swag for the fall always mindful of how they would grow so tall. While others have been marched through aisles, seeking husky and well-hewn ToughSkin jeans with firm reminders: Keep your hands in your pockets. No looking at toys…we’re here to buy shoes and socks. And oh, the shoes! Shined to perfection, thanks to granddaddy’s named, Pete –and clothes they have carried us into the year and just like that, have been relegated to the next sized owner, “when I think about the clothes I have worn had two extra wearers by the time we all have outgrown them.” A trio of brothers’ school clothes have stood apart from Sunday’s best and play clothes. Now, that’s a different vibe for sure, today!
Meals at Paschal’s and Red Tomato were such a treat after travels and before the big day. Breakfast calls and milking, bacon, and biscuits have wafted up and down stairs, beckoning us to head the kitchen way. We have dragged ourselves from backrooms, barns, and gardens at daybreak, rolling out from trundles and bunk beds made. The first day of school has ever been in sight, and daylight has brought milking—raw milk fresh from cows or in bottles on porches or jugs from stores.
Retro lunchboxes and lunchtime’s own magic. Retro lunchboxes have lined the counter—each a treasure chest of sustenance. Licorice laces and thermoses have nestled alongside sandwiches fruit and chunks of cheese. Raw milk and fresh tomato juice, a luxury, have awaited us a taste of tradition in every sip.
Lunch money was more than a handful of coins entrusted to young hands. We knew our duty, deliver them to the cafeteria worker for a red ticket. That early responsibility has shaped us, as reliable and courageous. It has been a gift from my father, etched in memory.
Classroom setup crew with helping grandmas, mothers, wives, and daughters (and some sons) prepare as we did each year. “We have cleaned blackboards, designed welcome posters, and shelved textbooks. McDonald’s treats have fueled our efforts, and the scent of chalk dust has lingered in our hearts.”
Vaccinations and sugar cubes meant immunizations—smallpox scars and polio vaccinations. The sting of a needle is offset by midweek bicycle rides in the town square. Oh yeah!
As the seasons have shifted, we have stepped into new shoes, both literally and metaphorically. Back-to-school has been supplies aplenty, scented markers, and rearranging schedules and teachers; it has been a tapestry woven with threads of festive family tradition and your favorite things!
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