Luvenia Duckett (1906 – 2005)

July 11, 2011 § Leave a comment

Mrs. Duckett–we called her Luvenia–cooked for our family for at least 30 years.  She was quiet and modest.  My father called her a “good Christian lady”–high acclaim since “lady” was never used by whites to describe blacks.    She could not read or write but had a powerful memory for recipes; most had never been written down. She made the most delectable whole wheat biscuits.  I would visit her when she became infirm and kid her
Mrs. Duckett worked for our family for at least 30 years.

Luvenia Duckett (1906 - 2005) with my neice Mary Earle.

about all the biscuits she had made for my mother for parties and receptions.  She would just hang  her head–tired of thinking about those biscuits.  Once I tried to get her to let me videotape her making biscuits.  She agreed but would place herself in front of the camera so you could not see her preparations.  She would just laugh when I ask her to move.  She and I were allies of sorts.  We would save pieces the of white meat of the chicken  for my dog.   She would make a large biscuit for me that I could have later.  She and I would sit in the pantry together when it thundered.  I sat there with her because she was afraid of lightning.  She recalled the time when she saw a lightning fireball come down the chimney, cross the room and go out a window.  « Read the rest of this entry »

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