Do you often take highway signs for granted? Especially a familiar one you see on the highway? What do highway signs mean? What do you think of when you see a familiar sign on the highway? Whenever my sister and I approach the above sign, in addition to selecting our destination we often reflect on our past.
The sign toward Veroia (Veria) brings up images of the nearby village of Kostohori. I see the five plus year old version of me with vivid snapshots playing like an old black and white movie. My yiayia (Gandmother) is calling me to accompany her to the chicken coop. Ela adaka, (come here in Pontian). The memory of her voice is as clear as it was decades ago. It caresses my soul and fills me with love.
Going to the chicken coop was a ritual I enjoyed. I held one side of the gray metal bucket full of corn and other grains, believing I was helping to lighten the load for my yiayia. Upon arriving at the coop and before letting the chickens out, Yiayia put her hand on my shoulder cautioning me not to run and chase the chickens. Then, with an expert move she took handfuls of the feed and showered the ground with it. Black, brown, and white chickens raced and devoured their meal. While they feasted, Yiayia and I went to their nests to gather the eggs. “Yiayia why are they dirty?” I could not understand why the eggs had straw and brown spots. “When the chickens lay the eggs, they are moist and pieces of hay and dirt stick to the shell.”
Just one sample of how a sign on the highway leads me to a past memory.
For information about Veria and cleaning eggs, I offer you the following links.