They Shoulda' Been Italian

The Atkins boys' ancestry is very straightforward.

English on the paternal side – Atkins, Johnson, and Whittington

German and Irish on the maternal side – Ulbrich and McLaughlin

Let it be said that not even a trip to England and Ireland could convince the oldest Atkins boy that he would ever enjoy kidney pie, lamb stew, blood sausage or bangers and mash although he does like fish and chips as well as corned beef and cabbage. He hasn't been to Germany but he does like bratwurst and sauerkraut although he hates caraway seed no matter what it's in.

The middle Atkins boy will not eat any of the above. Forget the fish, forget the chicken, forget the pork, forget just about everything unless it is beef. He does occasionally eat fried chicken if nothing else is available and barbecued pork ribs are always welcome. His definition of vegetable is potatoes or corn on the cob.

The youngest Atkins boy loved everything until he got old enough to discover that his dad didn't like it. He does deserve credit for remaining more open minded on a few things such as pork, chicken occasionally, and certain kinds of fish. His definition of vegetable is slightly more expanded but he doesn't enjoy any of the ancestral food mentioned above.

The one cuisine all of them love is everything Italian although not one drop of Italian blood flows through their veins…………..as far as we know.

Sphagetti and meatballs? Hooray! Lasagna? Even better! All-time favorite? Pizza! Of course.

The lasagna pictured above graced the Atkins Boys' dinner table last Sunday. They don't get it often because the family cook refuses to spend the time required to build it.The recipe came from a lovely Italian woman who lived in Worthington, Ohio, in the 1950s. Her name is Ginny Piecoro. Her secrets to perfect lasagna were to always include a little piece of pork in the sauce and always let the noodles dry a little while after cooking and before adding the sauce. Her definition of perfect lasagna was that it must hold its shape and not have sauce that runs all over the plate. Although we've lost track of Ginny, I know she'd be pleased that her lasagna is an all-time Atkins family favorite recipe. Her lasagna rules have become our lasagna rules. Just look at that perfect square with no runny sauce. Ginny would be proud.

Remembering An Earlier Atkins Boy

Although this blog is about the three younger Atkins boys, there is one very important Atkins boy who needs to be immortalized. That would be Asa Carl Atkins, Sr.

The younger Atkins boys received many of their traits from him. He was quiet, reserved, and very deliberate. In fact, he sometimes deliberated so long before beginning a task that his nickname was Speedy. Before he could start something new, he had to first go through all of the reasons it could not work – something the current oldest Atkins boy also does. This sometimes drives his wife a little bit nuts.

Once something was worked out, however, he never wavered from his task. He is probably the only person to ever hand dig and finish an entire basement under his existing home after recovering from a heart attack at age 64. After that, he dug and finished a 10-foot-deep cistern to provide the first running water they ever had. He could do wiring, plumbing, and just about every other task associated with building. Nothing that he built ever came apart. It was a family joke that he never used anything smaller than a 16-penny nail.

Asa Atkins, Sr., loved puzzles and riddles. Although he had only an elementary school education, he spent hours solving complicated math equations. He liked nothing better than to be able to stump his friends and relatives with questions they could not answer and problems they could not solve. The younger Atkins boys definitely did NOT inherit his love of math!

What we remember long after someone's life has ended is sometimes unexpected. The writer of this blog feels that she was endowed with the highest praise a father-in-law could have given when, during his last illness, he told her parents they had raised a fine daughter. The feeling was mutual – Asa Carl Atkins, Sr., was a fine man. He raised a fine son who raised a fine grandson and now that grandson has raised a fine great-grandson. Asa Carl Atkins, Sr., would be proud of the kind of men they are today – those three Atkins boys who came after him.

The lone female of the family is allowed to say this.

There's A New Girl In Town

Her name is Hannah Oliver.

After twenty-one years of seeming disinterest in all things female (at least as far as his immediate family was concerned), the youngest Atkins boy appeared with a little beauty by his side during the Christmas holidays.

Now grandparents don't want to seem too inquisitive and pushy during that first encounter so no one asked that famous Southern question: "Who are your kin?" In fact, no one even asked her last name.

Little Miss Hannah is a great conversationalist, though, and volunteered the story of how she and Greg met. It seems that her student apartment is across the hall from Greg's student apartment and she was scrubbing the floor one day when he came in. Greg seized the moment, declared that she shouldn't have to do that, and promptly took over the scrubbing chores. Considering that none of us has ever seen Greg scrub anything except his car, this was an earth shattering revelation! It earned him the nickname of "Scrub Boy" from Hannah's grandfather he hadn't met.

A subsequent dinner has turned up the information that, in addition to scrubbing, Hannah cooks (even vegetables), she sews, she's studying to be a teacher, she has written a children's story, she likes Italian food, she is a nanny to one-year-old triplets, and she has to wear a little bit of sparkle somewhere. Oh, and she has a certain blog listed on her internet Favorites.

The most important advice Greg has received from his Atkins elders when it comes to females is to never, ever, ever choose a Southern princess who expects to be waited on hand and foot while sitting on her throne and always expecting more. It seems he has listened.

The preliminary verdict is in: The middle Atkins boy thinks she is not only drop-dead gorgeous but also really nice. The oldest Atkins boy described her as looking like Katie Holmes except prettier. The youngest Atkins boy obviously agrees with all of the above plus more. The lone female of the family thinks Greg chose the perfect girl to be the only one he has ever brought home to meet the Atkins family. We can't wait to get to know her better.

Rat Patrol Update

Several months have passed since Scott's rat patrol adventure. Thinking he was finished with the exhumations, he completely dismantled the infamous back seat. Being a frugal Atkins boy, he rummaged through his fabric remnants, found the perfect gray corduroy, and, voila, the next thing we knew that back seat was as good as new. In fact, it was probably better than new.

The front seat was in much better condition (he thought). Uh oh! Not so fast! Two more skeletons turned up proving, once again, that one can never depend upon being able to reuse anything when one is restoring an old car. Another total rebuild was in store.

Now the middle Atkins Boy is not only frugal; he is also very persistent. After a lot more stuffing than he anticipated and a lot more cutting and sewing, here is the result. So take a look everyone. Is this not a work of art?