Sunday, June 28, 2009

Summer Hankies

Hi Everyone,


I'm posting this from my archives. My work schedule and the work on the new old house that I've purchased is taking so much of my time these days but I should be posting again regularly in just a few weeks and  be showing you some pictures of the cottage. It's really a bungalow build in about 1910 but I am so in love with her. This post always reminds me of my summer days in my childhood. Take care and stay cool.  













Wow it's summer here!!! We need rain... just a day or two of cool soaking drizzle; I can almost fall asleep thinking of how pleasant it would be. Last Saturday it reached 100% and the humidity was nearly unbearable. Anyway it puts me to remembering my childhood. Today I opened a box of vintage hankies. I can remember hot Sunday afternoons on the porch with Mother, Grandmother and the Aunts always wearing cool, light summer cotton or linen dresses. I know my Grandmother or Mammy Rogers never wore a pair of men's breeches in their lives and the Aunts never wore them on Sundays. It seemed cooler then, I can remember the slow quiet conversations and each lady had a summer hankie tucked in the sleeve of the dress or discretely in the bosom ( I don't think we could say that word back then) to shoo a fly or heaven forbid pat at a tiny bit of perspiration. There was talk of of course of the weather, and the approaching July 4 Th week. My Aunts worked in factories, the week of the 4 Th of July was always vacation week and the factories would be closed. At our home it was corn week. I can remember days of pulling ripe sweet ears of golden corn. Bushels would be picked, shucked, silked, and quite a bit cut off the cob although we also froze quite a bit on the cob too. My Aunts Estelle and Mable would blanch the corn while Mother and I shucked and silked and through the week we would work hard and enjoy every minute of it. Then would come the weekends of picking butter beans by the bushel and wonderful Dixie Lee peas. even today I don't think of it as work and I love to shell butter beans and peas. I won't go into the squash and tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers. There is just nothing like farm to table food.




Now back to the porch and the southern ladies of the 50's and 60's. Well there is nothing quite like they were either. Sunday seemed to be the day of enchantment. The hard working Aunts sitting back so lady like. There was always some quiet gossip among the group; all in good taste and no harm intended until my Mother, the youngest, would say something completely scandalous that would for a moment or two would send the sisters rolling with laughter while Grandmother would fan herself vigorously with her hankie, clear her throat quite loudly and the Aunts would quiet themselves still smiling a little bit behind their lacy floral hankies. Have a great week and stay cool.... !

Monday, June 22, 2009

Good News --- Sad News

Hi everyone. I have so much to post but just a little time so I will start with the good news. My Grandson graduated on June 13th. He just turned 17 in April and we are all so proud of him. My daughters and grand daughters visited also on Saturday. We had a nice little party and the girls are growing up so fast. I have pictures but I'm still working on this problem with the computer but hopefully I will be able to post pictures soon and you can see how beautiful the children are.

Now for the not so good news. Last Sunday we discovered that a mama kitty and her 3 babies had been dumped at my neighbors house. She hates everything especially cats. "The eyes light up so they must be demons". Anyway I asked her if she would give me a few days, I'd put food for them in my yard and try to coax them over; while in the mean time trying to get in touch with a local rescue group. She promptly called animal control the next day while I was at work. They trapped the little mama and killed her right away leaving the babies behind. The next day they trapped one of the babies and killed it too. This because they determined they were wild. The next night another of the babies got into the trap at 8:15 PM. It stayed in that trap 13 hours crying and pleading to be freed. It was killed after being in that trap for 13 hours. On Friday they were not able to get the third baby in the trap. On Saturday the president of Merlin's Song feline rescue brought a trap and we put it in my yard. The baby went in and I was watching. I brought this baby in and not only is it only about 5 weeks old, it is not wild but just as sweet. I can cuddle and love it. It even let me take it gently out of the trap with no fuss at all. When I think about what happened to the mama and siblings it just breaks my heart. She has had them set another trap today even though we told animal control that the last kitten is gone. She hates that I have a cat. My kittie is always an indoor cat but this woman is determined to cause all the trouble she can. She wants all cats and dogs dead. Now she swears that she is a good Christian, always chanting the bible. But she thinks that all animals have demons and need to be destroyed, well I think there is a demon in the mix here but I don't think it's the animals. I'm looking for a place to move. We had planned to buy this house, it has family ties and lots of memories. Never think that you can come into a challanged neighborhood because you love old houses and believe that things are turning around. I wanted so to be apart of this community coming to life again but the investors will grab up the properties and drugs will win no matter what. I will miss this place but I love the country and even if we end up in a doublewide or newer house it will be home, safe for all of my family; furbabies and all.

Blessed Soltice

As we welcome the coming of new light let us spend time reflecting on the days and loved ones past. Remember that we are a part of what life...