grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Archives for 2012

Let’s Make a Deal

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I get not one second of peace to enjoy my coffee until Lucy and Annabelle have walked, peed and pooped. Out the door we go first thing in the morning. I am a vision wearing whatever I throw on to stay warm – today it’s gray sweat pants, my Rivercrest Colts t-shirt underneath a sloppy navy sweatshirt, purple windbreaker, Ugg boots, dirty ponytail and no makeup. Lovely. Even though the sun is barely awake, I wear my sunglasses so that no one will recognize me and to hide my puffy morning eyes.

Immediately out the door I hear Debby Rogers call my name from her car. The dogs gave me away. She is off to work, looking like she just walked the runway at fashion week – her hair is always swingy and shiny. She sports those stylish glasses everyone, who is anyone, wears. And she’s clean. I’m sure of it. We briefly chatted before she drove off likely thinking, “Wow she’s really let herself go since she quit the bank”.

The dogs and I happily continue down the sidewalk, waving to John as he drives by and turns at the corner. He’s off to a doctor appointment and then to work. Somebody has to work. It’s a gorgeous winter morning in Dallas. I am reminded of my favorite Bible verse: “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118:24 King James. I prefer King James.

I stick my hands down into my pockets to keep them warm.  They are full of stuff.  Truly, I am not a packrat. I can easily discard things without a second thought.  Strangely, I have managed to accumulate all sorts of little things in both my pockets. I feel around and identify plastic bags to pick up dog poop (proper city etiquette), a dry cleaners receipt (I must remember to pick up John’s shirts), a tiny sample of makeup from Newcomb’s (Estee Lauder Biscuit), my grocery list from yesterday (we were nearly starved), and a large package of Fruit Stripe gum, which I bought at the Wilson grocery store when my mother and I did a drive-by of Johnny Cash’s house in Dyess last week.    

I should be on Let’s Make a Deal, but properly attired of course. Remember that show? Is it still on? Monty Hall made random deals such as cash to the maniacal audience member who could quickly produce a box of macaroni from her purse.  Or a pink curler.  Or a pair of socks.  Or Fruit Stripe gum from Wilson…  Wait a minute. Something did not feel quite right…? Something was missing! Where were my keys? I turned my pockets inside out on the corner in front of Harry’s house, which immediately became a super fun game to Lucy and Annabelle. My pockets had been so weighted, I had assumed my keys were inside. But I had Fruit Stripe Gum instead! And I didn’t have my iPhone. I always had my iPhone! It was my life line. Pitiful.

Quickly, the girls and I ran to Russell and Terri’s house – 4 houses down from ours. They were unlucky enough to be home – the car was in the drive. As I knocked, Lucy and Annabelle jumped at my feet smearing up their glass front door. I saw Russell inside on his iPad. He couldn’t hide. Plus he had to help me, he’s a preacher. He’s dedicated to helping those less fortunate. He took an oath or something. I thought about quickly turning my back to the door and smearing some of that Estee Lauder Biscuit on my face, but time was of the essence. Once John left the doctor, he would go to his office which was near the airport – far, far away.  

Inside we go – Lucy and Annabelle running wildly all over the room with leashes swinging – so excited to be calling on a neighbor so early. What fun! And I looked like a haint in this getup I was wearing. I had coffee breath and had not yet brushed my teeth! I sure hoped he had not read the story of my brightening facial a couple of weeks ago. He would immediately know it did not work, and it was a total waste of money. I explained my pathetic situation, and he graciously set out to help me.  (We do have GREAT neighbors!)

I could not remember John’s cell number to save my soul. It’s programmed on my iPhone so why clutter my head with those numbers?  Russell handed Terri’s laptop to me but evidently when I am makeup-less, I am also computer illiterate.  Finally I stumbled into Facebook and onto John’s page to see if his cell phone number was listed.  Of course not.  Who does that? (me) Ironically, the first thing that flashed on the crazy new Facebook timeline ticker was “Today is Russell Floyd’s birthday! Wish him a happy birthday!”  Really? WhatWereTheOdds? So, I gushed over Russell, wishing him a happy birthday, trying to convince him that was the real reason for my early morning visit. 

The dogs were rowdy, jumping on their clean furniture in their clean, dog-less, child-less home. This was the moment I experienced my first official day-time hot flash. Terri came into the room to remind Russell that she had a flight to catch. I think she was starting to get nervous that the dogs and I would be riding to DFW Airport with them to swing by John’s office, completely stinking  up their clean car. Finally, Russell brilliantly sent John an email (I remembered his email address).  And thank goodness, John headed back home to save me from myself.  

At 8:15 I’ve already had a day.  I think this afternoon I will make a pie from Nana’s recipe box – for Russell.  Russell deserves pie! It’s his birthday. And southern girls always cook in times of need.


talya


Musical Pairings:
Alison Krauss & Gillian Welch, “I’ll Fly Away”

Is It Winter Yet?

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Dallas weather is EXTREME. There is no other way to describe it. The temperature often ranges 50 to 60 degrees within a twenty-four hour period. Summer is hellish with weeks and weeks and weeks of 100+ temperatures and terrible humidity. Everyone begins to snap at each other from the heat and bad hair days.  Acres of ranch land ignite and burn. Boats run aground from lack of rainfall. The tap water tastes like algae by Labor Day. Finally, when everyone is at the point of seeking counseling, that first cold snap hits around Halloween and yay, it’s fall, the best season of all, for about 14 days. You dare not blink.

As you begin to let your guard down to recover from the broiling summer, you realize it’s one week before Christmas and the pumpkins are still on the porch.  Overnight, all the trees have gone bare.  When did it become winter?  Does the Earth spin more quickly on its axis now?  Did Al Gore double-check this while inventing global warming? Although super short, Dallas winters do often include bursts of crazy cold from Canada which are brutal to our thin, watery blood unprepared for icy temps.  Combined with Texas winds, the chill is often below zero.

Snow!

Last year we received over a foot of snow one day in January. It happened so quickly the weathermen, who were probably in their inclement weather prayer group, completely missed the forecast. They are still red-faced about this. In contrast, so far this year, we have managed to skip the cold messy weather completely, wearing shorts in December and eating lunch outside on MLK Day. It makes for nice dog walking weather, which Lucy and Annabelle appreciate.  


I want changes of season.  I want to see snow in the winter and sun in the summer. (But a normal amount of each would be preferable.) If I suddenly wake from a coma, I want to be able to look out the window and know what time of year it is based on the color of the leaves on the trees, not because the leaves are burnt to a crisp. I could never live in a place with the same weather month after month – that would be monotonous.  I will not go on a Caribbean cruise for Christmas.  It just doesn’t seem right, plus there is the whole “some people mysteriously don’t come back from cruises” issue. And the “I’d rather have a root canal than wear a swimsuit in December” issue. Ok, so I have issues…

This is the time of year that I start to get antsy.  I’m ready for yard work.  I need to clean the flower beds and trim the bushes and sweat.  It’s cathartic.  I begin to anticipate the tall purple irises that will soon pop up on the blades in the thick groundcover surrounding the fountain.  I thumb through seed catalogs and dream of the day when I will not be limited to my city postage stamp yard and container herb gardening. Winter teaches patience.  I know that underneath the ground, the bulbs and roots are hibernating, warming and waiting until the perfect time to show themselves. 

I think I’ll drink my coffee this morning on the porch and have a little chat with my pansies. They probably have some insight into our crazy Dallas weather.  Yes, I talk to my plants.

Last Spring’s Irises.  
talya

Musical Pairings:
Dean Martin, “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!”

Reading Talking & Library Gossip

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I love libraries. In junior high I volunteered in the school library for Mrs. Perry, our librarian. She taught me how to sort and arrange books, and how to properly align them on the shelves. I dusted the book jackets and wiped down the reading tables at day’s end. I loved the smell of the books and the lemon pledge. I still do.

While visiting my home town, I planned to spend some time at the public library, which was one of the only places with wi-fi.  I was looking forward to this, because I had fond memories of that place. Growing up, my sister and I spent many a hot summer day there. We walked to the library while our mother had her hair styled a few blocks over at Lucille’s Beauty Shop. This was when kids could play outside all day long and not end up on the 6 o’clock news as a kidnapped, decapitated victim. This was when the primary crop in the county was cotton, instead of crystal meth.

I remembered the building well.  It was a stately, two-story, brown brick building with large white columns in front.  Inside, the space was serene, clean and organized – everything I came to love. The librarian commanded respect with her low voice. She looked and acted the part.  A card catalog whiz, she was kind, yet strict and orderly. I’m sure it was in her job description. I became best friends with Nancy Drew in that very building.

Fast forward 33 years:  Oddly the building had mysteriously shrunk. The columns seemed smaller. The inside was tired and chaotic. Most of the reading tables had been replaced with study carrels equipped with computers – a sign of the times. The two remaining reading tables were covered with cardboard boxes of books – seemingly donated – haphazardly stacked, uncataloged and unorganized, leaving no room for actual reading!  Checking out a library book seemed almost secondary there. It was a sad state of affairs. 

Books, books everywhere, but no
place to read….
To say that it was difficult to concentrate on my writing was a wild understatement. Evidently library etiquette had changed since I was there in the 1970s. It was now acceptable to use your “outside voice” inside the library, to each other, to yourself, or on a cell phone.  And the cell phone could freely ring – no need to put it on vibrate.  But it was NOT ok to take a lidded iced tea inside.  I was required to leave my tea at the check-in counter totally unattended where anyone could slip in a roofie. But I am a rule follower, so I complied.

Although thirsty, I learned quite a bit about a variety of topics. The first day, I assisted my carrel-mate with her spelling as she hand-wrote “prison letters”. The second day, I inadvertently memorized most of the GED questions as the man across the aisle read the questions over and over aloud.  The lady adjacent to me was working on her cosmetology license.  I’m pretty sure I could roll up a perm now. Do people still get perms?? I also learned the citizens were in an uproar over the high electric bills  in town. They blamed the mayor.

The library workers were an interesting group. Mr. Librarian actually assembled a salad for his lunch on the counter while demonstrating the proper way to cut and chop an avocado to the other workers.  I think I saw him wash it down with a swig of my tea. He was on a low fat/high protein diet except on Saturdays when he liked to eat Mexican food at Mi Pueblo. He coached the other workers on the difference between good fat and bad fat.  He scolded them about eating bad fat, quizzing them to see if they really knew the difference.  I wonder, did he get this information from a library book? On day three of my library adventure, there was a lengthy debate among the library workers centered around smoking. The conversation became heated when Mr. Librarian posed the following, “Why did God invent tobacco if we weren’t supposed to smoke?” I kid you not. I looked above my study carrel at these people, and almost blurted out, “But didn’t God ‘invent’ bad fat?????”  I seriously needed to return to Dallas ASAP.  

During the three afternoons I was there, one elderly man came in to check out books! Only one person.  Bless his heart. Once I was convinced he was not a missing silver alert victim who had accidentally stumbled in, I was beyond thrilled. I heard him ask for assistance locating a specific book. He waited quietly and patiently for the conclusion of the riveting avocado demonstration. I almost jumped up to eagerly help him myself.  Or cut up the damn avocado.  

Mrs. Perry would be mortified.

talya

Musical Pairings:
David Allen Coe, “Jack Daniel’s If You Please”

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!