Dear Sunday Letter Peeps,
Last week I had technical difficulties with my blog, but (knock-on-wood) everything is squared away. Here we are on April 8 which happens to be Draw A Picture of a Bird Day (more on this later). You may think I’m kidding, but I’m not. There’s a day set aside for nearly everything you can’t imagine.
Just A Dusting
Yesterday in Northwest Arkansas, we received a dusting of snow. Just a dusting, thank goodness. But seriously snow, YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE. I waited entire months for you, hoping and wishing and dreaming of snow cream. One thing’s for sure… Mother Nature will do whatever strikes her fancy. I believe I speak for every little swallow, every chickadee, every bud soon to open on the dogwood tree when I say, “We are past ready for warmer, sunnier weather.”
Two things this dusting of snow has made abundantly clear. Lou Holtz needs his spring bath. And, snow in April is for the birds.
Pretty Little Cupcakes
Last week, I went to the dentist for my regular cleaning. These pretty cupcakes were delivered while I waited for my appointment.
No, they weren’t for the patients. They were for a baby shower later in the afternoon. I didn’t get to taste, but I fawned over them quite well and thought they deserved a feature in today’s Sunday Letter. They sing spring, don’t you agree? And look, there’s a dusting of snow on top (actually edible glitter). The next time I need fancy ones, I’ll be ordering from Serious Cupcakes in Rogers.
(Dr. Phelan, if you are reading this, a bit of free advice… Extra sugar in the form of gorgeous desserts would be a sweet way to generate more dental business, if you know what I mean.)
While I waited to have my teeth cleaned, I thought about my first dentist in Osceola, Dr. Nichols. My Nana had a paralyzing fear of the dentist. And as far as I knew, it was the only fear she had. For someone who never had a cavity her entire life, her terror over old Dr. Nichols seemed illogical to me, even as a kid.
Remember how back in the day, a dentist exam meant spitting in the porcelain bowl (over and over and over)? That was kinda gross if you think about it. Now when I go to the dentist, I feel like I’m going to a spa. Dr. Phelan has massage examination chairs which is almost as good as a cupcake frosted with tiny sugary flowers.
Evil Sand Bur
In an earlier Sunday Letter, I mentioned that we are doing some landscaping and trying to wrangle the bamboo taking over our cottage property. Look at this root John pulled from the earth. It reminds me of those evil sand burs on the dirt road at my cousin Lesa’s house at Carroll’s Corner.
I think it’s a jurassic cocklebur.
My sister and I spent as much time at my cousin’s house on Little River as we did at our own. The sandy gullies along the river made top secret hideouts. The turnrows provided stage for imagination. The road to Aunt Virgie’s house was our race track. To barefoot farm girls, those sand burs were/are of the devil. Even when we wore tennis shoes, they tangled our laces.
Everything in nature has a purpose, but I don’t know the sand bur’s contribution beyond a memory prompt. Maybe erosion control?
Anyone know?
Draw a Bird
As I said before, today is Draw a Picture of a Bird Day. The story behind the origin of this day is one worth knowing.
On April 8, 1943, seven-year-old Dorie Cooper visited her uncle who was recovering in the hospital. He lost his leg to a land mine during the war. She asked him to draw a picture of a bird. He did, and she teased him saying it wasn’t a very good picture. But she told him she would hang it in her room. This lifted his spirits. Three years later, Dorie was struck and killed by a car. At her funeral, folks brought bird pictures and drawings, prompting the creation of this day. (source: holidayinsights.com)
This story reminds me of my dentist-fearing Nana who always drew ducks to entertain my sister and me. When we were bored during preaching, she whipped out her pencil and drew a duck on the back of an offering envelope. Nana’s funny ducks combined with the monotony of Brother Brown’s sermon stirred up giggles along our church pew.
Every.Single.Sunday.
Years later, Momma framed one of her crazy drawings. We celebrate her humor and spirit every day.
Shameless plug: There’s a passage in The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee based on Nana’s duck drawings. If you haven’t read my book yet, what are you waiting for? If you have, yay! and thank you!
School Kitchen Tip of the Week:
It is not advisable to give much time or attention to cake making in these lessons. There is little danger that this branch of cooking will be neglected; and gratifying as it would be to school girls generally, to make cake in every lesson, there are so many more important things to learn that this subject must be kept in the background. There are really only two kinds of cake—those with butter and those without. (The School Kitchen Textbook, Mary J. Lincoln, 1917, p. 271 Lesson XXV Cake Making and Baking)
Cheers to a warmer week ahead. Draw a bird and bake some cupcakes, even a box mix will do.
Yours truly,
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
[tweetthis]Today’s Sunday Letter features a jurassic cocklebur and pretty little cupcakes. [/tweetthis]
Musical Pairing:
The Jackson 5, Rockin’ Robin
Your Sunday Letters always bring back sweet memories. Loved this one.
Thanks! (Are you ignoring my text from last night?)
Years ago we had neighbors who put an above ground pool which their grandson reigned over. Steven ruled the roost as somehow his grandparents had custody of him. He was fairly obnoxious, probably more about age than anything else. Bless his heart, they seldom answered him when he called on them. I was often tempted to answer him just so he knew that somebody heard him. So, what has any of this got to do with your letter? Steven was in middle school , so he should have known better, but he would get out of the pool and urinate in front of me. He would invite friends over for pool time and they would often gather by the pool for a group urination. I was always out working in my garden so this was less than 50 feet from where I was. I begged him not to do that……at least he turned his back to me.
I finally brought home some bamboo from our daughter’s house and planted it to screen that corner. Needless to say the bamboo took off as well as Steven and his family. Today the little red haired girl next door likes to hide in that little bamboo thicket and make out with her little boyfriend or bark at my dogs so that they will bark at her. I can’t say that I really like her very much. I will ask her not to do something and she will smile at me and nod. At that point she will just proceed with what she had in mind. Perhaps she is just at that age.
Talya, I love your Sunday letters. I do not think that we ever met when I lived in Blytheville as I am older than you, but we used to get your family mail from time to time.
Bamboo does have its benefits! We love our stand of bamboo. We are just trying to contain it with a bamboo guard. May or may not work LOL. I wonder what happened to Steven? What do you mean you got our family mail from time to time? Not sure I follow.
We were the Pates and y’all were the Tates. It only happened once in a blue moon, but my mom said that a few times they accidentally sent us your parent’s mail by mistake. My mom remembered the mail incidents when I was telling her about your book.
Oh LOL that’s hilarious!
My mom said it was mail like a Christmas card or two so they were the ones that came late because they spent part f the holiday season at our house.
I read the Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee this week. Although I am a generation older than you, and from West Tennessee, I was reminded of my childhood on a cotton farm, attending First Baptist with our own Mr. Donaldson. A time when children could “free range”. I enjoyed Nana’s duck pictures in today’s Sunday Letter
Yay! I’m glad the book took you back to your childhood.
I am anxious for your next book! Also are you going to let Gracie Lee grow up?
I’m sure she will eventually but my next book is something completely different.
I love your Sunday letters!
Thanks, Amanda!
Another great Sunday letter. I saved it for when I could sit down and soak it all in. Are those nasty plants called sand burs the same as cockle burs? If not I’m sure they are equally nasty. We got into a bunch of cockle burs one year at the beginning of RAGBRAI (a bicycle ride across Iowa) and there were so many flat tires, including ours, on the morning that the ride was about to begin. What a nightmare that was. Your bamboo stand is nice as I recall, but I’m sure it can get out of hand if not contained. Good luck.If anyone can do it you and John can. Oh, and our forecast is calling for 1-3 inches of snow this afternoon and possibly another 1-3 overnight. UGH! Have a nice warm week!
We have both sand burs and cockle burs. We use the names interchangeably but they are different. Both awful with stickers. I have a few Dallas friends who did RAGBRAI a couple of times. Not sure if they still do it or not. More snow. No thanks! Not till November 2018 at the earliest. LOL. (I probably just jinxed myself.)
I’m still waiting on a Gracie Lee doll. I guess it’s the school librarian in me!!! May have to make my own!! lol. Looking forward to your new book. Our public library has your book on a local artist shelf in front of the check out desk. We are proud of all our local and Arkansas authors.
I would like Gracie Lee paper dolls! Of course no one plays with paper dolls anymore, but I would! Thank you for supporting local authors! I would love to see a picture of Accidental Salvation at your library:)
Just love these Sunday letters and this one in particular. Cute, cute cupcakes, snow-covered Lou Holtz, your Nana’s drawing, free-range kids, and dental massage chairs! I’m told there’s a type of bamboo that doesn’t run like what your battling. What a shame whoever decided Arkansas needed it for landscaping didn’t know about it.