grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

The Enchanted Forest

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Goldsmiths, The Enchanted Forest, Memphis
When I was a child, the coolest place to shop was Goldsmith’s in downtown Memphis. Even the journey to Goldsmiths was fantastic—driving over the Mississippi River, parking in the multi-level garage, and walking through the tunnel underneath Front Street to get to ground level.
And the tunnel?  It was no ordinary tunnel. Inside the air was hypnotic—fresh, clean, divine—infused by a zillion shampoos and hair sprays lining the l-o-o-o-o-n-n-n-g passageway .
Just beyond the tunnel, a bakery greeted us. Oh mercy. Freshly baked cookies and cakes and gingerbread men filled trays displayed at eye level. The warm lights made the sugar sparkle.
Past the bakery, a world awaited with escalators and elevators and wide stairs and rails for swinging on (when we could get away with it). Unlike Belk’s in Osceola and Westbrook’s in Blytheville, There Was A Separate Floor For Each Department. 
Trips to Goldsmith’s were reserved for special occasions such as back-to-school shopping or when Momma needed a fancy dress. The most special occasion of all was Christmas. During Christmas, the Enchanted Forest magically appeared inside Goldsmiths.

The Enchanted Forest, Memphis

Magic I tell you…

A winter wonderland spread before us filled with forest animals and snowmen and twinkle lights and glittery snow delivered straight from the North Pole to the area behind men’s clothing. We strolled through slowly, savoring each second and every step, not wanting it to end. But kinda we did because deep in the frosty forest, a visit and picture with Santa awaited.

The real Santa. 

We waited in line as long as it took.We wore our best holiday outfits.
The Enchanted Forest was THE holiday event.
We never missed it.

Picture with Santa, The Enchanted Forest, Memphis
my sister and me with the real Santa

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

“On these magic shores children at play are forever beaching their coracles. We too have been there; we can still hear the sound of the surf, though we shall land no more.” – J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan

P.S. The Enchanted Forest is now located at The Pink Palace Museum. Click HERE for the link. Has anyone been? I bet it’s different…

I was a Mexican for Halloween

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When we were kids, my sister and I rummaged through our closet and put together Halloween outfits from our regular clothes. Sometimes we used hats and belts and strings of beads from Momma’s closet. Or we made accessories from construction paper and grocery sacks. That was how Halloween worked before Party City and Wal-Mart and twenty-four hour on-line shopping. Other than plastic masks at Sterling’s, there were no elaborate costume choices.

In first grade, Momma got creative and sewed handmade costumes. The scariest thing about my witch costume was the heavy-handed eyebrow makeup. My sister/cat rode along on my broom and stole the show. As usual.

Vintage Witch and Cat Halloween Costume Grace Grits and Gardening
One year I was a free-spirited gypsy with flowing purple skirt and jangly jewelry. Since Mammaw Tate sold Avon to the mysterious clan of gypsies who periodically lived on the edge of Osceola, I knew exactly how they dressed.

Another year I was a hobo. This was a simple (lazy) look requiring only my too-short jeans and a kerchief tied to a stick that fell from the cottonwood tree in the back yard. 
The year I went as a Mexican, I won second place in the Keiser Halloween mini-parade. This costume was one of my favorites repeated several years in a row the way today’s little princesses rock the pink tutu and sparkly crown year after year after year. For this costume I donned a real sombrero and draped a colorful woven blanket over my shoulders. And as the final touch, I carried Momma’s ukulele and sang Aihh-yi-yi-yi in my best Ricky Ricardo voice.

ukulele - I was a Mexican for Halloween

Yes, Momma plays the ukulele. Sorta.

In no way was this Halloween costume meant to be a politically incorrect slam. I was in complete awe of the farm labor who came from South Texas each summer to chop cotton. They traveled to Arkansas in a large convoy, with the entire extended family in tow.

While on our farm, they cooked platters of tamales wrapped in corn husks and sweets made from caramelized sugar. They brought giant bags of juicy grapefruits and sweet onions from The Valley, a magical Neverland near the Rio Grande. I longed to see it…someday…

When their work was done and our fields were free of Johnsongrass, they packed up and traveled to Michigan for new adventures picking tomatoes. The Mexicans worked and played and journeyed as one cohesive group and were not forced to sit in one flat delta field for all of eternity.

They were as free-spirited as those gypsies on the edge of town.

I wanted to be a Mexican when I grew up. Until, of course, that summer Daddy made us chop cotton with them…

That’s a whole other story.

What was your favorite childhood costume?

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

P.S. Somewhere buried in the BAT CAVE lies a picture of me in my Mexican costume. When I find it, I will share… (If you are unfamiliar with the Bat Cave, click HERE.)

Musical Pairing:

ZZ Top, Just Got Paid

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

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Although my nest is empty, I still love to dye Easter eggs. This year I decided to dye eggs using food and spices on hand.

I started with red onion skins, blackberries, cinnamon (ground & sticks), green onion tops and cilantro, beet juice and turmeric.

After boiling water, steep each ingredient for ten minutes while grinding and stirring the various ingredients to release the juices. Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to each glass.

To enhance a few of the colors, I added a bit of ground cayenne pepper to the cinnamon, spinach leaves to the green and a splash of red wine to the blackberry. (Next time, I would not use green onions—spinach worked better.)

The beet juice produced a beautiful rose color. The turmeric was vibrant. Soak in the refrigerator overnight for best results.

naturally dyed easter eggs
(left to right) purple onion, spinach/cilantro, blackberry/wine, cinnamon/cayenne, beet, turmeric
A word about boiling eggs: The eggs we buy today are very fresh (i.e. free range, etc.) The fresher the egg, the harder to peel—the white membrane is not mature and sticks to the shell. A teaspoon of baking soda in the boiling water will make the egg easier to peel.
And don’t forget to use the eggshells in your garden. Crushed and sprinkled around flowerbeds, they will fend off slugs. Or mix with your soil as compost.
Happy Easter!
Grace Grits and Gardening

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!