grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Project Laundry

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After a fun-filled week at the lake, my niece and I are spending several days at my mother’s house in Osceola (aka the Bat Cave). After a week at the lake, the dirty laundry is piled high. Lake dirty. Sandy and damp and pre-mildewy. Sunday night after sorting everything into giant mounds, we began the task of washing clothes.
Two hours later over take-out pizza, we came to the sober realization the dryer wasn’t working properly – heating but not tumbling, the clothes steamy but still wet. The dryer is ancient so it was no wonder. But could there be a worse time for a breakdown? After a week at the lake…

Monday morning sporting my cleanest dirty shirt and shorts, I loaded up two enormous overflowing baskets of clothes and set out to find a laundromat in Osceola. It’s been years since I’ve been to a laundromat. College days maybe?
I found one fairly easily.  Unloading the baskets, I was already glowing from the early morning humidity. Trying to remain vigilant and acutely aware that the town’s landscape has changed drastically from my day, I had one of those moments. Those life-flashing-before-my-eyes moments. It happened when I realized the laundromat was wedged between the former Jr Food Mart we frequented as teenagers and the dilapidated abandoned Sonic we circled on summer nights in high school. I saw my younger self parked in my yellow Corvette, carefree, laughing and flirting with cute Osceola boys. Eating a #2 with tots before irritable bowel syndrome clamped my stomach like a vise. Back when Momma’s dryer was new.
Thirty-three years later at 7:15 a.m., I am unshowered and dragging smelly clothes baskets from my hail-ridden vehicle into the sauna-like laundromat. The super cool new Sonic sits on the edge of town holding no memories for me. My stomach is bloated from eating too much gluten… 
Inside, there was only one patron. Chatty Cathy. With several machines already humming and a load folded on the wooden table, she had obviously been there a while. We became instant friends bonded by no home appliances and reeking clothing. Taking me under her tatted wing she pointed out the best washing machines and which specific dryers to avoid. I became her project.
Chatty Cathy
Chatty Cathy: None of them dryers work very good. They only cost fifty cents but that won’t do nothing. You’ll be feeding quarters in all mornin’.
Sweaty Talya: (oh goodie.) Ok well I have a roll of quarters and one load is already partially dry so maybe it won’t be so bad.
Chatty Cathy: Nope. You’ll be needin all them quarters.
Sweaty Talya: (why oh why did I tell her about my whole roll of quarters? Stupid….)
Chatty Cathy: I only do laundry onct a month. That’s today.
Sweaty Talya: Once a month? Wow, you must have a lot of laundry.
Chatty Cathy: You know it girl. You from Texas? (she could read. I was wearing my Dallas Mavericks t-shirt for the third day in a row.)
Sweaty Talya: Yes, Dallas.
Chatty Cathy: DAL-LAS!!! Ya-hoo!!!(very very excited) Never been there but I was born in El Paso.
Sweaty Talya: Oh yeah? I’ve been there a few times.
Chatty Cathy: I don’t remember it. Moved when I was 3. Live in Luxora now. (hyena laughing here….)
Sweaty Talya:  Oh. Well I’m actually from Osceola. Just visiting my mom.
Chatty Cathy: Where’s she live?
Sweaty Talya: (oh like I’m gonna tell you.) Just down the road. Not far.
Chatty Cathy: Well that’s good.
Sweaty Talya: Did you graduate from Luxora High School? (did she graduate? please, please don’t say Rivercrest…)
Chatty Cathy: Nope. Caraway High School. Lived in Caraway then. (Lighting up a cigarette.)
Sweaty Talya: What year?
Chatty Cathy: 1980.
Sweaty Talya: (omg.) Really? Me too. (seriously? we are the same age???)
Chatty Cathy: WE DONE TURNED 50 THIS YEAR! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?? (more hyena laughing with arms swinging overhead like doing the wave at a football game…)
Sweaty Talya: (hell) No I cannot. (I was shocked.)
Chatty Cathy: You don’t mind if I smoke do you, I should of axed you already.
Sweaty Talya: Of course not. (totally adding to the ambiance.)
I considered having a cigarette too at this point… but I remembered I don’t smoke.
Two and a half scorching hot hours later, I finished the laundry, drove straight to the super new Sonic for a Route 44 iced tea, very grateful for air conditioning and excellent dental care. Thankful for my life.
I suppose Chatty Cathy went back to Luxora.
interesting….
sweaty talya

Musical Pairing

If Heaven Ain’t A lot Like Dixie, Hank Williams, Jr.

Built by Tom Tate

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In 1954, Daddy built this piece of furniture in high school shop class. Staci and I used it as our night stand for years and then it was Tate’s. Now it’s in our Fayetteville house.
It belongs back in Arkansas.
When I was in 9th grade, I decided to take shop instead of home ec. I thought I might build some furniture too.  Daddy ix-nayed this idea right away, saying you only want to take shop because Craig is in that class… I was forced to go straight to home ec with all the girls. Turned out to be pretty fun other than the sewing debacle. And I still managed to spend plenty of time with Craig…
Craig and Me 2011
That little night stand is sturdy and very well built with dove-tailed joints. He did a great job on it. In the back of the drawer, upside down and hidden, Daddy burned an inscription into the wood, Built By Tom Tate 1954. The inscription is only visible when the drawer is emptied and removed. The inscription itself is a treasure, written in Daddy’s hand.
The little drawer has held all sorts of trinkets beginning in 1962. During the past year, Tate’s room has been empty, but the little drawer still held his things. Things left behind. Some not touched in years. A time capsule from childhood through high school. Plastic ninja toys from Ci-Ci’s Pizza, his Harry Potter Halloween glasses, guitar pics, golf tees, boy scout badges, his lifeguard whistle, a Little People person… 

Now it’s empty and polished and sitting by our bed in Fayetteville. I’m not sure what will end up in it, but I know whenever I go, it’s going with me. Until it can’t.
talya
Musical Pairings:
I Love, Tom T Hall
Craig and Me 1966?

Happy un-Birthday!

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When my mother was expecting her first child, her due date was July 4th. But I waited around until July 10. It was the only time I’ve been the slightest bit tardy. And I wasn’t really late, I just needed my own day. I didn’t want to share with the entire nation.
July 10, 1965; 3 yrs old
Nana & Papa Creecy, Staci (3 mos)


My 5th birthday party was in our backyard playhouse. Everyone in attendance (Sara, Martha Ann, Anita, Lesa, Staci) brought their baby dolls for an old fashioned tea party. There were homemade invitations and treats. Momma tied long spiral-shaped pastel colored balloons to the weeping willow tree magically transforming the back yard. The tree was amazing. Life was amazing.
 
There were no spa treatments, italian cream cake balls, or hand painted magic wands. We played pin-the-tail on the donkey instead of riding live unicorns through the cotton field.

It was a simpler time.
 
And our birthday tradition – my sister always received one small gift on my birthday, and I on hers. An un-birthday present. Nana and Papa started this tradition because they could never just give one of us something. Momma often still does this…
 
On my 9th birthday we went to Memphis, ate pizza at Shakey’s, waved at Graceland, and rode the Memphis Queen. For those of you keeping up, this was the trip to the Pink Palace when Momma was nearly arrested for a moon rock incident. Her first run-in with the Memphis po-po.  (Moon rock story….)
Memphis Riverboat
 
Later, most of my birthdays were spent at the lake with candles in a slice of watermelon. We ate it on the dock in the sun with sticky juice dripping down our bathing suits. I’ve always preferred watermelon to most other foods, including cake. The only exception was Nana’s Fresh Strawberry Cake. If she came to the lake, I ate that with my watermelon.
Birthday at the lake 1975

 

I spent my 21st birthday in Tokyo during a Baylor summer abroad program. At a disco. In the Ginza. With new friends. A gift of flowers and chocolate and Kirin and karaoke. I missed my lake and my family and my watermelon…
 
On my 30th birthday, my first husband threw me a surprise birthday party. I don’t much like surprises. ESPECIALLY after having spent the Entire Day wallpapering a friend’s apartment. My friend who was InOnTheWholeThing, mentioned not word one to me… but had no problem letting me wallpaper her apartment before my party.

Would a true friend really allow this to happen???  Allow me to stroll back home completely surprised, to a house crammed full of friends, wearing my painting clothes with wallpaper glue in my hair?
 
I think not.
 
Today is my 50th birthday. I’ve decided my mother is the one who should celebrate. She did all the work, deserves the party. I am more excited on Kelsey’s birthday (December 13) and Tate’s birthday (May 18) than my own. Those are the days I celebrate. I worked especially hard on those birthdays… and the following days…
 
I think I’ll buy my momma a watermelon for her un-birthday. I wonder what Staci will get?
 
talya
 
Musical Pairings:
 
Birthday, The Beatles
 
“There are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents … and only one for birthday presents, you know.” — Lewis Carroll, from Through the Looking Glass

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

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