grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

unnoticed

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For five hours Saturday, I walked around Dallas wearing two different shoes.

Both gray Converse and ratty—yes, I have two pairs of ratty gray Converse—but clearly different. Slightly varying shades of gray, one with black around the tread, one with a red label, one with white. No one noticed.

Not Harold and Gale—our neighbors who invited us for breakfast and served incredible BaconSausageOnionCheese omelets. Harold who ALWAYS makes fun of my laceless, pitiful Converse shoes… Rightfully so.

Not John—my husband who walked with me to Harold and Gale’s house for breakfast, then spent the entire day with me stringing Christmas lights.

Not the CVS Pharmacist who gave me a flu shot, half of which trickled down my arm into my mis-matched shoe.

Later that same night at the Munger Place Christmas party, I was certain to wear matching shoes (black patent flats, not ratty Converse). But, chit-chatting with my girlfriends I noticed a bit of an itch at my throat, a slight irritant. A clothing tag? I was wearing my sweater backwards! Luckily, no one noticed that either.

I need a keeper for Christmas. And a new pair of tennis shoes…

talya

back home in Dallas…

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On December 5, I write poolside. Barefoot. My herbs are lush and vigorous, relieved to have survived the blazing summer.

Hole-in-the-wall restaurants, tucked into favorite neighborhoods, satiate Tex-Mex cravings. Cheese enchiladas with extra jalapeños, gooey white queso so amazing I could eat like soup. Top Shelf margaritas, hold the salt. Did you save room for sopapillas?
 
Grand old ladies sit side by side, rooted to the ground for one hundred years, proud and strong with perfectly aligned porches. Overnight, garland adorns columns. Swags of red berries and bells replace fall wreaths. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Munger Place, Dallas, Texas

Lucy and Annabelle tug and strain on their leashes, then stop to greet neighbors and sniff out smells buried in dry grass. We gather with friends on Harry’s porch for happy hour.

A few blocks away, a tall green rectangle juts into the night sky, a floating box glows holiday red, a rotating sphere boasts a dazzling display of white lights. The heavens are illuminated by neon. 
Dallas Skyline

talya

Musical Pairing:

Texas (When I Die), Tanya Tucker

East Dallas Vintage

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East Dallas Vintage is one of my favorite Facebook pages. This page is the creation of my friend, Marcia Phillips. Marcia, an East Dallas native, has a passion for Dallas history and all things antique, with an eye for the unusual. 
Her page is a great source for vintage finds, local shopping, cooking and chaos (her words). 
Follow her historic Munger Place home renovation with inspiring before, during and after pictures.
She’s an amazing crafter and cook too!
talya

p.s. HaPpY BiRtHDaY Harry!!!

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!