ramblings from an arkansas farm girl
For Father’s Day…lessons from Daddy.
But first. How cute is this picture of Momma and Daddy? They are newly married—look at the sparkle on his wedding band. He’s making homemade ice cream, probably vanilla, and she’s wearing an adorable dress, with perfect lipstick and eyebrows! Love it.
Now, lessons from Daddy… (not in order of importance or anything brilliant like that)Continue Reading
We were driving to church for my cousin’s wedding when Daddy pulled off the highway and stopped the truck. “What are you doing?” Momma asked, even though she knew the answer. Riding anywhere with a farmer meant factoring in lots of extra time. Daddy drove slow enough to watch cotton bolls open from the highway.
“We’re gonna be late,” I moaned and applied another coat of strawberry lip gloss. I hated to be late for anything, plus I was in charge of the guest book.
Daddy grabbed his hoe from the back of the truck, ambled across the shallow ditch, and waded through rows of knee-high cotton. He wacked down the annoying weed wearing his new sport coat from Westbrook’s.
Momma sighed.
All the Tate girls had been trained to scan the horizon for johnsongrass. Teasing and waving in the breeze, the offensive plants were easy to spot, a different shade of green standing taller than the crop.
Daddy had some of the cleanest fields in Mississippi County. Everyone agreed.
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
Musical Pairing:
Lord I Hope this Day is Good, Don Williams
Daddy’s latest beer-drinking buddy almost permanently moved into the spare bedroom. For several days and nights he ate our food, smoked Daddy’s cigarettes and watched his favorite shows on our television. Even though his beady eyes and piercing hyena laugh made the invisible hairs on the back of my neck crawl, I politely smiled and waited. I knew Momma would eventually tire of playing hostess and maid. Sure enough on Tuesday night, Momma threw a hissy fit and declared his vacation over while he stood at the open refrigerator wolfing down leftover Sunday pot roast. But like a stray dog, a few weeks later he followed Daddy home again.
Grace Grits and Gardening
This was written especially for Fearless Writing Alumni Practice. Prompt: 6 Sentence Story Structure from Sacred List Crawl
Musical Pairing:
Chow Down, The Lion King Hyena Song
