Just 3 Things | #31

When I went to physical therapy this week, both days I left with my leg/ankle feeling better than when I arrived and that was a first for me. In the past, I went in feeling sore and left feeling sore as well. Now, that is not saying that I wasn't a little gimpy later in the day but I can truly say that I believe we have been making some progress. Finally.

- What I've Been Watching -

The Mister and I haven't been watching so much lately. I did notice that the television at the physical therapy facility is always on, however. Both days this week it was tuned to a food show. I don't know the name of the program but I noticed that it was some sort of competition and the competing chefs were provided with a couple of ingredients and were expected to whip up some sort of delicacy using those ingredients. I didn't get to see much of the program because, well, therapy. However, what I did notice, is that it seemed much like being in my kitchen at home. 

One time I heard the commentator reveal the required ingredients: Soy Sauce and Prawns. Then, the chefs had a matter of minutes to create a dish. They could go to a central pantry and get other ingredients to add to their required items but it certainly wasn't like going shopping for groceries with a recipe and gathering everything to make a gourmet dish. I thought about that show again when I went to the kitchen to prepare dinner last night. I saw: Pork Loin and Potatoes. Then, I could go to the fridge or the pantry and find a few meager additions but I needed to whip up something delicious for our own gourmet meal. It sort of feels like that every night. What two ingredients do I have to get things started and what sort of additives do I have to pull everything together? Sometimes the offerings are plentiful and sometimes they are a bit sketchy. Sometimes the ideas are well inspired and sometimes they are a bit lackluster. 

- What I've Been Loving -

I am continuing to practice with my new sewing machine and it has been turning out some fun projects. Bonnie has a birthday coming up and they recently added a small backyard pool. So, I took that idea and ran with it. I found some colorful beach towels and added some colorful stitching. They turned out to make for a fun gift!

This time I tried out different built-in fonts and added names in contrasting and funky colors. I'm still struggling with hooping heavier fabrics like those towels. I've used my new magnetic hoops but I find that I have to watch it closely or the magnets will cause the machine to jump around and not stitch in the correct spot. I have come to the conclusion that hooping is the most difficult part of machine embroidery. 

- What I've Been Working On -

I spent a couple of afternoons filling flower pots. We have a deck that runs the length of the house along the back side. We have it broken up into different sections or rooms, if you will. 

One area has a cushioned sofa, a chaise lounge, a couple of chairs, and a rocking settee with a few tables and a ceramic garden stool forming a sitting area.

Another couple of areas serve as a space for grilling and dining. In the middle is an oval table near the smoker and the grill and in the most southern end is a round table and chairs.

I like to add some life to the area by having flowers in containers. Last summer I bought some matching pots to give everything some cohesiveness. There are twelve-inch pots on the two dining tables and four sixteen-inch pots in the sitting area. 

I also have a plant stand in the seating area and a couple of pottery pots. and there are a couple of concrete pots holding succulents and a couple of blue and white ceramic pots flanking the door. That makes for a lot of pots to fill on the back porch. 

Typically, I am kind of a pink and blue flower gal. The Mister brought home my requested rosemary plants and a beautiful Verbena hanging basket that needed repotting. He said, "I thought this looked like something you might pick for the porch!" So, I put it in a larger pot and placed it in the plant stand. When I left home to go to the garden center, my plan was to build off of that for the back porch. However, there were these beautiful geraniums in smaller pots that were a real bargain. So, I gravitated to a red/white/blue theme instead of my usual. 

The larger pots have a red geranium, blue salvia, white lantana, and blue bacopa in them. The Mister also brought home a cilantro plant. So, a glazed blue clay pot on the table became its home.

On the oval dining table, I planted part of the rosemary and some sort of trailing blue plant that looks a bit like bacopa. 

The front porch got dressed up with plants as well. 

On the milk can placed to the left of the front door, I set the beautiful petunias from Levi, Easton, and Abby Lee and their parents. The gift from Luci, Lydia, Lillie and their parents, a red geranium in the terra cotta pot, set on the milk can to the right of the door.

I filled the terra cotta pots on the steps with a red geranium, blue salvia, and white verbena. I also picked up a couple of bird nest ferns and put them into a couple of blue pots and set them right beside the milk cans on the edge of the rug.

I just love the spring plantings and how cheerful it looks after filling all the containers on our porches!

Now that my planting has added a touch of the patriotic mood around here, I guess I need to pull out the bunting and tie it to the fence and porch for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Do you have any plans for remembering and honoring our fallen soldiers?

Have you ever heard of Postcrossing?

Postcrossing was a new term for me and the concept popped up when I was reading a blog post that I follow. You may be like me and not know what on earth Postcrossing might be. "It's a project that allows you to send postcards and receive postcards back from random people around the world," is the explanation given on the official website. 

I recall getting postcards from my Granny when she traveled. Sometimes the postcard would get to us days after Granny had returned home but we still loved getting the mail. Great Aunt Mae would also send us postcards sometimes. When I was a young girl, there were times when I traveled, I would be allowed to buy postcards and send them to family members. I remember my grandparents saving postcards that they got from relatives who traveled or from family members who were in the military service. When I was clearing out my mother-in-law's desk I found several postcards that she had saved over the years. Some had not been mailed and I wonder if maybe she picked them up from places where she had traveled and saved them as mementos over the years.

There were several about Columbus, Ohio and some of the landmarks of that city.

There were two or three from Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The back side of the postcard shown above had a printed message telling the reader that Highway 58 is the best road up Lookout Mountain to Rock City.

I remember seeing postcards like the one shown above that advertised places to stay. Usually the front side of a postcard depicted something like a landmark, in this case an image of the motel. Then, on the back there was a description or message about the picture with space above or below where a message could be written to the recipient. Of course, the most remembered message was, "Wish you were here!"  Then, the other half of that side of the postcard provided space for the recipient's address to be written and a stamp affixed. 

The motel postcard was obviously a means of advertisement. The image was the front side and more information about the motel was on the message side of the card. A postcard like this might have been a freebie found in the room in hopes that guests would send away, not only providing information about their stay, but encouraging the recipient to come for a visit as well. Notice the phone number on the postcard. Even if I couldn't tell the postcard is from long ago, that phone number would be a dead giveaway!

Somehow postcards seem to have fallen into a category of things gone by the wayside, something from the past, a part of a by-gone era. I'm sure relics like the ones I found in my mother-in-law's desk might be a collector's item for somebody. With our world being ever more virtual and digital, these days we simply send a text with a photograph or video. We might get a notification on our phone and see a selfie of a relative standing in front of some historic landmark. 

The Mister and I still get a few postcards but these are mostly advertisements for a roofer or new flooring or gutters or something like that. Rarely are the postcards in our mailbox something that is a means of correspondence from a friend or relative. Almost never is a postcard in our mailbox one that we would want to keep. In fact, The Mister generally grumbles about such mail and tosses it into the trash before he even brings the mail into the house.

Yet, Postcrossing is offering people the opportunity to send postcards as a means of "turning your mailbox into a box full of surprises." They suggest it as a means of learning about far away places, different cultures, or even practice foreign languages.

After reading a bit more information, my mind began to wander. I thought of other ways that this same concept might be a really good thing. Wouldn't it be a great exercise for a group of young people or a class of school children to create their own postcards and send them to a retirement home, or a collected group of addresses of folks who are shut-ins, or to patients at a children's hospital? The writers could:

• Create the image that goes on the front
• Write a little blurb explaining the significance of the image
• Practice their writing skills within the message
• Learn and practice the accepted way to address mail

This wouldn't have to be a formal school or civic group activity, although it could be. It could be something that a parent could do with his/her own children.

Again, the school teacher in me is coming out... A class of students could create postcards and write about a topic they just learned, a historical event, a scientific fact or phenomenon, a story they just read, a book they would recommend, etc. The teacher could collaborate with another teacher in another school for swapping these postcards. 

A grandparent or relative who lives in another town could exchange postcards about different landmarks or events with their grandchildren or relatives living elsewhere. 

A great gift might be to buy or create a set of postcards, address and stamp them, and give them to a college student going away to school, or a grandchild who lives far away, or just to somebody with whom you would like to keep in touch. The gift-giver might even make blank postcards, address and stamp them and ask the recipient to decorate the front and write a message on the back and stick them in the mail. There could be one for each month or for more frequent occasions. You could buy blank postcards here.

I know that I used to love to get mail when I was a kid - long before most of what was delivered to my mailbox was bills. I also know that the anticipation of getting a delivery is still pretty exciting - often really more exciting than that quick text that is an instantaneous means of communication. I just looked it up and a postcard stamp costs less than a dollar. Plus, I saw that there will soon be issued a special, triangular shaped Global Postcrossing Stamp for sending even international mail. Learn more about postcards here.

Examples of the Global Postcrossing Stamp

I'm sure that there are loads of other ideas for ways to communicate with postcards. I kind of like this old-school method of communication and might even take the opportunity to put it into practice myself. I don't know if I will formally join in and be a part of the Postcrossing group, but I'm thinking I see some postcards going out with my signature on them in the future. What about you? Do you think you might send a postcard or two? Would you become part of the Postcrossing movement?

Today I noticed...Sometimes the wrong people have a lot of confidence.

One of my volunteer opportunities has been to sit on the Board of Trustees at a local cemetery non-profit in our community. Like many places around us, the location of the cemetery has stayed the same but the territory surrounding it has changed immensely. What used to be a hay field is now a shopping center anchored by a major grocery store and surrounded by different restaurants, commercial business such as walk-in hairstyle places, deli sandwich, pizza, and smoothie take-outs, financial institutions, a Pilates studio, a dental office, and more. What used to be a cow pasture is populated by houses with postage stamp yards and connected by concrete sidewalks. Time keeps ticking, people keep moving, and things keep changing.

So, when a developer recently purchased a couple of houses and lots that border the cemetery, he began clearing out trees and scrub bushes that were growing on his side of the property line. Several people were up in arms and wanted to know what we as a Board of Trustees were doing and how could we allow the massacre of so many trees. Some even stated that they purchased their grave lots based upon the location of the neighboring trees. They wanted to know why we allowed the trees to be cleared away. We explained that the new property owner next door really had legal rights to clear the trees off his own property. We even shared that the new property owner next door had contacted us to let us know that he had plans to create a buffer with a berm and some evergreens and suggested that patience and grace be extended to give the new property owner time to take the border from raw dirt to a more aesthetically planted appearance.

This past week, however, the Board of Trustees was asked what sort of business the new property owner planned to establish on the neighboring property that he owns. We let them know that we were unsure of his plans. One person had gotten wind that there might be a gas station there. Another had heard that it would soon be home to a quick-stop market. Yet another thought a pharmacy or fast food business would be there. They asked the Board how they could find out and/or what the Board could do to prevent a commercial eye-sore from being established on the neighboring property. We listened to their concerns but assured them that we as a cemetery Board of Trustees really had no power or control over what a neighbor does with his own property. We reminded them that the neighboring property is located within the historic district of our small town and any new business would have to be approved by that governing board. 

I think what surprised me most is that one family was concerned about the sort of business that might be established near their own loved one's grave but had no concern about what might be right around the corner and near somebody else's loved one's grave. They seemed to expect us to join them and take on city hall, so to speak, at one moment because it might impact them directly. Yet, they had no expectation when the impact was for someone else. They were confident that the neighbor needed to be and could be stopped from developing his own real estate if his plans did not suit their inclinations.

Happy Birthday, Lydia!

Hope it is the very best!

Just 3 Things | #30

This week seems to be full of blossoms and blessings! My pink African Violets have been blooming their hearts out! About a month ago I had that promise from one and it has burst forth with those promised blooms. This is one of the baby plants that I separated and moved the pot to my office. That linked photo really didn't have me anticipating that it would become this beautiful. Granny's eyes would be twinkling with smiles if she could see it now.

The parent plant has also bloomed and both of them are really beautiful right now. It is hard to believe that the original plant was just a little thing that was part of a basket with several plants that was delivered to Granny's funeral back in 2014. That little violet has brought a smile to my face many times over the years. This past week had several sorts of flowers bring me smiles.

- What I've Been Loving -

Last weekend saw me counting my many blessings. I spent a couple of hours visiting with my Mama. We got caught up on what all has been going on in the small town where she and her husband live - a couple of their favorite Mom and Pop restaurants have closed. One had a bit of gossip attached to it with the mother-in-law holding ownership of the building but the daughter-in-law and her son were divorcing so that meant the end of the Meat and Three. Then, there was a fire on the last day of business and it seems somebody went to jail. While the story was eyebrow raising, I do hate that the joint closed as the food was good and it was close by to Mom's house for a quick and delicious meal. Maybe a new operator will occupy the space soon. Fingers crossed.

Then, on Sunday morning, the grands who live next door made a delivery of a beautiful pot of flowers and stayed for about a half hour to sit and chat. I learned about their upcoming field day and rewards day and a field trip. I also learned who thinks they know all about things and who thinks about all the things and who really knows about all the things. We chatted and enjoyed our front porch rocking and visiting for a good twenty minutes before the eldest remembered that he had left the ATV idling in the back. Whoops! They scrambled around to the back yard and piled into the ATV and off up the hill they rode. I'm still smiling when I think about all of that!

My daughter and most of her family visited after lunch. They also came in bearing blooms. Their terra cotta pot held a beautiful and vibrant red geranium. Their visit revealed that the two younger girls still have the dregs of school to finish out their year. Then, one will start her summer job as a concessionaire at the local pool and the other will wrap up softball season and have volleyball camp. The eldest was working hard for her money at their local Tractor Supply Company. So, I'm guessing the days will not be a big change for her grown up self. The Mister and I enjoyed their visit and catching up on all that they have going on. 

The next crew through the door was my son and his family. They delivered a beautiful floral flag and then, we got the down low about the baseball tournament that the eldest had played in on the previous day. We also learned from him that having dad as a coach is not always a bad thing - other coaches can be harder to play for according to his insight. We also got to see a picture and hear a bit about the newest girlfriend. We learned that she, "checks all the boxes," and even has little sister's stamp of approval. The youngest let us know that she had achieved high scores by reading loads of books during her school year and she had to show me her newest book series that she is working through. The concession stand at the ball park had suffered for business the previous day, I'm sure. She had opted to stay with her Granny and they took flowers to the cemeteries to honor loved ones that had gone on to their rewards. Granny's snack supply might have a big dent in it, though, because she was chillin' with a coverlet, a book, and something to nibble and something to sip when she was picked up to go home. The Mister and I were glad to have the shared time and get all the updates from their busy lives as well.

Like any self-respecting parent and grandparent, the visits are cherished and their time for us is really appreciated. There is nothing as precious as time spent together and the opportunity to see and visit with family. 

- What I've Been Reading -

When I read The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, I made a mental note to see if the author had something else I might want to read. Then, one of my lists that offers reading suggestions and discounts listed The Summer Before the War as a suggestion. I've barely started this one but I already recognize the author's style and why I enjoyed that first period novel. I will warn you that I can already tell another of her books will soon join my want-to-read stack. I visited the author webpage and read the About page and I think I can understand why I feel a kinship to her. Simonson states, "If you are looking for overnight success, writing may just be the slowest possible route – but as a woman who did not publish until the age of forty five, I hope I am living proof that it is never too late to follow your passion, or find a new vocation." 

via

I've always been a reader and a writer. As I told my children last Sunday, I don't think I can ever remember a single day in my lifetime that I didn't yearn to read and maybe not a day when I didn't read as well. Like Simonson, I also started my career, that of an educator, later in life. So, maybe that has made us kindred spirits, as Anne of Green Gables might say. 

- What I've Been Working On -

I wouldn't really call it work but I guess it took the place of work I could have been doing... I played with my new sewing machine to try out the different embroidery motifs. I ordered some cup towels and some hand towels and thought that might make good gifts. The cup towels are the very basic kind that have a blue stripe woven in that runs down both sides and the fabric has a sort of flour sack feel to it.

Blue E Monogrammed Cup Towel

I started with the same alphabet that I had used for the napkins that I began my learning journey with. It is a beautiful alphabet and looks really pretty on something simple like these cup towels. I used the primary colors that I originally bought as my crayon box of thread colors. This project became a Mother's Day gift for my Mama. She is the one who taught me that even practical things can be pretty.

E Monogrammed Cup Towel with Flowers

The second cup towel that I did for her used a different alphabet and I think it just looks like something she would love. She has always loved and nurtured flowers in her yard and she has always featured floral designs in her home decor. This one just looks like a bouquet. I used the guide that came with the book and those recommended colors. I love how it turned out and that really helped me to see that a variety of colors could be used with this alphabet to show off different seasons or different room colorways.

Erwin Cup Towel with Fall Flowers

I liked this flower motif and used the recommended colors suggested by the guide that came with the machine. I think it looks sort of fall-ish but those colors would be pretty in any season. I learned to move the design around within the hoop. I scooted the design down near the bottom of the hoop. Then, I moved it up an inch or so. That left me room to use one of the simple alphabets and add the name below the flowers. So, this project was a fun teaching tool as well as a creative outlet that I could share with my mom.

Tone on Tone E Monogrammed Hand Towel

For the hand towels, I figured she might use those in one of her bathrooms. So, I kept the colors very basic and simple to work in any of the baths in her house. I am a lover of white towels with an ecru or tan monogram. However, Mama tends to like tans and ecrus. So, I got some tan terry cloth towels and used an ecru thread for the stitching. This is the same alphabet as the first cup towel. I just stopped and didn't add the flowers.

Basic E Monogrammed Hand Towel

For this second option, I used the alphabet that I had used for writing out the name on the cup towel with the lilies. I learned to enlarge the lettering. So, when writing a name, I used the pre-programmed letter size. However, for this hand towel, I bumped up the size to the largest possible size. 

Block Letter E Monogrammed Hand Towel

For the final hand towel, I used the block alphabet that had all of the flowers interwoven like the cup towel with the turquoise letter and multicolored flowers shown above on the cup towel. Again, I just stopped the machine and didn't add any flowers to this one. The simplicity of it, yet, the boldness of the block lettering seems to capture a classic look to me.

Practicing on these towels helped to build my confidence and taught me several different things about my new machine. I probably could sit with it every single day and create something different using the simple pre-programmed designs. Plus, it is so fun to just touch the buttons and watch it go to work stitching something that turns out beautiful! So, I wouldn't really call this work - maybe it fits into that old saying, "Find something you really love and it won't feel like work."

The Mister has brought home a beautiful pink geranium, some Cilantro and Rosemary plants, and a bag of potting soil that I requested. So, I'm off to the back porch to begin filling some of my empty pots. My gimpy leg has made me have a late start on planting this year. I have sowed some Zinnia seeds in an old trough near the basement door and I noticed that several of them have green leaves that have surfaced. So, I'm excited about that. 

I hope your weekend is blooming with good things that bring big smiles to your face. Happy Friday!

Today I noticed...Supporting another person's success will never ruin yours.

Success seems to look different to different people. I think that's alright.

I'm sure that what I feel as a successful venture may seem like peanuts to somebody else. Yet, I am free to feel and celebrate that success as I'd like. 

Why don't we look for the success of others and cheer for that? 

Why can't we be glad for them and, if possible, support them as they are working toward that goal?

Chances are that their goal marking success is not going to be the same as mine anyway. 

Reach out and help lift someone up!

Getting Cultured Up

I attended an event last week that enriched my life in a couple of ways. 

Our granddaughter, Lydia, plays the alto saxophone in the Huntsville Concert Band. They practice once per week for a couple of hours. The musicians are all volunteers and range in age from high school students to retirement age. There are more than eighty members of the band and they were wonderful!

Huntsville is about a two-hour drive from our house. So, I was southbound and down, as they say. When I arrived, I circled the church building's parking lot and found a parking space within sight of the entryway. I climbed down out of my truck and noticed a little white haired lady parked across from me climbing out of her car and steadying herself with her cane. She slung her purse over her shoulder and looked up at me. "Are you here for the band performance?" she queried. I smiled and told her that I certainly was. She wondered where the entry door could be found. I pointed northward and told her that I saw a UHaul truck around the corner and was headed in that direction in anticipation that it had hauled the larger instruments on site. So, we crept across the parking lot together. Me in my boot and her with her cane to steady herself. 

I asked her if she had a relative playing in the day's concert and she told me, "No. I just enjoy music. I went to the symphony across town last night." She asked me if I had a relative playing and I told her that our Lydia is playing. She asked what instrument Lydia played and I told her. "Alto Sax...," she said. "I had a friend when we were middle school age and she played the saxophone. We walked to school together. Most everybody walked to school in those days. We didn't have fancy buses to haul us. My friend was just a little slip of a thing and that sax was a big old instrument. So, she put it in a little red wagon and we stacked our books in there and took turns pulling it down the road. The other kids poked fun at us at first but we didn't care. It was a lot better than toting all that weight and straining our backs." She gave a little giggle. She added, "Sometimes this sort of thing is not well attended. So, I like to support them. I don't have a lot going on these days I like to help fill a seat. It looks like there is a pretty good crowd here today, though."

We hobbled inside and were greeted by my daughter, Bridgette, who had been drafted to look after the donations jar. So, I introduced her as the mother of our musician. The room was quite full and I took a seat in the back row beside where Bridgette had left her bag. The next thing I knew, here was my new friend asking if it was alright for her to sit beside me and I encouraged her to make herself comfortable I noticed that she tapped her foot and bobbed her head from time to time during the concert but she sat silently and took it all in. 

When the last note had sounded and thanks and applause had silenced, I felt a hand on my elbow. My new friend said, "I know that you are proud of your granddaughter. They were wonderful today. I think I enjoyed this even more than the fancy symphony last night. Please give her praise from me and a thanks for brightening my ears and my day. I'm sure you will want to wait and give her a hug, So, I'm going to mosey on out to the parking lot and head home. Thanks for the company!"

I enjoyed having a friendly face and person beside me who seemed to be enjoying the performance as much as I did. The concert featured a variety of selections that appealed to a broad spectrum of patrons. They were a big band and had a Big Band sound and the performance added a sense of cultural relevance to all of our lives that afternoon playing old familiar tunes, adding in a bit of humor, and winding up with a patriotic flare. 

On my trek back north toward home, I thought a lot about my new friend. I gave a little prayer of thanks for her and for the fact that she could still get out and about to soak up something that she enjoys. She made me think of my Great Aunt Mae who lived alone for many years and would often support cultural events in her hometown. I'm sure she was probably a lot like that little lady. I thought about how thankful I am that Lydia has this opportunity to spend time doing something she loves and share it with others. I also lifted a bit of thanks for the folks who performed and shared their gift of music for all of us...especially for my new friend who certainly had something going on last Sunday.

Happy Mother's Day!

I am blessed to be surrounded by a group of wonderful mothers. 

Mama  has always been the heart who made our house a wonderful and welcoming home. I am ever grateful for the examples she set for me. I hope she has a Mother's Day as wonderful as she is!

The other wonderful mothers who surround me are the mothers of our grandchildren. We see all that you do and are grateful for you every single day. Thank you for all the joy that you have brought to our lives!

Bridgette

Jessica

Bonnie

Laura

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is a sweet message.

Just 3 Things | #29

Rain! Glorious rain! We got a good rain this week and our hay field was never more happy. The temperatures cooled down to be more spring-like as well. In fact, a couple of days the temperatures required a sweatshirt. The good thing is that on one of the rainiest of days I got a good ole nap snoring whilst sitting in a chair with my feet propped up and a quilt thrown across me. I read a while on a book, nodded off, grabbed a quilt, and enjoyed some snoozing. Ah! Now, that is the life!

- What I've Been Watching -

We are sports enthusiasts around here. Of course, the sports we love to watch the most are the ones that our grandchildren are participating in during various seasons. We also enjoy SEC sports events, especially when my alma mater is playing. Go Big Orange! What kicked off the week for us, though, had nothing to do with either of those. I've always been one who tried not to miss the Kentucky Derby. The horses are beautiful and majestic, jockeys are awe-inspiring as they navigate the field, the trainers are interesting to listen to as they describe the work they do, the hats are a work of art, the garments people wear vary from beautiful to ridiculous, and the analysis and pageantry of the entire event is amazing. 

Sports Illustrated

This year's run for the roses was truly a special one to be able to witness. The main horse race lived up to it's description, "the most exciting two minutes in sports." The trainer made history - the first woman trainer to have a horse win the derby. The winning horse, Golden Tempo had 23-1 odds of winning the race and was, in fact at the very back of the pack of eighteen horses until jockey, Jose Ortiz began navigating him toward the front. Ortiz barely beat out his older brother, Irad Ortiz, Jr. riding Renegade and immediately reached his hand out to bump the fists after crossing the finish line. Golden Tempo is a descendent of famed Secretariat and was Kentucky bred and owned by Phipps Stables in partnership with Saint Elias Stable. 

Lexington Herald-Leader

As we watched the Derby on television, the Mister and I picked the horses we thought would win. Neither of us picked the winner but that didn't stop us from watching with amazement and excitement as we saw Golden Tempo going from last to first making it the most exciting two minutes in sports, for sure!

- What I've Been Reading -

I abandoned a book this week. That is something I rarely do. For some reason, this one was a book that I just had a difficult time settling in and reading. The one I dove into afterward was nothing like it and I had a hard time putting it down to do the chores I really needed to get done. The summary said, "A woman’s surprising inheritance opens the door to her family’s secrets in a moving novel about healing, forgiveness, and second chances." Don't we all dream of a rich aunt that we didn't even know we had leaving us an inheritance? 

Wake-Up Calls

- What I've Been Working On -

I've been nursing my bad leg this week; so, all the things I've been working on have been sit-around type of jobs. I sort of learned my lesson last week and figured out that it is just easier to sit around with the leg propped up than to wear that frustrating boot. I spent some time catching up on my volunteer work, organizing and preparing reports for the upcoming annual membership meeting. The returns from the mailout announcing the meeting have been steadily coming in at a couple or three per day. So, I've been making calls and trying to update the mailing list for next year. Of course, when folks get correspondence from the Board of Trustees like the announcement postcard, they tend to think of questions and so more phone calls are generated. 

I also spent a little time doing a bit of online shopping. We usually send a little treat to our daughters and daughters-in-law for Mother's Day. So, I visited the Buff City Soap site and picked some fragrant treats for them to pamper themselves with from there. We have a couple of graduates on our gift list this year and there is an upcoming birthday in our family next week as well. I far prefer to shop online than trek out to different stores searching for just the right thing. So, that was 'work' that I didn't mind tackling. 

We are looking forward to a quiet weekend here at home during the next couple of days. Of course, I will give my mother a visit and toast her for Mother's Day. The Mister is riding the mower as I finish up this post to polish up the grounds around here so that when we get a chance to porch sit and relax it is like looking out at a well-manicured park. I hope you are enjoying scenic views and pampering a special someone this weekend or being pampered as a special someone.

Today I noticed...Shopping Carts

 What one does with a shopping cart when the shopping is done tells a lot about a person.

Did you know that there is all sort of research about shopping carts being returned. There have been studies about whether a person returns the shopping cart or pushes it to the cart corral or whether there is an incentive for returning a shopping cart or not makes a difference or what other factors might feed into why or when a person returns a shopping cart. There is even an established shopping cart theory. Who knew?!

Something I was reading referenced The Shopping Cart Theory. Then, I noticed that there were some other links offered regarding the psychology around the return of shopping carts. There's even a YouTube channel devoted to the concept. (Is there just a YouTube video for anything and everything?) A research and teaching fellow even shared her hours of research findings and categorizing of excuses. 

What prompted me to even scan through the links shared above is what I observed while sitting in our local grocery store parking lot when I went to pick up my prescription the other day and had to wait for it. Most of the people I saw either returned their cart inside to the front of the store or left it in the corral provided there in the parking lot. A few, however, did not.

One young woman wrestled with one cart loaded with groceries and another filled with three very small children. She loaded the groceries into the back of her SUV, dragged the cart of children behind her as she returned the empty cart to the corral, returned to her car wrestling with her children and got them squared away in their car safety seats, then, left the empty cart propped up on the closest curb. She let out a huge sigh, climbed into the driver's seat and drove away. 

A guy who had a couple of boxes of baked goods, a case of water, and a couple of six-packs of soft drinks rushed to his vehicle, loaded his wares into the trunk of his car, and shoved the cart across the empty spaces nearby. Then, he proceeded to climb into the driver's seat, back out of the space, narrowly missing another shopper with a cart and sped away.

A third patron emptied the cart, pushed it over to rest against the bumper of a car nearby, climbed into his vehicle and drove away.

Then, I saw a young person - probably a teenager - pause and help a woman with a cane load a couple of bags of groceries and a plant into the back seat of her car before pushing her cart into the store.

I only spent about fifteen minutes observing the shopping cart rodeo in the parking lot of our local grocery store but I really did think that each person I saw told me a little bit about themselves during that short timeframe. It made me think about the way I want to behave the next time I'm in the parking lot and what I will do when I see a loose cart there. 

Election Day - Vote!

I hope you do, too!

 

A Deep Dive Down the Rabbit Hole

The other day after I shared What I've Been Reading, I did a bit more 'research' to learn more about the author of the cookbook that I've been reading. I guess it started with idle curiosity and wound up to be more like an old-fashioned research paper for me. (Remember, I was an English teacher in years past...) So, after a call to my Mama and sharing some of what I'd learned with her, I decided to just devote a post here to capture my findings. So, here goes...a summary of information gleaned from my deep dive down the rabbit hole to learn more about Miss Daisy.

Tennessee Homecoming Cookbook

Miss Daisy King is referenced by multiple sources as "Tennessee's First Lady of Southern Cooking." Martha Sundquist, Tennessee's First Lady at the time of publication for the cookbook celebrating Tennessee's 200th state birthday, states in the forward of Miss Daisy Celebrates Tennessee that Miss Daisy King was nationally known by that title. The cookbook combines southern recipes with historical facts about Tennessee's people, places, and counties making it a cultural and culinary guide to Tennessee. The historical content was researched and contributed by James H. Crutchfield, a historian and Winette Sparkman, a teacher and heritage consultant. The book was released in 1995 and was inspired by Daisy King's experience as one of several people tapped by then governor, Lamar Alexander, to travel throughout the state in a year-long traveling celebration involving a twelve-car passenger train, the Homecoming '86 Special. King served as editor of The Original Tennessee Homecoming Cookbook, that was sold during that 1986 celebration. The book cover tells us that when it was announced by Alexander that there would be a giant state-wide celebration, "people from all across the state contributed more than 3000 recipes," and the Homecoming Cookbook features "the best of those recipes as selected and edited by Daisy King."  So, in essence, a cookbook inspired the author to write another cookbook which includes historical content and information. Inspiration comes from all sorts of places doesn't it?

- Just a little side note, I wonder what states are doing this year to commemorate the 250th birthday of our nation? I have read about a few different things that are happening but nothing like a whistle stop train tour of the state to inspire folks patriotically.

Miss Daisy Celebrates Tennessee

Neither of these were King's first foray into authoring a cookbook, however. Catering was King's entry into the food business. She and a friend hosted a French-inspired picnic in observance of Bastille Day in 1974. At the time, evidently, this was not an ordinary event for the small town of Brentwood, Tennessee, and a writer for The Tennessean, Nashville's daily newspaper, crafted a full-page spread, complete with color photos and recipes. The expose caught the eye of developers Calvin and Marilyn LeHew who were building a small shopping center just a bit south of Daisy King's home in Franklin. Calvin had visions of a tearoom serving as the centerpiece of the shopping center and convinced King to "bring it to life." Miss Daisy's Tea Room became a popular spot for ladies-who-lunch and she was consistently asked to share her recipes. King was always generous and would even scribble recipes on the back of receipts for patrons to the point that LeHew "told her he would start charging the customers 10 cents a recipe, and urged her to pen a cookbook." So, with the help of Marilyn LeHew, King created Recipes from Miss Daisy’s, her first cookbook.

Recipes from Miss Daisy's

The original cookbook shown above was followed up by Miss Daisy Entertains. By the time this little cookbook came out in the early 1980s, King had opened a full-service restaurant in the Green Hills area of Nashville that enjoyed success for ten years. "Outposts subsequently launched in Bellevue and Church Street malls failed," however. Miss Daisy said, “You learn by your mistakes,” and was instrumental in the start of an entirely different sort of restaurant in Nashville.

Miss Daisy Entertains

Miss Daisy King wrote a total of fourteen cookbooks and served as a consultant for companies such as Swift Meats and Pillsbury over the years as well. She and a friend were founding members of a local chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier International, a non-profit dedicated to supporting women in food and hospitality through scholarship and mentorship. “It’s our job to lead the way for women,” she’d say.

King led the way for many women in the middle Tennessee area by embracing change. She pivoted her own business from restaurant to 'store-within-a-store' in 1992 offering prepared-to-go appetizers, soups, casseroles, dressings, and desserts within Grassland Foodland. Later, her business moved closer to where she first began meeting, greeting, and feeding customers in Franklin and is still known as Miss Daisy's Market, a charming take-out spot known for heartwarming southern cuisine.

Daisy Mae Pass was born in Buford Georgia and was only six years old when she made her first pound cake with her grandmother. Her parents passed away before she reached the age of six, so, she was raised by her grandparents in Gainesville, Georgia. They are credited with teaching her to appreciate the freshness of ingredients by gathering vegetables from their large garden and performing other farm chores. Her grandmother taught her to cook and instilled a love for the culinary arts within her. 

In high school, Daisy made an impression on visiting Belmont University President, Herbert Gabhart, who invited her to come to Nashville to take a look at Belmont’s offerings. She did and majored in home economics and minored in speech, communication, and journalism. As a senior at Belmont, one of her professor's died and she took over teaching two classes, one was planning food budgets for the month, and the other was family and child care. Later, she also taught at Saint Bernard Academy, a private girls' school in Nashville. Before graduating Belmont in 1967, she met the man who would become her husband shortly after graduation, Wayne King. She was a devoted wife and mother of two sons, Kevin, and Patrick, who was born during the early years of the tearoom at Carters Court. 

Daisy Mae Pass King's love of Tennessee, Williamson County, and the folks of Franklin grew fonder and fonder. She said, "they embraced me as their very own and made a Georgia girl feel right at home!" Despite the heartbreak of outliving her husband and children, Miss Daisy remained ever-optimistic, gracious, and endearing and will always be Tennessee’s First Lady of Southern Cooking living on through her cookbooks and many shared recipes for good southern food.

I really enjoyed learning more about this cookbook author and her life. I fondly remember dining at Miss Daisy's Tearoom as a young woman, seeing her on television sharing her cooking skills, and have enjoyed so many recipes from her cookbooks over the years. I look forward to stirring up some dishes from the cookbook I have and will be on the lookout for a couple more. Plus, I am learning more about the history of my home state as a result of reading Miss Daisy Celebrates Tennessee!