Peaches in Georgia

In March, Judy flew Mom to Georgia and then to Biloxi for a wonderful weekend at the Beau Rivage.  The Beau Rivage is now Mom's favorite place, but I think she will still go to Shreveport whenever she can.    Mom also spent several days being wined and dined in Monroe, visiting old friends, and the Georgia family.  

Ducks

The ducks have started coming in.  We're seeing mallards, grebes, and always herons.  This morning, when I looked out the kitchen window and saw the ducks, it reminded me of a time when we were on our way home, from Atlanta, and Mom  wanted to drive us through Piedmont Park. We were enjoying the park and trees and looking at the ducks on the lake, when she ran over a curb.  Not only did we get a flat tire, but, the rim was also ruined. After we limped to a gas station, maybe that is why the rim was ruined, and bought a new tire, we made our way back to Monroe.  The only thing we talked about on the way home was "don't tell Daddy".  Mom decided that it was best to blame this on wild teenagers driving us off of the road.  Papa never knew about this from my lips.  

Baking for Bridge

Tomorrow, Wednesday, it's Mom's turn to have our bridge club to her house.  I've made for the lunch tomorrow: white bean chicken chili!! and a cheesecake.  This is the best cheesecake ever, and it comes from a cookbook that Dotsy gave me: Great Cakes by Carole Walter.  Since I'm doing the cooking, I picked the menu!  Usually I serve Peaches' Texas Cornbread with the chili, but we're having french bread instead.  Fortunately, the cheesecake is extremely light.  Mom has played bridge as long as I can remember.  She played with the same group of ladies for about 40 years.  Now, she is in two bridge clubs out here, and substitutes in more.  She is an excellent bridge player.  We also have a 'club' that meets whenever we can.  We call it the Peach Pits, or Peaches and her Pits.  We also have some sub-pits!  Mom, Dotsy, LarryAnn, Barbara, and sometimes Karen, and I'm always there!  We start about 1 at Mom's, the Club House, and finish when the wine runs out.    Mom's ladies in Monroe played every Thursday. They all took a sandwich, and played until school got out.  PS If you want the recipe, click on the right hand picture..

Happiness is.......a cord of wood on a rainy Monday.

and, it's on the screen porch, nice and dry!  Cliff says that I start a fire if it gets below 70.  I remember growing up that Mom always had a fire going when there was the least bit of a chill.  Dad would come home from the hardware store to get it started.  They used big lumps of coal most of the time.  I think they stopped using coal about the same time the ice house in Monroe closed.  There was a coal bin under the house on Highland Avenue.  Also, in the house in Atlanta. If Dad wasn't at home building fires, or serving cocktails to the ladies, he was at the hardware store.  It was next to the Farmer's Bank.  We all had savings accounts there, and on Saturdays I loved to walk up to the store and get my savings book and withdraw a nickel.  For many years until the early 80's the bank would sent me statements about once a year. I know they were grateful when I finally closed that account.  It may have had $5.00 in it. The Farmers Bank changed names, moved into a new building, and Dad moved out of downtown also, to Davis Street.  He had a huge red building with a front stoop big enough to sit on and eat watermelons.  There was a refrigerator in the back of the store and always full of cold watermelons, on hand for customers and grandchildren. 

Family Pictures

This is a picture of Dad taken in Oklahoma about 1944.  The next one was taken 1951 when we lived in Atlanta.  Peaches and Pop about 1941, Atlanta.

Peaches and Pop  Monroe, GA

Is this not the most beautiful picture you have ever seen?