Happy Birthday Cliff!

Happy Birthday Cliff.  We celebrated Cliff's birthday twice.  Once 

with meat loaf, mash

ed potatoes, Texas cornbread, and pie, and then with Crawfish Cardinale!  Cliff received many fine gifts, but mainly love and kisses, and a sunset cruise.

Two Amazing Women

Last week we went 

to Alexandria, Louisiana to see Peaches' sister, Dottie.  We stayed with cousin Linnie, and family, which includes a very smart and friendly Bouvier. Some videos of Abbey doing tricks are posted on facebook and vimeo.  We had a wonderful trip, and as always delicious food.  Aunt Dottie sent her delicious Crawfish Cardinale back with us to celebrate Cliff's birthday.  We always have such a good time sharing recipes and talking about old times.

Florence, Italy 2009 part 3

             Mercato Centrale in the heart of Florence

Florence, Italy 2009 part 2

Florence, Italy 2009

For fourteen years, Susie has lived in the Tuscany region, the last year in Florence.  She had been thinking about moving home to Texas, and this was the year. The move was quite complicated because of many laws regarding her kitties.  The end of March, I flew over to 'help' her with her move. At the airport in Florence, we ended up with 4 luggage carts. The kitties, il Ciccino and la Ciccina, had to have special crates and lots of documentation.

We had a week in Florence and it was wonderful. Susie had lots of last minute things to take care of, and I tried to help by going to get breakfast, and, one time, lunch. The pastry bar was two blocks up and one block to the left. I had a note in Italian to give to the people at the counter. Each morning, I would give them the same note, asking for una sfoglia alla crema and get something we didn't ask for. I was told, by gesture and not getting what we wanted, they those pastries were out. So we always got something just as delicious. Then I would move down the counter and the barista would give me due cappuccini da portare via, which was also on the note. The man making the coffee was very nice, and I didn't have to talk too much. Just grazie. He would put the coffees on a small heavy cardboard tray, with two sugars, two spoons, and two napkins. Next, I would pay, and learned after a couple of trips, that it was going to be 3.90 euro each time. I had a hard time juggling Susie's umbrella, coffees, and pastries, but got the hang of it after a few tries. Some of the customers would talk to me in Italian, until they realized my vocabulary was only: ciao, grazie, arrivederci and a few other phrases. 

Dotsy/Dottie

Sitting around Dotsy's dinning room table the other night, we were talking about our grade school teachers, and we started talking about how Dotsy got her name.    In the third or fourth grade, Dottie Oakes and Dottie Cleaton were always getting mixed up, apparently distressing the teacher.  So, one afternoon after school, Peaches and Dottie sat down and talked about it.  Peaches came up with Dotsy instead of Dottie!  And, she has been Dotsy ever since.  We think it was in the third grade because Dotsy had Miss Evelyn Summers for her teacher.  Miss Summers was very mean, and Mrs. Hines, the fourth grade teacher  was very sweet.  I know Mrs. Hines was sweet, because I had her in the fourth grade, my first teacher in Monroe.  We also talked about our fifth grade teacher, Miss Mary Miller.  She was absolutely the most hated teacher in the Walton County School system.  I don't think we have ever had a meaner teacher.

Another teacher we liked was Miss Nancy Stephens, our sophomore year algebra teacher.  She was very nice and if it weren't for her, I would still be in high school.  Another teacher that was very kind was Annette Braswell, the home ec teacher.  Mom and Ms. Braswell were good friends, as Mom was teaching P.E. at the high school then.  I think Ms. Braswell took pity on me and gave me a passing grade even though the  bathrobe I 'sewed' , as a required project, hardly resembled a bathrobe.

Spring 2009

These are pictures from Miss Lee's Daffodil Garden, just south of Gladewater.  Be sure to click on the first picture to see the squirrel watching us.

The daffodils were in full bloom.  It's the perfect place to take a picnic, and then go to Gladewater for antiques.....
The trees were just leafing out and were very beautiful.  There are about 30 acres of blooms.  The whole tract of land is over 800 acres.

The web site for Miss Lee's is:  www.daffodilgarden.com.


Some of Christine's Camellias.

Camellia japonica "Gigantea" from Barbara's yard.

Edith Blanche

This last week or so, I discovered that my Aunt Sunny's real name is Edith Blanche!  Cousin Nan has done some wonderful work on her family tree, which includes the Tanners.  Nanny was a Tanner and when looking at Nancy's family tree, I told her that Sunny's name was not Edith, we had always called her Sunny, and, her middle name was Blanchard.  After having Nancy correct Edith to Sunny, it turns out that Sunny's name was Edith Blanche, not Sunshine Blanchard.    The source I should have used in the first place was Aunt Dottie.  The Bible Mom has, that was Nanny's, was given to Nanny by Papaw in 1956. two years before Nanny died.  In it, Nanny writes about "Sunshine" Blanchard.  Aunt Dottie says that Sunny hated the name Edith Blanche and changed it to Sunny Blanchard.  Once again, a big thank you to Nancy!

Bible Verses from Cousin Nan

Nancy sent two of her favorite Bible verses.  The first is from Proverbs 3:5-6  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths."  The second verse is from Romans 8:28  "And we know that all things work together for good to them who love God and are called according to his purpose."  It is so wonderful to have the verses from our friends and family.  

When we were very little living in Atlanta, we went to the Presbyterian Church on Ponce de Leon Avenue.  Dad and Mom left the Presbyterian church after his Mother died, and joined the Druid Hills Baptist Church, also, on Ponce de Leon.  Mom was brought up Baptist and this was a wonderful move for all of us.  Both Mom and Dad said they never felt the fellowship in the Presbyterian Church that they did in the Baptist Church.  I remember Dad being 'baptized' after we joined.  The preacher gave him a good dunking.  It was many years later that I found out how the preachers kept dry: wading boots!

Dad always said that all of his friends from high school were attending First Baptist.  They gave him a huge welcome, and made us feel right at home.  Dr. Louie Newton baptized us.  Dr. Newton was a wonderful preacher, and was at the church for 40 years. After all these years, I still remember Dr. Newton, and how beautiful the Church was.

Dr. Newton was prominent in the Southern Baptist Convention for a long time.  There is an article on him at www.georgiaencyclopedia.org. 

Daphne odora

Daphne odora was another flower that Dad grew.  Both Dotsy and I have tried to grow it here in Texas, but without much success.  Daphne odora is one of the sweetest smelling plants around.  It is better than a gardenia.  Papa also would cut some of the tiny flowers for us on Sundays, to pin on our dresses.