A little Tab will do ya

Well, I've been so busy reading summer books, I've been a bad blogger.  In Claire Cook's new summer read, "Times Flies," this particular passage struck home with me. I'm dedicating this blog to three special friends—Sylvia, Rita and D'Layne.  Here it is:

"From Time Flies......"Boyohboy, am I thirsty," I said.  "You know what I could really go for, with all this talk about high school?"B.J. kept her eyes on the road. "A tattoo?"I waited a beat to let the suspense build.  "A Tab.""Tab!"  B.J. let out a loud scream, completely drowning out the Raomes, who were busy singing "I Wanna Be Sedated."I Smiled."Tab," B.J. whispered.  "I lived on Tab. I had my first one of the day for breakfast and brought one into my bedroom with me at night. All chemicals, no calories. And if you added a slice of lemon, it was practically a meal in itself. "I didn't say anything."B.J. launched into full rant. "Why the hell did everyone have to get so healthy?  I can understand not smoking and using condoms and eating dark chocolate and switching from white to red wine. But what in the name of all that's retro is so wrong with having a simple Tab every now and then?  I don't know about you, but I am so seltzered out."She turned to look at me.  "Do you think they still make it?  I haven't been in the soda aisle for years."  "I'm pretty sure," I said, even though I had absolutely no idea. It was the quest for Tab I was going for here, not the actual Tab...........Ten minutes later we were loading four cases of Tab into the trunk of the Mustang."Can you believe how expensive this stuff was?" B.J. said.  "Who knew it was a collector's item. I think we seriously lucked out to even find it. ......."And now we need to head straight to Veronica's house so we can get some on ice right away."B.J. ducked under my hand and freed two Tabs from their plastic collars."Surely you jest," she said as she handed one to me. "Warm Tab is the only way to go."

These gals were on their way to their high school reunion.  As for me, I didn't become a Tab drinker until I was in my twenties.  By then I had a child and one on the way. When I worked at the radio station at Northwest, my new friend D'Layne and I would take a break every day, between classes for her and between shifts for me, and drink a Tab and solve the problems of the day.  You really had to develop a taste for it.  That happened fast for us.  When I realized I was pregnant, I tried really hard not to drink Tab, but must admit that I did get in about one a day.  I think you turned out okay, don't you Hayley?

When the babies were little, it was really the drink of choice. It tasted so bad to them they would not beg for what I was drinking and drool baby drool and recycled crackers in my drink!  They say that I put Tab in their bottles, but that is not true.  I did give them a Coke or two when they were sick with an upset stomach—not a regular thing, you understand.

My friend Rita was and is still a dedicated Tab drinker.  We shared Tabs and talked while our babies ran around our feet.  The same no slobber strategy held true for her.

Now, Sylvia is still a Tab guzzler. She can load a church bus full of kids or senior active members, put a six pack of Tab by her feet, and drive for hours and hours.

In 1982 when Diet Coke was released, I switched alternately between my old friend Tab and DC.  I must admit now to being a dedicated Diet Coke drinker. But when I stumble on a convenience store with icy cold Tabs, I grab one and go back in time to 1979. My hair is long, Donna Summer is singing "Hot Stuff," Fleetwood Mac is crooning "Sara," life is before me with only one little boy at my feet, and I can't wait for a Tab to share with my friends. Thanks Claire for this little time capsule.

Summertime reading, two new books out today

I've been promising a blog about summer reading, and here it is. Today I'm so excited because two of my favorite authors have books hitting the book stores or the eBook airways today. These are the kind of books made for summer—the kind that are not too lofty but still bring a tear and a few good laughs. They are about everyday people.

First is Claire Cook's Time Flies.  If you aren't familiar with Claire, she is the author of the book that inspired the movie Must Love Dogs. I've read all her works and they are a hoot.  She lets you laugh, but always teaches you something you don know. Check out her page at clairecook.com.  Here is the info on the book from her page:

Years ago, Melanie followed her husband, Kurt, from the New England beach town where their two young sons were thriving to the suburbs of Atlanta. She’s carved out a life as a successful metal sculptor, but when Kurt leaves her for another woman, having the tools to cut up their marriage bed is small consolation. She’s old enough to know that high school reunions are often a big disappointment, but when her best friend makes her buy a ticket and an old flame gets in touch to see whether she’ll be going, she fantasizes that returning to her past might help her find her future…until her driving phobia resurfaces and threatens to hold her back from the adventure of a lifetime.

Time Flies is an epic road trip filled with fun, heartbreak, and friendship, and explores what it takes to conquer your worst fears…so you can start living your future.

My new favorite summertime author is Dorothea Benton Frank (http://www.dotfrank.com.) She is the author of the bestselling Porch Lights, which I am reading now.  Here's the scoop on The Last Original Wife. 

Leslie Anne Greene Carter is The Last Original Wife among her husband Wesley’s wildly successful Atlanta social set. His cronies have all traded in the mothers of their children they promised to love and cherish—’til death did them part—for tanned and toned young Barbie brides.If losing the social life and close friends she adored wasn’t painful enough, a series of setbacks shake Les’s world and push her to the edge. She’s had enough of playing the good wife to a husband who thinks he’s doing her a favor by keeping her around. She takes some time for herself—in the familiar comforts and stunning beauty of Charleston. In her brother’s stately historic home, she’s going to reclaim the carefree girl who spent lazy summers sharing steamy kisses with her first love on Sullivans Island. Daring to listen to her inner voice, she will realize what she wants . . . and find the life of which she’s always dreamed.

I'm sure there is something to learn from this work too. In Porch Lights, one of the main characters is an big fan of Edgar Allan Poe and drops little tidbits about the mysterious writer that we did not know. 

In case you think I have resorted to reading only light summertime work, I have also been reading some Hemingway. I think I'll feature Hemingway quotes the rest of the month of June.

I asked you what you were reading and only got two responses.  Are you reading?  Here they are:

From Kara: The Other Bolyn Girl by Phillpia Gregory is one of the best books I've read in a long time! Also Pillars of the Earth and World Without End by Ken Follet are wonderful! 

From Terry: CANINE REPRODUCTION AND WHELPING~A Dog Breeder's Guide by Myra Savant-Harris R.N.(2005)

PUPPY INTENSIVE CARE~A Breeder's Guide to Care of Newborn Puppies (30 min. DVD included)(2006)

Each book is a "A Dogwise Manual"published by Dogwise publishing. (Terry has two litters of Collie pups.  LOL)

Quote for the day:  “There is no friend as loyal as a book.”  Ernest Hemingway

Sycamore Arts to hold fiber exhibition in September....Get Ready

Several members of the two quilting groups that I belong to, Loose Threads and Quilt in the Grove, attended the Mississippi Quilters Association's June Gathering this past weekend in Jackson.  We heard inspirational speakers, saw beautiful quilts and took fun classes.

A friend and I took Joan Alliston's Migrating Geese class to learn a new technique for making flying geese. I brought my little strip home and turned it into a table runner to be donated to the Sycamore Arts Silent Auction.  We will see what it brings.

"Sycamore Arts is very pleased to include this striking Fiber Art in our upcoming Auction! And we will be sponsoring our first Fiber Art Exhibit this September at BancorpSouth in Senatobia -- Details will be announced at a later date," said Sycamore Arts President Karen Brown.

This opportunity is a call to all my fellow quilters, weavers and textile artists in the Senatobia area to be working on a piece to enter in this first fiber exhibition.  I'm so excited.

Gotta go. It's time to go quilt with Loose Threads.

Reminder and Summer Reading

Hey Friends:

Just a reminder....If you are reading my blog, please sign in as a follower. You can do this by navigating to the tool box in the right hand column.  It is helpful to me if you leave comments on the blog itself rather than on Facebook.  But if you can't do this, FB is OK.

FYI:  As of yesterday, I was up to 8,489 page views!  WOW.  That's inspiration for me.

Next blog will be about good summer books.  What are YOU reading?  Let me know before I give you my list.

Happy Wednesday.

Empty Saddle brings pain and joy

Today, June 4, would be my daddy's 100th birthday. Fifteen years ago June 4 was the day of his burial on his 85th birthday. I guess I write about my parents too much on my blog, but that comes with being an only child. It also comes with having extraordinary parents.

Daddy and me in the front porch swing
one Easter morning at the house
on Hwy. 51, next to Mays Pharmacy. Photo and hand tinting
by my mother. 

Daddy and Pepper, the three-legged
English Shepherd cow dog extraordinaire.

Never a very successful businessman, Daddy was at the top of his game in making friends, spinning a tale of Western lore, handling a rank horse, quietly working a herd of cattle or bringing out the best in a shy dog. 

Born in Tate County, educated in New Mexico, Daddy served in World War II as a U.S. Army Medic. An animal husbandry graduate of Mississippi State University, he married Marjorie Latham of Eupora and farmed and raised livestock on family farmland in Barr, Miss. until his death.

In retirement he worked daily in his leather shop, repairing and rebuilding saddles, making equipment for his grandchildren and keeping their horses in top shape.

Below right, he uses my 4-H Champion Appaloosa mare, High Spots Tobie, to work cattle.  Intended as a show horse, Tobie also was taught to plow the garden....because it was the cowboy way.

One of my favorite pics shows Daddy and me before a horse show with his favorite mare Penny loaded in the back of the truck with panels.  "Load up, Mare," he would say and she would jump right up in the truck.  He was a firm believer in "making do."  He would say, "Baby, you have to ride what you've got and get the best out of it."

(below, left)

If he walked in the back door today and took off his weather-beaten cowboy hat and threw it down on the table, this is the conversation that would follow:

Daddy:  Hey Chalie, what you got for dinner?

Me:  Hey Daddy.  How about Texas cowboy red beans and cornbread?

Daddy:  (Big grin) Larapin!

Hayley Cathey Dandridge

June 4, 1913-June 2, 1998

Glamour Days

As I was getting ready this morning and looking through my assortment of makeup items, I began to think about my mother. Maybe because it's Mother's Day weekend. Maybe because my makeup drawer is always a mess and never contains the same items.  Mama's was very predictable.

I remember when she was unable to get Maybelline mascara in the little red box with the brush.  That was the ultimate eye makeup for the 1950s.  Do you remember it?  To make it work well you had to spit on the brush and then apply.  Not too sanitary.  She bought it as long as she could find it and finally succumbed to the tube version.

She always wore Panstick makeup by Max Factor.  I tried it and found it a little heavy for  me.  I think a newer version of it is still available.

Mama kept the local Avon lady in business by buying endless tubes of Marvelous Mauve lipstick and nail polish.  Always the same color.

Ever notice how those old photographs from the 1940s and '50s look like our parents just stepped off an MGM movie lot.  Those were the glamour days.

For me, not so much. My makeup is not predictable, my brands are not constant, and the glamour part, no.

Why is it I can't tell you exactly what is in my drawer right now, but know the exact content of her top, center dresser drawer, how it smelled and where each item was placed?

It's a mama/daughter thing. I guess.

Marjorie Latham Dandridge

Shake On KC

I have to admit that I have become a fan of Food Network's Pioneer Woman. I even bought the cookbook.  I can put up with Ree Drummond's constant perkiness because of her great photography and the cute cowboys, cowboy children, horses and cattle. But this blog is not about PW.
http://thepioneerwoman.com

The other day I was waiting for PW to come on and had the watch the last few minutes of Paula Deen (not a fan).  She was making some kind of shake with this slightly overweight middle-aged or more guy.  Here he is.  Do you recognize him?

Read more at http://nashvillecountryclub.com/CountryMusicNews/5873/#.UXvUAr9OimQ

That my friends is the legendary Harry Wayne Casey.  Never heard of him?  How about KC and the Sunshine Band?  Yeah.  When I had a stint as a deejay at a small market radio station that played block format (country in the morning, easy listening in the afternoon, and R & B at night...bad format), KC was the only white guy cool enough to make it to the top of the R & B chart.

Remember, Shake your Booty, Get Down Tonight, Boogie Shoes?

(Photo from www.scoopweb.com)

Well, he and Paula made KC's Shake Shake to go along with Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger with Dill Mustard sauce.

After seeing this episode, I checked and he is still out there.  After '70s music came back in style, he reformed The Sunshine Band and hit the road doing some 200 gigs a year.  KC even performed on American Idol in 2009.

That's all great. But don't let my music guys show up on cooking shows. The next thing you know the music icons of my fun days will be doing Polident commercials or pushing reverse mortgages.

The kicker—after Paula tasted the Shake, she shut her eyes, licked her lips, and said, "That's the way I like it, uh-huh uh- huh."

PALEASSEEE

Dust Bowl very real to Dandridge family

Last night I watched the encore showing of Ken Burns' Dust Bowl on PBS http://video.pbs.org/program/dust-bowl/. It is really hard for me to watch. In the early 1920s my grandaddy (Cathey S. Dandridge) packed his family of three boys and a scared wife into an old model T and moved them from Tate County to West Texas and finally to New Mexico.  A WWI veteran, Grandaddy had been diagnosed with tuberculosis and was sent to live in a drier climate.  Little did they know that they were entering a region of the country that would experience one of the worst man-made environmental disasters ever—The Dust Bowl.

The Dust Bowl, photo from Ken Burns' documentary

This year my Daddy has been gone for 15 years. It's hard to believe. He was a master storyteller, and many times recounted tales of their time out West. After watching this wonderful documentary, I did so want to ask him questions—about the 100-mile cattle drives, about the dreaded dust, about life in the dugout house http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dugout_(shelter), and so much more.

The Dandridges, L to r, Hayley, Ollie May Dupuy Dandridge,
Cathey S. Dandridge, Ed and Jim.

He spoke often about driving cattle, plowing the dry earth, living under the ground on dirt floors.  Daddy recalled that when the dust came, they shut the windows as tight as they could, but when it left, there was dust between the sheets of the bed, in the cabinets, between stacked dished, and in your hair and mouth.

It all sounded pretty dismal. But I think, to him, it was the adventure of a lifetime. When he and his family returned to Tate County after he graduated from high school in Dora, NM, be brought those Western traditions and the culture of the region back with him.

Cattle are driven to a watering tank at Singleton Ranch in Pride, Texas.

A horseman until his death in 1998, he learned from Cathey relatives out West, observing the handling of horses and cattle, making cowboy gear. I think he even brought back some of that Cowboy Independence with him.

It's a stretch of the imagination to realize that these experiences happened to someone just one generation away.  I'm thankful everyday that my children all were around to know him, to hear his stories, to learn to ride—the cowboy way. We all miss him, but what a cultural inheritance he left us!

Hayley Dandridge driving the team and plowing the dry New Mexico dirt.
He must have been about 11 years old at the time.

Much later back in Tate County on Queen.

Brock's River Witch enchants me

It's book review time!  I haven't done one in a while because I haven't been able to sit still long enough to read one.  Rarely am I captivated in the first lines of a book.  I surely was in Kimberly Brock's debut book, The River Witch.

This work has all things Southern—mystical traditions, complicated family relationships, combined with a mesmerizing story.  The natural flow of this storyline comes easy for Brock, who is a storyteller as well as a writer.

I think the thing that captured my attention most was the sound of the book. I love it when I hear a sound track running through my mind as I read a book. In this case, the main character who is searching for healing, both physical and mental, keep coming back to the music of her Granny—the music of her childhood.  That music is the beautiful Southern Sacred Harp Singing.

If you've never heard it, you should do some research on the tradition.  I can't tell you more without spoiling the story.  Take a look at this trailer for the book and then see what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIQdISJImEo

Cleaning Out the Closet

I think I may have written a blog before about how my children have left me with the memories of their childhoods in the form of letter jackets, horse equipment, photos, you name it.  I made one final attempt to clean out Olivia's closet before it was ransacked by the grandchildren.  I, too, had a hard time throwing out some of her things.  So, I made a quilt.

She had taken the blue ribbons from her horse show days and left me with some of the lesser places. We fought hard for some of those reds and yellows.  So, they made a block against one of her bandanas.

The same held true for the collars from her English shirts. If they look dirty, they aren't, just permanently stained. For those of you who don't show horses, just imagine putting on a prom dress and being told to go out in an arena of sand and dust and not get dirty.  Hard to do.  These collars are wearing second-hand dirt since we got them at a consignment shop in Germantown that carried English tack.  She wore them when she was about 12 or so.  Same goes for the pockets.

The quilt is not comprised of only riding apparel. You must know that this girl is a T-shirt hoarder. So I got the rejects.  They were still neat shirts—4-H Regional Show (well, that's more horse stuff), a handkerchief from her mission trip with World Changers at church, T-shirts from her senior proms, a junior high Blue Mountain basketball shirt.

She's probably not thrilled that I'm sharing all this.  MORAL OF STORY:  If you leave it here long enough, it will end up in a quilt.