A Little Bling

I hate that word: "bling". Not sure why I used it.

Fairlie was fortunate enough to attend an Art Deco exhibition recently. I adore the period. The architecture, the clothes, the art work, the jewelry. Especially the jewelry.

The craftmanship of that period is, I think, unmatched. The level of detail amazes me. If ever I become wealthy, I think I'd like to have a few things like this in my jewelry box.



The ironic thing is that I very seldom wear jewelry. I love to look at it, but Rob can tell you that most of what I actually own, with the exception of my wedding rings and an anniversary ring he gave me, is unworn. Actually, I enjoy wearing it. I just never remember to go to the trouble of putting it on.

Pretty Lady

My lovely Grandmother, wearer of Muu Muus and lover of Bingo,had a stroke two weeks ago. She has been doing quite well and is impressing her therapists with her strength and improvement. Since she was found unconscious on June 24th she has progressing from a breathing machine to breathing on her own, responding with nods and a shake of her head to questions she's asked, pointing for things she wants and getting from the bed to a chair and back with assistance. She's 89 and a half. Halves are important when you're small and when you're almost 90 I think.

This happened very suddenly and some pretty quick decisions had to be made regarding whether or not to put her on a breathing machine or to use other measures to help her. I think her quick progress has helped everyone believe that the right decision was made. She is as sharp as ever and is expected to return to good health pretty quickly.

Below you see my grandfather, her husband. Quite handsome, isn't he? He was always a meticulously groomed man. Every hair in place, clothes neatly pressed, shoes polished daily.... and a head full of red hair. Not a garish red, as Grandmother would say, but a very pretty shade. They lived across the street from each other when they were this age, met again when they were 19 and married six months later. My favorite photo of them together is the one of them kissing on their honeymoon next to the car that his father gave them as a wedding gift.

While she's no longer the young, blond, bathing beauty you see here, 70 years later, she's still lovely. Here's hoping and praying she's back to B-19 and N-37 soon, putting on her favorite muu muus and flashing the unwary visitor (namely me!).

Rock On!

J.T.'s 4 minute 'concert' last night, consisting of the rock anthem: "I'm So Happy to be Free!" Which he both wrote (made up on the spot) and performed (including some serious couch-jumping antics, but no guitar smashing).

A sample:

I was walking down the road when I met a little toad.
I said "hello!"
He said: "I'm happy to be free, so happy to be free. It's great to be free!"

The remaining verses substitute a cow and then a dog for the toad. There was a great deal of rocking moves thrown in and the occasional leap off the back of the couch. Look out American Idol.

A Marketing Executive's Dream

My son is.

He believes our lives would be better if we only had that little gadget that lets you turn tomatoes into flowers and apples into swans. Not that he eats either of those items. But boy do they look cool.

That cream stuff that fixes knicks and gouges on leather and upholstery is popular as well. Might have something to do with child-created damage that could be magically fixed with this wonder gel.

Good thing he hasn't caught the colon-cleansing infomercial, huh?

He gets this from me. Despite years of product disappointment, I truly believe that this new stay-put all day lipstick will indeed stay put and not turn my lips into something that resembles dried clay. After all, the commercial says it does. Would Halle Berry lie?

My South

In My South... elders are addressed as "ma'am" and "sir". It is a gesture of respect for the wisdom they have earned in life.

In My South... macaroni and cheese is a vegetable.

In My South... hand-made quilts are a precious heirloom to be passed down from one generation to the next.

In My South... the good china is to be used NEVER! Everyday china is for everyday and the fine china you receive as a wedding gift is simply for decorating the china cabinet.

In My South... there are no mint julep drinkers. GROSS! Who thought mint, confectioner's sugar and booze was a good idea?

In My South... we take care of each other. If you are sick are grieving, we're bringing you some food. Food makes everything better.

In My South... thank you notes are a must! My mother helped me make a list following my high school graduation so I could check off everyone to whom I had written a thank you note. When I got married, I clipped out an article from Bride's magazine about the art of the wedding gift thank you note. I still have it.

In My South... wearing white after labor day or before Easter is still taboo.

In My South... music tells a life story. Blues, Jazz, Rock, Bluegrass. My favorites are Ray Charles, Harry Connick, Jr., Louie Armstrong, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

In My South... we pronounce neither and either two ways (nye-ther and neether, Eye-ther and EE-ther).

In My South... coke is the universal name for a regular flavor soft drink. We even call Pepsi coke. The quickest way to figure out if someone is a transplant is if they say "pop" or "soda" instead of coke. Well, that and the yankee accent.

In My South... children respect their parents and always, always obey them. Not really, that's just a pipe dream of mine. That post would have to be titled: "In My Dream World...."

And Aunty.... scroll down and pause the player if you need to listen to the youtube stuff!

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

This is for M of Easternmax. I have never seen any southern gentleman dressed like the old man in the intro. Linen suits are popular among the genteel in summer, but this Colonel Sanders look isn't familiar.

I'm sure that, unlike Mr. Berendt says, some people have indeed been disappointed by Savannah. Ask Rob. He hates those lovely historic squares. They are one way, mostly single lanes where driving is complicated by negotiating amongst endless carraiges and trolleys.

It really is a gorgeous city. Rob was surprised that ya'll were so fascinated by our Savannah trip. He thinks you have a romanticized view of the city. I do too, though. There are some truly unique places there and a lot of great history from many different eras.

Delicacies

Japan has the Puffer Fish. Italy has Calamari. France has Escargot.

We in southern Georgia, USA, have.... the boiled peanut. Tender little legume of perfect saltiness. Boiled for hours in the biggest pot one owns until it achieves just the right texture and taste. Served as an appetizer at summer gatherings and as a snack right out of the fridge.

My grandmother grew up just a few hundred miles away from where we live now. She had never heard of boiled peanuts until she moved to south Georgia. She never did learn to like them. Most non-natives consider them slimy and gross.