Good to get together!

Well, reunions are over, for awhile. Next one is sort of my immediate family, although anyone is welcome, so come on over. It is Labor Day weekend, very low key after these two big ones, but still dear to my heart. September 7 was my Navy Man"s birthday and since he passed on at age 46, it is hard for me to imagine his being an old white haired man. He would be 85 this year. But one thing for sure, he would be a good-looking 85. Pictures shown in this post are when he was 17 and just joined Navy, then when we were married for 1 week -ages 18 and 20.

The reunions were great - first his folks at the Swertner community center, Must have been
45 or 50 people there, but that is a small crowd considering in the "good old days" there might be 100 plus. They went to a river or lake and camped out for 2 or 3 days. This reunion started 78 years ago, and back then most of the family were farmers or ranchers and had sizable families sso the numbers added up quickly. I thought I was the oldest one at his reunion but come to find out a cousin , Clovis' husband, is 87. . It is a far cry from years ago - even when I was new to the family, when we had singing, and games and barbecuing and pranks galore. Now we meet in air conditioning comfort, visit, eat, and go home. But it is still great bonding . . .

Then on to my granny's reunion. Not very many this year-think my daughter counted 30 odd . But such good hugs and remembering and food - oh my!!! Of course I delighted in showing off my new twin great grandaughters , almost 9 months old. They live in North Caro;ina so it was their first trip to Texas. Aren't they something special? And good babies - laugh all the time - hardly ever cry unless they see their mom fixing their bottles!! Of course everyone had to show kids and grandkids pictures of weddings, new babies, etc. Did I mention that my oldest great grandaughter went with us. She is 16 now - beautuful girl, and just seems perfectly content going along on one of these famuly "remember when? trips. I babysat this one wuite a bit when she was a baby and I guess we "bonded" as they say nowadays. We have a special relationalship.

Second day of Granny's reunion was in a small town not too far from Georgetown, and on the way over we drove by where the 2 room school I (and some of my cousins) attended as little kids, was located, The building no longer stands but it was fun just seeing the road and location and all. Also drove by where our mail box was located, probably 1/2 mile from where the farmhouse stood. I thought it must be 2 or 3 miles when I was 7 or 8 years old. Drove by the little lane that led up to Granny's farmhouse, so we crammed a lot of mememories into the day. Another great day of visiting and eating and reluctant goodbyes for this time.

Many thanks to my youngest (I usually say my "baby") for taking time off from her job on Friday and Monday to get us there and back and to my oldest daughter for making the 1100+ mile trip from North Carolina to be there.

Again...Seems Like A Small Town

Well, I'm seriously thinking of throwing this computer out the window! Every time I think I am catching on a little, something really DUMB happens - - like I type a nice blog, and suddenly it just disappears into thin air - WHOOF!!, 'bye 'bye, so long!! I wanted briefly to tell you about this little neighborhood I live in. Remember it is on the edge (next street over is out of the city limits) of a city of over two million. Anyhow after I enjoyed an MRI on my back a few days ago, I went by the post office and someone called to me and said "Hi, didn't I just see you coming out of the Y?","Yep, you sure did".. (I exercise at our local Y a couple or three days a week, with a younger friend - she is only 78.)

Then I just had to run by Whataburger and get some biscuit and sausage gravy for breakfast. (This is a southern staple food - can't live without it! ) Well, I have told you before about Dorothy, the 79 year old waitress at Whataburger. So she came over and greeted me, and I started to get uo to get some coffee, and she said," I'll get it for you" So she brings me a cuppa and plops herself down in my booth, and we just a had a good old visit..

Then I go to our neighborhood store the next day, and they have published a dollar off milk with a $10.00 purchase. I hand the cashier, Mary, my coupon, and she says "Oh honey, this was through yesterday!" I knew that; I just forgot what day it was. She says "Take it over to the courtesy booth and tell you want your dollar."

I said, "Are you kidding?" She said no, so I go over and get in line, and I guess I was too slow for her, she comes up, takes the coupon out of my hand, and reaches around someone at the window and said "Give her a dollar." And they do. . . It is amazing what this white hair does for you sometime.

No more time tonight - have to leave early tomorrow for Central Texas (God's Country) for the afore mentioned reunions so must get my beauty sleep - hee hee!

Cleaning house

I told myself I just HAD to clean house today, and as it happened I've been running the streets instead. But just thinking about mopping the kitchen brought back memories of "scrubbing", not "mopping" the kitchen floor.I'm talking about old floors without linoleum - just plain old "boards". Used soapy water, probably left over from washing clothes, and poured some on the floor and I mean scrubbed just like that old broom was a scrub brush.

Sure left some pretty clean floors after you rinsed it and swept the water out the door several times.

At Granny's farm whew we lived until I was about 4, we had running water in the kitchen. No marvel of plumbing - just gravity. When the windmill was working right it pumped water into a large elevated tank up on a platform. So turn on the faucet and gravity did the rest.

Hot water was another matter. We had to heat water for dishes and such in a big, old tea kettle , except in summer. Then we would fill a big no. 2 washtub with water from the well, set it out in that Central Texas sun, and I guarantee after a hot, sunny day you had to cool it down to take a bath.

When I was a little girl I loved playing in the rain. Mother and I called it a "'shower bath", and as soon as it began to rain I was pestering her to go take a "shower bath".

When rain puddled up a bit in low spots and big rain drops fell into those spots they formed a funny little splash we called "frogs going to school" Ever hear that expression????

Is age a state of mind??

Today after I enjoyed an MRI on my back, I dropped by Wataburger to get some breakfast. Well, as fate would have it, they stop serving breakfast at ll:00, and it was straight up ll:O0. So I opted for a -what else - a Whataburger. Isn't the first time I/ve had a hamburger for breakfast.

Anyhow there is this delightful young lady who works in there, and I sat amazed as she scooted about serving condiments and making sure everyone was o.k. Curiosity finally got ne and I asked her how old she is, and she informed me she will be 78 in August. Mind you, she didn't say "I'm 77," but proudly proclaimed she will soon be 78. No, I'm not kiddin". She has been there for who knows how long and further endeared herself when she remembered my best friend, Fred, who said his last goodbyes April 23. You see, there is this group of fellows from our church who used to meet there for coffee once a month - FREE coffee, I might add, and Fred was one of these guys.

Another example is one of the "girls" who meet at my house the first Thursday each month to "sew". Have to admit we get more talking done than sewing but every now and then someone will sit down at the quiltng frame and quilt a block or two. Anyhow, there is this one friend, Vi, who will be 96 in December. (Did I also mention that Fred would have been 96 in December??)Vi is something else - more ways than one. She just quit driving last year and has sold her home and moved into a small and very nice apartment. It probably is no accident that this apartment has a great window - perfect place for a quilting frame - and Vi can sit and quilt and watch folks go by on the sidewalk.

Anyhow here is a story Vi tells about when she was a little girl :

"Let me tell you about an incident that occurred when I was about 3 years old.
For some unknown reason I had a habit of poking my finger into any hole I found.In those days women wore dresses to their ankles. Grandmother and I went out to gather eggs and one old hen had started laying in a deep feed trough. Grandmother was a short little woman and she leaned 'way over to get the eggs. She had a small rip in the skirt of her dress and- - you guessed it!! Little Vi poked her finger in the hole. Grandmother was so startled she went head first into the feed trough with her feet waving wildly in the air. I had to call Mother to come pull Grandmother out of the feed trough. Boy - was she upset!!!

Can't you just picture this?? More later!!

Reunions' Coming Up...!

I mentioned before that we have a large extended family. Every July we have a whopper of a reunion. It all began when Granny said one year

, "Why don't you give me a birthday party in the park?" Her birthday is July 30, and so we did - and still are!

We meet July 26 at the Cameron Road Church of Christ in Austin and have fellowship and an evening meal, continuing into Sunday, July 27, at the Bartlett Community Center. We owe a BIG thank you to Velma and David Pierce for long hours in arranging all this. And talk about food - oh my!!! We also have our own worship service, as so many of us are members of the Church of Christ.

My grandparents were John Marion Emerson, (2-01-1872 - 4-05-1929), and Bertha Nancy Ellen Hager, (7-30-1882 - 7-13-1972). They were married June 21, 1902. They had 8 great kids - Velma, Viola, Blanche, Evie, Edna, Earl, Eulamae (Toots) and John, Jr. - our parents, grandparents, great grandparents and, yes, great great grandparents (with a few more "greats" probably added in).

This same weekend my daughters, great grandaughters and I will attend my Navy Man's reunion at Swertner, Texas. This would be the John Delashment Carlile reunion - 68th year.My Navy man, and the love of my life was James Lowell King (1923-1969) It is great to still keep in touch with his folks.

The pictures are of Grandaddy and Granny - John & Bertha, and the old Emerson farmhouse between Walburg and Georgetown, Texas.

Enough family history - now you know !

Long time ago

Trying to begin talking about old times brings so much to mind! And being new to blogginng I"m not sure where to begin.

Today is Friday and usually I volunteer at a nursing home helping with Bingo and visiting residents. Been doing this for several years now. My mother was in this facility and the sister of someone who became my best friend.

I have a quilt in my PVC frame in the process (sl0w) of being quilted. It is a Monkey Wrench pattern and I really need to get it finished. My mother gave me this quilt top before she passed on at age of 91,. so it means a lot to me. Sometimes I start a project and follow through to completetion, but simetimes I drag my feet, as people used to say. Have several other quilts needing bindings, labeling and - well, you know how it goes. I sort of collect quilts - - not the fancy, elaborate ones )although I admire these greatly. I have one my great aunt , who was born in 1856, gave me when I was just a little tot. Also have one my mother and her sisters made for my beloved Granny, Bertha Nancy Ellen Hager Emerson, for Mother's Day, 1934.

I reside in a suburb of Houston in a very comfortable, and homey house witha badly, spoiled 11 year old cat named Amy. She is something else!! Taight porcelain doll-making for years and had a neat little studio now occupied by my son and his 2 Siamese kittens. Love roses (picture from my yard), pot luck dinners, grandkids visits, cooking, traveling, and you name it - I like it!!

Does it seem to anyone else that time goes by faster every year?? Spring came - got marrieed to a great US Navy man, had kids, was happy - - them summer; kids growing uo - high school days, dating, getting their feet wet with first j0bs, etc. Then THEY get married, had those adorable babies, bought cars, homes, had problems (didn't we all?) Then, all of a sudden, swiftly came September and Autumn is almost here again. Where did the years go??

By the way, talking about Houston, do any of you remember Western Union on Franklin Street downtown; one of my early jobs. And John Markou's Cafe right next door - great food!!

Speaking of food , here's an easy one for you:

1 large cherry Jello

2 cups boiling water

1 can blueberries, in heavy or light syrup

8 oz. pkg cream cheese

8 oz. sour cream 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix hot water with Jello, stirring well. Add blueberries, Pour into 8 1/2 X ll dish and refrigerate overnight.Topping : Beat softened cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Whip it up

with mixer until very creamy. Spread on top of Jello. Chill well.

Let me know how you like it. Took one to a covered dish lunchein Tuesday and they ate almost all of it - was hoping there would be a bit left for me.

Better go - here's Amy wanting her supper!!!