guess who is in town

Lucy. Home from Springhill with a GPA of 3.95!

 

 

FYI  If you take a selfie with my phone to make it be my background...it will also appear on my blog.

 

Gibbs was so happy.

 

Ellie wants some too.

Great stuff happening

Although the weather was warm, Junior stayed undercover.

 

 

Puppies like the sun.

 

Pepper even came out to the deck.

 

Why do we have such a tiny dog in such a big backyard? Can you even see him?

 

Took Pam on a tour of Sophie and Paul's yard this past weekend. She was delighted to see all the great plants coming out. She pointed out several special specimens. I  picked a little bouquet as we walked.

 

Went to the Pizza Shack Byram this morning to help Ryan hang the excellent art.

 

They made the wood panels from their old fence pickets.

 

Friend Emily painted them. There are a few more to come. Aren't they great?

 

Other side. At some point Ryan is going to build a screen to hide those shelves. It is coming along nicely though. Next  project...Pizza Shack Madison.

 

Here are some before pictures so y'all can see the progress.

 

Lots of room for art.

Bedroom...little girl heaven

Ok...we are getting close to the inner sanctum. Let's leave the bathroom and turn right. The master bedroom. I only have two true memories of my granddaddy. One is of the watermelon in the backyard and the other is seeing him in his pajamas and ill with heart disease on the living room sofa. So these memories are post Hugh. The bedroom is dominated by the huge Art Deco style cannonball bedroom suite.

 

Those bedposts seemed huge to me. The vanity was the crowning jewel of the bedroom set. It had a huge mirror with wood beaded trim. It was very low and had a padded stool to sit on to gaze in the mirror. On either side was a rounded front drawer that held magical things. Things like nylons, scarves, rain bonnets and empty perfume bottles. These were added to make things smell good.

 

And let's don't forget the magical gold jewelry box that when you opened the top, a drawer opened.

 

After many years of heavy use for dress up at my mom's house, it belongs to Ivy. Here are some of the original earrings.

 

 I actually wore many of these in the 90's when bigger was better.

 

Big hair, big earrings.

 

 My grandmother worked in a downtown drugstore. In those days that was an elegant job. She worked in the old Petroleum building downtown. She called the customers her "oil men" . She sold them gifts for their wives and girlfriends. They loved her and reciprocated with lovely gifts to her. The perk to me was perfume bottles. She saved the pretty sample bottles for us girls. So sitting at her vanity was a look into a glamorous world.  Tiny lipstick samples, tiny perfumes bottles , it was all magical. I sat there many times with my baby cousins letting them brush my 70's long hair. I loved it.

 

  Oh, and in the closet were pointy high heels (so out in the 70's and 80's) , purses and let's don't forget the mink stole. I wore it at Mary Grace and Ryan's wedding.

 

 

There was also a big room sucking window fan in this room. Beautiful dresser that matched the bed and vanity.

 All reside in Jan's guest bedroom now. Guess I'll break here before I go on to "my" room. Jack's old room became the guest room in my day. Fun!

a little more Spring

Picked these camellias from a bush in Candy's yard. They were so perfect. I got one in each stage of opening and took them  to Mom. The cleverly named beta fish, Blueberry, hangs nearby.

 

 

She is decorated for Easter.

 

The weather was so nice that we ate outside on the terrace. They were setting up for a croquet tournament out by the lake. Staff and residents were milling around dressed in all white, getting excited about the event.

 

Sophie sent me a few pic of the great things that keep popping up in her inherited garden.

 

So many kinds of daffodils.

 

These Lenten roses are one of my favorites.

The in between spaces

Ok...ready to head back inside? Enter the back door, through the kitchen, dining room and living room. Take a right into the hallway. There is a round top niche here, built into the wall for the telephone. This is not where the phone was kept in my memory. It is on a phone table with a little seat built in. And make no mistake this is a major phone. Heavy enough to kill somebody. Not the old heavy plastic kind. This puppy was some kind of heavy metal, with a metal rotary dial. Next to the phone was a desk set, consisting of pencil holder, oval catch all and I can't remember what else. It was decorated with stamps from around the world. I still use it. Oh and an address book that had a little tab on the side that you slid up and down to select a letter of the alphabet. Then when you pushed a button it magically opened to the letter you were searching for. Very cool stuff. Oh, and be careful not to step on the floor furnace grate with bare feet.
 

A small (by today's standards) bathroom is right ahead. A big ole white cast iron tub, toilet and hanging heavy white sink with chrome finishes fill the room. Little white hexagon tiles line the floor. But the best part was the medicine cabinet. It was mounted above the sink and had a mirrored front. Inside were glass shelves. There was a slit in the back wall for used razor blades. That means in every house of this era razor blades were dropped into the wall space. Also of great interest to me was a little pot of butch wax. What is butch wax you ask? In the 1950's boys had short "crew" cuts. They made them stand up straight with the butch wax. Apparently Mamaw couldn't bear to throw away Jack's last jar. It became a little shrine to him. We all loved to open it and smell it. 

Spring fever

Ok , I know , I know, I'm interrupting the story again but saw so many amazing things today. The weather was warm and clear. Started the day in the pool with the amazing Joanne, our tiny, cute, Thai water aerobics instructor. We all love her. She really kicks us into shape. Today she did kick boxing and tai chi in the water. Whoa. Then Candy and I consoled our selves with a healthy lunch.

 

Little Tokyo...our inconsistent friend. Great food, weird service. Headed to Callaway's  for Spring inspiration. Great stuff. This was great. Watering cans. Pigs for me. Gnomes for Sophie.

 

 

Violets blooming at home. I transplanted tons of these from Riverwood house. They only grow where they want to grow.

 

Some azaleas are emerging.

 

 

I'm sitting on the deck thinking spring and reading a spring magazine, but the deck still says winter.

 

 

Ugh. Will work on that later.

 

Now back to Brown tour...

 

 

 





Backyard

As long as we are gazing out the back window let's take a trip out there. The door leads us to another set of steps. As a kid these seemed enormous. Huge hydrangeas flourish on either side of the steps. Beyond those to the left hibiscus tower. I've heard that Grandaddy used to capture bees in the huge blossoms to the grandkids delight to hear them buzzing inside the bloom. Under the massive tree with low spreading branches sat the picnic table. I remember watermelon being cut there. The yard was divided with a line of shrubs and canna lilies into two sections. I was too young to appreciate what all her gardens contained but I knew they were all beautiful. Mamaw provided the flowers for services and events at her church, so I know she must have grown fabulous flowers. I would be remiss if I did not mention the garage. It had a metal door that swung out and up. When that door opened an earthy smell rolled over you. The floor was plain dirt. Shelves held gardening supplies, tools and unused furniture. One piece of furniture there was an old wooden rocker. Story had it that someone had given it to Granddaddy in exchange for some cabinet work he did. I guess it was never used until Mom reclaimed it and "antiqued" it (Red Devil kit). I got it after that and stripped and recovered it.  Still love it.
 

Another aspect of the house that impressed me was the crawl space beneath the conventional foundation. Her house had a little higher space than ours and I liked to explore it. One time I found an entire rat skeleton preserved on a board. Kudos to my mom for letting me take my find home, and even to school for show and tell! Very gutsy Mom. I'm sure you had to have been horrified.

local update

I know I'm in the middle of a continuing story post but huge local news has to be reported. As anyone who has gotten anywhere near Madison knows...Sam's is coming to town. Now I have made major fun of the ridiculous architecture in my little town. But this monolith threatens to take the cake...the big ole overdecorated cake. The cake with icing so thick it overwhelms the cake. Mom and I have been tracking the progress. First it was elaborate brick work. Next it was enormous fake arch windows. Then it was crown molding that was LITERALLY 15 feet tall. But just you wait. Look what I think is coming.

 

Columns. They are all wrapped up waiting to be applied. I was so afraid we might not get COLUMNS. Please realize the scale of this building. I am about 200 feet away.

 

 

Check out Candy's front planters. I have not seen little flowers like those ones in back right outside of a Dr. Seuss book. So cute.

 

 

Lenten flowers. Time has gone so fast. Palm Sunday this Sunday.

 

Byram Pizza Shack has far surpassed all expectations. Ryan says the people are so great and welcoming. I stopped by Sunday and they were taking a day off.

 

I'm not sure I've ever seen him look so tired. The dogs were soo happy he was home.

 

Now back to Brown home tour.

 

 





Mamaw Brown's house part 2

If you look just past the sofa, and to the right, you will see a room sized cased opening leading you into the dining room. This is the elegant room of the house. A Duncan Phyfe dining room set sits prettily with an elaborate crocheted cream colored tablecloth. Small circles join together to make a beautiful pattern. On top in the center is a bowl of wax fruit.

 

The present incarnation of the chairs after I put them to use for 35 years!

In the corners are two wooden cabinets built in by my granddaddy. They go almost to the ceiling and have three shelves and two lower doors with crystal handles. Displayed on these shelves are the fine china with delicate pink flowers and gold rims. The good crystal also sparkles here. In between the shelves is a large window with a large air conditioning unit humming a cool breeze. To the right beside the kitchen door sits a very important item, the cabinet radio. When we were cleaning out Mamaw's house I took on the radio as my first furniture stripping project. It was solid black. The finish had alligatored (when the varnish turns dark and scaly). When stripping it I was shocked to see the many different woods used on the cabinet.

 

Mom always said that she can remember coming in from work or school and flipping this switch to hear WWII news or variety shows.

 

 

Look to the left through a window sized pass-through opening into the kitchen. On the back side of this opening hangs a small Formica counter top that can seat three. It is hinged and when up is propped by a collapsible table leg. Round vinyl topped stools allowed my grandparents and uncle Jack to have meals together here. Granddaddy Brown was a cabinet maker by trade and used his talents to make their kitchen functional. When not in use the table folded down to give Mamaw more room in the kitchen.

Right there on the right is the cutest refridgerater you have ever seen. It is a small mint green curved front fridge with vertical chrome handles. Inside is a freezer on top and cooler on bottom. Check in the door for little glass Coke bottles. There are green 50's style Formica counters with chrome edges. A gas stove that heated up the iron skillet (that I still use) to cook Jack's favorite fried chicken. I remember spending the night and being delighted by pancakes made with leftover mashed potatoes. Next is a big ole white cast iron sink. It was really wide and fairly shallow.  Over the sink was a window that looked out over the fabulous backyard with a huge bodock tree, overhanging a marble topped picnic table where watermelon was cut.

But that is another story.

walk through the past

The car tires crunch up the slight incline of the gravel driveway. The sides of the car almost brush the two huge arborvitae that flank the drive. My feet walk on the curved sidewalk lined with oxalis. It's green clover leaves are topped with pretty pink  blooms. The steps to the front door are a peeling testament to layers of yearly fresh paint jobs. Each year sported a new coat of battleship gray or porch green. One column of wrought iron supports the overhang. On the left is a planter stand that holds terra cotta pots and an unexpected tiny stand that holds miniature black metal men's hats. I open the storm door and then the front door which sports the popular three rectangular windows in a diagonal row.

 

Once inside I see the hardwood floors, narrow oak strips, polished to a fine glow. On the left is a low comfy chair with enormous curved arms, wide enough to hold a well manicured hand and a bottle of Cutex pink nail polish and file. A three armed brass floor lamp lends a warm glow. On the right are two sage green barrel backed chairs separated by a three tier pie crust table. The table holds an elaborate collection of miniature pitchers. They are souvenirs from travels and adventures from family and friends. A grand console TV looms in the corner. I can almost hear Johnny Carson making jokes. Above the TV hangs a little corner cabinet. It has two shelves and a little cabinet on the bottom with two doors and tiny wooden pulls. On the wall to it's left hangs a picture of a beautiful western vista. A lone American Indian gazes peacefully from an outcropping of warm brown rock. Below it is a book case filled with classics. Gazing further left is a low mid century modern sofa, off-white with wide, low square arms. Flanked by side tables and lamps. The coffee table is an oval, mahogany pie crust edge table with a glass top. Under the glass is an elaborate doily. On top is a candy dish with a bronze top. The handle is an acorn. Inside is a three section glass insert with assorted candy. It may be homemade divinity, bridge mix (chocolate covered assorted nuts), ribbon candy or kisses.

 

Ok, by now you have figured out this is my Mamaw Brown's house. When I am stressed or can't sleep, I picture myself walking through this house. Next post I'll proceed to the rest of the house. 

Time flies

My beloved kitchen clock may have bitten the dust. It has refused to work even with a new battery. I may try to get a replacement clock mechanism for it. They sell them at Michael's. I can't imagine all the times I have looked at this clock. Coming of age when I did, I am used to thinking in terms of quarter till and quarter after. My kids, raised in digital time don't look at an hour like we do. Just picture all the events I watched the clock for, time for the bus, time to get in carpool line, time for bed, Book Club is coming in half and hour, etc.

 

 

We waxed a bit nostalgic at Book Club at my house yesterday. The discussion had turned to some of the goofy fashions we donned as young moms. Of course at the time our denim jumpers, white keds with socks, overall shorts and big ole bows on our pony tails made perfect sense. Unfortunately we discovered there were very few pictures of us at the time. We were the ones behind the lens! Here is one that we decided was a classic look...tie dyed knit short sets. Oh my did we love those.

 

 

This one had a giant kiwi on it. But time marches on and I had bought this clock at Kalalou. 

 

Not quite as in love with it but I need a timepiece.

 

Trying to come up with simple, durable and inexpensive  ideas for tables at Pizza Shack, I scored with these fake herbs. Don't they look real?

 

Found some artificial succulents too.

 

Plopped them in ordinary cans with oasis and moss.

Tried them out for Book Club table

 

Ok, have to admit an epic fail in the menu. Made an old recipe of Priscilla's for Hawaiian Chicken salad. MG helped me. It has grapes, pineapple, toasted almonds and curry in it. So good. I tasted it the morning of Book Club. It was horrible. Pasty, flavorless, weird, weird texture. After a little thought and a confirmation from Sue, the good cook, I realized that I had used fresh pineapple. This causes a chemical reaction that changed the protein in the chicken. I had always heard not to  use fresh  pineapple in jello. It is the same principle. Yuck. Ran to Beagle Bagel and bought some of their great chicken salad..

 

 

Redeemed myself a bit with key lime pie (fresh limes worked in this case).

 

Found these cute little chocolates at Home Goods. In need of a little shopping therapy to recover from my salad disaster, I bought a new tablecloth and napkins. These called to me from the customer trap that is the waiting line to check out.

Dog jail break

Still kicking around design ideas for the Madison Pizza Shack

 

 

Since Mary Grace is working full time and Ryan is working constantly to get the new locations going, the dogs are not getting their usual attention. I went over to let them out and couldn't resist busting them out.

 

I said come on guys...hop in.

 

As I was leaving and stopped at the traffic light, Ryan turned in! Oops, caught stealing his dogs. We all met up at Candy's where they played (or put up with) her dogs.

 

Everyone was happy to see them.

 

Hmmm...there is something ironic about this scene. Guess I better read that article.