All my plants are maintained. I'm back in the back-to-work routine. I'm still feeling old -- Jerry isn't. Actually I think I have felt old my whole life. Old soul, that is me, young soul, that is Jerry -- maybe.
Only 350 odd days to Karolyn's fruit salad. I keep remembering how much fun the Bacon Fest was. Remember? What a fun activity, other families can have their touch football games, or tug-o-war contest. Like some old Alabama family we have a Bacon Fest. We are an old Alabama family.
Our Grandmother, or your Great Grandmother, or even a more distant Grandmother as the case may be for some of you, came from the piney woods of Alabama. Did you know that? Where they harvested turpentine. More about turpentine later, for now;
Cessa Bama McCord remembered riding the log trains out of the piney woods of Alabama to town in the morning and then riding the empty log trains back in the evening. I mean riding on the logs, no elegant carriage for this family. Her mother spread out a quilt for them to be more comfortable on as they made the journey, no splinters or sap.
The McCord family moved to Texas when Cessa was about six. She remembered crossing the mighty Mississippi River on an old wooden trestle bridge when it was at flood stage, everything was so terrifying she thought she was going to die. None of us older generation have really fond memories of Grandmother Taylor. She lived a hard life.
She lived a hard life and I guess that makes you somewhat hard. She was very self-obsessed. Her attitude always seemed to be "What about me?" "What's in it for me?" If you spend a life with no one ever listening to you maybe that attitude can happen.
I've heard stories about her biscuits, everyone said her biscuits were lighter, fluffier, better, than anyone else's ever. My mother remembered she kept a "biscuit bowl" filled with flour and when it came time to make biscuits she just added the other ingredients to the center and worked the dough until it was the right consistency leaving an outer rim of flour, then she put her "biscuit bowl" away, still filled with flour, until the next meal when she did it all over again.
She came to Oklahoma by wagon as a young woman with four children. As much as you will hear about how hard she was, you will hear her husband was harder. More about Grandfather Taylor another time. She told me he was never courageous enough to do anything but sharecrop cotton fields even though she begged him to lease land outright so he could take the full profit for his labors, he never did.
When she started sewing for a living as a widow she preached never, never, never undervalue yourself, and she never did. She could make a perfectly fitting garment from measurements, she liked a fitting but she didn't need a fitting. She made her grandchildren wedding dresses, graduation dresses, bedspreads, linens. She was good. She made fancy clothing for fancy ladies practically until the day she died.
She was a survivor.
She loved attention, loved to travel, loved flowers, loved gifts, loved to grow things, she could grow anything. She hoarded rainwater in an old fashioned rain barrel to water her plants with, she would never use diseased city water for her plants, for her flowers. She stood at the kitchen counter to eat her meals, why bother, she said, to sit down. She walked herself about her small towns or took a bus to go farther afield.
So if you are tough, courageous, ornery, a little bit self-obsessed, or a survivor you come by it honestly. And she is just one old broad on your family tree, be scared, be very scared. That is your ancestor, Cessa Bama McCord.
The McCords were Scotts who settled in the Southern states -- I don't know how they got to Alabama.
Now about that turpentine.
Grandmother probably lived in the swampy areas where the Loblolly pine grew, or Pinus taeda for the more serious minded. The primary uses of turpentine were as a solvent used in thinning oil-based paints and producing varnishes or mixed with beeswax to make a fine furniture protective coating over oiled wood finishes. Both uses are now mostly replaced by oil based products.
Turpentine was used as a cheaper fuel for those who couldn't afford whale oil. It was used medicinally for lice, chest ailments, internal parasites, an antiseptic, a diuretic, however internal use of this toxic product is no longer in use today. Turpentine went with Ferdinand Magellan's fleet during his first circumnavigation of the globe. And get this Jason, in 1946 Soichiro Honda used turpentine as a fuel for the first Honda motorcycles as gasoline was almost totally unavailable following World War II, and yes it was used to make those cheap gin drinkable spirits you have all heard about.
It takes a village; Yesterday was a three son day;
Ian in the morning, making sure I felt okay, how was my eye/stitches, what were my plans for the day, did I need anything before he left and he gave stern instruction to be careful, drive careful, walk careful. All the carefuls he could put in one sentence.
Christian at lunch time; Claire and I were meeting for breakfast but she couldn't find her car keys so I drove to Ballard and picked her up for our Wednesday morning breakfast. I hadn't seen her for a month due to one conflict after another, anyway I don't drive to Ballard without doing a Christian drive-by. After breakfast we are tootling down 15th and Claire said, "Christian gave me gold star service the other day when I was getting my oil changed. I swear it didn't take him five minutes, if it had been anyone but Christian I would have been suspicious. You should get your oil changed."
So I did.
The shop wasn't swamped and Christian started working on my car and he worked and worked and worked. Hmmm, Claire had service in five minutes, what's up? Well it seems Christian noticed one of my car lights was out, he replaced that. He noticed some of my liquid levels were low, he topped those off. He changed my oil, replaced my filter, checked all he could check and delivered the car back to me. I said well Claire was just bragging on her gold star service, he said you got platinum level service.
Roger came by for a little plumbing help on his way home from work. I had a gusher under the kitchen sink and asked him to bring a big wrench. In no time at all he had the kitchen sink tightened, adjusted, fixed, and performing like a kitchen sink drain should perform -- no puddles left behind.
No Connor playdate yesterday though due to the aforementioned plumbing experience. Connor and I will play today.
Julia called me on her birthday to chat and to tell me how much she appreciated the Family Blog. I got teary. My friend Mary left a message on my answering machine about how much she appreciated my sense of humor over my Mohs surgery on FB. I got teary. Janice left a comment on my FB post about the surgery. I don't think Janice has ever left a post on FB before. I got teary. Isn't it amazing that kindnesses makes us teary?
I am now oozing love for everyone.
Hey, as long as I am oozing love, how is Cathy feeling besides being happy to be home? Claire asked me which knee still needed the wound care, the hematoma knee or the cyst knee and damned if I knew. I never even thought to ask. Which one Cathy?
This isn't a heritage recipe, but I wanted New Chris to have it. You may have it also, it is delicious, fun and different.
Ginger Lemonade
2 cups water to make a strong tea
3 black tea bags
1 1/3 cups ginger simple syrup
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice, about 3 lemons
1 cup sparkling water or club soda
syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger peeled and chopped
Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer about 5 minutes until all the sugar has dissolved
Strain before using
Make tea the usual way, add ginger simple syrup, lemon juice and sparkling water.
Garnish with fresh lemon slices
Fun-tastic
And that is pretty much my life after Greenleaf. Payday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and then soon, soon, Greenleaf. How about yours?
Jerry there is room at the Inn at Mukilteo for the month of April. Reservation confirmed.
According to my friend Lynn this is Samhain time of year, a time to honor ancestors among other things. I guess that makes talking about Cessa even more appropriate.
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