Grandmother's Flower Garden

I wrote this story a few years ago. It has appeared in four quilting magazines and will be published in the Piedmont Writers Group 2011 collection of stories and poems due out later this year.

Grandmother's Flower Garden

A few years ago, my mother gave me a quilt for Christmas. It is very special to me because it was pieced by my grandmother and quilted by my mother. It hangs on my bedroom wall because, to me, it is a work of art.

The pattern is called "Grandmother's Flower Garden" and contains hundreds of hexagon shapes. The fabric is from the 1930's and each small scrap bursts with bright pastel color and tiny floral prints. My grandmother loved fabric with miniature roses and violets and searched through piles of cotton material to find each perfect little gem for her collection.

Grandmother was a great seamstress, making clothes for herself as well as her two young daughters. The scraps were saved, cut, carefully stacked in a box and stored on a shelf in the closet. When she finally had enough shapes to form the pattern, she pieced the design, alternating floral and solid hexagons. The quilt top remained in a cedar chest, never finished, until my mother found it, quilted it and added a border. She gave the finished quilt to me as a surprise Christmas gift.

The old fashioned fabric takes me to a time before I was born, when my mother was a child and her mother was a young woman. The thread that weaves through families is both delicate and strong. It holds us together gently but firmly through time. This is the thread that sews the fabric of our lives as we intertwine with the past. One generation comes after another, held together by the past but looking forward to the future. I think of the two women who created my quilt and whisper a promise to keep it safe until I pass it on the the next caretaker.

Margaret Adkin's Oriental Quilt

This handcrafted quilt was made by Martinsville author Margaret Adkins.

Meet Margaret Adkins

This is Margaret and me standing in front of a painting of her family homeplace in Fieldale, VA. Thank you for the visit Miss Margaret!

A Morning With Margaret

Margaret Adkins is a Southern Virginia treasure. She is a lady of "a certain age" with a very full life; mother, author, friend and much more.

I visited Margaret on a recent morning and as she spoke of her parents, late husband and family, it was clear to me that family is very important to her. The old saying "trouble comes in threes" may be true for some, but in Margaret's case, love and joy have come in threes with three children, three grandchildren and three wonderful great-grandchildren. That love and joy spills over to other family members and many friends.

I met Margaret several years ago when I joined the Piedmont Writers Group. She has been with the writers group for years, written a handful of books, many short stories and poems and is a loyal contributor to The Readers Diary in the Martinsville Bulletin. When I was president of the writers group, I once introduced Margaret as "Martinsvilles most famous author." She is that, although she didn't start writing until about 9 years ago, "when the words began to flow" as she says.

Some people may not know, but Margaret has made beautiful quilts, ceramics and stained glass in her lifetime. She also knits, and in her younger years, was a seamstress and gardener who loved to grow little fingerling carrots. She is also a pretty good bowler from what I hear!

So, when you see a white haired little lady driving around town in a fire-red Toyota Echo, give her a wave because it just might be the famous Martinsville author, Margaret Adkins.

She Shot Him Over Chili Beans

It was Jan. 13, 2011, and the story on the evening news reported that a Virginia woman, allegedly, shot and killed her husband over chili beans. Apparantly, he brought home the wrong kind of beans for the chili she had been cooking all day. She is now under arrest.

Wow! That woman was really picky about her beans! The story would be funny if it were not so tragic.

But it brings up the subject of Chili, or "Chili Beans" as they call it here in Southern Virginia.
Chili beans? Really? I have lived all over the USA and chili has always been called, what else but CHILI. To me, chili beans are spicy beans. Period. According to my husband-from-Virginia, I am wrong. Chili beans, to him, is meat, onions, spices and beans cooked in a pot. If the beans are absent, well, that would be plain ol' chili.

Ha! I disagree! So, I looked up "chili beans" on various websites and settled on Wikipedia's explanation. After reading through six pages of chili information, there was the sentence that I was after. "As chili moved east (from Texas) where beef was more expensive, chili made with beans became more prevalent. In some eastern areas, this dish is referred to as "Chili Beans." OK, OK, so it seems this is a regional issue.

Whether you call it Chili Beans, Chili Con Carne, Cincinnati-style Chili, Chili Verde, White Bean Chili, or plain old Chili- it is good.

Here are two of my favorite chili recipes.

TRADITIONAL CHILI

2 pounds of lean ground beef, or you can use ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
4 T. chili powder
1/2 t. cayenne powder
1/2 t. ground cumin
1 can, 15 oz. tomato sauce
1 can, 28 oz. diced tomatoes, (I use fire roasted)
1 T. sugar
2 T. tomato paste
1 t. salt
1 can green chilies
1 can, 15 oz. kidney beans

Brown beef (or turkey) in a large pot, add onion, pepper and garlic and cook until tender. Stir in spices and cook another 2 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the beans, and cook over med. low heat for about one hour. (I use the crock pot, throw everything in and cook for 4 hours.)

About 15 minutes before you are ready to serve, add the kidney beans and heat through.

You can garnish with a dollop of sour cream and sliced green onion or even a little jalapeno (if you are brave.)

This recipe makes quite a lot and leftovers can be frozen.


CHUNKY CHILI

2 t. vegetable oil
2 pounds round steak, cut into cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can beef broth
1 C. water
2 t. sugar
2 t. oregano
1 t. ground cumin
2 dashes paprika
2 t. chili powder
2 bay leaves
2 dashes hot sauce
1 can, 8 oz. tomato sauce
1 can, 4 oz. green chilies
2 T. cornmeal

Heat oil in skillet and add steak, onion and garlic. Cook until beef is browned. Add beef broth, water, sugar, spices and hot sauce. Mix well. Cover and cook over low heat 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients and cook an additional 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves serve over rice, if desired. You can also top with sour cream and green onions.

The Little Boy with the Spoons

Andy and I went to the bluegrass show at the Rives Theater in Martinsville Saturday night. Before the main attraction/guest band, there is always an hour of The Potluck Band. The Potluck Band is a mixture of interesting musicians playing all sorts of instruments. Basically, it is whoever wants to join in and jam. As usual, there were banjo, mandolin, dobro and guitar players. There was also a big upright base and a fiddle or two. Last night we noticed a new addition to the Potluck Band. On that big stage stood a cute little boy playing the spoons.

He was introduced as Jordon and he played along with the band on every song; foot tapping bluegrass tunes, gospel and a few slower songs too. He looked right at home on stage while wiggling around like little boys do; scratching his nose, yawning a few times and smiling shyly at his family in the audience. He smacked those spoons against his leg and hand keeping time with the music. He was entertaining the crowd for sure.

When the Potlucks finished their set and the scheduled band was setting up, I saw Jordon and his dad head toward the the back of the theater. I caught up with them in the lobby and asked if I could "interview" him. Jordon and his dad agreed and I started asking questions.

"Jordon, how old are you?" I asked.

"Six years old." He answered.

He told me he had been playing the spoons, and a little guitar, for two years and it was not hard to do. He said he does not get nervous on stage, and that he was in the first grade. He was a little shy but very sweet and when he moved away to look at something a few feet away, his dad told me that Jordon's favorite music is by Elvis. From the first time he heard Elvis, as an even smaller child, Jordon had loved and imitated Elvis and knew the words to all of his songs. His mother even made Jordon a jumpsuit just like Elvis wore in Vegas, but it was now a little too small.

I was very impressed with Jordon and was so glad that he let me talk to him for a few minutes. I hope he does continue with his music and wish him much luck.

"Hope to see you back on stage, Jordon!"

ps: I looked up "How to Play the Spoons" on the Internet and one article claimed that "it only takes 10 minutes to learn!" There are pictures and instructions teaching one how to play. I tried, but failed miserably. There is not a musical bone in my body. I cannot play the keyboard (a gift from my husband) or dulcimer (a gift to myself) or even sing. In fact, when my children were young, I would sing to them and they would politely ask me to stop! Andy thinks I have a great voice. I know better. He just likes me a lot. So neither singing nor the spoons are my thing. Spoons are great to eat with, but I will just leave "playing" them to Jordon.

My Sister's Yo Yo quilt throw

I made this yo yo throw for my sister for Christmas. I have been trying to write the directions to post ever since. So far, the directions make sense to me, but I don't know if they would to anyone else- yet! So, give a look back in a few days and maybe they will be posted.

Thanks,

Lynn

one-one-one,one

Our New Year didn't start out with a bang but more of a sputter, sputter fizz! I will explain.

At ten minutes after midnight, we were sitting in our warm living room, fitted out in sweaters and sweats and cuddled up in our chairs. The ball dropped in Time Square as we toasted to the new year with champagne-like liquid (actually it was Raspberry Sparkletina by Verdi- very good, fruity and bubbly- and inexpensive!) when Andy said "Lets go to the IHOP for breakfast." "Right now?" I asked.

Actually, I was ready to go to bed but he really wanted to do a little celebrating so I said "OK, but I will need to change clothes." Changing clothes included a little make up, a little hairspray and whatever else I could do to make myself presentable.

Off we went in spite of my worries about a) deer on the road, b) drunk drivers on the road and c) me falling asleep on the road. None of those things came to be, so it was all good.

As we drove the 25 minute trip to Danville (the closest IHOP), we noticed 4-5 churches who were, obviously, holding midnight New Years Eve service. The doors were open, people streaming out, cars pulling away from the parking lot. We didn't know it then, but they were all headed for, you guessed it, IHOP.

As we approached the IHOP, cars were circling the restaurant like sharks circling their prey. We joined in the line of cars and after a few trips around, we found a parking place. We literally ran, as fast as our four old legs could run, through the doors. Inside was chaos. People crammed like sardines with more coming in.

Andy went ahead to sign the waiting list. "45 minutes" he said on return. "Maybe it will go fast," he said hopefully.

A voice to my left said "Y'all been out dancin'?"

I honestly turned to look back over my shoulder to see who she was shouting at, and it turned out to be me.

"Oh, no, we were at home in Martinsville watching the ball drop and thought this would be a good idea" I said

"So, Y'all didn't go dancin'?" she asked again.

"No" I repeated, her breath was 90 proof and her eyes a little bloodshot.

"Martinsville, Huh? I live in Martinsville too" she continued. "I live on Pissed Off Lane-where everyone who lives there is pissed off!" (sorry dear readers, I usually never cuss in my blog, but that is what she said.) I was sure there was no street in Martinsville by that name and I am now getting dizzy from her breath fumes. She is getting obnoxious, I cannot move and things are getting tighter in the little entry area.

Her friend, with a stack of Hawaiian leis around her neck, joined in with "We need to go to the Huddle House or the Waffle House or somewhere else."

I was hoping they could get a cup of coffee before they drove anywhere.

They left, arguing about their next stop and Andy and I fell into conversations with some of the others standing and waiting for a table to open up. Our 45 minutes stretched to an hour. We started noticing that people sitting in the dining rooms had no food in front of them. Not a pancake or omlet in sight. Not even a Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity! They had water but no food. There was one waiter per 30 people! Apparently, the restaurant staff had all gotten sick, or some kind of mass walkout had occurred. They were very, very short handed on New Years Eve.

The Manager locked the front door, telling folks that if they were not on the list, it would be a very long time until they could be served. She said again, "A very long time." This was not a good sign of things to come.

I looked at Andy and said " If you are hungry, I will fix you some eggs and sausage at home!" He said "Lets go!"

That was our big exciting 1-1-11. Hope yours was just as interesting.

"The Queen of the Nile" 47 years later

Over the New Years weekend, Sy Fy TV ran a Twilight Zone marathon. I do love the old Twilight Zone series and have seen almost every episode at least 100 times. Well, that may be an exaggeration, but it is close, very close.

One favorite episode from 1964 is called "The Queen of the Nile" starring Ann Blyth. She plays actress Pamela Morris who, amazingly, never seems to grow old. This "ageless beauty" puzzles writer Jordon Herrick who stumbles into her web of deceit. "Will you walk into my parlour said the spider to the fly" wrote Mary Howitt, but in this case, Pamela uses a scarab beetle to do her dirty work.

Pamela's "mother" (who has a weird accent of some sort while Pamela has none - what is up with that?), is actually Pamela's daughter and tries to warn Jordon Herrick to stay away, but the handsome young man falls under the spell of the lovely Pamela with dire consequences.

Remember that scarab beetle? It drains the life out of Jordan, leaving a pile of dust and clothing on the floor for the maid to sweep up. Is this a nice way to treat a guest? I think not. Pamela "energizes" herself with the scarab beetle and, except for her old "mother," no one is the wiser.

Mediocre plot, of course. Predictable, yes, but it occurred to me that life was, in a way, imitating art in "Queen of the Nile." Ann Blyth still appears as young and beautiful in 2011 as she was in 1964. Ann seems as ageless as Pamela Morris, forever young, in the re-runs of old TV shows as well as in the archives of her movies such as "Kismet," "The Helen Morgan Story," and "Mildred Pierce" with Joan Crawford.

Ann Blyth is in good company. Many actors starred in The Twilight Zone over the five seasons it was a regular in our living rooms. Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, Lee Marvin, Gig Young and Cliff Robertson starred in episodes. Child star Billy Mumy of "Lost in Space" fame as well as most of the cast of Bewitched (Elizabeth Montgomery- "Two" in 1961, Dick York- "A Penny for Your Thoughts" in 1961 and Agnes Moorehead- "The Invaders" in 1961) will all remain youthful in re-run TV. Jack Klugman, James Coburn, Jack Weston, Sebastion Cabot, Art Carney and Inger Stevens are all alumni of "The Zone."

Many of us, of a certain age, remember these wonderful actors. Even Leonard Nimoy ("A Quality of Mercy" in 1961) and William Shatner ("Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" in 1963 and "Nick of Time" in 1960) -good old Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk, had roles on T.T.Z.

In "The Queen of the Nile," murderous Pamela sacrifices her prey for her own selfish gains but regardless of the morality, there is Ann Blyth on screen at the end of the story. She will always be age 43, glamourous and, like Pamela, forever young. At least as long as there are TV re runs.