On Receiving a Standing Ovation

Blue Bear wins state and regional honors

A couple of months ago I had a telephone call from the AL DAR Chairman of the American Heritage Committee, asking if I would be a speaker on the program at the state conference at Auburn in March.  She wanted me to share photos of my bear I made from an old baby quilt.  I entered the bear under the Fiber Arts category, and won first place in the state contest, and then 1st place in the Southeastern Region.  My friend Elsie also won 1st place at the national level for her china painting entry.  We both spoke at the American Heritage  breakfast program, along with 2 other winners.

Neither of us prepared any notes; just spoke about our project, why we select those particular items and how we felt they tied in to the topic for entries.  We were so relaxed, standing in front of all those DAR ladies that morning.  Elsie went first.  She talked about her hobby and her interest in herbs, which she paints on her china items.  When she finished, the ladies all stood and gave her a big round of applause.  We both were so surprised to think they really thought we were so good!!

Next it was my time to speak.  I walked up to the microphone at the front of the room and told the story of the baby quilt I used to cut the pattern for "Blue Bear".  I had photos of the bear and remnants of the quilt, plus a photo of Caroline holding the bear when I gave it to her for her 15th birthday last September.


 I also had a photo of our 3 boys sitting on the quilt when Bill was only 6 weeks old, the father of Caroline.  It wasn't just a bear I made that made my entry so interesting; it was the history behind it. The quilt was made for my cousin's little
 boy  in 1942 (he was a "blue baby" and only lived one month; that's how Blue Bear got his name).  Then my aunt used the quilt for her 2 boys, later giving it to me for our 3 boys.It kept passing along to others in my family and used by a total of 10 children before it finally wore out. My sister returned the ragged quilt to me to dispose of it.  I kept it for awhile and one day decided to make the bear for Caroline.  I had previously made bears from old worn out quilts for the other 4 granddaughters when they turned 18.  Caroline asked me one day if she would get a bear when she turns 18.  I decided to go ahead and make hers while I could still see how to sew!!  
   Click photos to enlarge.

At the meeting, I displayed a bear I had made earlier for a friend, using an old family quilt, so they could visualize the size and shape of "Blue Bear".  I also made a bear of dark brown cotton print and gave it to our State Regent at the end of the program.  When I finished talking and started back to my seat, everybody stood again and there was a loud round of applause.   I was so surprised. I had never had a "standing ovation" before.  I thought what I had done was so simple, and that anybody could enter if they would just try.  You just have to use your imagination to come up with something that fits in the theme of the contest.

I won the  fiber arts contest at the state level a couple of years ago with an oval  rag rug I made from some old, worn bed sheets.  I created a design in the rug by using different shades of green and white.   My entry was designed to talk about how our ancestors made rugs from worn clothing.  Preserving the past was a theme that year.

Pass the syrup at Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) supper

Al Smith at the pancake

Jim Gilmer on the right

Ah, pancakes with butter and syrup for dinner tonight at Elba United Methodist Church where we had have a Fat Tuesday dinner.

Mardi Gras Celebrations include lots of feasting, partying and parading on the big day just before Ash Wednesday - when the Church rules of fasting and sacrifice take effect in preparation for a joyous Easter.

Fred Smith cooking pancakes

 I have been trying to decide what to give up for lent (that I can leave off for 46 days!).   I am thinking I will not eat any slices of bread (does not include pancakes and crackers).  This will be difficult since I love sandwiches. Especially Subway sandwiches and banana or pineapple sandwiches.  All this begins TOMORROW, March 9th, which is Ash Wednesday.

G.R.I.T.S. (Girls raised in the south)

I am proud to be from the South-
Where tea is sweet and accents are sweeter;
Summer starts in April; 
Front porches are wide and words are long;
Macaroni and cheese is a vegetable; 
Pecan pie is a staple;
Y’all is the only proper pronoun;
Chicken is fried and biscuits come w/ gravy;
Everything is darling 
And someone is always getting their heart blessed. 
Have a good day y'all!


(I received this in an email from a friend today)




We have tickets to go to the G.R.I.T.S. musical on March 17 as part of the Coffee Co. Arts Alliance.


I saw this group several years ago and they were so funny.  Hope I'm not disappointed this time around.

Visiting Mama and Papa Smith when they lived in a log house

L-R: Alice, Perry, Billy, Judy
Back row: Christine, Nell, Inez Rowell and Sue

Mama and Papa Smith moved often when I was growing up.  This log house belonged to Willie Spurlin and he rented it to them.

I remember helping them move to this house from a place they were renting in Liberty community.  It was in the summertime and so hot. I was not yet 14 and would be entering the 9th grade that fall. Our neighbor, Sara Foley, used her husband's truck and she and I helped Papa Smith load all their furniture and move it to this house.  It took several loads.  We helped him set up a bed and get the lamps filled with kerosene. There was no electricity or water in this house when they moved there.  It was so dark and spooky inside. The walls were made of cedar and smelled so good.

I think the occasion was getting together for Sunday dinner because Aunt Faye and Uncle Marty had come for a visit from Washington, DC.  Aunt Ida and Uncle Tommy were there from Brewton.  I can see their daughter Susan on the porch in the background, with Papa Smith (with his hat on). Perry had his cousin Billy Cannon with him and Sue had her neighbor and friend, Inez Rowell with her.  Alice was not quite 2 and Carolyn wasn't born until 2 years later.

Mama Smith with Alice and cousin Susan Liles

Mama Smith was 62 years old in this photo.  I thought she was really old.  She had arthritis really bad and couldn't use her hands to do very much.  I remember she had to wear felt house shoes because her toes were so arthritic.  Papa Smith did much of the housework and cooking.  He was 70 when they moved to the log house.  He died 6 years later. Mama Smith lived to be 90 years old.

I don't remember how long they lived in this house before they moved back to Elba.  Papa Smith didn't have a car so I guess they were too far removed from everything and they must have decided it was too isolated for them.   I didn't like to go there.  Lots of wild animals roaming around, especially at night.

Years later the house burned and our friends Patsy and Foster Bane bought the land and have a nice home there today.  The road is now paved and called Airport Road.  I sometimes take the road to get to Curtis or to go to Opp, and as I pass by where their home was located, I remember the times I visited them there.

Getting ready for Spring Planting

Knock Out rose cuttings

Today I spent some time putting knock out rose cuttings in pots to root them.

I only have 3 bushes at the present time, like the yellow/white shown here.  I planted these last year and they bloomed all summer.

I got lots of cuttings of some red roses, single and double, and today I planted about 150 roses.

I have 3 rose bushes like the white/yellow one we planted yesterday.

I am attaching some photos of the red, single and double, knock out roses.

Let the Gardening Begin!

 The weather the past few days has been warm and sunny and of course one's thoughts turn to gardening.  At least I start planning and working outdoors.   I have planted some vegetable and flower seeds in pots in the greenhouse.  I need to start thinning them and letting them grow a bit more before transferring to larger pots.

I have to open the door and vent of the greenhouse or it will get very hot inside - close to 100 degrees on a sunny day.  I have taken most of my house/porch/patio plants out of the greenhouse.  They made it through the cold winter just fine.

Yesterday I started potting some perennials coming up in the flower bed.
 Two pots of English ivy on the back, left side.  The other pots contain yellow coreopsis that will be twice this size in a week.  I made a seed bed beside the fence and sowed seed I have saved from last year, including large hibiscus, large zinnias, large marigolds (Inca), and black-eyed Susans.

Pansies are starting to bloom again in the flower bed by the patio.  I gave the rabbit a new coat of paint this spring and glued his ears back on, using some liquid nail mixture.  So far, so good.  They haven't fallen off yet!

This flower bed will have amaryllis blooming and lamb's ears and other perennials that will cover the mulch this spring and summer.

St. Francis goes back to the early 80s when James wanted to buy a statue for the flower bed.  He wanted to buy a large statue of Jesus, but I suggested this small one of St. Francis instead.  His head has broken off so many times when he topples over, etc.  I used liquid nails on it last week and gave him a new coat of paint also.  He is standing near the English vine that was damaged a little by our cold weather.  It is putting on new growth and will be pretty this spring.

The large purple and yellow iris are starting to grow and they usually are in full bloom late April.  A good low maintenance plant.

We are going to have a small vegetable garden again this year, including tomatoes, different varieties of peppers, cucumbers and squash, and herbs.  I started my seeds in the greenhouse and will put them in the garden around Easter, which is late this year - April 24.

You can take the girl off the farm, but you can't take the farm away from the girl!!

Jim's Latest Project

Ron Gilmer - Dec 1977 in MN

About two weeks ago Jim decided to go through our collection of about 2,000 35mm color slides and digitize them and put selected ones on a CD and make copies for our family.  He keeps calling me to come look at one he has decided to keep.  Ah, such memories - going back many, many years and looking at our family members growing up (and growing old-er).


The photo here was taken at home in Wayzata, Minnesota in December of 1977 when Ron came to visit us.  He was back in Texas in college and came home for Christmas.  While at home, he helped a neighbor who was building the house in the background of this photo.  Ron came home for lunch and his beard was frozen and I took this photo.

Jim in Bill's MG, 1977

Nell in new kitchen in Paris,
TX  1976

Ron and James at Lake Superior, 1977

Jim already had the slides filed by date (month and year).  He is keeping them in that order, plus adding captions of the names, occasion, location, etc.  Working a few hours each day, he hopes to have them all done by the end of February.

He will put the photos on a CD and we can have a slide show at our next family gathering.  Plus he will give our family copies to keep.  The slides are over 30 years old and beginning to fade.  He has been touching them up and other editing when needed, plus cropping some of them.

We stopped taking photos or making slides when digital cameras arrived on the scene several years ago.
Slide projectors are a thing of the past, except for using them hooked up to computers. We bought an Epson slide projector a couple of years ago and replacement bulbs for those projectors are over $200!   Maybe by the time our bulb blows out, they will have newer and less expensive ways of showing pictures on a screen.

Speaking of screens, have you tried to buy one of those "dinosaurs"  lately?  Nobody seems to use a movie screen anymore; instead they project pictures on a blank wall or built in screens in home theaters.  My nephew has a home theater in his basement.  We use the back of a door to look at our photos when we project them.

Technology is growing faster than I can keep up with it.  Yesterday I did a power point presentation at a club meeting, using slides from a tour earlier in the week.   I had the CD in the laptop, hooked up the projector, turned everything on and guess what!  I couldn't remember my password to turn on the computer.   I had to call Jim at home to ask him what it was.   From now on, all the info I need to use the laptop and projector will be included in the computer bag.