Short Notes

You may remember recently I wrote an entry entitled Hollywood Meets God's Country. The story was about the movie Deliverance being made in my hometown.



On Monday evening, I was thrilled to meet one of the actors from the movie, none other than Mr. Burt Reynolds.



Mr. Reynolds was the guest speaker at the Lake Park Historical Society monthly meeting. He was raised in our town and went to school here, his very first acting performance took place on the stage of our "Mirror Ballroom" where the meeting took place.



You could tell that Mr. Reynolds was deeply touched to be back in the room that gave him his start.



During his talk, Mr. Reynolds regaled us all with stories of his time in the area during his youth. It was a beautiful evening and he was one of the most gentle, kind men I have ever met.


When it came time for question and answers I introduced myself and told him where I was from. Mr. Reynolds got a sly smile on his face and talked for several minutes about the filming of Deliverance and how that movie changed his life.


After the presentation I went up to thank Mr. Reynolds for coming and I was delighted to share stories with him about God's Country and the people we both know there. Meeting Burt Reynolds was a dream come true and he was even more than I ever imagined!

Homecoming

Last week I returned from a brief visit in God's Country. I always go up for a week in the summer and this year my visit coincided with my parent's High School reunion. I stopped in north Florida on the way up to pick up my Aunt to take her to the reunion as well.

The visit was from the 17th until the 22nd. For part of the week I was on my own while mama, daddy and Aunt Beck attended the reunion.

On the way to God's Country, the weather turned and the rains began to fall. Little did I know that over the next few days the area would see continuous rain and flooding. Not exactly Chamber of Commerce weather for a visit!

I left God's Country in 1982 and haven't made it my home since then, however there is something about that little piece of heaven that will always be my HOME.

Cresting the mountains with a view of the landscape below always makes me feel at peace. There is something about that little town, that I grew up in, that reminds me of a hand sewn quilt wrapped around me on a cold winter's day.

The little town hasn't changed a great deal in the years since I left. There is now a Wal-Mart, Home Depot and McDonalds, and the main road in is 4 lanes but the fabric of the community remains the same.

In God's Country people take pride in their community, their family and their country in a way that is reminiscent of a time gone by. In God's Country people know their neighbors and take care of them. These qualities are like the ones I have found in my new home, in a small Town, something I haven't known since I left my childhood home and something I appreciate more with each passing year.

We moved into our present home when I was only six, not long after Tom died. It is a split level home with great room, master bedroom and bath downstairs and three bedrooms and a bath upstairs. Turning off the main road headed east and onto the road of my youth looks the same today as it did when we moved in.

There is something about turning into the driveway that brings me back to my childhood and the memories of a time when life was easier and less hectic.

I have turned down that driveway thousands of times over the years, in good times, in bad times and on days that were just as basic as any can imagine. Turning down the driveway and seeing the home of my youth at the other end is one of the most peaceful feelings I feel because it is here, that I am truly HOME. No matter how many cities I live in, no matter how many homes I own, this one will always be special.

Like so many times before, the minute I park the car daddy is out the door waiting to embrace me and welcome me home. On this trip it was no different, he was there, smiling, embracing and telling me he loves me. HOME

I don't think I have ever in my entire life walked through the front door of that house. The door into the kitchen is where everyone enters. As a child we always knew when a stranger was at the door because the front doorbell would ring, invited guests, drop ins and family use the kitchen door.

Not much has really changed in the house since I was a kid, the walls may be a different color, the carpets new and furniture upgraded, but the bones of the house are still the same.

Same Formica counter tops in the kitchen, the dining room table that we have shared so many meals on has been there since I was in high school. Two stuffed recliners, big sofa, coffee table.

A great rock fireplace anchors the room flanked by shelves overflowing with tchotchkes from throughout our lives. The ceramic lion Sam made in art class, the old man with hat that I made in art class, bronzed baby booties, the family Bible, precious photos and yearbooks from every year since the 60's all hold a place of honor on this wall that marks the times of our lives.

Dropping my bags in my bedroom I look around. Nothing has changed there since the day I left in 1982, same bed, same furniture, my old stereo sits silent and the bulletin board is still filled with memories of High School. My room is the blue room. Sam occupied the red room and the gold room was planned for Tom, the colors of each room marked by the carpet colors. So many memories overflow from these rooms, HOME.

When I visit God's Country I usually try to spend at least one day on Main Street, checking out the antique stores and galleries. This year with the rains I didn't get that opportunity. I did take a road trip with my nephew Zack to Asheville, but other than that I stayed close to home.

This trip was spent talking with family, eating the foods I love more than any other and soaking up the love of that old house. Sadly I know that one day this will no longer be OUR house. Someone else will move in and make it their own, but for now I want to let all the love found between those walls soak into my veins and fill me.

Homecomings are good if for no other reason than to recapture a time when life seemed simpler a time when the love of family made you know you were truly HOME!

Let Them Eat Cake

I learned at an early age that baking is an art. Baking also says a lot about a person. Ma-ma loved to bake and we loved it when she baked.

Ma-ma was the ultimate homemaker. She kept a perfect house, had dinner on the table each night when gramps came home, had control over a sewing machine like nobodies business, made homemade Christmas decorations and never had a hair out of place or smudge on her clothes while doing it.

Ma-ma was a domestic goddess.

As much as she was a master around the house, the thing I took from her was the love of baking. She always had cookies, cobblers, or cakes fresh out of the oven when you would stop by.

When birthdays would roll around, she would have a special cake designed just for the occasion.

Christmas brought an assortment of cookies and candies and treats to rival the finest confectioner. Most any occasion would warrant some sort of sweet.

I learned this appreciation for baking from ma-ma, in my mind something baked with love is one of the greatest gifts a person can give. There is something comforting about a fresh baked cake or pie.

I am not as good as ma-ma was in the baking department, but I can hold my own and like to give baked goods for friends on their birthdays or in times of need.

This past week, my neighbor Gayle lost her mom. Granny had lived with Gayle for a couple of years and was a sweet lady. She always sat out in the driveway to smoke and we would speak to each other whenever I would see her. Last Saturday, Granny fell and hit her head, she died a few hours later.

I didn't know about Granny passing until Monday, when Gayle came over to tell me. It all happened quickly and she didn't suffer, I am glad for that.

Gayle and her family had a memorial service this morning and I knew there would be a crowd at her house after the service, so I decided to bake a cake.

One of my favorite cakes ma-ma used to make is a Pound Cake.

Pound Cakes are a traditional delicacy that are about as basic as you can get, but not as easily made as you would think.

I loved ma-ma's basic pound cake, but several years before she died she began making Cream Cheese Pound Cake which I like even more.

Today, while I was baking a cream cheese pound cake for Gayle and her family, I thought back to all the hundreds of cakes ma-ma had made for our family and hope that the simple gift of a pound cake will bring Gayle and her family some relief during their time of grief.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake:

3 Sticks of Butter

3 Cups of Sugar

3 Cups of Sifted Flour (I just use self-rising, some people say you shouldn't but I say it is easier, so I use it.)

1 (8 oz.) Package of Cream Cheese

6 Large Eggs

Dash of Salt

1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla

Directions:

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla and a dash of salt. Add flour. Pour in a bundt pan. Put in a cold oven. Bake at 325 for 1 hour, 25 minutes.

Today I added a raspberry glaze over the finished cake. It isn't the pretties cake in the world, but it is one of the best!

Short Notes...

Mama called today to tell me that she did NOT elope! Aunt Beck, Uncle Larry, Aunt Tenie and Uncle Lloyd went with she and daddy to get married.

Record corrected.

A Legacy of 57 Years

September 7, 1952

The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Cortain tops the New York Times Best Sellers List

Maureen Connolly beat Doris Hart to win the US Tennis Open Championship 6/3; 7/5

General Naguid forms the Egyptian Government and becomes Premier

Eddie Bracken is the "Mystery Guest" on What's My Line

and

General Ray and Martha Joyce elope to Wallhalla, SC to get married.

GR and MJ have known each other since they were children. He the Big Man on Campus in High School, leader on the football field and Golden Gloves Champion Boxer. She the all-American beauty, popular, cheerleader.

While in High School they became sweethearts. Their romance followed them to college where they both majored in education. After graduation they became teachers.

Over Labor Day weekend in 1952, GR and MJ got married.

Tomorrow marks the 57th wedding anniversary of GR and MJ or as I like to call them, mama and daddy.

57 years is a long time, obviously.

Mama and daddy have been through a lot in their married life, it hasn't always been good, some of it has been horrible, but for the most part they have weathered the storms together and come out the other side better for it.

57 years provides a lot of time for adventure. Mama and daddy have traveled across America in a motor home. Driven to Alaska, cruised the Caribbean, attended most every Football Bowl Game you can imagine, attended Olympic Games, World Series and as daddy likes to proclaim visited every Wal-Mart ever opened.

But most of all, 57 years provides for mundane day to day life where examples are made, shown and lived.

Our family was very typical, a morning rush to get everyone out the door, after school activities that kept mama running from one end of town to the other, home at night and then starting all over again the next day.

We had some basic rules growing up, yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir and no sir. Dishes were to be taken to the kitchen after all meals and an "I enjoyed it" was expected whether you enjoyed it or not. (But we always DID enjoy it.)

When six o'clock came everyone was expected to be around the supper table.

We were pretty typical. Mama and daddy were pretty typical as well, we just lived our lives each day moving through life as best we could.

Life wasn't always a bed of roses, mama and daddy could, and still do, argue with the best of them. When it was time for a disagreement you just wanted to stay away. In our house nothing was ever thrown and voices were only raised for an explosive few minutes, but the silence would last for days.

Those days of silence were horrible, whenever mama and daddy weren't talking it was miserable to live in our split level ranch on Old Buncomb Road. And good Lord help us all when Daddy started calling mama "Martha Joyce" or mama referred to him as "Your Daddy." Uh-oh this one is gonna last a while!

Inevitably mama and daddy would get over it. Back to normal as quickly as the original argument had flared up and things would return to our typical American life.

Mama and daddy both chose teaching as their profession, a more perfect career could not have been assigned to them. As much as they taught in the classroom, they taught in life and the examples they provided.

For my brothers and I, mama and daddy provided lessons of humility. Both of my parents knew they were looked upon by the community with respect and honor. Throughout their adult lives, they have been humble in knowing the life changes they have made for so many, and shown humility in accepting that one person can make a difference without ever drawing attention to themselves.

Mama and daddy have taught us about perseverance. Life isn't always easy, it is often more difficult that you can possibly imagine, but through perseverance you move through the challenges of life and come out the other side with a renewed understanding of the importance of family, friends and community.

We learned about faith from mama and daddy. Faith has gotten us through a lot, mama and daddy taught us at an early age that we are given a great gift from God and that it is our duty to honor that gift through faithfulness in him.

Mama and daddy taught us the importance of family. We learned that when all else seemed to fail us, family would be there. Through good times, bad times, indifferent time, everyday time, mama and daddy stressed family. We are not, and have never been, a perfect family, but together we are more than we could ever be individually, I thank mama and daddy for instilling that truth in us.

Back in 2002 mama and daddy were preparing to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. This was going to be a big deal for the entire family and Sam and I were determined to make it special for them. Twenty five years earlier we had thrown a covered dish dinner with friends at the Ramey gazebo and I still remember how proud they were on that day to be recognized.

For the 50th Anniversary, Sam and I began planning months ahead of time. Sam had money and I had talent, the perfect combination! It was decided that he would pay for it and I would plan it.

The day of mama and daddy's anniversary party finally arrived. After months of planning the day was perfect. Friends and family from everywhere showed up. The day brought together people I hadn't seen in years, family who hadn't been together in ages were reunited and stories, laughter and some tears filled the day.

Sam and I presented mama and daddy with a portrait of their wedding day as their gift. A large framed photo of them in their youth, before the hands of time had greyed and wrinkled them, a time when anything was possible and when their legacy has yet to be envisioned.

Today that portrait hangs in the dining room of their house. Next to the table where we were taught the lessons of life, taught about faith, humility, perseverance and family. It is comforting to look at that photo, of a young couple starting out on their adventures of life together.

The twinkle in that young couples eyes may not be as bright and their steps may have slowed, but I am confident that young bride and groom would be pretty proud if they had any idea what their legacy would have been 57 years later.

57 years....great books, tennis champs, movie stars, and governments being formed. Or 57 years, a legacy of humility, perseverance, faith and family..... I'll take the latter any day.

Happy Anniversary mama and daddy and thank you for the legacy you have created for us all!

Short Notes

There are only a few species of the animal kingdom that I just don't like. I am not particularly fond of snakes, but I leave them alone and they leave me alone. Spiders, roaches and bees I have no use for. At the top of my list of least favorite animals are raccoons, I have never liked them.

Raccoons are just big overgrown rats, they look cute but they are anything but. Raccoons are mean, nasty varmits!

We have raccoons that scrounge around my neighborhood from time to time, I stay away from them at all cost.

This morning, Lita, my beautiful 9 pound attack dog, wakes up at 2:15AM in full barking assault. She had her sites set on the French Doors in our bedroom and she sees something outside. Her attack wakes me and I peer out onto the back porch. I see a raccoon looking through the glass at us as we USED to be sleeping.

I try to calm Lita down to no avail, I tap the glass to try and get the nasty varmit raccoon to leave and then notice another one on the porch as well, I look again..... FOUR nasty raccoons are outside the bedroom French Doors having a party!

Like I said, raccoons are my least favorite member of the animal kingdom.

Notes from a Southern Kitchen, 10 Questions..... Jan Norris

Jan Norris is a foodie's foodie! For years, Jan was the Food Editor for the Palm Beach Post. Last year when the media world turned upside down, Jan left the Post.

I was not happy about Jan's departure as I enjoyed her columns.

A few months ago I was enjoying lunch at my favorite sandwich shop "Brown Baggin' It" in beautiful Lake Park, Florida, when my friend Leila started talking about Jan. Leila informed me that Jan now had her own website. I couldn't wait to check it out and now am an avid reader getting my Jan fixes! Check out her site http://www.jannorris.com/

Jan's site is filled with stories of her southern Florida life, restaurant reviews, great recipes and most anything else a foodie could want, it is a good read and I recommend it to anyone!

I recently learned that Jan and I live about 2 miles from each other, we are going to get together for coffee soon and regale each other with stories of our southern lives and the joys of sharing our thoughts with the world through the Internet.

I hope you enjoy this edition of,

10 Questions with Jan Norris...

1) Where were you born?

Miami Beach. I'm an adoptee, into a Southern LA (Lower Alabama) family. My kin trace back five generations in Florida.

2) Who is the greatest influence in your life and why?

My parents. Nearly all the values they instilled in me from day one are what I follow today.

3) What is the one thing that you cannot do without in your Southern Kitchen?

Simple: My iron skillet.

4) What is your favorite holiday food?

Probably the fresh orange cake my mother made at Christmas and New Year's.

5) What makes you a Southerner?

The easy answer might be because I can make a mean biscuit and can put up the fig preserves to eat with them.The more complex answer is another question: How does one define DNA? Being Southern isn't an talking with an accent (I lost my thick drawl the minute I went to public school), or rocking on a porch while drinking sweet tea, or knowing how to tell a good story. It's how you're brought up -- with Southerners, family (blood kin or not) is sacred; you respect others and are polite nearly to a fault; you always know your place but are fierce about your beliefs. And food along with college football -- is darn near a religion.

6) Biscuits or Cornbread?

Biscuits AND cornbread (absolutely no sugar in the latter).

7) What is your favorite memory?

I can't pick just one, so I'll pick a favorite food one.

It involves my Aunt Eleanor's buttermilk biscuits -- she made the best in our family. One night at her table as a girl, I was handed one. My Uncle Bill leaned over and said, "You know your Aunt Eleanor's biscuits will kill you, dontcha?"I shook my head, wide-eyed at this revelation. My favorite food on earth would kill me?

"That's right," he said. "They're so good - just set one on the top of your head, and your tongue will slap your brains out to get to it!"Everyone just roared.

This became a tradition to tell with anyone new at Aunt Eleanor's table, and it makes me laugh to this day.

8) Who taught you to cook?

I'm self-taught -- from cookbooks. My mother had zero patience for anyone in her kitchen who wasn't fast - and I was deliberate -- almost compulsively. It took me three minutes to spread one slice of bread with mayonnaise just to get it perfectly even and precisely to the edges. She rarely baked - so I took that task on even as a child, reading recipes, of course. After I was married, I read and cooked from every cookbook I could find. It was quite a surprise to my mom and the rest of the family when I turned out to be a really decent, and now very improvisational cook.

9) Banana Sandwich or Tomato Sandwich?

You left out pimento cheese - my favorite.

10) What would you serve, or have served to you, for your FAVORITE Southern meal?

If I could have them again, a giant pot of my mother's chicken and dumplings.

Jan was kind enough to share one of her favorite Southern Recipes with us and I can't wait to try it!

A recipe for my mom's fresh orange cake.

Simple, but time-consuming

As for the orange cake, I’m giving you a “best guess” recipe. Use any yellow sponge cake recipe you like; I use the same tender cake batter I use with my coconut cake. Make 3 or 4 layers. Soak it with the orange zest syrup. That’s it — simplicity, or so it sounds.With all the grating, juicing and soaking, however, it’s somewhat labor intensive – and you need room in the fridge for it so plan far enough ahead to do this. (Jan’s Rule: Don’t waste your time on this homemade beauty for unappreciative guests who’ll eat anything – bake them a fast box cake or just go buy something.)

Here’s a written recipe; but know that y0u must make a few to get the sugar/orange zest/juice ratio just right.

Nellie’s Orange Cake

For the cake:

■3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

■2 teaspoons baking powder

■1/2 teaspoon salt

■1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

■1 cup milk

■1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

■2 cups sugar

■4 eggs, separated

For the orange syrup:

■juice of 8 Florida juice oranges (see note), strained

■grated rind of 8 oranges

■1 small can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

■1-1/2 to 3 cups granulated sugar, or more (see note)

Note: Thin-skinned backyard juice oranges are key to this cake. You can buy them at fruit stands and occasionally supermarkets. Do not use thick-skinned varieties or those from California.

Sugar: I can’t tell you how much to use; this will depend on amount of juice from the oranges.

Make cake layers.

Prep: Grease and flour 3 or four 9-inch round cake pans. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Measure the milk into a glass measuring cup and add the vanilla. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form in clean medium bowl. Set all aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and add the sugar to continue creaming on medium speed. Scrape sides and beat again. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each is added. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk and vanilla, beating well after each to incorporate. Scrape bowl well. Remove bowl from mixer stand and with a rubber spatula, fold in the egg whites until no whites show; batter should be light and foamy.

Divide batter evenly among pans; bake at 350 degrees until tops are lightly browned and cakes spring back slightly to touch in center of cake, approximately 25 minutes. Cool on racks; set aside.

While cakes bake, make orange zest syrup: Wash oranges very well. Grate rinds on fine grate of box grater or with Microplane zester into a medium mixing bowl. Juice and strain oranges into bowl with zest. Add thawed orange juice concentrate; stir well.

Begin adding sugar and whisking to dissolve sugar. This may take some time – be patient. Add enough sugar so that mixture is very sticky and runs slowly off the tip of a spoon.

Assemble cake: On a cake stand with a lip (essential), layer first cake layer, and poke surface well with thin round skewer. Use a large spoon to spoon syrup over cake. Repeat with each layer. Use several spoonsful per layer, giving time between applications to allow syrup to soak into cake – this will take about 1 hour.

Allow syrup to run down sides and onto plate. As needed, spoon up syrup off the plate edge and spoon over cake again. Use as much syrup as possible. (Reserve remainder in refrigerator and use on cupcakes or orange quick bread.)

Add orange zest curls to top of cake as garnish, if desired.Serves 16-20 (cake is very rich).

Keep cake refrigerated; cake freezes very well.