Hanging Out with Grandpat: cousins

Showing posts with label cousins. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Letters to my Grandchildren Summer 1951

Joan and George.

While I loved to pick cotton, I was not too fond of chopping cotton, de-weeding, and thinning out the plants. However, in the summer of 1951 I was chopping cotton for a neighbor down towards Pink Lovelace's store. Donnis Ashley and I were working in a field down there. For lunch, I would always go back home where Mama would have a great lunch ready for me, and then I might rest awhile and go back and chop some more if it got cooler.

When I went home for lunch that one June day, Mama had lunch but she was also all a twitter regarding a letter that she had received from my Aunt Elsie who lived in Maryland. Elsie's daughter, Joan, my first cousin was getting married, and she planned to have the wedding in August down at our grandmother's house. She wanted me to be her maid of honor. I was more excited about it than Mama was. I'm not sure I had ever been to a wedding and I know for certain I had never BEEN in a wedding.

Beautiful Joan.

Many of our purchases in those days were from the Sears Roebuck Catalog that arrived at our house in the mail every season. That was the source of the evening dress that I would choose to wear in the wedding. It was a lovely pink dress with a few rhinestones embedded around the front of the bodice and a sheer cape covering the shoulders. We told Aunt Elsie that I would wear pink so she could choose a picture hat as an accessory for me to wear. She and Joan came down several days before the wedding day, and when I opened the hatbox from Hecht's in Baltimore that they brought there was this beautiful pink picture hat. The prettiest hat I had ever seen. It matched my dress perfectly. That hat was a birthday gift for me too, my birthday was on the 23 of August, and the wedding was on August, 25. I had just turned 14. Joan was only 20.

Cheryl, the flower girl, and me.

My Dad built an altar that was placed out in front of the beautiful Spirea bush ablaze with white blossoms in front of Grandma's porch. The piano was pulled out on the porch. I don't remember who played the piano, but our cousin Virginia Greene, who was an accomplished musician, sang. Our little cousin Cheryl was the flower girl also dressed in pink. Chairs were placed out on the lawn facing the porch where a large number of aunts, uncles, and cousins who attended sat.

The wedding party in front of the altar in front of Grandma Greene's front porch.

I was happy to be in the wedding, but at the same time, I was sad that Joan was getting married. She always came down to Grandma's in the summer for a long visit, and I knew she wouldn't; be doing that now.

After the wedding, there was a reception up the road at our Aunt Edith's house. Joan knew I was sad because she wouldn't be coming in the summers to play, but she told me that I wouldn't be interested in playing for many more summers. She was right. It wasn't too many summers until I became interested in boys.

Monday, March 19, 2018

Gadding About in West Palm Beach with Cousins

Beautiful palm trees in Robin's back yard.

Last week I drove down to West Palm Beach with cousins Joan, Rick and Gary to visit cousins Robin and Elizabeth (Joan's daughter and granddaughter). Robin and her husband Ken have bought a lovely retirement house there where they plan to spend the winters. Elizabeth who teaches at a University there is a permanent resident. I always enjoy spending time with first cousin Joan and her lovely family, but this visit was particularly nice. The weather was perfect and the company delightful.

Robin and Ken's house is beautiful inside and out with Robin's unique decorator's touch inside and tropical landscaping outside.

A collection of daughter Rebecca's drawings grabs one's attention on a living room wall.

A closeup of one of Rebecca's drawings.

The front of the house.

Back patio.

Joan enjoying the back patio in the afternoon.

Robin and Gary playing Cornhole on the back patio at night.

In addition to the cousins I enjoyed their dogs, Gus, Tom, and Banjo.

Elizabeth's dog Banjo resting after a run at the nearby dog park.

Robin's King Charles Spaniels, Tom and Gus, enjoying their favorite chair.

We had lots of good food, and then did a lot of walking to get rid of some of those calories.

Elizabeth's delicious cake with Blood Orange icing.

Scallops and wild rice at Sailfish Marina and Resort Restaurant.

We shared a slice of Key Lime Pie. You can't go to West Palm Beach without having at least one bite..

Beautiful neighborhood for walking.

On our walk we passed this beautiful lake in their neighborhood, and Rick is checking it out.

I walked over two miles one day while there.

After three days I left the glorious weather of West Palm Beach and flew to Brooklyn where I was greeted with snow. More about that later.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Cousin Joan's Beef Brisket in Oven Bag

Beef brisket roasted in oven bag.

Several years ago when visiting my cousin Joan in Maryland, she served a wonderful beef brisket that she had cooked in an oven bag. Here's her recipe:

Beef Brisket (recipe from Joan)

1 3 to 4 lb. brisket without bone

Salt/pepper

2 Tbs flour

3 medium carrots chopped

3 medium onions chopped

1 15 oz can tomatoes (cut up)

½ cup port wine or water

1 envelope onion soup mix (or part of one)

1 tsp dried basil

2 bay leaves
(I added a few mushrooms that I had on hand.)

Trim fat from brisket and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place flour in large oven cooking bag and shake. Add brisket, place in roasting pan. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over brisket. Cut slits in top of bag, close bag and seal.

325 degree oven preheated for 2 ½ to 3 hours.

When cleaning out a drawer in our kitchen, I ran across the box of oven bags and decided to make this.

Add flour to oven bag.

Salt and pepper brisket and put in oven bag.

Cut up vegetables to add to oven bag.

Add tomatoes and cut up vegetables and roast.

Ready to serve.

Ready to enjoy.

I served this with mashed potatoes and the gravy from the vegetables in the oven bag. This is delicious on a cold, cold day or any day for that matter. It is so easy too.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

One of my Talented Cleveland County Cousins

Birthday cake by Debbie Bridges.

Debbie Wilson Bridges is known for her famous cakes, and I finally had an opportunity to savor one. Oh soooo good. Debbie is my second cousin, once removed. (Debbie's grandfather and my father were first cousins, so Shelva, Debbie's mother and I are second cousins, and that makes Debbie my second cousin, once removed, if I remember the genealogy correctly.)

Dan and I were planning a trip to Cleveland County to coincide with my friend, Peggy Rhyne's birthday, so I asked Debbie to make a birthday cake for PJ, and while she was at it, to make another one for Dan and me to bring home.

Both cakes were a delicious, moist pound cake with chocolate fudge frosting.

Pound cake frosted with chocolate fudge frosting.

Peggy Rhyne enjoyed her cake and later shared it with some of our former classmates at a luncheon. Rave reviews from all!!!!!

Peggy is happy with her cake.

Peggy's birthday cake.

The cake that Dan and I brought home was frosted with chocolate fudge frosting and topped with pecans. It was half gone before we even got home with it, with a little help from friends and family.

Only half of our cake left when we got home.

A wonder if Debbie made her own wedding cake????

Debbie and Eddie enjoying their wedding cake a few years ago.

When the cakes were delivered, Debbie sent along a beautiful crocheted doily for me. Not only can she bake, but she creates lovely crocheted things. The doily has found a new home on the little round side table in our dining room.