Tag: meal

Legacy Writing 365:145

The chances are slim that the players of this story will ever visit this blog, but I’m still changing the names to cover my ass pretend it’s fiction protect the innocent (me).

Cousin Skipper and I lived in the same city. Cousin Midge, her brother Ken, and his wife Barbie were driving through on their way to somewhere else. When Cousin Skipper was a young girl, her widowed mother took her to a far-away state, so she didn’t grow up knowing our family, even though her late father was a sibling to one of my parents as well as to one of Midge and Ken’s parents. Skipper had always longed to know more about her roots, so though I had some misgivings, I agreed to meet them all for lunch.

The first problem: Cousin Skipper was a no-show. I didn’t mind spending time with my cousins, even though they were decades older than me and the conversation went along predictable lines. Cousin Midge rehashed old (imaginary) wrongs. Cousin Ken embellished past exploits of dead family members to make them seem more heroic, noble, or flawless than is possible outside novels and old movies. Barbie asked probing questions about my life even though the answers only caused her distress as she worried for my immortal soul.

It was a blast!

But finally this staid and sober group needed to get back on the road, and we walked outside the restaurant to say our goodbyes. This is when Skipper came wheeling up, hair and makeup a little crazy, and renewed the acquaintance of cousins she hadn’t seen since she was a child. She lit a cigarette and suggested we all go back inside for margaritas, and trust me, in ONE MILLION YEARS, this was not going to happen. So instead we stood outside awkwardly talking.

Then I was moved when Cousin Midge, famous for hoarding a basement full of family treasures and mementos that none of the rest of us were allowed near, took something from her purse and held it toward Cousin Skipper.

“I wondered if you’d ever seen one of these,” Midge said.

Skipper took it and her eyes got wet when she realized she was looking at the announcement of her own birth, written in her late mother’s hand more than sixty years before.

“No,” she said. “I’ve never seen this.” She held it to her heart for a moment then looked at it again as her tears spilled down her cheeks.

That’s when Cousin Midge snatched it from Skipper’s hand and said, “I’m not GIVING it to you!”

I literally and quite audibly gasped, but that didn’t deter Midge from putting the birth announcement back in her purse.

This became a joke between my mother and me whenever I’d admire something of hers or vice versa: “I’m not GIVING it to you!” we’d say, followed by a crazy cackle.

After Mother died, I tried to remember all her suggestions through the years about who should get what, and I’m delighted to say that as far as I know, none of her children or grandchildren argued over stuff–possibly because in times past, she’d given us many of those things that held meaning for us.

However, she did swear she’d given me an engraved silver tray that was a gift to my father when he left one of his jobs. When she found out I didn’t have it, she was sure I threw it away. Anyone who knows me knows this isn’t possible (I do share genes with Cousin Midge, after all).

So to my family, if anyone has that silver tray, I think it’s time you ‘fessed up and let me off the hook.

And Debby wants to know: Who’s hiding the blue willow platter?

I hope Mother didn’t give it to Cousin Midge.

Legacy Writing 365:137


I told Cousin Rachel that I don’t seem to have any photos of her father, Cloyce, but when I was looking at my laptop, I found this one. That I have it scanned in there means it’s among the other Mysteriously Missing Photos that are hiding from me somewhere in this house. In email exchanges, I reminisced to Rachel about the dogs her father raised, trying to remember whether they were chihuahuas. She said she’d forgotten all about those dogs, and they were actually Toy Manchester Terriers. As soon as she said so, my memory of them became much clearer.

When talking to David and Debby about this, David reminded me that Uncle Cloyce could bark exactly like those dogs, which I’d forgotten. It’s funny how just a few words can open a door to a flood of memories. I loved sitting outside his store next to Uncle Cloyce. He always gave me an icy cold soft drink and a lot of laughter. Rachel said he probably talked my ear off telling me the same old stories. How I wish I could recall those now.

In the picture above, taken the same Christmas as earlier photos I’ve shared, Rachel and her then-boyfriend Charles are standing next to David and Debby, then Papa and Jane-Jane, then Uncle Cloyce, and Mother’s holding me. I’m either three (Hanley’s age now) or four (Lila’s age now), and clearly I’ve been crying. Who knows what was wrong with me, but what really bewilders me is how Debby looks a little sulky. She’s standing RIGHT NEXT to her favorite coconut cake! She probably got caught taking a swipe at the frosting with her finger. Most notable: This photo apparently predates my brother’s habit of sneaking bunny ears on the person standing next to him. Or else Aunt Drexel, who may have been wielding the camera, could have given him the schoolteacher stare and put a stop to his shenanigans.

In and Around The Compound


I know you’ll all be glad to hear that both my watches have been re-batteried and are up and running. The one on the right, by the way, is the one whose dead battery all those years ago prompted the purchase of the one on the left, as described in my previous post. I had the new batteries put in at Silverlust, one of my favorite shops in Montrose. I have a ring from there that Tom bought me, and another ring that my mother and parents-in-law jointly gave me one birthday. Not only does Herschel custom-make some incredible jewelry, but he’s a longtime donator of merchandise for Scout’s Honor’s silent auction fundraisers. I was lucky enough to win a silver pendant with a citrine stone (LOVE citrine) in 2010.

Several years ago when I took in the watch on the right (it was a Christmas present from Tom about twenty years ago) for a battery, Herschel also replaced some of the marcasite. He takes great care of his customers.

Another Houston place I’ve been meaning to talk about is Happy Fatz Cafe in The Heights. If you love hotdogs, you HAVE to visit this place. And if you don’t love hotdogs, be aware that one of the owners originally got into the food industry by making some TO-DIE-FOR desserts. You can visit their Facebook page for more information and to see their menu. They will substitute veggie dogs for their Hebrew National Kosher Beef dogs. Kathy S has treated me to great lunches there twice.


A sample of their delicious desserts.


Walking in to order at the counter.


Kathy S’s Lotus Blossom.


I like my dogs basic (mustard and ketchup); their scrumptious bread makes this a real treat.


Happy Fatz also supports local artists; I’m working on a series that I hope to hang there later this year.

Just off of Heights Boulevard on White Oak, Happy Fatz is the place for desserts and dogs.

Speaking of dogs, when my sister was here in November, we had a talk about foster dog Penny. As those of you with dogs and cats know, the annual cost of caring for a companion animal can be a little daunting. Tom and I budget for Margot and Guinness, and Tim budgets for Rex and Pixie, and it didn’t seem possible that we could make sure another dog would always have the care s/he needs. My sister told me that if we decided to adopt Penny, she would pay dog support. That was generous, but I still wasn’t sure we were Penny’s best option. All of The Compound foster dogs have gone to what I think were the perfect forever homes for their needs and personalities.

Then a few nights ago, Tom, Tim, and I were talking, and I said, “Seriously, who can offer Penny a better home than the one she has here?” She adores Pixie and Rex, and their level of play is just what she needs. She and Guinness are good napping buddies, and even Margot has almost played with her on occasion, which is HUGE. She has come a long way from being a dog of the streets, skittish around people and reluctant to accept affection, to being a full member of the pack at The Compound. She even plays with Sugar when she visits, lets Jim, Lynne, Rhonda, and Lindsey (her original rescuer!) give her affection, and happily curls up next to Kathy S for a good scratching.

So really, Tim’s post today just made it official.

And now Pixie has a true forever sister to cuddle with.


Pixie P. Lambert and Penny D. Lambert.

Where has all the crafting gone?

Lately, we haven’t been doing much crafting on Craft Night. Last week we might have, but instead we just created a big breakfast feast. No one’s sure why we all love breakfast at dinner. Some of us had parents who did breakfast suppers now and then. One had a mother who would never do it. But there’s something cozy and friendly about breakfast at night, especially when everyone’s pitching in. Including the fresh fruit above, some of the other choices were:


Rhonda’s wonderfully fluffy scrambled eggs. Also, cantaloupe and honeydew melon.


Here, I’m just showing off a Beatles glass, one of a set of four given to me by The Brides at Christmas.

Then there were hash browns, ham, and bacon. Tom manned the pancake griddle and took requests, which is how Lindsey ended up with Barney and T-Rex:

She settled on dinosaurs after he refused to do a Picasso or a Monet for her. Though if she’d said Manet instead:


Manet, White Peonies, 1864

Here’s a white Penny, 2012.

A Very Compound Thanksgiving


Me, Kathy S, Debby, Tim, and Tom

The menu: turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, corn, rolls.

Later, The Brides arrived with a thermos of freshly brewed coffee to share in our coconut cake, pumpkin pie, and peach pie, along with a snack tray prepared by my sister with cheeses, salami, pepperoni, crackers, and dip.

To keep Kathy and Debby from arguing over who got to do the rest of the dishes, for dessert, we broke out the special paper plates Lynne gave me with my Christmas loot last year, which Lindsey displays here:

I’m not sure if Rhonda is going after peach pie or Bella with her fork.

I have so much to be grateful for–a house full of family and friends, hilarious dogs (Margot managed to get at part of the turkey after dinner), and good wishes from other family and friends throughout the world. It’s a good life.