My sweet friend, Pat, who just happens to be the mother of some of my very favorite former neighbors in the whole wide world, has just written and self published the most charming book!
Growing Up in the Texas Panhandle is about making sushi.
Not really. It is about growing up in the Texas panhandle in the 40's and 50's.
This book is full of black and white photos and recipes from her past. Who could resist a book with "Mother's" cornbread recipe? Or "Grandmother's" fried chicken and cream gravy? Or "Aunt Alma's" Divinity?
And there is just something about black and white photos of stately looking ladies and gentlemen wearing hats and gloves that makes me smile and stare out the window and wish I could pluck a chicken and make a feather pillow.
In this book, Mrs. Flathouse tells about working for the grand total of a dollar an hour at her first real job, planning cross country vacations in a station wagon, getting an American Flyer electric train set for Christmas, and more.
If this book were a television series, it would be The Wonder Years. It is chock full of memories of days gone by. Here is one of my favorite exerpts:
On hot afternoons with the dry wind blowing against us, we walked down to the creek and gathered tadpoles in glass pickle jars on our way to the local swimming pool. At the pool, we spent long, lazy afternoons dog paddling around in the water and doing cannon balls into the deep end--until the polio scare came along. Our mothers thought that polio might come from the swimming water, so the pools were closed, and our swimming days ended for several years.
My favorite thing about this book is that I know all of the streets mentioned, and MaddieLynn even pointed out that she has rollerskated on the very sidewalk pictured in the chapter about rollerskating!
I think this book would make a lovely Christmas gift for anyone who has lived in the panhandle of Texas, in particular, parents or grandparents who grew up in that era.
5 comments:
That is soo neat that MaddieLynn can relate to the specific places in the book, as sometimes this makes "history" more than just his story... I wish someone would have put together a book like that full of Grandma's memories.... makes me nostalgic.
Thanks a bunch, Ms. Smockity! And MaddieLynn SHOULD recognize the sidewalk because I took the picture several years ago just across the street from YOUR house! And that is ANOTHER story about the writing of those stories and gathering the pictures--most of the pictures were very old, from my mother's collections, but a few were a wee bit more modern!
Okay - since you're promoting books - what about this one? http://www.amazon.com/52-Greatest-Stories-Bible-Devotional/dp/0830745823/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227580598&sr=8-1
We reeeealllly want your endorsement!
I'm so looking forward to reading this book, my mother-in-law has been working on it for awhile, well I guess she's been working on collecting these stories her whole life!! The neat thing is WB's grandmother is still alive (93?) and will be able to hold this book in her hands as the memories flood back while her great-grandchildren sit on her lap:)
Sounds great! And I love the story in your previous entry about wanting a baby that does all those things...too cute!
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