TEA TIME IN FRANKLIN
First of all, if you do not know about Franklin, Tennessee you really need to look it up. The historic district is worth the price of admission. Also, to sober oneself you can take a short trip over to the Confederate Cemetery. And yes there has been lots of hoopla about the Confederate Statue in the middle of the square.
I must say why can everyone but a southern speak proudly of their heritage. But that is another story.
As I was driving down highway 96 it was sad to see all the fertile farmland being overtaken with housing developments. I keep thinking they are like mushrooms just popping up any ole where. Gentry farms is still surving amongst them and that is a blessing. More children who do not know about farms will get to go pick out a pumpkin this fall and see what it is like to run through the maze.
At Leiper Forks exit there was a large grey flat bed truck with a huge banner "Strawberries". I was running late but I made a mental note to stop on the way home.
Highway 96 dead ends at 5Th Ave. and I need to go to 3rd Ave. So I just headed straight across 5Th and got to 3rd and turned right. I had to go around the Square and I admired the Man in Gray standing tall. I was almost pass Lillie Belle's when I spotted a spot right out front. I checked the rear view mirror and backed the Silver Bullet up about 10 feet and slided her into the parallel spot. I checked the right mirror and noted I would need to see saw her into the curb a wee bit closer.
This done I grabbed my hat with a silk multicolor scarf tied around it and I had a silver rose pin attached to the front. I should have worn a skirt but had on white carpi's with a turquoise top.
As most old homes it had tall ceilings and a fireplace in every room. I was told to go through the room on the left and our group Art Ventures was in the next room.
Mz Fire, Peaches and Bunny were already there so I took up residence beside Peaches. But I had to check out the rose garden to the side. I went out with the owner as she was out to clip a few roses for a table. There was a railing cover with a pretty heart shape vine and then a wooden archway covered with white roses. She pointed out a dove at the top which had plans on starting a family. On the other side were bush after bush of dark pink roses.
Neither of my table buddies had moved so I walked around our room checking out the decor. On a white mantel there were 2 tall vases and some little blue and pink ceramic shoes and of course teapots. On the side table underneath they had at least a dozen or more different teapots. In the far corner above a floor white wicker lamp was a white shelf with a black and white teapot. The old wall sconces had the candles removed and were replaced by matching pink and white teapots.
Our table had glass over the table cloth and underneath were old pictures of the family who built the house. Old postcards and wedding invitations. Lucky J came in and sat at the table to our side. I still want to send her back to Milwaukee because the last time I attended, a parting sentence by M & M to me was"THAT I HAD INSPIRED LUCKY J TO PAINT A GEISHA GIRL." I wanted to yell at her after working on my girls for three years I did not wish to see my idea being stolen by a so called art buddy. Needless to say I took a cue from Mother and did not say anything to Lucky J. Not even a nice southern howdy.
Shirley came in and asked if anyone was sitting next to me and I advised that the seat was not taken. In her previous life she was a school teacher and I found out lots of the Art Venture group have that lurking in their past. I have never known anyone who had a SUPER BOWL RING and her husband has one and he played with Bart Starr on the winning Green Bay Packers team. I am impressed and when I first found out about it I told Prince before he could get in the front door.
Mz Hen and Knoxie were the hostess this month and we heard Mz Hen before she hit the door. In the south if you start off with Bless their heart you can get away with saying anything. So here I go. Bless Mz Hen's Heart she talks constantly. In all fairness she is almost brilliant so I really think all that knowledge just overtakes the tongue. I really need to just go somewhere with her as a one on one and just listen. However, in a group you wish to converse with most all except Lucky J.
Mz. Hen had just gotten back from a trip to England and Scotland and she should have brought the slides. Finally all arrived, and Mz Hen instead of taking the extra chair with Cat, Mz Ann, and CT she asked Mz Fire who Bless her heart is not tiny to move over and let her sit with us.
Bunny was telling a story about going to the doctors office and them asking for her email address and she pronounced herself "COMPUTER FREE". I laughed and said what a good phrase.
Peaches started telling us about her two little loves, Molly & Maggie and before she could get through with the story Mz Hen was telling us about her poor sick little dog.
At this point I saw the empty table that we had left in the room had been filled with a Volunteer from the shop and her granddaughters. Being the Pres and also being a friendly southern except to Lucky J, I went over and she introduced me to two of the cutest little Alabama girls that I ever saw.
When I returned to my seat, I leaned over and told Shirley that the lady was a Volunteer with the shop. Small world. Shirley wanted to know about the shop so I gave her a brief history about Episcopal women starting it up over 35 years ago to help the children at St. Luke's. She informed me she was Methodist.
I explained that my Fathers side were Church of Christ but he was an outcast due to him being a rounder and Mother was a Methodist but Uncle Harold and Aunt Ilene took my sister and I to a small Baptist church in Horseshoe Bend. I told her no sprinkling for me, I was baptised in the Caney Fork river. It was a strong belief that it had to be running natural water and besides no baptismal pool could be afforded by such a small country Church. Then as I got older I went to a Methodist Church due to it proximity to our house and later I almost convert to Catholicism but got upset with a pushy Nun so here I am an Episcopalian.
Afterwards we moved our cars to the FREE parking garage the city has for the historic district and we went around the shops. First stop was a new gallery, Elm Street Gallery. When I got to the gallery all by myself, M&M, Shirley and Sister were there admiring the artwork. As I tooled around checking it all out, they left and then Peaches and Bunny arrived and in tow was Mz Hen.
She talked on and on and on and I wanted to pretend I was the King in the play "The King and I " and go ETC. ETC ETC.
After the she took us to the furniture store where the girls father makes most of the furniture, she had to be off to take care of her sick puppy.
Peaches found out I had never been to PD'S so Bunny & I jumped into Peaches car and headed down first street at the end of which was an old depot and at first I thought where is Sanford and his son? The parking lot was a dusty gravel spot and we were lucky it was not raining.Inside they had lots of neat high end stuff stacked everywhere. I did not find anything I could not live without. Bunny found some Pussy willows to put in some tall vases .
On the way home the truck was still there so I pulled the Silver Bullet off as far as possible as the traffic was really heavy and the farmer was selling a quart for $5 or a gallon for $15. I asked where his farm was and he said Lebanon and I told him my sister lives up there and gave him the co-ordinates. He lived further out.
The Kitty Justice is I was the only one who wore a hat and had a cup of Ginger Peach Tea. Is that not what you are suppose to do at a southern tea house?
The waitress handed me my ticket with the phrase "I remember you are the HOT Tea". Everyone LOL.
First of all, if you do not know about Franklin, Tennessee you really need to look it up. The historic district is worth the price of admission. Also, to sober oneself you can take a short trip over to the Confederate Cemetery. And yes there has been lots of hoopla about the Confederate Statue in the middle of the square.
I must say why can everyone but a southern speak proudly of their heritage. But that is another story.
As I was driving down highway 96 it was sad to see all the fertile farmland being overtaken with housing developments. I keep thinking they are like mushrooms just popping up any ole where. Gentry farms is still surving amongst them and that is a blessing. More children who do not know about farms will get to go pick out a pumpkin this fall and see what it is like to run through the maze.
At Leiper Forks exit there was a large grey flat bed truck with a huge banner "Strawberries". I was running late but I made a mental note to stop on the way home.
Highway 96 dead ends at 5Th Ave. and I need to go to 3rd Ave. So I just headed straight across 5Th and got to 3rd and turned right. I had to go around the Square and I admired the Man in Gray standing tall. I was almost pass Lillie Belle's when I spotted a spot right out front. I checked the rear view mirror and backed the Silver Bullet up about 10 feet and slided her into the parallel spot. I checked the right mirror and noted I would need to see saw her into the curb a wee bit closer.
This done I grabbed my hat with a silk multicolor scarf tied around it and I had a silver rose pin attached to the front. I should have worn a skirt but had on white carpi's with a turquoise top.
As most old homes it had tall ceilings and a fireplace in every room. I was told to go through the room on the left and our group Art Ventures was in the next room.
Mz Fire, Peaches and Bunny were already there so I took up residence beside Peaches. But I had to check out the rose garden to the side. I went out with the owner as she was out to clip a few roses for a table. There was a railing cover with a pretty heart shape vine and then a wooden archway covered with white roses. She pointed out a dove at the top which had plans on starting a family. On the other side were bush after bush of dark pink roses.
Neither of my table buddies had moved so I walked around our room checking out the decor. On a white mantel there were 2 tall vases and some little blue and pink ceramic shoes and of course teapots. On the side table underneath they had at least a dozen or more different teapots. In the far corner above a floor white wicker lamp was a white shelf with a black and white teapot. The old wall sconces had the candles removed and were replaced by matching pink and white teapots.
Our table had glass over the table cloth and underneath were old pictures of the family who built the house. Old postcards and wedding invitations. Lucky J came in and sat at the table to our side. I still want to send her back to Milwaukee because the last time I attended, a parting sentence by M & M to me was"THAT I HAD INSPIRED LUCKY J TO PAINT A GEISHA GIRL." I wanted to yell at her after working on my girls for three years I did not wish to see my idea being stolen by a so called art buddy. Needless to say I took a cue from Mother and did not say anything to Lucky J. Not even a nice southern howdy.
Shirley came in and asked if anyone was sitting next to me and I advised that the seat was not taken. In her previous life she was a school teacher and I found out lots of the Art Venture group have that lurking in their past. I have never known anyone who had a SUPER BOWL RING and her husband has one and he played with Bart Starr on the winning Green Bay Packers team. I am impressed and when I first found out about it I told Prince before he could get in the front door.
Mz Hen and Knoxie were the hostess this month and we heard Mz Hen before she hit the door. In the south if you start off with Bless their heart you can get away with saying anything. So here I go. Bless Mz Hen's Heart she talks constantly. In all fairness she is almost brilliant so I really think all that knowledge just overtakes the tongue. I really need to just go somewhere with her as a one on one and just listen. However, in a group you wish to converse with most all except Lucky J.
Mz. Hen had just gotten back from a trip to England and Scotland and she should have brought the slides. Finally all arrived, and Mz Hen instead of taking the extra chair with Cat, Mz Ann, and CT she asked Mz Fire who Bless her heart is not tiny to move over and let her sit with us.
Bunny was telling a story about going to the doctors office and them asking for her email address and she pronounced herself "COMPUTER FREE". I laughed and said what a good phrase.
Peaches started telling us about her two little loves, Molly & Maggie and before she could get through with the story Mz Hen was telling us about her poor sick little dog.
At this point I saw the empty table that we had left in the room had been filled with a Volunteer from the shop and her granddaughters. Being the Pres and also being a friendly southern except to Lucky J, I went over and she introduced me to two of the cutest little Alabama girls that I ever saw.
When I returned to my seat, I leaned over and told Shirley that the lady was a Volunteer with the shop. Small world. Shirley wanted to know about the shop so I gave her a brief history about Episcopal women starting it up over 35 years ago to help the children at St. Luke's. She informed me she was Methodist.
I explained that my Fathers side were Church of Christ but he was an outcast due to him being a rounder and Mother was a Methodist but Uncle Harold and Aunt Ilene took my sister and I to a small Baptist church in Horseshoe Bend. I told her no sprinkling for me, I was baptised in the Caney Fork river. It was a strong belief that it had to be running natural water and besides no baptismal pool could be afforded by such a small country Church. Then as I got older I went to a Methodist Church due to it proximity to our house and later I almost convert to Catholicism but got upset with a pushy Nun so here I am an Episcopalian.
Afterwards we moved our cars to the FREE parking garage the city has for the historic district and we went around the shops. First stop was a new gallery, Elm Street Gallery. When I got to the gallery all by myself, M&M, Shirley and Sister were there admiring the artwork. As I tooled around checking it all out, they left and then Peaches and Bunny arrived and in tow was Mz Hen.
She talked on and on and on and I wanted to pretend I was the King in the play "The King and I " and go ETC. ETC ETC.
After the she took us to the furniture store where the girls father makes most of the furniture, she had to be off to take care of her sick puppy.
Peaches found out I had never been to PD'S so Bunny & I jumped into Peaches car and headed down first street at the end of which was an old depot and at first I thought where is Sanford and his son? The parking lot was a dusty gravel spot and we were lucky it was not raining.Inside they had lots of neat high end stuff stacked everywhere. I did not find anything I could not live without. Bunny found some Pussy willows to put in some tall vases .
On the way home the truck was still there so I pulled the Silver Bullet off as far as possible as the traffic was really heavy and the farmer was selling a quart for $5 or a gallon for $15. I asked where his farm was and he said Lebanon and I told him my sister lives up there and gave him the co-ordinates. He lived further out.
The Kitty Justice is I was the only one who wore a hat and had a cup of Ginger Peach Tea. Is that not what you are suppose to do at a southern tea house?
The waitress handed me my ticket with the phrase "I remember you are the HOT Tea". Everyone LOL.
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