Garden party

Tonight I have too many thoughts for Facebook so for the second time in 4 days I am blogging. (No. It is not 2005. AMAZING huh? )

Today I had a little afternoon party in the garden. We had cucumber sandwiches, thumb print cookies (Yes. The old recipe from Mac Eplin's in Abilene!) sparkling lemonade, pinwheels, iced sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, chocolate chips, sweet tea... Now that you are drooling, I have to say it wasn't quite as glam as it all sounds. Yes there were pretty flowers and lots of people came, but it was hot. Before anyone arrived I was sweating and hauling umbrellas and coolers full of ice. My make-up had completely sweated off by the time the party started. And I was worn out. It takes a lot to throw a garden party. But aside from the heat and my lack of makeup it was good. I was struck by all the memories of my grandmothers that flooded my mind as I hurried through my busy day.

My Nana Ruth was the first person to ever make cucumber sandwiches for me. Well they were really for her bridge club, but she let me have a few. Yes. She had a bridge club and when it was her week to host she cut fresh flowers and made little sandwiches and cookies. The ladies drank tea, and then sometimes coffee as the afternoon wore on. They laughed and spoke quietly as they discussed the news of the day and the plight of poor Mr or Mrs so and so down the street, bless their heart! And they played bridge. For the life of me I don't know how one plays bridge. Bridge club always looked fun, not really the bridge part, but the friends and little cookie part. I think I want a bridge club.

And then my Nana Naomi... (Had to call them by their first names since I called them both Nana. And yes I always loved that my grandmothers were named Naomi and Ruth!) Well Nana Naomi was a Garden Clubber. I think she played bridge on occasion too, but she was big into the Garden Club. I can remember her trying to teach me to make tiny arrangements at the tender age of three and four. Back then I was not interested. To this day, as much as I love plants, I am not good with them. But my Nana could grow anything. She always had beds and gardens and a ton of plants on plant stands all over her house. Today as I was buying bougainvilleas at the nursery to use as center pieces, I thought of Nana Naomi and how she would make tons arrangements for her Garden Club meetings. (You know I think they ate little sandwiches and cookies at the Garden Club too!) I remember that I was fascinated by how Nana always buried her banana peels and leftover fruit and veggies parts in her garden to "make the soil." I guess that is what we call composting now. Yeah I should have paid better attention.

Remembering my Nanas makes my heart smile. (Just realized I don't ever remember their make-up sweating off! In fact I don't remember them ever sweating...) I wish they were still here to teach me how to play Bridge and make flower arrangements. I wish they were here to love my kids and make them pudding from scratch when they don't feel well.

I wonder what they would think of me? Nana Ruth died when Rhett was three, but she hadn't been the Nana of my youth for quite a while at that point. Nana Naomi died a year and a half before I met Rob. Both Nanas were in their 90's and needed to go when they died. It's not that I feel they were taken too soon. It's just that I wanted them to be the age they were when I was a little girl forever. I want my spunky Nana Ruth here to play the piano and laugh as Ella Kate dances. I want my Nana Naomi to paint watercolors with Kolby. And Rhett...well they would have just eaten him up! Boys were so rare in our family. I want them to wear their housecoats in the morning, and go to town for a coke in the afternoon. I want to fall asleep with them watching "the story" and have a big night out on the town eating a steak finger baskets at the DQ at 5:30pm. Later we would play Skip-Bo or dominoes with Lawrence Welk, Love Boat or later Walker Texas Ranger in the back ground.

I like when little things in my life remind me of my grandparents. I wonder if it is any coincidence that on this, the busiest of days, my mind kept wandering back to my Nanas and a time in my life when things seemed simpler. When my biggest worry was whether I would have to take a nap in the afternoon or be put to bed too early. Maybe God wanted me to remember my Nanas today for a reason? Maybe. Or maybe He just wants me to learn to play bridge and join a Garden Club? :)

Either way I am loving the memories of my two sweet Nanas while thanking God that these two ladies were such a big part of my life. All these years later just the memory of them makes my day. Thanks Nana! (Both of you!)