Welcome, Welcome Miz Vul!

Miz Vul, I am so very excited to know you will be joining us on the porch! I hear tell you do not adhere to the 12 o'clock rule for mint juleps? Well, that could prove to be very interesting indeed. We are going to have so much fun swappin' tales, especially after we've finished our first pitcher of our favorite beverages! While I am afraid I will always stick to my noon-hour rule, I won't mind watching you at all.

Reading about your husband and piano playing relative got me to thinking about some of my relatives.

You know I have a whole closet just filled with relatives who can do strange and unusual things. We don't talk much about some of them. I practically had to pry open my Grandmama's lips to get her to tell me about some of my relatives when I decided to look back at our family line.

My favorite story is the one where my Grandmama's sister's little girl was born early! She said this cute little thing was so tiny her Mama almost didn't see her when she went to sit down. I can hear her still as she quietly learned over and said, "Why, we almost lost that little girl 'cause my mama's bottom was rather broad at that time."

Now you might not think that talking about a little tiny baby being born early would mean much, but I'll have you know that she was born less than 9 months after my great aunt met her husband at the altar of the local church. And if she wasn't such a prig puttin' on airs like you wouldn't believe.

It took me forever to ferret the date she got married out of my grandmother. She "just couldn't remember exactly, why it was so long ago". Finally I went looking for the family Bible and there it was. If they wanted to hide something like that they shouldn't have kept such good records.

I have to giggle every time I see my cousins! They inherited their mama's big ideas and stuck up ways. I know it's not Christian, but it does just bring them down to human level in my mind somehow.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm a charitable person. If they didn't lord their ideas of grandeur over everyone's heads it wouldn't matter a hill of beans to me which side of the bed their mama got out of in the mornings. There's not a person in this big old world who hasn't made some mistake in their lives and some of them are fairly big. I learned a long time ago to live and let live and not to judge. Just as soon as you start thinking you are better than someone else one of your own children shows up on the front porch with a tale to out-tale the rest.

Oh dear, I have taken so much space up with my tale of just one relative! I will have to come back another day and tell you about some of my more unusual, and yes, strange, relatives!

It is after noon and I am heading to the liquor cabinet!
Miss Faye

Another Christmas gift for that hard-to-please person

We ALL have some difficult soul in our family who has everything there is to have. If they need something they buy it. Well, I found a little something that I think almost anyone anywhere would want to have.

It's under fifteen dollars, too. Can't beat that price!

It's one of those cute little gadgets that heats up water for coffee or tea. You just pour some water in the top, push the button and in a few short seconds you have boiling hot water.

My Mama had one and after trying it I just had to have one for myself.

I looked for it at Macys and at some of the mall stores but couldn't find one. Of course I found it at the local Walmart!

It's called a Hot Shot and it's made by Sunbeam. Now I know it's nothing to write home about, but it sure is cute and I have about slap worn mine out already. It is so much better than boiling water on the stove top or using a microwave!

You know me, Miss Etta, I love to share when things pop into my mind. I bet you'll find someone in your family who would like one!

I wonder if any of our readers have some good ideas for last minute Christmas gifts for those picky pesky relatives and friends who have it all?

Miss Faye