Big thanks to Crazy Sam for today's questions! You can join the fun HERE!
Mama Liked the Roses
Saturday 9: Mama Liked the Roses (1970)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this song, Elvis tells us his mother loved tending the roses in the garden. Do you have a green thumb? I can't raise flowers or anything... until I decided to get a raised bed from Benton (Pamela's son) and planted some tomatoes a few weeks ago. Look what I picked this past week... Perhaps my brown thumb is changing colors!!
2) Mama would put the roses in a vase in the living room. Do you have cut flowers in your home right now? No. I have cats in the house. That's enough said.
3) Elvis sings that he found Mama's rose petals pressed in the family Bible. Have you ever pressed petals in a book? If yes, what occasion were you commemorating? No, I have never pressed petals in any book.
4) OK, so now we know Mama liked roses. What about you? Would you prefer white, pink, yellow, or red roses? They are all lovely, but please leave them in the garden. I'll enjoy them there!!
5) Elvis's own mother, Gladys Presley, had a major impact on pop culture. When her son was 11, he asked for either a rifle or a bicycle for his birthday. She deemed the rifle too dangerous and the bike too expensive, and so he chose a guitar instead. The rest is history. Tell us about a special birthday gift from your youth. My birthday is so close to Christmas that memories from 60 years ago are too blended to pick out one special birthday gift. I don't remember ever being disappointed. I had a blessed childhood.
6) Abraham Lincoln credited his stepmother, Sarah, for her lasting influence on his life, saying she ignited his love of reading and learning. Tell us about a woman -- mother, stepmother, grandmother, aunt, Godmother, teacher, neighbor -- who changed your life for the better. My mom would be first on the list. She was an angel on earth who everyone loved. She was a great cook, very social, loving, and compassionate. She loved the Lord, sang in the choir, and was the church secretary after she retired from the Post Office. My sweet mom...
I had three grandmothers because my mom's parents divorced when she was 11 years old. We were lucky that they all got along and we could celebrate together through the years. That, in and of itself, was a great lesson in family love.
My Granny Kelly was a great cook, and her fried chicken beat out KFC any day. Lard. She fried it in lard and finished it in the oven. Gosh, it was good. Step-grandma Cameron loved unconditionally and did not have an edit button. She made us laugh all the time. Grandma Cameron/James/ Baker (yes, married 3 times) taught us how not to be. She had some great moments (there are some good memories), but she was mostly a very unhappy, critical, and manipulative woman. Good lessons there, as well.
All three grandmothers were at my sister's graduation.
Grandma Baker, (Patti) Granny Kelly, and Grandma Cameron
7) Mother's Day is almost upon us. According to the National Restaurant Association, we like to eat out on this holiday, with revenue up more than 80% on Mother's Day weekend. When did you last dine at a restaurant? Was it a special occasion? I dined out with friends on Thursday evening and on Friday afternoon, also with friends! It is a favorite thing to do!
8) Candles are a big seller for Mother's Day, too. What's your favorite candle scent? Vanilla, cinnamon... just not flowery.
9) Sam is celebrating Mother's Day with her mother's favorite, Hershey Bars. Would you prefer classic milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or chocolate with almonds? Yes, please.
Peace and Hugs!
May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
And your family and your children
And their children, and their children...
I loved hearing about your Grandmas and Mother. Sounds like life was never dull in your family! Your mother has such a sweet smiling face. I know you must get your gift of hospitality from her! Fried chicken cooked in lard...hmmm, that's probably why the food tasted so much better back then. I'm wondering if you can get lard today to cook with...I'm beginning to think the old ways using natural ingredients were the best ways! I do love roses, but the kind that grow in our gardens, not the hot house kind found in stores. The fresh ones from the garden smell SO much better! I do love to cut them when I have any to cut and bring them inside where I can enjoy them longer and smell them. But not the store bought kind. I'm so proud of you for growing those tomatoes! I'm so glad the raised planter worked so well! And you may just have a green thumb after all!! I hope you have a blessed and beautiful Mother's Day. You have been blessed with two amazing sons and grandchildren...and sweet cats too! Have a lovely weekend.
ReplyDeleteI also had a wonderful childhood-I shared sewing and crochet with my maternal grandma and gardening with my Dad's mom. Red roses are still my favorite rose.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a beautiful Mother's Day weekend, Terri. We will meet up again, eventually. smiles
ReplyDeleteCats and flowers … the struggle is real. My Shadow thinks cut flowers are delicious
ReplyDeleteI'd say you were exceptionally blessed to have had three grandmothers, Terri. And your mother was beautiful, inside and out. Blessings always!
ReplyDeleteHappy Mother's Day! I love those tomatoes!
ReplyDeleteYes, we have roses (as of our most recent landscape update) and they are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteYes, I used to press rose petals in my Bible decades ago.
Love roses in any color but yellow might be my favorite.
“… did not have an edit button.” Now that’s a clever way to phrase it!
You know how to learn from adversity. Good trait. I’m working on that myself.
Back when I still had a sense of smell (it has diminished greatly due to COVID), my fav was vanilla.
Classic milk chocolate for me.
And regarding your blessings on your readers, may His favor be upon you, too!
I think we each won the Mother lottery, Terri! What a sweet photograph!
ReplyDeleteI'm giggling -- both at your recollections of G'ma Cameron (no edit button) and the chocolate bars. Right there with you on the cloying NO-floral scents.
I agree with your feelings on candle scents. And your mom looks like she was a beautiful person.
ReplyDeleteI know it's not good for us, but lard sure made thing taste good! I always shake my head when people rave about McDonald's French fries. Nope, if you had them when they cooked them in lard you know today's fries are not that good. My own grandmother taught me to cook using bacon/meat fat she saved in the fridge. My, but even an egg was so much tastier fried in that. Oh well, we'll live longer. LOL Happy Mother's Day, Terri!
ReplyDeleteLard! Oh my goodness. I haven't thought about lard in a long time. There was a family who lived on our street who were below poverty level (I'm pretty sure). They used lard pails as their lunch boxes and I remember when it finally clicked in my head that they couldn't afford lunch boxes. My mom used lots of bacon grease in her cooking. I think she used crisco rather than lard. I enjoyed your answers!
ReplyDeleteLovely tribute. Happy Mother's Day. 😎
ReplyDeleteGreat blog
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