Dear Diary... and a tribute to Pargie

Today is a happy day! and a day to remember special folks.

Had coffee, breakfast and read the paper with my dgmom, Mae. The cortisone shot the doc gave her has vastly improved her quality of life in just a matter of hours; late Thursday night she had been in so much pain that we thought she may have had a compression fracture or a pinched sciatica nerve. Visited with my 'rents and sister and nephews. They got the call from x-bil that there is ELECTRICITY at the lake houses in River Bend! And, life is looking much more civilized for folks in Deep East Texas.

Dear husband came in this morning from an incredibly long week at the sawmill and only has one more night to go-- 'til he has to start it all over again. I know these long hours are taking a toll on him- but, his general attitude seems to be handling it. PTL! There's not a whole lot I can do to contribute towards a positive outlook; but, having dinner (or breakfast as the case may be) ready is about my only option.

Me? Well... I'm just about ready to settle down and do either some a) cyber shopping or b) real shopping if I can convince sister to run away to LR for the day or c) something creative. I would have liked to have gone with G-pa and the boys to set up camp in the Ouachita mountains at Albert Pike on the Little Missouri River; which was their plan until Donald called with the official word of electrification. They were going to just "get away" for a few days and since it's only an hours drive (and a pleasant scenic one at that!) we could have tagged along in a separate vehicle and just picnicked with them and gotten some photo ops. But- that doesn't look like it's happening now; so, back to plans a, b or c.

Last night Sister and I went to Wally's and fawned over the large shipment of chrysanthemums. We bought a couple of mums for our Mum and left them in strategic places in her front yard so that when she walked out she'd be surprised. Dad, of course, discovered them first-- I'm not sure but what HIS wasn't the bigger grin! He so enjoys pleasant little surprises! I often think that he and our great-maiden-aunt, Clarice or "Pargie", were kin in that regard. Pargie dearly loved granting wishes and I think a big part of the joy she experienced was the planning and the execution of those little gifts. She made the best Strawberry cakes and when we lived 8 hours away and it was our birthday; she still made sure we had our cakes and shipped them on the Greyhound/Trailways busses.

I have many fond remberances of living next door to Pargie and Grammy (Pargie and Mae's mama). Parge and Grammy raised my Mama until she about 4 years old because Mae & Pa's jobs were in separate towns and Pa was away at school and they didn't get to all live together as a family until then- and, then it was in Arkadelphia with his aunts that had raised him since his mama had died. But, prior to that while Mama was learning to walk and talk and "be nice to the ladies" as Grammy would say- Pargie would call my mother "Little Partner" and Mama would call her "Pardner" back; but it came out "Pargie" and it stuck.

We lived next door to Pargie and Grammy in Hope from the time I was about 4 until I was 6. Often in the mornings, I would wake and be stirring before Mama and Daddy and I was allowed to go over next door. There, Pargie would fix me the biggest stack of pancakes (large enough to fill a fiesta plate!) complete with Brer Rabbit Syrup- I don't think I could EVER eat but a 1/4 of them! On cold mornings she would prop my feet up in front of the open stove to warm them. Some mornings we had oatmeal. And, some mornings she would make cinnamon toast and chocolate milk and take me and Robin (when she got big enough) across town to our favorite water-tower to sit, dine and just enjoy the view. I don't know why we had such a fascination with the old water tower; but, we did. Some other times we would go to the city park and have breakfast there- with the squirrels on the merry-go-round.

Suppers were always on Pargie's glassed-in back porch. Though I'm sure I did actually eat at the dining table- (I can barely recall having lost my first tooth on an ear of corn at that table one Sunday lunch) typically I ate at the large roll-top desk on one of the "wings" that could be pulled out for additional desk space. I remember it faced the tv and since Vietnam was the news of the day, I recall Roger Mudd and Walter Cronkite, bologna cut into squares, English peas and mashed potatoes all sort of as one memory. When we weren't eating- we took a blanket and draped it over those wings so that we had a cave under the desk.

Grammy's chair sat in the corner with a speaker next to it so the news blared from both directions. Her rocking chair was a swivel rocker and had large wide arms just the perfect size for little girls to crawl on and perch next to Grammy. She read us many a story there. Sometimes, she would go outside and sit in the backyard metal chairs. Those are comfy "springy" chairs that I still have on my patio. In Grammy's backyard there was a lovely pear-tree; that I dubbed the "Toy Tree" and would hang toys as "presents" for Robin to find when she woke from her nap. Too, Mr Arthur, was frequently in the backyard and was always fun to talk to or walk behind as he used one of those old fashioned gasless lawn mowers. I was fascinated with that thing. I liked Mr Arthur, too- he always wore a dress hat and suspenders even when he did yard work and spoke with a really deep Southern negro dialect. It was years later that I learned that he had been Daddy Arch's (Grammy's husband) right-hand man at the brick plant and said that had he been there the day that Daddy Arch had been hit with the boom and injured he wouldn't have died.

Other memories of Pargie include: Robin and Ginger Monkey (a stuffed animal) that she coveted at the local Kresgie's store.. or was it a Woolworth's, Ben Franklin's or a Five and Dime? The "I Dream of Jeannie" poseable doll from a hardware store up on Main Street in Hope. The bank building in Hope that had the concrete "louveres" in which we played hide and seek. Being carried up the back steps by Pargie after a ballgame and she loosing her balance, her trying to keep me and my popcorn from falling and ultimately breaking her knee on the way down. Getting hit from behind and smacking my forehead on the radio buttons in Parge's car (again, after a ball-game). Pargie's bread.... no modern bread machine to this day can equal her homemade bread. Going to work with Pargie on the swing-shift at the hospital and later on Saturdays at Gurdon's hospital. Her patiently helping me hunt and peck while making arm-bands for the newly admitted patients.

Later on- introducing Pargie to Byron; and his absolute delight upon hearing that after my long frantic search of the house for my college science book- discovering that SHE had it and was reading it just for fun! She absolutely adored Byron and I think was completely in favor of us getting married; while she was so sick and battling her cancer she was also determined to help Mae host our wedding reception (in their home) in typical Pargie fashion. I only wish Pargie could have known her great-great nephews; we just THINK that they are spoiled rotten- if she were around we'd all KNOW it for certain!

She was a great great-Aunt.
Clarice Cannon ~ Pargie
Loved by many- Remembered Fondly to this very day.
May, 1905-October, 1982.