On this – the 15th anniversary of 9/11- I hope you will find encouragement from the beautiful Stalwart Pear- the last living thing removed from the rubble… Love y’all, Camellia
This little dogwood tree struggles and survives every year despite it’s poor location, yet it reminds me of another tree, ‘The Quickened Stalwart Pear’, found in chapter 38 of my book- ‘Four Days- the Lazarus Principle’
Here is an excerpt with some added emphasis…
“Go with me…to New York City. While we were there we visited the 911 Memorial. I was expecting to be moved by it. I was expecting to feel anger. That is not what I felt – I felt anoverwhelming sadness for what America had lost…the loss of a type of innocence which turned many of our people into distrustful cynics. A harsh rhetoric, indicative of anger and fear has descended on our people…
The most hopeful thing of all in that tragic somber place was a Stalwart Pear Tree, known as the Survivor Tree. It is now 30 feet tall and was the last living…
‘You’re lookin’ a little dry, darling’…When a friend interrupts you to say that, well it’s time to take a look in the mirror, Cinderella. Actually, when summer ends and Septemberbegins… we all may be lookin’ a little dry. Where is that Ponce de Leon when we need him? He came South looking for the Fountain of Youth and left us with just part of it- Water. Drinking water is one of the easiest and best ways- internally– to keep skin looking good.
After years of working in fragrance and cosmetics- I hope you will look at your skincare, makeup and even sunscreen products- if these three are at the top of the list of ingredients:
Water
Mineral Oil
Alcohol
You need to re-think what you are putting directly on your skin. I can just feel y’all running to look at the labels! All three will dry out the skin. You need to have something as a barrier between the skin and those ingredients. So what to do? The simple answer is this- for aging skin in particular– Our grandmothers were right to clean their complexions with coldcream or even lard. Toss facial soaps and commercial face cleansers unless your skin is very oily. Home remedies– right out of our pantries, may actually be better and healthier for aging skin. Facial skin is delicate and thins as we age. Olive Oil would be my cleanser of choice and a natural barrier between your skin, makeup and even sunscreen– all may contain harsh chemicals. Olive Oil has amazing properties-
Packed with good fatty acids
Vitamins and Minerals
Absorbs into the Skin quickly with no Residue
Has Powerful Antioxidants
Helps maintain Elasticity
Now if any of you have underwear with the elastic waistband stretched out…well you get the picture. Aging skin gets fine lines, is crepe-y and sags. I know, it’s depressing. Nourishing it with Olive Oil is a good start.
Soybean Oil is another good option-it also absorbs into the skin quickly and while it doesn’t have the power of Olive Oil- it does contain Plant Based Estrogen which is another good thing for aging skin. Mix the two together and you have a very good makeup remover and all purpose face and body product. Besides, it’s biblical to anoint yourself with oil!
Now- as skin ages, it doesn’t renew as quickly- so if we can give it a little help with exfoliation– the skin will look better almost immediately. Let me tell you a little story…I had a customer years ago- who was in her early 70’s, she obviously could buy any products- she bought $250 bottles of fragrance without batting one of her adorable eyelashes; but she never bought our face and body products. She had beautiful skin. She would just politely decline, as any refinedSouthern Lady knows how todo.
I couldn’t stand it…curiosity was killing this cat. One day I asked her what she used on her beautiful skin- She told me she used what her plastic surgeon told her to use…Not to be deterred I said, ‘You don’t look like you’ve had any ..ah- hem…work done!‘ She had an eyelift, but nothing else. Long story short – it wasn’t a product- it was a recipe! Basically a combination of the two oils I have just shown you- Soybean and Olive Oil.
Mix it 2/1 ratio of Soybean to Olive Oil. If you don’t need the Estrogen, use straight Olive Oil. I became a firm believer in her all natural skincare product. Still, because aging skin doesn’t renew as quickly as it once did- an all natural exfoliant will get you started. Using some information I had garnered from working with skincare- including several ‘allnatural’ lines- I came up with this one- straight from the pantry. It is powerful and is not tobe used on a daily basis but just to get you started turning over those old dead skin cells! Here’s my Heavy Duty September Salted Skin Scrub–
1/4 cup of Mild Pure Olive Oil (this does not have to be an expensive olive oil)
1/4 cup of Soybean Oil
2-3 Tablespoons of Granulated Non-Fat Milk Powder
1 Tablespoon Black Hawaiian Lava Sea Salt- you can use Epsom Salts in place of the Black Sea Salt
1 -2 Tablespoons of Fine Sea Salt
Zest of one medium size Lemon and-
The Juice of one half of the Lemon
Combine these to make a paste, mine looked gray because of the black lava salt.
Blend thoroughly until it has a thick paste texture. Let it sit for a few minutes, while I explain the benefits of the other ingredients beyond the Olive Oil and Soybean Oil-
The coarse natural salts are what make this a heavy duty scrub, not recommended for daily use but to kickstart the turnover of skin cells! Black Sea Salt has a larger grain than the Sea Salt, as does Epsom Salts, if you choose to use that instead. Salts–
Exfoliate
Bring Moisture to Surface of the Skin
Plumps the Skin naturally
Kills Bacteria
Encourages Skin Regeneration
Reduces Inflammation
Lemon zest is where the Essential Oil of the Lemon resides, and it adds another texture to exfoliate- it is powerful stuff! The Zest and Lemon Juice-
Shrink Open Pores
Tighten Skin Tissue
Increase Skin Elasticity
Brighten the Skin
Lightens Age Spots
Evens Skin Tone
Reduce Fine Lines and Wrinkles.
Granular Powdered Dry Milk is another powerhouse! The texture of the granular dry milk is part of the exfoliant. Milk is another powerful ingredient to use topically, you won’t believe all it can do. Even Cleopatra knew Milk was good for the skin! Here’s what she may not have known, bless her heart! Milk is-
A Natural Source of Vitamin D
Hydrates and Softens Skin
Contains Mild Alpha Hydroxy Acid properties
Reduces Appearance of Aging
Lightens Age Spots
Repairs Sun Damage
Complete Protein with Calcium and Potassium
Contains all 21 Amino Acids
Alright ladies, start your September Skincare! Here’s the Method:
Cleanse the face and neck with a tissue dipped in Olive Oil-
Take a small amount of the Heavy Duty Scrub-
Starting on the forehead, working down the face, over the nose-
Avoiding the delicate tissues around the eyes!
Moving across the upper lip and around the mouth, chin and down the neck-
Scrub lightly!! Use circular motions- gently scrub
Then let the oils absorb into the skin before removing the residue with a Warm Damp Cloth.
Your skin will feel tingly and lightly damp.
With a clean tissue, apply a fine coating of Olive Oil.
When it absorbs – you will love the way your skin feels! Refrigerate the excess scrub, it will stay fresh about 3 days. I plan to use it again on the third day and wait another month or so and do it again. Men can also benefit from this all natural scrub! Feel free to use the rest of the scrub when you shower as a body scrub! Now, drink your water, anoint yourself with oil, scrub occasionally – then you won’t look dry. That’s straight from Ponce de Leonetta! As a bonus for those of you have read all of this- Listen to that good ol’ boy who could use a little Heavy Duty Skin Scrub himself….none other than WillieNelson, singing September Song. It’s a good reminder to take care of ourselves and the ones we love- for the days do really go by from May til September…
‘Do no great things, only small things with great love.’Mother Teresa
The year was 1994, in a bone chilling month of February- we made our way to Washington DC. As the taxi drove us from the airport past the Potomac, the water was not flowing, it was filled with boulder chunks of ice. We were there to attend the National PrayerBreakfast at the invitation of our congressman, Glen Browder. Alabama was the host state for thePrayerBreakfast. We were going to be eyewitnesses to this remarkable event. And while this was an amazing invitation- we had also decided to make it a religious pilgrimage of sorts. We visited the landmark New York Avenue Presbyterian Church where Chaplin of the U.S. Senate, Dr. Peter Marshall, delivered heartrendingly beautiful sermons and prayers, during World War II and beyond. This is a very historical church just 4 blocks from the White House, where morethan eight U.S. presidents, cabinet members, congressmen and justices of the Supreme Court worshipped- beginning with John Quincy Adams. Abraham Lincoln attended services there during the War. His famous Gettysburg Address had coined the phrase ‘One Nation under God’ -more than 80 years later, Lincoln’s address inspired Scottish born Peter Marshall’s sermon ‘A New Birth of Freedom’, which he delivered on another freezing February day. That sermon inspired Dwight Eisenhower and others to amend the Pledge of Allegiance addingLincoln’s phrase. Martin Luther King Jr. would later give an impassioned address in this same church. And long after we had come home- this church provided prayer and comfort to the capitol city after 9/11.
We were taken by an official bus and dropped off very close to the presidential motorcade, parked exactly where President Reagan had been shot a few years before. Ushered in and seated on the front row at table fourin a huge ballroom, the room was packed. The security was tight. We listened in rapt attention at the amazing Tuskegee Choir from Alabama. We could not believe we were there, much less on the front row- eyewitnesses to history, why, we were in the presence of national leaders inour nation’s capitol city, along with citizens just like ourselves, however- seated at our table were two missionaries fromJapan. When I asked them where their missionary field was- these lovely Asian people said- ‘We believe that the people of the UnitedStates need to hear the gospel of JesusChrist’…To this day, I am moved by the profound love and kindness in that simple statement.
What must folks from foreign countries think of the American people? From the news media to print to music to lifestyle- what conclusion would a person who is not from the United States draw from all of the disagreeable messages we send out across this globe?
The keynote speaker at the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast was Mother Teresa of the Sisters ofCharity in Calcutta. The speech was very long- the news media drew from her profound words a few statements and conclusions– when actually Mother Teresa had so very muchmore to say than what the headlines distilled and became politically charged rhetoric.
I was there, I can tell you firsthand that this tiny woman, Mother Teresa was a mesmerizing figure. A two step high platform was placed behind the podium and still her head couldbarely be seen from our tables on the front row. On our tables, along with the program was a bookmark with her words on them- I won’t quote them verbatim due to length- however, I recall being enlightened to the point I am still moved to tears whenever I think of them- Mother Teresa’s words were-
When you see the poor and pitiful
When you see the maimed or mental
When you see therejected and despised
When you see the orphaned or sick
When you see the hungry or the homeless…
Look into their eyes- ‘You are looking into the Eyes of Jesus’
‘When I was hungry you fed me, when I was thirsty you gave me drink…when you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me.’
from Matthew 25:35
Mother Teresa’s ministry was among the ‘poorest of the poor’in the streets of Calcutta, India The Sisters of Charity literally feed, clothe, pick worms and vermin off the heads of the poor- they clean their stricken bodies, clothe them and put them in clean beds, give them meager bowls of rice or broth; and often hold a quiet vigil as the least of humanity die in the comfort of a clean bed. The Sisters of Charity know they are looking into the Eyes of Jesus.
The ballroom that freezing winter day, was hushed into a reverent silence as she spoke unforgettable words. We had no idea that this tiny remarkable person would walk this earth only a few more years.Later I read that a nun in New York City begged to come work in Calcutta alongside the Sisters of Charity. Mother Teresa said-
‘Find your own Calcutta. Find the sick, the suffering and the lonely right where you are.’
That is what we all must do, beginning in our homes, spreading out into our communities, unto those who are outcasts.. even unto the ends of the earth, we must look at a suffering world andsee the Eyes of Jesus. interpreted from Mark 16:15
Find your own Calcutta. Look for the Eyes of Jesus. The world is watching.
Love y’all, Camellia
photographs from AOL images, except the bottom one from the wonderful book- ‘Come and See’ by Linda Schaeffer- which we edited.
There was a time when language was carefully and kindly spoken- where even women’s undergarments were called foundations. The vintage photograph shows women of all shapes and sizes beautifully. Women who were statuesque were admired. I personally think that Margaret Mitchell contributed to this admiration when she had Scarlett say- ‘I’ll never go hungry again!’ The great equalizer after the War between the States was that all Southerners were poor. Struggling through Reconstruction, some held on to their dignity, some got just plain mean, some had never known anything else but being poor- scraping out a living from red clay soil, while the Yankees were in the process of re-building us. Scarlett O’Hara decided to work with the Carpetbaggers, Scalawags and Yankees, and like it or not- she did succeed in never being hungry again. Southerners developed a distaste for Yankees. My grandmother said it best- ‘I know why Yankees are so harsh- they’re cold all the time and they don’t eat right’. And actually the South does have better food, that’s probably why we struggle with Obesity. I mean when you fry a whole lot of stuff like:
Green Tomatoes
Chicken
Catfish and Okra
Well you get the picture. Fried food made inexpensive food just tastes better.
Just when the economy was getting better- 64 years after the war had torn us apart…the Great Depression knocked a whole lot of folks back down. Many in Alabama had always been poor, now it was worse. I recall asking my husband’s grandmother one time- ‘Is she poor?’ and she answered – ‘Oh yes honey, she’s real skinny’. Grandmamas was a tall, statuesque woman who wore hats and probably knew a thing or two about folks going hungry. And she fed more than a few folks all the years I knew her.I completely adored her! Our older daughter is named for her. A big part of the foundation of her life was to make sure her table was laden with food, the extra produce was canned and preserved. And while she was a ‘true daughter’ of the confederacy- I never detected the least bit ofmean-spirited nonsense in Grandmamas at all toward anyone, I never heard a slang term used by her or about anyone. I wrote in my journal- ‘When Grandmamas hugs me, it is like sinking into a feather bed.’ She was ample, she was generous, she was bighearted. She wrote me five page letters that she called ‘newspapers’, giving me all of the latest triumphs and tragedies from family, friends and community. It is well known in the South- that
Pyrex dishes were filled to the brim- taken to new mothers, sick folks, church picnics and to the bereaved- why, a glass sea of Pyrex dishes could be seen anywhere you went!
Roasting pans produced large Hens, Roasts or Hams
Iron skillets put forth the sustenance of Southern Life, Fried Chicken or Cornbread
Canning jars not only got people through the long winter but added an extra bit of flavor with pepper sauce, jams and jellies, pickled peaches or cucumbers. These were the tools they used to sustain us throughout our lives.
The foundation Grandmamas laid- of tables laden with food- was passed down to her daughters. My mother in law was known for baking a Coconut Cake for anyone who just mentioned loving her cake! She once made dozens of fried pies for the entire JSU Marching Southerners Band Dorm, when our daughters were there! That’s bighearted, abundance! The words- full-bodied, lush or abundant when applied to wines, gardens or buffet tables give the most pleasant mental images. When applied to a woman’s statuesque full figure, not as much. And that’s a shame – there are days when I would love to receivea hug that felt like I was ‘sinkinginto a feather bed’. Our Grandmothers were of a genteel generous generation who spoke kindly and made sure that no one, no matter who they were- left their homes empty handed.
Now, I’ve gotten all historical on you because it occurred to me that the Foundation of Southern Food is Big Hearted, Generous and Abundant. And while I applaud the efforts to eat healthy- we can’t deny that much of the move back to all natural fresh food– is not new- it is just newly discovered. Homegrown fresh food was all we had just a couple of generations ago- at least where I come from!
Chicken, Casseroles, Shrimp, Grits, Cornbread and Pound Cake are all big hearted and generous- all make up the Foundation for great Southern meals. Just plain wonderful as they are- still Chicken, Shrimp, Casseroles, Grits, Cornbread and Pound Cakes accept other ingredients graciously. I’ll leave it for another day to expound on these wonderful combinations.
Since I’m being nostalgic today-I recall when ladies and gentlemen spoke with genteel courteous language. The foundation of their lives was rich in the traditions of good manners, speaking well and good regardless of poverty or wealth. Rough, coarse and common talk is the stuff of honkytonks. Language that separates, tears down or degrades is worthless to society. Perhaps we could blend diverse ingredientsinto polite disagreements and dignified conversations, like a good spicy Gumbo or a comforting Casserole.. I long for it truly.
Love y’all, Camellia
Image of vintage women in foundations- from a wonderful site- http://www.fortieswardrobe.blogspot.com Images of chickens, casserole and shrimp are from AOL images and may be subject to copyright. Image of Grandmamas, kitchen implements, the cornbread, pound cake and grits are from our personal collection.
Interiors with neutral color schemes are my favorite. They are peaceful, calm and soothing. Perhaps the first lengthy discussion I remember having about interior design was at Bon Secour Bay outside of a restaurant named Meme’s. The driveway into this delicious dive was of whole and crushed oyster shells. I think I might have been 14 years old. My best friend and I got into a hilarious conversation of how we could use oyster shells as décor in the home. We thought perhaps as salt dishes, beside a dinner plate to hold a few pats of butter, lemon wedges or even as powder room soap dishes; maybe a container by the kitchen sink to hold our rings. Of course it was all silly- but oysters hold a sweet spot inour hearts- where else do you think our love for pearls comes from? And just look at the beauty of the neutral colors found in oysters!
I am a native of Alabama, these are the neutral colors that I love. A whole color scheme can be found in an humble oyster. Our families had met at Meme’s to watch the shrimp and oyster boatscome in at sunset and to partake of some of the most memorable seafood I ever recall. And believe me, if you live in the Deep South- with all of its bayous and rivers, bays, streams and the magnificent Gulf of Mexico-you know your seafood! Alabama Seafood is some of the world’s finest!
Meme’s started out as an oyster bar. Oysters have romantic notions ascribed to them- probably because Casanova was said to have eaten dozens and dozens of the oysters daily. I knew a big ol’ logger named Bud– from South Alabama who had huge burlap bags of oysters brought up to his camp every Friday to feed his men- Bud said ‘Oysters keep their pencilssharp’…I was never sure what he meant by that. I can tell you this- Bud the logger wouldn’t take any prizes for dancing! He would hoist the women up off their feet and haul them around the dance floor like a stick of pulpwood! Oysters have a more genteel word that describes them best- Peacemakers.
Bon Secour Bay is in part a state refuge area, it is a small peaceful town of less than 1000 people, Meme’s of Bon Secour- was destroyed by Hurricane Fredrick in 1979 and was never rebuilt- Alabama Wild Shrimp is a point of pride for the bay area. Bon Secour was originallya French fishing village and it’s name meanssafe harbor. And isn’t that what we want for our homes? To be a refuge from the storms of life and the one safe place we can count on? Blessed are the peacemakers, the backdrop for all of the colors life brings.
Several years ago, we began renovating…I had always used color– navy, leaf green even peach with blue ribbons or periwinkle blue for girlish bedrooms-always with white trim. I had become weary of so much color, I have after all, led a pretty colorful life filled withcolorful people. Colorful is a southern term for…well, a nice way of talking about folks and events that are full of personality and generous with memorable stories. Native Neutralinteriors are fabulous hosts for colorful folks! When the renovation began- for inspiration I turned to our roots-
Black cast iron skillets, old kitchen utensils, the Ironworks and Steel Works of Birmingham, white square columns
The faded barn board of my husband’s rural farm background, the Coalminers, the Wiregrass region, the rich Black Belt soil, the pale rock of the Appalachians
The French linen my grandmother loved, the pearl necklaces, the statuary
The marble quarries, the cotton fields, the Spanish moss draped over live oaks
Pale heirloom silver, burlap bags of oysters, baskets and straw rugs, an old map of our county
Alabama’s white sugar sand beaches and more shades of white- pearl and oyster.
All serene, peaceful-Native Neutral colors. Camellia’s Cottage is not grand, renovatedand peaceful – she cannot compare with the beautiful Hotel St. Francis in Santa Fe…yet neutrals have a found a home here just as they have in the oyster’s shell.
Big Walter is the most peaceful being I know- that sweet feline has even gone along with my Native Neutral interior design scheme! There are no oyster shell soap dishes or a single crusty shell for my ring when I wash dishes- but I’m thinking about it…
‘Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God!‘ Matthew 5:9
Images are all mine- except for the glorious sunset which was shared by Jeremy Miniard. The images of oysters- on the right- with the oyster knife is from Mobile Magazine and the other two are from http://www.eatalabamaseafood.com The images of Bon Secour Bay and Meme’s are from AOL images
I completely adored her! Our older daughter is named for her. A big part of the foundation of her life was to make sure her table was laden with food, the extra produce was canned and preserved. And while she was a ‘true daughter’ of the confederacy- I never detected the least bit of mean-spirited nonsense in Grandmamas at all toward anyone, I never heard a slang term used by her or about anyone. I wrote in my journal- ‘When Grandmamas hugs me, it is like sinking into a feather bed.’ She was ample, she was generous, she was bighearted. She wrote me five page letters that she called ‘newspapers’, giving me all of the latest triumphs and tragedies from family, friends and community. It is well known in the South- that
Camellia's Cottage 