Sister Sister
If you have any idea about me or have read any of my post, I use to live in Ellijay when Brian and I first got married. Talk about a learning expereince, I'm not saying it was bad, just different from my metro Atlanta life working for my Aunt who spoiled me in addition to my mother who would do all my laundry, bring me coffee, let's just say I grew up and rose to the occasion. Now, I was married and did these things for my husband.
Brian worked long hours, he was the back end operations at a bank, sounds exciting I'm sure, for him, it was his life literally. He worked not even five minutes from the house but I never saw him. So, I got lonely real quick after the newness and excitement of mountain living wore away. You'd think mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, not with a new baby. Isaac and I would go to the park and come straight home. Brian and I were not successful finding a church we could agree on, that is another post, so no small group connections either.
I decided one day to send out a flyer for a yard sale and get the neighbors involved. No one responded except one lady who recently lost her husband. She knew all about yard sales, so we planned the date. The morning of, I brought my stuff down and she helped me set up. The lady at the time was 77. I couldn't believe her energetic ability. Her name was Ms. Francis and we became best buddies. Ms. Francis would offer me biscuits, peach cobbler,, anything she had made that day. I knew she still missed Quinton, she wanted me to stay and eat and talk. Her house reminded me of a mini Graceland. The house was built around the early 50's and she had the original carpet. It was small and very clean. She treated me like family. I had no idea God would send me a 77 year old woman in my life during this time, but he did, and I really learned alot from Ms. Francis.
One day in particular, she invited me to go along with her and Helen, her older sister, to the Dalton apparel mart, it came once a month on a Friday, so I obliged, besides, Isaac was in a nursury/preschool and I had nothing else to do besides study, and I needed a break, so I went with these two ladies as old as my granny to Dalton. Ms. Francis had some kind of oldsmobile, it went really fast. She drove so fast, I said, Ms. Francis, looking at her scared out of my mind, your driving is scaring me. Now Francis grew up in Ellijay and her father helped build the roads up in the mountains. Maybe she felt she owned it, I don't know, nonetheless, I was concerned.
'Now Melissa, she said matter of fact, I sure appreciate someone telling me I am speeding. I don't believe in speeding. I am going to slow down."
Oh my goodness, she slowed down allright, I wished I didn't say anything. Now she and Helen were on some conversation and they begin to argue. I had no idea women could still argue that age but they did. I thought to myself, what did I get myself into.
"Ladies, I said concerned, let's not fight about where to buy the cheapest panty hose, I believe you both have valid answers, let's enjoy ourselves. Ms. Francis, let's play some country music."
Melissa, said Ms. Francis, we're not arguin, we're having a discussion. I love Pasty Cline, but who I really love Melissa, is Vince Gill. He is so good looking. The two sisters agree and start talking about Vince Gill.
Yay, we are turning our conversation into a lovely one, and we have some sweet music to follow. They get to talking about Vince Gill, one thing leads to the next, Ms. Francis turns down the radio and her sister starts telling me about her husband filing for divorce many years before. They got a divorce several years back. I had sympathy for this old lady, but I didn't need to know all this information nor did I ask. Some ppl like to know other peoples busisness, I guess I've never been one to feed off gossip. I knew Ms. Francis had her first husband cheat on her, we'd spent alot of time together talking, so now I find out that both sisters had been done dirty in marriage.
We finally make into Dalton. On the way into the store, Ms. Francis told her sister, "Helen, I know you put that $10.00 in my purse?"
Helen looked surprised, "I don't know what your talking about."
I guess that was one way they showed love, putting money in the others purse, it was so sweet. We get in the store, Ms. Francis takes me aside, "Now Melissa, I dont' let anyone borrow money from me, but I am going to give you $20.00 to shop on, but you have to pay me back, I trust you will pay me back."
"Oh, I wasn't planning on shopping today Ms. Francis, really, I'm good"....(most the clothes weren't really for me)
Ms. Francis insisted, "Yes Melissa, I insist you shop today and find you something purty to wear for Brian."
I thought to myself, she is being so sweet, she really wants to be nice, "Okay Ms. Francis, I'll find something."
Lo and behold, I found a couple silk blouses, they were gorgous and well priced. Haha, so happy. We leave and head back to Ellijay, but make one last stop for lunch. They took me to a restaurant called Edna's because it had the best fried chicken.
"Melissa, said Ms. Francis, we are going to eat at Edna's, she handed me the menu, "We eat here everytime we drive into Chatsworth, the breast chicken is delicious, you get two choice of sides, a biscuit and some cornbread muffins."
I thought I was going to look at the menu, she took it back and I almost think she was telling me what we were going to eat.
We settle in, it's Me, Francis and Helen. Ms. Francis orders for me, Helen and herself, so glad I had a choice, the chicken did sound good.
Ms. Francis is facillitating everything, "Melissa, tell Lorraine what you are going to school for, she has grandchildren in school."
Anyone that has a degree in GIS knows, you can't really explain it without giving a presentation to someone, I didn't have my powerpoint available or my laptop.
"I regret to talk about GIS today, it's my day off from school, but to put it plain and simple, it's computer maps."
Ms. Helen, I said, these biscuits sure are good. I have tried to make biscuits for Brian. They just never turn out.
Ms. Francis explains, "What do you mean they don't turn out. What are your ingredients, we've been making biscuits all our life."
Feeling like I am about to be ridiculed, I say, "They don't turn out Francis because when I finish making them, they are not white and fluffy, they are hard as a rock. Brian almost broke a tooth. He made a joke one day and said he would take them out back for shooting practice. Anyhow, I got the recipe off a package of all purpose flour."
"All purpose flour, they both said in one accord," laughing at me.
Ms. Francis first spoke, "Melissa, you don't make biscuits with all - purpose flour, don't you know anything about cooking. You always use self-rising flour. It comes with the baking soda/baking powder mixture. You just add the buttermilk and shortening. We need to come over and give you a lesson on making biscuits."
"Okay, okay," I said, enough with the torture, I will try the self-rising flour., both ladies still laughing and talking about my biscuits.
Our food arrives and Ms. Francis was so right, the chicken was out of this world. It was a very large breast of chicken, I had never had chicken this good, so I asked if it was all you can eat when the waitress came by again.
Ms. Francis intterupted, Melissa, you just ate a whole breast of chicken, you mean your still hungry?"
Nodding my head yes, Ms. Francis, it's really good but I can wait."
So we finsih our food and the ladies begin talking and Lorraine told her sister how she stayed up watching tv the other night and ate a half gallon of black cherry ice cream. Ms. Francis got onto her, "Now Lorraine, you know you have high cholesterol and your doctor wants you watching your weight.
I can't believe it but Ms. Francis says, "Helen, you weigh fifty pounds more than me. You need to watch what you eat."
Oh my goodness, I feel them about to start at it again. I try my best to change the subject, even my biscuits would do, but they want to go at it.
Okay, ladies, we got to get going. I heard more than I could ever imagine about their ex-husbands and their dirty deeds. I almost wanted to go straight back to Ellijay, go to Brian's work and take him outside the office and remind him, if you ever do any thing, like what I was just told today....", but I didn't do that and didn't have to because Ms. Francis insisted before coming back to the house, we would go by and visit her other sister. Her sister was a quilter, embroider, cross stitcher, afghan maker, canner, and not to mention a garden that looked like something from Southern Living. These people were just smart well equipped self sufficent kind of people and Francis was trying to help me be like them. I was really blessed to be taken in by this family b/c they trusted me, some mountain folks to not warm up to strangers so easily, it made me feel special.
We had such a great time that day but I was so ready to get back home. I can't believe I survived the trip with these two sisters with their ups and downs, but it was a great memory and I will never forget Ms. Francis and I pray she will never forget me.
She really ridiculed me with my gardening practice and when I showed her how I threaded my very first sewing machine. She laughed at my bobbin and thread tension, "Melissa, didn't anyone teach you how to thread a mahine...."No, Francis, no one, but so glad you are :)," was my reply. I tried to grow tomatoes and Francis tried her best to showme how to make them, she eventually would just bring hers over that were the size of Texas. I moved away and haven't seen her in several years, thinking I need to go visit my friend and bring her some biscuits and listen to her again.
This picture was taken November 24, 2011, Helen has passed on, Ms. Francis was in the nursing home recently but now is back home where she lives happily with her caretaker Anne. It was so nice to see Ms. Francis, I didn't want to leave, such a sweet lady.
Brian worked long hours, he was the back end operations at a bank, sounds exciting I'm sure, for him, it was his life literally. He worked not even five minutes from the house but I never saw him. So, I got lonely real quick after the newness and excitement of mountain living wore away. You'd think mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, not with a new baby. Isaac and I would go to the park and come straight home. Brian and I were not successful finding a church we could agree on, that is another post, so no small group connections either.
I decided one day to send out a flyer for a yard sale and get the neighbors involved. No one responded except one lady who recently lost her husband. She knew all about yard sales, so we planned the date. The morning of, I brought my stuff down and she helped me set up. The lady at the time was 77. I couldn't believe her energetic ability. Her name was Ms. Francis and we became best buddies. Ms. Francis would offer me biscuits, peach cobbler,, anything she had made that day. I knew she still missed Quinton, she wanted me to stay and eat and talk. Her house reminded me of a mini Graceland. The house was built around the early 50's and she had the original carpet. It was small and very clean. She treated me like family. I had no idea God would send me a 77 year old woman in my life during this time, but he did, and I really learned alot from Ms. Francis.
One day in particular, she invited me to go along with her and Helen, her older sister, to the Dalton apparel mart, it came once a month on a Friday, so I obliged, besides, Isaac was in a nursury/preschool and I had nothing else to do besides study, and I needed a break, so I went with these two ladies as old as my granny to Dalton. Ms. Francis had some kind of oldsmobile, it went really fast. She drove so fast, I said, Ms. Francis, looking at her scared out of my mind, your driving is scaring me. Now Francis grew up in Ellijay and her father helped build the roads up in the mountains. Maybe she felt she owned it, I don't know, nonetheless, I was concerned.
'Now Melissa, she said matter of fact, I sure appreciate someone telling me I am speeding. I don't believe in speeding. I am going to slow down."
Oh my goodness, she slowed down allright, I wished I didn't say anything. Now she and Helen were on some conversation and they begin to argue. I had no idea women could still argue that age but they did. I thought to myself, what did I get myself into.
"Ladies, I said concerned, let's not fight about where to buy the cheapest panty hose, I believe you both have valid answers, let's enjoy ourselves. Ms. Francis, let's play some country music."
Melissa, said Ms. Francis, we're not arguin, we're having a discussion. I love Pasty Cline, but who I really love Melissa, is Vince Gill. He is so good looking. The two sisters agree and start talking about Vince Gill.
Yay, we are turning our conversation into a lovely one, and we have some sweet music to follow. They get to talking about Vince Gill, one thing leads to the next, Ms. Francis turns down the radio and her sister starts telling me about her husband filing for divorce many years before. They got a divorce several years back. I had sympathy for this old lady, but I didn't need to know all this information nor did I ask. Some ppl like to know other peoples busisness, I guess I've never been one to feed off gossip. I knew Ms. Francis had her first husband cheat on her, we'd spent alot of time together talking, so now I find out that both sisters had been done dirty in marriage.
We finally make into Dalton. On the way into the store, Ms. Francis told her sister, "Helen, I know you put that $10.00 in my purse?"
Helen looked surprised, "I don't know what your talking about."
I guess that was one way they showed love, putting money in the others purse, it was so sweet. We get in the store, Ms. Francis takes me aside, "Now Melissa, I dont' let anyone borrow money from me, but I am going to give you $20.00 to shop on, but you have to pay me back, I trust you will pay me back."
"Oh, I wasn't planning on shopping today Ms. Francis, really, I'm good"....(most the clothes weren't really for me)
Ms. Francis insisted, "Yes Melissa, I insist you shop today and find you something purty to wear for Brian."
I thought to myself, she is being so sweet, she really wants to be nice, "Okay Ms. Francis, I'll find something."
Lo and behold, I found a couple silk blouses, they were gorgous and well priced. Haha, so happy. We leave and head back to Ellijay, but make one last stop for lunch. They took me to a restaurant called Edna's because it had the best fried chicken.
"Melissa, said Ms. Francis, we are going to eat at Edna's, she handed me the menu, "We eat here everytime we drive into Chatsworth, the breast chicken is delicious, you get two choice of sides, a biscuit and some cornbread muffins."
I thought I was going to look at the menu, she took it back and I almost think she was telling me what we were going to eat.
We settle in, it's Me, Francis and Helen. Ms. Francis orders for me, Helen and herself, so glad I had a choice, the chicken did sound good.
Ms. Francis is facillitating everything, "Melissa, tell Lorraine what you are going to school for, she has grandchildren in school."
Anyone that has a degree in GIS knows, you can't really explain it without giving a presentation to someone, I didn't have my powerpoint available or my laptop.
"I regret to talk about GIS today, it's my day off from school, but to put it plain and simple, it's computer maps."
Ms. Helen, I said, these biscuits sure are good. I have tried to make biscuits for Brian. They just never turn out.
Ms. Francis explains, "What do you mean they don't turn out. What are your ingredients, we've been making biscuits all our life."
Feeling like I am about to be ridiculed, I say, "They don't turn out Francis because when I finish making them, they are not white and fluffy, they are hard as a rock. Brian almost broke a tooth. He made a joke one day and said he would take them out back for shooting practice. Anyhow, I got the recipe off a package of all purpose flour."
"All purpose flour, they both said in one accord," laughing at me.
Ms. Francis first spoke, "Melissa, you don't make biscuits with all - purpose flour, don't you know anything about cooking. You always use self-rising flour. It comes with the baking soda/baking powder mixture. You just add the buttermilk and shortening. We need to come over and give you a lesson on making biscuits."
"Okay, okay," I said, enough with the torture, I will try the self-rising flour., both ladies still laughing and talking about my biscuits.
Our food arrives and Ms. Francis was so right, the chicken was out of this world. It was a very large breast of chicken, I had never had chicken this good, so I asked if it was all you can eat when the waitress came by again.
Ms. Francis intterupted, Melissa, you just ate a whole breast of chicken, you mean your still hungry?"
Nodding my head yes, Ms. Francis, it's really good but I can wait."
So we finsih our food and the ladies begin talking and Lorraine told her sister how she stayed up watching tv the other night and ate a half gallon of black cherry ice cream. Ms. Francis got onto her, "Now Lorraine, you know you have high cholesterol and your doctor wants you watching your weight.
I can't believe it but Ms. Francis says, "Helen, you weigh fifty pounds more than me. You need to watch what you eat."
Oh my goodness, I feel them about to start at it again. I try my best to change the subject, even my biscuits would do, but they want to go at it.
Okay, ladies, we got to get going. I heard more than I could ever imagine about their ex-husbands and their dirty deeds. I almost wanted to go straight back to Ellijay, go to Brian's work and take him outside the office and remind him, if you ever do any thing, like what I was just told today....", but I didn't do that and didn't have to because Ms. Francis insisted before coming back to the house, we would go by and visit her other sister. Her sister was a quilter, embroider, cross stitcher, afghan maker, canner, and not to mention a garden that looked like something from Southern Living. These people were just smart well equipped self sufficent kind of people and Francis was trying to help me be like them. I was really blessed to be taken in by this family b/c they trusted me, some mountain folks to not warm up to strangers so easily, it made me feel special.
We had such a great time that day but I was so ready to get back home. I can't believe I survived the trip with these two sisters with their ups and downs, but it was a great memory and I will never forget Ms. Francis and I pray she will never forget me.
She really ridiculed me with my gardening practice and when I showed her how I threaded my very first sewing machine. She laughed at my bobbin and thread tension, "Melissa, didn't anyone teach you how to thread a mahine...."No, Francis, no one, but so glad you are :)," was my reply. I tried to grow tomatoes and Francis tried her best to showme how to make them, she eventually would just bring hers over that were the size of Texas. I moved away and haven't seen her in several years, thinking I need to go visit my friend and bring her some biscuits and listen to her again.
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