“And, it did seem she was addicted to the stuff,” Joe added.
“So, her sugar addiction was in place of an alcohol addiction, but had the effect of a mean alcoholic?” Iris asked.
“Yes, I think it did.”
“Food for thought. You should pursue that idea, Joe, in your post graduate studies.”
“Think I will.”
“Hmmmmm…does that cover ‘Healthcare in the USA?’” Iris asked everyone?
VF, 18, looked around the table, “I’m ready to talk about what I’m doing to make this world a better place.”
Jason, his father, said proudly, “Tell us, VF.”
“Well, first, we made Bits leave.”
Everyone laughed. Some yelled and clapped.
“And this year, I’ve registered to vote!” he continued.
“And so have I,” his brother, LJ said.
“That will surely help the world,” Mary said.
“I think making the world a better place begins within,” Will said solemnly. “I’ve begun to practice meditation.”
“Is that the mindfulness stuff you’ve been talking about?” asked his younger cousin Luke.
“Yep.”
“So, is that the LaLa land mindful meditation?” Luke sniffed.
“Just because I live in LA does not mean it’s any less significant than anywhere else Mr. ‘Keep Austin Weird.’”
“Touché,” Luke said, “but I now live in Houston.”
“So, what’s the Houston motto? Keep it butt ugly?”
Luke laughed, “I think the jury’s still out on the Houston motto.”
Vicki wanted the last word.
“To make this world a better place, I’m planting more wildflowers. More cultivars.”
“In your garden at the ranch?” Joe asked.
“Uh huh. I think we should all plant something in the New Year—whether it’s in an outdoor garden or an indoor garden. Let’s all use the land wherever we can to grow something beautiful and/or delicious.”
And so, they did. Iris provided each family member with packets of seeds from her and Vicki’s gardens as a Christmas present to them.
Written on each packet’s flip side was this reminder: Remember that some day you too will have your own land—whether it is Silvercreek Ranch land or Thunder Valley farmland. The land, and its history, will always be part of you. Treasure it, and pass it on.
There were wildflower seeds, herb seeds, and vegetable seeds. Some of the seeds came from Vicki’s wildflower business, and some from Iris’ herbs and vegetables. Each packet included instructions for the area in which they lived.
Each person took the seeds and planted them in the New Year, some with their parents’ help, and watched them grow.
There were varieties of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, cornflowers, buttercups, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, poblaño peppers, rosemary, basil and chives grown in different US planting zones.
The following spring, the wildflowers, herbs, and vegetables flourished in each garden. Whenever one of the Landry tribe looked at or smelled the fruits of their labor, it made them feel a deep connection to their land and to Colonel Landry. His dream come true.
Glossary of Texas Names and Terms
Ann Richards
Governor of Texas 1991-1995, mother of Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood Federation.
Barbed Wire
A type of galvanized steel wire fencing with sharp barbs 6” apart used to divide property.
Bless Her Heart
What a bitch.
Bluebonnets
Texas state flower (see cover), from the lupine plant family, which bloom prodigiously along the highways in early spring and are used as a backdrop for family photos.
Buttercups
Texas wildflower from the Acanthus plant family, also known as pink evening primrose.
Caliche
A kind of sedimentary rock with calcium carbonate used for roads in Texas.
Carpetgrass
Ground cover on most Texas lawns. Very coarse, heavy grass that covers nicely, and looks like a flat-top haircut when mowed.
Covered dish
Potluck supper.
Dewberries
Texas Blackberries.
Dinner
Lunch.
Drippin’
Short for Dripping Springs, Texas.
Eddie Chiles
Texas oilman who ran for governor in the ‘80’s; owned the Texas Rangers.
Fire ants
Or solenopsis invicta, Texas fire ants are large red ants that leave pustules when they sting. They have been known to kill small animals.
Flying roaches
Texas-size cockroaches that fly.
Freestone
White stone used for its impermeability.
H-E-B
One of the largest grocery story chains in Texas. Owned by the Butt family.
Huisache
A ground cover. Nearly impossible to kill.
Jeez ah Peat
Good God!
Kolache
Pronounced koh-lah-chee. A Czech roll made of sweet bread usually with fruit or nut filling.
Mesquite
An invasive, pervasive thorny bush.
Mockingbird
Texas State bird.
Molly Ivins
Writer, humorist, political commentator, newspaper columnist, born in California, raised in Texas, graduated Smith College and Columbia University Graduate College of Journalism.
Mush
Romance.
Nekkid
Naked.
Norther
A Texas cold front.
Ranchette
A faux ranch. Usually, 1-6 acres of land from a former ranch.
Rattlers
Diamondback rattlesnakes. Poisonous, deadly Texas snakes. Also, the tail end portion of the snake that makes a rattling noise to alert an intruder.
Seersucker
A cotton fabric worn in Texas mostly in the summer, characterized by its embossed stripes.
Shugah
Usually hugs and kisses.
Sticker burrs
Thorny, pea-size, solid pod that penetrates skin and clothes.
Sugar Daddy
Someone, usually a man, who provides money for sex.
Texas Gold
Oil, also referred to as black gold.
Ticks
Larger than most ticks, Texas ticks suck blood of humans and animals alike and bloat. One must remove their sucker to stop the itch.
Water moccasin
Texas water snake, very prevalent and poisonous.
You all, or just you.
Yew
Texan for you.
Acknowledgements
Thank you Vince and Virginia Taylor, my late father and mother, for giving me so much to write about, and to Polly Pridgeon, my sixth grade teacher, who was convinced I could and should write.
Thank you Murray Cantor for putting up with my ups and downs over twenty-five years of writing this book and forty years of marriage.
I am so appreciative of Vanessa Diffenbaugh, my Harvard Extension creative writing teacher and author of best selling novels including The Language of Flowers, and of the class members who encouraged me to publish this book, especially Janet C. Daniels. Thank you to Jan Lehman, who shockingly told me three decades ago that I was one among many rich white trash Austinites.
Thank you Jenn Gilpatrick, Diane McClosky, and Ilene Hawk for taking this trip with me as you cater to my vanity and my aches and pains.
My consulting editors David Groff, Emily Murdock Baker, Terry Schexnayder and Nancy Nicholas helped bring this to life.
Thank you to my sisters Mary E. Taylor Henderson and Vicki Taylor, and to my Acadia hiking buddy and oldest son John Williams who heard, read parts of, and suggested ideas for this book. I also thank my sons Jeff Williams and Michael Cantor and their wives Dr. Elisabeth Morray and Saroj Fleming, M.D. for their encouragement.
My love for my sister Veronika Taylor together with my grandchildren Leo Orion Cantor, Maxim Alexander Cantor, Alec Parker Williams, Isabelle Grace Williams, Julien Taylor Williams, Nicholas Connor Williams, Heather Williams, John Matthew Williams, Reagan Elizabeth Williams, Shannon Williams, and Josh Williams is boundless.
Thank you so much to friends who encouraged me: Holly Hale, Steven Biondilillo, Donald Hannan III, Chris Sizemore, Anne Hubbard, and Karen Schwartz.
I am particularly grateful to Jaye Smith, who challenged me to self publish, and for the widow of my brother Hap who allowed me to play with his lyrics.
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