The Book

It is said Southern Women are Steel Magnolias, and that is often the case. I decided to write a book about the strongest Magnolia I knew, a true Magnolia grandiflora - my mother. Like anyone, there were many sides to her. She was extremely complicated, to say the least. Her lifetime was full of love and loss, joy and hardship, downfalls and redemption, relapse and recovery. But through it all, there were some things she never lost sight of: always mind your manners, pay your Junior League dues, and don't forget to polish the silver. And when it was all over, I learned she was even more complicated than I thought. I loved her so, but like so many of us, never told her enough.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

The beginning of Chapter 28

The first three paragraphs of Chapter 28, "High Acres, A Holiday Inn"

Visiting High Acres was not for the faint of heart.  Although it was a great place to relax and get away from it all, Daddy always wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of.  He loved High Acres and loved nothing more than to share it with friends and family, making sure everyone had a great time. And this would start with Bloody Mary's as soon as you rolled out of bed ('Hair of the Dog' as Daddy called them) and the consumption of libations continued throughout the day until bedtime. 

Regular guests learned early to pace themselves, lest they suffer undue bodily harm. It was not unusual to have someone fall off a horse when the horse was standing still or, worse yet, fall off the back deck and roll down the mountain through the apple orchard. Yes, it happened more than once but we would always send the jeep to procure them. 

Daddy had this, apparently, God-given talent to be able to drink all day and rarely get drunk. There were a few people who had the reputation of keeping up with him and that reputation preceded them. Every guest may as well have accepted the fact that there was going to be at least one great embarrassing story at their expense. It was a rite of passage and most guests took it in stride. Heck, some took pride in Daddy’s recount of whatever mishap they had suffered earlier, almost as if it were a badge of honor. And if they couldn't handle it, probably they would never feel comfortable returning. But then chances were they would not be invited back. 

While most guests . . .(The story continues when the book is published)

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