Webb City Sentinel market column - September 9, 2020

Note - one of these pictures is not like the others - it wasn't taken at the market and it's 65 years old.  Neither fresh nor local!

I’ve been walking down Memory Lane the last few weeks. I am sorting through boxes that have been stored for decades, some for over 10 decades. I am finding many treasures that must stay in the family. But, luckily there are things that I can let go. Thank goodness for my friend Debbie who sells them on Ebay for me.

For example, my father was a huge fan of all things connected with Route 66. He had books, maps, post cards, tie tacks, you name it. If it was about Route 66, he wanted it. Unfortunately, none of his children or grandchildren shares his enthusiasm for Route 66. I would have hated to simply throw away these things of which my father was so fond, or dump them in boxes for a rummage sale, so Debbie has listed them on Ebay and they are now owned by people all over the country who share my father’s love of Route 66, people who are delighted to have them, just as Dad was. That feels really good.   

Now multiply that by all the things that Phil and I have accumulated during 40 years in Webb City, all the things my parents accumulated and brought here when they moved to Webb City, many, many things Mother and Dad brought that had belonged to their parents, and even to Dad’s grandmother! And, of course, I still have a few of my children's things stored so that makes five generations of memories, treasures, and odds and ends.

My daughter, Cora, is particularly happy that I have taken on this project so she won’t have to do it later. She spent much of this summer helping her partner, Emmanuelle, and Emmanuelle’s sisters clear out their family home which has been sold. It had been in the family for 300 years! And it was big – three stories tall surrounding a central open courtyard. Cora is pretty sure all 300 years worth of stuff was still there. At least she didn’t have to go through all the written material because it was in French since the house is in France.

It’s that written material that really slows the process down, but also provides the most interest. I found a large box full of my parent’s love letters while they were courting in college. I have only read a few. I will take the box to Denver when I move and have more time to enjoy them. This is a part of my parents that I had not known and what I’ve read so far is endearing and lovely.

The letters to my father’s mother when she was 12 and 13 from her own mother were an entrancing look into the past. My grandmother, Ethel, who we called Granny, lived away, I think perhaps for schooling, and her mother was diligent in keeping in touch. The letters are lent poignancy by my knowledge that her mother died unexpectedly shortly after what turned out to be the last letter. It was a bit heartrending to find all these letters written over a hundred years ago
lovingly tied together with a pink satin ribbon.

I found several letters from Granny’s grandmother to her father. She would have been my great-great grandmother. Clearly she was in poor health and didn’t feel well and was not a happy person. I should preface the letter by saying that Granny I knew was a club woman, very proper, never leaving the house without a hat and gloves. As far as Granny was concerned, children were to be seen, not heard. She had many fine attributes, she was an able farm manager and business manager, and she was a community leader, but she was definitely not a babysitter. I have a photo of her and us kids posing for the Fort Worth Star Telegram to promote the Telegram’s society page. Granny is dressed oh so properly, and two of my brothers (the youngest wasn't born yet) and I were  dressed far more carefully than usual.  We are all on the floor "playing". 

I expect that was the only time she ever played with us, and certainly the only time I saw her on the floor.  I guess it was a sign of the times that the paper wanted to pose her with children rather than showing her raising funds for the restoration of Fort Worth's first residence.  My grandfather was featured in another photo, at his desk. 

So envision my very proper grandmother as I share the letter from her own grandmother to her father. Granny would have been about 16 when it was written:

Greenville (Texas) Feb 4^th 1913.

Dear James,

I will write you a few lines…. I am in hope that Ethel has quit her fast ways; the way that she carried on last summer was scandalous. I am in hopes that she will never visit Terrell any more….

Terrell was where Granny lived as a child and apparently had returned for a visit. This was a peek into the past that I had never expected.

You may wonder, what has this to do with the market?  Well, honestly not a lot, except that it acknowledges that my efforts have been elsewhere for some time and in many ways that has proven to be a good thing. It has allowed our market manager, Rachael Lych, to fully take the reins, albeit during challenging times, and she has risen to the challenge. My role is now primarily mentor, writer, grant administrator, and tent erector. We lost more than half our tents in the storms last week. Thanks to volunteer Terry and his good wife Sharon, we got them repaired and back up. I’m trying a new approach. The tent tops are only in place during the Saturday market. It means a little extra effort putting the tarps on Saturday morning and taking them off Saturday afternoon but hopefully with only the frames up during the week we won’t find them in a tangle again.

This Saturday we are expecting 11 farms loaded with fresh produce. We’ll have loads of pumpkins of every size, shape, and color. The mums are big and ready to pop out in bloom. We’re also expecting Maypop Flower Farm and Vang  Garden with cut flowers, Salt and Light Farmhouse with mushrooms, and Grison Dairy & Creamery with cheese. We should have fresh shrimp, frozen tamales, raw honey and honey products, artisan pasta and made-at-the-market red sauces, kettle corn, popcorn, pork rinds, baked goods from Harmony Hill, Redings Mills, and Sunflower Bakery. We’ll also have all-natural beef, chicken, pork, and lamb and farm fresh eggs. Alchemist Haven is back with organic skin elixirs, beeswax balms, all natural lip stains, moisturizers, perfume oils, sanitizers, body mists, body butters, and more.

Cooking for a Cause benefits Camp Quality on Saturday. Drew Pommert will perform in the big tent.

Our Tuesday market will have all our core farmers, plus honey, baked goods, kettle corn, meat ranchers, and more. The mum and pumpkin selection will be as good as what you’ll find at the bigger Saturday market. Open from 4 to 7, the Tuesday market is laid back, uncrowded, and easy. You can also order online at localline.ca-webb-city-farmers-market and pick up at the Tuesday market between 5 and 7. This Tuesday will be the last chance to pick up Melon Medley, but we’ll still have over 100 other items available online.

Come see us and enjoy the lovely fall weather.