Chartreuse
Among
other things your Grandmother introduced me to was the word
"chartreuse" . She was also fond of knitting for people she
liked (loved). The first knitting project that I recall (now, at least)
was for her boy friend in medical school.
The project was a lovely woollen vest of a beautiful brilliant chartreuse hue. Back then, maybe even now, "chartreuse" was not exactly considered a masculine hue. Of course when she presented the vest to me and patted it gently in all the right fitting places I was overcome with gratitude! I immediately started wearing it on a daily basis. Since it was fall it was entirely appropriate. About the third day I wore it, "Microbiology Lab" was on the program. One of the professors was one of these rather wise guysand he made (in?) appropriate comments from time to time. On that day when he arrived at me and my beautiful apparel, he innocuously inquired where I obtained that lovely vest. I of course, informed him my girl friend made it. "Hmmmmm…You must love her very much!"
I believe my positive reply was lost in the changed atmosphere, as my "micro" neighbors suddenly became "macro" neighbors (or do you spell it Naybors?).
Strangely, in a few weeks, she took the sweater back, stripped it down, and it became part of a rather neutral brown sleeved sweater. Thus ended my introduction to "Chartreuse" I've enjoyed the color ever since. --Even though I can't remember the name or how to spell it, sometimes.
The project was a lovely woollen vest of a beautiful brilliant chartreuse hue. Back then, maybe even now, "chartreuse" was not exactly considered a masculine hue. Of course when she presented the vest to me and patted it gently in all the right fitting places I was overcome with gratitude! I immediately started wearing it on a daily basis. Since it was fall it was entirely appropriate. About the third day I wore it, "Microbiology Lab" was on the program. One of the professors was one of these rather wise guysand he made (in?) appropriate comments from time to time. On that day when he arrived at me and my beautiful apparel, he innocuously inquired where I obtained that lovely vest. I of course, informed him my girl friend made it. "Hmmmmm…You must love her very much!"
I believe my positive reply was lost in the changed atmosphere, as my "micro" neighbors suddenly became "macro" neighbors (or do you spell it Naybors?).
Strangely, in a few weeks, she took the sweater back, stripped it down, and it became part of a rather neutral brown sleeved sweater. Thus ended my introduction to "Chartreuse" I've enjoyed the color ever since. --Even though I can't remember the name or how to spell it, sometimes.
Chartreuse 2
Having
been exposed to my introduction to "chartreuse", you deserve to know
how "I've enjoyed the color ever since."
To quote one of my sons, "You can't tell history without geography! " We are now going to "the Chisholm Trail", the Goodnight-Loving Trail" etc.
200 years ago south and central Texas was essentially a million acre spread of grassland plains creased by creeks and rivers. The Spaniards had introduced cattle gradually in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries into "The New World". This population expanded gradually and by the 18oos there were significant numbers in Northern Mexico and Texas.
The diversion from cattle care during the 1850s and 1860s--time of civil strife-- led to the presence of thousands of unherded cattle roaming the grassy plains. The ranchers had "much meat," but the market was thousands of miles away! Hence the cattle drives beginning after the Civil War. "To get the meat to the market" by foot and by the railroads to Abilene, Ft. Dodge, Omaha, Kansas City, etc.
All of this to bring the chartreuse to grow in your reckoning! Practically all the trees in the far south were along the rivers and were of the mesquite family. The mesquite family has its basic method of reproduction seeds in sweet pods-- which the cattle dearly love! So you see the picture-- eat the pods in McAllen, plant the pods in Alice-along with a dash of fertilizer- and as each cycle goes,- Alice to Three Rivers- Three Rivers to San Antonio,- San Antonio, to Austin, Austin to Waco, Waco,- to Abilene planting as they passed. So now you know how the Brush Country was formed!
Last week-end Martha and I went to McAllen. It was our pleasure to see what might be called an early spring in "The Brush Country"! The yuccas were pushing their heavy red-brown stalks to the sky-- some of which had the beautiful, bell-like flowers in their usual formation, plus scattered here and there the brownish-yellow of the huisaches (wee-sotches) in blossom and splotchy chartreuse glob-like patterns of the mesquite trees in their "wake-up" clusters of early growth in the bright sunlight. This sudden growth of the mesquites comes after the winter quiescent period which lasts only a few weeks, when the return of smatterings of heat and moisture seem to stimulate the return to activity.
There are other actors in the "spring festival" of the brush, but they come later! But this part was Our Pleasure!
To quote one of my sons, "You can't tell history without geography! " We are now going to "the Chisholm Trail", the Goodnight-Loving Trail" etc.
200 years ago south and central Texas was essentially a million acre spread of grassland plains creased by creeks and rivers. The Spaniards had introduced cattle gradually in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries into "The New World". This population expanded gradually and by the 18oos there were significant numbers in Northern Mexico and Texas.
The diversion from cattle care during the 1850s and 1860s--time of civil strife-- led to the presence of thousands of unherded cattle roaming the grassy plains. The ranchers had "much meat," but the market was thousands of miles away! Hence the cattle drives beginning after the Civil War. "To get the meat to the market" by foot and by the railroads to Abilene, Ft. Dodge, Omaha, Kansas City, etc.
All of this to bring the chartreuse to grow in your reckoning! Practically all the trees in the far south were along the rivers and were of the mesquite family. The mesquite family has its basic method of reproduction seeds in sweet pods-- which the cattle dearly love! So you see the picture-- eat the pods in McAllen, plant the pods in Alice-along with a dash of fertilizer- and as each cycle goes,- Alice to Three Rivers- Three Rivers to San Antonio,- San Antonio, to Austin, Austin to Waco, Waco,- to Abilene planting as they passed. So now you know how the Brush Country was formed!
Last week-end Martha and I went to McAllen. It was our pleasure to see what might be called an early spring in "The Brush Country"! The yuccas were pushing their heavy red-brown stalks to the sky-- some of which had the beautiful, bell-like flowers in their usual formation, plus scattered here and there the brownish-yellow of the huisaches (wee-sotches) in blossom and splotchy chartreuse glob-like patterns of the mesquite trees in their "wake-up" clusters of early growth in the bright sunlight. This sudden growth of the mesquites comes after the winter quiescent period which lasts only a few weeks, when the return of smatterings of heat and moisture seem to stimulate the return to activity.
There are other actors in the "spring festival" of the brush, but they come later! But this part was Our Pleasure!
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