WEEK 4: Invite to dinner

After my parents divorced, my mother and I moved to Memphis, TN.  My mother, known as Miss Charlotte, "Miz" Moskal, or Aunt Charlotte (always pronounced like "aint" in that part of the south) was a wonderful cook, and continued to make the dishes she had learned to cook in El Paso from her Mexican mother-in-law, my grandmother, Papias.  

This must have been a seemingly exotic cuisine in the deep south in 1955, but with the exception of one ingredient, everything else she needed could be purchased at our corner grocery store: chili powder, cheddar cheese, onions, lettuce, ground meat, beans, rice.  

Interestingly, as I sat down to write about this, I dredged up a vague memory that for a while my Uncle Bill, her former brother-in-law, would ship us the corn tortillas, because that was the one critical ingredient she couldn’t find locally.  No tortillas; no Tex-Mex.  Whenever the tortillas arrived, we would feast that weekend. 

She made her enchilada sauce starting with a roux, then added chili powder and a few other ingredients, and this is the recipe she passed down to me.  She told me at the time that, while it wasn't the same recipe my grandmother used, it tasted pretty close to the way my grandmother's did.  I was astonished when I returned  to El Paso as an adult, and watched the steps my aunt went through to make her sauce, which involved roasting and soaking the peppers, undoubtedly more authentic, and a lot more work.  And anyway, I'm positive those peppers were not available from Franceschini's Grocery in the 1950's.

My mom made her own taco shells by folding the tortillas in half and holding the bottom in the hot grease until they hardened enough to be released to finish crisping. (No Old El Paso or Ortega pre-made shells back in the day.) To make the enchiladas, she would dip the tortillas quickly in hot grease just long enough to soften them before dousing them with her homemade enchilada sauce (red sauce only!).  Shredded cheese and chopped onions comprised the filling.  This was several hours of prep and cleanup, definitely no small feat for a single mom with a full-time job, who only had the weekend to accomplish many tasks.

Over time, many of my friends shared these meals with us, and of course, she would make Mexican food for our smattering of family who lived in Memphis.  It was always a special occasion when Miss Charlotte/Aunt Charlotte was cooking Mexican food.

I continued the tradition with my own family, and the choice of ingredients now seems limitless in this day and age, unlike my mom had to contend with. 

My family and friends will still occasionally remind me of those delicious meals, cooked with love, and I am always surprised, but especially grateful, that this is a happy memory for others who knew her. 

Miss Charlotte

My grandmother, Papias, making tamales

WEEK 8: HEIRLOOM

When I first saw this subject, I initially thought, "well, I don't really have anything I'd classify as an 'heirloom' about which I could write."  But then as I let the idea percolate a bit, I realized I had at least a half dozen items that would fit that category: my grandmother's scrapbook that contained the Valentine's cards I recently blogged about; a great-aunt's engraved locket; a watch my father gave my mother early in their marriage; my mother's high school ring; and finally my grandfather's deputy sheriff badge.

I've posted questions on several of the genealogy Facebook pages seeking suggestions for ways to research my grandfather's life.  Dick Leary made it difficult to track him, as he lived much of his short life on the move, and evidently used aliases, presumably because of his work in law enforcement. He was working in New Mexico busting stills when he met my grandmother, Ruby, who had gone from Louisiana to NM with her sister, who was seeking treatment for tuberculosis.  It was a miracle they even met.

I was born in the wild west town of El Paso, TX (and coincidentally this is one place Dick Leary had worked 25 years earlier as a Prohibition Agent).  I loved watching Gene Autry's TV show and Range Rider (starring Jock Mahoney) when we lived in Texas. We moved to Memphis, TN, when I was about 5 years old and I made fast friends with two kids, Karen and Freddy.  Playing cowboys (and cowgirls) kept us occupied outside for hours on the weekends.  Most likely I was the one who initiated that line of play.

In any event, my mother took this badge out of her belongings and offered it to me to authenticate my cowgirl status. I proudly wore it often.  Looking back 60+ years now, I cannot imagine how this item is still in my possession, and not buried in some pile of dirt in the backyard of an apartment building in south Memphis.

When I finally got serious about researching my genealogy, I came across the 1925 document that  officially deputized Dick and  photos of a still bust.

And although we don't play cowboys anymore, Karen, Freddy, and I are still fast friends.

Dick Leary's badge

Dick Leary appointed Deputy Sheriff

This appears to be a staged reenactment with Dick Leary taking the photo.

L. to R.--Deb, Fred, Karen circa 1956, Memphis, TN

WEEK 7: Valentine's Day

I never knew my maternal grandmother, Ruby Leigh Little Leary.  (Wow!  That's the first time I was aware of all the alliteration in her names!)

Ruby came down with tuberculosis most likely late in 1936, and spent the next few years in the Modern Woodmen Tuberculosis Sanitorium outside Colorado Springs, CO, until her death in 1939.  Her husband had died in 1928 before their third anniversary, and her only daughter was in the care of her brother back in Louisiana.

One of the things the patients at Woodmen were encouraged to do was to create a scrapbook.  I've looked through hers many times, and always find some new discovery each time.  Ruby collected postcards; graduation and birth announcements; telegrams telling of various family members deaths; newspaper articles of interest; clippings from various periodicals, and all kinds of greeting cards sent to her.  I love looking at the old vintage greeting cards.  These are but two of the Valentine's Day cards included in her collection.  I only wish she had not used glue to attach so many of the items to the album pages!