In telling you about going back to Vernon, Florida, I noted that I met a very special lady. Her name was “Ms. Fannie Lou.” The girl at the post office told me she was as nice as could be. She was. The girl at the post office said she would be happy to tell me about Vernon. She was. The girl at the post office also said Ms. Fannie Lou had the prettiest yard in town. She did.
After hitting the post office, library, cemetery and taking a few pictures I headed to the edge of town to see if I could find Ms. Fannie Lou. The girl at the post office gave me good directions, but sometimes I don’t even do well with good directions. I do better having a navigator or someone to tell me right from left. I’m just that way; you can either learn to live with your short comings and enjoy them or let them get you frustrated. On this day, I not only enjoyed my deficiencies, I reveled in them and was thankful for them.
Ms. Fannie Lou’s house was supposed to be “by a tire place.” There was only one in town I think, so I was in luck. I pulled into the tire place, rolled down the car window, pointed to the house next door and asked the couple of fellows working (putting on tires) “Is that Ms. Fannie Lou’s?” The gentleman smiled and said that it was. He also said “She's not there, she said something about getting a hamburger; she probably went down to Dee’s.”
Dee’s was a little restaurant back downtown by the library; it would take me about a minute and a half to go see if she was there. Ms. Fannie Lou was not at Dee’s, so I turned around and went back. Vernon is not a very big place, the 2010 census noted a population drop of 7.5% down to 687 folks.
When I returned, a red sedan was sitting in the detached garage at Ms. Fannie Lou’s house. I pulled in behind the car and got out. About the time I got out of my car, the driver’s side door opened on the red sedan in front of me.
It was Ms. Fannie Lou.
I said “Hello, I was told that you knew everything about Vernon.” Ms. Fannie Lou said “Well, don’t just stand there, come on in.” She didn’t know me from Adam’s house cat and she said “Come on in.” I’m sure she knew the fellows at the tire place would be there in a minute if she needed them. I’m also pretty sure she’s a good judge on who to ask into her house and who not to ask.
Ms. Fannie Lou opened the side door to her house and asked me to come in and sit down. I did. It was a wonderful afternoon. An afternoon at Ms. Fannie Lou’s is better than a day at the beach, watching craziness on television or watching any live sporting event. This was the “good stuff.”
Papa always said “Let’s go to Vernon.” Now I think I know why, I really do. More than 40 years later, I would return and fall in love again with life and what it’s all about. Ms. Fannie Lou has seen life for almost 90 years and she is one of the most beautiful people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Her “Come on in” was Vernon, Florida telling me to “Come on back.”
The best estimate I can come up with for the last time I was in Vernon would be about 1970. Ms. Fannie Lou would have been almost 50; she will turn 90 this summer. Ms. Fannie Lou and her husband had moved “back into town” to live at her parents’ home place and look after her mother many years ago. Her husband Brown, passed more than 15 years ago, Ms. Fannie Lou is still a pillar of the community.
We sat down in the sitting room in the back of the house. For the rest of the afternoon, Ms. Fannie Lou would tell me wonderful stories about her husband, life, grandchildren, house, award winning pound cake, God, chicken & dumplings, wall construction, teapots, crown molding, peanut butter cookies, porch rockers, “miracle eggs” and yes, even Vernon, Florida.
And no, I can’t wait to tell you about all of those, but I have to wait.
To be continued.
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I'm BN Heard and I like semicolons, dogs and sitting on the porch and watching cars go by.
Absolutely have enjoyed your writings about my hometown Vernon. I had the privilege of growing up in the Vernon area, serving as the Postmaster of this great city from 1982-2005, and knowing Ms. Fannie Lou all my life--what a blessed life I have had. Thank you so much for reminding of this.
Posted by: Pam Cates | 04/13/2011 at 09:42 PM