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CHRISTMAS 1964

Well, gang,

Believe it or not, another year has come and almost gone. And I ask you, is it just me, or is December the twenty-fifth coming around sooner than it used to? Wasn’t it just the Fourth of July a week ago? Christmas slipped up on me so fast this year, I barely had time to get all my notes together, but here goes.

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News from My Home Front: I am pleased to report that after his fall off the back porch, Wilbur is finally off his walker, and as of this writing not yet “off his rocker.” He says to tell you all hello from him. We so appreciated all the get-well cards and letters you sent him. They sure helped cheer the grumpy old guy up.

As usual, Idgie Threadgoode has gotten our holiday season off to a good start with the arrival of her jars of homemade honey and a big box of oranges from Florida. Idgie says the sun is shining and business is good! She also says her brother Julian is now sporting a brand-new set of teeth and is busy smiling at everyone he sees.

Gladys Kilgore wrote us from Tennessee, and says that Sheriff Grady Kilgore is finally retiring in May, and they plan a trip to Florida to visit Julian and Idgie, and maybe a stop by here on the way back. Here’s hoping.

On a sad note: So sorry to report that Ninny and Cleo Threadgoode’s son, Albert, left us this year. Never met a sweeter boy. I am also sorry to report that Jessie Ray Scroggins’s wife has filed for divorce, again. Too bad. Hopefully they will work it out. Just had word that Sipsey Peavey is not doing well and is now living with her son, Big George, and his wife, Onzell. Sipsey turns ninety-eight on February 11, so be sure and send a card if you can. How many years did Sipsey work at the cafe with Idgie and Ruth? At least twenty-five. And what would you give to have a plate of Sipsey’s fried green tomatoes? I’d give a million, if I had it.

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News Flash: Opal Butts has moved her beauty shop again, so write her at her new address in Birmingham, c/o The Capri Apartments, 2012 Highland Ave. Opal says it’s a brand-new swinging singles complex, and although she is no spring chicken, she is still having a lot of fun. I am also pleased to report that her daughter, Jewel Ann, is following in her mother’s footsteps and is attending beauty school. Opal says that Jewel plans to specialize in body waves and eyebrow shaping. Never heard of eyebrow shaping, but it must be the latest thing. I myself am still doing pin curls, and letting my eyebrows do what they want to.

Gosh dang it all, gang, I don’t know why, but this year Christmas is making me just a little homesick. Do any of you remember all the wonderful Christmases we used to spend at the cafe, the whole town showing up, cats and dogs included? Sheriff Grady all dressed up as Santa Claus, handing out all the presents? And all the big red shiny balls Idgie hung on that old deer head over the counter? I have so many sweet memories of those days. Remember little Buddy Threadgoode’s special Christmas gift that one year? I do. Who could ever forget the look on his little face?

Of course I’m glad I’m alive now, but sometimes don’t you wish you could just take a magic carpet ride back and relive some of the good old times in Whistle Stop? Are any of you old enough to remember when Idgie Threadgoode was seven years old, and marched in the Fourth of July parade dressed up as Uncle Sam? Never saw a cuter Uncle Sam or prouder parents than Momma and Poppa Threadgoode that day. Or remember the Dill Pickle Club, of which my other half and Idgie were members, and all the mischief they used to pull? Who do you think put the nanny goat on top of Reverend Scroggins’s house? I don’t know for sure but I can guess it was Idgie and her pals. And the “womanless wedding” the club put on for charity, when six-foot-four Sheriff Grady came prissing down the aisle dressed as the lovely bride? Oh my, those are just a few memories of mine. I sure would appreciate your sending me some of your favorite memories of Whistle Stop for next year’s letter.

You all know I like to close on a happy note, and oh boy do I have one this year! On November 9, Buddy and Peggy Threadgoode welcomed a brand-new baby daughter. They’ve named her Norma Ruth, and I know her great aunt Idgie is still jumping up and down over the good news. We just wish Buddy’s mother, Ruth Jamison, could have lived to meet her new little namesake granddaughter. Buddy is still stationed in Germany, serving as a veterinarian in the U.S. Army K-9 Corps, but Peggy says they hope to return stateside within the year. She also writes that the latest artificial arm the army has outfitted Bud with is the best one yet. He’ll sure need two good ones to hold new baby Ruthie. She weighed in at almost eight pounds.

It’s still hard for me to believe that the same two little kids we used to see running barefooted around Whistle Stop are all grown up now with a baby of their own. Oh well, as they say. Semper fidelis.

I’ll sign off for this year, but do come and see us if you can. We live right across the street from the Mobile Bay, and as Wilbur says, “Drop in sometime.” Ha. Ha. Some joke. Men!

So until next year, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Your faithful scribe,

Dot

Dot pulled her letter out of the typewriter, and a few seconds later Wilbur, who had been waiting, knocked lightly on the kitchen door. “Are you done?”

“Yes, I think so. Come on in.”

Wilbur, who was dressed and ready to take the letter up to the mimeograph machine at the print shop, walked in, and she handed it to him to read. As usual, Dot was anxious to hear his feedback. As he was still reading she asked, “Well…what do you think?”

He nodded and smiled. “I think it’s great. But, hon, I think you meant to say ‘tempus’ here, not ‘semper fidelis.’ ”

“Doesn’t that mean ‘time flies’?”

“No, ‘semper fidelis’ is the Marine Corps motto.”

“Ooh. That’s right. I don’t know where my mind is this morning. Thank you very muchly, for catching that.”

“You’re welcome very muchly.”

“What would I do without you?”

“I’ve asked myself that question all my life.”

KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA

November 9, 1964

A FEW MONTHS after Idgie Threadgoode had moved to Florida, and with a little help from her brother Julian, she’d opened a brand-new business called the Bee Happy Fresh Honey and Fruit Stand. It was only a wooden shed, but since it sat on the side of a well-traveled road, it did very well.

It was early November, and Bud and Peggy Threadgoode had promised to let Idgie know the minute the baby was born. The time was getting close, and an anxious Idgie had spent days running back and forth from the fruit stand to her house, waiting for word, when the telegram finally came.

She quickly tore it open and read it, and then ran out on the screen porch and yelled at Julian, who lived next door. “Julian! Whoopee! It’s a girl, and they named her after Ruth. Mother and baby both doing fine! Whoopee!” She was so excited that she ran back in the house and sat down and started a letter.

P.O. Box 346

Kissimmee, Florida

Dear Little Miss Ruth Threadgoode,

I’ve just heard that you entered the world today at seven pounds and nine ounces. Well done! And a great big welcome to the world to you! Oh, what fun you are going to have growing up with that silly daddy of yours, and with so much love from your mother, Peggy. I am so pleased they named you after your grandmother Ruth. Just so you know, Ruth Jamison was the most wonderful person in the world and I know she would be so proud, too. Your daddy says you look just like her, with your big brown eyes, and that you are as pretty as a picture.