COPPER MAGNOLIA

The process of moving continues for Mama, and for those of us who are helping her. The size of the job is sometimes overwhelming. A person can accumulate a lot of stuff, living in a great, big, house for twenty-five years, especially if that house has served as a B&B, and family gathering place, and especially if the lady of the house is an inveterate thrifter and bargain hunter. Nobody, and I mean, nobody, can top my Mom in the bargain department. The woman has been known to pick up great furniture on the curb, free for the taking, and done it more than once, too.

Part of moving has been, of necessity, a paring down. She let us kids know right away that a lot of what we were expecting to inherit "someday" we were going to inherit right now, and we've begun to take things home. My youngest brother has taken a couple of paintings, my next younger some of Dad's books, and I have brought home a couple of boxes of depression glass.

Yesterday, an embossed copper foil picture rode with me in my car.

I've always loved it, partly because it's so beautiful, but a lot because my Dad, Marvin Pegg, was the person who created it. It's hanging where I'll see it often now, to remind me of him.