For your reading enjoyment, we continue to publish Rambling Vines by the late Marylea Vines as she recalls events and names of Corning folks from many years ago. We are currently in the year 1990

Mrs. Glenna Baker’s irises are getting pretty in the yard at her home at the corner of First and Pine (better known by old-timers as the A.B. Gallegly house). Might drive by and see them in the next few days. Also Mrs. Mary Gallegly has lots of beautiful iris blooms in her yard. Speaking of flowers, I knew it was going to storm last week… the snowball bushes were in full bloom! It never fails, let the snowball bushes get in full bloom and it will come a blowing rain storm; let the tulip trees get in full boom and it will come a freeze and ruin them, or let them have the Junior- will turn cold… always has, always will, I reckon.

It’s officially wilted lettuce time… gardeners have lettuce, green onions, and radishes big enough to eat and, believe me, there is nothing better. Most folks use a little vinegar in the wilting process, but not me. I like to take the fresh lettuce, chop it into small pieces and put it in a big bowl with chopped up green ions and thinly sliced radishes. Then fry about a half-pound of bacon until it is nearly burned, take it right off the stove and pour the hot grease, bacon, and all over the lettuce. The only way to improve on this is to time a pan of cornbread to come out of the oven just before the hot grease is mixed with the lettuce. I don’t dare eat this for lunch because it makes me so sleepy I have to be propped up in my chair, but there is no problem with having it for supper… I sleep through the evening television programs anyway! Dickie Walls, our South Third street gardener, says that he doesn’t care for wilted lettuce, but he likes wilted spinach, using the same process as for lettuce.

Poke salad is slow about coming up this year… or froze out last Winter, I am not quite sure. However, anyone who is lucky enough to find some poke, don’t worry if the stalks are pretty big… they are good to eat. All you have to do is to wash and slice them crosswise, then roll them is a mixture of flour and cornmeal and fry just as you would okra… in fact, it tastes a lot like fried okra.

Just about everywhere I go after five o’clock in the evening, Putter gets to go along… he likes to ride down the street with his head sticking out the window, just raising thunder with everything that moves along the way. When we arrive, people will say, “Here comes Putter,” or “Come on, Putter, let me see you.” I seldom get that sort of welcome!

The other evening a friend asked, “Did you see what someone did with spray paint to one of the political signs down on the Red Taylor vacant lot?” When I said that I had see it, she replied, “Isn’t that just terrible?” and my reply to that was “That’s just normal behavior for youngsters who have been cooped up all Winter.” Then I assured her that faced with the same opportunity as a teenager, we would have gotten all the signs, not just one!

The fourth week of April is designated “Volunteer Week” … that sure brings back a lot of memories. Nowadays they are talking about a different kind of volunteerism, but it reminds me of some of my mom’s famous last words when my brother and I would be leaving home to attend some tent show, circus or carnival that was in town for a one-night stand right up here on Second street on the vacant lot between Ward’s house and the old Ward Theatre Building. We couldn’t escape without her saying, “Now don’t either of you be volunteering to get up on the stage or anything… you stay put in your seats and come straight home when it is over.”

Volunteerism is a very good thing when it is steered through helping older people, helping out at schools, churches, and hospitals, teaching an adult to read… all the things that we should be doing anyway!

I satisfied my hungry spell the other day and nearly made myself sick in the process… all day long I was craving onion and eggs, so I bummed three green onions from my neighbor Gene Kellett and commenced. Here’s how it is done: Take two or three green onions, chop them up pretty fine, and put in a skillet with a little butter. Let them fry until good and down, then stir in one or two eggs and keep stirring until the eggs are well done… be ready to eat, because they are good only when hot from the stove!

Friday wasn’t anything special… up until I got the bud vase holding a real red rose and some greenery. I couldn’t believe it was for me for no special reason. Anxious to see who it really was meant for, I read the card and it said, “From Putter to Mudder.” Now, I’m telling the truth, I’m innocent. But, at the same time, I have been trying to convince folks that I have a super intelligent little boarder at my house and now that he, obviously, has learned to use the telephone should sort of put a quietus to all skepticism!

The other afternoon I had a hungry attack at work, went through all my pockets and came up with barely enough for a package of chips. Just before I got to the drug store, I stumbled and dropped most of my money down a storm sewer. Not to be outdone, I went inside the drug store and played on their sympathy… just thought I would mention this as another one of those bonuses for living in a small town like Corning where we all know each other.