Aunt Frances Remembers...

As Spring seems to be getting closer--after all Punxsatawney Phil predicted an early Spring and he cannot be wrong--I am thinking about what to plant this year.  We started small last year with a few flowers and shrubs and I hope to fill in more every year.  I turned to Aunt Frances's remembrances of what was grow here by the Markward family for inspiration.
Here is what Frances writes about the flowers at the Manor:

My father loved flowers and we had lots of them, particularly roses. We had an underground water system for them. In the yard we had yellow jasmine, bridle wreath, althea lilac (Rose of Sharon), plumbago, purple and white violets, honeysuckle, red cypress vines, and several large cedars and oaks. In huge half barrels we had oleanders—white, pink and red—and a brugmansia which had large white trumpet-shaped flowers that were very fragrant. I have seen as many as forty flowers on a plant at one time! We kept these flowers in the hall every winter to keep them from freezing. I used to hunt for an excuse to stay at home from school when the day arrived to put the geraniums and other potted plants in the pit for winter. The pit had glass doors and heavy wooden doors on top of them. Mrs. Williams, who lived nearby, always came and repotted them for us. I'll never forget the lovely old-fashioned flowers she had growing around her tiny home.

I really wish we still had the underground watering system!  I already have a pair of Bridal Wreath Spirea growing next to the front gate, but I think I will add some Althea (Rose of Sharon) in honor of both the Markwards and my own father-in-law, who loved them and used to give me starts.  I wish he were here to help me make some good plant choices now.  My Papa used to always have Cypress vines and he gave me seeds, so I will be starting those, too.  One thing I have planted that seems to be very happy is Lavender.  The soil and water conditions seem to be very good here in Central Texas for Lavender and Rosemary.  It is also time to get out that Rose catalog and choose a couple of antique roses.  I love old roses, and now I have the perfect excuse--they will help me to create the same atmosphere here at the Manor as existed when it was first built.

Aunt Frances Remembers...

This will be the first of a recurring series based on memories handwritten by Frances Markward Hall.  With the weather getting a little colder, I thought it might be nice to remember how lucky we are to have indoor plumbing.  :)  I have edited a little for ease of reading and clarity.

Frances was born April 29, 1889 in Lampasas, a daughter of John & Adelphia Florence (White) Markward of Lampasas, TX. The Markward family grew up and lived in a white stone house now known as Markward Manor and the children attended Lampasas schools and went on to further their educations in Georgetown, Austin and San Antonio. Adelphia's family, the Whites, also long time residents of Lampasas, lived on the hill above the Markward property.

Frances Markward married John Hall of Royse City, Texas on June 10, 1919. They had a son,

John Walter Hall, and a daughter, Mary Ethel Hall. Mary died as an infant. Frances and her family lived in Dublin most of their adult lives; she died there in 1965.

Many guests ask about the water storage tank in the back of the property.  There used to be a windmill—you can see it in older pictures of the house and Frances describes its location and purpose in her remembrances.

Here is what Aunt Frances has to say about bathing…

We had no running water except to the tin tub in the bath house which was clear across a big yard and at the far side of the garden next to the wind mill. It had windows with wooden Venetian blinds, and we splashed out there in the summer time.
Baths were taken in metal wash tubs [in the bath hosue] and we carried our water in and then emptied it out.  

Note:  the bath house was about a 200 yard walk from the main house in those days.  Not bad in the summer, but in the winter, probably a little chilly.

So the next time you shiver a little before getting into a shower with hot running water in a heated bathroom, remember how Aunt Frances, Ethel, and Forest used to bathe.