Dear Friend,
I turn off the highway on to the paved side road that leads to my house. I notice the blinking yellow light that warns drivers of an intersection. I use caution as I pass by the line of cars waiting to turn left. On my left stands a huge storage area that boasts “temperature controlled climates;” a necessity for our stifling hot summer days and houses without garages or storage of their own.
My neighborhood is filled with slightly rundown double wide mobile homes interspersed with older brick homes. Almost every little plot of land has multiple vehicles in the driveways. Some of the vehicles no longer run, like the rusted 1975 Ford truck with the hood missing and the old green Dodge minivan from the early 80s with four flat tires. I can tell the residents all wanted to live on a piece of land. It is not your typical “trailer park”. It is a country neighborhood. Houses are close enough to walk to, but the area looks, smells, and feels like the country.
Netleaf hackberry and spruce trees decorate most of the yards. The Bermuda and melicgrass lawns are dry in spots and faint green in others; typical in fluctuating March weather. One of my favorite modest brick home has a huge Aloe Vera plant in their front yard. Other places have Texas yucca plants or dwarf palmettos. Some places only have the trees, no plants.
I can hear the wind blow as the limbs of the trees sway back and forth. It’s peaceful out here. A few crickets sing their song at twilight. Next door I hear a rooster crowing. About the only man made sound would be the cars that drive back and forth.
As I near my driveway, I see the crystal blue lake to my right. The hackberry trees obscure some of the view, but when the sun is shining just right, the lake sparkles between the trees.
I love living in the country. I hope you will enjoy it too when you come to visit.
Hallmark Restaurant
You can read the sign from the highway. The brown background with white letters announces “Restaurant”. In smaller type, about four feet down on the sign, you can see its official name “Hallmark” once you get closer to the crowded parking lot. It makes no difference what time of day you visit; you will always have a hard time finding a parking space. It is open 24 hours.
Customers at this cozy café crave the delectable food. They come back for all their favorites. Perfect for the penny pincher, this restaurant gives you good old home cooking and a comfortable homey atmosphere at reasonable prices. From their signature smiley chef face on the menus and signs to the seasoned waitresses and cooks, this Mom and Pop restaurant makes you feel welcome.
You walk in, seat yourself and within minutes a friendly face comes to get your drink order. She will give you silverware and a full menu. Only the daily specials are on a plain sheet of paper when you first sit down. Many people have come to sit in those weathered booths and tables. The table tops advertise different businesses from around town. No two table tops are the same.
Up until about a year ago, the Hallmark was one of the few eating establishments you could still smoke inside. However, decades of smoking have left a hazy film inside. You would almost think people still smoked there even though the ashtrays no longer adorn the tables.
One of the icons of the restaurant is a man named Shorty. He sports gray hair under his worn out plain blue cotton baseball cap and a scruffy looking face. Normally he wears his faded overalls, a tattered t-shirt that used to be white once upon a time and a huge heavy lumber jack plaid jacket no matter what the temperature outside. He is over 70 years old now, but he still drives his towing truck with peeling paint that has faded over the years. You can barely read “Shorty’s” on the driver’s side door anymore. Garbage litters the dashboard. Many times you will find him sleeping in his truck. But everyone knows he belongs there at the Hallmark like a light fixture in your bathroom.
So if you would like to visit a cozy café with delectable food, a homey atmosphere, and penny pinching prices, come on out and visit Shorty at the Hallmark Restaurant in my neighborhood.
