Casa de Canterbury: A Retrospective – Part I, Summer

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Sheila Morris

Once upon a time on the corner of Canterbury and Manning in a city called Columbia lived a family of two lesbians and their dogs.

And the family was happy in their home which they called Casa de Canterbury because one of their dogs (The Red Man) spoke fluent Spanish.

For years and years the old woman Slow and Pretty and their dogs lived in the casa which saw seasons come and go because that is the way seasons act.

The old woman Slow got slower and slower as her knees rebelled whenever she climbed or came down the 14 steps connecting the first and second levels of the casa. Even Pretty’s younger knees grew so angry with her she had to get a new one in 2016, but that really didn’t help her very much and didn’t help Slow at all.

And so it became clear to Slow and Pretty they had to leave Casa de Canterbury for…what? new digs. So that is what they are going to do. They are moving west across the Congaree, Saluda and Broad rivers closer to Texas – but not much – to West Columbia, South Carolina, which is not to be confused with where Slow went to high school: West Columbia, Texas. How weird is that? Let’s hope she isn’t confused by this coincidence.

As the family says goodbye to Casa de Canterbury, they invite you to take a little trip down memory lane with them through a few of the seasons at their casa over the next several posts. Enjoy.

First day of summer, 2016

one of Pretty’s bottle trees

Charly’s first summer at Casa de Canterbury

First figs of the season

also possibly the last – the tree was never prolific

Summer flowers

 

a rose is a rose is a rose…by any other name

Charly listens to the sounds of summer

perfect place to cool off in summer heat

so, so hot out there 

(summer, 2012)

did somebody say HOT?

back yard in the summer of 2012

tres amigos brave the heat

Stay tuned for fall. Summer, fall, winter, spring.

About Sheila Morris

Sheila Morris is a personal historian, essayist with humorist tendencies, lesbian activist, truth seeker and speaker in the tradition of other female Texas storytellers including her paternal grandmother. In December, 2017, the University of South Carolina Press published her collection of first-person accounts of a few of the people primarily responsible for the development of LGBTQ organizations in South Carolina. Southern Perspectives on the Queer Movement: Committed to Home will resonate with everyone interested in LGBTQ history in the South during the tumultuous times from the AIDS pandemic to marriage equality. She has published five nonfiction books including two memoirs, an essay compilation and two collections of her favorite blogs from I'll Call It Like I See It. Her first book, Deep in the Heart: A Memoir of Love and Longing received a Golden Crown Literary Society Award in 2008. Her writings have been included in various anthologies - most recently the 2017 Saints and Sinners Literary Magazine. Her latest book, Four Ticket Ride, was released in January, 2019. She is a displaced Texan living in South Carolina with her wife Teresa Williams and their dogs Spike, Charly and Carl. She is also Naynay to her two granddaughters Ella and Molly James who light up her life for real. Born in rural Grimes County, Texas in 1946 her Texas roots still run wide and deep.
This entry was posted in Humor, Life, Personal, Reflections, Slice of Life. Bookmark the permalink.

9 Responses to Casa de Canterbury: A Retrospective – Part I, Summer

  1. Wayside Artist says:
    March 10, 2017 at 11:34 am

    It’s time for a new journey, new stories, new garden, and familiar seasons viewed from a fresh angle. I feel sad though. Casa de Canterbury looms large in my heart; a virtual home away from home. Thank you for generously inviting us in.

    Enjoy your new digs!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Sheila Morris says:
      March 10, 2017 at 11:48 am

      What a wonderful way to phrase it…time for a new journey, new stories, new garden, and familiar seasons viewed from a fresh angle.
      Wow – I wish I’d said that!!
      The same is true for both of us, isn’t it?
      So happy you have stayed with us at Casa de Canterbury these past years…truly.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. Polysyllabic Profundities says:
    March 11, 2017 at 8:20 am

    Best of luck with your move and the start of a new adventure!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. rockyden says:
    March 13, 2017 at 11:21 am

    sister drove down today to take us three brothers to lunch, and she told me you were moving, but she said west columbia, south dakota , i got so excited i would see new country, then today i see its west columbia south carolina. i’m disappointed (strangely), but i seek a new life and desire to move far away soon, i guess that’s why. i’ll come your way if you don’t mind, love always…..church organist/aka. rockyden…..

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Sheila Morris says:
      March 13, 2017 at 2:44 pm

      Come on out, Rockyden! Yes, still in South Carolina – was that Charlotte or Nancy who gave you false information?? 🙂 Hope all my cousins are well in Texas and warmer than we are today! Much love to you all

      Like

      Reply
  4. Animalcouriers says:
    March 16, 2017 at 6:03 am

    It’ll be hard to leave that perfect place but time to boldly go…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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