do you hear the people sing?

Ah. Fellow Ensworth alumni will remember, hopefully fondly, The Christmas Sing. Long ago it became a "Seasonal Sing." Then I think they did away with it all together. Several years ago, when they created the high school, they merged Grandparents Day, which used to have its own specific musical program into the all school Winter Assembly. So while now non-demoninational in name, is all full of Christian Christmas music. And dancing. And it is wonderful.

As escort and chauffeur to the parents, now grandparents, I have been fortunate enough to attend too. Ellen in in her junior year so just one more after this one.

Love the Ellen.


And y'all know what a music star she is. She plays keyboard with the jazz band and I am told she does not get to improvise or get very colorful as she is the one to "keep the beat for the band." Which is also awesome.


The Franna and the Ellen are pretty great together,


and it is part of the Grandparent's Day.Christmas Sing tradition to take the grandkids to the lunch of their choice afterwards. Which in recent years has been the Pancake Pantry. It was a very cold day and a very long line. While Franna and Ellen parked I waited in line, and could not resist answering the questions pondered loudly aloud by the tourists behind me. I am my father's son. I did include in the story, towards the end, that my grandfather (Franna's father) built the first one and my father built the new one. They asked "and you stand in line like the rest of us?" I admitted that had David (the owner) been inside (I checked) we would have recognized each other and he would have happily seated us, but I wasn't going to say anything to the staff I did not know. I thought that would be kind of dickish. If I saw a manager I knew and they offered, well that's another story.

However, after about five minutes waiting on the curb in the freezing temps, my aged waifish mother decided she might say something and we were seated quickly. I think she's earned that having her father and husband build the place with the family, and her serving on the board of the family company which gives them a long-standing family relationship discount on the rent.

The Pancake pantry is very much a family business, and we are part of the family.


So much in keeping with their personalities that I could have ordered for them by guessing, Franna had the pecan maple pancakes and Ellen had the chocolate chip. My word both were tasty. But also less like "breakfast" and more like "cake." Or perhaps "diabetes." Next time you're there on a cold day as we were, order a half coffee/half hot chocolate. So good. Depending on your server, you may even get marshmallows, which is just an early Christmas.

More of the awesome.


I had already scheduled lunch at Burger Up (of course) with Sinclair and Jonathan before I knew it was Grandparents Day day, so I was happy with a bowl of grits and fork-fulls of their respective pancakes. So good. And oh Lawd the grits. I don't know what she puts ion them, but I was told that they are even quick grits and not the take-an-hour kind. But also people come in for the grits. And once when the woman who prepares them was out sick, people complained that they didn't taste right until she got back. I was also told by our server that she once say her put a possibly impossible amount of butter in there, which I believe. I am also guessing there is some heavy cream, perhaps even some lard, and surely a scoop or two of love.

Man I love those grits.

But clearly not as much as I love the women I was with.