big mama's honeymoon underpants

THE BIRTH OF BIG MAMA'S HONEYMOON UNDERPANTS... Big Mama was my maternal grandmother. A crafty woman from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She smelled delicious. She smelled of bacon grease, biscuits, and thick Avon® face cream. My own sweet mother (who inherited Big Mama's craftiness, but smells more of Parliament Lights®) gave me an envelope recently that contained the only family heirloom I've ever inherited-- Big Mama's honeymoon underpants. Pink satin, a little floral print on them, almost like new (or "gently used" as the kids say today), folded neatly into an equally pink envelope with my mother's handwriting on it-- as if she were labeling a container of homemade soup for the freezer so she wouldn't forget what it is later. Since developing my own bit of craftiness, I now realize that her satin underpants weren't the only thing I inherited from Big Mama (and my mom).