A Huckleberry Over My Persimmon

Here’s to wishful Southern thinking that after this weekend the feel of fall is here to stay, until winter shows us its nasty concoction of cold mixed with Georgia’s year round humidity. Sometimes a change in the weather speeds us up, but we’re still moving slow after the last week. Friday morning the plan was to get up early and head to the mountains for a day hike,and if we were lucky fruit and veggie stand picking one last time, but the children proved to need a few more days resting inside. So we followed their lead and watched football, made soup, baked pumpkin bread, snuggled up close, and read lots of story books. David’s sister and our brother-in-law came for the night on Saturday. My dad drove in for the day Sunday and we all sat around and did nothing but enjoy good company. It was one of those weekends that nothing extraordinary happened, we didn’t even leave the house. We were surrounded by those we love and that was enough. Sunbeams shining perfectly through the windows to chase the toddler leisurely at 8am and again at 5pm sharp. A house that smelled of cinnamon one day, a roasted chicken the day before. Windows and doors opened at first rise. A constant flow of Pandora accompanied morning mimosas and strong black coffee. Heavy feet attached to a twenty pound little girl, chasing one of us down the hall with three books about animals in tow. Snacking all day. Aside from cheering on The DAWGS on Saturday, each evening dusk would finally provide those over thirty with the silence that we need.

Cabin fever gets to us sometimes, most weekends we head downtown for a few hours, or try to come up with a creative way to get out of the house and get some fresh air. But our home provided us with all the fresh air we needed this weekend and it felt really good once we had the mindset that we wouldn’t be leaving. Sometimes we need to stop and take a moment to stand back and be proud of our accomplishments in three short years. A marriage, a new home with our name on the mortgage, hardwood floors, a serious drainage problem fixed, grass for the kiddies feet, an updated bathroom, painted walls, organized shelves and drawers, furniture that will last us forever, two sweet babies, a damn good dog to join the other as well as a frisky cat, two cars paid off in the driveway, and each other. Most of this is just stuff. But stuff that makes life easier no less. In the past year I’ve been trying hard to buy and keep less. The minimalist lifestyle makes a lot of sense to me, focusing on buying made in the USA, and less of it. My dad repeated himself often when I was young “Work hard, save your money, buy something nice, and buy it once.” My mom soon chimed in with a “We take care of our things, and they last.” Even though they had no idea they were setting me up to want to lead a lifestyle that focused on less, they did.

This weekend our friend Melissa posted a link to a blog about working conditions in China that might interest those of you concerned. In the coming months I plan on buying as much as I can, and only what we need, through this link and other American made avenues. I’ll be updating you when I do, and will report back with its ease, costs, and quality. My main concern and pledge is buying ethical new clothing. Regardless of the pretty factor I’ve made my own vow of 100% American made clothing for my closet. Our food comes mostly from a 75 mile radius, something I started paying attention to about 4 years ago. I have no problem with a global economy and think that it is necessary and important. It is the working conditions of many around the earth that I am concerned about. Upon moving to Athens in 2004 I decided I wanted to live a different lifestyle, a cleaner one for my body and the earth. A life that is connected to the lives of others. This is the next step in getting there. It started with organics, then natural products, local goods, and homemade cleaners. Concern about working conditions, sustainable, and ethical practices in textile production seem like the next step.

The leap to organics was scary at first, but I decided I wouldn’t throw out my pantry. I would use up the conventional methods that I had and made a commitment to buy ethical and healthy food as needed. It took time but now my pantry looks completely different. Our family eats locally made brands and grown vegetables that seem so far removed from my college staples of swag beer and greasy, but delicious pizza. I feel like I’ve completed one area of growth that interested me,  it has become part of me and always will be. Now it’s time for new growth and education, we’ll see if our family will be as successful in this new direction of keeping it close to home.

A few snaps from Saturday and Sunday:

On Thursday afternoon the wagon was packed up with a baby and a couple of dogs, ready to head south to David’s hometown of Albany, Georgia. Below is what he wrote about Southwest, Georgia as we headed that way. HE is the real writer in the family. 

When we hit 300 the AC is turned off, the windows rolled down & I know we’re close. It’s where the horizon marries highway & field, where wild grasses peek under the arms of Live Oaks & through the legs of blackberry thickets, while Spanish Moss peers down, keeping her watch with sleepy eyes. Headin’ home for the weekend…

Oooh me…. mark that down as the number 3 reason I married him.

So, we traveled south to spend time with his folks, he and and his mom also had plans to attend her beekeepers school. That’s right folks! Bees are David’s next endeavor.

I adore bees. They’re key to sustaining human life, but I’m terrified of things that sting, so this is his thing. I’ll root with the babies from the sidelines… with all the windows and doors shut tightly and an EpiPen in hand. One day I might develop courage enough to snap a few photos of his hives while he’s charming them. But no problema eating all of the honey that he collects, or providing said bees with lots of pollen in order to pull my weight.

We also took Singer to the Flint River Aquarium, went on a date to our favorite place in town, owned by a friend of D’s-  just the two of us, and hung out with his folks all weekend. While David was out charming bees Singer and I were escorted by his dad to Sasser, Georgia where we went antiquing. This place is the jackpot, I kept my wallet in my purse, but I did take pictures of some finds to share tomorrow.

 click to enlarge

To view all of the pictures from our trip please visit our flickr album.

Last Thursday Singer and I quickly threw some bags together and jumped in the car headed to my hometown to stay with my dad after David came home with reports of the flu. We ended up staying for 5 nights because on Monday and Tuesday we had our bathroom floors installed. Again. Another time.

The best part about going to Griffin, other than spending time at my childhood home with my father is the shopping. Shocking, I know. I love the thrifts and antique stores there, and they have a Marshalls as well, with super cheap and stylish things for us young folks.

If you make it to Griffin make sure you stop by American Mills. It’s the new Sock Shoppe, without socks. Here are a few phone uploads from our trip:

 Squeezed some oranges for mimosas, they lasted all weekend. Kept nicely in the fridge overnight for a pancake, egg, and bacon breakfast made by my delicious cowboy. To view proof of cowboy-dom please scroll down. I. Am. So. Lucky. I married WELL. Welldone. Fork. In. It.