Wedding Anniversary–All Class in the Delta, All Trash at Home

Today is my third wedding anniversary, but we’ve been celebrating all weekend. After the market on Saturday, we headed out to Greenwood, MS for an anniversary weekend in the Delta. It was super classy.

We loaded up the car and headed out to Greenwood via back roads–my favorite way to get any place. About two hours later, we arrived at our swanky hotel, The Alluvian. This hotel is a bit of a celebrity in Mississippi, and I had just been dying to meet her.

What is it with fancy hotels and telephones by the toilet?

After checking in and admiring our pretty room, we went to lunch at The Crystal Grill, another famous landmark in Miss. To say this place has an eclectic menu is an understatement. They have everything from beans and greens to spaghetti and meatballs to frog legs to tamales to lemon ice box pie to a million other things. I got the vegetable plate lunch and asked for turnip greens, broccoli casserole, salad, and german potatoes. I received greens, salad, yams, and corn. The greens were definitely good. The rest I could have done without. All in all, I wasn’t so impressed with this place, but I’d be willing to give it another try. I will say that the homemade pies looked decadent, and had we not had dinner reservations, I would have definitely ordered a piece of lemon ice box. Didn’t want to spoil dinner and all.

We drove around the sleepy little town after lunch and saw the Viking Cooking School and sales store. Believe you me, I wanted to go home with some cookware, but refrained from that as well.

Excellent zinfandel from my step-sister and brother-in-law

After getting ready for dinner, we went down to the hotel bar and restaurant Giardina’s for before-dinner cocktails. Then we walked to Delta Bistro for our anniversary dinner. It is a BYOB establishment, so we brought along a bottle of wine we received as a gift at Christmas. We booked the chef’s table, which turned out to be a little more casual than we expected but absolutely perfect. We received excellent service and enjoyed getting to watch the kitchen staff all night. The food was delicious, and all in all, it was the perfect evening.

We had planned to stay for two nights–the first to do all of the above, the second to lounge by the pool and relax. The Alluvian doesn’t have a pool, so we were moving to a different hotel. The pool there just looked sad. Just sad. Also, Greenwood turned out to be a much smaller place than we expected, which would have been fine except that our Sunday dinner options were limited to Chinese buffet, Mexican, and Pizza Hut.

We decided just to go on home and enjoy relaxing there. Somewhere along the way, I had a brilliant idea for how we could spend the rest of our anniversary weekend.

Here’s a hint

 

Wait for it….

 

 

 

It’s coming…..

 

 

 

 

 

It’s almost here….

 

Boom

 

We got a baby pool. I won’t lie, it’s awesome. It even has cup holders. It’s 80 inches across, which is plenty big enough for two people, and it is about two feet high. Best $25 we’ve spent in a while.

 

 

The setup

 

Just to show you how redneck it is, I’ve captured our hangout. We have two chairs (still haven’t bothered taking off the tags), an ice chest full of Coors Light and Miller High Life, and hot sauce- and dill-flavored chips. What you can’t see is the boom box blaring Tom Petty and/or the Stones and the lazy dogs lying around.

So, we’ve had one super classy, completely decadent night in Greenwood and two trashy, also decadent days in our backyard. Happy anniversary to us.

 

We're so happy.

 

 

Evidence of Success

Here’s a little proof that all is happy and healthy in the garden.

Cucumbers starting to vine

Healthy, leafy tomato vines

Flowering pole beans

First banana pepper

Edamame/soybeans coming in

I got out this morning and took all of these pictures. I was overjoyed to find the baby soybeans. Everything looks green, and the paper is keeping the grass and weeds at bay.  Another week or so, and the okra and squash should be big enough to matter, too.

What’s going on in your garden? Have you been able to pick something yet?

It’s Friday, I’m in Love

This week has been an especially fun one with lots of visiting with friends but also an especially tiring one because said visiting has kept me up past my normal old-lady bed time and therefore a little groggy at work.

But now it’s Friday, and I’m so happy for the coming weekend. Here are the top five things I’m happy about at this very moment.

1. Google Chrome

I’m an Apple person and am perfectly happy with Safari at home (yep, I just said that), but my new snazzy work laptop is a Dell and, therefore, sans Safari. I’ve been using IE 8 out of laziness and upgraded to IE 9 yesterday. What a disaster! This morning I downloaded Google Chrome (after about 15 min. of reading Internet posts about Chrome vs. Firefox, and 15 min. is a lot of time for me to spend on something like “which Internet browser should I use?”). I love it already. It’s simple and doesn’t pester me with questions every time I try to close a window. Here’s the article that convinced me to try Chrome.

2. Adagio Teas ingenuiTEA mug

I love hot tea, especially in my cold office. My co-worker recently turned me on to Adagio Teas, specifically to this steeping mug. It’s fantastic–easy to use and easy to clean. Watch it in action here. Then check out their huge variety of loose teas. I’ve only tried greens so far, but they’re delicious and I expect to order others eventually. My small town doesn’t offer a place to buy loose teas, and while I love my homemade, herb varieties, sometimes I want some real tea. This is the perfect fix.

3. Farmers Markets

I love going to markets. Whenever I visit a new town or city, learning the time and location of its local market is first on my list. I love to see what vegetables grow in their area, what their favorite types of preserves and other prepared foods are, and what fun arts and crafts I might be able to snag to commemorate my trip. My husband and I sell artisan bread at our local farmers market each Saturday, and it makes for the perfect start to the day. It also beats the pants off going to the grocery store. Last week we bought mixed salad leaves, baby spinach, bok choy, early squash, hydroponically grown tomatoes (surprisingly delicious!), onions, collard greens, holy basil (delicious as a hot tea), radishes, stuffed grape leaves (oh so good), and a scone for breakfast. I’m looking forward to getting up early tomorrow morning, loading up the freshly baked loaves, and visiting with others from our quaint little town. I’m also excited to pick up our fresh veggies for the week. If you have the option, make sure to get out to your local market this weekend–meet the farmers, crafters, bakers, etc. in your area, enjoy being outside, and take home loads of delicious and beautiful goodies!

4. Purple Martins

We have a purple martin house and some gourd bird houses in our garden. They sit vacant most of the time, not right now, though! A beautiful purple martin took residence a few days ago. He flits back and forth from his house, the pine tree, and the power line. Over and over and over again. I’m not really sure what he’s doing, but it sure is pretty to watch. I wish he would find some friends, so we could have a colony, but for now, I’ll just enjoy him. So beautiful when he flies to and from his little abode.

5. Moxie & Oliver

This is my new favorite Etsy shop, and I’m in love with this purse. They also sell handmade guitar straps, belts, flasks, wallets/money clips, bracelets/cuffs, and more. Everything is beautiful. Unfortunately, many items, like this purse, are out of my price range. I’m certain the items are 100% worth their hefty price tags, being handmade and all, but I just can’t afford them right now. Maybe some day. Definitely check out the shop though. I’m also in love with this money clip, this clutch, and this guitar strap.

What are you currently in love with?

Happy Friday, y’all! 

Photos/graphics linked to their source.

Not All Plants Are Welcome at the Party

I try to be accepting in my garden. I marvel at the pretty little wildflowers (usually weeds) in the lawn; I accept the invasive honeysuckle for its over-productive reproduction; I even welcome a few of the dozens of redbud seedlings that pop up all over my yard each year.

I do not, however, have an egalitarian approach to all living things. I just don’t. I think I’ve pretty well established my feelings towards grass here and mean bugs here, but there are a few others I just simply can’t tolerate. The three big ones are

 Oh, and Virginia creeper.

Were it possible to scream electronically, I would right now. Imagine me screaming, please.

These poisons make me crazy. I am insanely allergic to them, and they grow e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. Seriously, everywhere. The poison oak grows along the ground by one of my water spigots. The poison sumac sprouts, treelike, in my bushes. And the Virginia creeper is my nemesis. It grows on the ground, in the bushes, up the trees, around the house, etc.

I’ve always called Virginia creeper “poison ivy” because that’s what I grew up calling it, but apparently they are two different things. Either way, I’m allergic.

More or less, I’ve had some form of poison oak (what I call the rash that develops from any of the above poisons) for the past 8 months. Sure, I’ve had spells of freedom, but they haven’t been long. Last fall, when clearing out some bushes, I got it so bad on my legs that I took Benedryl for over 6 weeks (well past the recommended length of dosage, I’m aware). The scarring is atrocious. Then I got it on my arms and legs this spring when cutting back the azaleas. This past weekend, I thought I’d outsmarted the little twits by wearing long pants and long sleeves. “Ha-ha,” I metaphorically said to them. Yesterday, a patch turned up on my face. Here I am, electronically screaming again.

Like fleas, ticks, mosquitos, and wasps, I do not think poisons have a respectable purpose on Earth. They irritate, sting, and attack me and my pets without bringing any benefits to the table. Take, for instance, wild blackberries. They’ve got it figured out. They’re thorny and can hurt me, but the fruit is the benefit. A little yin, a little yang. Poisons have all the yang and no yin.

I’m aware that I’m not the center of the universe. I know this. But neither are poisons. And they certainly aren’t the center of my garden. Out they go.

UPDATE: I’ve been corrected on my wasp hatred. Good to know some beneficial wasps are out there. Now I just need to get them in the garden. Check out this neat article about parasitic wasps.

Graphic and photo linked to sources.

Around the Garden in Mid-May

I’m happy to report that, since replanting, our garden is doing wonderfully well! We have tons of little okra, squash, collard, pea, and canteloupe seedlings. We’ll have to get out and thin them soon. I’m also overjoyed that the water-logged pepper and tomato plants have come back to life. They are putting on new, green growth, and beginning to flower. Yes! The beans are beginning to climb, and the cucumbers aren’t far behind. All in all, I’d say things are going great in the vegetable patch.

Other areas are doing remarkably well, too. We’ve found a number of wild blackberry vines around the property and have been enjoying fresh blackberries when we walk around the yard. The herb gardens have also taken off. The Thai basil that reseeded itself last year is pretty close to being invasive, but it’s just so pretty that I don’t mind. The tarragon came back and is full of yellow buds. The oregano is over a foot high, and the parsley, cilantro, basil, and dill is beginning to get big enough to pick. My in-laws gave me some chocolate mint and cinnamon basil cuttings that I’m trying to root. It sure is hard not to eat them while they’re rooting! The various mints and the lemon balm have also taken off, and I’ve been enjoying fresh teas each morning. Oh, and the thyme is flowering–so pretty and delicate.

In the fruit areas, the fig trees are full of little figs, tempting me already, and the domestic blackberry vines are full of almost-ripe berries. The blueberry rootings have been planted and look healthy as well. The strawberries are almost done, but they sure were good while they lasted. Warm, just-picked strawberry = yum.

And the garlic is scaping. The garlic is scaping! Shouldn’t be too much longer before I can pull it. Double Yes! Take a look at its humble beginnings last fall here.

By far, the most whimsical item in the garden.

I’m also happy to report that the first daylily has bloomed.

She's a beauty!

 

Summer is fast approaching down here in Mississippi. I’m not sure what I want more, the summer-ripened fruits or the cool, spring weather. Both can be delicious in their own way.

 

What about you? What’s going on in your garden?