Graduations

Oxford College of Emory was an early May destination. It is an old, beautiful, Southern school in the small town of Oxford, GA which has merged with another charming town, Covington. Pictures really do the job best. The chapel is said to have been a Conferate Hospital for a time. The brick building (left) was built by a Brooklyn, NY businessman after hearing a sermon at Old Church, Oxford, GA during reconstruction. It is now used as the administration building and is central to Oxford's commons. Our next graduation will be an Emory University affair. So long Oxford, for now.

Atlanta's Gem

According to some who think Southern, Atlanta is mecca second only to The Beach. It doesn't matter which beach because down here every beach is The Beach. For example: "What are you doin' over Easter?" "We're goin' to The Beach." It's is a big deal down here, Easter at The Beach. It has to do with some fantasy that it's warm enough to go swimming and get a suntan. No matter that it is 50 degrees outside and you gotta be stoned out of your mind not to know it. By the way, Florida does not count except in presidential elections. That's my punny for the month: Florida can't count.

Back to Atlanta...

Some would liken Atlanta to the New York of The South. Not. There is only one New York just as there is only one Rome and there is only one Altanta though I must say I am not charmed. I'm trying, but traffic is hell down there every day. It is dysfunctional. How can you have rush hour traffic on Easter Sunday when the malls are closed and no one is going to work? Atlanta has the answer to that question.

Now that I've cut Atlanta to the quick I must say they have a real gem of a botanical garden. Getting there is a real nail-bitter as their mid-town traffic rivals mid-town Manhattan. The difference is in mid-town Manhattan you are riding in a cab with a professional driving. In Atlanta there are no professional bluffers who know when to back off, only terrorized passengers praying for their lives. Atlanta's pedestians seem totally oblivious to the fact that they are not in Rome (I am not talking about Rome, Ga.) and that Southerns do not know the rules about pedestrians having right of way. Ya'll. It is scary. Inside the garden all is grace and beauty, better than The Beach. It's all about orchids this week at Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Next week Spring will burst forth all over the South and no doubt Atlanta Botanical Gardens will be worth the trip for months to come.

They're Back!

Cold mornings and shirt sleeve afternoons are the way of our early southern Spring. The past two Fall seasons I've planted daffodils that bloom just in time. Just in time to lift the spirits, delight the eye and bring relief from the brown that dominates winter. They are a mighty fine distraction and remind us that warmer days are coming.

Bulbs of the edible variety have come on strong this year due to timely rains. Felder Rushing, advises in "The North Carolina Fruit and Vegetable Book" that garlic needs an inch of rain per week. This year's crop is amazing compared to last year's harvest, assuming there are garlic bulbs growing beneath those greens. I planted them in September and October and am hoping for a harvest that will carry me forward into next winter.

Felder has his own website www.felderrushing.net that is informative and fun. What I want to know is how a Mississipian came to co-author a book on North Carolina gardening?

New Year's Day

It's a peaceful, sunny day in the land-down-under USA. It's warm, there's a gentle breeze and the garden grows broccoli, herbs and lettuce. Garlic has sprouted and the turnips are weedy. We are harvesting and sharing broccoli with neighbors. Two nights ago we sat on a neighbors front porch while dining and enjoyed the gentle music of rain. Rain! It's back, we hope.

Our recent rains remind me of my trip to St. Johns with my sister Anne. Rain is the island's sole source of fresh water and is cause of celebration. The islanders have sayings,truisms, regarding rain:

Rain falls on every man's doorstep.
Into everyone's life rain must fall.
No rain, no rainbow.

Here's to a peaceful, New Year with rain of the tangible sort only. Salude.

Thanksgiving

It's been our day-after-Thanksgiving tradition to drive out to Princess Ann Landing at Lumber River State Park for canoeing, a picnic and horseshoes. It's a neighborhood affair and everyone pitches in with food, kayaks and canoes. We go rain or shine, warm or cold. These are last year's pictures of us playing off the calories from the previous day's feast.

Carolina Bay

If you find yourself in Elizabethtown, NC there are a few things I would recommend (only a few). Elizabethtown is a proud little Southern town without benefit of curb and gutter, a small hospital that you do not want to visit just now, and (mostly) really nice people. Sort of a new millineum/old millineum Mayberry. Do not speed here. I haven't seen any town police, but it is NC State Highway Patrol training base and they are everywhere-especially your rearview mirror. My second recommendation out of the way. I found the county library quite by accident tucked away on the edge of town. It's not on my list of recommendations only because I haven't been in, but I'm a big fan of public libraries. Bladen County Library would overlook the Cape Fear River except they didn't put windows on that side of the building. Curious. I found the library because I went looking of Bladen Lakes State Park. I do recommend a visit to the park. It's a great place for a picnic lunch with plentiful peace and quiet. Jones Lake is the public area of the park. It is a beautiful little Carolina bay lake with a hiking trail, canoe rentals and campsites. Swimming is allowed here and there is a bathhouse. Melvin's is my last recommendation. It's an old timey hamburger joint. There is no drive-thru, the burgers are homemade and you will have to stand in line. You can eat-in and there is a small town ambiance to it but personally I'd get mine to-go and head out to the park for the ultimate burger experience.