A FAVORITE PLACE

It's a crisp Fall day and I ducked out of work early.

I've decided to take a stroll

through one of my favorite towns for a couple of hours.

Jonesborough Tennessee.

Jonesborough has several claims to fame.

It is the oldest town in

the great state of Tennessee.

Another claim to fame... they made it on national television when the

Food Network filmed a segment of a new show,

"The Great Food Truck Race"
If I'm not mistaken, the chef from this Bistro make it onto the segment.

He did the shopping for the French team, too bad they lost.

It's such a beautiful day today, I think lots of people had the same thing

in mind as I did. Lots of cars up and down Main Street. Shoppers out and about.

Visitors sight- seeing and taking pictures just like me.

The Courthouse towers over the town and grounds it.

Whatever the season the Court House is always decked out in splendid color.

As I said Jonesborough is very old and that is very evident as you walk

through this charming town.

Old buildings abound.

Jonesborough plays host to the "National Storytelling Festival every year in October.
During the rest of the year you'll find resident storytellers spinning their yarns.

The stories...they will make you laugh, make you cry and always touch your heart.

You don't pass this on the street with a camera in your hand and not snap it.

Jonesborough is rich in quaint and charming shops.

This is an antique shop that has been here forever.

As crazy as it sounds, I think this is a church window.

All the shopkeepers go out of their way to make the sidewalks in front of

their shops look inviting.

"Mauks" is another long time resident of Jonesborough,

they sell a little bit of everything,

from cards to furniture.

They are know around these parts for their chairs,

your body melts into them.

More store fronts.

I always stop in here.

It is mostly crafting and gifting.

Lovely Art Gallery and shop.

Throughout the town the houses are to die for.

Most of the ones on Main Street are very large and very beautiful.

I love this one, I've actually been inside. The owner is an artist and a gardener.

Two years ago her garden was on the Jonesborough Garden Tour.

If you don't live in Jonesborough you can still get a good nights sleep

in one of the numerous Inns or B&Bs.

YUM!

Next time you want to get away for a weekend or a week, keep

Jonesborough, Tennessee in mind.

You'll be glad you did.

Happy Gardening

and

Happy Birthday to me.

INSPIRED TO SHOP

Some of my fellow bloggers

have been posting about the treasures they've

found while out and about antiquing in Ashville, NC.

It inspired my sister and I to plan a girls day out

this past Friday. There is a very small town near us

called Elizabethton and it's downtown area is a Mecca for

treasure hunting.

I happened upon these sweet home made birds in one of the shops,

I couldn't resist.

I don't know yet where they will land but I'm sure I can find the perfect home
for them if I'm only patient.






I also found these two cake plates at a different shop. I don't think they're old, but I've been wanting to get some white ones for a while now.
I'm a happy girl!

Happy gardening
and treasure hunting too.

SUNDAY SURPRISES! 2

Last Sunday started as a really good day

as most Sundays do.

Susan and I took our regular morning walk and kicked

around some beautiful Fall leaves.

When we got home we enjoyed our steaming hot coffee and egg biscuits.

I decided to get out into the garden and tidy up a bit.

Many of my plants were well past their prime,

so into the composter they went.

My sweet neighbor, Anna, who is in her late eighties or early nineties,

called me over to her back door to chat.

She was so kind to offer me her late sister's gardening clogs.

Anna knows how much I love to play in the garden as her sister Sarah once did.

I couldn't have been more delighted...

they were a perfect fit.

Later in the day another friend stopped by with a second surprise for me.

I was awarded "Yard of the Month"

from our Tree Street Neighborhood Association.

Tell me, how great is that???

I believe I owe it to my Fall project, the scarecrows

I constructed out of things I found in the

basement, garden, and gardening shed.

It was a TOTALLY FUN project.

You can read about it here.

Happy, happy gardening.

MILDRED'S

Somehow I just feel like it is the American Way to go out for supper

on a Saturday night,

at least it's the Southern Way.
Growing up as a kid in Alabama, our family made it a ritual.

We'd load up in the Ford and head into town for the buffet at Piccadilly.

The ladies behind the line were eager to

"serve you".

There is just something about a place you can always go and know

they'll be serving your favorite comfort foods.

When I was home last week my folks took me to their special place.

My visit didn't land on the weekend,

but because I was traveling, it had the same feel.

Mom and Dad popped into their regular booth. Menus were discarded,
we were going for the buffet.





Green beans, fried okra, mac and cheese, corn bread, meat loaf, and a dab of barbecue.
Oh, and I almost forgot...peach cobbler for desert.




Because it wasn't the weekend the place was not as crowded as normal.
The regulars were there and a steady stream of hungry
patrons were in and out the door.



It's a place where the waitress always has a smile and calls you honey.




Mmmm Mmmm Good!!!!

FACEBOOK FINDS

Dodd Seabolt was a friend of mine way back when.
Because of Facebook, we were able to reconnect.

Last week while traveling I made a quick stop in Atlanta to visit

my old friend.

We first knew each other twenty years ago when we were both retailers

working in Atlanta.

He with Chess King, me with Foxmore, both long out of business now.

We had lost touch when he moved back to his home town of Jacksonville

to care for his mother. I got transferred to Huntsville and started a new life there.



When I pulled into his downtown condo Wednesday afternoon,
it was as if the years just disappeared.




We laughed and talked and he showed me his place.

We spent some time shopping at Ikea, the Ballard Design outlet, and Homegoods.

That night he took me to dinner at a wonderful seafood grill in Decatur.

After dinner we went to a Chocolate Bar and has chocolate martinis.

SWEET!

I hope to visit again soon and catch up even more, he vowed to visit me in Tennessee.

Friendship is such a blessing!

BLACK WALNUT FRIEND OR FOE

The Black Walnut tree is a wonderful shade tree.

It's wood has long been desired for fine furniture.

The squirrels love it.

In late Summer it produces its fruit.

In Fall

ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE!!!

Nasty, nasty, nasty.

All Fall I'm picking up, dodging, or cursing theses darn hulls.

They trip you, stain your hands, and prevent your garden from being its best.

The Black Walnut produces a substance called juglone. Many plants such as

tomato, potato, blackberry, blueberry, azalea, mountain laurel, rhododendron,

red pine, apple and many, many more can be injured or killed if planted

within the root system of these trees.



Avoid like the plague!!!

First four pictures from Google Image, the rest are mine.

Happy Gardening.