- I was wandering around the historic district of Decatur, Alabama, the other day and found this gorgeous home. Couldn’t you just walk right in?
House and Garden
6
Category Archives: Alabama
A Week of Spring — Azaleas
Welcome to day No. 5 in A Week of Spring. Here in Alabama, spring means gardening and yard work and those first wonderful blooms. I am not a gardener — the best I can do is just sort of maintain, although I am a fierce and thorough weeder (even though I spy a few I missed in these photos, drat it). However, even the non-green thumbs like me can appreciate the beauty of April’s rebirth and renewal. These azaleas are in a corner of ourback yard where nobody can see them, of course, but the lush front-yard pink extravaganza shouldn’t be too far behind. Dogwoods are blooming, irises are up and even our winter-battered hydrangeas have optimistic buds, although freezing temperatures predicted for the first of next week might wreak more havoc. I even am sort of inspired to go to the garden store and pick out some more flowers — or I could just sit back and admire what I’ve already got. Hmm … Check back tomorrow for more in A Week of Spring.
A Week of Spring — Pink and Green
It’s day No. 2 in A Week of Spring and we’re taking a look 
at those wonderfully fresh and pretty spring colors that make us smile. I spend most of winter in black turtlenecks, so as spring approaches I’m definitely ready for something different. I love finding blooming spring colors in unexpected places, like this gathering of pink, green and yellow at Harrison Brothers Hardware in Huntsville, Alabama. On the city square since 1879, Harrison’s is part museum, part antique shop and part gift boutique. These spring gotta-haves were between the massive old safe and the tempting candy aisle. Sweet! I’d take everything, from the pink and green toile trays to the mint-green glasses. But my favorite is the pink-and-blue paisley ice bucket. For some reason I cannot resist cute ice buckets. I’ve got a gazillion, including washtub-sized ones we’d need for my daughters’ high-school parties and smaller sizes like this one that are perfect for book-club night. I mean, really, how many ice buckets do you need? But that’s what spring does to you — makes you start planning parties out on the deck. With plenty of pink and green. Come back tomorrow for day No. 3 in A Week of Spring.
A Week of Spring — Entertaining
Here in Alabama the tulips and dogwoods are in full 
bloom with the irises close behind, so it must be spring! No matter the weather — mornings are still chilly around here — we’ve all got lighter and fresher on the mind. So this week I’m taking a closer look at spring things that have caught my eye. First in A Week of Spring is this beautifully set table my friend Cheryl surprised our four-
woman book club with this past week. Although it really was no surprise — Cheryl’s one of those gracious hostesses who makes you feel so welcome and special, like she’s waited all day just for you to come over. (I’m the one who answers the door with, “Oh, hi. Was tonight our party? Well, uh, come on in but watch out for cat hair.”) Cheryl also is one of those smart shoppers who knows where to find bargains and stocks up when the price is right so all she has to do is pull things together. The butterfly-print tablecloth and napkins, the china-flower napkin rings and the pretty floral plates needed only a few spring blossoms for Cheryl’s menu of fresh green salad and a light pasta salad. And since we read “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortens0n (we liked it both for the history and culture and also for the inspiring story of the difference one person can make in the world), we had plenty of tea. And wine. Come back tomorrow for day No. 2 in A Week of Spring.
Family and Friends
One of my new favorite things is taking my almost 1-
year-old grandson, Capt. Adorable, to the playground. He’s … well, adorable! Because he’s an early walker, he’s so much smaller than everybody else running around — it’s like his coordination hasn’t caught up yet with his little toddlin’ legs. He mainly stands and solemnly observes with that precious forehead crinkled in deep baby thought. You can just see him processing what he sees and thinking, “Oh, so you’re supposed to go up here and go down there. And move over when somebody else wants a turn. I get it!” He knows and loves the things he can reach — these chiming bells, a giant tic-tac-toe game of revolving x’s and o’s and the baby-sized swings and slides — and seems quite amused at this alien concept of sharing.
Spring
Here’s what I figured out yesterday while I was wandering around 
downtown and running boring errands: You can have a “spring break” anywhere. I was coming from the dry cleaners, juggling some winter clothes I’d picked up with a cappuccino and muffin from the coffee shop, when I saw this joyously fresh silk arrangement. It was brightening the corner of a florist’s and gift shop and I immediately wanted to exchange my jacket and sweaters for a beach bag and my coffee and muffin for shrimp and beer from Joe Patti’s — our favorite seafood market in Pensacola, Fla. Isn’t it amazing what a little bit of spring can do?
Interior Decorating
Have you ever walked into somebody’s house and immediately felt both 
impressed and comfortably at home? That’s how I felt recently when one of my book clubs met at the home of a new member who bravely invited us over for only her third time with us. And was I glad. She’s a smart and funny free spirit who’s traveled the world, and her house so richly reflects that. On the outside it looks like any normal house in any 
normal subdivision, but inside she and her husband had remodeled and renovated and redecorated to make it their own. 
Every corner and every detail told a story of their lives. I loved especially how they mixed textures and colors and cultures, but because everything springs from what they’re passionate about, it all works. I especially loved the built-in bookcases designed for use, not show — a display of books that obviously are never read always annoys me; I mean, what’s the point? — and the functional and stylish kitchen that works whether there’s one person cooking or a crowd. I am stealing so many ideas from this house, even if the most exotic place I ever shop is the home-decor aisle of TJ Maxx.
Shopping
After a week of spring here in north Alabama, we were hit with 
winter again. It’s been rainy and cold for a few days now and everybody’s going around coughing and sniffing and complaining. ( I know, I know. Cold weather doesn’t really cause colds. But it can’t help.) My older daughter and 
I, however, recently braved the chilly rain and went out in search of spring. We found it at Al Christopher in Huntsville, Alabama — a wonderfully warm and cheerful shop in the historic Five Points area. We were charmed as soon as we walked in the door and saw candles, table ware, baby gifts, stationery and spa products that made me immediately want to go home and take a bath — in a good way. Also, those soft and silky pajama sets demand you lounge around the house all morning with a cup of espresso and a good book. (And of course you’d be wearing makeup and have your hair combed brushed and your teeth brushed. And the dishes washed and cat boxes cleaned out. Sigh.) Al Christopher is one of those shops that just makes you happy when you go in and wander around, which we did as long as my 11-month-old grandson allowed us to. Then we ducked into the nearby Olde Town Coffee Shoppe for that espresso and found touches of spring there, too, with this delightful recycled decor in the women’s room. I am so going to steal this idea.
Five Points, an Historic Preservation District, was a working-class neighborhood near downtown Huntsville. Dedicated supporters have preserved the area and encouraged its emergence as a vibrant arts and music venue. Most shops and eateries are in restored and remodeled bungalows that add so much character to retail spaces. Go here, http://fivepointshistoricdistrict.org/, for details.
Arts and Crafts
My friend Jana is one of the most talented people I know. She can 
do anything and frequently dazzles us with her creativity and imagination. Luckily for us, she got an embroidery machine for Christmas. (I think the fact that her first grandbaby is on the way had something to do with it!) For her beginning practice projects she made tea towels for several of us and ourdaughters. “They’re easy,” she said as we were oohing and ahhing. “Really. There’s nothing to it.” I am unconvinced. Because that’s the same thing my younger daughter — another one of those awesomely talented people — says about the appliqued and quilted tea towels she makes, inspired by projects in “Alabama Stitch Book” by Alabama native and fashion designer Natalie Chanin. I love all things with black-and-white patterns, and my daughter made me this black-and-white tea towel for Christmas. I am in awe of these talented people who do such incredible work — and am grateful I know them. Otherwise, my house would be pretty bare.
Girlfriend Getaways
My friends look so sweet and innocent, don't they? Hah!
Tam DeBolt and Kristin Staskowski star in Red Mountain Theatre's production of "The Odd Couple (Female Version)" in Birmingham, Alabama
If you ever get a chance to see “The Odd Couple (Female Version),” do it. It’s both funny and a wonderful snapshot of life in the 1980s, complete with big hair, pink velour track suits and Trivial Pursuit — remember all that???Sportswriter slob Oscar Madison becomes news-exec slob Olive, uptight obsessive-compulsive Felix becomes obsessive-compulsive super housewife Florence and the English Pigeon sisters become the Spanish Costazuela brothers. The best way to see it, of course, is with a bunch of your best friends. That’s what I did this past weekend when some of us saw “Odd Couple” at the Red Mountain Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama. But really, the comedy on stage was nothing compared to what we five created on our own. Let’s see — scenes included confusion about our scheduled meeting place, confusion about our scheduled meeting time, a dash into Banana Republic for a finally-on-sale jacket with 15 minutes remaining before curtain time, confusion about directions to where the theater was, confusion about where we actually were going, discussion about whether the parking police checked spaces on Sunday afternoons and then applause all around as we finally made into the theater as the lights were going down. Our encore? One of us dropped a ceramic tile out of her purse — after all, you never know when you’ll need to match some tile — as the intermission lights came up, causing an immense echoing clatter throughout the theater as the guilty party fled to the restroom and the rest of us, literally, fell out of our chairs laughing. I think we should audition for the next production, entitled “Golden Girls Gone Wild, or Can Our Heroines Stay Awake Past 5 p.m.?” I’m sure we’ll get rave reviews!
Coffee with Cathy 