Category Archives: Mississippi

Shopping

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Scruggs in Tupelo, MississippiAny store with a sign on its front door requesting customers to “check Saddlestheir firearms at the customer-service desk for safety purposes” goes straight to the top of my favorites list. This is Scruggs, in Tupelo, Mississippi — a sort of combined feed store, general store and John Deere dealership. Think Home Depot, farmer-style. My husband swears it’s the best place to buy mouse traps and other mysterious manly things he uses around Scruggs the house and I’m happy to let him be in charge of those chores. And even though we don’t have a horse or cows or cornfields, I still like to wander around Scruggs’ aisles and browse. I think I like this store because it reminds me of one of my all-time favorite retailers — Rural King. And my all-time favorite Rural King store is in my mother’s hometown of Effingham, Illinois. When we’d go visit my grandparents, we’d usually stop at the Rural King, which anchored the local mall. (Who needs a JC Penney’s or a Sears when you can buy everything from jeans to seed at the Rural King?) For the longest time, that Rural King was the only place my dad could find Carhartts, and I’d usually find a comfy and cozy sweater while my brothers would head for the toys and my mom to the flower-gardening aisle. Maybe I’m just a country girl at heart. Check out Scruggs at http://www.scruggsfarm.com and Rural King at http://www.ruralking.com/

Shoes

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Shoe Tree on U.S. 72 WestYou have to look carefully, but when you do, you’ll see that Shoe Treethis tree on U.S. Hwy. 72 west, just west of Cherokee, Alabama, is full of shoes. It’s been this way for at least a couple years, and nobody is sure how it got started — or why. Or at least, nobody’s telling. You’re just driving along and then you look up and there are dozens of pairs of shoes nestled in and dangling from this tree. It’s a true mystery. I drive past it at least twice a week and I’ve never seen anybody adding their contributions — yet the Shoe Tree grows and thrives. Some say the Shoe Tree has its origins in the infamous wave of Shoes Thrown Over the Power Line in downtown Florence, Alabama, several years ago. This was a power line across from a local coffee house that was a hangout for the youngsters (actually, the sidewalk in front of the coffee house was the preferred spot) and every once in a while the within-tossing-distance power line would sprout a decoration of tied pairs of shoes. Did those Shoe Throwers grow up and now commute on U.S. 72 every day? My investigative-reporting skills have failed to find the answers. But that’s OK — I’ve got my eye on a pair of black stiletto pumps if I can just figure out how to get to the top branch.

Books

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The HelpYou have got to put The Help, a debut novel by Kathryn Stockett, on your must-read list. Set in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, this book is about the black women who work as maids, housekeepers and nannies for the town’s well-off white families. It’s narrated by two of those women, Aibileen and Minny, as well as a Skeeter, an Ole Miss graduate who comes home to her family’s cotton farm and begins to see the injustices in the white-woman-boss and black-woman-employee system she’d previously accepted unquestioningly. As the book unfolds and we learn more about how the white female bosses treated their black employees, you’ll be surprised, shocked and stunned — and never look at a Junior-League bake sale the same way again. But this isn’t a grim or humorless book. Stockett respects her characters and allows them to gently tell their stories in their own voices as we discover and examine along with (most of) them our own feelings about race and skin color. In fact, this book led to one of the most spirited discussions my four-woman book club has ever had as we each talked about our experiences growing up Southern during the Civil Rights ’60s and how those experiences affect our relationships with those who look different from ourselves. We talked about what exactly it means to be “racist” and were so grateful we’d read a book that made us examine prejudices we maybe didn’t even realize we had. But The Help is more than a chronicle of the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. It’s a delightful and uplifting story of the power of friendship, the strength of maternal love and the power of women’s determination to make a difference. Go to a bookstore, buy this book and then pass it on. You cannot miss out on one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Tupelo, Mississippi

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Ole MissI love Tupelo, Mississippi. It’s a small Southern town with Mississippi Statebig-city shopping and restaurants, a town that honors the best of its past while heading confidently toward its future — and a town where tolerance is celebrated and fairness is expected and you can even say you’re a Tennessee fan if you do it quietly and respectfully. And unlike the adjacent state of Alabama, where Tupelo, Mississippieveryone is expected to declare for Alabama or Auburn immediately upon birth and there are businesses that Alabama fans will not frequent because of War Eagle allegiance and vice versa, the Ole Miss v. Mississippi State rivalry is somewhat more civilized — especially in neutral ground such as Tupelo. For example, check out the local Cracker Barrel, where neighboring rivals Ole Miss, in nearby Oxford, and Mississippi State, in Starkville, get equal billing in souvenir sales. Although, if you look closely, it does seem as if Mississippi State has a bit of advantage in terms of display footage. Makes me wonder where the store manager went to school. And in further evidence of Tupelo’s open-door reputation, I spotted this hair-salon sign (click to enlarge) — and, uncharacteristically, I have nothing to add. Just … nope. Nothing.

Fall Decor

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Fall decorIt’s fall, y’all! Here in northwest Alabama, it was in the 40s overnight and Fall decorwe’re pulling out our jackets and scarves and planning for the much-anticipated annual Boot Day — the first official day it’s cool enough (temperature-wise, that is) to wear boots. I know, I know — it’s only temporary and we’ve got many more 85+-degree days to come. But it is encouraging. Another thing I adore about fall is the decor. I mean, who doesn’t love cornstalks and gourds and cheerful orange pumpkins? There’s something about fall that inspires creativity, like the door of Swirlz, a delightful party-invitation store in Tupelo, Mississippi. I love the combination of the sheer orange ribbon and bare branches with the perky and sunny flowers. And then, adorning the gracious doorway of a magnificent Southern home in Decatur, Alabama, I found these lovely arrangements of gourds, mums and greenery. This is the home of Betty Sims, a cookbook author and former restaurant owner who teaches sold-out cooking classes every fall. She is Southern hospitality personified — warm, generous, funny and sweet — and I think her decor reflects that. Check out the Scrumptious Culinary School schedule at http://scrumptiousinc.com.

Random Thoughts

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Here are some things that have been running through my head the past few days:

First, I now know what it’s like to live in London or Seattle or any of those other places that have constant rain. I Umbrellabelieve it has rained practically every day here in northwest Alabama for the past three or four weeks. Everybody and everything smells sort of moldy, and all conversations include phrases such as ” … after I put my umbrella down … ” I don’t even know where my sunglasses are anymore. I think we may get a break next week, if that unfamiliar round yellow symbol on the weather chart is right.  But the rain and flooding has been more than inconvenient in so many places —  in Georgia, several people have died in the rising waters. I never understood how quickly and frighteningly flooding can happen until I was driving home from Corinth, Mississippi, this past Friday afternoon, going east on U.S. 72 through Barton, Alabama. It all of sudden started raining so hard that it was a whiteout — I literally could not see the road. I crept along looking for a place to turn off and started to drive through a convenience store’s parking lot when I noticed that what I thought was the parking lot was in fact brown swirling rushing water. Luckily, it wasn’t deep and after a few heart-pounding moments parked on high ground beside a Dumpster, I realized I could drive out safely and so I did. But Oh. My Goodness. That was scary. I now have a healthy respect for those words, “Flash food warning.”

Second, the reason I was driving back from Mississippi was that I had gone to the Tupelo hospital — our insurance is networked in Mississippi — to get a Reclast injection. Has anyone else done this? I have osteopenia, which is kind of like you-don’t-have-osteoporosis-yet-but-don’t-hold-your-breath, sister. For years I’ve taken Fosamax, Actonel Reclastand Boniva (do not get me started on Sally Field) with the only result being heartburn and indigestion, so my doctor recommended Reclast. I would only need it once every two years and it’s supposed to be easy on the tummy, so sign me up. And of course, like when you take most meds, you’re warned that Reclast can cause nausea, upset stomach, etc. And of course, like with most meds, you just nod and say, “All right. Sure. Okay.” But Saturday morning after my Reclast injection on Friday afternoon, I woke up with … wait for it … nausea, upset stomach, etc. Ugh. And I started panicking, thinking that I’d put this stuff in my body for two years and I was going to feel like hell for the whole two years and why-oh-why was I so stupid???  Luckily, it was just a 24-hour thing and I felt better the next day. I’m going to have to see my bone-scan numbers to decide if Reclast is worth it. Anyway, to anybody else considering Reclast: Plan for a full day of recovery. At least.

And have you read the People article that says “Kardashian wedding to be ‘classy affair’?” http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/22/khloe.kardashian.wedding/index.html I mean, really? Seriously??? Can any Kardashian possibly describe herself as “classy” with any semblance of integrity? The mind boggles.

And I’m fully into Dan Brown’s latest, “The Lost Symbol.” We can all agree it’s not great literature, but it sure is gripping page-turning fun. Plus, I love that this time it’s set someplace I know and can envision. Secrets in Washington, D.C.!!! Who’d have thunk it???!!!

Cajun Week

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Interior decoratingThe best part about Cajun Country? The incredible Home decorfriendliness and hospitality. A week or so ago, two other friends and I were lucky enough to get to go to Lake Charles, Louisiana, for a real Cajun wedding. Driving from our corner of northwest Alabama, we stopped in Jackson, Mississippi, to pick up another friend and we got our first taste of what Cajun generosity is all about. (And I know that Jackson isn’t really Cajun country but when you’re close enough to drive to New Orleans for lunch, that qualifies in my book!) Our Jackson friend, Jana, is always the one we turn to for decorating and entertaining advice since she excels at both of those — and she outdid herself this time. We’re ashamed to admit that even though she’s lived in Jackson now for almost three years, we’d never gone to visit her. So this was our first peek at her new house, and we all just fell in love with it as soon as we walked in the door. Everything was so warm, inviting and luxurious, with handmade Jana touches everywhere. She designed and made all the window treatments, as well as throw pillows and handpainted floor coverings. I wish just a little bit of her creativity would rub off on me.

Home decorHome decorAnd maybe it did, a little bit, because the next day Jana took us Do-it-yourselfto a wonderful consignment shop in Jackson — bargain hunting is another Jana speciality — and I found one of those wonderful 1980s’ embellished skirt like you’d make and wear to a friend’s Casino Night party. Instead of thinking, “Wow, I could probably wear that,” I had a Jana-thought: “Wow, that would make an adorable pillow.” Of course, you need a Jana to make those thoughts come true, and she did. You know you’d pay $60-plus for this pillow in a decorating shop, but I got it for the $8 cost of the skirt and Jana’s sewing time, which she luckily didn’t charge me for. Aren’t friends wonderful?

And the Cajun hospitality at Jana’s house didn’t end with Jana. On our way back from the wedding we of course had to Cajun foodstop in Jackson to drop Jana off. We had driven through nail-bitingly scary heavy rain for hours and were suffering the after-effects of too much fun, but Jana’s husband, Don, met us at the door with restorative glasses of wine and a wonderful Cajun lunch of real authentic New Orleans mufulletas (the secret’s in the Central Grocery olive salad) chips and salsa and a fresh fruit salad that Don showed us how to liven up with chili powder — something I’d never tasted before but I really enjoyed. I know I’m embarrassing Jana and Don here by gushing all over them, but, really, when you have friends who go to so much trouble to make you feel special, then you just have to brag about them. I mean, folks pay good money to be treated like this, and Jana and Don did it just because they love us. Awwww…

So this wraps up my Cajun Week, with reports from my few days exploring Cajun Country. I had a blast and I hope you did, too. Can’t wait to go back. And check out my weekly TimesDaily column on the Cajun wedding, at http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090918/ARTICLES/909185004

Cajun Week

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DecorOn our way to Louisiana’s Cajun Country for a wedding this past Decorweekend, my friends and I spent a day in Mississippi doing some of things we do best: Eating and shopping. And stumbling on Wacky Ideas That Might Come In Handy Sometime Because You Never Know. Like these two examples that solve the problem of what do you do with all those 45s/albums/CDs that you will never ever listen to again? At the 101 Cafe in Brookhaven, Mississippi — a funky sandwich spot with a very cool 1960s-hippie vibe — one of the walls was decorated with a huge peace sign made out of old 45s. I love this idea — how great would it be for a rec or media room? And then at Upscale Resale — a fun consignment shop in Jackson, Mississippi — we found this gleaming and holographic mobile made out of CDs. Now, this is true recycling! Check back tomorrow for one more Cajun Week post — I saved the best for last!

Cajun Week

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Cajun foodWe all know that one of the best parts about Cajun Pujo Street Cafe in Lake CharlesCountry is Cajun food. When some friends and I spent this past weekend in Mississippi and in Lake Charles, Louisiana, we did our best to sample as much Cajun cooking as possible. One of our favorite spots was Pujo Street Cafe in downtown Lake Charles, where we had lunch and took refuge during a Saturday afternoon downpour — and then enjoyed ourselves so much that we didn’t want to leave. The New Orleans-style cafe is one of those successful downtown-renovations — the building used to be a drugstore and apparently was the town gathering spot. Thanks to a fresh and innovative menu, delightful decor and friendly and helpful service, I can see why it still is. Pujo has a light and airy sidewalk courtyard and inside it features intriguing local art work on the exposed brick walls. And the food? Let’s just say we didn’t leave much behind. One of my friends raved about her Shrimp Angel pasta, and I refused to share any of my Oysters Pujo — pecan-crusted fried oysters with spinach and gouda cheese. Check out Pujo Street Cafe yourself at http://pujostreet.com.

Louisiana

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Cajun weekendToday I’m kicking off Cajun Week for no other reason Cajun wedding weekendthan this past weekend some friends and I drove a looooonngg way to Cajun country for the wedding of another friend’s daughter — and had such a blast we’d turn around and do it again in a second, despite the seemingly endless marathon of driving on the Natchez Trace. Since I still can hear the zydeco music and taste the andouille sausage, I’m sharing with you all. First, can you guess where we were? This is the view out of our eighth-story casino-hotel window, looking toward the lake for which this town is named — or maybe it’s the other way around. Anyway, the restaurant pictured is a very cool and tasty downtown eatery just around the corner from the breathtakingly beautiful Catholic church where the wedding was held. Sadly, I don’t have any Cajun prizes to give away to the winner, but you’ll have the satisfaction of proving you know your Louisiana geography. And please come back all week — I’ve got upcoming posts on Cajun food, decorating and wedding styles along with all the gambling tips I picked up in my (brief) career as a high-roller. You don’t want to miss it!