Tag Archives: fall

Scarecrows in Alabama

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There’s enough to do at Huntsville (Ala.) Botanical Garden’s Scarecrow Trail for an all-day adventure. To see the “trail,” you walk through the gardens and admire dozens of scarecrows that have been decorated by businesses, families, groups of friends. and all sorts of folks. The ‘crows are scary, funny, creative — you name it. Of course, HBG is gorgeous on its own. There are acres of shady woodland trails, flower gardens, natural areas and beautifully landscaped formal spots. My favorites are the peaceful Asian-inspired Garden of Hope and the butterfly house at the Nature Center. For children, there’s a playground paradise with games, mazes and all sorts of fun nooks and crannies to explore. Grandson Nolan, at 6 1/2 months, isn’t old enough yet to appreciate all the fun things he can do there, but on a recent visit he did try to eat the ferns in the butterfly house — what a nature boy! Of course, the Botanical Garden is a prime destination for two of my other top activities: eating and shopping. Clemintine’s at the Garden is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and serves fresh salads, soups and sandwiches, including a yummy roasted veggie pannini plus wine by the glass. Many local folks go there for lunch since you don’t have to pay garden admission to eat there, and it’s certainly worth it. And the gift shop at the Garden is superb — all sorts of seasonal decorations, garden-themed gifts and Christmas-stocking ideas. But the best part of the Huntsville Botanical Garden is that it truly is visitor-friendly. The folks there want to do everything they can to make your experience a positive one. For instance, you can bring your own food and eat a picnic lunch, and if you pay the one-day admission and then decide to become a member that day, you can get your ticket money back. Plus, everything is clean and well-maintained and the volunteers and staff answer questions, give directions and offer suggestions cheerfully and helpfully. Check it all out at www.hsvbg.org.

Picking Cotton

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Before harvest ...

It’s cotton-picking time in northwest Alabama. When we first moved here 13 years ago from middle Tennessee, my young daughters thought the cotton looked like snow on the fields this time of year — and I still think that! Farmers are in the midst of harvest right now, so the rest of us share the roads with hardworking traveling tractors and escaped flying cotton strands. Of course, everything’s all computerized and digitized in 2008, but many people who grew up country around here still remember picking by hand. I love driving by a mechanically harvested field with folks who know from experience

... and after.

... and after.

where the phrase “in high cotton”* comes from. They shake their heads and say in that “back-in-my-day” tone of voice, “Daddy would never have allowed us to leave the fields with so much cotton like that.”

But I love living someplace where tractors and cotton and dirt and gin (not the liquor!) reports on the morning radio are important.

* “In high cotton” means that the cotton plants are high enough so that you don’t have to stoop or bend over to pick it.

Pumpkin Mania

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Fall means pumpkins, and we all love pumpkins! There’s just something about them — I’m not sure what. Maybe that they’re only around for a few weeks. Maybe because they smell so good and taste even better. Maybe because they just instantly make me happy. Who knows? But I’m always glad when the air gets cooler and the leaves start to turn and I can go all pumpkin, all the time. Bath and Body Works has some great-smelling pumpkin things, such as Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin lotion and scrub. Fragrance oils and sprays also come in Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin as well as Perfect Autumn Pumpkin. This past year at Bath and Body Works, I bought some autumn potpourri that has stones, beads, glass leaves and wooden pumpkins in it and a Perfect Autumn Pumpkin travel candle, although I haven’t seen those items in stores this year. A few drops of oil refreshes the potpourri and everybody who comes in says, “Oh, your house smells so good.” Be careful, though, that somebody doesn’t think the potpourri is Halloween candy and tries to crunch a rock. (Who would do that, Lizzy Jane???!!!!!) And of course, there’s pumpkin you can eat. Pumpkin Spice Flax crunchy granola bars from Kashi are my favorite emergency on-the-road food — although they are, as advertised, quite crunchy. But delicious! Fresh Market sells a pumpkin pancake and waffle mix that’s easy and perfect for cool crisp mornings and fun breakfast-for-supper fall evenings. I’m also a big fan of pumpkin seed oil, which I’ve only found at Tria Market in Birmingham, Ala. (in Soho Square in Homewood, http://www.birminghammenus.com/tria/) It’s a rich and green oil that flavors bread and hearty vegetables with a woodsy taste of fall. But the best fall flavor is the pumpkin dip Connie Carpenter does at Jack O’Lantern Farms, the hydroponic greenhouses in Muscle Shoals, Ala., http://www.jackolanternfarm.com/. The Carpenters have the best selection of pumpkins for sale in northwest Alabama. Connie makes a dip by roasting pumpkins (quarter, brush with oil, roast and remove meat) and then combining the pumpkin with cream cheese, powdered sugar and spices. It’s absolutely October in your mouth!

Are You a Red Warty Thing?

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You know all those magazine and online quizzes that help you identify what your personality is? Well, rather than defining yourself through your favorite color or by which “Sex and the City” character you most resemble, what about  your choice of pumpkins? For example, are you a Cinderella or a Red Warty Thing? Baby Boo or Fairytale? Or perhaps you’re a Prizewinner or maybe a One Too Many. See for yourself where your pumpkin tendencies lie at Jack O’Lantern Farms, on Garage Road on the TVA reservation in Muscle Shoals, Ala. Hydroponic farmers Steve and Connie Carpenter have the most extensive selection of pumpkins around, including some weird and wonderful ones you won’t see anywhere else. They’re open 4-7 p.m. Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Check them out at www.jackolanternfarm.com

Fall Non-Decorating

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I used to practically redo my house when fall rolled around — everything from autumn-themed dishes and linens in the kitchen to fall-scented soaps and lotions in the bathroom, not to mention hay bales, dried corn and pumpkins everywhere. That was back in my days as a Mom with Kids Running Around. Something about having kids makes us moms determined to make each holiday memorable — and my way was to turn the house into Fall HQ. This year, however, my kids are grown up and running around their own places and my husband only knows it’s fall because football’s started. So I celebrated the upcoming change of seasons by getting out orange and brown espresso cups and coffee mugs. That’s it. I’m done. No scarecrows or cornstalks for me. I’m happy to simplify, simplify, simplify.

But … oh, OK, I’ll get out the brown plaid tablecloth. With matching napkins. And the Autumn Spice candles. Then there’s the popcorn bowl painted with candy corn. Didn’t I make a Halloween tree one year? And I might as well find those pottery jack-o-lanterns while I’m at it …

Hip Prep

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The print on this pretty silky top caught my eye in the window of Pink Pelican, the Lilly Pulitzer shop in Huntsville, Ala. (next to Fresh Market at the intersection of Whitesburg and Airport). It seemed like the perfect summer-transition-fall piece — and it was! When you think of Lilly Pulitzer, of course you think Palm Beach, pink/green and preppy. I fit none of those descriptions, but I fit into this top beautifully, so it had to come home with me. Besides, isn’t it important to overcome style stereotypes? I’m taking a stand for fashion, expanding my clothing vocabulary. At least, that’s what I’ll tell my husband, although he’ll point out that the only thing I’m expanding is my closet. So I won’t even tell him that also at Pink Pelican I found some of the best jeans I’ve ever put on: a pair of J Brand bootleg slim-fit mid-rise. If you’re like me and have trouble finding well-fitting jeans that look as if they were made in the 21st century, please give J Brand a try. You’ll be amazed. Poorer, but amazed. Visit Pink Pelican online at www.thepinkpelican.com

It’s Fall, Y’all!

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Okay, it’s mid-August here in northwest Alabama/southern Middle Tennessee (and really I guess everywhere else, too) but there already are signs of fall. I saw these giant pumpkins in Tullahoma, Tenn., this past weekend at Dotson’s Farm Fresh Produce, on Highway 55 going east out of town. The woman at Dotson’s said she didn’t know anything about them, only that “some man” had brought them by. Is this normal to have humongous gigantic pumpkins like these in the middle of August? I have no idea, but I predict the unknown pumpkin-growing man will win some ribbons at the Coffee County Fair. Plus, I’ve seen other signs of fall: winter squash (acorn, butternut and spaghetti) at Food Lion in Manchester; and back in Alabama, autumn decor at Wal-Mart in Muscle Shoals (but no Halloween candy yet) and jackets and sweaters squeezing out swimsuits at T.J. Maxx in Florence. Can Christmas-tree ornaments be far behind?