Think Inside the Box

We started packing shoeboxes when “He-who-is-now-taller-than-I” could fit his chunky-monkey baby legs through the slots in the front seat of the grocery cart, likely with one of those hypoallergenic seat covers. We would fill our box with necessities: toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, and such. Maybe some nifty socks or a hat. Of course, you had to have a coloring book, crayons, and some candy. Oh, and those Little Debbie Swiss Cake rolls. Oh, stink, they will melt in transit. Hmm. . . .

On: Jackson's Best-Kept Secret

Eggs. Flour. Milk. Sugar. Your basic ingredients for a cupcake. But so much more than that goes into the cupcakes at HaliHannigan’s Café & Cakery. Five years ago a cozy little space in the Columns bedecked in pink and black opened its doors—and its heart—to the Jackson community. Neill and Christi Bartlett, the husband and wife team that co-own HaliHannigan’s (whose name is derived from various parts of the names of their three daughters), were ready for a change.

Fireflies and Fire Pits

While there are many signs that summer is making its exit and fall is peeking around the corner, the gradual disappearance of fireflies from my backyard is the flickering billboard announcing summer’s conclusion. The days grow shorter, time spent in the hammock might require one to be cocooned inside a well-worn comforter, and the sunsets are all the more vivid. Being a native Floridian, the home of only two seasons (pre-spring and summer), it was quite a treat to see the leaves turn color.

EssaysGuest ContributorOctober 13, 2015Jackson TN, Tennessee, Tracie Barnard, fall, autumn, seasons, apples, Crock Pot, cooking, food, football

Roots and Wings

It's that time of year again. When our students return to Bulldog Country (The West Tennessee version—not Athens, Georgia, don't you know!), increasing the income of our local "Stuff-Marts," and reminding those of us affiliated, both directly and by marriage, of why we love this Place. In our ever-expanding circle, this has been a summer of engagements, newlyweds, and new-to-them abodes.