Spring in Jackson, Tennessee is often a season of contradictions. The most beautiful flowers bloom on dogwoods and Bradford pears, but they don’t smell as nice as they look. Rain comes to water the growing plant life, but severe weather can threaten both the outdoors and our own houses and roads. The temperature is finally high enough that you can wash your car outdoors, but beware of the green pollen that will soon engulf everything you hold near and dear.
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My journey with houseplants and gardening started four years ago. It was the hot evening of Memorial Day, and my roommates and I were hosting some friends at the house we used to rent off of Pleasant Plains. After the food and fellowship, one of the guests showed me some tiny succulents, each in their own terra cotta pot within a cardboard box. She was raising money to be a missionary in Thailand, and one of her fundraisers was selling succulents. I’d never had a plant before I’d just never thought of it- but I selected a small green plant with a few leaves on it. I named it “Baby Plant” due to its size and set it on the windowsill in the kitchen.
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With the renewed focus on sustainability in our shopping habits, Christmas on its way, and COVID-19 making our pockets lighter, the art of thrifting and antiquing is essential today. Thankfully, we have several locally-owned antique and vintage stores in the Jackson area. The perfect gift for a friend, family member, or yourself is waiting for you right here in the 731. You may find some truly wonderful mid-century modern pieces, handmade local crafts like soy candles or macrame wall hangings, Southwestern blankets, Turkish kilim rugs, used books and vinyl, and more at these locations. All you have to do is be patient and look!
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One cloudy summer evening in a quiet Memphis neighborhood, a miracle occurred.
The miracle worker, born and raised in Bells, was my grandmother, Nell Davis Skelton. She had curly, dyed brown hair that was often styled in a pouf reminiscent of a sixties beehive. The large, pitch-black sunglasses that she often wore made me think of a movie star, and she acted like one, too: confident, stylish, opinionated. There was always some new gossip to talk about with Grandmama, and she’d worry and judge and laugh about it in turn. She’d twist her ankle around and around as she talked to you, a sign of pent-up, nervous energy.
Grandmama was, among other things, a cook.
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It’s not every day that you see a horse and jockey standing at the entrance to a fine arts center. In fact, living in Tennessee, you wouldn’t normally see a horse and jockey anywhere. Horse racing used to be popular in Tennessee, with the first horse race held in Gallatin in 1804. However, the anti-betting law of 1906 put an end to traditional horse racing in the state. Still, breeding and riding horses remained popular. There is steeplechasing in Nashville, where horses and jockeys leap over obstacles on a turf course.
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