Magnolia and Moonshine | Fall 2022

Magnolia

& MOONSHINE

Magnolia

& MOONSHINE

Publisher: Katie Waldrep Content Editors: Leslie Anne Jones & Joan McLendon Budd Layout & Design: Denise DuBois Advertising Sales Manager: Meagan Thorne Advertising Sales: Darlene Spears & Taylor White Graphic Designer: Brad Beasley Contributing Writers Katie Waldrep Denise DuBois Katharyn Privett-Duren John M. Williams Joan McLendon Budd Marian Carcache Leslie Anne Jones Mark Clark Lynne Greene Frakes

Contributing Photographers Collins Kilgore Photography, Denise DuBois, Carmen Johnston, John Pyle, Dan Stewart, Kathryn McCrary, Mary Catherine Brownfield, Glenn Whittington, Eliza Daffin Photography, 4saucerers, Corey O’Connell, Brett Dougall, Mark Clark, Katie Waldrep, Michelle Kraft Deblois, Meg McKinney, and Joan McLendon Budd

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

T

his year has flown by and now it is already Fall 2022! Where does the time go? In my home, fall is filled with so many southern traditions.

When I polled my team about the first thing that comes to mind when we say the word Fall, almost everyone said football!

I am married into a football family. I grew up watching football on Saturdays but not like my husband did. He not only played college football but so did his father and his grandfather. Now, my son plays high school football and is already working hard to achieve his goal to play in college. Football is in their blood. So, for me, I attend every Friday night lights that I can to watch my son and his friends. But then, Saturday comes and here we go with the tailgating!

This is my part! I love to create a “tailgate.” We travel many Saturdays to different SEC schools but if we can’t get to Tuscaloosa or Athens on that day, we usually have a football party at my house.

This could include a charcuterie board or a full-on barbecue. People of the South love football!

The fall also reminds me of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. My extended family and friends (that I consider family) gather at my house around noon for lunch and some kind of extra fun. I usually cook a turkey, my mother makes the dressing (not stuffing), and the attendees bring a side dish or

dessert to contribute. We could feed an army with all of the food that we have!

Then, depending on the Alabama weather, we may shoot skeet, fish, or simply watch football on TV for the afternoon. I love this holiday because it is merely about getting together with friends and family and giving thanks. There are not any presents to buy and wrap. Just eating, talking and having fun!

Katie Waldrep Publisher Magnolia and Moonshine MagnoliaandMoonshine.com

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On the Cover A colorful fall table.

Photo by Denise DuBois Fall 2022 • Volume 1, Number 3 Magnolia and Moonshine is a product of Magnolia Greene, Inc. in Seale, Alabama

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MAGNOLIA & MOONSHINE SPRING 2022

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54 Kevin’s Catalog

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Katie’s Picks Tailgating Southern Etiquette Ready for Fall with Carmen Johnston Charleston Shoe Company Making Christmas Memories Midland Ghost Pepper Sauce

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Gamekeeper Restaurant John Cassimus Marsh House Rum Murder Creek Distillery Butch Anthony Peanut Boil with Marian Carcache So Sugar Cane Sweet

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The Harvest Dance Traveling this Season Christmas in Dahlonega Christmas Train Memories with Lynne Greene Frakes Mama said with Leslie Anne Jones Southern Ghost Stories www.MagnoliaandMoonshine.com

34 Estelle Colored Glass

16 Fall Table 24 Foraged Beauty 40 Hunter Bell NYC

47 Bauble Stockings

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Katie’s SWELLS OF SPLENDOR The new game day collection from Swells of Spendor is a great addition to any football outfit. The colors and designs can make any clothing game-day ready. I love to wear it around my neck or in my hair.

ESTELLE COLORED GLASS STEMS This glassware is great to add a little festive eye candy to your holiday party. But, I love to use Estelle any time!

They come in many beautiful colors and they make it fun to have a mocktail, a martini, or a glass of wine! You could even serve dessert in one of the glasses!

BAUBLE STOCKING These are new to me this year but when I received my order, I fell in love. They are beautiful, ornament-sized, hand-stitched needlepoint stockings. I can’t wait to put these treasures on my tree, and they make a perfect Christmas gift, too! Slip a clue in the stocking that leads to the final Christmas gift.

And there are many designs to choose from.

OKLAHOMA PELLET GRILL My family loves to grill or smoke ribs (and any other kind of meat) while the big game is on TV outside. This easy to use pellet grill gives the meat a delicious flavor.

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Fall Picks LANEIGE LIP SLEEPING MASK This leave-on, overnight lip mask is a beauty must. It comes in many different flavors such as mango, vanilla, berry, and sweet candy. I use the Vitamin C infused and antioxidant rich lip balm every night and my lips stay hydrated even on the coldest days. No chapped lips here!

NESPRESSO VERTUO PLUS I look forward to waking up every morning and enjoying a cup of coffee! It’s like going to Starbucks in my pajamas. Super easy to use. I simply buy the pods from Amazon and froth my milk with a little vanilla syrup. This espresso maker brings joy to my mornings!

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HAILEY SIDE SLOT LEATHER CROSSBODY BANDOLIER I am loving this phone case/wallet. I saw these while traveling this summer, and they are so convenient. Hands free! They come in many colors and styles. Perfect to use at a football game or concert. Even use it everyday to avoid neck pain from lugging the giant purse around.

MEATER I bought this as a gift for my husband since he loves to grill, but I have started using it inside as well. It is perfect to use in the oven when I cook my turkey for Thanksgiving. The app is easy to use and it cooks meat perfectly every time!

BAREFOOT DREAMS COZYCHIC RIBBED HOODED ROBE This is the perfect cozy robe for fall and winter. It has just enough warmth to keep me comfy but not too hot. And it is super soft!

PORTABLE CHARGER It’s always useful to throw a portable charger in your bag. With four output cords, you can charge almost anything! And instead of having to bring another cord to charge the portable charger, this one plugs directly into the wall.

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tailgating SEASON IS HERE

It’s fall y’all, and in our house, just as it is in many southern homes, that means football, friends, family, and of course tailgating!

Whether it be outside your favorite stadium with 90,000 of your closest friends or in your backyard with a handful of folks, tailgating is just about gathering and sharing your love for the game. Center your tailgating around your team’s colors, and keep it simple. Have foods that don’t require much fuss or need to be kept warm or cold.

Choose foods that will please a crowd, and serve a variety of sweet and savory. Throw in your favorite beverages along with plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Cheering loud is hard work! Have a few games around like cornhole and a football so friends can stay entertained before kickoff. Tailgate styled by Jodi Waldrep. Photos by Collins Kilgore Photography.

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The main focus of the tailgate is the food. Pickled shrimp, cookies with your favorite team’s logo, and other finger foods are on the menu. Midland Ghost Pepper Sauce and Southern Straws by Margaret Amos are great additions.

Plates and cups are from The Galleria in Columbus, Georgia.

Tailgate styled by Jodi Waldrep. Photos by Collins Kilgore Photography.

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Gnomes are adorable, but add your favorite team’s colors to it, and he becomes your tailgating mascot. For this tailgate, we’re celebrating the Dawgs’ 2021 National Championship win. Cookies with team colors add a nice touch. They are decorated by Jodi Waldrep. Find her on Instagram @jodiwaldrep. Tailgate styled by Jodi Waldrep. Photos by Collins Kilgore Photography.

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Weezie, the labradoodle, wants in on the tailgate action, too. Make sure you have dog-friendly treats for your furry friends. Frank Waldrep and Weezie enjoy sharing a snack. Flowers picked and arranged by Flowers From the Garden of Eva in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Tailgate styled by Jodi Waldrep. Photos by Collins Kilgore Photography.

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An elegant fall table using an unexpected pop of color with vibrant orange and blue that blends beautifully with the more traditional and subtle fall colors of the mixed Spode Woodland china. An exquisite antique epergne with matching candelabras anchor the table with perfectly curated fresh flowers. Grasse etched glass hurricane candleholders are repurposed as vases for fresh flowers at either end of the table. Above: Cheerful arrangement in antique epergne. Table styled by and floral arrangements by Betsy Illges, decorator and stylist from Columbus, Georgia. Photos by Denise DuBois.

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fall table

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Top: Simple but elegant silver napkin rings tucked with sprigs of the same live flowers from the centerpiece (including a gorgeous Globe Thistle) pull the floral décor within reach of each guest.

Above: Spode Woodland turkey dinner plate on clear, gold trimmed charger gets an updated look with the subtle “Wedgwood blue” linen place mat trimmed in white. At right: Exquisite place settings featuring Spode Woodland dinner plates, cobalt blue Estelle Colored Glass wine stems, sterling silver water goblets, cobalt blue Perle tumblers by Zafferano, and Francis 1st sterling flatware, along with horn handled steak knives. Table styled by and floral arrangements by Betsy Illges, decorator and stylist from Columbus, Georgia. Photos by Denise DuBois.

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Colorful arrangement in antique epergne includes assorted roses, Globe Thistle, Thryptomene, Cyrtanthus, Delphinium and varigated Silver Queen Pittosporum. Table styled by and floral arrangements

by Betsy Illges, decorator and stylist from Columbus, Georgia. Photo by Denise DuBois.

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A stunning antique pier mirror over the antique English buffet reflects Southern classics, pecan pie and carrot cake, elevated on glass cake stands, including a blue Estelle Colored Glass stand.

Annieglass dessert plates and a silver server await.

Once again, the hostess ties in the floral décor by surrounding the desserts with more fresh flowers from the centerpiece.

Table styled by and floral arrangements by Betsy Illges, decorator and stylist from Columbus, Georgia.

Photo by Denise DuBois. www.MagnoliaandMoonshine.com

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UNWRITTEN RULES OF GUESTING

By Sally Anne Sessitte Fall in the south. ‘Tis the season to, as that charming little teapot put it, “Be our guest.”

New England summer has a beautiful but manic energy. Think Springer Spaniel. Punctuated on both ends with the type of weather that makes people “hardy,” New England summer crams as much swimming, sailing, outdoor dining and fun as possible into a blissful nine weeks of windy, sunny, high-80s temps.

Fall in the south has that same eat-outside-while-you-can, “slightly frantic, y’all just come on!” energy. Weather’s perfect, football is on - it’s prime casual hosting season. And with hosting comes guesting. So can we talk about casual guesting? If adulting can be made into a verb (thanks, Millenials) surely the art of attending can be verbed. No one does hosting

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like the south, so you will want to be the best guest possible – and there are a few unwritten rules that apply. These aren’t written down but there are some “do’s” and some “bless your heart don’ts.”

Don’t hold out for better offers. Who gets to you first gets you. No exceptions, anything else is tacky. We all talk way too much for your “best offer” behavior not to be exposed, and you’ll end up at home.

Don’t overstay. At some point, your wife might say “it’s about that time” or “I hate it but we’ve got church / baseball in the morning.”

That’s your signal to make all goodbyes. You’ll then have to almost physically drag her out as she makes another drink and starts telling another story. If you don’t, you’re in trouble for letting her overstay, or even worse, letting her get overserved. If this logic doesn’t make sense to you, you’re probably not married. For some couples, these roles will swap. No bother. Same principle. Just be sure there’s a designated dud

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“Notice and comment on any new furniture, wallpaper, art, or monograms. Someone probably cussed over it, and it’s there for guests to notice. Do your part.” who knows they’ve got to end the fun – no one wants to hear you discuss whether it’s time to go.

Southern hosts won’t be direct – there really is no end time. That’s part of guesting. If something is happening that makes you feel like it might be time to go, you’ve stayed too long. We have a patented, pitchperfect signoff for ending a call or conversation... “I am gonna let you get back to it,” aka “Let me let you go,” but for in-person happy endings, the phrase is “We need to get out of yall’s hair.” This works every time. Don’t over complicate with an excuse or weird invested story. No one cares.

Same with regrets. “I hate we can’t make this one” is all that needs to be said.

Do not show up hands hangin’. Bless your heart. Go to some slight trouble, but don’t you dare admit it. Food-wise, your hostess will tell you not to bring a thing. She will mean it. Bring something anyway. There will be too much food. If that logic doesn’t make sense to you, you’re probably not southern. Don’t worry, you can learn.

If you’re a fabulous, fancy cook with fussy, complicated recipes, don’t bring that stuff. Leave the blow torches and flambes for hosting. It doesn’t matter what you bring. It does matter – in a good way – that you thought about what might be appreciated and went to some slight trouble. It also matters that you never admit to going to any trouble. “Listen I had this at the house it was going to waste, and it is the EASIEST recipe.”

Now this one’s important: be ready to share the recipe (the real recipe, none of this passive-aggressive leaving-out-an-ingredient). We are going to tell you it’s good no matter how it tastes. That’s southern manners.

But if we really love it, we’re gonna ask for – and expect – the recipe.

That’s southern community.

As for hostess gifts, they’re not necessary at a casual get together.

Bring one anyway. Don’t be tacky and overdo it. A genius local friend stocks up on cute seasonal cocktail napkins for just this type of thing. It’s truly not about the thing itself (it is probably getting re-gifted) but it is about the going to the slight bit of trouble that shows you thought about her.

Alcohol will be served. But there are still some times when you’ll bring your own. If you bring wine that you happen to like, bring two bottles, because bringing what you’re drinking isn’t the same as bringing the hostess a bottle.

Very unique to the art of guesting in the south – and friends this is somewhat advanced guesting – is the babysat bottle. If what you drink comes in a glass bottle, and that bottle isn’t fully consumed, leave it there, and know that it will be there – babysat -- for you to enjoy the next time you come. And if it isn’t, no one will ever know, because you won’t dare ask about it. That would be tacky.

If your hostess says “We’ll have a few things, but bring what you want to drink” then you can bring a (non-leaking) cooler. No one cares if it’s a Yeti or a styrofoam cube from Piggly Wiggly.

What happens in your cooler is your business. However, the rules change if your drinks take up your hosts’ refrigerator space. If you

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have loaded your drinks into her refrigerator, don’t you dare trespass in that refrigerator and go rooting around at the end of the night for those bottles you think you didn’t drink. You drank them. And if you didn’t, someone else did, and that’s not a topic anyone wants to discuss.

If the get-together gets going and the host opens a bunch of her own bottles, great. You can swing by tomorrow after church or Monday with a replacement bottle and, as a bonus, catch up on any gossip from a great time.

Notice and comment on any new furniture, wallpaper, art, or monograms. Someone probably cussed over it, and it’s there for guests to notice. Do your part.

Here’s a big one. It may happen that your guesting overlaps with the guesting of some folks that aren’t your favorite. If there’s been litigation between you, you are permitted a small babysitter emergency and you may regrettably need to slip out the side door. Your hostess will understand.

In all other cases, you are expected to behave, be kind, and find a universal topic. Football, your hostess’ amazing cooking, tomatoes, little league, inflation. Many times, guesting in common uncovers other things in common, and many hatchets are buried in southern kitchens or backyards. The bottom line is – as with all things southern – the food and drinks and rules are all secondary to the community of it. Thinking about others is the simplest way to be the best at guesting. As with all things southern, it’s about the people.

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BETH EDWARDS FILLS HER HOME, “OLD TOWN,” WITH BEAUTIFUL ARRANGEMENTS MADE FROM NATURE

By Katharyn Privett-Duren When first chatting with Beth Edwards, the first thing you’ll learn is that her innate passion resides in nature. Her degree from the University of Alabama was in Home Economics, inspiring a love for art and design that translates to her uniquely southern tablescapes. It’s almost impossible to tell where Beth’s story begins and that of Old Town (a community long passed) ends, as her home and forage-craft have become one.

Beth and her husband’s homestead, also named “Old Town,” sits in South Dallas County, Alabama while most of her neighbors are marked as Lowndes County, Ala. residents.

Once upon a time, there was a thriving township at the end of their dirt road, a hauntingly picturesque place where a pastorium still stands. Beth loves these edifices, noting that their ruins remind her of Anne of Green Gables. It is a site that time—but not nature—has all but forgotten. The old cemetery still supports headstones that date back to the American Revolu-

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tion, the last inscriptions of a town that once sported a general store, a bank, a post office and a school. It had been a farming community, back before cotton farming fell off and folks turned to timber production. Beth likens these still-crumbling structures to that of the Whistle Stop Café from Fannie Flagg’s well-known novel. And it is here that you will find her, winding along its erstwhile paths in search of something beautiful.

From nandina berries to cotton stems, camellia flushes to iris petals, Beth forages and gathers the bits and pieces of nature for her tablescapes. She has a particular aesthetic that drives her, as she notes, “I like to use flowers in every stage, from the bud to the pod and even in winter dormancy. They are lovely throughout all of their seasons.”

And yet, there is one season that Beth finds significantly breathtaking: “it’s when they are almost spent. There’s something special about that stage.” Here, in the fading moments of Limelight hydrangeas and worn vines, her arrangements echo the life of all that’s come before. It is, in essence, the sunset of nature that moves Beth the most.

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Beth Edwards creates beautiful centerpieces and floral arrangements with foraged flowers and foliage. Opposite: Arrangement of fading limelight hydrangeas, persimmons, nandina berries, pinecones, varied greenery, and Spanish Moss in a decorative compote. Above, left: Arrangement of fading hydrangeas, nandina berries, pinecones, cedar sprigs, and pheasant feathers highlight a shuttered wall display featuring antique blue and white transferware. Above right: Beth clips fig branches for a new creation. Photos provided by Beth Edwards.

When asked how she began to weave these charming tablescapes, Beth remembered her childhood: “I grew up at First Baptist Church in Selma.

The altar flowers there were always done by church ladies.”

The beauty of those arrangements stayed with Beth for many years to come, leading her to continue the tradition at First Baptist Montgomery. Her husband, Jim, has also been invested with the mission of gathering pods, vines, and other delightful offerings from the woods.

Beth claims that his eyes are now quite well trained, and Jim agrees.

“When we go to church on Sundays and turn onto that dirt road, I roll down the window—whether it’s thirty degrees or a hundred—and look for sources of things she might love,” he said.

While Beth has cultivated her own summer garden of sunflowers, dahlias, and zinnias, she also relies on Jim’s harvesting of oak branches and wild, bright berries for her autumnal collections. It turns out, he’s learned the way of the land here, as he admits, “She might be doing a small arrangement and claim that she doesn’t need much. But that doesn’t mean anything to me. I bring a whole pickup load—I never know when enough is really enough.”

For his artistic wife, that just depends on what the arrangement wants to be.

While other florists and designers might have something quite specific in mind about how the table should take shape, Beth just lets her creations

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“do what they naturally want to do.” Taking a cue from nature, she leaves a space for the final setting to be somewhat wild: an oak branch might sport an acorn or two, pomegranates still cling to their branches, and figs are nestled against their verdant leaves.

It’s all a dance, for Beth, to bring the outside in—and that is an organic process. Her favorite tablescape was a holiday one of persimmons and blue and white dishes, as she admits: “I don’t do Christmas china. I just work with the color of the berries: rustic, natural, and warm.” Indeed, Beth’s reverence for nature and all of its wonders is imbibed throughout her work.

Beth grants that her process, from inspiration to a finished table, is a labor of love: her foraging walks are how she connects with her faith. In fact, Jim plans on building her a small chapel on their land, just as soon as he finishes the side-roof of his own barn. It is a fitting gift for the woman who found sanctuary along the lush and broken roads of a long-forgotten town and shared its treasures with others. Of course, her husband has caught the foraging bug, as well.

Jim chuckles as he notes, “It makes me more aware of the area, as well as the flora and fauna. Occasionally, I’ll come home and say I found you an S. That’s a surprise, whether it be a bright orange flower on a vine or a branch of leaves I’ve never noticed before.” Those moments, those captivating and hopeful surprises from the woods and fields of Alabama, live on in all that Beth creates.

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Opposite top: An exquisite pheasant adds the crowning touch to a foraged arrangement in a wooden dough bowl. Opposite bottom: Fruit laden persimmon branches in a wicker wrapped jug grace Beth’s rustic kitchen table.

Center: A mantle arrangement of simple cedar limbs adorned with red berries, apples, roses, magnolia leaves, pine cones, and Spanish Moss - punctuated with antique Staffordshire dogs - adds holiday flare. Below: Beth’s favorite Christmas table setting with Lenox Autumn china features a centerpiece of cedar, red berries, and persimmons in an antique blue and white transferware bowl to coordinate with the colors of the china.

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Photo by John Pyle

ready for fall

DON’T BE A SCAREDY CAT! IT’S EASY TO GET A FESTIVE FRONT ENTRY WITH THESE 5 STEPS Carmen Johnston, a renowned gardening and lifestyle expert, shares tips on getting your front door fall ready!

1. Start with the best fall focal point: pumpkins! I love to use faux pumpkins in a bunch of colors and sizes—that way I’m not spending tons of money every year on fresh ones. Invest in faux and just buy a few real ones to layer with them. Fill your walkway with stacks of different shapes and hues, then add containers of mums in rich jewel tones, like gold, purple, and orange, for a natural element that gives soft texture to the pumpkins.

2. Get a glow! Take away the fuss (and mess!) of carving pumpkins, and simply scatter lanterns to illuminate the walkway. The geometric mercury glass vessels I used here provide a pretty, rustic sparkle.

No-hassle battery-operated candles mean you can leave the lanterns lit all night long.

3. Adorn the front door with an all-natural wreath that makes gorgeous use of dried elements. Here, I used dried limelights, mushrooms,

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and citrus. (Bonus: Remove any hints of Halloween, and this ornamental wreath will take you all the way through Thanksgiving!) To drive home the organic feel, I simply wired on the accents in a crescent shape, allowing the rest of the grapevine base to show.

4. Here’s a great trick to add height to your walkway or front door: Head to a local nursery and purchase 7- to 15-gallon crepe myrtle shrubs. Plop them in a pot (don’t plant them!) and stretch spiderwebs around the branches. (You can plant them after the holiday season, so you get the most bang for your buck!)

5. For the final flourishes, I’m all about extra-eerie details! Create a creepy-cute vignette near the front door: Simply stretch more spiderwebs on a stack of firewood, then perch a skeleton atop. Cut out (or order on Amazon!) paper bats, and group them along the window on a covered porch (where they won’t get wet). Jazz up your pumpkin display with spooky creatures—rubber snakes, spiders—creepy-crawling on and around the pumpkins.

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For Georgia-based gardening and lifestyle expert Carmen Johnston (opposite), creating lush, beautiful backdrops for family life and entertaining is a passion. Her nearly 15 years of experience, combined with appearances on The Today Show with Hoda and Jenna, features in Southern Living and Country Living, and her own large social media presence, landed Carmen the dream of a lifetime as the outdoor living designer and on-camera expert for the HGTV Smart Home 2022 in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Pictured: Eerie Final Touches.

Photo by Carmen Johnston.

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Carmen Johnston recently launched Bespoke Garden Plans, a full-service remote landscape design service. Based on virtual client meetings and photos, Carmen and her curated network of landscape designers throughout the U.S.— whom specialize in detailed hand drawings to beautiful 3D renderings— deliver customized blueprints that range from a small-scale yard refresh to a complete install with special spaces such as container plans, pools, and other garden structures. Fans follow her easyto-follow online tutorials, Q&A sessions, and daily décor inspiration on her popular social accounts—Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok—@CarmenJohnstonGardens and @BespokeGardenPlans.

Pictured: Carmen Johnston’s fall wreath. Photo by John Pyle. Opposite: Spooky Details. Photo by Carmen Johnston 30 | Fall 2022 www.MagnoliaandMoonshine.com

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Create Carmen Johnston’s loo k

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estell e colored glass

The Estelle Colored Glass collection is comprised of original commissioned pieces made by glass artisans in Poland at a glass making company with a rich 100-plus-year-old history. The company was inspired by Stephanie Summerson Hall’s grandmother, Estelle, and her love for finding vintage colored glass collections. Pictured: Stephanie with the Estelle Colored Champagne Flute. Pictured at right: Estelle Colored Glass Martini Glasses and Champagne Flutes.

Find more from the collection at estellecoloredglass.com. Photos provided by Estelle Colored Glass.

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TRADITION AND FAMILY MEMORIES

By Denise DuBois Stephanie Summerson Hall learned a lot from her grandmother, Estelle, affectionately known as “Big Mama.” In particular, she learned how to cook, how to be a hostess, and how to find buried treasures. The treasures they hunted were unique pieces of colored glass used for serving drinks and beautiful food.

“She visited several stores on rotation in neighboring small towns in South Carolina near Holly Hill. She was an avid collector and was always adding beautiful and unique pieces to the two China cabinets in her home. There was never a wasted trip,” Stephanie said about the woman who later inspired her business, Estelle Colored Glass.

From practicing law in 2010 to being an entrepreneur, Stephanie knew she wanted to honor the memory of her grandmother by helping others build their colored glass collections. She vividly remembers the summer shopping trips with “Big Mama” and her growing love for the beautiful serving pieces.

“I started the Estelle brand when I realized there was not one place you could find a variety of colored glassware pieces that would allow someone like myself to build a collection,” she said.

Her favorites now are the cake stands and stemware, particularly the lavender pieces. They were the Estelle originals, after all. But what makes her business never feel like work is getting to offer great products, and she gets to reminisce.

“I get to talk about my family heritage,” she said.

That includes Sunday dinners with course after course of amazing food and a homemade dessert enjoyed by family and friends. Estelle’s signature dessert was a from scratch, decadent vanilla pound cake often beautifully displayed on a colored glass cake stand and served with a side of strawberry Jello topped with whipped cream. Friends would drop by for an afternoon visit and taste the wonderful mix of flavors.

“Under my grandmother’s tutelage, I learned my first fundamental cooking techniques all the while spending invaluable time side by side with her in the kitchen and accompanying her on shopping trips. Most of all, I am indebted to her for teaching me the gift of being a fine hostess,” Stephanie said.

It is her hope that the quality, heirloom pieces she has curated create special memories for families like she has.

Estelle Colored Glass is celebrating its third birthday as a brand in October. It will also release shot glasses later this year and a collection of highball glasses and lowball glasses next year.

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Estelle Colored Glasses are perfect for any occasion and make great gifts. Pictured: Estelle Colored Glass Martini Glasses and Champagne Flutes. Find more from the collection at estellecoloredglass.com.

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Versaale, quality pieces

curated for your life.

1141 1st Ave Columbus, GA 762-524-7342 www.councilstudio.com @councilstudio

Hunter Bell

Photos provided by Hunter Bell 40 | Fall 2022

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UNIQUE FASHION FOR WOMEN Hunter Bell is all about creating sophisticated, feminine clothing for the individualist. Hunter Bell gives women the confidence to define their own fashion in intricate fabrics and styles that are unique. She answers a few questions about what inspires her and what’s coming up for her fashion line.

Q: What brought you into the fashion industry and what keeps you here?

Bell: I have always loved fashion. From a young age, I was spending time in the theater’s costume room and making clothes for my barbie dolls. I studied fashion at the University of Alabama and spent summers interning in New York before returning after graduation to study at the Parsons New School. In 2013, I was the winner of ABC’s hit show Fashion Star, and after that re-launched my new label, Hunter Bell NYC. In the years since then, I’ve moved my business to Houston, where my family is settled, and I have seen enormous growth and support here. We are now carried in more than 175 retailers worldwide and online at hunterbellnyc. com. I’m thrilled with the direction the brand is heading. Seeing our growth keeps me motivated and loving what I do!

Q: What inspires you and your collections?

Bell: My collections are often inspired by destinations. We always want to take our customers on a journey. Whether or not they are traveling to that specific place, they can feel the mood and colors behind what spoke to me while I was designing the pieces.

Q: Why is it important for you to design the way you do, with the theme of “creating sophisticated, feminine clothing for the individualist?”

Bell: My goal is to inspire people to be bold in their lives and embrace

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their personal style. I still feel strongly that the concept of “look good to feel good” is more relevant than ever today.

Talk about your personal style and what you wear on a daily basis.

Bell: The brand represents my own style. I wear these clothes everyday and believe that women should feel confident and beautiful in the clothes they wear. I love mixing and matching formal and casual pieces, like a long skirt with a t-shirt. A good outfit lifts my mood!

Q: What are some of your favorite pieces in your own collections?

Bell: Well that’s the hardest question of course! This summer I’m wearing a lot of our short dresses like the Britton and the Maya. But I’m also obsessed with the Lacey dress and have been wearing that on repeat!

Talk about your philanthropy and why you chose your specific cause.

Bell: When I started thinking about what causes our company would stand behind, I kept coming back to the eye-opening presentation about Human Trafficking by Rachel Fischer. I first heard Rachel’s incredible story a couple of years ago at a lunch hosted by Crime Stoppers. Since then, our team strives to educate ourselves on how to be aware of human trafficking, how to help fight it, and how to help survivors. This horrific billion dollar industry is going on all around us and affects people from all socio-economic backgrounds.

Q: What is coming up for Hunter Bell NYC? Bell: We have a lot of exciting things coming up in the second half of 2022 and 2023. This summer, we released our capsule swim collection with Cover Swim, and I was thrilled with how the suits turned out and how positive the response has been!

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Hunter Bell creates designs for women in an effort to give women confidence to define their own fashion in intricate fabrics and styles that are unique. Order online at hunterbellnyc.com

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Charleston Shoe Company STYLISH, COMFORTABLE SHOES

Neely Woodson Powell’s journey began in 1996 when she was in Central Mexico. She met a cobbler who made stylish and comfortable shoes. She began selling shoes alongside her mother’s furniture markets. Now, she has her own storefronts to sell her designs. Her shoes are also sold in more than 200 boutiques across the country. Photos provided by Neely Woodson Powell.

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THE RIGHT SHOES FOR THE JOURNEY

By Katharyn Privett-Duren When Neely Woodson Powell attended SCAD (The Savannah College of Art and Design) in 2010, she found herself amongst a clad of teenage boys busily drafting five-inch heels in blue suede. Also moved by beauty, Neely dreamed of infusing comfort and a timeless feel into a woman’s shoe. After all, luxury without comfort was not something a working woman could indulge. As she points out, the shelf life of those early designs has endured: “The first shoe I ever sold twenty-four years ago was written up in New York magazine. That was the Monterey, and it’s still in style.” Undeniably, so is the tenacity and vision of this powerhouse of a businesswoman.

Even as Neely remains the designer for The Charleston Shoe Company today, she insists that the final product is really a collaboration of everyone in her company: “We are constantly creating new products based on what our customers are telling us, but also what our employees are seeing for the store. I’m not in the trenches: they are.” From kitten heels to enclosed pumps, these suggestions inspire the most innovative of creations. Neely believes that this is why her shoes have earned such a cultural following, as women are designing shoes for women. At Charleston Shoe Company, shoes are crafted by a lived experience that spills into every corner of the business.

Many of her stores are framed by charming cobblestone streets, and though integral to the historicity of place, they play mayhem on a shoe. Folks would hobble through the doors on broken heels from their walks, and so Neely adopted the slogan: “cobblestones to cocktails” for

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her storefronts. While her flagship store in Charleston will always be her home, the one that she opened in Nantucket nine years ago holds a real sense of community for Neely. The Charleston Shoe Company has focused its work within the realm of retail, a premise that Neely believes is at the heart and soul of getting to know her customers: “I don’t just have people taking money and ringing people up. I have these friendships that are built within the store and this atmosphere of walking into your best friend’s closet and having a shoe party. In a lot of ways, I’m a tourist stop—the southern accent helps— but it’s just this feeling that you get when you are at home. People resonate with that.”

There’s a certain rapport that comes with such a warm environment.

Customers trust the company, leaning upon her stores for footwear suggestions on everything from a wedding to a day in the country. Word of mouth is the primary form of advertisement for the Charleston Shoe Company, as it has become “almost a southern contagion” among those who step into her thoughtfully designed shoes: “Literally, we have some customers who come in and say: some stranger let me try her shoe on and now I’m here to buy it. It’s like paying it forward in comfortable shoes, and they are continuing to tell the story for me.”

Perhaps most integral to that story are the people that make it possible. Neely considers her managers and sales associates to be family, noting that there are only two men in her company of 160 employees. When asked what is significant about her primarily women-run stores, her answer showcased the real lives of them all: “Sometimes, I feel like a sorority house mother. They sleep at my house, I hear about their boyfriends, but if anything, it’s super inspiring

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and empowering. I see all of these mini entrepreneurs: I opened the store, yet they are technically running their own business and creating and making decisions. They have children and they are mothers. They take such pride in their stores and are an extension of all of us. It’s an honor to employ these women who have such an amazing work ethic and love for what we do.” And there’s a reason for that love.

Neely’s own work ethic is eclipsed only by her innate celebration of life, travels, family, and friendships. Her favorite shoe is the Cannon in red multi-stripe, a design that she describes as “risky, but looks like the south of France in a shoe.” Apparently, the warehouse always knows where she’s been when sales drive up on her beloved pick, as the shoe is as infectiously vivacious as its designer. Her new favorite is the Carolina, made from a unique fabric from Italy: ruffled and flirty, it wraps around the ankle and elongates the leg.

Neely has deemed it the “Cannon 2.0,” a testament to a style that can withstand the ever-changing landscape of the fashion scene.

Yet, this entrepreneur didn’t just stop at beautiful shoes. In 2019, Neely opened fourteen stores just before Covid hit: “I joke that, working every day in the store for a month and a half, I didn’t get to open any new stores and so I was bored.” And so, Neely branched out into a clothing line—specifically, that of dresses. She wanted something to go with the shoes to share the deeper narrative of comfort, function, and charm. Her dresses are block-printed by artisans in India, expertly lined and include pockets, all culminating in what Neely calls her summer uniform.

A favorite is the Garrott, named after her daughter: a frolic of a dress with a touch of lace and whimsy evoking a spirit of adventure, much like its creator.

While her design horizons have already expanded, Neely is not quite done. When asked if she has any plans to ever retire, she was adamant that she intended to continue her life’s work: “No! I don’t know what I’d do, I’d be so bored. The Charleston Shoe Company is my life, and I want to grow with it.” Indeed, as she was just to embark on her first real vacation in nearly a decade, this lovingly nicknamed “shoe darling” remains the beating heart of her company.

And rest assured, Neely has chosen the right shoes for the journey.

Charleston Shoe Company has five locations: the Charleston Market, Downtown Charleston on King Street, the Charleston Outlet, Wilmington, North Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia.

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bauble stockings

Kate Stewart began Bauble Stockings as a way to bring a beautiful family tradition to others. Pictured: Kate Stewart, her husband, Peter, and their children: Brianna (7) and Calder (5).

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BRINGING A TRADITION TO OTHERS

By Denise DuBois When Kate Stewart was a child, she and her brothers, along with their father, would pick out a special Christmas gift for Mom. It was always the most special because she deserved it, and it was the final gift. It was placed in a bauble stocking on the Christmas tree. One year, Kate remembers her mom getting art lessons. It was thoughtful. She liked art. Then Kate’s dad, Sandy (affectionately known as Sandy Claus), added that all her best friends were getting art lessons, too. It became a built-in ladies’ night each week. She loved it.

The gift wasn’t always the most expensive. Some years it was a love note.

But some years it was a piece of jewelry.

When she got married, Kate asked her husband when she would get her bauble stocking. Her husband didn’t know what she was talking about and there was no mention of a bauble stocking on the Internet.

Kate realized it was a tradition for her family, but she wanted to bring the tradition to others. She also wanted to include every member of the family getting a special, final gift. In 2018, Kate officially launched Bauble Stockings – a company that offers 18-count needlepoint, luxury stockings. The stockings feature artwork from guest artists and are high quality, fairtrade products made in Haiti. In fact, there are now more than 1,000 stitchers at Good Threads Needlepoint, an organization in a community of single mothers who make bauble stockings and are paid the equivalent of school teachers and nurses.

“My mission is to employ more people,” Kate said.

When she first began the business, she knew she had a good idea.

“I knew I had a home run tradition on my hands,” she said. “I didn’t think so much of my mission would be to employ the team I’m employing. It started in China, but I couldn’t meet the stitchers. Then I looked for fair-trade. That matters to me.”

The artwork also matters to her, as well as having a tradition you can pass down in your family.

Bauble Stockings began as a tradition in Kate Stewart’s family. She began her business to bring the tradition to others. The stocking typically include Christmas’s final gift of a note, piece of jewelry, clues for a scavenger hunt, travel tickets,or other special treasure. Order yours at www.baublestockings.com. Pictured is Katherine Knuth showing off four stockings. Photo by Dan Stewart. Opposite: Merry Magnolias by Katherine Knuth. Photo by Kathryn McCrary.

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Hang your Bauble Stocking on the tree. Above: Brianna receives her stocking from the tree that is covered in twinkling white lights. Photo by Mary Catherine Brownfield. At right: Festive Flamingos by Willa Heart for Dogwood Hill. Opposite: Peace on Earth is styled with a beautiful table setting. Photos by Kathryn McCrary.

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Fill your Bauble Stocking with clues to create an exciting scavenger hunt for your family members. This stocking is Winter Wonderland. Photo by Kathryn McCrary.

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Marsha Mason always begins her Christmas decorating with a deer head wreath. It lets the community know Christmas is here. She also creates a table theme that will be fun for the kids. Photos provided by Marsha Mason.

MAKING CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

By Denise DuBois Christmas traditions are made to be passed down to children and grandchildren. Decorating the trees, listening to Christmas songs, eating cookies – they’re all things that ring in the most anticipated holiday.

Marsha Mason remembers picking out a favorite ornament every year as a child and decorating her grandmother’s Christmas tree.

“We had a tradition of decorating my grandmother’s tree. She did a lovely job. There were always cookies and eggnog. My grandfather would play Christmas songs on the organ, and we would all sing. Each year, I’d pick out an ornament. Now I cherish those I had collected through the years. It just amazes me because it brings back those memories,” she said. “They’re all pretty vintage at this point. And some of them aren’t particularly lovely, but they carry sweet memories of decorating.”

One ornament she loves is of an old troll doll with crazy hair dressed as a caroler. She got it when she was in fifth grade.

“Those were my happiest childhood memories. I know my children feel the same way when they see things they’ve chosen on the tree,” she said.

She has collected her children’s ornaments for decades – ones they’ve picked out or made as children. Her children look forward to them coming out of storage each year. Even as adults with little ones of their

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own, the tradition is still a special one.

Another tradition Marsha garnered from her grandmother is decorating her 100-year-old home’s massive front door with a wreath. It’s not just any wreath. It has a deer head in the center and a big red bow.

“It thrills the grandchildren every time it comes out,” she said. “The community notices it, too, and I always get comments. ‘Ah, it must be Christmastime,’ the neighbors say.”

A formal Christmas dinner is the culmination of the season for her family.

“It’s always dressy,” Marsha said. “There’s always silver and silver goblets. I pull out all the stops because I feel like it makes it special and stand out.”

Usually there is a theme, too. It’s different every year and includes fun things the grandkids will like. In the past, nutcrackers and gingerbread houses made by the grands have decorated the tables.

“It depends on what the mood strikes. It’s really fun, and it adds a nice layer to have young children again. It’s easy for us to get older and jaded. To do things for the children, though, they’re so much fun. I try to slow down and suck all the juices out of it. To see it through their eyes again makes it all worth it.”

Marsha recently sold her 100-year-old home. She is happy to see the place she loved for so long welcome a new family who will create their own special memories.

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kevin’s catalog A LIFESTYLE OF HUNTING

By Denise DuBois

Hunting isn’t just about the thrill of the hunt anymore. It’s an entire lifestyle experience. That’s what Kathleen and Kevin Kelly sell in their catalog and stores. Kevin’s Fine Outdoor Gear and Apparel is a lifestyle shop. They have an extensive selection of clothing for men, women, and children, hunting accessories, outdoor gear, tableware, and decor for the gatherings that follow the hunt.

Kevin began his career selling guns as a second job.

“I’ve always been that guy who works hard and goes after everything,” Kevin said. “I was taught about nice things. The lesson was if you can’t afford it, go earn enough money to afford what you want.”

The adventure began with guns and a couple of jackets. Then more

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apparel was added, and ultimately all aspects of sporting goods.

Kevin’s Catalog is 25 years old, and Kevin credits it to putting them on the map. “The catalog has really driven the brand,” he said. “It got us in the national market.”

The difference between Kevin’s and national stores, the couple said, is that they are avid hunters who live the lifestyle. Their children hunt. Their family hunts. Their friends hunt. The niche company was created by hunters for hunters. They understand what hunters want.

At the top of Kathleen’s list was developing a line of women’s hunting clothes that didn’t look like her husband’s clothes.

“Women don’t want to look like men when they’re hunting,” she said. “Other companies make hunting clothes that look like your husband’s.”

Not Kevin’s. They developed the Huntress – Kevin’s women’s

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Kevin’s prides itself on women’s hunting apparel that still looks feminine. Pictured above, left is the Huntress All Purpose Mesh Shooting Vest and Kevin’s Huntress Stretch Briar Pant. Also pictured is Hicks & Brown Suffolk Fedora. Above, right: Women’s and girls’ outerwear. Opposite: Kathleen and Kevin Kelly, owners of Kevin’s Catalog, at an opening dove hunt. Photos by Glenn Whittington. sporting apparel designed to be feminine and functional. In fact, that line is Kathleen’s favorite of all the products they sell. The entertaining products are a close second.

“I love to entertain,” she said. “I love the giftware, casual hunt cups, and beautiful tables.”

She understands hunting should include dogs, gracious people, and “field” gatherings for cocktails, lunch, or dinner. In fact, their dinner jacket for men is a favorite.

“It was hard to get produced, but when I see a man wearing it at a party, he’s having more fun than anyone else because people are talking about it,” she said.

Kevin’s personal favorite products include the guns and the portable whiskey bar.

“It’s to die for. It’s really a beautiful piece,” he said.

They also build their own line of shotguns, including a red-bottom gun.

The two are mostly concerned with exceptional customer service and top-quality products. They’ve developed relationships with customers over the years and continue to receive feedback to improve their brand. With every purchase, they send a thank you card.

Kathleen said that customers often respond to their cards with letters or emails about their purchases or experiences.

Their favorite note said: “You live in an incredible city in the middle of one of the rarest and most beautiful ecological environments: the Long-Leaf Pine forests. You get to be with people when they are probably “most-happy” nestled in their hunting retreats and enjoying

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the great outdoors chasing after dogs who are chasing after quail while eating southern delicacies, drinking southern bourbon, and telling stories that will never be verified nor denied. You are a vital part of that great storytelling tradition of the South. And you are dab square in the middle of it. Making it possible with what you give the customer.

You are a mix of Walt Disney and PT Barnum. You can make the dream. You can sell the dream. You are the Greatest Show.”

Being compared to two of the greatest imagineers, Kevin was honored and touched. He has many similar stories where customers have reached out to him.

“I was in a hotel recently and a guy walked up to me. He said I looked familiar. I told him who I was and his wife had been getting the catalog. He was a perfect stranger from Wyoming. That’s what we hear all the time,” he said.

On a buying trip to New York, a salesman making conversation asked what Kathleen did for a living. She was convinced he’d never know the brand but told him anyway. He knew the catalog.

Today, Kevin’s Catalog mails fewer copies, but their website has picked up the slack. The brand has been going for 40 years, and the two still love every minute of it.

“We love what we do. We keep coming out with creative products.

It makes our store unique when you walk in,” Kathleen said. “But we never dreamed it would be the way it is today.”

“It’s been a long road and a great experience,” Kevin added. “We’ve hunted all over the world. We live the life, and we understand it. The outdoor lifestyle is a beautiful life.”

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Kevin’s Fine Outdoor Gear and Apparel has been in business for more than 40 years. They have locations in Thomasville, Georgia and in Tallahassee, Florida. Pictured at right: Kevin’s Big & Tall Bobwhite Quail Shooting Shirt. Above: dinnerware and tableware.

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Kevin’s Gunroom showcases rare, vintage, and the Kevin’s/Poli brand of fine shotguns. The team looks forward to sharing its fine shotguns and rifles with you, including the first Kevin’s Plantation/Poli Upland Bird Gun designed for ladies. It is a high-grade, over-and-under with future plans for side-bysides, offered in 20 and 28 gauge. These premium shotguns feature special ladies’ dimensions, balanced accordingly, with 26” or 28” barrels and a multi-choke system.

Each gun is beautifully hand-engraved with upland bird scene and hunting dog. Shop outdoor gear online at kevinscatalog.com or call (800) 953-8467. Photos by Glenn Whittington.

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Pictured above is the Kevin’s Field Bar, a very popular item. In addition to the catalog and brand, Kevin and Kathleen Kelly host a Game Fair each year. Kevin’s Annual Southern Game Fair celebrates Thomasville’s authentic historical sporting lifestyle by bringing families and community together to promote the preservation of the Longleaf Pine forests and the Bobwhite quail.

This charity event benefits Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy. The sixth annual event is coming up in November. Photos provided

by Kevin’s Fine Outdoor Gear and Apparel.

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During the Game Fair, guests can experience quail wagon tours and photo opportunities, cooking demonstrations, fly fishing/fly tying demonstrations, helicopter rides, beer and wine tastings, live entertainment, Clydesdale wagon rides, Ryglen Gun dog English Cocker Demonstrations, and so much more.

Pictured are scenes from a previous Game Fair.

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midland ghost pepper sauce A DELICACY MADE FROM FRIENDSHIPS, HUNTS, AND GUITAR PICKIN’

By Katharyn Privett-Duren To even consider telling the story of Midland Ghost Pepper Sauce is to regale the memories of life-long friendships and autumn evenings, guitar pickin’ and searing hot grills. David Lemieux’s early pepper sauce endeavors were motivated by his childhood buddy Darrin Auger, a Hawaiian resident now for almost 30 years. Darrin’s neighbor (originally from India) had been growing the Bhut Jolokia pepper long before the trendy moniker “ghost” became embedded in American culture. In an adventurous bid to lower the heat of the aromatic nightshade, David brought the seeds back to West Central Georgia and hoped that the climate would ease the capsaicin levels. That didn’t happen—but so much more would grow from that early enterprise.

David’s first batch of sauce included those very peppers and local honey, a recipe inspired by his favorite fried chicken from a local “meat and three” where his dad took him when he was just a kid.

While Evelyn’s is now closed, Midland Ghost Red Pepper Sauce was originally made for the beloved restaurant where it graced many a memory and table. As time went on, so did David’s passion for the product: “I can’t eat pimento cheese or pizza anymore without our red.

I’ve tried to make it where the four sauces we have are well-rounded enough for every possible meal.” After years of hands-on research and a healthy dose of grit and gumption, that’s just what David has created.

All of Midland Ghost’s peppers are seeded, grown, harvested, and processed on the family farm, a critical component to his work ethos: “I think that that’s part of the story. So many conglomerates are working with folks growing peppers all over the world. That was never our goal. We wanted to make sure that we made something that we believed in and be involved with as a family.” Right from the beginning, this would hold true: the LLC’s moniker came to be with his wife and sons around a dinner table. As they toyed with the idea of “Four

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All of Midland Ghost’s peppers are seeded, grown, harvested, and processed on the family farm. Opposite: Henry, David, Jaime, and Sam Lemieux show off their hot peppers that make the Midland Ghost Pepper Sauce. Photo by Eliza Daffin Photography.

Sorcerers” for the name, his youngest son suggested “Four Saucerers” instead. And so, it stuck—although, the sauce’s name has its own folklore. The Midland Ghost logo represents a particularly exceptional English/American Foxhound of the very same name, a testament to David’s inclination to honor the traditions of the past.

David went on to collaborate with several folks, a process that he finds deeply rewarding as a business owner. His friend, Barry Bales (Grammy-award winning songwriter and fellow farmer) and wife, Aliceson, also fell in love with Midland Ghost Pepper’s concoctions.

In fact, they are included in Aliceson’s 2021 publication, “Bales Farm Cookbook,” a collection forwarded by the lovely Dolly Parton. As Bales Family Farms hails back to 1882, David was honored to have his sauce featured alongside the farm’s grass-fed/finished beef, pasture-raised pork and chicken, and free-range eggs. His passion for the historicity of multi-generational farms also led David to work with

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Bissell Maple Farm in northern Ohio. It was the perfect “north meets south” moment: the marriage of David’s aged pepper mash and Bissell’s syrup crafting lends itself to one heck of a sweet, warm bite on a buttered biscuit, and more.

And then, there’s David’s childhood friend, Ed James, now living in Kentucky and married to the great-granddaughter of bourbon legend Pappy Van Winkle. The ensuing collaboration of Midland Ghost and Pappy & Co. (a dry goods company founded by Chenault James and her triplet sisters) is nothing short of magical. Upon David’s request, Ed gathered two of the distillery’s bourbon barrels and brought them to his friend to age his mash in for a solid 18 months, culminating in a private label product for Pappy & Co. that is unsurpassed in flavor.

Ed doesn’t pull any punches about the result: “They sell the rip out of that stuff.” As a smoky, oaky condiment that took its sweet time to get to the table, Pappy Sauce was simply meant to be.

Yet, there were more sauces to come. When talking to David about the inspiration for Midland Ghost White Pepper Sauce, he was very clear: “Better talk to Ed, he’s the storyteller of it all.” It turns out, these childhood buddies hold legendary hunting weekends with a very select group (aka “favorite redneck buddies”) in which they all come together for deer, duck, fish, and hearty jam sessions.

While they may have a schedule in mind at the offset of the trip, Ed admits that shenanigans are likely: “It’s a lot less sleeping than it is revelry and a little hunting and fishing.” On one such time, the fellas had a little too much fun down in LA (lower Alabama) and missed dinner time, altogether. It was well after midnight when they remembered the ducks that had been cleaned that morning just begging to be thrown on a flame. Ed and David whipped up a sauce for that raucous feast on the spot and the whole crew ate grilled duck hand over fist, dipping every bite into their saucy, impromptu creation.

Ed remembers: “As always, David’s wheels started spinning, and I love that—because no one knows what’s gonna’ come out the other side, including David.” It was the inception of Midland Ghost White Pepper Sauce, but Ed doesn’t hold much truck with that name: “It came down the line that there was already an Asian duck sauce, and this was nothing like it. David changed up the name to be clear, but at heart, we all know that’s still the duck sauce.” Indeed, some stories just won’t budge—especially where hungry country boys (of any age) are concerned.

Today, David’s sorcerous sauce is sold in roughly 22 states across the country. Usually found in specialty stores (and one live cricket joint), these sauces continue to weave a southern yarn across barbeques, long talks around a fire, and comforting morning meals. David’s generous, down-home spirit comes through in all that he creates, due in part to what Ed describes as his friend’s motto: “Roll up your sleeves and mash the peppers—that’s how he is in life.”

Clearly, Ed isn’t playing around when it comes the superiority of the Midland Ghost brand: “For one of your best friends to make two of the best sauces you’ve ever had—well, the only thing I don’t eat it on is ice cream. But the night is still young.”

Now, that’s a review.

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Midland Ghost Pepper Sauce is sold in roughly 22 states across the country and is added to everything from pimento cheese to pizza. Above: A special mash was created using distillery barrels and formed a private label product for Pappy & Co. Center: “Pheasant Band” left to right, Mal Waldrep, David Lemieux, Barry Bales, Ed James, and Jason Carter.

Photos by 4saucerers.

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COMFORT FOOD REIMAGINED IN A RUSTIC NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAIN SETTING

By John Williams The Gamekeeper Restaurant and Bar, nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina, specializes in comfort.

A beautiful mountain setting, a rustic 1920s stone cottage transformed into a cozy dining and drinking space, and of course the food—food the hungry southerner craves, prepared with contemporary creativity and flair.

Comforts that harmonize in a unique dining experience.

The residence was originally a summer home built by the Kephart family as a part of Camp Yonahlossee, which they founded in the 1920s. In 1987 the renovated cottage became The Gamekeeper Restaurant and Bar, and in 2000 Ken and Wendy Gordon bought it. They updated the kitchen, installed a wood-fired grill, and created the rustic, quirky decor. The establishment, one of the first farm to table restaurants in the area, has been a popular dining destination ever since.

The locally-sourced, seasonably-variable, game-focused menu appeals to the adventurous. One of the current appetizers is an antelope-based haggis, created for the annual Scottish Highlands Games in the area. “Our chef Tyler Smith came up with a version that people like,” Ken said. “It blows my mind how often people order it, and how much they love it.” Entrees feature emu, bison, venison, elk as well as salmon, trout, duck, and “anteloaf”—a game-based meatloaf—and of course a variety of locally-sourced veggies.

They smoke, cure, and preserve meats and vegetables on-site, and harvest garnishes and herbs from their own garden.

“Many first-time customers here may be a little out of their comfort zone,” Ken said, “but they are excited to try the game meats. We pair them

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with things like really good mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese that bring it on home.”

The desserts also reflect The Gamekeeper’s blend of the traditional and exotic, with bread pudding, gelato, sorbet, and vanilla bean ice cream, among others.

Leaving hungry is not permitted.

The bar offerings are no less eclectic. Maitre D’ Michael Vinson has curated an extensive wine list, and a fun bar menu featuring a colorful variety of cocktails, after-dinner drinks, plus local beers and ciders.

Ken worked for years in the food business dreaming of one day having his own restaurant. From North Carolina restaurateur Jim Noble he absorbed his fundamental ethic: “Get the best food you can get your hands on and don’t do too much to it.”

“That’s been my goal all along,” Ken says. “It’s been a fun adventure.”

The Gamekeeper closed the doors for five months during the Covid era.

“But we were very lucky,” Ken noted. “A lot of our customers truly missed dining with us, and as soon as they could make it back, they returned more appreciative than ever. I hope they know how grateful we are to have them.”

He also took advantage of the down-time to refurbish a bit, including enhancing the outdoor dining area and adding heated igloos for winter diners who enjoy a snowscape with their anteloaf.

Ken is currently working with High Country architect, Hunter Coffey, to design an intricate, organic roofing system that will further enhance the guests’ outdoor dining experience. “We’re having fun,” Ken said. “We both enjoy thinking outside of the box.”

Ken is proud of the many diners and visitors who have become good friends over the years.

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The Gamekeeper Restaurant and Bar located between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina specializes in locally sourced, seasonal game. The restaurant is open five days a week in summer, four in winter.

Reservations are required. Pictured opposite: The Gamekeeper’s eclectic bar and lounge is a perfect place to sip and mingle. Pictured at left: Fettuccine primavera. Pictured below left: Grilled pekin duck breast. Pictured below: The Gamekeeper’s wine cellar. Photos provided by The Gamekeeper.

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Pictured at top: The Gamekeeper main dining room - cozy and inviting.

Pictured above: The airy Vineyard Room is the perfect place to host a party.

At right: The Gamekeeper renovated its outdoor dining areas. The space offers the perfect views and outdoor dining experience.

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john cass imus COOKING, HUNTING, AND LIVING THE GOOD LIFE

“I want to see as much as I can, do as much as I can, hunt as much as I can, and cook as much as I can,” proclaimed John Cassimus, a native of Mountain Brook, Alabama, near Birmingham.

And anyone who knows John, or knows of him, knows that is exactly who he is. From an early age he’s been a successful, driven entrepreneur. Now at 55, he’s turned two of his lifelong passions – cooking and hunting – into an income producing lifestyle. And he loves sharing those passions with others on Sawtooth Plantation, his 1200 acre, fenced, hunting preserve near Hurtsboro, Alabama. Sawtooth derives its name from the thousands of sawtooth oaks he’s planted on the property.

As the son of prominent and well-respected restauranteurs, Zoe and

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Marcus Cassimus (owners of the original Zoës Kitchen in Homewood, Alabama), John couldn’t help but have cooking in his DNA. Before selling the restaurant brand to move on to other ventures, he expanded Zoës Kitchen as a franchise across the nation. Afterward, he was asked to lead a 12-part cooking show online called Darn Hungry. The show introduces viewers to his culinary talents and artistic side. The series is available on spypoint.com.

And as for hunting and loving “all things outdoors”, John launched an outdoor apparel business not long after graduating from college.

It’s clear that from an early age, John has loved cooking and hunting.

So, it comes as no surprise that his combination of those loves at Sawtooth has been a success.

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John Cassimus (opposite) has been in the food industry for years. His parents Zoe and Marcus Cassimus, ran a successful restaurant in Homewood, Alabama – Zoës Kitchen. He expanded the restaurant and eventually sold the company in 2008. He had Maki Fresh, Miss Dot’s and Jinsei Sushi restaurants that he later sold to his partners and employees. He was also asked to lead a 12-part cooking show online called Darn Hungry. Above: Sawtooth Plantation.

Photos provided by John Cassimus.

When John began his quest for a rural property, his initial interest was in West Alabama. But when the contract on his chosen property fell through, a friend suggested the Hurtsboro property in East Alabama.

It was love at first sight, and in 2008 he acquired the acreage destined to become Sawtooth. “It is peaceful, and there is not a paved road within six miles … a fantastic place to live and hunt”, John said. After learning the lay of the land and the best places to watch sunrise and sunset, he hired an architect. The rest is history.

John breeds deer that are eventually released on the property for hunting by himself, friends, and customers. In addition to deer hunts, John offers turkey, quail, dove and wild boar hunts, with dove and boar hunts being arranged off-site at nearby properties.

As a venue for corporate retreats and weekend getaways, the plantation boasts five cabins and a loft apartment available for rental, a cookhouse, and John’s home – all with a view of the picturesque four-acre lake. But don’t be deceived by the rustic look and feel of the accommodations. Sawtooth’s website describes it as “Alabama’s finest and most luxurious hunting destination,” and further provides that the rural experience “offers starlit nights complete with breathtaking glimpses of the heavens,” along with world class cuisine and customer service. For non-hunters, amenities such as yoga classes, cooking lessons, cycling trails, skeet shooting, and massages can all be arranged with advance notice. John especially enjoys the corporate retreats at Sawtooth. He explains that corporations often send teams of 10 to 12 employees and “we cook, eat, drink, fellowship and shoot skeet.” He really enjoys meeting the people and networking.

John earned his airplane pilot’s license in 2003 – another great skill for a man who loves to combine travel with hunting – but moved on

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to helicopters last summer. And that has become his preferred mode of transportation for extended hunting trips. He just returned from a month-long trip he’d planned to Canada and Colorado. In Canada, he hunted mule deer and white tail deer. In Colorado, he hunted elk on a large ranch about 30 miles outside of Alamosa.

Recalling the trip, John recounted, “We ate good, cooked, and didn’t get a lot of sleep. Just a typical hunt. It was nice to be in cool weather and see a lot of the friends I’ve made in the area over the last 15 years.

It’s such a beautiful place. I was lucky enough to take the biggest deer I ever have. It was a 10-pointer and really massive, weighing 300 pounds.

The rack had a lot of mass, so it was really thick and white velvet. It was a beautiful, beautiful animal.”

Now back at home in Hurtsboro, John is again enjoying the peace and quiet of country living. “I can go out at night, and it is quiet except for the noises nature makes, and on starless and moonless nights, it is completely dark. It is beautiful,” he said.

But knowing John Cassimus, he won’t sit still for long. He’ll always be looking for better ways to improve the Sawtooth experience, and to pursue more of his goals like figuring out how to spend more time outdoors doing what he loves to do, especially bow hunting.

If you ever find yourself blessed enough to visit Sawtooth Plantation, don’t neglect to take some time to enjoy the wildflowers that cover much of the open fields, or to relax around the fire pit as the sun goes down – secure in the knowledge that you are among friends, surrounded by some of the best that nature has to offer.

Mark Clark, Joan McLendon Budd, and Toni Shah contributed to this article.

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Below: Leola “Miss Dot” Rogers prepares her famous fried chicken for guests at Sawtooth. At right: Two large rustic logs are used to display meats, bread, pickles, and fruit for snacking before dinner is served. At bottom: One of the many open pastures at Sawtooth. Photos provided by John Cassimus.

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Marsh House Rum embraces a 200-year heritage of distilling on Avery Island, Louisiana. Cousins Chris Puckett and John Reily Thomason were inspired to start up the old family business and found friends and partners to join them. Now, they have two rums available online and in stores in Louisiana, Tennessee, and North Carolina. They are growing their reach with a text-to-order feature. Fans can stay informed by vising marshhouserum.com and clicking Buy Via Text. Submit your phone number, be alerted when new products are available, and order through text. Photos by Corey O’Connell. Opposite: partners Brett Dougall, Ben Hamawy, and Chris Puckett

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marsh house rum

EMBRACING A 200-YEAR HERITAGE

By Denise DuBois If you look very closely at the logo for Marsh House Rum, you’ll see the door to the home is open as if to say, “come on in” and “you’re welcome here.”

“We want people to be invited in. That’s what the house represents,” said Creative Director Brett Dougall. “We don’t tell a lot of people that, but it’s a nice ‘easter egg’ that we share with the right people. It’s a tribute to the family and the island itself, and we have a lot of fun telling the story.”

The story is that of Marsh House Rum, a rum named after Marsh House on Avery Island, a salt dome that sits just off the coast of Louisiana.

It was an accident how cousins Chris Puckett and John Reily Thomason

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got started. They found themselves in a marsh warehouse on Avery Island on a cool fall morning. The warehouse had received a shipment of some empty bourbon barrels. Chris said he thought they were Wild Turkey barrels, but that part didn’t matter too much. What caught their attention was the smell when they peered inside the barrels.

“Man, this smells great,” Chris recalled saying several years ago.

He began to wonder why no one in their Avery family had gotten into distilling. The cousins asked a family archivist to look into it. They wanted to know if there was a history of spirits in their family. As it turns out, there was a history of rum. The archivist even found ledgers with tasting notes. Chris shared that spirits back in the 1800s weren’t branded the same way they are today, but these historical records gave them some direction,

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Chris Puckett pours a drink. Photo by Brett Dougall. inspiration, and the beginning of a business dream.

“Spirits isn’t in my wheelhouse,” Chris, an entrepreneur, said. “Not until that day.”

It was 2015, and within a few months, the duo had a business plan and friends who were happy to join them in a new business venture. But they wanted everything to reflect the family history. It was a rich history and they wanted to honor it. It’s even the ancestral home, Marsh House, that is depicted on the bottle. Marsh House was the center of the family. It held generations of memories of family-hosted parties, vacations and special events. This rich history of southern hospitality gave them their tagline Welcome to Marsh House. “It’s for everybody in the family,” Chris said.

“My family is so massive that we have people from all walks of life.”

As the Creative Director, Brett knew that products aren’t simply about themselves. People fall in love with certain products because there’s a story behind them.

“People want to embrace a story and the story behind a product. It’s not how you did it, but the reason you did it. That’s what we try to keep in mind. We have that as our foundation,” Brett said.

It took three years from the idea to the market. The Marsh House Rum family really wanted to hit the market in 2018 since the first sale of rum on Avery Island was in 1818.

“We wanted to say 200 years and six generations later,” Chris said. And they were successful. They hit the shelves in December 2018 and made their first sale.

The rum itself is a blend of three different rums that are two different styles. They had to make some assumptions of how fermentation was done

200 years ago on the island and how the flora on Avery Island would have influenced the rum. Then they began to blend.

“Once we married those three rums together in the right proportions, we said that was it. Even though it’s a light rum, or a light spirit – it’s thought of as being kind of hot – it’s still very approachable. You can drink it neat or with a big ice cube. Some spirits are good by themselves and not in cocktails. This is a dual-purpose that holds nicely in a mojito and numerous cocktails,” Chris said. “This is a high-end product.”

Brett noticed that people were a bit hesitant to taste the rum because it’s a clear spirit. But he said after tasting, people are falling in love with it.

“Rum is coming back in a nice, pleasant way,” he added.

While they have two rums on the market, they will continue to add more. The first is an 80-proof premium rum. The second is a Barrel-Aged, Limited Release 108-proof premium rum.

While the products are beautifully packaged and taste great, the team really finds joy in learning new things every day about the industry and seeing all of their work pay off with people who love the spirits. In addition to spirits, Marsh House Rum partners with conservation efforts because they all share a love for hunting and fishing and understand the conservation aspect behind it.

When you’re looking for your next beverage for a holiday gathering, remember the story of Marsh House and Avery Island. Welcome in a 200-year-old family heritage to your family. While you sip, be transported to the island where lush flora and live oaks draped with wild muscadine vines and Spanish moss cover the ground, and savor the moment.

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BANANAS FOSTER RUM PUNCH

1.5oz Marsh House Barrel Aged Limited Release 1oz Giffard Banana Liqueur 1oz Heavy Cream .5oz Brown Sugar syrup Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass with ice. Dash of cinnamon for garnish.

Our take: This cocktail had me at its name. Bananas foster. I could already smell the bananas in my mind, and my mouth watered for the delectable dessert. There are few ingredients, which is always a plus.

I didn’t have the banana liquor, so I went on a hunt at my local spirits store for the perfect one. Back at home, I put everything on the counter and began making what was sure to be the perfect creamy cocktail.

Ordinarily, I would make these at night, but it was raining out, I had already cleaned the house, and a dessert sounded really nice. I’ve never been much of a rum drinker unless you’re referring to the fruity ones you add to pineapple juice with an umbrella stick. This rum is the real deal. And I had the good stuff: the barrel aged, limited-release, 108-proof good stuff. The rum was the first thing I smelled as I brought the glass to my lips. The cinnamon garnish was the second. As I sipped, the dessert flavors I longed for were present. With only a few ounces, this drink is strong, and you sip on it. It’s cold to your tongue and warm to your body, and it was the perfect afternoon delight. The longer I sipped, the flavors had a chance to marinate, and the better it tasted. I found myself swirling my glass, watching everything dance together before taking another sip.

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GRAPEFRUIT MARSH

2 oz Marsh House Rum 1 oz pink grapefruit juice 1/2 oz lime juice 1/2 oz simple syrup Soda water Add the ingredients to a shaker and shake quickly to incorporate (5 shakes). Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with cold soda water.

Our take: This cocktail had me a little outside of my comfort zone because it uses grapefruit. But getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things is the reason for these tastings. This drink uses Marsh House’s 80-proof blend. Originally thinking this would be a sweeter drink, I was surprised at first taste that it’s tart and crisp. I should have known because it called for grapefruit and lime juices as well as club soda. There are no overpowering tastes or smells.

Everything blends so well. You can definitely feel the rum, but it’s such a refreshing flavor. Poured over ice, it’s the perfect brunch cocktail. For an extra sweet, perhaps you can sugar your glass rim.

While I drank mine through a straw, I think the sugar would add a nice little something.

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Murder Creek Distillery is named for the creek in Brewton, Alabama. Murder Creek is full of history.

MOONSHINE AT MURDER CREEK The moonshine at Murder Creek Distillery started from the banks of Murder Creek in southern Alabama and sand from Navarre Beach.

They wanted to create a moonshine that sparkled like the creek’s waters and that was smoother than a calm gulf wave. The batches are distilled, mixed, bottled, and labeled on site.

Murder Creek’s origins date back to 1788. Located in Escambia County, Ala., the creek got its name when Col. Alexander McGillivray was visited at his Conecuh County home by a Col. Kirkland, Kirkland’s son, nephew and several friends. Col. Kirkland and his party had silver in their saddle-bags, and one night when they camped by the creek, their

saddle-bags were seized, and they were murdered. The perpetrators were hung at the same spot, and such is the origin of the creek’s name.

Murder Creek Distillery has two locations. A destination spot at 102 S OWA Blvd. Foley, Alabama. and where the ‘shine is distilled at 4477 Highway 41, Brewton, Alabama.

You’ll find southern favorites like Banana Pudding Moonshine, Pecan Praline Moonshine, Peach Cobbler Moonshine, Dixie Honey Moonshine, and Orange Dreamcicle Moonshine. There are fruity flavors, chocolate, and a few oddities like Hot Shot Moonshine and Dizzy Pickle Moonshine.

With a perfect mixture, comes the perfect cocktail.

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BANANA SPLIT 1 part Murder Creek Banana Pudding Moonshine 1 part Murder Creek Cherry Bombs Moonshine 1 Part Murder Creek Dixie Chocolate 1 Part Half and Half Mix with or without ice, and enjoy!

Our take: You remember eating banana splits as a child, right?

It’s not a particular dessert that I recall eating the last couple of decades. I remember them as special treats when I was young. This banana split was made for adulthood. I started by tasting the Banana Pudding Moonshine on its own. That’s already a southern staple at any get-together. Whether you like banana pudding hot or you’re wrong, this moonshine is the real deal. You can taste the bananas, and I don’t mean the fake taste that sometimes comes with bananaflavored things. I swear, somehow they got the Nilla Wafers in there, too. Adding in the other two moonshines made it very strong, but the flavor was great. I’m looking forward to the next adult banana split!

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CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

2 parts Murder Creek Pecan Praline Moonshine 1 part Murder Creek Dixie Chocolate Moonshine A splash of cream Mix with or without ice, and enjoy!

Our take: As southerners, we have a love for pralines. The best ones come from Charleston and Savannah, Georgia. It seems now, we can add Murder Creek to that list. The Pecan Praline Moonshine has the deep woodsy taste of the pecans and the sweetness that gives the dessert its flavor. Just when you think your taste buds have hit the jackpot, add in the chocolate moonshine and cream. I used heavy whipping cream, and all I could do was smile. It’s truly chocolate pecan pie. I can imagine adding either moonshine to a hot drink on a cold night, but this particular cocktail brings images of Thanksgiving and Christmas - when my mama makes her delectable chocolate pie. I always ask her to make one special for me with pecans. This cocktail will surely get you ready for the holidays to come.

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butch anthony

MUSEUM OF WONDER BRINGS ECLECTIC, FOLK ART FROM THE SOUTH TO THE WORLD

By Mark Clark What was once his grandfather’s cotton farm is now the 80-acre compound of Seale, Alabama’s most famous and most reclusive citizen – Bishop “Butch” Anthony II. It is in this East Alabama community in the center of Russell County where Butch grew up, forged an unusual career, and became world-famous.

Though reclusive most of his life, Butch was known throughout the area long before he became famous. He was the kid who built a cabin on the family property when he was about 14 years old. He spent his days learning about the land and the creatures that lived in and around Seale.

He was a hunter, a fisher, and a gatherer – and a collector. For Butch, it was not unusual for him to spend a day walking through a local creek in search of prehistoric shark’s teeth. He has lots of them around the room that was once his workspace.

Then, while on one of his excursions through a local creek, Butch reached into a murky hole to discover the vertebra of a Mosasaur – a creature 66-82 million years old that resembled a giant crocodile. The vertebra is housed at Auburn University today, according to Butch who also found the bones of smaller dinosaurs in the Seale area. A friend of his found the leg bone of a larger dinosaur, and Butch has possession of that skeletal remain.

Butch also has many Creek Indian artifacts. He has tinkered with taxidermy and expressed a desire to be self-sufficient in his youth.

The discovery of the Mosasaur vertebra is what pushed Butch into the unwanted limelight of fame. But real fame came years later.

The story is well-worn in its telling over the decades of how Butch became famous . . . and it began with the story of a turnip. A local man with a tractor hired himself out to plow fields for others. His name was John Henry Toney. Butch hired John Henry to turn the dirt on his property where a turnip garden had been planted in the past. John

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Butch Anthony is from a rural area in Seale, Alabama. He was known throughout the area long before his name traveled around the world. Butch discovered the vertebra of a Mosasaur – a creature 66-82 million years old that resembled a giant crocodile. The vertebra is housed at Auburn University today. He created a drive-thru Museum of Wonder so people could get a glimpse of his artwork. The museum sits on Highway 431 South in Seale, Alabama.

Henry turned up a turnip that appeared to have the face of a man embedded within the root. Butch encouraged John Henry to draw a picture of the turnip and placed the drawing in Frank Turner’s junk shop along U.S. 431 in Pittsview. The drawing sold, and Butch had an idea.

“I just felt if John Henry could sell a drawing, I could too,” Butch said.

So, Butch drew a picture himself and, as he believed, it sold as well.

“Frank Turner sold my first piece of artwork for five dollars. I had to split it with him. I got two dollars and fifty cents. I got excited, and that’s how it all started,” Butch recalled.

From the roadside junk shop also known as “The Mayor’s Office” in Pittsview to England to Russia and more places on the globe, Butch’s Alabama Folk Art has made the shy recluse famous. Most people who buy folk art are familiar with Butch’s work of painting skeletons over photographs and paintings. That is where he had made the most sales.

Those items range in price from $200 to several thousand dollars per piece. But that is not the extent of his artwork.

He uses other media – such as bones – to create furniture and light fixtures. He welds metal, cuts up tin cans, and sews cloth from old jeans to make art. He will even design a tattoo if commissioned to do so. He has made a quilt of bones from various animals.

Butch does not fit into any preconceived box as an artist. He does not copy anything except the images he sees in his own mind.

“They don’t know what to do with me. I don’t fit into their boxes.

I’m different,” Butch said.

He is very different, and the world seems to appreciate the self-

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taught artist who has created his own genre of work that he calls “Intertwangelism” – it’s an -ism of his own creation. If you want to understand “Intertwangelism,” Butch has a limited edition two-book set for sale on his website at museumofwonder.com.

You can see Butch’s artwork across the country at any Billy Reid clothing store, at the Graffiti and Funky Blues Shack in Destin, Florida, at The Salt House in New Hope, Pennsylvania, Babas on Cannon in Charleston, South Carolina, Superica in Charlotte, North Carolina, The Public Opinion in Washington, D.C., Brick and Mortar in Atlanta, Georgia, Mortal Machine in New Orleans, Louisiana, Vyneyard in Brooklyn, New York, and Josephine in Phoenix, Arizona, just to name a few places.

In 2004, Butch was selected to design a Christmas ornament for the White House.

His web site also offers fans the opportunity to tour his original museum on the family compound in Seale by appointment. He will do a tour once each month if enough people are interested. Otherwise, Butch has closed the museum, which includes his first workspace, to visitors.

Butch has moved his workspace into his late father’s home in the compound. He now has a less cluttered – for now – work area. You may get the opportunity to tour that facility with Butch, unless the area is covered with new art projects. Another place on the property of interest is Butch’s home, which he has built himself and decorated with his own art and furniture. The home can be described as weird, wonderful and, without a doubt, one of the most serene places you will ever find.

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Butch Anthony has long been known for his paintings of bones on top of other works. In years past, he also had a yearly event called the Doo-Nany where artists and friends would gather from all over the country to celebrate art.

Pictured are some of his pieces that appear at the Possum Trot.

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an old-fashioned peanut boil

Caption

An Alabama peanut field almost ready for harvest, and freshly pulled green peanuts.

Photos by Joan McLendon Budd. Opposite: Peanuts boiling in an antique wash pot over an open fire. The first batch gets served up in a cast iron dutch oven.

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REVIVING A SOUTHERN FALL RITUAL

By Marian Carcache

Our farmer neighbors always invited us to take all the peanuts we wanted that were left after the giant peanut picker machine had finished with a field.

We’d drive down to the peanut patch in Daddy’s truck and gather plants that were still loaded with nuts, but had been left behind. After shaking some of the field dirt off, we threw them into the bed of the truck. Later, back home, Daddy would park in a shady place, and we’d start pulling the peanuts off their vines.

Some of my best fall memories of living in Jernigan, Alabama revolve around gathering friends for “a peanut boiling.” Usually, we would sit outside, enjoying autumn’s cooler nights, around the wash pot the delicious legumes were boiling in and tell stories. No matter how many times we’d already heard those stories about relatives and neighbors, they were always fun to listen to as we tasted the peanuts through every stage of their cooking, from near raw, to “getting there,”

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to finally done.

One of the stories that we told year after year is about when the local poll keeper explained what happened to the missing ballots for the candidate he did not support, saying, “I ate ‘em for breakfast.” As far as I know, nothing much ever came of that confession.

We always argued over whether or not to add more salt to the peanut pot, and a few hours later, when the stomachache hit, we always swore we never wanted another boiled peanut for the rest of our lives. However, it was not unusual for us to have the leftover ones for breakfast the very next morning.

Mama preferred to cook them on the stove in a big boiler, but I admit that I liked it best when we dragged the huge cast iron wash pot out, built a fire under it, and cooked the peanuts outside with plenty of salt water. It’s true that Mama’s method was easier and cleaner and didn’t mean black debris from the iron pot under our fingernails for days. But not much can beat sitting outside at night under a southern fall sky, cooking peanuts over a fire, and sharing stories, both old and new.

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so sugar swee t CANE

By Mark Clark

Don’t forget to BYOB. You will definitely need it at this event on the Friday after Thanksgiving in Rutherford, Alabama. Just make sure it is empty.

What?

Yes, you will want to make sure the bottle you bring is empty. The folks running the event will make sure it is filled before you leave with the golden brown nectar produced on this day each year for as long as anyone can remember - and it is free. The event organizers squeeze to please on syrup making day.

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Yes, the event is a day of syrup making. All you have to do to enjoy the results of the day is show up ready to have a lot of fun and fellowship and bring that empty bottle.

What kind of bottle should you bring? It doesn’t matter.

“We have people bring just about every type of bottle to fill with the syrup. We’ve even had some people bring empty whiskey bottles.” Jacque Upshaw Clark said. Jacque is one of the event’s organizers.

Jacque is just carrying on a family tradition she learned from her father, the late Hugh Upshaw. Hugh learned how to make syrup from his father. The Upshaw family has been making syrup on its farm for generations.

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Volunteers feed sugarcane stalks into the mill known as squeezing the cane. You can see juice flowing from the mill into a bucket. Hugh Upshaw supervises the operation. He made the event a family tradition for the Friday after Thanksgiving each year. Photos provided by Jacque Clark.

“Daddy learned how to make syrup from sugarcane as a young boy and made it a family tradition to make syrup on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Family and friends come from all over to participate in the annual event and to teach the younger generations of times long past,” Jacque said.

Hugh passed the baton on to Jacque and a close family friend Jack McCain of Hurtsboro, Alabama.

Jack grows the sugarcane that is used to make the syrup. He grows it in the middle of downtown Hurtsboro, harvests the tall green leafy stalks, and transports them to the syrup-making site in Rutherford by the lake on the Upshaw family property.

“Mr. Hugh Upshaw is the reason I became involved. I attended the event for a couple of years and just watched and paid attention. Then I attended and did what I was told. Then I just got hooked on making syrup. I even built my own oven so that I could experiment.

“When I started doing that, Mr. Hugh thought I was going to leave them.

I told him I was not going to leave. I will be a part of the Thanksgiving event every year. I just did not think it was right to experiment using his equipment on that day of the year. Syrup is funny. Each batch comes out a little different. It has a different taste,” Jack said.

While some groups making syrup do it for profit, the Upshaw family and Jack do it all or fun.

“I usually give the syrup I make away as Christmas gifts,” Jack said.

He told the story of how he gave a bottle of syrup to his brother Tom in a whiskey bottle one year. He kept the bottle at his store in Columbus, Georgia. One night after closing the store, Tom offered a friend a drink and

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went to the back to get the bottle of “whiskey” Jack had given him.

“When he opened the bottle and began to pour, he said he yelled that it was ‘dang syrup,’” Jack said.

The syrup mill used for the event in Rutherford was bought by Hugh and Jack. Jack mounted the mill on a trailer so that it could be moved between the Rutherford site and his home in Hurtsboro.

“I had to figure out the RPMs needed to turn the mill to squeeze the sugarcane. It makes grinding the cane easier. We can get two batches done in a day without any problems – three if we want to run it more than eight hours. I’ve been to syrup making events where the mill was mule-driven, and that is a slow process. I have also done 23 batches over about five days, and that was a lot of work. I think the way we do it in Rutherford is the best way. We just do it for fun and try not to make it a lot of work,” Jack said.

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, he begins when the syrup mill is fired up. Jack powers the syrup mill with a tractor motor. Then, after the stalks of sugarcane are stripped of their leaves, the stalks are hand-fed into the syrup mill, and the juice is squeezed. The juice is cooked in a cast iron kettle. That process starts when 80 gallons of juice have been squeezed from the sugarcane. It is cooked down to the finished product of eight gallons of golden brown sweet syrup. The bottles are filled, and the process starts again.

“It is definitely a very labor intensive process but well worth it when you have the fresh, hot-out-of-the-kettle syrup on a golden biscuit with sausage,” Jacque said. And don’t forget to sop that last bit of syrup from your plate.

Remember the old saying, “Waste not, want not.”

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At left: Riley Upshaw Gilpin fills a bottle with syrup. Bottom left: Syrup is poured over biscuits for a delectable treat. Below: Men continue “whopping” the air into the syrup as it cooks.

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the harvest dance

By Katharyn Privett-Duren

While I can no longer remember the year of my favorite November, the wonder of its fourth Thursday endures in my memory and refracts the light there, etched upon the window of my childhood. It all still comes to me, the urgency and the joy all spilling into each other as the women of my family danced across the kitchen floor in bare feet. I was under the age of ten, that is certain, and was trusted with very little on such an auspicious occasion. And so, I became the thief of fried onions, the taster of pies, and the critic of cranberry sauce. My primary job (and one that I actively avoided) was the disposal of cans. Although my grandmother had been raised on a farm, she now lived in town, as did her daughter and daughter-in-law.

It was the early 70s, and life had become several steps removed from the field.

And there were just so many cans.

When I became a mother, my own Thanksgivings were bordered by lines of emptied cans, as well. From the pumpkin to the green beans, the condensed soups to creamed corn, I whisked and poured my way to a grateful exhaustion. The thankfulness I felt was always somewhat dim, removed from the sweat and grit of growing food under a sweltering summer sun, and yet I attempted to muster what I could. To fill the space, we focused upon the gift of good health, our time together, and the love that slipped along the tablecloth of autumn leaves and brightly-feathered turkeys.

And then, I grew older. We moved to the country when my youngest child was a teen, far from the grocery stores and streetlights of town. The first little patch of cucumbers and beans was for hobby purposes: neat, clean little lines that didn’t take much time to tend, nor produced much more than the occasional treat. My conversion from gardener to farmer was an underhanded one, as the land fairly tricked my hoe and trowel into expanding our tiny plot.

Along with it, my heart grew to love the toil that my ancestors had known as necessity. Until then, the devotion that went into growing pumpkins had not resonated with me, nor had I ever considered making a pie from scratch. Of course, it was more than worth it: with each buttery, cinnamon-kissed bite, I could taste the days that had hardened their skin and freckled my nose. And only I knew the cost of that beloved dessert.

I understand now, as a farmer, the stories that are lost along the line of opened cans every November.

Emptied of sweat and prayer, pleas for summer rain and laments for aching backs, these metallic shells are the remnants of a life’s work. It’s a sacred labor akin to ministry: the tender care of seedlings, the abiding

faith in a crop, and the sacrifice of time comes at nothing short of a calling. Perhaps most of all, to farm means to have minimal acknowledgment of success, even at Thanksgiving. After all, a harvest is hard to recognize at the end of a can opener.

No longer is that true for me.

Just before the bees go to sleep for the winter, I walk along the crisp and crunch of well-used vines and listen for it. It’s there, even as the first brisk proof of fall winds along the trees and quiets the cicadas in its wake. The land takes a deep breath, shudders against the dimming of the day, and lets go. It is the final word of a prayer, the acquiescence of abundance and grace, even in the years marked by drought and blight. For at its start, there was hope. My farm taught me that miracles happen in increments, that impossible minutia between the rise and fall of a season. It turns out, the blessing was always somewhere in between.

It was a lesson that the matriarch of my family knew all too well.

I asked my grandmother, all those years ago, why shoes were forbidden in a Thanksgiving kitchen.

While I didn’t understand her answer then, I do now.

It was quite simple in the end. I can still see her, one eyebrow winked down in a conspiratory moment away from all the others, her ancestors twinkling from the gray of her eyes: Well honey, my feet are still on top of the ground. With that, she tapped her toes, did a bit of a jig, and turned back to her stove.

Some lessons must be lived before they take root in a heart. My job had been to handle what had been emptied on that day long ago, but it would take decades to understand the worth and weight of what had filled that room. And now, as I stand bare-foot upon my own kitchen floor, I let the memory of my grandmother spill along the laughter and clink of spoons. She is there as I pour the cornbread batter into a cast iron skillet, whispering to mind the brim. I can feel her guiding my whisk: scrape the bottom, honey, I reckon we don’t want clumps. Somewhere between the pop of opening a mason jar and the last slide of a deviled egg onto a plate, I do a little jig. After all, my rather sizable feet are still on top of the ground.

One day, it will be my turn to draw that harvest breath, just before winter steals the dance away. My stories may only reside in the memories of my own grandchild, perhaps as a moment in a kitchen of empty cans and bursting hearts that could weather most anything. For in the end, all that mattered was the prayer, not the answer. It was all in the pirouette of loving, living, and allowing the music to take me until my feet could no longer twirl across the green field of this place. There was a higher purpose in it, after all.

And that will always be enough.

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traveling this season GET ON THE ROAD

There is nothing like the mountains this time of the year. If you’ve experienced it, you know the awe of seeing the Blue Ridge Mountains turn from lush green to the vibrant colors of the season.

But it’s not just the mountains that call this time of year. There are festivals and places to see. Here, you will find our top activities for the Fall in the South.

COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA. Autumn’s crisp air and bright colors make it a wonderful time to visit Colonial Williamsburg, the world’s largest American history museum– and this fall, visitors can experience a host of exciting new programming, special events and great deals. Enjoy the Historic Area’s expansive arboretum, bursting with striking fall colors; honor and learn from diverse voices; take a romantic carriage ride; discover a world-class resort experience and explore over 300 acres of living

history.

From strolling down the most historic street in America with a warm cup of cider to listening to authentic 18th-century colonial ghost stories during an official Colonial Williamsburg Haunted Williamsburg tour, here are some of the activities visitors can enjoy when choosing a Colonial Williamsburg adventure, as well as dining and lodging updates for this fall season.

HISTORIC AREA ACTIVITIES • Veterans Day: Veterans Day programming begins with a ceremony on Palace Green honoring the men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces, followed by a march and ceremony honoring America’s veterans featuring the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes & Drums. Colonial Williamsburg will offer free admission during Veterans Day weekend to all active-duty military, reservists, retirees,

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Enjoy historical events in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia during the fall. The leaves are changing, the weather is nice, and there is so much history to experience. Photos provided by FINN Partners.

veterans, National Guard members and their immediate dependents Friday through Sunday, November 11-13.

• American Indian Heritage Month and First American Indian Nation Builder (November): To learn about the various roles that American Indians played in 18th-century Williamsburg, guests can visit the American Indian Encampment, attend the American Indian Life Series program, or catch “My Story, My Voice – Joseph Martin, Indian Agent,” a new program this season. Additionally, visitors can meet Colonial Williamsburg’s newest Nation Builder: Oconostota, a respected member of the Cherokee nation and a part of a Cherokee delegation that came to Williamsburg in 1777.

• Interactive Historic Area Activities: Enjoy a host of hands-on activities throughout the fall, including the Musket Range experience, interactive workshops with historic tradespeople and botanical art and DIY workshops with expert floral designers. There will also be a variety of walking tours throughout the Historic Area exploring topics such as women’s’ roles in the 18th century, the lives of enslaved tradespeople, and perspectives from various 18th-century Virginia residents.

• New Exhibitions at the Art Museums: Discover the latest exhibitions at the Art Museums, such as “Making Music in Early America,” which immerses visitors in the musical world of the 18th century, and “I Made This…” opening in late October, an exhibition of objects crafted by enslaved and free Black artisans in Virginia and elsewhere. The exhibition includes ceramics, furniture, metalware,

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needlework, quilts, paintings and sculpture.

• Fall Into Holiday Promotion: Now until October 31, 2022, guests can purchase a promotional pass for the price of a multi-day ticket and get unlimited visits until the end of this year. The promotional offer is based on the full retail price of a multi-day ticket of $56.99 (adult) and $30.99 (youth, 6-12).

DINING, SHOPPING & LODGING • Find Fall Favorites in Merchants Square: Indulge in Apple Crumble Pie at Blackbird Bakery, browse seasonal décor at Brick & Vine, or shop for the perfect autumn ensemble at one of the many shops located in the 18th-century style retail village.

•Discover a World-Class Resort Experience: Stay at one of the five official Colonial Williamsburg Resort properties and enjoy world-class accommodations and amenities of golf, spa and tennis. This fall, the Colonial Williamsburg Resorts invites guests to discover unmatched package offerings available for families, couples, golf enthusiasts and wellness seekers: Fall Getaway Package: Book the Fall Getaway Package for the ultimate leaf-peeping vacation. This package includes a three-night stay in an official Colonial Williamsburg Resorts hotel, with savings of up to 15% off the best available rate. Additionally, groups booking the Fall Getaway Package direct will receive up to two complimentary Colonial Williamsburg length-of-stay admission tickets and up to $350 in Resort Outlet savings. *Available stay dates: September 16 –

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Traveling up and down the East Coast in the fall is great because there is beautiful scenery and plenty to do. Above: The Shadow of the Bear emerges only at certain times of the year. Experience during the week in Cashiers, North Carolina for a lesser crowd.

November 22, 2022.

Romance Package: Enjoy a romantic getaway for two in the colonial capitol this fall. As part of the package, couples can enjoy a two-night stay in an official Colonial Williamsburg Resorts hotel, a carriage ride in the Historic Area, up to two complimentary Colonial Williamsburg length-of-stay admission tickets and a special welcome amenity. *Available now through December 31, 2022.

Golden Horseshoe Unlimited Golf Package: Discover championship golf in the heart of Williamsburg with the Unlimited Golf Package.

Enjoy unlimited rounds of golf on all three of the Golden Horseshoe Golf Courses with complimentary same-day replay rounds. This package also includes nightly accommodations at an official Colonial Williamsburg Resorts hotel and up to two complimentary Colonial Williamsburg length-of-stay admission tickets. *Available now through December 31, 2022.

Spa Escape Package: Treat both your mind and body to a rejuvenating experience at the award-winning Spa of Colonial

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Williamsburg. The Spa Escape Package includes a choice of one 50-minute classic massage or one 50-minute custom facial, overnight accommodations at the Colonial Williamsburg Resorts and up to two complimentary Colonial Williamsburg length-of-stay admission tickets. *Available now through December 31, 2022.

CASHIERS, NORTH CAROLINA There is a unique experience on Rhodes Big View Overlook on scenic US Highway 64 a few miles west of Cashiers and five miles east of Highlands. For 30 minutes each day from mid October through early November, between 5:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m., a shadow of a bear emerges.

It’s a natural phenomenon that garners a lot of onlookers.

The bear-like shadow comes out when the autumn sun sets behind Whiteside Mountain.

Directions from Asheville: I-26 to exit 40/Highway 280/Airport exit to Brevard. Then follow U.S. 64 to Cashiers. Allow 2.5 hours to drive the 68 miles.

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Since 1895, the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina has inspired people. Biltmore is still family-owned, is still passionate about the mission of preservation through self-sufficiency. Biltmore House was designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt and is America’s Largest Home® spanning 175,000 square feet, which is more than four acres of floor space. The 250-room French Renaissance chateau includes 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. Adjacent to Biltmore House are 75 acres of formal and informal gardens designed by renowned American landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. With 8,000 acres of Blue Ridge Mountain estate to discover. today’s guests are invited to enjoy Biltmore’s scenic backyard with outdoor activities like biking, carriage rides, hiking, horseback riding, and more. Visit www.biltmore.com for more information. Photo provided by ExploreAsheville.com.

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christmas in For a postcard-perfect holiday getaway, make Dahlonega, Georgia, a destination. Every year, the town comes to life for an “Old Fashioned Christmas” celebration complete with a magically lit square, costumed carolers, horsedrawn carriage rides, a festival of live trees – and of course, Santa. This national historic register town, with its 1800’s storefronts and great restaurants is charming anytime, but it really sparkles during the holiday season.

For an insider tip — visit during weeknights to enjoy the festivities, but to avoid the crowds! Bedecked in thousands of twinkling lights, a show-stopping, twostory Christmas tree on the square turns the town into a holiday wonderland. Photos by Discover Dahlonega.

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dahlonega Family-friendly holiday activities also include boutique holiday shopping with Dahlonega’s eclectic selection of merchants who offer extended hours during this time of year. The “official” annual tree lighting occurs on November 25th and the lights remain through January 8th. Visit dahlonegachristmas.com. Photos by Michelle Kraft Deblois.

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The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Alabama offers Christmas-themed train rides. Photo by Meg McKinney and the Alabama Tourism Department.

CHRISTMAS TRAIN

All aboard the North Pole Express! Go on a magical journey to the North Pole on Alabama’s North Pole Express. Through the dark night, the North Pole Express makes its way by starlight to the top of the world. On the way, you’ll listen to a whimsical Christmas story, sing your favorite holiday carols, and watch out the windows for the bright lights of the North Pole to appear.

Upon arrival at the brilliantly decorated home, the elves, Santa, and Mrs. Claus will all board the train to visit your family and to take photos with every child. Be sure to whisper your wish for what you’re hoping to find under your tree on Christmas morning.

After your special visit with the Christmas couple, passengers ages two and up will be served chocolate drinks and a yummy treat - delivered by the North Pole Express chefs. You can dance with the elves, receive a lovely Christmas keepsake, and relax for the music-filled ride back to the Depot.

The North Pole Express train ride lasts approximately 1½ hours including the train ride through the forest and time spent relaxing onboard the train while stationed at the North Pole. But your North Pole

Express adventure will make lasting Christmas memories for you and your family for years to come! For even more festive fun, be sure to wear your pajamas for the ride!

Pick up your preordered tickets at the historic train depot (ALL tickets must be ordered in advance).

Enjoy festive Christmas décor and photo opportunities on the museum grounds.

Also enjoy Christmas at the Station. Get your tickets and bring the whole family to celebrate the holiday together with a 30-minute daytime ride on the seasonally decorated Calera & Shelby train; visit Santa for a festive photo opportunity on the Museum grounds; board the narrowgauge steam train for a quick trip down Candy Cane Lane on the Shelby & Southern Railroad; and enjoy all the activities on the museum grounds.

It’s all included with your Christmas Experience tickets! Be sure to enjoy a delicious lunch or sweet snacks from the food trucks and vendors on the grounds throughout the day. Get your last-minute shopping done with vendors offering the perfect gift for your special someone!

Visit hodrrm.org for ticket information.

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memories

By Lynne Greene Frakes

There is truth to the saying “the pen is mightier than the sword.” It is my hope that Magnolia and Moonshine will relay the strength and love of the divine cantata of the Southern traditions.

Every part of our country has its own different nuances and we as Americans are constantly trying to blend our customs. Our acceptance and trust of those customs make our country productive, and in so doing we blend America’s ideas.

Here, we are a group wanting to share with you why we do the things we do and, as we share our customs and traditions, remember our own child-like nature from the setting that shaped who we are today.

It is no coincidence that Winston Groom portrayed his protagonist Forrest Gump as an innocent child-like figure at the center of complex world-changing events.

It is through a similar lens that I view my own childhood growing up in the 1950s and 1960s. Complex, culture-shifting events were happening all around. But my memories are filled with the laughter of a late-night peanut boil; the barefoot walks down the dirt road to my best friend’s house; picking blackberries for mama to make jam; and baseball games in the front yard.

As you know, it gets quite hot in the South and as children, we did not have airconditioning. When you were seated in Church by someone with a fan you would hope that the air moved towards you, unconcerned about Covid germs. You were never allowed to whine, but if things were very hard, or if you were truly sick, you could complain to an adult. You will notice that Forrest never whined but did state a fact when marching through Vietnam trying to save his friend, Bubba.

The beauty and grace of the South were displayed for all to see and was an unusual privilege to behold. But you see, it wasn’t something that just occurred by happenstance.

We were constantly trying to create beauty and grace in the everyday moments.

Hopefully, we can present to you a small historical privilege that we can all relish in our memories while moving ahead into the future.

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mama said

BACK TO SCHOOL

By Leslie Anne Jones

Today is my daughter’s first day of Pre-K. I’ll admit it, I always get a little emotional on the first day and this year was no different. This year Rosie is a big-kid. Expected to learn big-kid things like reading and writing. But she is still my baby. And I’m always reminded of her very first day of “school” when she was 20 months old.

It was a muggy Georgia August morning. I don’t think I’d slept a wink the night before. I got her dressed in her little apple and gingham first-day-of-school outfit and tried to take the obligatory photos. I was pouring sweat and a ball of nerves. She was crying. I was crying.

Her father and I walk her into her new school, with her new friends and her new teachers, and plop her down in an environment she’d never known before. She started crying again. As I tried to walk away, the teacher was going over the ABCs. Sneaking out of the room, I said, “Rosie, tell ‘em how you know your ABCs.” And Rosie started: “Aaaaaaaa-Bbbbbbbbbb-Ccccccccc-Dddddddd.” Taking huge sobs

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between each letter.

I think I cried the whole way home. I know I was crying when my 98 year-old-grandfather called and began to get on to me about something I had or hadn’t done for work (he was my boss after all). And he paused and said, “why are you crying,” in his business tone.

I told him how I had just dropped Rosie off for her first day of school and I was a wreck. He said, “oh quit crying. My mama never cried when she dropped me off at school.” And in an unusually defiant tone, I said, “Oh yes I bet she did!! You just didn’t know it.” That caused him to pause and reflect on his own Mama, whom he loved dearly.

He let me off the hook that day for whatever it is I had or hadn’t done for work and let me be a mama.

Today was a muggy Georgia August morning. I didn’t sleep last night. I’m pouring sweat and a ball of nerves. I got the obligatory firstday photo, but this time Rosie was smiling. Excited for her first day.

And me? Well, if you see me in the carpool lane sobbing, just keep on driving. I’ll be fine.

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ghost stories SOUTHERN

By Marian Carcache

It’s not an exaggeration to say that most of us love a ghost story.

In my house, we have a fall tradition of composing a list of carefully chosen “scary movies” to watch during the month of October. There are rules: no animals can die and there can be no gratuitous slashing.

We prefer our ghost stories with atmosphere, not violence.

The south is rich in literary heritage, much of it Gothic. In addition to such greats as Harper Lee and Truman Capote, Alabama claims Kathryn Tucker Windham and her ghost stories as one of our many treasures.

Windham started writing ghost stories when a presence she called Jeffrey moved into her home in Selma in the 1960s. The family remembers the day well. Windham and her daughter were about to make cookies when they heard what they described as “unearthly” noises coming from the living room. After investigating and finding nothing out of place, they decided the sounds must have come from an animal in the chimney. That logical explanation would have put the story to rest, except that the incident was not isolated.

The family started hearing loud footsteps and finding furniture rearranged – not just moved or displaced, but actually repositioned.

Windham always maintained that Jeffrey wasn’t scary. She even wrote a song about how nobody was afraid of Jeffrey. Her ghost stories, while intriguing, are not necessarily frightening either, but they do capture the spirit of the south and its people.

Her stories tap into something that most human beings are vulnerable to: the inexplicable, or maybe it’s the need to survive being scared out of our wits.

As children, my friends and I played with a Ouija board until our mothers put an end to that activity. We gathered around our black and white television sets to immerse ourselves in the movie version of Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House” and “House on Haunted Hill.” We loved to scare each other and ourselves.

When I was in high school, a friend gave me 13 Alabama Ghosts.

Since that time, I’ve collected most of Windham’s books. But even better than reading or watching ghost stories is hearing about them firsthand.

When a child in our community kept mentioning her friend “Hoppy,” her family thought she had a pretend playmate. After the little girl revealed several details about this friend, the family realized she was referring to a relative who had died on his way home from the Civil War from a leg injury – a relative she had no natural way of knowing about.

One of my best friends shares the story of members of her family sitting around one night talking about an artist relative who had passed away. All of a sudden, the paintings that person had done started to fall from the wall. Twice in my own life, when I was much younger, I heard my name spoken as plain as day by a female voice, both times I was alone except for my dog, who also reacted to the voice. When he was little, my son saw, many times, a man in our house “wearing an Abraham Lincoln hat.”

A friend swears that after his mother’s death, he smelled the

strong odor of bleach one night and followed the smell to find that the neglected bathroom his mother had often urged him to scrub was inexplicably sparkling clean. And my no-nonsense grandmother looked up from her crossword puzzle one afternoon following Granddaddy’s death to see him standing in the hall.

It would appear that, perhaps, children are more open to the spirit world – at the very least, not as afraid of it, but no age group is exempt from interactions from Beyond.

Kathryn Windham has some advice for those who are a bit frightened when the lights go out, though. She assures that if we get scared, we can put our shoes under the edge of the bed, pointing one toe under and one toe out, we’ll be safe all night long.”

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&

Gesus Palomino candied jalapeños can be used in so many different ways in the kitchen or in the bar. From marinating, appetizers, main dishes, cocktails...the list goes on and on!

Enjoy!

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gesuspalomino@gmail.com • gesuspalomino.com

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