A Good Day)))

Some days, you just have to close up shop and head out.....today was one of those days)) We picked up our youngest grandson and headed to New Albany. First stop was to wander around downtown New Albany.....so many quaint shops....and Sugaree's Bakery. This place is WONDERFUL. Everything I've ever tasted from Sugaree's is scrumptious. Today was chocolate chip walnut cookies. Sugaree's is located right on Bankhead street (for all practical purposes, this is "main" street downtown New Albany). Actually Main Street is on the backside of New Albany and many, many years ago was the main drag through town. It was actually called the Jockey Yard.....I've heard my grandmother say many times. We also tried the Strawberry Cake today. YUM! This cake tasted so much like the fresh strawberry cake my mother used to make that we went back to Sugaree's before we left town and picked up a slice for my 89 year old Dad. I hope he enjoys it tonight))) Next stop was to the Union County Seed and Feed store to buy ferns. There was a time where I tried to keep my ferns through the winter, but I gave up due to the mess with the shedding and each spring we get enough shade ferns to go across the back porch and sun ferns to go around pool. You won't find any green thumbs around our place. We have no luck with plant life, but somehow my ferns thrive)). The trick is Bone Meal. Bone meal, actually comes from bones....ground up animal bones from slaughterhouses...don't worry, it's sterilized. The bone meal contains nitrogen which makes the leaves green, phosphate which aids in having a healthy sturdy plant. Just lift up the fronds and sprinkle a couple of tablespoons on the dirt and lightly water. Rinse any off that might be on the fronds, but I really haven't noticed problem like burning the leaves or anything like you can do with other types of fertilizer. And, at the Seed and Feed, they have this wonderful old Rocket Ride, still in it's original form. It costs a dime and is an absolute must for the grands each time we go in the store. They usually have a few live animals too, baby chicks, hens, rabbits....you never know what you're going to find. Then off to the City Park for some playground fun. Matt had a lot of fun on the slides.....they have so many, and they are well maintained, it shady with huge trees everywhere and just an overall nice place to visit. We walked around the park and watched some young men playing disk golf I think you call it. You throw a frisbee like disk and go from one hole to the other similar to golf. Looks like something the entire family could enjoy and the course at the City Park is free. Matt had to stop and throw sweet gum balls and sticks into the Tallahatchie River. This took up quite a bit of our morning as we had to throw them in on one side of the bridge, run over to the other side and watch them float by. Yes....you do these kinds of things for a 3 year old who thought it was great fun. And this is the Tallahatachie River that Billie Joe McAllister jumped into according to Bobbie Gentry's 1967 song Ode to Billie Joe. Next stop was lunch at Latham's Hamburger Inn. Seems we've started a routine with the grands.....they love to go to Latham's and sit on the old wooden bar stools that turn round and round, drink cokes from little bottles and read all the old signs on the brick wall behind the counter. Hamburgers and hot dogs are the usual fare for our folks. Today Matt had a hot dog and we had the "standard" cheeseburgers and fries. Everytime we take Matt, we have to bring his Coke bottle home and refill it for the rest of the day with whatever he drinks.

So, that was just about it. We dropped off a slice of Sugaree's Strawberry Cake and two of Latham's cheeseburgers off to daddy and Matt was fast asleep in his car seat. By the time we arrived at home with 10 ferns he was awake and ready to help get them placed in pots. We potted the ferns and he did all the watering ......with just a little help.

Not a particularly special day......just a day, but one worth remembering.