Stuff We Like

A Good Way of Life

claudiaMay 21, 2010Inspiration, Stuff We Like

Mike and the kids make fun of me because I love A Prairie Home Companion. Always have. Always will. And every Sunday from 10-12 when I tune in, all I hear from my family is stuff like “turn that @#*&^ off,” accompanied by big eye rolls and aggressive station changing. Pee-shaw! Who cares what they think. PHC has been around almost continually since 1974 and 4 million other folks just happen to agree with me: It’s one of the most special programs on radio, a throwback to simpler times. Founder and host Garrison Keillor said, “When the show started, it was something funny to do with my friends, and then it became an achievement that I hoped would be successful, and now it’s a good way of life.” This Saturday, my pal Barbara S. and I are going to see Mr. Keillor and the whole Prairie Home gang perform the show live at the Fox Theatre in ATL. Guy Noir, Dusty and Lefty, Lake Wobegon, here we come.

Into the Light

Are you a two-sided southerner?

At Heart, A Rural Poet

New Discoveries

Summer Reading

claudiaMay 12, 2010Stuff We Like

On today’s “City Cafe, WABE-FM, there was this story, “25 Books All Georgians Should Read.” But really, it’s a list of 25 great books anyone should read, by some very good authors, all of whom have Georgia ties. See the list here: http://tiny.cc/ucc7r, or listen at www.wabe.org/citycafe. Don’t know about you, but I’ve only read one of these books so far–and that was just by coincidence. Only 24 more to go. 🙂

Summer Angel is ‘WildSweet’

Mod Birds

Into the Light

Are you a two-sided southerner?

The Italian Take on Life

claudiaMarch 15, 2010Inspiration, Stuff We Like

“I wish I had the power to convey how lovely life is in rural Italy. I’m attracted to country life, an old obsession from having grown up in South Georgia. The life we live in Italy is like life in a lot of rural places….”

Frances Mayes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
March 15, 2010

Into the Light

Are you a two-sided southerner?

At Heart, A Rural Poet

New Discoveries

A Barn Dollhouse

claudiaMarch 12, 2010Family, On the Farm, Stuff We Like

Okay, back to Dolly in Providence. Ever thoughtful, Big Sis came across this rather large barn dollhouse in the basement of a friend’s home. It was a gift to her children built by a local craftsman, and the kids loved and played with it for years–even adding real hay to the stalls. Recently widowed, with both her daughters now living on the West Coast, Dolly’s friend is cleaning out her New England family home and decided to part with this keepsake. So my sister convinced us to adopt it for our farm. Well, her sweet barn gift arrived at my office today in a five-foot box that could have held a human (or so noted our UPS man). When I texted to ask her how much I owed for shipping, she wrote back, “You don’t even want to know. I will tell you some night when you are drunk.” Now, it’s probably a safe bet that Arielle and Adrian D’Avanzo aren’t going to play with this barn-house anytime soon, but Mom and her horse-lovin’ friends just might. And then, there’s always those future grandkids…

15 Years, 15 Blessings

A Mother’s Gift

one man’s trash

A new chapter

Good luck, Chef Peacock

claudiaMarch 2, 2010Good Eats, On the Road, Stuff We Like

Food Memories from Alabama. James Beard award winner Scott Peacock has departed Watershed restaurant in Decatur, Ga., to focus on a new film documentary that will chronicle the oral histories of some of Alabama’s oldest residents and their food memories. Scott helped put Southern cuisine on the culinary map for Atlanta, but he’s returning to his ‘bama roots to complete this important project. He also wants to write books, including a memoir about his relationship with the great Southern chef Edna Lewis. Looking forward to the stories he’ll share. http://tiny.cc/CUbQ1

I Scream, You Scream

Into the Light

Making Biscuits in the Black Belt

Under the Stars…with S’mores