Purple Crane Creek

When I go on my daily(ish) walks, I end up on Crane Boulevard. It has a creek that runs along it, and when Willie Morris lived here, he called it Purple Crane Creek. That name appears on no map – just in his heart.

The time change and the political chaos and all of it has been so damned heavy, and I haven’t walked this week and so today I said “To hell with it, I’m going for a walk!” and I’m so glad I did.

It’s November – deep into fall now, and there is still so much green and yellow and various hues, and I loved the way they all reflected in the water here.

Beautyberry

This is an American beautyberry bush (Callicarpa americana) which lives in my front yard. It spends most of the year being a somewhat boring shrub with insignificant tiny flowers. But the fruit in the fall is this brilliant purple/magenta, which really stands out.

The berries are edible, but not very good. Some people do make jelly from them, which proves that if you add enough sugar to things, they eventually taste better. Also notice that some critter is eating the leaves on this plant – that is NOT a bad thing. It’s a native plant, that has coevolved with the bug life in this region for many thousands of years. I want the bugs to eat my plants, because I want the birds that eat the bugs.

People think of berries when planting for birds, but berries only last a few weeks – bugs are year round. Plant for bugs if you want birds. No bugs, no birds. It’s that simple. If your plants are not being eaten, they are not part of the ecosystem.

Amy at Jubilee

My friend Amy Yoder McGloughlin is a Conference Minister in Pennsylvania for Mennonite Church USA, and was in Jackson this weekend for some denominational meetings Saturday. Then she preached this morning at Jubilee Mennonite Church in Meridian.

Amy is one of my favorite people – we’ve been friends more than a decade. She used to be pastor of Germantown Mennonite Church – the oldest Mennonite church in the US, and because of her, I preached there back in 2014 or so.

Puss

We have 4 permanent cats in out house, and at any given time, between 2-6 kittens. Of all the cats, Puss is our oldest.

She’s 11 years old, and we rescued her when she was still nursing. She’s always got a look of anxiety on her face, but she’s very affectionate (as long as it’s on her terms). When it thunders outside, she opens a kitchen cabinet and hides inside.

Mr. Chen’s

There is a surprising number of Chinese people who live in Mississippi, most descended from people who came here as laborers in the “after slavery” years.

Mr. Chen’s is a Chinese restaurant/ Chinese food market/ Chinese restaurant supply store here in Jackson. It gives off street bazaar vibes (that is a good thing) and the food is excellent. It manages a good blend of authenticity but also throws enough American Chinese Food fan service into the mix that your Aunt Edna who loves General Tso’s Chicken can order off the menu.

This post is not sponsored by Costco

I was in a bit of a funk, so I made chili dogs for supper.

Pro-tip: If you only need a little shredded cheese and don’t want to dirty up the knuckle buster grater, use a vegetable peeler and slice off thin slices of cheese instead

Also, if you are a Costco member, their Kirkland hot dogs are amazing. And don’t sleep on the Cabot Creamery 3 year cheddar.

This post is not sponsored by Costco, but if they want to talk, I’m open.

Carnivores!

These are pitcher plants – they’re carnivorous, like Venus Flytraps are, and they’re native to the southeast. I have a container of them growing on our back deck

When I get my ducks in a row, I want to build a carnivorous garden bed in the backyard. I love them.

Like most horrible things, they’re beautiful. I see the flies hovering around them and wish I could warn the flies away, but instead I sit and watch them fly into the trap, doomed.

Gratitude

It’s 8PM and 62 degrees in late October, and I’m in my front yard, because I forgot to bring the trash cans up after trash pickup today.

My neighborhood is 3/4 of a century old, and the tall pines and live oaks and southern magnolias that fill our neighborhood mean that it’s mostly green year round. They reach for the sky, these trees do, and hold you, letting you know that you are protected, safe, loved.

I understand that there are people who live where there are not trees. It’s important to learn early in life that not everyone has the advantages you do.

As I was standing on the edge of the road in my quiet, verdant street, I looked up toward the sky and just felt gratitude. I love it here, and wouldn’t care to live anywhere else.

16 years ago today

Sixteen years ago today, we got married.

On that morning, I had less than $30 in my checking account, having spent the massive sum of $80 the night before on pizza and two liter softdrinks for our rehearsal dinner.

My car was a small Kia with a leaky radiator someone had given me, because I couldn’t afford a car. My bride was in the early stages of the heart failure that had killed her mother, grandmother, and cousin.

A friend had lent us his condo at the beach for a week, so we could have a proper honeymoon. Another friend catered the reception, and told us we could have a month to pay for the food costs. Mom and Dad paid for the cake – it came from the grocery store down the street.

And virtually every person at the wedding handed us some cash, so we could have a lovely week at the beach – else we could not have afforded the trip.

As I said, the car had a leaky radiator, so I had a trunk full of jugs of water, and every so often I would pull over on the shoulder of the road and top it off. While at the beach, the car had an electrical problem, and I worked on it late into the night in the parking lot of the nice restaurant where we are supper.

Sixteen years later, literally nothing is the same. A different state, a different city. My wife has a new heart. We live in a house we love, in a neighborhood we love, and we can afford to get to a different beach 4 or 5 times most years. Renee does kitten rescue and I write things that matter to some folks, and for 16 years we have made it work, mostly because we have decided it will.

Sixteen years. 30 percent of my life. 6,540-ish days, more good than bad.

I’m glad she said yes.

Hugh's Blog

Hopeful in spite of the facts

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