CWAC Details

Arriving around 4 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon, we just have enough time to unload/unpack before it's time to head outside for our daily, informal 5 o'clock gathering known as Circle Time.

We all bring a cool beverage and an appetizer.

Visitin' happens.

After the Sunday morning 2-hour outdoor photo session when my mother takes pictures to use for the family calendar my parents produce, we picnic together.

Everyone brings their own plate outside for more visitin' because we all believe ~

Food and meal-times shared

 have always been thought of 

as a closer kind of communication

 than simply talking to people,

 without eating together.

Here's what my week of menus looks like ~

Saturday:  Honey Baked Ham, Cauliflower Salad, Baby Butter Beans, Cornbread, and Pound Cake

Sunday:  Krispy's Fried Chicken (purchased locally),

 Potato Salad,

 Steamed Green Beans, 

Sliced Tomatoes, Pickled Okra, 

Cornbread

and the

Celebratory Cookie Cake

Monday:  BBQ Pork, Baked Beans, Coleslaw, and Brownies

Tuesday:  Summer Herb Pasta with freshly grated Parmesan, Steamed Asparagus, Rice Krispie Treats

Wednesday:  Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches, Corn on the Cob, and Fresh Peaches

Thursday:  Frogmore Stew aka Low Country Boil, Caesar Salad, and Birthday Cake

Friday:  Leftovers Picnic = Fun idea where everybody clears his/her 'fridge in preparation for leaving.  Kind of like a pot luck (providence) dinner!

That's all for now.

Gotta get ready for Zumba class.

Addendum ~
Favorite B'fast = Hard Boiled Egg, Fresh GA Peach, Black Coffee
Favorite Lunch= Gazpacho and Pimento Cheese on Frito Scoop

Hidden Art Book Club: Chapter 11

Creative Recreation

Currently I am recreating at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA.

Which means that I am resting per Edith:

a sliding away from daily tensions and worries, changing my perspective, emptying my mind of the daily grind,

 releasing and producing creative energy.

Which, in turn, is the result of original ideas, creatively planned not only by the Callaway family (who preserved and developed the area)

but also my parents who for the past 25 years have gathered their six children (and spouses) plus their 29 grandchildren (and spouses)  together annually for resting.

While here I plan to explore the nature trails, visit the horticultural center, watch the butterflies, and attend the birds of prey demonstration.  That's just the beginning of getting outside, out of doors, and doing something different.

My parents took the challenge and developed it, as Edith suggests, giving memories of a childhood to the children of their children... not just watching it on a screen.

CWAC = Cousins Week at Callaway

Thanks to BaaBee and DanDan!!

and the Callaway Family ~

Whose purpose in establishing the Gardens

 is to provide a wholesome environment

 where all may find beauty, relaxation, inspiration,

 and a better understanding of the living world.

This post is written in conjunction with an online book club.  We are reading Edith Schaeffer's The Hidden Art of Homemaking.  Cindy Rollins is the hostess/moderator.  Visit her informative blog @www.ordo-amoris.com

Reunion Etiquette

Primarily reminding myself of these guidelines as our annual gathering begins this Saturday, I share these *ten commandments* with my blogging buddies.

The list is copied from Jennifer Crichton's informative volume.

A reunion isn't controlled by protocol, as a wedding is. And each family cultivates its own idiosyncrasies.

Still, a few laws do govern reunions - natural, underlying laws that must be followed lest the world be thrown into chaos and confusion.

And we dont want that.

So, with the help of Judith Martin, aka Miss Manners, we've drawn up the following commandments.

1) Thou shalt not forget thine ordinary manners nor thy common civility, just because thou art amongst thy brothers and sisters.

2) Thou shalt tolerate the tiresome relative (at least for a little while).

3) Thou shalt not play footsie with a distant cousin or thy cousin's spouse.

4) Sniping and carping about a reunion's lack of organization is an abomination.

5) Thou shalt orchestrate spontaneous praise unto the reunion organizer.

6) Thou shalt not talk about everything under the sun. Agree to disagree, and steer clear of such topics as the war in Afghanistan, parenting styles, gay marriage/clerics, public education, and the Federal Vision.

7) Parents shall not use intimate details of their children's lives as conversation fodder. (Boasts of children's accomplishments are acceptable, but parents shall be discreet in their phrasing and timing.)

8) Thou shall not reveal devastating family secrets about thyself or others unless thou hast arranged therapeutic support systems.

9) Thou shalt not publicly criticize the bad manners or poor behavior of any child not thine own.

10)Thou shalt flatter thy kinfolk - falsely or not. All nieces tap dance divinely, all babies are beautiful, and all aunts look as wonderful as ever.

Read more about our family reunion by clicking on the CWAC label.  Or my Xanga tabs.

Hidden Art Book Club: Gardens

Visiting and supporting public gardens both fall into the purview of tending our patch of ground, if we take seriously Edith Schaeffer's encouragements in The Hidden Art of Homemaking.

*Human beings were made to interact with growing things*

So, it is with great pleasure I draw your attention to Callaway Gardens where we will gather for an annual family reunion for the 22nd time in just a few weeks.

In my blog's sidebar there are links for CWAC (Cousins Week at Callaway) where you can read about our family tradition.

More links here, too.

But dont miss the opportunity to visit Callaway's website.

Originally conceived in 1930, after owner Cason Callaway wished to preserve the eco-system of the native plumleaf azalea, the family established the 6500-acre resort in stages.  There are more horticultural opportunities than I can take advantage of each year, so I never tire of returning.

Of course, visiting with our own adult children, my 25 nieces and nephews, various in-laws, plus some first and second cousins is the primary focus.  What a beautiful place for nourishing relationships.   I think the journalist who just published this op-ed about siblings in the NY Times might like to make a reservation.

Next, allow me to bring to your attention Gibbs Gardens located where I live in Cherokee County, GA.  

This landscape designer purchased over 300 acres about 35 years ago and has been developing them ever since.  Last year he opened the grounds to the public and wow!  What a refreshing place to visit.

In my first visit this year, I was taken with the red rhododendron, the fern dell, and this charming trillium (turned upside down for photo.)





Gibbs Gardens, like Callaway Gardens, sparks the dry wood of my lack luster talents and gives me just the right amount of inspiration to come home and try something myself.

What garden are you visiting?

This post is written and shared in conjunction with my participation in an online book club where we are reading Edith Schaeffer's Hidden Art.  Consider reading along.