Friday find — Southern Love written in cement

Adrienne Applegate

This is not my picture, nor is it my story BUT I love the poem so I asked to share both the picture and the story. On a recent trip to Wisconsin with her parents, Joseph's friend Odetta found a poem in a Madison sidewalk and being a toddler, stopped to read the letters. The author of the poem, Fabu, happened to drive by, saw an adorable red-head lying on the sidewalk and pulled over. How cool is that?! Fabu hails from down South and was Madison's poet laureate from 2008-2011.

Southern Love

I want love

to be like a good pot of greens

pick the tenderest parts

separate from the hard stem

wash gently and thoroughly 

removing every bit of dirt and grime

rinsing over and over and over 

with the clear, clean water of forgiveness 

season with savory meat, herbs and spices 

and then simmer, simmer, simmer.

I think it's a great description of what has to happen in a long, successful relationship — finding the good in each other, putting in the time and effort necessary to form a lasting bond. 

I'm a fan of poetry and have put several books on the boys' bookshelves. Our favorites include "The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders" by Jack Prelutsky and "Dirt on My Shirt" by Jeff Foxworthy. Then there are the classics, "A Child's Garden of Verses" by Robert Louis Sevenson and anything by Aileen Fisher. 

Favorite poems? poet? for adults? for children? Please share.

Friday finds

I must have been in the mood for a little fall color .

I went into the thrift store looking for old necklaces to repurpose into new ones. No luck, but I did leave with some very useful items for the kitchen. Tupperware pitchers are awesome so had to have it ($1.48). Vintage Pyrex is awesome so had to have it ($2.98). That thing on the bottom? It's a Tupperware sandwich keeper. We got two as a wedding present and they were one of the best presents we got! Really handy when it comes to packing lunches so had to have it ($1.48). 

Ready to roll the street.

Joseph got a new ride too. A knock-off Cozy Coupe SUV that needs a good washing but he doesn't care — he's one happy boy! And he didn't have to have it (he didn't fuss or whine or beg) so this momma thought he had to have it ($5.98). 

Friday finds

If the boys are with me on the thrift store rounds, I am limited to walking by the furniture directly to the toys with a quick stop by the books on the way out. I was only able to notice this jacket — purple corduroy? in my size?! — because it was on the rack nearest the toys. If you are a thrift store regular, you are familiar with the color discounts. Each week or day has a different color 50 to 75 percent off. (Or maybe that is just our stores?) Excellent way to keep the store inventory fresh. So while the jacket was $6.99, that day's color was orange making it 75 percent off. I did a little happy dance out the door with my new $1.75 jacket. 

I only got to one thrift store during the annual summer trip to Memphis. (Maybe next summer, Mom and I can take a day to really explore. Seems most of the thrift stores are located on Summer Avenue.) This vintage orange clutch was marked $9.99. Again, it matched the color tag on sale, making it 50 percent off. Still a bit pricey but I kept it in my hand as I walked around. At the register, I was told it was not on sale BUT it sure shouldn't be marked 9.99 either. I may not buy a clutch for $5 but I sure will take it home for $1. And the clerk went ahead and gave me the 50 percent discount. Score!

So now me, my purple jacket and orange clutch need a fun place to go this fall. 

Find anything good recently? Doesn't have to be a thrift store find — maybe you fell in love with a book or movie? A new restaurant in your town? Please share!

Friday find

I took a box of books to our 2nd & Charles last week. It's a huge used book store, the idea of the folks running Books-A-Million. What I like is they offer a higher buyback if you opt for store credit. Come on, we all know I'm just going to turn around and buy more books. I came home with three books — restraint! — including "What's for Lunch, Charley?" by Margaret Hodges, copyright 1961.

A quick scan at the book store convinced me it might be a fun read for Will. For a dollar, I can take a chance that we'll like it. It wasn't until I got home that I noticed the publisher's price (on the price tag) was listed as $25.00. What? The other two books had $3.99 and $1. So I did some research. Folks have fond memories of it in the Amazon reviews. And sure enough, the resale prices are pretty high. I'm going to consider it quite a find. 

How about you ... any good finds lately?