Virginia Echeverria Whipple

What do I love more right now.......... vintage photographs, neons, or sequins?

I can't decide.

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My Garden Grows

Both my mother and father have incredibly green thumbs, so gardening should come very easy to me, right? WRONG!

My mother has been known to pinch a piece off a plant on a walk, while on vacation, stick it in her purse, fly home, stick it in a cup, then in the ground, and viola a giant vine is climbing her rock wall.

My father grows so much produce each summer that after eating nothing but homegrown for months and stuffing two over sized freezers full, he still has boxes and boxes to give away to anyone he knows.

Inspired by them and motivated by a desire to feed Carson the absolute best, I decided to plant a garden last summer. I used cinder blocks to make two 10 foot beds along the side of my Dallas house, filled them with organic soil and bought tons of plants and herbs. At nap time each morning I walked around and watered, watching them grow slowly. The herbs did ok, not great, but the vegetables did nothing.

It was depressing!

Surprisingly I was not deterred. I assume gardening is like most other things, you have to fail a few times first to figure it out? I wondered if it was my insistence on organic fertilizer, it is much weaker then the standard Miracle Grow and such.

I was given this great book called, Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces. I read it cover to cover and decided to give it another go. This time I skipped the beds and avoided the cost by cleaning up a big pot I found in the yard of our rental, used an old bench, and up-cycled
a few tomato cans. I used the same fish emulsion for fertilizer and followed the guidelines from the book on planting things together. I actually started them all in the same big pot and then added the other pots on the bench and moved things around once the tomatoes really started to grow.

It is small, but it has been making me very happy! I water in the morning and fertilize every two weeks. I have split most of the herbs at least two times. I put them in new cans and give them to friends. Now that the tomatoes are growing I have been eating them for breakfast with avocado. The basil plants put out enough to have pesto at least once a week. It has been endlessly satisfying and I can't wait to grow more!

Current Inventory includes:

• 2 cherry tomato plants
  
• 3 banana pepper plants
  
• 4 basil
  
• 2 rosemary
• 2 oregano
• 1 thyme
• 1 mint
• 1 chive

This small success is giving me the confidence to plant lots more come fall. I'm hoping that since they are in containers I might even be able to bring them in and keep them growing longer. The rosemary should last all year, I think. Anyone else gardening this summer? Tips?

After The Mojo and Before The Gun

We had the most amazing time in the woods with our friends!

As always I did not take nearly as many photos as I would have liked. I am finding it close to impossible to participate and document at the same time.

While the cabin was slightly more rustic then originally expected, the company made up for it for sure! Mr. Chris kept us fed, cooking one amazing meal after another, and Mr. Nick kept us entertained with constant music and even a few live performances with his guitar. Mrs. Ashley and Mrs. Casey played, flew the kite, colored, and read nigh-time stories......Carson was thrilled!

Highlights include:

• A storm that blew in just after we unloaded the car and got Carson tucked in for an afternoon nap.
  
• The largest cheese platter to ever exist.
  
• A yummy dinner of salmon, asparagus, and toasted bread. Yum!
• The teepee. Yes, there was a real full size teepee in the woods. We spent the later portion of the evening sitting around the fire pit inside.
• A much needed breakfast for the weary that included eggs, bacon, and pancakes with maple syrup.
• A morning hike along the creek and a most entertaining kite flying expedition into the field. Without any wind at all, we were forced to come up with creative ways to get the kite to stay in the air for the, very excited, Carson. This included lots of running.
• Lunch and afternoon naps for some.......and back out for another hike. This hike was slightly more successful, in that we found a few waterfalls and took our shoes off to wade in the water and watch Carson play. (sadly a threatening storm, means the camera had to stay home.)
• Dinner- a slow cooked a brisket, mac and cheese, salad, and good wine. Thank you Richter!
  
• Dessert- Smores around the fire, storytelling, and late night key lime pie.
• Breakfast- (prepared by Mr. Nick) creamy grits and overstuffed omelets. Delicious!
• A Red Top Mountain hike, followed by quick a dip in the lake.

Complaints Included:

• 30 plus acres of private property really meant.....shared with the owner who lives on the grounds and has two dogs that might join in on your vacation.
• Claw foot bath tubs can sometimes be more charming then clean.
  
• Central Air is considered an extra in the Georgia Mountains cabins, note to self: ask next time to be sure.
• Bedroom can sometimes mean a bed behind a curtain, sorry Lufts!
• There is such a thing as too much cheese.
• Two nights and a day is not a long enough of a vacation these days.
  

We ate, we drank, we laughed, we played, and we teepeed. It was a much needed break for all of us! Thank you friends for such a great time!