Sweet Home Andalusia

Andalusia is a sleepy little town but not because it is a lazy little town but because the pace is slow enough to induce extreme nostalgia and hyper-awareness of how ultra too busy the rest of my world can be. I think it would be fun to see if my blood pressure drops when I hit that part of the highway where the cell phone no longer works and cows and lots of green grass line the roads.

It is not the place where you find lots of shopping, or lots of places to eat and entertainment but what you will find is a town that mostly closes on Saturday and more so on Sunday. I imagine they are taking that time as me time, God time and family time. There are no traffic jams but you will ind lots of home made jams at the farmer’s markets and vegetables stands.

I love how that most every boutique that I walk into has the most welcomed praise and worship music playing and I am not the only one with a deeply southern accent. Actually, I fit right in!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I felt like I was back in my childhood town of Enterprise walking around barefoot looking for another size. I remember actually going to Bryars in downtown Enterprise as a girl and telling them to put it on my mama’s bill!!!!! I still to this day prefer little boutique stores to the big old chains. So if you are like me and prefer homegrown shops with homegrown people then you will love these sweet stores like Lena Ellen Boutique right next door to the Blue Goose Nursery.

I love my neighbors around the lake and my sweet right next to me neighbors!!! I love Daves Catfish and how the waitresses call me sugar and baby and sweetie. I love that they don’t look at me funny when I order pickles and sliced onion with my catfish. Seriously people they are born and bred southerners!!! They know what is up. And if you want to find anyone you know in town look there on a Friday night because you have a 75% chance you will find who you are looking for. If you have a problem with delicious and you are fasting DO NOT order the homemade onion rings!!!!

I have not had the pleasure of running into Brenda Gant yet but I know enough to realize that she is an icon in these parts. And even though I have about 3 big pots of veggies cooking on the stove and I do cook lacey friend cornbread, I am in awe of her cooking and sweetness skills. If you have not seen her please check her out on Cooking with Brenda Gantt!!! You will thank me but if you are going to cook her goodies wear your buffet pants. If you don’t know what Buffet pants are then I am not sure if you have ever eaten in the south.

I want to spend some writing time talking about some of the places as I discover them so that you may wander in as you employ your sense WONDER and relax in this precious place. I am sitting and writing and looking at Lake Gantt where not one sound other than a barking dog and singing birds have entered into my world. I will hit you back later but I must go check on my peas turnips and beans that are on the stove. Thanks be to God that Wingard’s Farm Market is back open for the season!!!!

ps. I will not be weighing when I get home

pps. Lots of friend cornbread in my future

ppps. Of course there is no such thing as a ppps. but there is in my world because it is sometimes needed but I am sorry that my friends are not here to eat this southern yummy food and enjoy this quiet lake.