Why The Hollies?

When I was a kid there were three giant holly trees growing next to my grandparents' house. There were taller than the house even then. I used to spend time playing in them, walking under them and sitting in the branches reading. One of my fondest memories is walking underneath them after a rare snow.

There are only two now, because the house was struck by lightning when I was a senior in high school and the kitchen caught fire. The house was not habitable after all the smoke damage and while it was being cleaned (the ServPro people do not lie when they say it's like it never even happened) and rebuilt, my grandfather opted to live in a trailer behind the hollies. The gap between the house and the remaining holly on the right is wide enough for the trailer to be driven through. Back then the area to the left and rear of the house was a peach orchard. That, along with the and the power pole behind the house on the right, meant there was no way to get the trailer in back without sacrificing a holly.

Even so, they were always lovely and when I stood underneath them and looked up, the branches resembled the arches of a cathedral. I did not go to a proper cathedral until I was in my 30s, but I can tell you the feeling I used to get standing under them is of a place every bit as sacred and lovely as any cathedral. More so, perhaps, because it was made directly by the hand of God made and not by the hand of man.


When you get to the wedding site, you'll notice that the hollies and the pecan trees amongst which the chairs are set up form a sort of natural room. You can't see it in the picture below, but when you are standing at the ceremony site, the crossed branches of the pecans farthest back look for all the world like a gothic arch.


It's a special place.

The best thing is that there always seems to be a breeze blowing around the house. When I was younger, shortly after my grandmother died, I had the idea that the breeze was her spirit, looking after us even after she was gone. Maybe I'm right - the breeze seems, if anything, stronger now since my grandfather has gone to be with her. If I am right, and they are there, it will make me very happy.

A Tractor Shed?

I know some of you think I am kidding, or exaggerating, so here’s a picture of the reception venue.



Yes, it has had tractors in it my entire life. After the demise of the original shed, my aunt and uncle converted the end of the tractor shed into the commercial zone for selling tomatoes, corn, whatever is to be sold these days.

And ever third weekend in October they have a pumpkin party there with hayrides and pumpkins for the kiddies to pick out of the fields. They set up grills and bring a TV out to watch that all important third-Saturday-in-October Alabama football game.

Architecturally speaking, it’s a gem. I believe it dates to the 30s, perhaps. The rafters are lovely. The color of the rusted tin roof is the inspiration for my shoes and flowers.



I mean, if Martha Stewart were to come down and fill it with big ol’ flower arrangements, yummy food and nicely decorated tables and do a photo shoot there, my aunt and uncle could send their grandson to Harvard on the money they’d rake in from renting the place out to local brides!

We may not be totally up to Martha’s level, but I think we’ll do pretty well come Oct. 11.

A Most Humbling Experience

We had the first of our two bridal showers yesterday. The mere thought that people want to do this for us is astonishing. My gratitude to these ladies for putting so much time and effort into planning the party is something I will never be able to adequately convey in the thank you notes. I'm glad this is happening to me at 41 instead of 21, because I know I appreciate it more.

I'm equally astonished that people actually go out and buy us presents. I've been on the planning end of something like this, but never the receiveing end. I've hosted my share of showers and attended even more, but if you've never been in the bride's seat, I can't explain to you how humbling it is to realize how kind people are being to you - and to wonder what you've done to deserve it all.

Every single gift was lovely. That I had my fiance there (evenif he was the only man) and my future stepdaughters to help me open the gifts was a gift in and of itself.

I truly can't say enough nice things about my mother's wonderful friends who served as hostesses. If any woman out there reading this is looking for a worthy organization to which she can devote her time, I suggest finding a local chapter of Beta Sigma Phi - an international service sorority to which my mother has belonged almost as long as I can remember. Unlike the sororities you join in college, these ladies gather to perform public service projects that better the community and also focus on personal development. They are without a doubt some of the finest women I know and I am not exaggerating when I say they're like an extra set of aunts.

God knows they've looked after my mother - and by extension me - through some tough times this last year, which makes it even more special to share the joyous times with them.

What Should I Wear?

Ladies first and foremost – shoes you can walk in! This is not the place for dainty heels. They will either sink into the grass or cause you to slip in the gravel.

The weather in Riddles Bend is amazingly nice in early October. My aunt and uncle have a pumpkin party there annually on the third Saturday in October (you Alabama people know what that means), and it’s usually gorgeous. Low 80s for a high.

So think something that will keep you fairly cool during the day and perhaps a wrap if it gets chilly after dark.

As for the tone – if you can’t already tell this is a fashionably casual event. Not jeans or shorts (unless your under 7 or so) but definitely not sequins and ties either! And no pantyhose unless you just like wearing them. I despise them, so if you like to take your cues from the bride, know that. Also, my dress is tea length, if that helps you in any way.

How do I see our guests dressed? Ladies in nice skirts and blouses or sweaters (whichever you prefer) or dresses. Or sundresses. Gents in khakis and shirts, but jackets are not necessary.

Oh, Happy Day!

We went for a quick tour of the farm today and as we turned left off Babe Jackson Drive, I noticed that the address is indeed Guy Hood Road – or, as it says on the sign; Guy Hood RD.

YAY! YAY! Happy dance! I got it right! My wedding invitations are not misprinted! They will not be haunting me with their unfixable wrongness for the rest of my life!

Phew!

Can I Bring A Date?

Yes!

I intended to write "Honored Friend and Guest" on the response cards for all you folks who I thought want to bring someone with you, but I realize now that in my distress over printing the wrong address on the invites, I might have forgotten to do it for everyone.

Also, I know there is a select group of lovely ladies who will probably travel en masse to the festivities. I did not write "and Guest" on your cards because I presumed you would all come as a unit. I realize what happens when you assume, however, so if any of you do find Mr. Right - or even Mr. So-So - between now and then, please feel free to bring him along. The same applies for you single gents, as well.

If I did forget, just write "Your Name + Guest" on the response card. And if you meet someone fab between now and the wedding and want to bring him or her along, just call or email me anytime. It's not a problem.

Can I Bring My Kids?

Yes! Yes! Yes!

This is the most kid-friendly wedding place ever. And the more kids that come, the more likely I am to be able to bribe my uncle into giving a hayride, which is what I really want!

Doesn't this look like fun?

This is the trailer the hayrides are on, riding on it are Jason, my cousin Beth's husband along with their daughter, Hannah, son, Sam, and Millie, the farm dog!

And yes, when Big Sam (my uncle and little Sam's grandpa) does real hayrides, there is actual hay on the trailer!

Where Are We Registered?

And now, a word from the shameless commerce division of Wedding At The Farm (with apologies to the CarTalk guys)

Target

Dillard's

Belk

Rainbow City? Really?

You bet. I have heard a couple of reasons why it has that name over the years, the most logical one being because Rainbow Drive curves around like a rainbow as it hugs the riverbank, even though the curvy part is in Gadsden proper.

The explanation I like best, and which Rainbow City mentions on its website, is that several men from the area were in the Rainbow Division which was formed during World War I. It was created from several different National Guard Units among 26 states and the District of Columbia and its chief of staff, Major Douglas MacArthur, said it "would stretch over the whole country like a rainbow."

The timing makes sense if you think about it because Gadsden's Country Club opened just after the war and that stretch of road leading to it, where the curve is, would have been fairly newly created. And that's time enough for local men who served in World War I to come home and rebuild their lives a bit and seek to honor their comrades.

So, I had heard this as a kid, grew up with it, heard it again in my World War I classes in college (I was always a history geek). But I will tell you the last place I ever expected to come across mention of the Rainbow Division was in southern Germany.

We had opted to go to Dachau, though it is a grim trip. I recommend it. The main monument in the camp says it best - Never Forget. We can't forget what evil there is in the world, and what people will do to one another if left unchecked. We have to speak up.

As noted, I am a sucker for history and never pass up a chance to read a historic markers. As I stood inside the gates of Dachau, reading the walls, I came across this marker, which reduced me to tears. This is not my picture of it, but I have this picture.


Different war, different men, I get it. But they were Americans, and they did the right thing when called upon and would have whether it was their duty or not. No matter where they came from, they are my countrymen and I am proud.

I don't think I have ever been anywhere more disturbing than Dachau in my life. Bavaria is beautiful - surpringly like home, in fact, but I remember the city of Dachau as a gritty, ugly place. And I realize cities grow over 60 years, but it seemed as if the camp was practically in the middle of town. The citizenry had to know what the military was doing, but turned a blind eye. It makes you shiver a little to wonder what we'd do today in similar circumstances.

So, because I feel I need to tie this post up neatly and make it relate to the wedding somehow, I'll say this. Perhaps when we see rainbows, or Rainbow Drives, or Rainbow Cities, we can think not of leprechauns and pots of gold, but of hope, liberation of the body and spirit, love of your fellow man and doing the right thing - not just out of duty, but because it's the right thing to do. All pretty good ideals upon which to found a marriage, don't you think?

Wrong Road Name On Invites

Yes, I know. It's tragic when editors make mistakes ON THEIR OWN WEDDING INVITATIONS.

The wedding will be held on Guy Hood Drive, not Guy Hood Road.

Mr. Hood, I apologize. Grandaddy - since it was you who chose the name of the road - I apologize. (Family, am I right in remembering that Rainbow City wanted to name it after him, but he said that was an honore reserved for dead people, and since he wasn't dead it'd make more sense to honor Mr. Hood?)

In my defense, I did send three emails asking if I had the address right and got no replies, so I winged it.

Fortunately, Maquest, Google Maps et. al. take you to the same place.

If your invitation is a bit smeared it's probably the hot tears of shame I cried when I realized what I had done. Seriously, you can ask Curtis - I bawled my eyes out.

It has occurred to me that this wedding is, in a way, a celebration of my love for the farm and my family, and what it, and they, mean to me, and my joy in finding someone who appreciates it all as much as I do and wants it to be a part of his life going forward, too. So I'm upset, in a way that I somehow let the farm and my family down by getting that wrong. But I suppose it's the spirit of the thing that matters most, and perhaps I can be forgiven a small detail.