Preservation Ale Square Dance....

Last Saturday night there was a fundraiser at Sulphur Creek Farms. My friends grew the organic hops & a local brewery (Yazoo) made a special ale with their hops called the Bells Bend Preservation Ale. There was also a bluegrass band and a square dance caller. It was good fun. As I was walking back to my car (around 4:30am), my friend all of a sudden dropped to the ground. I knelt down beside him and asked him what was wrong. His eyes were wide and he said, "I've heard folklore about this, but I've never seen it with my own eyes." I followed his gaze. There, in the grass, were lights. Not lightning bugs, but the strangest, most beautiful glow....like stars in the grass. He explained that it was something called foxfire and it is rare to ever see it. (Another birthday gift from the universe?) We sat there with our legs crossed like little kids and talked and watched the magical foxfire until the sun came up and the foxfire disappeared. I hope I'm always able to feel that kind of awe....even if I am thirty.

Actual Birthday Recap

I woke up at 6:30am and continued cleaning. I've always despised cleaning....well, the getting started part, I guess. I think cleaning is like going to the gym. I never want to do it, but once I'm there, it isn't so bad & I always feel good when I'm finished. I was reading a few weeks ago that cleaning the house is just another form of prayer or meditation. That shifted something in me...in the way I am thinking about cleaning. A part of me was annoyed that I couldn't sleep in, but mostly I felt like spending all morning "mediating" was probably a great way to start my birthday. Goal for 30...meditate with my new steam cleaner more.

Then my mom arrived and we went to Burger Up for lunch. We split a delicious salad and a quinoa burger with truffle oil fries. Mmm. I meant to take a photo before, but got too distracted by the deliciousness. This (above) is all you get...the last lone bites of my birthday salad. I also caught myself eating too fast again. I'm working on that. It is a lifelong habit, learned from my dad, who developed the habit when he was a medical resident and would have five minutes to eat a sandwich out of a vending machine for dinner. Most of the time I don't remember that I need to chew slower until my food is almost all the way gone. Anyhow, goal for 30...chew more.

Then we wandered over to Sulphur Creek Farm (where I go to those weekly potlucks) to meet my insanely talented friend, Mark Tucker. I first saw Mark's photographs hanging in my friend Diana's house. I've admired/drooled over his work ever since. I got to spend the afternoon jumping around in creeks, swinging on big swings, climbing into ponds and running down gravel roads.

After the photo shoot, I quickly changed in the barn and off we went to the Grand Ole Opry House to see Ray Lamontagne. Our seats were incredible (thanks to my lovely friend, Dara). Brandi Carlile opened for Ray. I had never seen her live, but had always liked her songs on the radio well enough to sing along. She blew me away. She was such an amazing performer/entertainer. I cried during her second song (below) of the show, and turned to my mom and said, "Gosh. I think we're going to need more beer for this concert." Ha. As her encore, she played one of my favorite favorite songs ever (I have two favorite songs)....Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. I guess a lot of people like that song, which makes me feel fairly unoriginal, but I don't care. It breaks my heart every single time...the lyrics. Ugh. Love it.

Then Ray played my other favorite song. More tears. Both favorite songs in the same night? What an unexpected birthday treat!

I can't think of a single thing I would have changed about the day. It was amazingly perfect. Special thanks to my mom for being here to share it with me.

One of the surprises that I didn't mention yet about my birthday was this...

...my favorite photographer, the amazing Mark Tucker, documented a part of my 30th birthday at Sulphur Creek Farms today. Such an incredible afternoon of stomping through creeks, running through fields and swinging on giant swings. I thought I'd be very nervous, but I was surprisingly comfortable...and totally willing to wade into this pond for this shot. This is just a preview of our afternoon. I feel so lucky that Mark was willing to do this, and that I'll always have these images of what I was like at thirty. I have a ton more to say about my day, but mom and I are exhausted. More posts tomorrow.

It is difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a home-grown tomato. -Lewis Grizzard

Johnny and Tara have family visiting, so I worked The Green Wagon booth at the West Nashville Farmer's Market yesterday morning. Such a beautiful day and got to see lots of people from when I used to work there every weekend. Tomatoes pictured above are from Sulphur Creek/Bells Bend Farm.)