grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

The Enchanted Forest

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Goldsmiths, The Enchanted Forest, Memphis
When I was a child, the coolest place to shop was Goldsmith’s in downtown Memphis. Even the journey to Goldsmiths was fantastic—driving over the Mississippi River, parking in the multi-level garage, and walking through the tunnel underneath Front Street to get to ground level.
And the tunnel?  It was no ordinary tunnel. Inside the air was hypnotic—fresh, clean, divine—infused by a zillion shampoos and hair sprays lining the l-o-o-o-o-n-n-n-g passageway .
Just beyond the tunnel, a bakery greeted us. Oh mercy. Freshly baked cookies and cakes and gingerbread men filled trays displayed at eye level. The warm lights made the sugar sparkle.
Past the bakery, a world awaited with escalators and elevators and wide stairs and rails for swinging on (when we could get away with it). Unlike Belk’s in Osceola and Westbrook’s in Blytheville, There Was A Separate Floor For Each Department. 
Trips to Goldsmith’s were reserved for special occasions such as back-to-school shopping or when Momma needed a fancy dress. The most special occasion of all was Christmas. During Christmas, the Enchanted Forest magically appeared inside Goldsmiths.

The Enchanted Forest, Memphis

Magic I tell you…

A winter wonderland spread before us filled with forest animals and snowmen and twinkle lights and glittery snow delivered straight from the North Pole to the area behind men’s clothing. We strolled through slowly, savoring each second and every step, not wanting it to end. But kinda we did because deep in the frosty forest, a visit and picture with Santa awaited.

The real Santa. 

We waited in line as long as it took.We wore our best holiday outfits.
The Enchanted Forest was THE holiday event.
We never missed it.

Picture with Santa, The Enchanted Forest, Memphis
my sister and me with the real Santa

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

“On these magic shores children at play are forever beaching their coracles. We too have been there; we can still hear the sound of the surf, though we shall land no more.” – J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan

P.S. The Enchanted Forest is now located at The Pink Palace Museum. Click HERE for the link. Has anyone been? I bet it’s different…

Grace Grits Candle – Perfect Stocking Stuffer!

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I’ll be mailing out Grace Grits holiday candle orders soon!

My 4 oz. soy-blended travel candle burns for approximately 20 hours and smells amazing—a bold aroma of leather and flowers, addictive, not soon forgotten.

Perfect for stocking stuffers! Makes a great secret Santa or teacher gift too.

Locally made!

$7.50 each

not to make you nervous or anything…

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

“May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien

Wild Christmas Day Hike

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Wild by Cheryl Strayed, my Christmas Day review
I spent Christmas Day hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. An 1,100 mile journey from the Mojave Desert through the High Sierras to Washington State. Technically, author Cheryl Strayed did the hiking, I just went along for the trek, reading her book Wild cover to cover lying on the couch. Although I felt I was with her, I was comfy underneath a quilt. And not just any quilt, my turtle quilt, made by Nana when I was eight years old.

 

As the outside temperature plummeted, I read.  A pounding thunderstorm gradually evolved to snow with quarter-sized flakes, the sort that float dreamily to the ground and pile up all afternoon. With Annabelle curled at my feet, a fire nearby and steaming coffee, I luxuriated in a perfectly peaceful Christmas Day.Yes, Dallas had a White Christmas. That in itself was a miracle.

With no hiking or backpacking experience, Wildis the fascinating memoir of one young woman’s journey to rebuild her self-destructive life one step at a time. She faced intense heat and record snowfall, black bears, rattlesnakes and injuries. Somewhere along the trail, while confronting her personal demons, she found herself.
I was mesmerized.I can’t imagine pushing myself to those limits.

As humans we are rarely alone. Not really. We are surrounded by people and media and music and traffic. But when we are alone with only ourselves, we think and grow.

As I read the book I tried to remember a time I was truly alone. In fifty years the only experience I could semi-compare to Wild occured one day during the summer I spent in Tokyo. I traveled alone to a neighboring village. Changing trains multiple times and never sure I was on the right train, I thought I might never make it back to my group. With only one semester of Japanese, I was inept reading and speaking the language.  I remember sitting on the train surrounded by strangers thinking no one in the entire world knows where I am right at this moment. I didn’t know where I was at that moment. (Before iPhones and GPS and checking-in on Facebook…)
 
It was empowering, although a bit frightening.
talyaGrace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Musical Pairing:

Lou Reed, Walk on the Wild Side

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!