grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

I Won’t Apologize for Being Southern

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I won't apologize for being southern

For a few split seconds when I put on this t-shirt my Momma gave me for my birthday, I wondered if it might offend someone. Screw that. I won’t apologize for being southern. I won’t apologize for saying screw that either.

After I read the article about students being offended by a fake cotton centerpiece at the President of Lipscomb University’s home, first I checked to see if it was posted from a satirical news site. It wasn’t. Next I rolled my eyes and became angry all at the same time.

We are walking the thinnest of lines when a row crop becomes offensive.

It’s. A. Plant.Continue Reading

Decorate with Cotton

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how to decorate with cotton

A couple of weeks ago, I did a little Thanksgiving decorating using simple things around the house. This week I’m decorating with cotton. As a delta girl, I think cotton is the perfect natural touch for the home. It’s too late to pick it from the fields, so if you missed out or don’t live where cotton is grown, you’ll have to purchase it online or at craft stores. Not quite the real deal, but you’ll get a similar look.

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pick a bale of Arkansas cotton

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Mississippi Co CottonI grew up in the Arkansas Delta, so for me, fall means harvest, and harvest means rice, soybeans, and cotton. As you might gather from the title of this post, once again I’m talking about cotton. (Last cotton blog post for the year. Promise.) Some folks have never seen a field of cotton ready for picking, and the entire process of ginning is a mystery. I made a few videos during my recent tour of Lee Wilson & Company Cotton Gin in Wilson, Arkansas. And, I wrote an article about Arkansas Cotton for First Security Bank’s Only in Arkansas blog. Impressive sustainability improvements have been made in cotton farming since 1980. Click HERE to read all about the world’s most popular fiber.

BUT FIRST, check out my videos which you may find as exciting as watching paint dry, but I happen to love.Continue Reading

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