Simple Pleasure of Country Living 1994

Perhaps we were thought to be crazy  or whatever, but  what difference did it make?  John and I were enjoying life to the fullest.  We were creeping along the most wonderful backwoodsy Georgia road where there were more wildflowers than one can imagine.

With the so-called efficiency of our local highway department and their spraying program, we can scarcely see a wildflower along Alabama roads.  Then, when we were in Georgia for a quilt show we discovered Shannon, Georgia’s East Hermitage Road — what a heavenly place.

It may be that the Georgia DOT doesn’t know that road exists, but were we pleased to find it!  Midday traffic was almost non-existent, but what there was whizzed right on by us, as we had to be making 15 or 20 miles per hour.  This elderly couple crawling this lonely road could have been having car trouble, but no one seemed to care or ask if we needed help — that is, most didn’t.

Goldenrod

What a pleasant ride – but after a while nature calls and facilities become more important than wildflower-looking.   Then there it was — a portable toilet – a one-holer with a urinal.  There wasn’t room to cuss a cat and I mean, literally.  It’s a good thing I don’t suffer from claustrophobia, but I must admit it was nice to get outside and take a deep breath.  So I chalked up another ‘first.’

We marveled at the abundance of that rough sunflower called Helianthus Agustifolius.  I’ve never seen so much in one place and the Queen of the Meadow, we call Joe Pye Weed, was the largest we’ve seen.  Perhaps because of all the rain we’ve had.

Golden Rod just opening and sprinkled in with all the undergrowth of he roadside was breathtakingly beautiful.  In order to get off the curvy, narrow road, we pulled into a private drive (couldn’t even see a house from where we were) marked with a “Beware of the Dog” sign.  We wanted to walk back a ways to gather the wild sunflower seed.  You guessed it — here comes this bearded man with his dog to check us out.  I’ll be the first to admit that I was less than comfortable, until we started a conversation.

Actually, he was quite nice and, of course, I made friends with the dog — dogs are my all-time favorite.  John says I would have a hundred it he’d agree to it.  He even complains about the feed bill for the animals we already have — what’s $40 a month?  It’s only money! We made it perfectly clear what our business was and he was most gracious and informative about the area.  He never said he had a wife or other family – lived in a log cabin tucked deep in the woods of North Georgia.

Laden with seed, a plant or two and a handful of cuttings we were on our way – as happy as two dead pigs in the sunshine.  What a delightful day spent enjoying another of those simple pleasures of country living.

Wild Clematis