Today was a most amazing day. It started with a sunrise driving through pastoral countryside. I then had the absolute pleasure of spending the good part of an afternoon with Dr. Cindy Ayers a wall street maven turned rural farmer with a mission of community transformation through healthy eating. It was going to be a short visit since I had to be up north that evening but we just kept tumbling into conversations about her work melding farming, education and…
Ah… At long last, fresh vegetables!!!! This morning I am in heaven at the farmers market with Cindy Ayers of Foot Print Farms. In case you’re wondering, Cindy is the women in pink. And, yes, she wears pearls even when she’s farming! The pink and the pearls is her way to celebrate women in agriculture. It’s amazing how much energy she has. Seven years ago she was wearing high heels and working on Wall Street. Today — ~ Cindy has…
I am immersed at the intersection of past and present on the way to the future. This picture is of the last remaining block of the original settlement of Natchez. As a major cotton exporter and riverport, Natchez was once a commerce hub and the home of the state’s most notorious slave trading station, Forks in The Road. I still continue to struggle to find words that describe the moral evil of this era of our past. Any words I…
As I travel through a place in the world with a shadowy and brutal past, while walking through streets of cities and towns struggling to stay alive, I take moments to celebrate the beauty — in all it’s many forms. This was taken as I walked along the Mississippi River in Natchez.
The Mississippi River as seen on a foggy morning in Natchez — its widest opening. Powerful and sublime!
“Dearest Columbia, I’m sorry to say, I have a new love. Hope you understand. I do still love you, but Mighty Mississippi is irresistible. Please don’t think you have been forgotten. For the moment, though, she has drawn me into her more alluring majestic beauty. Yours truly, Carolyn.”
I am so smitten with the Mississippi river. At the largest, most industrialized river in the United States it tells us much about are past, present and future. Tonight I go to sleep on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in Natchez. I’m excited to see what she looks like at dawn. I hope I can capture her grandeur! In this moment, I enjoy a beer as I listen to the breeze and watch the lights of the bridge.
Last week I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Small Farmers Conference in Natchez. Small scale farmers from all over the southeast region come for this two day conference. I’m so excited to see who I might meet and what I can learn about the agro-industry for family farmers today. Along the way, between the Greenville and Jackson, I came across this. Did you smile?
This picture is taken looking out from Roy’s Store in Lake Washington. The area is a mecca for hunters and fishermen who come in pickups often towing boats and trailers. This year it’s been especially full as there has been so much rain that there’s flooding along the Mississippi. I’m still trying to track down the history of these flags, the bell, and the legacy of Husbandville Plantation.
MY PRAYER FOR TODAY: As nature consumes the sins of our fathers, may we create a kinder and more equitable tomorrow. Mississippi tells the story we all need to share.
