Birmingham dispatch

seconds and firsts

Hi friends,

I’m a couple of months into life here in Birmingham and of course, I’ve had some new experiences, or “firsts” but I thought I’d start with some “seconds” as in second hand.

SECONDS

As I mentioned in my last newsletter I’m a huge fan of junking or antiquing, picking, thrifting - whatever you want call it -  I love the hunt for treasures.  I understand not everyone shares my zeal nor do they believe there are treasures to be found amongst other peoples cast offs, but I have found some real beauts so far.

I’ve been here a couple of months and I’ve already visited 8 warehouse-sized malls and I discovered a common denominator at every location: a 70’s soundtrack on repeat. The other day, as I wound my way through the booths the soundtrack sparked a flood of childhood memories I had long forgotten. During my formative years in Tempe Arizona, the radio was a constant. My mother used to say that Helen Reddy’s “You and Me Against the World” was “our song”.  I remember experiencing a pang of worry thinking, why just us?  Then I spotted a stack of Correlle plates that sparked the memory of my sister and I making our favorite after school snack we called “cheese crisps”. These were really a quesadilla made with orange cheese and served on our green rimmed Correlle plates. When I came across a macrame owl it reminded me of the macrame craze and my mother’s love of crafts and sewing.

I spotted an olive green fondue pot with all the accessories just like the one we had from my early childhood home on Ox Hill Road in Norwich, Connecticut.  I must have been 5 or 6 years old and I remember my mother hosting a fondue party.  I don’t remember who was there but I do remember beef cubes on long skinny forks being dipped into a fondu pot full of hot oil.

I can feel my Mother’s presence every time I step through the doors of one of these places.  She used to call herself “the bag lady,” and she lived for yard sales and getting a deal on just about anything. It’s comforting to have her with me, and the soundtrack brings me back.  I created a Spotify playlist with all the 70’s magic.  Enjoy!

FIRSTS

Obviously a big first was moving, albeit temporarily, to Birmingham.  Now that I’m here I am making new discoveries and trying out different things. Below are a few experiences that are firsts for me: a dog bite, tornado warning, and jazz.

Dog bite: I can now add this to my list of firsts!  My roommate Dan and I had just finished a fantastic hike up Ruffner Mountain and as we headed out I remembered I saw an antique place nearby so we pulled in.  We weren’t sure it was open but there were a couple cars parked in the front and the door was open.  I jumped out to investigate and as I rounded the corner of the first parked car I heard a bark followed by a man yelling. The next thing I saw was a mid-sized Shepard mix barreling towards me at full speed!  I instinctively put my knee up but he got a hold of the muscle just below my kneecap and bit down hard.  It happened so fast I just sort of yelped and exclaimed “your dog bit me!”.  The owner (I assume) was right on his tail and stopped him from taking another bite. He was scared and repeated over and over “he’s ok he’s ok” which I assume meant the dog wasn’t rabid.  I was in shock and hobbled to the car to assess the damage. I noticed my jeans weren’t punctured, (thanks Madewell!), however once I pulled them up it was clear the pressure had broken my skin and there were two clear fang marks dripping with blood. I went into survival mode and sprayed the wound with hand sanitizer and blotted with a Taco Bell napkin Dan had in the car.  We were both pretty rattled and drove away. I knew the bite didn’t require a visit to the ER so we went home and immediately cleaned the wound and I slathered my go-to healer for all topical ailments: Colloidal silver gel. I also applied Arnica gel around the fang marks to minimize bruising.  Other than shock, I’m absolutely fine and now have a new, albeit scary, experience under my belt!

Tornado warnings: Before arriving in Alabama, Dan, my roommate, apprised me of the weather alerts and more specifically the 30 second warning to get in the basement once a tornado is detected close by.  In preparation I turned on my emergency notifications. I had my first trip to the basement last week.  It came on fast!  Dan looked to me and calmly issued the bulletin that we were to head to the basement. Really? The wind wasn’t blowing that strongly but clearly that’s not how it works.  A tornado can just touch down and blow you to smithereens at any moment. For some reason tornado warnings don’t scare me.  I know I know, how naive can I be, but I’m fascinated and if one blows over my head while taking shelter in the basement, I’m here for it. We’ll see how that goes over when there is a real threat!

Here I am in the basement on my phone, natch.

Jazz:  I love all kinds of music but I was never much of a jazz fan. I totally appreciate the genre but other than legends like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, and Chet Baker, I’m kind of a newbie.  True Story Brewing Company, located just down the road in my neighborhood plaza, hosts a free live jazz show led by Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame Inductee José Carr on Tuesday evenings.  You can order a pickle sandwich at the bar and then walk through the archway to the next room and sit and enjoy your sandwich while listening to amazing music.   What’s a pickle sandwich you ask?  It’s a straightforward cold cut affair, however, they serve it with a hollowed out extra-large dill pickle repurposed as a bun. It indicates “Keto friendly” on the menu!

More Birmingham action to come.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Nancy Jo