Settling In

Well, I bit the bullet...I bought my little place (yes, very little) in the Delta. It took all of 2 minutes to sign the papers; even less than my 5 minute Methodist wedding!

It took a lot longer to get ready to buy the BottleTree. Figuring out how to buy a house without a realtor; having the inspection; getting estimates on repairs; finding a closing attorney; scheduling a time we could all be in town to sign the papers. Somehow, it was a little anti-climatic. Wham, bam, thank you mam! kind of stuff! But, the reason it was so easy, is that it was so right.

I had a whole year to figure out if being part of the Delta was something I wanted. And, I knew it was. During that year I made friends; figured out some of the practical stuff, like when the stores were open; learned the idiosyncracies of my cottage; and shared great times with family and new friends.

But, I still have a lot to learn:

"High Corn" near Sidon, MS

Corn can be both a blessing and a curse. It's great as a privacy screen. But blocks the breeze which can make it stifling hot!

Harvest season will last a long time this year. I can't remember when I have seen "corn as high as an elephant's eye" at the same time that I see it barely up to my knees (and I am short!). Same for soy beans and cotton, although they never get as tall as corn. A rainy early spring and a dry late spring will make work for farmers way into the fall.

Melissa Darden (L) & Meg Cooper (R) of the Lower Delta Partnership

Living in a small town means you do it all. I compare this to running a small business. You are the boss, the payroll clerk, the webmaster, and the office manager. Same in a small town...You are the one in charge of the demolition and salvage of an historical landmark; organizing and managing the electronic recycling event for the county; being on the Board for the local hospital. Same people, doing all the work with a smile on their face and a dedication that is so refreshing!

Stuff costs more in rural MS. I bought two pounds of coffee, 6 eggs, and a loaf of bread for $17.00! I don't know, maybe it's not more expensive than Memphis, but it sure seemed that way.

Sunday radio is a great mixture of country music and Bible lessons.

I've only been part of this place for about 18 months, but it is, indeed, becoming home for me. I've traded the solitary weekends for times full of visits with family and friends; birthday dinners; volunteering at festivals and plays. I've joked that I have more friends and things to do in Rolling Fork than I do in Memphis! I guess that says it all!

The Big Red Barn collapsed in April 2011. Meg and Melissa worked to save as much of the barn as possible. It was, indeed, the very symbol of Rolling Fork, being that landmark that just spelled "home" for those coming back from Jackson or Vicksburg. You can own a piece of this landmark and support the Lower Delta Partnership. More information will be available soon at www.lowerdelta.org.