Wide Open Spaces

 We went out to Texas at the end of the summer right after Allie graduated from Officer Training School. It was the first time I had been back since our move to Chattanooga almost two years ago. I was anxious to see in-laws, nieces and nephews, dear friends in Abilene {Tiff, I'm still mourning the fact you aren't there} and to have some fun downtime. What I didn't anticipate was how I would instantly fall back in love with the Texas landscape.

It's not until you're west of Fort Worth that the land truly begins to spread out. By the time we hit that point it was past twilight and impossible to see anything but an infinite navy sky. Even so, Jason and I both found ourselves breathing deeply as if our bodies instinctively knew that there was more room to move. But the next morning...

There it was in all its glory. I've never been happier to climb in a pickup truck and watch a Texas sunrise. It's hard to find a decent spot to watch the sunrise in the valley that is Chattanooga, but here it was spread before me. A gold, pink and cerulean gift.

By the time I was another mile down the road, the sky was the most breathtaking blue I had ever seen. I told Jason later that day, "I had forgotten how absolutely gorgeous Texas skies can be!" If you've never been to West Texas, just look...

One hundred and eighty degrees of sheer gorgeousness. The kind of sky that makes you want to stop, wander into the middle of a field and spin around a la Julie Andrews. It's the kind of sky that requires you to roll down the windows, turn up the volume and sing at the top of your lungs. This kind of sky spreads a grin across your face before you even know it's happened.

Or maybe that's just what happens when you haven't been back to Texas in a couple of years. Either way, I'll take it.

A Fitting Tribute

Back in June, I participated in one of BooMama's (aka Sophie's) fabulous giveaways. The rules of her giveaways are simple: leave a comment and you're entered. I simply had to enter this particular one because the giveaway was for a pair of Ethel gloves.

Ethel gloves are gardening gloves. But they are certainly not your ordinary gardening gloves. Oh no. Their motto of "Fashion. Function. Protection." is perfection, with fashion being my favorite part of the deal.

Y'all may not know this, but I am a sucker for a pretty thing. Especially an ordinary everyday item that has been made sassy. So of course I was drawn to the gardening gloves. Even though up until a few weeks ago I couldn't be bothered to step out into the Texas sun and tend to our yard. I mean, there were episodes of Grey's Anatomy that needed watching. Priorities.

But way more than the sassiness, what touched me was that the gloves carry the same name as my grandmother. You see, Ethel Cruise was known in her family and her town for her gardening talents. She loved nothing more than being in the yard and creating beauty out of dirt and bulbs.

When I was in high school she and Grandaddy came to our house and directed the landscaping for the front section of our townhouse. As a full fledged teenager, I was less than thrilled about my mother's mandate to spend a Saturday working in the yard. But it turned out to be one of the best times I ever spent with Grandmother and Grandaddy. There was a lot of laughing and a lot of hard work. And from her, I learned that ivy needs to be spaced when first planted.

(Can we talk for just a moment about how fabulous Grandmother's chapeau is? I have seen the very same kind of beret on the likes of Jessica Biel and Lauren Conrad. Ethel Cruise: Forward Fashion Thinker.)

So given all this, and given that Grandmother is no longer with us, I left a rather lay-my-heart-on-my-sleeve comment for Sophie's Ethel gloves giveaway. I may have been crying while I did it. I know you're shocked.

Well, lo and behold, that same day I get the following email from BooMama:

Would you mind sending me your address?

The Ethel gloves people read your sweet comment and want to send you a pair. :-)

I'm not even kidding.

Love,
Sophie

I know! And sure enough, a week later I had my very own pair of Ethel gloves. Along with one of the kindest, most heartfelt notes I've ever received from someone I've never met.

And the story doesn't end there.

A couple of days ago I received another sweet note from Angela at Ethel gloves. They had decided to add a blog feature to their website and wanted my story (well, Grandmother's story, really) to be the very first post. You can go read it, right over here:

Ethel In The Garden: how does ethel help your garden grow?

And now, ladies and gents, I have an Ethel Gloves Giveaway of my very own. Oh yes! I have three pairs of gloves to give away to three very lucky people. All you need to do is leave me a comment and tell me your favorite memory in a garden. If you don't have one, just tell me what you like about gardens.

If after you've looked at their truly lovely website and want to order a pair because you just can't wait to see who wins the giveaway, enter in the discount code "Diary" and receive 10% off until August 23rd.

Can't wait to read your comments!

(Giveaway ends at Noon Eastern on Monday, July 28th)

(Oh, and aunties and other blog unfamiliar folk- to leave a comment, just click right below here where it says how many comments there are. On the comment page, make sure you sign your name so I know your comment belongs to you!)

Country Life: Disadvantage #1

No one will give us internet service. Yet. Because I am nothing if not persistent when it comes to getting internet in my home.

And so, even though I want to post pics of the new pup, the new house and all the amazing flowers that are blooming in our yard (irises! tea roses! starflowers!), I can't.

I may beg a favor from my in-laws and borrow their internet this weekend. We'll see.

Until then, maybe you can see this as a way to increase your patience level.

And let me know how that works out for you, because mine needs some big-time improvement.