I spent the weekend visiting some pretty amazing homes all across the state of Georgia…which wasn’t what I intended to do when I started this journey, but it has evolved into quite the TREASURE hunt.
As I loaded up my doodlebug of a rental car for the adventure from Alpharetta to Madison, I had no idea that the miles of golden rod, the overwhelming display of old country barns, and the sweet southern charm of the folks that live in this town would take me by surprise and leave me feeling like I was back home.
Maybe it was the friendliness of the folks that chatted with me even though they didn’t know me from Adam. And boy did we chat…we sat on the square and chatted about simple, mindless things like the mileage that my doodlebug got with gas prices SO high, we talked about being a volunteer for the PTA and what kind of time commitment that would involve (people my son is 20…PTA is just a vague memory and bleep on my radar, but I talked it anyway), we even talked about the BIG cup of CITY smoothie that I had from Smoothie King (they called it a milkshake…SO CUTE), we talked about where to go shopping and they proudly told me all about their BIG excursions to Atlanta for the day, I guess that’s what you do if you REALLY want to have a good time.
I’m not sure what they REALLY thought of me, but I left feeling like they may have been scratching their heads because I was from “OFF” (that means not one of them), but that somehow I just might find a way to blend right in one day.
I may be able to blend in, but let there be no mistaken that I am NOTHING without my GPS and I had NO idea where I was and needed to find my way home, but for some reason my loyal device decided to fail me this weekend; however, even my modern technology backup (iPad) couldn’t steal my heart the way the complete stranger that pulled up next to me did…people, it only takes being kind to steal my heart every single time, and this complete stranger not only reminded me that we can survive without our modern gadgets by simply relying on each other, but his simple gesture of knowing my need without my even having to ask had a way of making me fall in love with the town of Madison and all that it stands for…for a split second I felt like I was back in Mayberry…REALLY, I would have started whistling and carrying a fishing pole, but it’s not one of my strong suits.
To sum this whole trip up, I still don’t know where I will find that special place to hang my hat, but I am discovering homes full of charm and details that I never even knew existed (moth balls were one of the highlights of my weekend…it has been years since I have seen, SMELLED or even thought about mothballs, but with only one sniff the memories of my grandparents’ closet came flooding back), and along the way, I am meeting people that I know will be friends for life and one day may just be MY NEIGHBOR!
ENJOY!!!
