I learned today that Southwest Virginia, particularly the Carter Family Fold, is being featured in this month’s Southern Living Magazine. I’ll be sure to pick up a copy of that! However, we had our own Southern Living Sunday right here in Mendota today at the Timmons’ Family Farm’s Third Annual Pig Pickin’.

It started as a beautiful fall day. I believe the high temperature was around 68 degrees. Look at the blue sky between the leaves of our red maple tree.   Imagine this same picture in a few weeks as the leaves begin to color.

Our minister was away this weekend, so I stayed home from church to make deviled eggs and a berry cobbler for the “pig pickin” which was down the road from our house. When Mike came home from church, he had six pumpkins from Neal Faust. Neal is the farmer who mows our hay, and in payment , he gives us six pumpkins a year. We settled up this morning! This is how we roll in Mendota!

I put a few in around my foddershocks..

A bit after 12, we drove the golf cart two miles down Swinging Bridge Road to the Timmons farm. It was also their 40th anniversary. Connie is a wedding floral designer and her artistic eye touches everything so I’ve got a few fun pictures to share.

I love the very clever use of Coke bottles. I’ll bet she enjoyed that little Coke, too! They are the best!

The Timmons’ provided the pig which had been smelling really good all day, and they asked everyone to bring a “side” and/or a “dessert”.  My friend Muriel brought this pretty pumpkin bread.  I’ll be sharing  her family recipe for this great bread later this week.   I wish I had a piece right now. 

I love the utensil table. Connie mixed Mendota’s “road” flowers that grow alongside the road with flowers from her garden. The arrangement is beautiful. This is typical of her talent…if she’s missing something in an arrangement, she just drives along the road for a bit and she always runs into something that works great!

Over at the beverage table, there were plenty of cups available…

The tea and lemonade were hidden in their burlap sacks. Great idea!

It was also Connie and Kernie’s 40th wedding anniversary celebration, but they were so busy playing host that they were seldom standing together. I did get a few pictures of them..

Here’s our host Kernie and his sweet grandson…

And here’s our hostess Connie with a young friend…

Lots of people attended…this picture includes Connie’s best friend and gives an idea of what the barn looks like with the lights.  I call lights like these “fairy lights.” 

 

Connie has been hard at work on a project that I’m very interested in.  She has a quilt square for the barn.  It’s not yet in place, but it will be beautiful when it’s hung on the barn.  I am extremely jealous.   

 

I’ll be sure in take a picture once she gets it hung.

The pig was a local boy who had a very good life, and this event’s success was largely in part to the talents of Jason Timmons,  Connie and Kernie’s son, who is a professional chef.  He cooked the pig! Here’s Jason…

Life is good, but it’s better in the country!