Here are a few of our favorite things from around town and around the web this month, including how to plant a food forest, a new non-profit started by Mississippians Erin and Ben Napier that aims to keep children off social media, new tech to keep you safe on a hike, and a chat with Oxford tastemakers Anne-Marie and Bradley Gordon.
1. Plant a Food Forest
Looking for alternative ground covers? Consider starting a homegrown food forest, perhaps a mix of easy-care, mostly native fruiting trees or shrubs and pollinator-attracting plant companions as an ecologically viable option for replacing conventional grass.
2. Pledge to Keep Kids Off Screens
Mississippians Erin and Ben Napier, hosts of HGTVs HomeTown, have just launched nonprofit Osprey (Old School Parents Raising Engaged Youth), a grassroots movement with a mission to not allow children have a social media presence until after high school graduation. It's a mission that resonates with Splinter Creek, encouraging children and their parents to spend more time in nature and away from screens. When children grow up without social media, they are more engaged, have stronger verbal conversation skills, longer attention spans, and can better focus on activities and interests without judgment.
3. Stay Safe on Your Hike
These apps and devices, recommended by The New York Times, allow you to find your way, triage an injury and generally stay out of trouble on the trail.
4. Oxford Couple Featured by Billy Reid
Oxford residents Anne-Marie and Bradley Gordon, owner of women's boutique Cicada and artist, respectively, and their modern house are featured on the Billy Reid fashion blog, proving that creativity and style are alive and well in north Mississippi. "This couple weaves together some of the things we admire most: a love for the arts, a sense of community, a spirit of humility, and beautifully discerning taste. Bradley makes art, and Anne-Marie is a purveyor of it. And yet - they feel like works of art themselves."
