Episode 569 || Off the Shelf with Annie & Ashley: Winter 2026

Welcome to From the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South. How you get there is how you'll be there. Tayari Jones Ken I'm Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and this week I'm chatting about wintry off-the-shelf topics with my cousin, Ashley Sherlock. If you're craving more from the front porch, or if you want to listen to episodes ad-free, join us on Patreon. This year, listener favorite Hunter McClendon and I are sharing our monthly recaps of our Conquering of the Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor. Episodes air on the last Friday of each month, and it's never too late to start reading or listening, or to cajole friends and family into joining us too. To join Patreon, just visit patreon.com forward slash from the front porch. Three tiers are available. The $5 a month tier will give you access to our Conquer a Classic episodes, including our back catalog of episodes, and our monthly porch visit Q&A sessions. The $20 a month tier will give you ad-free episodes of From the Front Porch, plus a deep dive into some of Flannery O'Connor's other works. We hope you'll join us. Now, back to the show. Welcome back, Ashley. Thank you, thank you. What a delight to see your face, to hear your voice. If you are a new listener of From the Front Porch, Ashley is a former bookshelf staffer and my literal family member and friend. and every quarter or so we do these episodes they used to be called oh my gosh just kids table the kids table the kids table they used to be called the kids table in honor of the kids table which i did ask kids in story time the other day because we were talking about thanksgiving this was months ago and i asked the kids if they had a kids table and they looked at me like i had two heads and i thought do people not do that anymore hello i've never heard of no kids table what are they doing? Sitting with grownups? I don't know. Wild. What are people doing sitting with people too old for them? We still have a kids table at our family gatherings. We're all approaching, I mean, I won't speak for you, but we're approaching our 40s and we still have a kids table. So I don't know. I don't know what's going on with the new generation. But we have these episodes where we don't really talk just books. We talk about articles, TV shows, pop culture, and how we're handling, in this case, life in the winter. Ashley, you are a notorious winter hater, but I have sensed from your Instagram and from family group texts, are you turning around? I'm coming around to winter. I think it's still probably my least favorite season. However, I have learned that if you have appropriate clothing, it is a lot more manageable and pleasant. Yes, I think appropriate clothing is key. I personally frequently lament the lack of seasonality in the places where we live. And yet I will say, as of this recording, it happened approximately 45 minutes ago. My long-planned girls' trip to Nashville, Tennessee was canceled due to the snow and ice storm headed your way, everyone's way, everyone except the Deep South where we will get none of it except maybe horrible rain, which means nothing for us. We will still drive. We will still go to the grocery store. And so I will admit that in the family group text chat, I think it was yesterday when you were just so excited about your snow weekend, I was thinking, oh, God, please know I have this one thing on my calendar. One thing. And it was canceled due to snow and ice because the South does not know what to do under those circumstances. And I don't either, to be fair. But I do love winter apparel. I do I do love wintry weather. I do not like when it interferes with my plans. But what are you going to do? What are you going to do? I am excited for it to interfere with my plans. I'm looking forward to everything getting canceled. I hope you get the nice version. Uh-huh. It'll be interesting to listen to this episode and to find out, did Ashley go without power for five days or? Right. The power is a concern. Two feet of snow is quite unusual even for North Carolina or this part of North Carolina anyway. so everybody's scrambling. However, I have a load of laundry going right now. I'm going to the grocery store tomorrow to buy snacks and hot chocolate supplies. So I'm planning on a very cozy weekend at home. I think, right, it probably, it's hard to know. It's just like when we endure hurricane season to me, but like my friend who actually lives in Nashville texted something from Instagram that was like, we're either getting zero inches of snow or 85 inches of snow. You will either have a cozy relaxing weekend at home or you will be without power for a week to 10 days so i sincerely hope that you will have a beautiful snow weekend and not an ice storm it either way it still feels more fun than a hurricane i'm not gonna lie yes oh well i think to us it's more magical i i don't think other people would agree with us but to us it's still novelty never forget were you around like last year when it snowed in thomasville and I posted to Instagram and I'm not calling anyone out because I do not remember who it was, but someone was so mad at me. Someone was so mad at me. I remember this. And they were like, how on earth could you be so naive about snow? And I was like, maybe because it's happened here twice. Friend, how on earth could you be so naive about South Georgia? Yeah. So I know everybody has different feelings about snow and ice, but I hope you do get a magical snowy weekend at home. Okay. We are going to talk reading, watching, listening, buying. Let's kick us off. I have two recommendations for you of things I've been reading. I did stick to the traditional books. Sometimes we do articles and I will say I last year got a subscription to the New Yorker and the Atlantic and I cannot recommend it enough. I am hoping that with a birthday coming up, I don't even know when this episode drops. I may already be 40 by the time this episode drops. But one of the things I'm asking for for my birthday is a print edition of either The New Yorker or The Atlantic. I have loved my subscription to those. That was a definite win for me in 2025. But what I've got for you today are books. And these are two books I think you in particular would be interested in. The first is Kin. This is the new book by Tiare Jones. Comes out on February 24th. I think it would be a great audiobook. I'm reading the physical copy like an ARC. But she wrote American Marriage, which I weirdly did not read. But I think American Marriage came out when you were still bookselling, if I remember correctly. So this is her new book, very reminiscent to me of The Vanishing Half or Old Love Good Girls. It is about two cradle friends, Vernice and Annie. Vernice and Annie are growing up in the small town of Honeysuckle, Louisiana. And then they become adolescents and eventually leave their small towns right on the cusp of the civil rights movement. I am loving this book because it's just a book about two friends. It's a book about two friends. The writing is excellent. The way she's maybe weaving in some historical moments quietly, like Vernice goes off to Spelman College, which was a historically black college university, and all women. It was an all-girls school. So I'm learning a little bit about that, but also it's really just Vernice and Annie's story. I'm about 70% of the way through, and I, I mean, the cover's gorgeous. Wait till you see it. Actually, I have it. I'll show it to you. I forgot this is a visual medium now. Look, look at this book. Isn't it beautiful? So pretty. Anyway, I think you would like it. And then the second book that I think you will love and eat up, pun intended, is a book called The Reservation. It comes out the same day, February 24th. And it is by Rebecca Kaufman. It is set over the course of one day at a restaurant. It is told from the perspective of all the perspectives of all the people who work at the restaurant, the line cook, the host, the owner of the restaurant, the manager. And it's really a character study about this restaurant. But underlying that is the fact that at the start of this day, two things are happening. The first is 22 ribeye steaks went missing from inventory and no one knows what happened to them. And so the owner is like on a hunt, like desperate to figure out because that's a lot of money. And it's 22 nearby stakes. And everyone is stressed because John Grisham has a reservation. And I love, oh my gosh, I loved this book so much. Five stars for me. One of my favorite books I've read so far this year. Obviously it's early, but I'm standing by that statement. I loved it. I love, I love anytime it's almost like a bottle episode of TV where it's set during a specific period of time. I just think that's, yeah, I think that storytelling technique is so good. So those are two books specifically that I've read recently where I was like, Ashley would love these. That's Kin by Tiara Jones and The Reservation by Rebecca Kaufman. What are you reading? I finished my first Tana French pretty recently. Oh, which one? The Secret Place. Oh, love it. It's so good. Those girls. I think I've actually figured out the mystery pretty early in, but I was still held by the story. And I mean, you know, good for talking to French. I see why people like her. My first time. She's amazing. You have to read the likeness. Okay. I'll read that one next. Read the likeness. Did you listen to it? I did. And it was, it had a small cast, but they had accents, which was fantastic. Yeah. And then the other one I'm reading is lit by Mary Carr. I haven't gotten very far into it, but Hunter gifted it to me on Libro FM. And it's my first Mary Carr. But it's a memoir and I love a memoir. So I'm very excited about it. There's a spiritual higher power search element that I'm excited about. But yeah, I'm not very far into it, but I'm liking it so far. You'll have to report back on that one to me because Hunter has been begging me to read that for years. And I think the only Mary Carr I've read is Liars Club, I want to say. And I read that one. But this one, I think because of how it ties into religion and stuff, Hunter has recommended to me. But I have not read it. So you'll have to report back. I definitely will. Okay. What I am watching this winter. Listen. I'm going to change one of the things I'm going to talk about. Someone recommended to me. Actually, maybe it was a mutual friend because I think it was in our league of her own. group chat Somebody talked about his and hers on Netflix I don know that I recommending it That why I want to talk about it I don know that I recommending it because my friend Jennifer I think at one point was like, did AI write this show? And I don't think AI did write that show, but some of the choices made, it's based on a book, which I did not read, I think by Alice Feeney. But I don't know if you've been to the theater recently or I don't know what level of Colleen Hoover you've consumed. But I do think we are in a Colleen Hoover, Frieda McFadden, I was going to say Fiona, Frieda McFadden, like we are definitely in that era. I don't read Alice Feeney, but I do wonder if she is adjacent to those because that is how this show felt. I would have given up on this show at multiple points, but it was only six episodes. So I was like, now I'm in it. And I know there's the lost, what is it? The sunk cost fallacy. I understand that. But I really did feel like I've committed to this show. I want to know. I want to find out what happens. But basically, there's a guy who is a detective, like a sheriff's detective. And then his wife, who he's kind of estranged from, is a TV reporter. She is played by Tessa Thompson. And they both are kind of investigating this murder of this woman that happened out in the woods in Dahlonega, Georgia. I don't even know what to say about it. It felt. Did you ever watch Scandal? No, never. Okay. It felt kind of kind of scandal soap opera-esque to me. I gave up on the show The Hunting Wives late last year. Like, I just could not do it. This felt, if you liked The Hunting Wives, you will like his and hers. Bonkers. Bonkers. If you just need, and I am thinking of you with your snow weekend coming up, if you do have power and you just need something crappy to watch while you're doing a puzzle, you know what I'm saying? Like, something on in the background that you can kind of half pay attention to, but every so often look up and go, what? This is the show for you. So if you need a wintry, yeah, doing a puzzle, cleaning your house, doing your laundry, but every so often you look up and you say, what just happened? Then I think this is what you need. I've got a couple more, but why don't we alternate? What else are you reading? What else are you watching? So I have to talk about Heated Rivalry. I'm not recommending it to you because there are too many bare rear ends involved. I stopped already. I started it. I started it and stopped it. Like, I started it and my friends did tell me and some bookshelf staffers were like, just fast forward through it. And I want to fast forward through it, but also I'm afraid I'm going to miss like the building of their relationship if I miss out on the sexual name, like if I skip all the sex, won't I just miss their chemistry? No, you won't. There's, oh, I found an Instagram post that had timestamps for all of the scenes. If I can find it again, I'll send it to you because I still think it's worth your time. It's so sweet. And I finished it thinking even less about ice hockey than I was thinking about ice hockey before I started. I saw that. There was somebody tweeted that same thing. Somebody tweeted that same thing. I was like, I know less about hockey than I did now. Yeah, it's not about hockey. Kate, who used to work at the bookshelf, she recommended these really lovely graphic novels to me. And they were all about these two hockey players who fell in love. And it was great. And he was a baker also. He did baked goods. And they were charming. I loved them. And so I was like, well, maybe I'll give Heated Rivalry a try. But at some point, I also worry that Heated Rivalry will become to me what Titanic is, which is just like this cultural moment that I missed and didn't, will never see. And I wonder at what point Heated Rivalry will be that for me. Like if I should give it a go or once winter passes, will it be too late? But did you binge it? Are you done? Oh yeah. I binged it. And maybe, maybe two days. No, it was so good. Um, there's only one character that I think I might have an issue with and it's not the character. I think it might be the actor that I have an issue with. I don't know if I like his acting or if that's just a, an acting choice that he made. I was distracted by that. I was more distracted by that than the butts. Um, but no, it's, it's a very, very sweet story. There's one scene, you know, there's a Russian, one of the hockey players is Russian. And one of my favorite scenes is where he's on the phone to his rival, um, speaking in Russian. And it is, I'm not going to tell you all of it, but it is the sweetest, the sweetest TV I have seen in a long time. Okay. Well, maybe I'll retry it. I, like I said, I had some, I think it was Kendall and Beth at the bookshelf. I think we're like, no, you can totally watch it and just skip those scenes. Because I started it the other morning, like during a morning feed. I thought it could be my morning show while I feed Isaac. Because the episodes are pretty short, right? Are they 30 minutes? Are they an hour? I think they're like 40 something. Okay. So that may be another reason I gave up. But okay, maybe I'll give it a go. I think the time to watch it is now. I don't think it's a summer show. I think it's a winter show. Right. True. Very true. And I'll send you that list of timestamps to skip. Yeah. Send me the timestamps and maybe I'll give it a whirl. I don't even think, because I think Hunter and I were talking about it. I don't think he's seen it yet. He hasn't. I asked him about it. Yeah. And he said he hasn't seen it yet, which was surprising to me. So many other people I know have watched it, but also all women. Oh, yeah. It's made for women, for sure. It's made for the female gaze. so okay i will i will give it a go you know all i know about it other than it's about hockey and there's a lot of sex is something about we're gonna go to the cottage that's all i know you have to go to the cottage i want to go to a cottage so bad cottage in canada please okay well speaking of hockey i have not watched it yet but i think when this episode comes out i will be deep deep in the winter olympics uh i love the olympics jordan jones made the i think pretty rude comment the other day and he was like are you into the winter olympics and i was like excuse me what like how long have you been married right like it's not i'm not just into the summer olympics i am into the winter olympics give me the figure skating give me the ice dancing give me the ski skiing give me the luge like really everything but that broom sport that i can't remember the name of right now wait what's it called curling uh-huh curling pretty much and you know what if it's on i'm not turning it off no like if it's on i will watch it and then of course the super bowl the super bowl is always around my birthday for the first time i've paid attention to the playoffs i mean i always watch the super bowl it's a cultural moment but like this year i actually semi-care and am invested. And that is because of our fantasy football group. Do you want to tell the listeners? Listeners, I am delighted to report to you that yours truly, Ashley Sherlock, guest of From the Front Porch, has won the fantasy football league, meaning I have beaten 11 other people. Yeah, it's not just me. You didn't just beat me. Choosing athletes and putting them on my team, swapping them out, having them play each other. and some people were so into this and did so much research and I walked in and I chose Kurt Cousins as my quarterback to begin with because I didn't know. I did drop him pretty quickly, but now I have a big old fat ring as my prize and it's a really nice feeling. It's good to win. I'm trying not to be a sore. I was trying not to be a sore winner, but now I don't really care since I actually have won and do have bragging rights. Yeah, you might as well have those bragging rights because I think people are coming for you. I know. I know. I think people are coming for you later this year. So you might as well enjoy it while you have it. Oh, I surely will. Anything else you're watching? Only other thing I'll say for right now is the monks. Oh, yeah, the monks. I have been watching the Buddhist monks on their walk for peace from Texas to D.C. for, I guess, 86 days. Well, now 88 days. so they've started in Texas they're just walking straight on through to Washington DC and every not every night but many of their night stops they'll do like a little talk for the crowds and I they were in Greensboro North Carolina where I live and they stopped at a hotel and gave a little talk about putting your phone down inviting peace into your own life because individuals at peace can lead to countries and a universe at peace. But it was just so nice to see all these people handing each other flowers. And during their actual walk, people will hand them flowers. They actually handed a friend of a friend of mine a flower on their walk, which was just so beautiful. And the reverence that people have as they pass by just completely silent, which is kind of amazing. Um, and I've been, they, they're pretty active on their Facebook page and they have a live map. Um, it's updated, it's updated probably at least by an hour by the hour. So it's not super exact, but it is fun to keep track of where they're going and where all they're trying to bring peace. I love that. And I loved when you posted, cause you posted about it to Instagram and I, and I really liked the message that you just shared. Because I think we can get overwhelmed by the concept, especially right now. But honestly, any old time. Like throw a dart at history and pick an era. And like I think you can get overwhelmed by the overarching concept of world peace or a world at peace. And I really liked that they pointed out, you know, it really starts with you. I think we need that reminder because I think when we think about it as a big thing, we don't do anything about it. But if we think about it on a smaller, I don't know, cellular level and think about our own lives, I really liked that. Yeah. Okay, last thing for me that I'm watching that I just started, but I needed a show that I could watch by myself because Jordan is in legislative session. And so I was like, what show can I get into? I picked Ponies, which is on Peacock right now. It is a show. Ponies stands for, let me see if I can get this right, persons of no interest. So a person of interest is a POI. A person of no interest is a pony. And so it's about these two women who their husbands, something happens to their husbands who work for the CIA in the 70s in Moscow. And so now these women are determined to find out what happened to their husbands and to kind of maybe continue their work, continue their mission. I've just watched the first episode, but the stars of it are Emilia Clarke, who most people I think know from Game of Thrones. and then Haley Lou, I think her last name's Richardson, who I adore. She was on A Season of White Lotus. She was in this really cute rom-com on Netflix. Anyway, I'm rooting for her and when she showed up on my screen, I was sold because I really like her as an actress and she's doing something totally different on this show than she has in any other role I seen her in So I excited It feels like just the right amount of campy without maybe being quite to me it a little better quality than his and hers is what I'll say. Like I actually want to put my phone down to watch ponies. His and hers, I was like in and out of the room on, but ponies I'm invested in, which is perfect for like in the evenings when Jordan's not home yet, Isaac is down and I really want to actually watch something and put my phone down. I think this is going to be my show. So Ponies on Peacock. Is this a recommendation for me? Would I like this? Yeah, I think you'd like it. Okay. I think you'd like it. And I think it's about eight episodes maybe. Great. But I like it because I'm sure you could binge it, but I personally think I'm going to watch an episode every night. Kind of let it last. Yeah. All right. What are you listening to? Okay. I have been saving this for a couple of weeks so we could talk about it here but i finished beth's dead the podcast okay okay what did you think um okay not gonna lie i don't think i needed the last two episodes oh i feel the same way oh thank goodness but the rest of it wild what in the world and i also uh without spoiling it i do not agree with the conclusion that the host came to. No, I don't think that's correct. Wait, so who did you think? Did you say? Can I think it was the other person they thought? The person they called, yes. The person the PI called. The older person. Yes. Interesting. Okay, my friend's friend also thinks that that's who it was. I don't think that's what it is. There's no way. There's no way it's this person. I think it is. I think it is a typical – because I think the better story is that it's the older – like, that is a better story. But that it's just this potential incel. Yeah, that feels right. It feels right. It feels like the worst story. So why would they tell the worst story? but this is interesting because this is exactly what my friend's friend thought i am i also would just like to say i thought it was excellent storytelling i 100 in fact i didn't even finish the very last episode i was like i'm out i don't need this anymore i was like we didn't it was like an epilogue an unnecessary epilogue yeah i yeah i didn't i didn't need to check in on anybody i was like a year later what do i care i do not care and then was the second to last episode when they supposedly figured it out and interviewed the person. I think that was, I thought that was the third to last. Maybe it was because I'm with you. I felt like, oh my gosh, when I voxed you, I think I was on episode three or four and that was like the peak. Oh, that's the best part. Yeah. Yeah. That was the peak. And then the come down was a little bit of a bummer. Yes. But it did remind me my so my friend Jennifer recommended it to me then I recommended it to you did you for the first time in a long time I felt like invested in a podcast series almost like a serial or something like that it's been a long time since that's happened and that is what I want yeah I want to get invested in a podcast series like a book yes like I all do respect to Amy Polar and the gang, but like I do, and including what we do here, but like I do like a story and I listened to, did I recommend to you? And, but it was totally different, but it was the Alabama murders and it was Malcolm Gladwell. And he was talking about the death penalty. It's great, but to me in a totally different way, it has just been a long time since there's been almost a serial like quality to a, what's going to happen here. Instead, I feel like it's all news podcasts and interview podcasts. Yeah. Now, okay, now do we think the best series are true crime? Because I don't know of another one. I'm thinking of S-Town, Serial, Beth's Dead, the Alabama murders. Yeah, unless you count, oh gosh, but now I'm like, was that a series? I'm not sure. Like Heavyweights is doing something interesting, but I don't think that technically counts as a series. there was a series on oh what was that show called it was about technology and it was like where this guy wound up calling back a solicitation caller and they wound up and then he went to like india or something to find him it was nuts now i don't remember the name it was like a gimlet media podcast i don't even think gimlet exists anymore can you believe i know the internet by the time this episode comes out people won't be talking about it anymore but the internet has been 2016 crazy yes and i just want to say that i mean i appreciate it but also the last decade of life wowza like what has what has come and gone the flashes in the pan it's a little wild how much podcasts peaked and now we're still in a podcast moment i mean the golden globes just gave amy polar a golden globe for for a podcast but it it just feels like that medium has changed so much in a really interesting way. I know. 2016, we were going to see Gilmore Guys. Yeah. I could not believe that. That was the only picture I had on my phone, which then Jordan had all these pictures on his phone. But one of his pictures he had was from the live podcast. So I think it was like the moment of like fangirling over podcasts. Oh, 2016. Miss you. Yeah. Simpler times, but also not. I did look back at my personal life and I was like, no, I turned 30. There was a lot going on. Okay. I have not been listening. I've been listening to some audio books, including one that I do want to put on your radar. And I think you still have access to ALCs. Do you? That is not something that I advertise or talk about with you because I don't want you to take it away from me, but yes. Well, you come on the podcast. So you, to me, get access. And I help with Raider Retreat. That's right. You're an honorary staffer. um you should definitely listen to this story might save your life by tiffany crumb okay much like beth's dead i loved 60 to 70 percent of this and then the last 30 percent i was like why did i need this but julia whalen is the narrator where are you on her i think i like her i mean i know her yeah i think for me sometimes she can be a bit much but at the same time her voice is now so familiar to me that it's a comfort. So she's one of the narrators. And then there's another guy who does a great job, Sean Patrick Harris. But the book is about these best friends, Joy and Benny, and they have a podcast together about surviving like weird events. And the audio book includes excerpts from their podcast. And I think it's really cleverly done. So this is not a book, I personally would say, go read this book. To me, the only way to consume this book is in audiobook format. And it's so well done in that way that I think it would be worth your time. Okay. What's it called? This Story Might Save Your Life. Okay. And then Report Back. Yeah, for sure. Okay. I have two songs and a podcast, another podcast for you. Okay. Have I talked to you about what we spend? briefly. I don't know when. I don't know either, but it's maybe, I guess it is a series. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm always very interested in how people afford the things that they do. And I'm super nosy and I just want to know what they make and where does it all go. But this podcast is about that. It interviews real people. There's a host who asks them questions like what was their relationship like with money growing up and how do they feel about money now? And then they record themselves every time they do like an audio diary for a week talking about what they spent money on each day and kind of reflect on how they felt about it and, you know, their worries and how they're trying to like, somebody is trying to save money, but there's also somebody who is like newly making a lot of money and wants to be responsible with it. So it's just all these different people in different stages of life from different backgrounds and how, what they do with their money. And if they're in debt or not, I think it's super interesting and it makes me feel better and worse as a person, but it's just, it scratches that nosy itch that I have to know what people are making. Jordan subscribes to an email that does this same thing because he'll sometimes forward it to me yes and he told me about this okay and it is it is because this sounds right up Jordan's alley I think I would like to listen to it I also think it would stress me out because there is no doubt in my mind I have money issues like I know it like I know it I probably should bring it up in real life therapy because I just think I have hang-ups from childhood adolescence I definitely have a scarcity mindset. I think that's my Enneagram coming to play. But it's funny that you say this because literally today, an influencer I follow casually dropped that she was going to live in the Cotswolds for two to three months. I just thought that too. This exact person. I first thought she was saying she was going on a trip. And then I re-listened and I was like, oh no, she's going to live there for two to three months. And I appreciated her transparency because then she was like, my husband is a British citizen. I work remotely. This influencing is going to pay for this thing, like this cottage that we're renting. And, you know, I was talking with a friend and I actually do think like, I have a real dream of living in New York for two to four weeks. I'm not even talking two to three months, two to four weeks in the summer. That's all, that's all I'm asking. And then it occurred to me, I think I could do it, but I just need to sit down and do it. And I think I have the money, but it's just a matter of would I save would I put it away for that or am I gonna keep uh drinking duncan every day for the rest of my life am I gonna keep spending six dollars a beverage that could go to you know staying in New York or house sitting or something like that like anyway but so I appreciate it she was transparent about it which is what I liked but I had a moment when she first announced it where I thought you have got to be kidding me same like the Cotswolds for two to three months, cash, hasn't even planned her return flight. I was like, what? Hello? I didn't make it that far. And my life is, my life does feel very rooted in a way that you might feel differently because you work remotely Your living situation is different Like you might actually have some of the freedom that I feel like I don have I mean but I do have some flexibility like Jordan flexible in the summer My job it has gotten to the point where it is way more flexible than it used to be. So anyway, that podcast I probably would really like and probably it would also stress me out. It might make me spend less money. I think honestly, I think you could handle it. I don't think you would find it stressful. And also side note, we can do this off the air, but can we please plan a trip to New York? Yes. Well, Jordan and I too already, I told Jordan, I was like, I got to go somewhere this year. And I'm willing to travel with Isaac. I'm not unwilling. But I was like, I would rather do someplace close to home with Isaac and then somewhere far away with Jordan. Because I was like, I have got to. And again, I just canceled. I just canceled this Nashville girls trip. But guess what I did instead? And by the time this podcast airs, I will already have done it. I got myself a hotel room at St. George Island. No way. I was like, peace out. My mom. I think my mom felt sorry for me. And Jordan felt sorry for me. And I was like, well, if you guys feel sorry for me, I'm going to go ahead and book myself somewhere else. Let's go. That's awesome. Honestly, that's George Island. Best case scenario. I'm going to, yeah, I'm going to have a writing weekend, I think. Reading and writing weekend. Oh, that's so good. Just for you? So, just for me. All by myself. Yes. Send pictures. So anyway, but yes. Yeah, I will. And I would love, I do want to get, I want to get back in the rhythm of going to New York. We can talk about that off air, but. Okay, wait, did you have one other listen thing? Yeah, I have two songs that I really do think you would like. One is called Heaven Passing Through by Turnpike Troubadours. It's finger-picking guitar and a catchy tune. Okay. And the other is called Queen of the Season by Hazlitt. A little bit moodier, and I added it to my Wistful Winter playlist, so it's perfect for the season. Okay, awesome. On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you for new Harry Styles music? Okay, confession. Seven, because I love Harry Styles. It's not a 10 because I don't know any song of his that I love. I don't know if I love his style. I like Golden. I also am not super familiar with his discography, but I don't listen to Harry Styles unless it's One Direction. Okay, what about Noah Kahn, Scale of 1 to 10? How excited are you for his new song? I think I like Noah Kahn's music better than I like Harry Styles music but I like looking at Harry Styles more than I like looking at Noah Kahn oh that's interesting that I feel like that's a good there's the clip there's the uh there's the promo for the episode I'm a 10 about Noah Kahn like I'm pumped for that new song I'm super excited although never forget the time that Noah Kahn never responded to me quoting his song in my book and therefore we could not quote it and I had to write my way around it. The writing was better for it, but it was frustrating. Okay. Listen, speaking of money, what are we buying? I'll be honest with you. I'm not buying a ton. I'm still doing rental clothing from Nuuly. I'm liking it, especially I rented two coats. I love winter wear. I freaking love winter wear. I also live somewhere where while it snows and ice is in the rest of the country, it's going to be 60 degrees and sunny here. So I don't need a new plaid wool coat, but I did get one in my newly thinking I was going to Nashville. I'm not, but I have worn that coat twice. And so I am still on the rental clothing train. I don't know that I need to keep doing it. I think after this month, maybe I should put a pause, but I can totally see how helpful it is. I used to think who needs rental clothing, but it was super helpful during maternity leave super helpful postpartum so i'm sorry pregnancy maternity leave and postpartum it was helpful for all of those things when your sizes are weird and you don't want to spend a lot of money and then i have also found it helpful for like okay i don't need a coat sitting in my closet forever but i do need one for this week and so i do think newly is valuable and i do like it so that's probably the only other than duncan refreshers that's that's been what i spend my money on uh what about you okay i have two categories for you one is food and the other is bodily products um okay start with bodily products both from lush um one is a sweet wild orange scented hand balm i use it in the mornings um because uh the air is dry up here in north carolina um it keeps keeps me moisturizing it smells like citrus and then the other one is I don't know what it's called but it smells like lavender and it's like a bar that you put in between your hands to like let it warm up um and you like you know rub it a little bit and then like rub what comes off of it onto your hands and I use that in the evenings to moisturize these dry hands oh that sounds awesome yeah put the excess like up your arms like on your it's fantastic smells so good um okay that's fun and then for food i have several things that i think you would really enjoy uh first of all i've been making my own tea um i use ginger root plus lemon plus honey in some hot water uh okay so you're not making your own tea leaves no not no not doing leaves i don't know if tea is the right word wow ashley has really taken a turn she's become like some kind of mountain mama up there well and i know better than to recommend that to you um i i do make sourdough so you know homesteading is in the future that's what i thought i was like wow she's up there she's like making her own bark like putting her own bark in tea my instagram feed is sourdough and crocheting and heated rivalry um okay that sounds great but get you some ginger fruit get you a lemon and drizzle some honey in there and then you make a big pot of it and then you put the excess in like a little mason jar and then you can pour it for later now okay could you just use a regular person tea bag yes i don't think it would have the same effect if you just want to feel like you're doing something homey right this is great um and you can adjust adjust the ratios uh okay for your individual taste um because i ginger is like iffy for me i do want you to know that i did feel like you the other day because joy the baker i don't know if you follow her she did like this juice and i well my dad made me a batch but then i made my own so don't but i did send it to my dad and i was like you should make this i bought all the ingredients then he came to my house and made it while they took care of isaac so it was It was really nice. But it was grapefruit, orange, lemon, and ginger and all mixed together. And it was delicious. And I've been drinking a shot of it every morning because I'm trying to stay well through my birthday. That's the goal this year. Last year I was sick as a dog on my birthday. And I was like, please, please no. I just need to be well on February 2nd. So anyway, I think you would like it. And it made me feel like a homesteader. So you can keep feeling like a homesteader. I think I did see that. And also side note, I am feeling under the weather. So I'm wondering if people will have an easier time differentiating our voices in this episode. Oh, I don't know. I feel like I sound different, but maybe I don't. Okay. Next food thing really quick is a dense bean salad. It's been taking over TikTok, but by golly, for good reason. You can make a warm one. I made a cold one using chickpeas, white beans, chopped celery, chopped tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and some other things that I can't remember, but I can send to you. And then I used the marinade from the mozzarella pearls to make the dressing that goes on top with Dijon, lemon juice, and I guess just some seasonings. Fantastic. Made a big batch. The longer it sits in the fridge, the better it tastes because it soaks everything up and it's so easy. And I like didn't need an afternoon snack on those days. Okay. So good for lunch. Great. It's, oh, so good for lunch. I really am going to send you this recipe because I do think you'd like it. Please do. Cause I hate lunch. I know. So, okay. Then I have one more lunch for you and that is a sweet potato cooked, open it up. And then you put, it's kind of like a homemade tzatziki. Okay. Using Greek yogurt, lemon juice, Lots of dill, salt, pepper, garlic. Plop that on there. And then roasted chickpeas with whatever seasonings you want. Again, keeps me very full. Delicious. Oh, and feta cheese. Feta cheese goes in there too. If you want. Okay, that sounds delicious. Yeah. Okay, maybe I will give those a go. Please send the recipes. Will do. Okay, thanks, Ashley. May you enjoy a winter wonderland this weekend. Thanks so much. This week, I'm reading Kin by Tiare Jones. Ashley, what are you reading? This week, I'm reading The Hobbit. From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf's daily happenings on Instagram at bookshelfteaville, and all the books from today's episode can be purchased online through our store website, bookshelfthomasville.com. A full transcript of today's podcast episode can be found at fromthefrontporchpodcast.com. Special thanks to Studio D Podcast Production for production of From the Front Porch and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. Our executive producers of today's episode are Cammie Tidwell, Thank you all for your support of From the Front Porch. If you'd like to support From the Front Porch, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your input helps us make the show even better and helps us reach new listeners. All you have to do is open up the podcast app on your phone. look for From the Front Porch, scroll down until you see Write a Review, and tell us what you think. Or if you're so inclined, support us over on Patreon, where we have three levels of support. Each level has an amazing number of benefits like bonus content, access to live events, discounts, and giveaways. Just go to patreon.com forward slash from the front porch. We're so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Thank you.