My friend Mary Jo Shankle has found her way – perhaps her calling – during the pandemic. Here’s what she has to say. Thank you for spending some time in the Bacon Neighborhood today, Mary Jo! It’s a beautiful…
Mary Jo Shankle
Ash Wednesday invites reflection on sin, suffering, and grace. A massive winter storm invites reflection as well. Our world is transformed by snow and ice. Today’s Bacon features photos from around town as well as a Lenten devotional recommendation from…
I sometimes feel despair when I read the news in the morning. Maybe you’re feeling it too, but for different reasons. Can you and I possibly get to a place of collective hope? Where we can together be proud of…
This week, I spotted 4 vultures in a tree in our yard, a wandering turkey two houses down, two ducks enjoying a conjugal visit in a local pond, and cardinals and mockingbirds, in particular, establishing territory. I also spotted two…
Today’s post is brought to you by poet Margaret Widdemer (1884-1978), my friend Mary Jo Shankle, my friend Patricia Eastwood, and the local trees. Have you ever heard of Margaret Widdemer? Me either. She shared what is now the…
Where you can find Mary Jo Shankle is in her garden – here in Nashville or at their mountaintop retreat “Shankri-la” in Sewanee. After the Sir Winston Churchill narcissi and irises and peonies come the hydrangeas. Then the coneflowers and zinnias, bee balm…
Mary Jo Shankle has checked a lot of important things off the list: kids situated in college, screened-in porch built, Extreme Volunteer Commitments wrapped up (for now). In the last 6 months, she’s focused on her health – and you…
Bacon contributor Mary Jo Shankle recently wrote a beautiful post on Welty’s Delta Wedding and wanted to share an unusual opportunity. From Mary Jo: A note to Welty fans in the middle Tennessee area…the downtown branch of the Nashville Public Library…
Mary Jo Shankle, my friend and neighbor, keeps it real and makes me laugh. She claims that her special talent is knowing when to turn off the rice. “Seriously, I have an instinct. I am also very good at intuiting…