My friend Nellie (we go back to junior year of high school) has just finished a run of starring as Annie Nations in Melbourne Civic Theater's production of Foxfire.   Tonight she's feeling sad as the sets are being demolished, but according to reviews the play was a big hit!

If you're from the South, you may remember the Foxfire books from Rabun County many years ago, profiles of all things and all people from Appalachia.  Nellie says she actually remembers "hog killing" (one of the books' subjects) and that her father owned and devoured every book.

I'm sure he'd be proud that Nellie brought Annie Nations to life! 

I got this text from her last night: 

Last night a wizened Merlin, bent over his chariot of a walker insisted on my hand and then gently bowed even further to kiss it. I was so humbled as his piercing gaze paid me honor and I bowed to him. It was perfection.  

Hats off (not the brown one Annie wore, but some other one) to my dear friend Nellie Brannan for taking on (and apparently wildly succeeding) in bringing this Appalachian woman back to life! 

I loved her statement in the program which included this line: "I love the South...I want to wallow in it and I want to scrape it all off."