A few weeks ago, I told you about driving my car until the gas tank was so empty that I had a range of zero miles left. In that story I included a picture:

As I posted that picture, I realized there was also something anachronistic in it. I guess the title sort of gives it away. Yes, I have a cassette tape player in my car. It’s my nature to use things until they absolutely don’t work anymore, and our cars are no exception. We did recently get Kim a new car, because her 2003 4Runner started overheating at 240,000 miles, but it is still being used to pull trailers around the nursery. My 4Runner is just as old, but lower mileage as it approaches 180,000.

So yes, in the early aughts they still put cassette players in vehicles. I’m not actually sure why – maybe it was just so that you could connect your iPod to the car with the old cassette tape to headphone jack contraption.

My friend JD from Dothan Nurseries in Alabama did notice the tape deck in the picture and he texted me right away about it. I laughed and said that I had to have somewhere to play my cassette collection from Columbia House (you know you were a member too!) And then last week a package arrived on my desk. Just a small little box, and I had no idea what was inside. When I looked at the address label, I saw that it was from JD, and wondering what in the world he would have sent me, as I lifted it and give it a little shake, I guessed it would be a couple of cassettes to augment my collection for my car.

And I was right. Now as I cruise down the road, I’m belting out Lionel Richie, I’m learning the lyrics to Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly Parton, but I can’t bring myself to open the mint condition Taylor Swift double cassette. Abby has Taylor Swift on vinyl, I had no idea that cassettes were still being made. And now I am the proud owner of them.

I saw a funny comment about Gen-X and why we are always so frustrated. It’s because we first owned albums on records, then had to buy them on tapes to play in our Walkman’s. Then we had to change everything over to CDs, and now we pay subscription fees to stream them. We’ve had to pay for the same music multiple times over in our lifetimes! Admittedly streaming takes up a lot less room than the piles of cassettes I used to own, but I do miss making mixtapes. Just popping a tape in and listening was a nice little trip down memory lane – thanks JD! If you are ever in Dothan, Alabama, check out Dothan Nurseries. It’s a spectacular garden center complete with a record room filled with music in all shapes and sizes.

So, pop in your favorite music – whether that’s a tape, a cd, streaming, or maybe even an old 8-track you have lying around and come out to Kerby’s this weekend to experience fall in full swing. The temps have finally come down a little, the pumpkins and mums are showing off and we’re ready to help you make fall happen here in Florida.

p.s. Below you’ll see this week’s Teaching Thursday is about medicinal plants and this Saturday, we’ve still got a few tickets left for the Fire Cider Make & Take Workshop where you’ll learn about and create your own fire cider to take home, just in time to boost your immune system for the cold and flu season.