What will they think of next?

This appears to be a week of amazing discoveries. First, Dickens World. Now, this:

Yes, my friends, there is actually a magazine called Garden & Gun. Really.

Don’t you love how classy the cover looks?

What a great way to romanticize this:

Of course, one could also be thinking of this:

But I suspect there are far more hunters out there of the camo-and-chewing tobacco type than there are of the foxes-and-hounds type.

This appears to be a magazine geared toward Southerners. (Duh.) Further research into the website reveals that the magazine is for “21st century Southern Americans.” So for any of you stuck firmly in the 20th century or if you don’t live below the Mason Dixon line, this is NOT the publication for you.  Don’t even bother.

I found this great sentence: “Garden & Gun attracts men and women who embody the active, outdoor lifestyle, and have an eye for beauty, an ear for fine prose, a passion for the Southern landscape and waters.”  So not only should you be Southern and embracing 2008 technology, don’t bother subscribing unless you are also a fan of huntin’, fine art, and the collected works of William Faulkner.  All three, please, not two out of three.  Apparently, I don’t qualify.

The website has this to say about the editors and writers of Garden & Gun:  “Garden & Gun is led by an eclectic group of individuals…” Ummmm … “eclectic”?  THAT is how they described their staff?  Wow, so they really understand just how odd their concept is.

Seriously, who thinks up stuff like this? Who wakes up one day and says, “You know what the world really needs? A magazine for the hunter who likes to match his venison with a really fine Bordeaux.”

Most of the content is identical to what one would find in Southern Living and Town & Country (only with a little less class).  It’s the guns that make all the difference.  I can guaran-damn-tee you won’t find those in most mainstream women’s magazines.

[Totally random side note, but this is a great story:  When we crossed the border into Canada a couple of weeks ago, the border guard asked us the usual round of questions, including how long we'd be in the country, what our plans were, and if we had any "firearms" in our car.  Uh, guns?  Us?   Laughing,  I asked, "Are you profiling us because we're from the South?"  The border guard was nonplussed and started stammering about how the gun laws in Canada are different.  Yeah, no shit.]

Yeah, so apparently the South and its residents have a reputation…

So my conclusion is that Garden & Gun is meant to be an upscale magazine for Southerners who want to appear urbane, but who also can’t quite shake their country roots, no matter how much money their daddies make in oil.  George W. Bush, this is the magazine for you.  Don’t worry, the words aren’t too big and there are lots of pictures.

Don’t forget to enter the book give away!