Mom: Wendy (54)

Daughter: Hannah (Age 26)

Possum Bend, Alabama 

Sweet Home Alabama

Smack dab in the middle of Alabama, nestled between a handful of quaint, country hamlets lies Possum Bend, a rural village that is home to Shallow Hollow, a sprawling family farm where daughter, Hannah, neighbors her mother, Wendy, as well as five generations of family members. It all began when Hannah’s grandmother (whom they all playfully call Maw-Maw) and her late husband settled the property nearly 50 years ago. Upon discovering the farm, Maw-Maw brought her own mother (Great Grandma Doris) onto the grounds and simultaneously raised Hannah’s mother Wendy on it. Spoiler alert: Wendy never left and has subsequently raised her daughter on the property as well. Now that Hannah is 26, she has no intentions of leaving the family farm. Not only are these women connected to each other, they are irrevocably connected to the land in which they have cultivated their home. The four generations of women view this as their sacred home and plan to buried on the land when their time comes. 

The 100-acre, fenced in property is as picturesque as a country song. With lush greenery, dozens of rescue animals, luminous stargazes and four neighboring houses, each family member has their own respective home on the property. Not to mention all the wildlife who call Shallow Hollow home. The farm has ducks, pigs, sheep, goats and horses, and there are also wild animals such as hogs, panther’s and alligators who live in the backroads and swamps. The largest alligator ever captured in the United States (at over 1,000 pounds!) was caught just down the road!

The oldest matriarch on the estate is 91-year-old Great Grandma Doris, who relies on Maw-Maw, (Nelda Elliot), great-grand-daughter Hannah and granddaughter Wendy to take care of her in her old age. The three younger generations of women manage her medications, run her errands, cook for her and even take turns clipping her toenails (Yikes!). The care these generations of women bestow onto their great grandmother is just one testament to how close they all are. For these women, being interconnected, being close and being attached are as engrained in their history and DNA as their height and hair color. Hannah’s brother Elliot also lives on the property with his wife.

Outsiders and people in surrounding towns don’t quite understand the situation. The words “commune” “compound” and, “cult,” have been whispered by strangers and family-friends alike. It doesn’t help that Hannah was homeschooled by her mother on the property. Some may say sheltered, but Hannah loves being raised by her mama and grandma on the family farm. When Wendy was old enough to go to college, she didn’t know that it was strange to bring your mother to class and sit in the front row… it was the first classroom that she had ever been in! Truly, this family farm is a secluded enclave, isolated from the rest of the world, and this family likes it that way. Social media? What’s that?

Along with the other matriarchs of the family, Hannah and Wendy have created their own little world right in Possum Bend. To write your name on the fire tower bridge is a rite of passage on the farm, and of course, Hannah’s name is emblazoned next to her mother’s. Wendy and Hannah have their favorite spots on the farm where they escape to for peace and solitary mother daughter bonding time. They’ll pack up the truck with a handmaid quilt, turn the dial to their favorite song at sunset and head to their secret spot on the creek. They’ll lay out the quilt, lay in the bed of the truck and hold hands starring up at the starry nights. When Hannah was young, Wendy made a tradition of smelling, touching and cuddling with her daughter’s beautiful hair. Throughout her life and to this day, Wendy will still brush, style, touch and smell her daughter’s blonde hair. The land itself holds special meaning to this duo. The smells, the sounds, the feel of the dirt, all trigger tender memories. They even have “special rocks” on the property. Everything is symbol of a memory had or yet to be made.  

Shallow Acres is never short on country-fun for these two. They make homegrown wine and fresh jam, they rescue and nurture animals on the property, tend to the livestock, they even castrate horses and goats when necessary and take care of the land as a whole. Their respective husbands are shift workers at the local mill, so often times the women in the family tend to the needs of the farm. There’s very little these two won’t do on the grounds and they are never afraid to get their hands dirty. They have golf-cart like gators (not to be confused with the real life alligators) that the ladies use to gallivant across the property. The ladies also work together at the local doctor’s office (really the only doctor for miles around!) 

Recently, Hannah had a baby and the whole family is totally obsessed with little Weston Boone! According to Hannah, her 18-month-old son is not just her baby, but the farm’s baby, and nowhere is this truer than with Wendy, the now proud grandmother. Wendy dotes on the baby boy, has set up a play room in every home on the compound and all-in-all smothers him. Her unannounced visits bode well most of the time but for Hannah’s husband Marshall, can be overwhelming. Although Marshall knew the signs that Hannah was close to Wendy (heck, she came on their first date together) he didn’t really understand what he was in store for. Because Hannah’s family is so self-sufficient, Marshall has a difficult time drawing a distinction between where HIS land, HIS home and HIS family are. He can’t even mow his own lawn without his father-in-law either doing it for him or telling him how it’s done. It’s important for Marshall to cultivate his own legacy, his own homestead, but it’s nearly impossible with Hannah’s family.  

Now that Hannah is a mother for the first time, mama Wendy is incredibly involved in the raising of her grandson, much to the dismay of husband Marshall. Hannah and Marshall have considered another child, but are unsure at the moment as they both have their hands full with the farm and being first-time parents. As Marshall and Hannah continue to define their own family, Wendy is struggling to find her place and define her role as grandmother. However, as long as her daughter lives at Shallow Hollow, she’ll be content.

Additional Family Members:

Hannah’s Husband- Marshall (30)

Hannah’s Father- Matt (59)

Grandma- “Maw Maw” Nedia (73)

Grandpa- “Paw Paw” Elliot (73)

Great Grandma- Doris (91)

Hannah’s Brother/Wendy’s Son- Elliot (29)