That's What We Said

The presidential race has shifted dramatically and how better to get to know the new candidates than through the regional experts at That's What We Said. No, we don't know VP Harris and Gov Tim Walz — well, Kelly has met Governor Walz once, thanks to her amazing nephew Justin Smith, Disability Rights Activist. But we do know all about the California Bay Area and about Midwestern Nice. Make sense of the Democratic candidates by hearing our tales of growing up in California and the Midwest.  

Jump feet first into the Olympic pool with us as we recap our favorite moments of the Paris Games. We cover everything from swimsuits that don't cover much to Bob The Cap Catcher who has the swimming team's tresses all covered. Cry with us about Celine Dion. Ponder the new names of old sports and the arrival of new sports that maybe weren't ready for primetime. Ahem, raygun. And try to avert your eyes with us as we put that one moment on repeat.

A new episode after just 18 months? We say that's quick for four women who are definitely not trying to have it all, even if the “all” feels like it's been piling up all around us for the last decade. Seriously though, we found ourselves with some hope in our hearts and the energy to get back in the studio and not just because of the chance to poke fun at wannabe Kentuckian JD Vance. #relish #answerthecall

Kelly has reached a milestone birthday, and we're taking a few moments to reflect on the wisdom we've earned in almost two centuries of living. Among the four of us. We're not saying Kelly is two hundred years old! In this episode, you'll get tips about car tweezers, grocery cart strategy, youtube fitness videos, and above all, cooking turkeys in bags. Call us, Reynolds Corporation! And stick around to hear how we got our Cracker Barrel breakfast comped in a Downton Abbey re-enactment. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Are you ready for rage? After the decision by the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe V Wade, we take some time for fury.  If you're looking for actions and solutions, this episode is not for you as we're honoring the grief process with a week for anger before we get back to the hard work of bandaiding American Democracy. If you want to hear from four fortysomething women who are just as angry as you, then we've got the profanity-laced incoherence you need for this moment.

This week, we're talking about what we've been reading, listening to, and watching. We've got movies to be watched on planes, twitter accounts about home repair from the star of Our Flag Means Death, and weighty tomes about history. But this episode quickly turns into an intervention for Kelly and Becca who may have gone a little too deep into true crime, The Staircase, and the story of Michael Peterson. We just want them to not scare themselves silly right before bedtime. Stay tuned after the episode outro music for an 'easter egg' segment that's  NSFDTKTSITFM -- that's Not Safe For Driving The Kids To Soccer In The Family Minivan. It's not safe for work either. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

And we're back! Welcome to Season 3 of “That's What We Said.” With some false stops and starts as we struggle once again with faulty internet and remembering our own names, we're ready to catch up. A lot has happened during our hiatus, including the controversial opening of a mega gas station in our community. Some of us have begun traveling for work again, and we have some stories from airports. Boy, do we have stories. “That's What We Said” is like spending Saturday evening on the porch with your friends, sipping a glass of wine and shooting the breeze. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

It's once again time for some Kentucky politics on the pod! This week, we're excited to interview Mae Suramek, candidate for the 89th district Kentucky House seat. It's just a few days until the election here in Madison County, and we're talking to Mae about running for office, running a business, and starting a new podcast about the experience of Asian Americans in Kentucky. Mae talks to us about what it means to “do well by doing good.” We hope you'll do good next week by voting in your local election, especially if you're here with us in Kentucky's 89th. And don't forget to check out “Where Y'all Really From” from Louisville Public Media. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Have you ever felt like you REALLY WANT to do SOMETHING to help fix the the world, but can't find the time between working, helping with homework, shuttling kids to practices, grocery shopping, and #allthethings? Joining us this week is Beverly Battle, an organizer & activist with Kentucky roots, who talks about her organization "Red, Wine and Blue" (check out their podcast!) that creates progressive political momentum by supporting women & helping us all learn how small actions can lead to big change. #relish Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

We've recently learned that we're the eighth most popular comedy podcast in Oman, so we're dreaming about the future of the pod in this week's episode. Coming up are episodes on Kentucky politics and Kentucky bourbon, although not necessarily in the same episode. We also want to know what our listeners want to hear. More tales of Katie Marie Kondo-ing her drawers? More library adventures from Kelly? More murder books from Jenny? Whatever our listeners want, we're prepared to bring it. PS. This week, we're missing Becca who's off adventuring in Ohio. PPS. If you live in Oman and are listening, we'd love to ask you why. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

There's Covid everywhere & we can't keep safe Covid measures in place because of the dumb KY legislature & stubborn people who won't listen to science so we're feeling a bit down. To distract ourselves, we decide to reflect on the Olympics - from the incredible US Women's Gymnastic Team to knitting divers to necklace wearing soccer/football players to dancing horses. We learn that Becca was a gymnast! And Jenny & her mom dabbled in synchronized swimming! After a month-long hiatus we're back! #relish Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

It's time for a media roundup. After Jenny and Katie's conflict over Cards Against Humanity in the last episode, they make up over their shared affection for TikToker Kevin James Thornton. Shoutout to Katie for always sharing Hoosier-adjacent TikToks with Jenny. Becca raises the tone with some excellent nonfiction about podcast hero — and everyone's hero!— Eleanor Roosevelt.  Finally, not even a binge watch of Kim's Convenience can distract Kelly from a week of epic car trouble. Recorded in Red River Gorge, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

What do a hoedown, a drowned mouse, a cutthroat game of Cards Against Humanity, hours spent on learning a TikToc dance, 45 bags of Cheetos, and a bottle of Snoop Dog wine have in common? Listen to it ALL go down in “Dancing with Wildlife,” (AKA “Notes from the Cabin” AKA “Kaftan Magic” AKA “Undisclosed Location”) a special That's What We Said episode recorded during our epic post-Pandemic pod sisters weekend get-away. Recorded in Slade, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

In this week’s episode, we reflect on the “new normal” as things start to open up and we adjust to maskless shopping and hard pants. This is our first time recording together since the beginning of the quarantimes, and we get to use our fancy new mic. We’re still figuring out our microphone, and we may sound more like we were recording from a busy roadside than we did when we were on zoom. But we think our laughter sounds better than ever, and we promise to figure the noise out. Becca’s dog Freeman is the star of the show, but we also talk about library squirrels and the experts who can tell whether rodents are boys or girls. And Jenny pitches her solution to getting folks vaccinated so we can embrace even more of a hard pants, hard partying mom lifestyle: it’s the Vaccininja Van. Recorded in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Now that we’ve conquered the podcasting world, we thought it was time to share our mega-million dollar business ideas. Maybe it’s not the best idea to broadcast our business acumen before copyrighting our brainstorms. Trademarking? Patenting? We don’t know, so maybe we should just put all this genius out into the public domain. MRS! Sips and Soccer! Super Distractors! Hawt Mayor Calendars! Interested? You can reach us at our cafe bookstore in Canada...in our dreams. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

It's the outtake footage you've been waiting for, where we discuss whether to purchase a microphone for in-person recording. Sound dull? Our "under the hood" conversations are rarely dull...  Rated "explicit" for innuendo Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Between soccer, Easter, & a lot of mom type commitments, we’ve been off the air for a couple of weeks. We are back with our media recommendations for April. This month, dive into Jenny & Becca’s serious picks about WWII. Or how about some 80s Cold War intrigue with “The Americans?” But why would you do that when there’s Pig Royalty? Finally, we don't quite relish the murder bird who’s taken up residence on Katie’s roof, but we’d like to parlay her misfortune into some paid advertising from Big Birdwatcher. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

March is almost over, and we’re wrapping up our month of interviews with kickass Kentucky women. Although we’re sad to see the month go, we can’t think of a better guest than epidemiologist and soccer mom Nikita Vundi.  Nikita joins Katie and Jenny to talk about vaccines and public health. We ponder what changes from 2020 will last past the immediate danger of COVID-19, we bond over the necessity of not washing poultry, and we celebrate the glory of Girl Scout cookies. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Continuing our series of interviews with Kentucky women, we welcome our amazing friends Grace McKenzie and Heather Dent to share their upcoming children’s book about one of our Kentucky heroes, Michelle Tooley. Michelle was a peace and social justice activist and professor here in Berea. Grace and Heather talk us through the process of bringing the book from a short presentation at a local summer camp to a hardbound story to be shared with children and adults in our community and beyond. On one of the first mornings in spring, we celebrate the life and legacy of Michelle Tooley, who brought so much bright and cleansing light to the world.  Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

During our month of conversations with Kickass Kentucky Women, we’re thrilled to welcome Shannon Phelps to help us navigate the waters of sexuality education. This episode comes with a content warning that it’s not for children. Shannon is here to help parents as we figure out how to talk with children about everything from  body changes to nocturnal emissions to sexual consent to porn literacy. The takeaway: “communication fosters connection!” As awkward as parents and children feel when we talk about sex, we need to have these talks. We also discuss the role of sexuality education in communities and schools, and that’s how we learn that Jenny’s first experience with porn was right in the hallways of her high school. Finally, in an epic #relish, Shannon and Katie recall a tipsy trip to Philadelphia in the before times. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

This week, Cara Stewart -- long time champion of healthcare and justice in Kentucky -- joins us for our month of talking to Badass Kentucky Women. We talk about her career as an attorney, including the successful fight against then Governor Bevin’s Medicaid waiver, which would have removed large numbers of folks from the rolls. We take a semi-deep dive into the Kentucky legislature, exploring the history of bills that are introduced by women legislators and eventually taken up in watered down form by other legislators and passed. Don’t think it’s all serious though - we have an especially animated discussion about how teenagers get around adults’ restrictions. If you still have a landline, you may find some useful tips, or you may just regret that you didn’t have Cara’s skills with phone wire and splitter back in 1990. Or maybe you can get some tips from an 8 year old about how to successfully skip zoom class. TL;DR - there is some power to being a cute little girl. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Three of us are celebrating our 30th year reunion this year -- or at least remembering our 30th year of escape from high school. Join us on a little mental time travel this week as we reflect on our high school experiences in four different states in the 1980s and 90s - from giant mum corsages to coded flower deliveries to surprising mascots. Sadly, every single time Katie tries to talk about her beloved mascot, her zoom connection falters. We find out that Becca lived a Veronica Mars lifestyle in high school, except for the crime solving part. We wrap up with a call to action as the pink tax bill is once again being introduced in the KY State Legislature. Call your representative and let’s make sure that, whatever nonsense today’s high schoolers have put up with, at least they won’t have to pay tax on tampons. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

This week, we welcome guest Nick Koenig. He’s an EKU botany student, activist, and campus leader. He’s here to give us hope for the future and bring us some Gen Z reality. We talk with Nick about environmental racism and segregation in Louisville and about replanting schemes on former mountaintop removal sites.  But since we can never be 100 percent serious, we inadvertently test his knowledge about 90s grunge. Result: we feel old. We also find out about Katie’s catalog full of fancy pastor robes via a conversation about Schitt’s Creek. And this is the 3rd consecutive episode where Bridgerton is a topic. We need the quarantimes to end, but it’s good to share conversation with an up and coming activist who we know is going to change the world after all this mess is over… or maybe sooner. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

It’s hard to believe (or maybe it isn’t!), but it has now been a full year since Covid-19 made its way to the U.S. This week we talk about how the last year has affected our kids and families, and we speculate on what “normal” will look like after the Covid-Times (verdict: we will be as awkward as ever when we see our friends and co-workers again). Katie and Kelly give an important update on their Bridgerton bet and Jenny contributes an extremely important road report and call to action from West Virginia. Make sure you stick around to the end, so that you can appreciate the full awkwardness of this episode. Given the production values and general lack of professionalism on display, you might find it hard to believe that this is the 50th Episode of That’s What We Said! #relish Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

It feels like a long time since our last media roundup, and maybe that’s because we took the last two weeks off to celebrate the New Year, AKA the Inauguration of President Joe Biden and Veep Kamala Harris. Does the world seem brighter now? We don’t know, but we’ve got a romantic set of tv shows and books to recommend this month.  Everyone but Katie has watched -- and has thoughts about --- Bridgerton. We wheel and deal and the rest of the pod agrees to read Katie’s pick Red, White, and Royal Blue if she’ll just give the first episode of Bridgerton a try. Other recommendations this month are the poetry of Amanda Gorman, the new French netflix show Lupin, and Regina King’s One Night in Miami.  Finally, in a topsy-turvy school year, we close out with a #relish of one very normal snow day this week. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Join us this week as we process the events that occurred over the past couple of weeks, from the high of the Georgia Senate runoffs, to the low of the violent insurrection attempt at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. We grapple with putting these events in context, from the destruction of political and social norms over the past 5 years, to the anti-government rhetoric of the past 5 decades, to the militarism, materialism, and racism that have defined our country for the past 5 centuries. Katie proposes a surprising metaphor for how those days felt. And we all bristle at suggestions that it’s time for “unity.” Released on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we reflect on how his words still ring true today:  “The black revolution is much more than a struggle for the rights of Negroes. It is, rather, forcing America to face all its interrelated flaws: racism, poverty, militarism, and materialism.” – MLK (1968) Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Welcome to 2021 with That’s What We Said! This episode, recorded before the New Year, and before we had any inkling of what would happen on January 6, celebrates our first year of podcasting. We reflect on the adventure of the past year. We remember memorable guests such as State Representative Attica Scott the KY Secretary of State (amazed that he didn’t walk out on our liberal selves). Finally, we ponder what it means to have created a record of our lives in a time of plague and we look forward to another year with our listeners. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Join us this week as we talk about all the news that wasn’t in 2020. Yes, we’re talking about the stories that the coronavirus and the election may have driven from our minds - from the bizarre mansion listings and child naming practices of the crazy rich to the emancipation of Harry and Meghan. On more serious notes, we celebrate the service of a local city council member who ended her term this year, and we recommit to making sure that Kentucky movements for racial justice don’t slip below our radar. The short legislative session is coming up, and it’s time to advocate for Breonna’s Law. This year, we’re thankful for frontline workers and all they’ve done in 2020, but we’ve got to give special respect to some valiant park rangers out west who stopped some cooking crimes in the Yellowstone hot springs from a news story we missed entirely when it came out. Finally, we preview the year ahead for the podcast by teasing our upcoming episode “The Fire Ute.” Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Basements, roller skating, and fainting, oh my. #relish Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Please enjoy this special bonus material, recorded in late December, 2019, in the before times. Our wholesome holiday discussion devolved a little as our conversation drifted to breast enhancement and “personal” secret Santa gifts. #relish #TWWS Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Guess what it’s time for? You guessed it - another media roundup. Jenny can’t get enough of Supermarket Sweep and Kelly gets confused about what Leslie Jones’ Twitter account has to do with that. From Chess in Lexington, KY, to football in London, England, to small town Ontario, Canada, explore the wide world of the TWWS Pod Sisters’ media consumption heading into the holidays. Speaking of the holidays, we have all been partaking of such high brow classics as Christmas Vacation and Home Alone and we ponder how the plots of these films would have been different if the characters had access to cell phones. We get Kelly’s latest librarian tip related to finding media. And, last but not least, we are introduced to the Hobson/Green Rule of the Cup. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

This week, while Kelly’s off doing important work for the commonwealth, the rest of the pod sisters are beginning to get ready for Christmas. We’re talking candy! Cookies! Decorations! Songs! We spend an unreasonably long time talking about wrapping paper, from Katie’s touching story about her grandmother’s gift wrap to Jenny’s newly discovered perimenopausal rage about cheap paper. And we learn something too, too shocking about how Santa wraps presents at Becca’s house. You’ll want to listen for Katie’s advice on the ultimate Chex mix recipe as we break down the maternal labor of the holiday. And we may just break down a little, too.  Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

We’re excited to welcome author Alix E. Harrow for a chat about her new book The Once and Future Witches. The discussion ranges from pockets in dresses -- central to the plot of the book and to our own lives -- to the research required to build a believable, exciting story that marries the history of suffrage and witchcraft. We talk about what it’s like to bring out a book during a pandemic, and Alix promises to come back on the pod as a book concierge for us.  This holiday season, we recommend supporting your indie bookseller by purchasing a copy of The Once and Future Witches at Bookshop.org Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

We recorded this episode on Saturday, November 7th, while we -- and the world -- were waiting for the Presidential election to be called. While we wait, we talk about election results in Kentucky, particularly the dispiriting news that a state representative currently indicted for assault on his wife has been easily reelected. We ponder Red and Blue America and how that false dualism makes it harder for rural organizers to make headway in our areas. But if that sounds deep, we also take a moment to laugh about the memes of the 2020 election. Finally, right before we log off, we learn that Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States. Four years ago, we spent a devastating evening together as we watched Donald Trump win the presidency, and our trip to the Women’s March planted the seeds of this podcast.  It only seems right that we’re together -- via zoom, during a pandemic -- when we find out that Donald Trump has finally lost and lost bigly. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

“The only security of all is in a free press.” ― Thomas Jefferson In today’s political climate it is hard not to have strong feelings about “The Media.” It touches almost every aspect of our lives, and can influence what we believe, what we watch, and who we vote for. Whether it is “mainstream,” “social,” “right-wing,” or “left-wing,” the media is something that is on all of our minds, almost all the time. This week, during a special Election Day episode, Kelly and Becca have a conversation about the state of media and journalism with local reporter Marisa Hempel. She fills us in on what it is like to build a TV station in the middle of a pandemic, how advertising can make or break media budgets, and ways that social media algorithms create information bubbles that determine what news appears in your feeds and reinforce your biases. She also gives us a behind the scenes snapshot of what Election Night looks like when you’re a reporter, and shares where we can find all of those local election results. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

After seven months in our own homes -- is it really seven months? Less? More? Who knows? -- we’re ready to peel off the plastered smiles on our faces and get real about how it’s going. With just a few days left before the 2020 election, it seems like all of the chickens of our entire lives are coming home to roost. Chickens may be the wrong animal metaphor, because first we’ve got to talk about cats. Jenny’s been attempting to do a little self-care through indoor gardening, and her cats have been determined to take her project down. That’s just one of many reasons why we think self-care may be a crock. Right now, self-care just feels like another item on our long to-do lists, an item that we’re consistently getting wrong. How much can rest and relaxation do when we’re confronting hard, home truths about hunger, racism, and inequality in America? How much should self-care help when children in our community are hungry. We’re bleeping mad, and we hope you’re here for it. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

We chat about the pandemic puppies adopted by Adam and Kelly. Thankfully, the podcast session doesn’t fall apart when a sleep-deprived Kelly learns that Adam’s new puppy has been sleeping through the night for months. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

This week, we’re delighted to welcome Pittsburgh teacher Adam Bailey to talk about his pandemic life. We learn what it was like for Adam to teach 13 year olds via zoom for weeks and then to welcome them into the school building and discover that he knew their voices better than their faces. Also, we are surprised to learn that Adam is an expert in the epitome of coronavirus comfort foods... Not sourdough... Not produce from the Victory Garden... We’re talking about oatmeal pies and zebra cakes. How did Adam become an expert in all things Little Debbie? And which “cake” wins the podcasters’ taste test? As with Battle Jello Vs. Egg Salad, there are some serious lines drawn in the podcaster sands. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Thanks to official daughter of the pod, Elly Green, for joining us via zoom to tell us all about college life during a pandemic. As we reminisce about college in the 90s, we wonder how the kids these days are making friends and eating pizza when everyone’s wearing a mask and standing 6 feet apart. Elly is happy to give us all the details while updating us on how communication has changed in the last 30 years. Hint: no landlines or whiteboards on your dorm door. Meanwhile, it’s time for Kelly to come clean about her own experience with internet scammers and the world’s tiniest chairs. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

It’s time for our media roundup, and we’re surprised to discover that 6 months into being home, there are still shows we haven’t watched and books we haven’t read. This month, we do dive into the past, specifically the movies of our youths. Our sons have thoughts on Being John Malkovich and the original Bill and Ted as we show them the movies of the 80s and 90s. And for those keeping tally at home, Becca is on her third rewatch of Golden Girls during the corona times. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Chapter 1: Troy Price helps us brainstorm what to talk about at the beginning of the Corona Times and Jenny treats us to a Corona-themed medley. Chapter 2: Guest Wil Bain learns what a hot mess we are behind the scenes of TWWS. Chapter 3: Are Jenny & Becca , in fact, ghosts? What is the mysterious Northern Exposure Hole? Chapter 4: We foresee a potential Basham/Hobson/Gratton road trip that will mainly involve verbally pointing out various corn and tobacco fields, clouds, and horses. Also Corona times splurge shopping and Costco ID hilarity. Chapter 5: Josie the dog can’t find Jenny. We try to figure out the best lighting for zoom which reminds us of our glow worm babies. And plans for a pod paddling trip are hatched. Chapter 6: Katie’s Corona-themed medley coda. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Voting. During the craziness of this pandemic, we’ve all been trying to figure out how we do the things that have to get done. Many of us are working and schooling from home, ordering our groceries online, and wearing masks for those “have to” errands. But, with one of the most important elections of our generation looming, how in the world are we going to make sure we safely vote? This week, That’s What We Said welcomes Kentucky’s Secretary of State Michael Adams, who shares THE PLANS (and there are several of them) for how every Kentuckian can vote. We also hear about his commitment to being bipartisan during these incredibly divisive times and…most importantly…we get the inside scoop on who does his hair and his amazing Twitter feed. #RegisterToVote #GoVoteKY #relish Recorded via Zoom in Berea and Frankfort, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

This week, we’re remembering that time in history when we used to leave our homes and go places AKA travel. Jenny’s joy at packing a suitcase to move her daughter to college sparked nostalgia in all of us for hitting the road. So we’re taking a week to talk about travel mishaps, whether it’s long delays on the tarmac, meeting famous jockey at the baggage claim, or being bitten by a thousand mosquitos in foreign locales, we miss a world outside the four walls of our homes. Come for the turbulence, stay for Katie’s encounters with politicians at the DC airports. Bonus: We have to decide whether Jenny’s Kentuckian status gets revoked because she didn’t know that horses could fly on planes. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Official daughter of the pod has gone to college.This week, Jenny and Elly are reporting from the road. They talk about what it’s like to travel out-of-state during a pandemic. Spoiler: some rest stops do not inspire confidence.And then on the way home, Jenny continues the road report solo. She talks about traveling on the back roads of Virginia and gives a shout out to a Tennessee rest stop that’s doing social distancing right.And since podcasts are what get her through that long, solo drive back home, she recommends the funny podcasts that kept her awake including: Thirst Aid Kit with Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins, Why Won’tYou Date Me? With Nicole Byer and Berea grad Akilah Hughes, and Off Menu with James Acaster, Ed Gamble, and Gred Davies. Recorded in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Listen to Becca’s death-defying vacuuming escapades, which land us in a whole new dimension of “suckage.” For a special treat - head over to Facebook and watch the video. #relish Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Most of the time, we want to lighten your load by bringing you our daily mishaps, funny memories, and guests who lift us up and teach us. This week, we’re checking in with each other after five months of life during the coronavirus pandemic. Where are we? Well, mainly at home and tired of it. We’re worried about our children as they go back to school. We’re fretting about the ways 2020 has changed us: from people who could blithely let our household run out of toilet paper to people who wonder if the Costco megapack is enough to last us in an emergency.  We’re making dubious pandemic purchases, we’re falling prey to internet scams, and Jenny thinks we’re all getting weirder.  Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

This week, it’s time to reveal the Real Housewives drama behind the podcast. You’ve heard the laughter, seen the camaraderie, shared the #relish. But now it’s time to peek behind the curtain to see the controversy that divides our friends. It’s time to get real about food. It’s time to bicker about salads that are not salads. Katie and Jenny are on Team Jello Salad while Becca and Kelly are champions of Team Egg Salad. It’s time to throw down. Will Katie’s grandma’s special jello mold win the day? Or will Kelly’s agreement to leave pickles out of egg salad persuade Jenny to change teams? Will Becca’s California-American South fusion cuisine entice listeners to the glamour of egg salad? Most importantly, will the podcast survive this bitter divide so that we can keep recording? Spoiler: this episode was recorded a few weeks back, so check for us again next week as we talk about our excitement about Kamala Harris and grappling with the 2020 Back to School season. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

This week we welcome two Kentucky rock stars to the show - State Representative Attica Scott and Berea City Councilor Emily Ladouceur. These two extraordinary women share their stories about what it’s like to run for office as “normal” people, and talk about the challenges of holding down full time jobs and being single parents while also legislating. Emily explains the struggle of trying to pass a Juneteenth resolution and Attica shares her frustration at never even getting her filed bills to be taken up in committee, much less voted on. We also ask for their advice about raising aware, involved, and engaged kids during these complex times, and marvel at their ability to feel empathy and joy in their work. Tune in as the women of the pod fan girl over two of their favorite elected officials! Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

We’re sure we’re not alone in reaching a new level of pandemic distress this week. It’s a rough time as we try to cope with surging cases and deaths in the US and here at home in Kentucky. So we thought we’d take a week to talk about new pandemic experiences that AREN’T making us weep. For exercise, Katie’s been paddle boarding at our local reservoir. Her sunburn may have made her cry, but time out on the water with her friends has given her joy. Now that she’s invested in new swim pants, the sunburn and the tears should be a thing of the past. Plus, the local business where she rents her paddle board, Get Out KY, is just minutes away from the best soft serve ice cream in Central KY. Other local restaurants are bringing us happiness, too. Becca introduces us to the Side Porch Bakery in Waco, the coziest spot for cannoli. And the COVID times have even brought us takeout margaritas, except Jenny is embarrassed about the names of her husband’s favorite beers when she visits the drive through liquor store. Finally, before we collapse in a food and exercise-coma, Kelly finds that digging into her family’s genealogy keeps her mind from spiraling into quarantine worries as she creates the gift of history for her sons.  Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

It’s time for a monthly roundup of what we’ve been watching, reading, and listening to during this month of staying at home. As we get deeper into the pandemic, we find that we’re doing one of two things: seeking out books and movies that teach us something and seeking out the familiar to soothe us during uncertain times. Katie alerts us to an article about why people return to favorite shows when the world is a scary place, which definitely made us all feel better about our return to the worlds of Pawnee, Scranton, Mayberry, and the Golden Girls’ Lanai over the last few weeks. July has also been a time for us to learn about the world. Becca’s been learning about Reconstruction via a PBS documentary and reading about the influenza epidemic if 1918. Kelly recommends When They See Us, Ava DuVernay’s series about the Central Park Five. What does this all have to do with thumbs and grilled cheese? Well, you’ll just have to listen to find out. #relish Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly

Building on last week’s discussion about toys of our childhood, we talk about the 70s and 80s TV landscape that allowed for a show like “Small Wonder,” the tale of a robot girl and her life in a suburban family. We contrast wholesome family fare like Family Ties and The Cosby Show (!) with Three’s Company, where a man and two women, none of whom were married to each other, lived together in the same home! Some of our parents did not approve. If you find yourself chuckling at any of these memories, there are plenty more in the podcast. Join us for some reminiscent relief from the day’s news. Recorded via Zoom in Berea, KY | Edited by Kelly Smith | Music composed and performed by Elly Green | Artwork by Jessica Holly