A Spoonful of Honey

Makes the 'algies go away. It's that time of year again in Middle Tennessee. I woke up Monday with horrid allergies.

Back to a tablespoon of local honey once a day. Fingers' crossed.

Happy Labor Day weekend, y'all!

Ooooh, ooooh, photo was shot with an effect setting on my little Sony, "Miniature." 

Labels: Cameras, Health, Tennessee

The Proudest

 We are so proud, I'm speechless.

Labels:  Knoxville, Tennessee, Teenager, UT

Honeysuckle Rose

Mmmmm, do you still pick the sweet drop of nectar from a honeysuckle?

I do!

Labels: Flowers, Spring, Tennessee

The Little Harpeth River

I've been riding my bicycle through the parks as weather permits. We had a lot of rain last week so I'm trying to catch up. I have passed this sign a million times and have wanted to stop and get a little history on the area; and finally I did.

The Little Harpeth runs alongside the bike path which makes for a lovely ride. On most days, I fight myself to keep moving; but yesterday I found myself once more chasing shadows. The light is so brilliant this time of year that I just had to bring my ol' point-and-shoot out and snap a few.

 I hadn't even noticed the creek bed's layers until I looked closely at this shot. 

Growing up, we had a creek down the street where us kids always ended up on hot summer days. At the time, Four-Mile Run was just about the same as this little creek, shallow enough to wade through. In the spring, I would bring tadpoles home to watch "grow." We always had buckets all over the dining room around that time. I can't really remember any frogs ever evolving--probably because either 1) my mom dumped them while we were at school, or 2) the cats ate them. Ha! I never gave it any thought, actually. Kids.

Do you remember original Levi jeans in the late 1960s? Geesh, remember how they could almost stand up by themselves when you first bought them? They needed to be washed like a million times before you could even move in them. Seriously. Ha, I distinctly remember getting my first pair; and of course, my momma wasn't about to wash something that had never even been worn! (She was kind of a funny washer--growing up during the Depression, I guess.) Well, of course we ended up in the creek that day. Can you imagine walking in new Levi's that are wet? And, remember, we had to roll them up because our parents would never dream of buying the right size so we could supposedly "grow" into them? (My short legs are still the same length as they were in the 60s! My pants were always rolled up. Still are! Ugh.) How much ya wanna bet those little legs were chaffed raw by the time I made it home! Ouchy. 

Ahhh, cheers to childhood memories and chasing spring shadows.

Labels: Arlington, Childhood, Spring, Tennessee, Virginia

More on Memphis

There was beautiful sunlight when I was in Memphis. This building reminded me of New Orleans and the shadows called to my camera.

At one point, when I was lost--as usual--I drove by Sun Studio. Of course, I had to turn around and go in! Great website, by the way. Check it out and listen to some good ol' Elvis, Jerry Lee and the man in black. Ahhh, to be here in its heyday would have been amazing. Sigh.

It's a tiny little place, but wow, what memories were made here. If these walls could talk! (Probably wouldn't want to know what they were saying!)

There were tours but I was on my way out to Graceland. Perhaps next time. 

Pfffft, and I never did find Graceland. Yes, I am so direction challenged! I've learned to take it in stride; so when I saw a sign for Nashville, I just headed back home. That's two times that I've planned on seeing Graceland and twice I didn't make it. 

Three time's the charm?

Labels:  Memphis, Tennessee, Music

Memphis in the Meantime, Baby

Somehow I was able to snag some pre-sale Jack White tickets for his show in Memphis. I can't tell you how crazy excited I was; and holding on to them for over a month just about drove me crazy! He's out on his own now--no Meg, no Dead Weather, no Raconteurs--just Jack and his new back up bands. He has two. An all-female one and an-all male one. He's been mixing it up between shows. Gotta love his spontaneity and pure love for music. You never know what's going to happen at his shows which makes them even more exciting. At first, there were only five shows--a private show in Nashville at Third Man, and then he was on to Chattanooga, Birmingham, Memphis and Austin. Wish I were in Texas right about now. He seems to keep adding more shows to SXSW.

Memphis is a three-hour drive from Nashville, not too bad at all. As excited as I was, the drive was nothing. As soon as I arrived, I checked into the hotel the hub had arranged for me and then I was off exploring. The first thing I wanted to do was find the venue since I was going it solo for the evening. Wanted to be able to map my way back after the show! Meanwhile, it was right around the corner! Yay. No worries, then. Above must be the "old" Daisy. Isn't she beautiful? Wow. But we were across the street at the "New" Daisy. Ha. That's where they put us heathens! 

Will-call didn't open until 7 p.m. so I killed some time and walked around Beale Street and listened to some live music for a while, enjoyed people watching and clicked some photos before I headed off to dinner.

I thought twice about going to BB King's for some que but thought, well, we have one of those in Nashville. And, so, off to the Rendezvous it was--famous in its own right. Had to check it off the list, ya know.

Finding the place was no easy task. It's literally located in an alley and this is the little sign above the door. Okey dokey.

What a kooky place! Paper plates and plastic silverware but white cloth napkins! Go figure.

Not being a rib person, I ordered the beef brisket. Not Texas style, mind you, but still good. It had a nice crunchy crust on it.

They serve up a lot of food and FAST! It was on my table likety split. And yummy, it was.

Of course, I had to take a stroll through the gorgeous Peabody Hotel, yet another infamous Memphis landmark. We had stayed there years ago when the kid was still quite young; and he loved the ducks, of course.

And looky at what time it was!! The ducks had already marched out from the elevator (they live in their own "penthouse" on the roof) so I was in for another treat. Schweeeet! That would never happen again in another million years! There was some good mojo flowing in Memphis on the 13th, let me tell you!

After heading back to the hotel and changing; I could hardly contain my giddiness. I waited until about 7:30 to let the rush get through. I wasn't about to get into the CF with all of those youngins'. I had an extra ticket that I was going to just hand to someone who was looking to get in; but then I found out the Daisy just "crossed" your name off the list as you went in. Ugh. I had to literally "walk" in with a person. A Stranger. Lawds. So I had to walk into the street and yell, "Anyone need a ticket?" Ha! Now y'all know how shy I am!! But I wasn't about to let a JW ticket go to waste. Lord forbid. Next thing I knew, this kid walks up to me and says his dad was looking for a ticket. Brawhahahahaha!!! (All I could think of was the kid doing the same for me--"My mom would SO MUCH LOVE TO GO SEE JACK WHITE but couldn't get a ticket.") Bless his heart.

Long story short, we waited for his dad to drop off his little sister at a sitter's and then wait for him to find a parking spot! (giggle) Poor guy came running up like a bat out of hell. When he asked how  much, I just said "pay-it-forward." (Remember when I got the RAK in the mailbox? Yeah baby. Boom, I'm good!) And damned if he didn't get it! Loved that! And, we all had the best time. Of course, all three of us were were up at the stage by encore! (Almost got kicked out tho in doing so--ooooopsy. Nasty, big bouncers at The Daisy!) But never you mind about that! 

There were no cameras allowed so I left mine at the hotel. These are all from Jack's site. And let me tell you sir, they were not fooling around. People were being escorted out left and right! Oooofy. I didn't even make my normal "concert" calls on my cell!

Alright, let me just say . . . Oh MY GOSH! This was the best show EVER. Honestly. I have to put it right up there with Bob Marley and the Wailers back in the day which I've always said was a phenomenal, once-in-a-life-time experience.  Now I have two of those. Pinch me.

He was KRAZY good. It truly makes a difference when you love what you do and do what you love. He was enjoying himself as much as we were, I think.  I'm still buzzing with excitement when I look at those pictures. 

Jack is absolutely brilliant.

Sigh.

Labels: Memphis, Music, Tennessee

Weekend Work

The kid and I had a busy agenda this weekend. Both of us have spring fever so we planned a visit to the local nursery on Saturday. My girlfriend Pam, originally from AZ and transplanted to CT, is a big succulent and cacti fiend.  While we were there last fall, I admired all of her indoor succulent plantings and said to myself, "I'm gonna do that!." Well, I'm finally getting to it. 

Our favorite nursery has a lot of interesting nooks and crannies to meander through. I love these old stained glass doorways. Aren't they fab!

After we loaded up our wagon with all kinds of goodies, we headed home and got to work.

Do you think I have enough succulents in this basket? 

We found this old jar laying around the house and made a little terrarium. (Thanks, Pam!) Remember way back when they were all the rage? Well, they're back!

I'm still working on this glass container. Can't quite figure out what to do. I need my Pammy here. Hep!

I had these tiny, vintage vaseline-glass pots, so I planted some little hens and chickens. Can you believe I've never grown them before? Pfffft! Mom used to call them cats and kittens. Awwww, precious.

 A small kitchen window planter.

And, of course, I couldn't leave the nursery without a few delicate plants that I will kill off soon. Hey, I have to keep myself in check, right? Just when is St. Patrick's day? I'm ready!

Then, on Sunday, the kid and I had planned a day on the Natchez Trace. Well, we should have switched days. Saturday was bright and beautiful while Sunday turned out to be chillier and more cloudy that we had expected. (You'd think "the meteorologist" would have checked the weather!) It was a bit nippy up there! But, it was beautiful just the same. And, duh, I forgot my camera's extra battery so I was only able to  click off a few photos before it died. Doy. 

Rain today, but I'm loving it.

Labels: Pam, Flowers, Tennessee

Batten Down the Hatches

Hope everyone stays safe!

I feel like I'm heading to Alabama! Packed up this morning and gathered all my essentials--computer back-up drives, medicines, MAKEUP, extra change of clothes, etc. Ha. I'm like Dolly Parton, can't let the "people" see me without my "chemtone" in check. That's what my dad called makeup, "chemtone." Go figure.

The kid is here; and since he's a future meteorologist, he has his room set up like NOAA--TV monitors, computers, etc. Ha. He's on it and is keeping a close eye on things. He says the storms are heading this direction; so around 3ish, we'll head downstairs.

The animules are in lock-down mode, already in the basement--and not too happy about it. Dave has already tried to break into their food supply which is in a sealed plastic tub. Bad kitty. Bella is freaking. Frankie thinks it's kind of fun, running around like a puppy. 

I even moved mom's twin mattress over to our safe spot. Thank goodness we have a true basement underground. The kid found the best spot down there which is surrounded by earth and cinder blocks. We weren't able to use it until I cleaned out all the junk last year! Yay. So, hopefully, I have thought of everything and we're in good shape.

Weather alarms are going off pretty regularly now. Ooofy. Time to shut everything down.

Two Infatuations

First, this little clutch I found online is driving me crazy, I am so in love with it. I haven't used a clutch in years. But this one, or at least that turquoise color, caught my eye. But it is so much more. I am loving it!  

And, then there's my copper pot. I normally pull these "nice ones" out during the Holidays, and they sit in a cabinet the rest of the year. Well, I love my non-stick cookware as much as the next guy, but I've begun to wonder about the coating. If it's dangerous to birds . . . ? Well, hello? So, anyhoo, some of my nonstick pieces are beginning to show wear (and that's supposed to be a no-no in regards to emitting whatever into the air). Sorry, my favorite Berndes pot, you're out. You're fired! (What the heck was all that Donald stuff about? Lawds.) . . . And, hello beautiful! (above) 

Turning chilly tonight. My Tennessee friends call it locust winter--which is when a cold snap comes in for a day or two after all the trees (including locust) have already bloomed from spring. Frost. Really? Ugh for my plants. Yay for me. I'm loving it. (Portland keeps calling, right. lol)

The hub is out of town. Here and there in bouts to the North. Therefore, I am getting things done. Finished finding, sorting, scanning and printing old photos and recipes for some of my cousins. I hope to get so friggin' organized before I move again, I won't know what to do. Little by little. Piece by piece, I'm gettin' it done. Of course, at the rate I'm getting all this "organizing" done, I won't be finished for another five years. Ha ha ha. 

This Week

Not only has Autumn arrived, but so did JJ Grey!  He was added, pretty last minute, to the Nashville "Live on the Green" show.  I had already purchased the tickets for his show in Knoxville, so it was a lot of fun seeing him twice within a week's time.

Knoxville's show was especially fun because not only did Beth come with me, but we were also able to hang with the teenager (in his neck-of-the-woods)!  The entire night was a blast, ending with locking ourselves out of the room, Barney Fife in the lobby after hours, and the a/c that sounded more like someone a little overweight breathing heavily.  Beth and I laughed ourselves to sleep at the wee hours of the morning.

The next morning, we arose pretty early (10) just a tad bleary eyed.  It's hard keeping up with college kids, geesh.  We must have walked, what Beth, about 20 blocks?  ("It's only across the bridge then one block.")  After dropping some things off at the Teenager's apartment, we headed back West towards Nashville.  I had found this little town, Harriman, last year when heading back home after mom's celebration of life.  It was still there, just as I had left it.

We found beautiful houses while exploring the sweet little town.  Leaves were flowing through the air, it was breezy and a perfect temperature.  Doesn't get much sweeter.

We found our way down to the river and took some photos.  It was gorgeous!

Beth and I.

And some goodies I found in Harriman.  Haha, the owner of one of the shops remembered the "run-in" I had with a horribly rude customer.  Ya see, we remember this stuff.  

Now, speaking of goodies, this is Natalie Sarabella's latest line.  She has decorated hand-blown glass pumpkins exclusively available through Frontgate's website only.  They are gorgeous!  (Top photo of same piece.)

Not only do you get the beautiful pumpkin, but it arrives in a box that Natalie has hand painted herself.  I love sunflowers!  I'm going to hang it somewhere in the house.  Such a talent, that lady.  I also put out my little oil that reminds me of my mom.

Yes, it feels like a year has passed.  Each day, I can't help but to remember those last days. I'm actually doing pretty well with it.  Her beautiful memory is with me every day.  A big thank you for all your well wishes.