Harrah's being in Cherokee, N.C.  The woman then explained she was from North Carolina.  My spouse is something of a casino connoisseur. Some people like wine. He loves casinos.  If you have not been to Winstar it is very interesting. I personally intensely dislike slot machines, so I do other things at casinos. Like take photos. I will post a few

As we were driving back to Tennessee which is normally a 14 hour drive, we encountered obstacles.  Such as hitting Nashville traffic right after the Tennessee Titan game had ended,  and the driving rainstorm on the Cumberland Plateau.  When we arrived on the outskirts of Knoxville we both had a serious need to use restroom facilities.  So we stopped at a truck stop so scary that it had two armed to the teeth(Yes, I realize that that in Tennessee does not necessarily much) We were both way…

My spouse has a younger brother who lives close to Burleson on some acreage.  He has been a widower for 20+ years.  He is 63.  In 2009 he was diagnosed with diabetes.  He has been less than perfect in taking his meds, watching his diet, etc.  Before we moved to Tennessee I tried VERY hard to get him to come with us with no success.  In January of this year right before Super Bowl weekend we get a call from the paramedics in Texas.   He had been found unconscious in a diabetic coma. So we…

I just returned from my first Dandridge Scoth Irish festival.. What a blast. Going back tonight at 6:00 for more amazing music and men in kilts!!!!!!!Two outstanding bands..Highland Reign.. Traditional Scottish music rocked out..Then I saw the Mud Men from Canada.. They defy explanation, and yes we chatted about my idol, Neil young.. They were properly respectful.. I have posted some pics

You get to be a certain age and you accumulate a lot of STUFF.. No matter how many things you give to children, grandchildren,charity,etc you still have much stuff.. I was never particularly a jewelry person, but I loved to collect certain types of art and other stuff.. For years I collected blown glass from a gallery in Dallas called Kittrell/Riffkind.. I started shopping with them when they were located in Olla Podrida  in the 70"s and continued through 2011 when they were located in…

Sometimes stereotyping reflects a prejudice..Other times it is just plain true...Tennessee locals look different than Texans...Not in a particularly good way.. Let us just say"hybrid vigor"is lacking...I forget this until I have a day where it becomes really obvious..Wednesday I was mall walking in the late afternoon.. Completely rethink the concept of mall.. I was in Morristown, Tennessee which is about 15 miles from Dandridge..The high end store in this mall is Belk.. They have a Bath and…

 In  1970 I lived in Mesa,Arizona with my ex husband and 3 year old daughter.. I was the wife of an Air Force pilot just back from flying fighters in Vietnam.. He was going to be an instructor pilot at Williams AFB.. Shortly after we moved I met a woman who had a boy 2 days younger than my daughter..She lived down the street and was also an Air Force wife.. We became best buds..It was the most idyllic 3 years of my life.. Of course a lot had to do with my age and the age we lived in...Never…

So like three days ago I had four unspayed female rabbits.. Today this fairy tale has morphed into the reality of two unneutered males.. One unspayed YOUNG female and 1 new mother and EIGHT baby rabbits.. Imagine my humiliation when I phoned the vet this morning to change tomorrow"s appointment for 2 females to be spayed to having 2 MALES neutered.. She to her credit did not laugh uncontrollably but I detected a giggle when I announced I was the new owner of 8 baby rabbits..Now in my…

I am not really sure exactly what this means.. Maybe it is a result of having too many unsprayed female rabbits.. That situation is being remedied next Tuesday for 1/2 of the posse when 2 girls go under the knife.. Last night while dreaming I visually saw a sign over a bar or tavern...Think of the mood of the movie The fabulous Baker Brothers with the Bridges brothers and Michele Pfeiffer.. All night clubby  and jazzy with lots of smoke and real cocktail glasses.. So this sign is blue and it…

One woman is 46..The Other 68..What is the Connection,if any?.. 22 years separate these two..Few enough for there to be Common ground, a Familiar sound, a Thread of Insight perhaps,Even a Shared plight....Nay, nay good fellow... All the King"s horses and all the King"s men would never guess These females are kin..To be Precise.. One woman paid a high price to deliver a Daughter, a comfort in her old age, a blank page for life to Write a beautiful sonnet or tie a bonnet to protect her from…

I went online recently to se if Neil Young is doing any U.S. tours this summer.. His only one is at a music festival called Interlocken in Abington,Va.. which is about 1 1/2 hours from my front door.. The dates are September 5-8.. If anyone wants to come be sure to contact me and we can go together.. He is our age exactly.. He was born in November of 1945.. He tours very little.. His wife, Pegi Young is  also going to play there..Her band is called Pegi Young and The Survivors..

I believed I had about covered eastern Tennessee lifestyle and culture, but I left out a really important aspect of life here...Most of the locals have no clue who Jerry Jones is...Football is so not on their radar..What is BIG on their radar is music.. Almost every local I have met and chatted with either plays an instrument, is in a band, choir.etc...These are not musical novices either..When I worked part time at Christian Outlet Center one of my co-workers was the fabulous Benjamin…

Being a native Texan was never a particular point of pride with me.Actually I never experienced any Pride of Place loyalty.So, as a semi-old individual when my recently adopted home got me all jiggy and full of warm and fuzzy feelings, I was a bit surprised..I am totally aware my long suffering family, friends and random" victims" feel I have way "overshared" photos and commentary regarding Eastern Tennessee..East of the Mississippi was never really on my radar..Asking me about what I…

Just because a thought flits into your head, Does it always, or Even often Need to be Said or blurted or spurted or Written as if it was a pearl beyond price.. Bet your bottom  dollar, a previous  pseudo scholar with a costly collar has had the same idea gleaming and pure white filled with insight cram his cranium as well..He expressed it more succinctly or orated it more eloquently,if style is your mileu..Even if your vision is blue as glacier ice,nothing needs to be said twice... Please,…

One woman is 46.....The other 68...What seems to be the connection on said Reflection?.. Let"s analyze this equation.. 22 years separate these two... Few enough for there to exist,common ground, a familiar Sound...Thread of insight perhaps.. Even a Shared plight.or Bonding fright.. Nay,Nay good fellow.. All the King"s horses and all the golden geese untangling Jason"s fleece would never deduce,not a single Goose laying a magical egg would conclude these two share an interlude, DNA and…

My experience is not Typical.. My grandchild is called by my spouse, The Chosen One..He is 13.. Does he think of me at all except as a unending supply of goods and services? His Mother has schooled him well.. Basically, he is a pretty neat kid and has provided me with endless sources of amusement.. My very favorite is when while staying with him once around Christmas when he was 11,I noticed his Yorkie acting weirdly.. I asked him, "Avery what is wrong with Rockster?".. He was very focused…

What is going on out West? On the other side of the Mississippi some of you folks are cooking,Literally..Phoenix and Las Vegas are warning people about being scalded on hot pavement.. These temps are Amazing!!!120 degrees was forecast for parts of Arizona, Nevada and "Sunny" California..Death Valley was forecast to reach 128 degrees Saturday..Death Valley holds the record high ever recorded on earth at  134 degrees set over a century ago. I personally left Texas because of the heat,but this…

I am sure you have heard me wax poetic about my new adopted town in Tennessee if you have read any of my previous blogs..Dandridge is the 2nd oldest town in Tennessee and is named for Martha Dandridge,wife of George Washington.. It is really tiny.. The main attraction is Douglas Lake. This lake is renowned for bass fishing (every year a world class bass fishing Tournament is held here with BIG prize money) and is rated either number 1 or 2 in U.S. for crappie fishing.. So imagine my pride…

 I am in an Olive Garden in Sevierville, Tennessee where a large number of folks are either Grossly Fat or Tatooed,Thin, Wild-Eyed Meth Afficandos.. This individual is alone and is eating (wolfing) Breadsticks, and the Fabulous Olive Garden salad that we all love so Well.. The waiter grated cheese on this salad for a very long time.. As if this salad does not have more calories than a Double Bacon Cheeseburger.. "Oh, all I had for lunch today was Soup and Salad" I just don"t understand why I…

Sitting directly behind me at the Food Court at Harrah"s Casino is a table of three people..The man weighs at least 300 pounds..He is enjoying a convenient 6 pack of Duncan Doughnut Delites for his noon repast..They are chocolate covered creations with white goo inside..Seated across the table from this portly gentlemen is a woman whose buttocks are overflowing her chair..She might weigh  400 pounds..She is nibbling on what appears to be a dry salad..Beside the gentleman is another lady who…