Happiness Is A Blueberry Muffin

December 22, 2009

Mom enjoying a blueberry muffin.

Yesterday Betsy and I made our delayed trip to Hendersonville to check on and to help out my parents.  Fortunately we found both of them in good spirits and good health.

Much of our morning was devoted to going over Dad’s finances, paying bills, and trying to get their Medicare Part D coverage straightened out.  We then took them out so they could do their grocery shopping.

Dad usually takes us to lunch when we go over there, but yesterday we wanted to treat them since it was close to Christmas.  They usually eat at a meat-and-three restaurant, but we wanted to take them to someplace a little different.  We took them to Mimi’s Cafe.  Some friends had taken them there and told us that Mom really liked the blueberry muffins Mimi’s served.  Since Betsy and I had never been there, we decided to take Mom and Dad back so Mom could have another muffin.

Mom is a little woman — five feet tall and less than 100 pounds.  But she polished off that muffin without any problems.  Oh, yes, she also finished her salad as well, but the muffin is what made the greatest impression.

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Posted in American Life | 14 Comments »

Christmas at the Opryland Hotel

December 21, 2009

Christmas decorations in the Cascades at the Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. December, 2001.

One of the advantages of wintry weather is that I can get more work done on my computer than I would if the weather were nicer and I spent more time outdoors.  This weekend has enabled me to make progress on a couple of projects, for which I am grateful.

The Opryland Hotel (or more properly the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center) has been an attraction in Nashville, Tennessee, since it first opened in 1977.  It has gone through several expansions and renovations since that time and is now a tourist attraction in its own right.

One of the traditions of Opryland is A Country Christmas, which makes Opryland ‘The Most Christmassy hotel in the nation” according to the Travel Channel.  A Country Christmas is now in its 26th year and includes more than 2 million lights and more than a dozen shows and attractions.  A Country Christmas runs from before Thanksgiving to after New Year’s.

I’m sure the decorations have changed quite a bit since 2001, when Betsy and I toured the Opryland Hotel one evening during Christmas season.  It was our first Christmas together, and the grand display at the hotel seemed a perfect complement to that special time.

To see more of Christmas at the Opryland Hotel click HERE.

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Posted in American Life | 8 Comments »

Scenic Sunday # 75: Sunset Beach

December 20, 2009

Sunset Beach, North Carolina. June, 2001.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

We’ve had several days of cold rain here on the Plateau of Tennessee, with a little bit of snow and ice thrown in just to keep us guessing.  The rain has not been scenic, but it has been COLD.

I just had to do something to feel warmer, so I looked through some of our beach pictures.  Betsy and I visit the beach in North Carolina just about every year.  The picture above was taken at Sunset Beach, North Carolina.  One nice thing about going to the beach in May is that we often have it to ourselves.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 12 Comments »

My Beautiful Multi-Tasking Bride

December 19, 2009

Betsy 'relaxing' at home. December 18, 2009.

We had planned on going on going to Hendersonville today, but when we got up there was ice on the driveway and road in front of the house.  Since the weather was expected to get worse, we called Mom and Dad to see if they could get by until Sunday or Monday when the weather was expected to be better.  They said they were well-prepared for any emergencies and that we shouldn’t try to come when the weather was bad.

The only time I went out all day was to get the mail — it was a nice change of pace from our usual routine and I must admit it was very nice.

Late in the afternoon I came upon my beautiful bride seated on her throne (recliner) in the living room, wrapped up in a quilt, enjoying the Christmas tree, watching television, visiting blogs on her laptop and texting on her telephone.  Oh, yes, you can’t see it, but she was also enjoying the fire in the fireplace.

Who says senior citizens can’t do more than one thing at a time?

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Posted in Betsy | 14 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Unaka Mountain

December 18, 2009

Hoar Frost on Unaka Mountain, Tennessee. November 27, 2009.

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

Betsy and I were in East Tennessee the day after Thanksgiving on a waterfalling trip.  The weather forecast had called for snow flurries and Betsy had hoped that we would see some snow, but there was none.  Friday morning was cold but clear.

The closest Betsy came to seeing snow was this hoar frost on the top of Unaka Mountain.  I had to get a picture of something white for my beautiful bride, so I snapped this picture from the road we were on.

I’m not that thrilled with the hoar frost, but that clear blue sky is beautiful.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 19 Comments »

A Perfect Way to Spend a Wintry Evening

December 17, 2009

Our living room at Christmas time. December 12, 2009.

When I lived in western North Carolina we had a wood-burning stove to supplement the heat in the house.  I was teaching at the time, so I spent much of the summer cutting and splitting wood to use in the stove.  (I was MUCH younger then and had MUCH more energy!).

Years passed and I met my beautiful bride.  When it came time for us to find our dream house, Betsy essentially had one requirement — it had to have a wood-burning fireplace.

So now, many years later, I have to be concerned with firewood.  We now get firewood cut to length, but some of the pieces still need to be split.  So I often spend a chilly day splitting wood; at least that helps keep me warm while I’m working outside.

And I have to admit that there are few things as pleasant as sipping tea in front of a fire on a cold evening.

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Posted in American Life | 15 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #66: St. Maarten Sunset

December 16, 2009

Sunset off St. Maarten. September 11, 2001.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

This picture of the sun setting on a smooth ocean was taken in 2001 off the coast of St. Maarten.  Some of that warmth would really be appreciated today!

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 13 Comments »

My World: Baltusrol Falls

December 15, 2009

Baltusrol Falls, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. December 13, 2009.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, Louise and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Most of you know that Betsy and I collect waterfalls.  We’ve just returned from a weekend trip where we drove and hiked to visit several falls.

But we don’t always have to go a great distance to visit a waterfall.  The waterfall in the picture above is only about a quarter of a mile from our house.  It flows from the golf course into a vacant lot down the road from us.

Usually there is only a trickle of water flowing down, but after a heavy rain like we had Saturday night and Sunday morning, it can be quite impressive.

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Posted in My World | 10 Comments »

I Wasn’t Looking for This Type of Water Flow

December 14, 2009

Plumbers at work in our front yard. October 13, 2009.

Let me begin by saying that Betsy and I had a wonderful weekend waterfalling in east Tennessee and western North Carolina.  We saw several new waterfalls and had a wonderful hike on Friday.

The weather forecast for Saturday night and Sunday was very iffy — there was the possibility of ice, sleet and rain and/or snow.  So we decided to come on home Saturday evening instead of traveling on Sunday.

It was after dark when we pulled into the driveway and the first thing we saw was water flowing across the driveway.  We both remarked that there must have been a lot of rain, because we hadn’t seen water flowing across the driveway since I built the new wall in the front yard.

HOWEVER …

When Betsy went to check on her bird feeders on the back deck, she noticed that the deck was dry.  She then noticed that we had no water in the house.  So, flashlight in hand, I checked the front yard and saw water gushing up through the cover of the water meter.

We called the water utility and a man came out to turn off the water and check the problem.  He found a crack in the line leading to the house about three inches on our side of the meter (sigh!).

They came to the rescue!

To make a long story short, our friendly plumbers came by Sunday and fixed the line and turned the water back on.  They also told me where I could get the tool to turn off the water at the meter.  If I do that, any leaks while we’re gone have to be on the utility’s side!

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Posted in Home | 19 Comments »

On the Road Again

December 10, 2009

Betsy at Lower Spivey Falls, Ernestville, Tennessee. November 27, 2009.

Betsy and I have planned a long weekend in western North Carolina to visit some of the sites that we’ve wanted to see but haven’t had the opportunity until now.  It’s an opportunity to get away before things get too hectic because of Christmas.

So I’m going to be out of pocket for a few days.  We may have an some access to the internet while we’re gone, so I’ll do my best to visit you.

I hope we have good weather and that you have the weather you wish for at this time of year.  I also hope we all have a wonderful weekend.  I’ll post again when we get back.

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Posted in Travels | 14 Comments »

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