Day 346
Listening to: I’m Every Woman
Thought for the day: Hey y’all! It’s my mom’s birthday! Wish her Happy Birthday!

I call this my first WTF moment (photo circa 1967 – I’m 4 months old). It almost looks like my mom is teaching me the WTF look technique. It’s obvious I mastered it at an early age. Thanks mom for teaching me this look. I use it frequently.

When I decided I was going to write about my mom today, I tried to think of a funny story to share. I have none. The thing is that my mom has always been just that……………… my mom. She’s been the one who has been there to clean my diaper, apply Mercurochrome to a scrape while I screamed, and help me through a divorce. The memories I have of her are not glamorous. No. The memories I have of her are more heroic than anything. I mean, dealing with me, especially the teenage version, would stump the smartest of men. I am grateful for her birthday. Love you mom.

Day 345
Listening to: All Right Now
Thought for the day: If God can make a lightening bug’s butt light up, He can do anything.

Wednesday Night Dinner Club – Firefly Grille

The best comment I saw on the internet today said, “Just defriended a guy for making the status ‘MACARONI AND CHEESE SUCKS.’ I’m not f***king around today.”

After eating the macaroni and cheese at Firefly Grille (today’s photo), I UNDERSTAND THIS STATEMENT! Firefly’s mac and cheese is one of their specialties and contains truffle oil, white cheddar, and a touch of goat cheese. I’ve decided I might start adding truffle oil to every freaking thing I cook………… along with white cheddar cheese…………I’ll add that too. I might even start eating grits. So let’s just say, I walked into Firefly Grille a bit miffed because they were calling my beloved lightning bugs “fireflies.” It’s just not the southern thing to do. Ya know? Instead, I left thinking, “Yeah, I’ll be back for some more mac and cheese. Firefly all ya want.”

Day 344
Listening to: All You Need Is Love
Thought for the day: If you don’t have the courage to walk, alone others will not have the courage to walk with you.

Today’s Photo: Shift Change – DuPont Rayon Plant in Old Hickory, Tennessee 1940s – Picture courtesy of Austin Kinzer

New Year’s Resolutions. Remember them? I’m just getting started on mine. If you recall, I said I would walk to work 13 times in the year 2013. Today, I completed my third of 13 walks. Yep. Three down and 10 to go!

Last night while I was editing an Old Hickory Tales’ interview (www.oldhickorytales.org)  with 80-year old Jim Lawson who grew up in Old Hickory Village at the time DuPont owned the village and its workers lived in the houses, I ran across the following conversation.

Me: Did people living in the village walk to work (DuPont)?
Jim: Oh yeah. During WWII, practically no one who lived in the village drove. At shift change it would be like a parade of people coming down the street.

DuPont began selling the village in the late 1940s and employee suburban sprawl began. Walking to work went the way of the dinosaurs.

My conversation with Jim was on my mind as I set out on the 1.7 mile walk this morning. There was not a soul in sight. I can only think of one other coworker who lives as close as I do, so it really shouldn’t be a surprise I was alone. The other odd thing to me is that now the path from the village to DuPont is not necessarily friendly. There are signs everywhere that say, “THIS IS NOT A WALKWAY.” It’s really sad to me.

I imagine the sight of me walking down the road at 7 a.m. with my Christmas-themed teddy bear Harrod’s bag slung over my shoulder was a bit odd. Passersby probably either thought I was a terrorist or doing the walk of shame (<- don’t make me explain this last one to you)!

Day 343
Listening to: Don’t Disturb This Groove
Thought for the day: DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? ~Reese Witherspoon

DO YOU SEE IT (today’s photo)???!!!! Emma, one of my coworkers, walked quietly into my office today and whispered, “You need to come see what is on my computer.” Nervously, I followed her into her office. She pointed. I looked. Without hesitation, I said, “WHOAH! THAT’S ME! WHO IS THAT?” Emma started laughing and said, “It’s Reese Witherspoon.” I leaned in closer. OH! It’s Reese being embarrassed after her drunken arrest. That is so perfect it isn’t even funny. I looked back at Emma and said, “That’s it. I need to dye my hair blonde!” It’s a beautiful thing when your claim to fame can be, “I look like a senior version of Reese Witherspoon post drunken arrest.”

Day 342
Listening to: After the Love Is Gone
Thought for the day: God is everywhere…………. not just “up”.

When my dad called me today, the first question he asked was, “What are you doing?” I said, “I just finished my second of three walks with Pearl.” Then he said, “Did you find any treasures on your walk?” The conversation was odd because I had, indeed, been scanning the creek where Pearl and I walk for treasures. My dad confessed that he, too, keeps an eye open to the ground in the moors of England where he is currently living in hopes that someday he will find an old Roman coin. Despite not finding any treasures today, I did find three $1 bills roughly in the same place I found the $5 bill last month. I’m starting to think that money grows in the park. It’s amazing what you find when you observe the ground. With my dad’s conversation on my mind, I embarked on my third walk with Pearl and stumbled upon the card in today’s photo. Sometimes, messages like this are worth more than any treasure or $$$. Those who tell you to always look up don’t know what they’re missing. God is everywhere……….not just up.

For the record, I didn’t pick up the card. I left it in its spot for the next person to find.

Day 341
Listening to: Misty (I watched Silver Linings Playbook today)
Thought for the day: Leave everyone wondering which is the more interesting piece of work…you or your hat.

I’ve always wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby or even the Iroquois Steeple Chase just so I could wear a spectacular, glorious, yet elegant hat. Alas, I’m too much of a dirt-ass peon poor person to be brought into the realm of the upper-class hat wearers. I swear I should be British. Even the dirt-ass peon poor Brits wear hats. Why can’t we bring this style back into style for fellow dirt-ass peon poor people? It was popular back in the nether years. All is not lost, however. Pearl and I sat on my couch with our hats and watched the Kentucky Derby today (photo). If you ask me, Pearl is WORKING it. When the Derby started, I was so choked up with nerves over the state of the rain-soaked track to give a rat’s patoot about who won. In the end, no horses were injured. That’s what mattered to me.

Day 340
Listening to: Heart and Soul
Thought for the day: Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. – Matthew 17:20

Sometimes I feel that the maple tree is the only living species on Earth that truly believes in Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed. Every spring, with a few gusts of wind, it sends a bazillion seeds into the atmospheric currents knowing without doubt its species will survive. It’s the most prolific tree that I have seen. I, lacking faith, looked at this seed palooza in today’s photo and thought, “Pffft……. none of these will become trees. Man is too cruel. We’ll destroy them all.” Not 20 feet away I was reminded that I’m wrong. There, in the lime green of spring stood a small and proud baby maple tree waving at me in the wind. Ahhh to have the faith of a maple tree.

THROWBACK THURSDAY!

Note: In 1918, the U.S. Government contracted with DuPont to build a gun powder manufacturing plant in Old Hickory, Tennessee to supply ammunition to the Allied forces of WWI.  The project would involve the construction of a village (still in existence today) along with the factory.  Over 30,000 employees were involved.  The following is a snippet from the newspaper from that era that made me giggle. 

The Bull Club
August 3, 1918 – Old Hickory News

The “Bull Club” is a new organization with an old name that has been started by a number of boys at Mess House No. 2 in the Powder area.  Jack Ryan, Chief Clerk of the Powder Division, is C.B.P., and Mr. McCampbell, Labor Supervisor, is Assistant C.B.P. One of the rules of the organization is a 25 cent fine for any member caught talking “shop” after work hours.  Wednesday nights the boys get together, drink fruit punch, tell lies, smoke and forget their troubles.   The initiation fee is the price of refreshments for the Club.

Photo:  Tennessee Library and Archives – not a part of news article – photo shows several of the mess halls that lined the road where the Rhodes building is today in the heart of Old Hickory, Tennessee.

Day 339
Listening to: Feel Again
Thought for the day: Duck, Duck, GOOOOOSE!!!!

Today during my lunch-time walk on my employer’s property I ran into a family of geese wading through a field of grass equivalent in a goose’s eyes to a densely populated forest. I froze in my path and watched as they emerged from the tall grass. I didn’t move a muscle. I mean. How would I explain getting mauled by a Canadian goose to my safety manager eh? After they passed, I heard a cry of extreme desperation coming from the field. I scanned the tall grass and initially saw nothing. Then, as if Moses parted the red sea, a little baby came stumbling forth screaming. “WHERE IS MY MOMMA!!!” I started talking to it. It walked right up to my black legging-clad legs. IT THOUGHT I WAS ITS MOM!!! I kept talking to it like I imagined a goose whisperer would and urged it in the direction of its family. It stumbled. I cried and encouraged it more. As we got closer, one of the parents started hissing at me. Then the baby realized a black-legged human doth not a goose mother make and reconnected with the flock (today’s photo – lost baby goose in back). About 5 minutes later two additional geese wondered out of the field with only one baby in tow. Then I realized I quite possibly reconnected the lost baby goose with the wrong family. My face is probably now posted in some goose post office as “WANTED! BABY GOOSE KIDNAPPER.” Que sera, sera.

Day 338
Listening to: Secret Life of Daydreams (Pride & Prejudice Soundtrack)
Thought for the day: May1! I see the finish line to the 365!

This post is not for the faint of heart if you’re a man. I apologize ahead of time if I offend anyone. If I make 1 person smile, however, I will consider offending someone worthwhile.

Today I had my oil checked. Yep, today was the annual visit to the gynecologist. I have been going to the same doctor for at least 17 years. My favorite thing about this doctor is that she has always taped pictures of hunky men on the ceiling over the exam table (a sense of humor is critical in her business). Every year when I go, the first thing I look at in the exam room is the ceiling. I want to see who the current OBGYN “it” guy is (People Mag should do a feature on it)!

When I went in today, the ceiling was blank. OH HORRORS! As I was waiting on the doctor, I noticed that there was a Men’s Health magazine in the magazine rack conveniently placed under the female reproductive system poster (today’s photo). Product placement people! I giggled at the combination of the two because I really am a 7th grader trapped in a 46-year old body. Why is there a Men’s Health magazine in an OBGYN office? I digress.

Anyway, when the doctor finally came into the room, I grilled her about the lack of men on the ceiling. She said that the building owners had redone the ceiling tiles and had removed the men. She hadn’t had time to replace them. I then pointed out the Men’s Health magazine to her and told her we could remedy the man-less ceiling situation quickly. I mean the guy on the cover? RAWR! She laughed and said, “Patients often bring in their own photos for the ceiling. We’ve even had patients offer us Playgirl magazines. We can’t put them on the ceiling, but we have fun looking at them.” Next year? I’m going armed with Liam Neeson pics.