Memorial Day, the start of Summer! This is my favorite time of year, as most of you know.
I am currently sitting in my back yard, enjoying the early morning. It is bliss!
Recent events:
-Went to OKC to see Michael and Sara graduation ceremony. It was an enjoyable time. You can see time pass fast in children! Both of them plan on attending college next year.
-Eleanor and Rebecca visited over the weekend. We "shopped till we dropped" (or at least Aliene, Eleanor and Rebecca did!), took a cruise on the Mississippi and visited!
The City budget is almost done (will hopefully be approved this week), so I am glad that is out of the way for another year!
Monday, May 29, 2006
Sunday, May 14, 2006
The Mighty Mississippi!
Recently I had the opportunity to visit with a Mississippi River boat worker. It was an interesting conversation (he works 30 days on and 30 days off).
In an eerie way, he reminded me of many of the old (old to to me at the time) farmers I knew when I was a child. They loved and lived their job, were independent, opinionated had a lot of common sense and generally seemed to enjoy their career choice in spite of what are seen as negative aspects of the job. The only real difference seems to be one makes his living on the land, one on the river.
I enjoyed our conversation and wish I knew his name so I could have a cup of coffee or a lunch with him in the future and keep on with our discussion.
One of the things I love about Tennessee and this area is when I realize how similar, yet different it is from where I grew up and how I really notice the difference when I visit family in Oklahoma or Kansas. (Oklahomans and Kansans are great-kind, generous and just fine people. I have found Southerners to be the same, at least in this area, with the addition that they truly know how to be hosts and are truly courteous people.)
Also, I have found drivers to be much more courteous in Memphis. In spite of our tendency to run streeeeetch yellow lights and make frightening close left turns, there is little tailgating and I have yet to have another car not let me in, even when I was in the wrong! (If you drive the Canada Road and I-40 interchange area, this is demonstrated on a daily basis.)
I was always fascinated by the Mississippi River when I was a child, and I can remember how excited I was at my first view of the River!
One of my secret obsessions for some odd reason is the Mississippi River Level in the paper each day! I really don’t even know what it means, (except generally) but it fascinates me. I still get that “tingle” when I first see it and every time we have relatives or friends visit, I am always glad because it usually gives me a chance to take a Mississippi River Cruise or at least walk the Mississippi! Now I know that when I cross the “Mighty Mississippi” I am almost home!
I enjoy the drive to Oklahoma City to visit family. It starts in beautiful Lakeland (it is more than just "hometown pride", Lakeland truly is uniquely beautiful!), through Memphis, across the "Mightly Mississippi" (where, depending on the time, I call someone and tell them I am just crossing the "Mightly Mississippi"), across the flat plains of east Arkansas, through Little Rock and then through the beautiul mountains of western Arkansas, on through eastern Oklahoma to OKC! It has a certain rhythm and rhyme to it that can almost be set to music.
In an eerie way, he reminded me of many of the old (old to to me at the time) farmers I knew when I was a child. They loved and lived their job, were independent, opinionated had a lot of common sense and generally seemed to enjoy their career choice in spite of what are seen as negative aspects of the job. The only real difference seems to be one makes his living on the land, one on the river.
I enjoyed our conversation and wish I knew his name so I could have a cup of coffee or a lunch with him in the future and keep on with our discussion.
One of the things I love about Tennessee and this area is when I realize how similar, yet different it is from where I grew up and how I really notice the difference when I visit family in Oklahoma or Kansas. (Oklahomans and Kansans are great-kind, generous and just fine people. I have found Southerners to be the same, at least in this area, with the addition that they truly know how to be hosts and are truly courteous people.)
Also, I have found drivers to be much more courteous in Memphis. In spite of our tendency to run streeeeetch yellow lights and make frightening close left turns, there is little tailgating and I have yet to have another car not let me in, even when I was in the wrong! (If you drive the Canada Road and I-40 interchange area, this is demonstrated on a daily basis.)
I was always fascinated by the Mississippi River when I was a child, and I can remember how excited I was at my first view of the River!
One of my secret obsessions for some odd reason is the Mississippi River Level in the paper each day! I really don’t even know what it means, (except generally) but it fascinates me. I still get that “tingle” when I first see it and every time we have relatives or friends visit, I am always glad because it usually gives me a chance to take a Mississippi River Cruise or at least walk the Mississippi! Now I know that when I cross the “Mighty Mississippi” I am almost home!
I enjoy the drive to Oklahoma City to visit family. It starts in beautiful Lakeland (it is more than just "hometown pride", Lakeland truly is uniquely beautiful!), through Memphis, across the "Mightly Mississippi" (where, depending on the time, I call someone and tell them I am just crossing the "Mightly Mississippi"), across the flat plains of east Arkansas, through Little Rock and then through the beautiul mountains of western Arkansas, on through eastern Oklahoma to OKC! It has a certain rhythm and rhyme to it that can almost be set to music.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
New Bike!
Today I will pick up my new bike a "Trek 7500". I am looking forward to trying out my new bike (if it ever stops raining). Sometime I will need to learn to ride in the rain, but ...
Everything has been really busy, finishing up the proposed City budget etc. We went to OKC to see Sara's "Gold" award (Girl Scout equal of Boy Scout's Eagle award) and it was fun. It was good to see some of the activities they did to earn the award.
We went to our annual Dance Conference last weekend and really enjoyed getting into dancing. One thing we really miss is a good place to dance without any smoke! We enjoyed the dancing. I'm not sure what you call it. It isn't a "contest", just a lot of dancing and dance lessons!
Everything has been really busy, finishing up the proposed City budget etc. We went to OKC to see Sara's "Gold" award (Girl Scout equal of Boy Scout's Eagle award) and it was fun. It was good to see some of the activities they did to earn the award.
We went to our annual Dance Conference last weekend and really enjoyed getting into dancing. One thing we really miss is a good place to dance without any smoke! We enjoyed the dancing. I'm not sure what you call it. It isn't a "contest", just a lot of dancing and dance lessons!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)