That's What I'm Talking About

Today it was 76 degrees. On December 11. I worked outside on my deck in a sundress on December 11.

Thank you weather report

Thanks to all of you who keep calling and e-mailing with northern snow reports. DG wanted to take a picture of me on my deck in a bikini...but we'll wait for January. Today the vet said the dogs should be on heartworm meds year-round, because we might get a 70-degree day in January. LOVE it!

Sirens

Today I heard some sirens outside the house...I went to look and they weren't in car catching speeders on the street. It was the U.S. Coast Guard pulling over jet skiiers skiiing near the General Jackson:



I had a great week on the CVB press tour of Nashville, meeting a lot of people, and getting a lot of good story ideas.

The dog is in a foster home until a shelter will take him this weekend. It isn't an idea situation--either the foster or the shelter--but it is the best I can do.

New Things That Are Not Mine

This morning we started out with a long walk through the Shelby Bottoms Greenway. First thing in we saw a beautiful owl sitting in a tree. We stood still for awhile and got to see it fly.

We took some detours on the "primitive trails," which are wooded and were supposed to take us around the construction for the new pedestrian bridge. Through a long series of events we ended up walking 4.3 miles, which was more than I intended and possibly a little too long for Natasha...while on the walk we met a dog that I think had been left chained up to a bridge. He had gotten out, but had markings from the chain around his neck. He followed us home and followed me for the day...he is very sweet and likes his belly rubbed. But he is not fixed and is not coming inside (except for the basement and/garage). He is the first photo of something new that is NOT mine. I am not keeping him, but am trying to find a no kill shelter (everyone here is closed on Sunday. Just like Paris.).



One of the things the stray and I did is go over to DG's to move a bed he and Meg are giving me for my gigantic bedroom. I'll post another picture once the bedroom is all decorated, but here's a glimpse.



In order to move the bed, buy 95 feet of chicken wire (see earlier post) and do other crazy errands, I needed to borrow a pick up truck from someone. So, when I needed to rent a car while my car is indisposed (see earlier post), I decided to rent one. Now I really fit in:

Thanksgiving Weekend

The weekend started on Wednesday night with DG and building boxes and getting ready for “Black Friday” at the store Meg manages. I agreed—volunteered, whatever—to wrap presents there during the holiday because I love wrapping presents and I thought I wouldn’t have to talk to people.

DG started a blog about the real story…I haven’t blogged on there yet because:
1. DG is a hard act to follow, and
2. Apparently, I am going to have no time to holiday shop, so everyone’s gifts are going to have to come from here, so I don’t want to give it all away.
If you want to see how the holiday madness unfolds, check it out: http://giftwrapdeathmarch.blogspot.com/

Besides having to smile and talk to people, the holiday has been pretty good. I started off being thankful when people e-mailed me about the snow in Chicago. I am thankful to not have snow. I took the dogs for a three-mile walk this a.m. and it was the first day I needed a coat.

I am thankful to get to go to Cal and Lauren’s for Thanksgiving. We had a lovely trayf-free time. Lauren and Cal used to live in Chicago. I didn’t know them then, but I enjoyed talking to them about their theories about Daley’s ego getting in the way of the city’s future. They had some other friends come over for dessert. One of whom is a magazine writer (!). The other knows how to make hats (!!).

First act of local activism

Every morning the dogs and I walk to the Shelby Bottoms Greenway.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
It is one of the advantages of the location of this house.
The downside is that at my entrance (Cooper Creek Trailway) there is not a trash can, and because this is all residential, there are no trash cans along the way, so I literally, am holding the bag for 1.5+ miles or more.
DG took me to another Greenway entrance, where I noticed they had a trash can and a plastic bag dispenser. So, I sent an e-mail to the Greenway director. less than 24 hours later I had a response: they'd put in a trash can, and if there was a reason they couldn't, they'd let me know.
Yesterday, we saw someone out there with a post hole digger...I asked him if he was fixin' to put in a trash can. he said he had wanted to for a long time but had finally gotten the okay. He put in the Mutt Mitt Dispenser (biodegradable plastic bags) yesterday and the base for the trash can, which will probably be installed this week.
I already made my neighborhood better!

Home Again

I am back home and happy to be here. The drive was long--traffic and construction-filled--and a joy to drive with two doors that don't properly close/latch.
On the drive I heard "Poke Salad Annie" or "Polk Salad Annie," the Tony Joe White version, not the Elvis version. I have Poke Sallet growing in my yard, so that amused me.
Ellen gave me a dress form she doesn't need anymore. I put one of my hats on it and drove home with it in the passenger seat. My grandfather would have liked that, it looked like someone else was in the car with me. Sort of.