Driving Through Tennessee, Back Home to Alabama!

Lovely, old country road - peaceful and serene!  A lovely beginning to the drive back home to Alabama!

I'm always amazed to see houses and property like this just across the road from farm buildings and old barns!  A Tennessee specialty?

More peaceful scenery!  How did I take photos?  Well, I couldn't possibly focus without stopping and it was already about 5:30 p.m. and I wanted to get home.  Isabel had already called and asked if I'd come by and see her before going home.  And of course I couldn't resist that little plea in her voice!  So......I just held the camera up and kept shooting.  I naturally made quite a lot of BAD photos, but these turned out great!

I love these rock walls lining the interstate (I-65).  And in many areas throughout Murfreesboro and Franklin (where my brother Larry lives), you'll see rock fences bordering the various properties!  Beautiful!

More rock walls!  And I'm happy to say there was very little traffic!  It was just turning dusk and the drive home was a relaxing end to a hectic but very fun weekend!!

I promised Sherry I'd drive slower than my usual, so I kept Tiwanda Tundra (my beautiful big girl!) on cruise control!  Here I am - about to enter the state of Alabama!  But I have to admit, Tennessee is one of the most beautiful states in the entire union, if not THE prettiest!! 

And here's the exit for home!! Huntsville sits just north of Madison where I live.  They've both grown so much, especially in the past 20 years, that you never really know when you're in one or leaving the other!  Sherry and I live about 2 hours from each other.

See you soon! Jan

My Trip to Murfreesboro, Tennessee!!

As I mentioned in my last post, when Nigel was in Iowa, I went up to Mufreesboro, TN, to visit my dearest, very best friend ever - Sherry Craig.  Isn't she lovely?  We had an absolute blast!  We've known each other since we were 13 years old, in Jonesboro, Arkansas! That's only 37 years ago!!  Sherry is the sister I never had.  When we're together, it's like we never left - no matter how long we're apart.  And since we've both turned 50, we've been having more fun than ever!  We seem to energize each other; when I return home from a trip to Sherry's, I feel like I can tackle the world!  And she says I inspire her!  So you can imagine how much fun we have!

Long ago, we decided we would only visit places where you could NOT easily take children (because that's where we spend too much time anyway).  So we spent time (LOTS of it too!!) in the book stores; both Barnes & Noble and Books A Million this time!  And we went to Coldwater Creek!  LOVELY clothes!  And several trips to Starbucks!  I've discovered a green tea I actually enjoy!  It tastes great, either hot or cold, and has no caffeine!!  It's called Tazo Zen tea.  Don't get me wrong; I love my English tea (P.G. Tips), but it's very strong and I'm trying to cut down on caffeine, so this makes a nice substitute in the afternoons after work!  Among other things, it has lemon verbena and spearmint leaves in it!

When I get the photos from Sherry, I'll write about our trip to the local Farmer's Market, held every Saturday at the town square!  Lovely time!  And then there was my insane shopping spree at The Country Gourmet, a sweet little shop on the square that sells hand-made chocolates (oh darn!), lovely cards, some jewelry, and some of the sweetest holiday ornaments you've ever seen!  So.....Sherry - get those photos to me quick!

Love and Blessings to All, Jan

Fresh Picked Corn From Iowa!!

Nigel spent several days in El Dora, Iowa, visiting Renee' and Doug Minteer - good friends of ours from our Army days!  The corn crop is beautiful this year and Nigel went a little overboard bringing some of it back to Alabama!  Mom is a trooper! She jumped right in and started shucking the next day!  What you see is only a small portion; there's quite a bit more in the kitchen to the right, and Nigel had already taken several bags over to our neighbors.  I took another 60 ears to work with me on Tuesday, which didn't last very long.  It's delicious!  So much better than the corn we get here in Alabama.  I even ate one whole cob raw!  Yummy!! Even better, Nigel managed to rest a little.  While he was there, I spent my weekend with my very, very best friend in the whole wide world - Sherry Craig!  But that's another post!  See you soon! Jan

Dundee in the Cat Bird Seat!

Dundee thought he'd be closer to the bird he was watching if he got up in a tree himself.  He hasn't quite figured out how to fly to the other tree that the bird is in though!  Poor Dundee - he tries so hard!