(Wo)man's Best Friends

Welcome!

This blog post is in praise of our animal friends, using both words and pictures.

"Every living creature on earth is special."
-Sue Monk Kidd

"Although other animals may be different than us, this does not make them less than us."
-MarcBehoff

"Animals don't hate, and we're supposed to be better than them."
-Elvis Presley

"Animals are the bridge between us and the beauty of all that is natural.  They show us what's missing in our lives, and how to love ourselves more completely and unconditionally.  They connect us back to who we are, and to the purpose of why we're here."
-Trisa McCagh

                                                           Peacocks by a Pond


"Horses make the landscape look beautiful."
-Alice Walker

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself."
Josh Billings

"Dogs come when they are called, cats take a message and get back to you."
Mary Bly

"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods.  Cats have never forgotten this."
-Anonymous

"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language."
-Martin Buber

Kallie and Mitzi enjoying their 5th birthday present, a video just for cats.

"A kitten is, in the animal world, what a rosebud is in the garden."
-Robert Sowthey

Please support your local animal shelter.

Thought to ponder:  "There is no religion without love and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham."
-Anna Sewell

Have a happy 4th of July!
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Busy as a Bee

Welcome!

"Busy as a bee" might seem like one of those Southern Appalachian Mountain sayings  (Please see the January 15, 2012 blog post), but actually those words come from Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales."  In any case, they aptly describe the way Greg and I have been the past few months.  It seems as though there are not enough hours in the day!  (Sound familiar?)  Greg is busy with his job, and I have been working on several business projects.

I've been doing quite a bit of organizing lately.

Also, portraits have been keeping me pretty busy.

Not long ago, I put some of my art work in a local arts and crafts shop.

Another project is a book that I've written that will, hopefully, be published soon.  I plan on having another blog in a few weeks devoted to the subject of that book.  (Please stay tuned!)

Although we love what we do and are very busy, we still take time out for rest and fun.  We might sit on our front porch, go to a park, visit somewhere interesting, or go eat out somewhere special.

Positive thought: "Take time to smell the flowers." (Based on the old proverb, "Take time to smell the roses.")

Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Summer Magic

Welcome!

And, welcome, Summer! (on Wednesday, June 20)

"the beautiful season...Summer...
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light."
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"It was June, and the world smelled of roses.  The sunshine was like powered gold over the grassy hillside."
-Maud Hart Lovelace

"And what is so rare as a day in June?"
-James Russell Lowell

"Summer afternoon-summer afternoon, to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."-Henry James

"Breathless, we flung us on a windy hill, laughed in the sun, and kissed the lovely grass."
-Rupert Brooke

"Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair..."
Susan Polis Schutz

"Each fairy breath of summer, as it blows with loveliness, inspires the blushing rose."
-Author Unknown

"I drifted into a summer-nap under the hot shade of July, serenaded by a cicadae lullaby, to drowsy-warm dreams of distant thunder."
-Terri Guillemets

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time."
-John Lubbock

"A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows."
-St. Francis of Assisi

"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken."
-James Dent

-Happy Father's Day!
-to my dad who is in spirit, to Greg's dad (who is 98 years old!), and to all fathers everywhere.

Positive thought:  For a more magical life, you might want to read Rhonda Byrne's wonderful book,  "The Magic."
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Christy's 6th Street Restaurant & Cafe

Welcome!

Greg and I recently discovered a great place for lunch, Christy's 6th Street Restaurant & Cafe in downtown Columbia, Tennessee.  Not only do they have a wonderful selection of soup, salads and sandwiches from the menu, but they also have a daily buffet (Tuesday through Friday) and a more elaborate buffet, including drinks and dessert, on Sundays.

The day we were there, we decided on the buffet.  Great choice!  We had a delicious meal that included fried chicken, pork barbeque, green beans, greens, loaded mashed potatoes, corn bread, biscuits, apple butter, etc.

We were too full for dessert, but on the way out, Greg got a treat to take home as he was paying at the register.

We enjoyed chatting with the owner, Christy Castro.  We found out that she has ties to East Tennessee, our old home.  Her family once owned Ballis Tourist Home in Kingsport.  As the saying goes, "It's a small world."

Greg with our waitress, Jessica, who's wearing one of the beautiful toile aprons that are for sale at Christy's.

Two words to describe Christy's (to take two words from the web site) "simple elegance", and I might add, great food!

F. Y. I.
Christy's 6th Street Restaurant & Cafe
109 E. 6th Street
Columbia, Tennessee
931-388-7109
http://www.heavenlycreationstn.com/

Fun idea: Christy told us about the pretty new park behind her restaurant.  We took a look, loved it, and decided it would be a great place to have a picnic sometime with a carry-out from Christy's!

                                                            Our Table's Waiting!


Positive thought: You create your own life!
Thanks for visiting!  Until next time on a Sunday, Becky

Elm Springs, a Part of the Old South

Welcome!

                                                            Elm Springs


Greg and I recently visited a majestic Greek revival mansion in Columbia, Tennessee.  As it says in the brochure, it's "where the old South still lives."  It was a private home, but it now serves as the International Headquarters of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Today, I thought you might enjoy a mini-tour in pictures that we took while we were there.

                                                        Interior of Elm Springs

              Our interesting tour guide, Holly, who makes the history of Elm Springs come alive.

              The house has period antiques, some of which are the original furnishings.

The house has several surprise elements, one of which is this table with a low mirror.  We learned why the mirror was in that position while on the tour.

            The desk in this picture is not what it seems.  We'd never have guessed its secret!

Elm Springs is well worth your time, and the one-hour tour is reasonably priced.  (You might want to give an extra donation as they have plans for a museum, and they need better office space.)

Be sure to visit their gift shop which (to quote the brochure) "features a wide variety of Southern heritage items that are not available anywhere else in the area."  Greg is now enjoying one of the books he bought there.

We plan to go back to Elm Springs when it is part of a Christmas tour.  In November, we're going to check the maurychristmas.com web site which should give all the details of the Christmas tour.

Oh, by the way, did you know that Elm Springs is apparently haunted?  Our tour guide was telling us some strange things that happened there, and we believe they are true, because some paranormal images showed up in some of the pictures we took while on our tour!

(I hope to share with you some ghostly images Greg and I have taken different places sometime in the near future.  Please stay tuned!)

F. Y. I.
Elm Springs
740 Mooresville Pike
(off Hwy 50)
Columbia, TN 38402
931-380-1844

Positive thought: You are special! (To feel even more special, and uplifted, check out Mike Dooley's web site, http://www.tut.com/ and sign up for his free "Notes from the Universe.")
Thanks for visiting!  Until next time on a Sunday, Becky