Wild Flowers and "Wild" Cats

Welcome!

                                                                Wild Flowers

Greg and I are fond of summer.  In fact, it is our very favorite season.  We love the warm weather and the extraordinary beauty of nature, especially flowers.  Flowers add such a special touch to anyone's yard, etc.  Even wild flowers can bring an unexpected loveliness to the most unlovely types of places.

Recently, I set out on an excursion to find and photograph some of the prettiest wild flowers in our area.  I was amazed at how beautiful even wild flowers can be!  (However, a few of those I photographed may not be technically wild flowers although all were either beside the road, near railroad tracks, or in open fields, etc.  In any case, I hope you enjoy the following photos.)

I especially love sweet peas because they bring back good memories of Mama and other relatives picking them to decorate for Greg's and my at-home wedding.

                                                                   

                                                            

                                                                    

                                                               "Wild" Cats

A couple of weeks ago, we took our cats, Kallie and Mitzi, to have their required (and dreaded!) yearly rabies shots.  Normally, they are two of the sweetest, best-behaved cats on earth.  However, once they get to the vet's office, they turn into wanna-be mini-killing machines!  If you saw them, you'd think they were possessed!  Any way, our veterinarian, Dr. Hobbs and his staff do a great job handling these tiny terrors.

We'll always be grateful to them for nursing Kallie and Mitzi back to health when they were just kittens (right after we'd adopted them), as well as for the other times that we needed their very professional help and
advice.

However, we want to show everyone at Family Pet Veterinary Hospital the following pictures of Kallie and Mitzi at home, to let them know how they look when they're not over-reacting to being at the vet's office!

                                                                         Posing

                                                                   Bird-watching

                                                                        Playing

 
                                                               Listening to Music

                                                                            Dining

                                                                Hanging out with Greg 

                                                                               Resting

                                                                     Mitzi and Kallie



We are currently working with Dr. Hobbs on ideas for taming these wee beasties for any future vet visits.

We are especially thankful that on our last visit Dr. Hobbs gave our cats a rabies shot that is good for three years!

F.Y.I.
Family Pet Veterinary Hospital
Dr. Shean J. Hobbs
4399 Hwy. 11 W
Blountville, TN 37617
423-279-1738

Positive thought: Beauty is everywhere if we just look.

Until next time (Sunday, September 18), Becky

Labor Day Weekend

Welcome!

This is, of course, Labor Day weekend (May it be a safe and happy one for everybody!), the official end-of-summer holiday which ends, among other things, the wearing of summer white.  (Who makes up these rules, any way?)

This is the traditional last time of picnics, cookouts, etc. before back to business as usual, and the soon-to-end warm weather here in the mountains, as well as many other places.  That's OK!  Even with the cooler weather, we can all still take time during our busy schedules to work in a fun break at least once a week, all year long, to have something to look forward to.  We really don't have to wait for a holiday or other special occasion to enjoy our lives.  Why not have a mini fun break every day?  How about even having an indoor picnic?  Life is meant to be enjoyed, not just endured.  Life can be an adventure!

For our holiday weekend, Greg and I decided to spend one day just going to a park in nearby Johnson City which, along with Kingsport and Bristol, make up our Tri-Cities area.  (For more info. on the parks in Johnson City, please see F.Y.I. below.)

You know, you really don't have to go way off somewhere to have a great time.  There are so many places nearby where we all live that are just waiting to be explored.    

The following pictures (as well as the one above) are from our trip to the park.

Also, on Labor Day itself, Greg and I plan to spend a quiet day at home, sharing hot dogs (How American is that!) and all the trimmings with a couple of other people as we sit on the porch and watch birds and squirrels scamper about in the back yard.  Sounds like a plan!

A new feature! - Featured Photos

Last weekend, several of us had a wonderful birthday dinner, including cake and ice cream, for my brother Nick and his daughter Julie at Betty Bristol's home.  (Betty is Nick's mother-in-law.  How many mother-in-laws are that accomodating-just kidding!)

While at Betty's we met a nice lady, Barbara Trent, who's shown here holding her adorable white Maltese, Bobby, whose favorite treat is Cheerios!

F.Y.I.
Johnson City Parks and Recreation Department
4137 Bristol Hwy.
Johnson City, TN 37601
(423) 283-5815
http://www.johnsoncitytn.org/

Positive thought: Look for the good in everyone and everything.

Thanks for visiting!  Until next time (Sunday, September11), Becky

Photographic Potpourri

Welcome!

Today, Greg and I would like to share with you a few of our favorite photographs which we've taken over the past two years.  (We're showing only the past two years of our photos because that's how long we've been taking digital photos.  Up until that time, we were rather attached to our film cameras, which we still use from time to time.  The people in our lives finally convinced us we should get into the digital-camera age.  We did, and now we like it!)

These photos are by no means photographic masterpieces as we are not professional photographers!  Taking pictures is just something that we simply love doing.

Hope you enjoy viewing the following photos as much as we enjoyed taking them!

Thanks to all of those that came to "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" outdoor drama in Big Stone Gap, Virginia last night to see the wonderful show and to hear my brother Nick and me sing during the pre-show.  The large audience was great.  It included some of our old school mates from Powell Valley High School in Big Stone. The people involved in the production made us feel welcome, as usual.  A special thanks to our mother and to Greg who are always so supportive of our singing.  They are right there to cheer us on even though they must have heard us hundreds of times before!

                                                          Photo by Greg Arnott


Positive thought:  Bloom where you are planted!

Thanks for visiting!  Until next time (Sunday, September 4), Becky
 

More Positive Ideas

Welcome!

In an earlier blog post (Please see the April 3, 2011 post.), I wrote about some ideas that made my life more positive.

Today, I'd like to discuss a couple of more ideas that help me maintain a positive attitude even though it seems as though we're all being bombarded with negativity these days.

First of all, Greg and I turn off the news!  Most of the news media dwell on negativity and sensationalism.  They simply (unfortunately) get a lot more viewers when the news is bad, as they prey on people's fears and survival instincts.

We simply look at only the headlines either on TV, the newspaper, or on line.

In fact, many of the TV shows aren't much better than the news programs.  They're full of murder and mayhem, and seem to show people at their worst.

We don't watch much TV.  When we do, we're very selective about the programs we view.  We mostly enjoy the retro shows of the 50's and 60's and the British comedies.  (The oldies are the goodies!)  In fact, we're seriously considering eliminating TV all together and just renting or even buying a collection of our own DVD's so we'll have more control over what we want to see.

(In my opinion, you are what you watch.  Just like eating, you can either consume nourishing, life-giving food, or stuff yourself with junk food!)

Also, when TV isn't the focus of one's life, there are so many other things a person could do, like read positive, uplifting stories or rearrange furniture or plan a fun outing or-the list goes on and on.  What else could you add to the list?

Another positive idea (which is something that I've done my whole life), is that I enjoy participating in celebrations.  I learned this custom growing up in a family that made all the holidays, birthdays, and other events very special-any excuse for a party or cookout, etc.  Heck, we even celebrated Groundhog Day!  (Not really, but that is a thought!)

Greg and I have continued this wonderful tradition.  You've probably noticed this if you've been reading my blog for any length of time. 

Summer is always an especially busy time for us.  Just recently Greg had a birthday.  We joined several family members at our local cafeteria for lunch. (or "dinner", as many of us say here in the South. "Supper" is our evening meal.)  Afterwards, we met at our house for cake, ice cream, and gifts.  We all had a great time.

(Of course, you don't even have to have a family or close friends to celebrate.  You can join a group (or several groups, for that matter) that regularly celebrates special occasions.)

Next on our celebration agenda in a few days is my brother Nick and neice Julie's combined birthday party.  Then, there's nephew John's birthday, and the beat goes on...

Just notice how much fun these people are having in the following photos!

Seriously, we all did have a wonderful time.  Try it.  You'll like it!

Positive thought: Accentuate the positive!

Thanks for visiting!  Until next time (Sunday, August 28), Becky

Amis Mill Eatery, Rogersville, Tennessee

Welcome!

Greg and I just recently discovered a fabulous place to visit, an hour's drive from our home.  It's the Amis Mill Eatery two miles outside of Rogersville, Tennessee.

The place is steeped in very interesting history.  I'm not going to even attempt, on this blog, to explain it all as their excellent website (listed below) discusses it in vivid detail.

The relatively new restaurant is charmingly rustic, both inside and out, reconstructed as it might have looked circa 1781.

All of this sets the stage for a tasty meal that would surely delight anyone.  The menu, which is yours to keep, if you'd like, is a great souvenir.  It has a wide selection of items including Cajun tater wedges, Rogersville ribeye, fried okra, and hush puppies, to name a few.  They also serve both domestic and imported beer.  (Please see their complete menu on line.)

The day Greg and I were there (celebrating our 28th wedding anniversary), we had a difficult time trying to decide what to select.  Greg finally ordered the barbeque pork sandwich with a baked potato, and I chose the fettuccine Alfredo with dinner salad.   Delicious!

And, of course, we had to leave room for dessert!  We had all these temptations from which to select :
coconut cream pie, peanut butter cup pie, bread pudding (with rum or raspberry sauce), blackberry cobbler, strawberry cobbler, and ice cream!  Now, which would you choose?  Greg chose the blackberry cobbler topped with ice cream which we shared (how romantic, and sweet!).

Our waitress, Jennifer, and the owner, Jake Jacobs, were both friendly and accommodating.  They made you feel at home.  They seemed delighted that we had chosen to celebrate our anniversary at Amis Mill.  At another table, an older woman was celebrating her birthday.  This is a great place for that special occasion, or any time, really, to make any occasion special!

We sat on their open-air side porch which has a wonderful view of the Big Creek Falls & Dam which is across the street from the eatery.

After eating our wonderful meal, Greg and I walked down to the falls and park-like property owned by the Jacobs family.  It was a beautiful day, and we spent quite a while just strolling around, enjoying nature and taking pictures.  We weren't the only photographers.  We saw people with cameras, taking photos of others dressed in formal attire, with the gorgeous falls as a backdrop.

The Jacobs family is to be commended for doing such a great job of having not only a superb restaurant in which to dine, but for providing such a lovely place to walk, fish, or picnic.

                                                                     Jake Jacobs

We couldn't wait to get back home to tell people about this delightful place we'd found.

As it states in the menu, come "and create (your) own memories."

P.S. Upon your arrival, you'll probably be greeted by the well-behaved, friendly family dog, Tess ( their mascot) unless she's out chasing sticks people throw for her.  You can see Tess and other great pictures on the website listed below.

F.Y.I.
Amis Mill Eatery
Open 11AM-9PM every day, except closed Wed.
127 W. Bear Hollow
Rogersville, TN 37857
423-272-7040
http://www.amismill.com/

Positive thought: Life is what you make it.

Thanks for visiting!  Until next time (Sunday, August 21), Becky