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Friday, October 16, 2020

Mountain Mama

Dolly Parton and I have a lot in common. The commonalities I’m willing to acknowledge publicly include an appreciation for books, a no nonsense approach to going about one’s life, and a deep revere for her birthplace, the Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. As a Nashville native, we headed to the mountains like people in California head to the beach or people in NYC head to the Hamptons. It was a favorite destination for weekend getaways and longer vacations.

One thing I love about visiting the smokies is that no two trips are exactly the same. There’s always a new restaurant popping up, you might see different wildlife on different visits, and the scenery- the breathtaking, jaw-dropping, amazing views change not only with the seasons but with weather patterns and from month to month and day to day. 

Driving in, we often take back roads and this is my second-favorite scenery. This slice of Americana offers a glimpse into the daily lives of people who have lived in the same area for generations and generations and are just busy doing life. I think of them as my state cousins, living and working just a few hours down the road.






For me, visiting this place, with the people I love, is pushing a great big “reset” button  I sleep better, I breath more deeply, cares and worries slip away and I’m a child again, looking for bears and wondering if it’s too early to eat some fudge. I have to sign off now as it’s time for pancakes. Happy Fall, y’all!


Sunday, March 29, 2020

I'm Coming Out

Tomorrow marks the end of my quarantine. That is, until my governor decides to change his current path of willy-nilliness and halfway addressing current issues and supports the shelter in place effort so many other states have already employed and countless healthcare providers have strongly recommended as a way of truly flattening the blasted curve.

Politics aside, my period of quarantine ends tomorrow when I return to my job after being on an involuntary, two-week quarantine because I was around someone who was around someone who was around someone who tested positive for COVID-19. You read that right. On March 13, I was sent home from my job because of a third-degree exposure. As a textbook introvert, I did not look this gift horse in the mouth, but, rather, ran home and yanked off my bra, slipped on my soft clothes, threw my hair in a bun and didn’t look back. For two glorious weeks.

The first week was my child’s spring break. We watched Netflix and made cookies and played games and went for walks. It was like a warmer Christmas break and one without all of the materialism and decorations to put away.

This past week, my child began remote classroom with her school. As she sat at a desk in front of a computer for 8+ hours per day, I did my best to give her space and peace and quiet by holing away in my bedroom, snacking, watching Gilmore Girls and Fantasy Island and Nat Geo and HGTV, and, when all else failed, taking long naps. It was glorious.

I saw this meme and it really resonated.



No, it didn’t catapult me into action, but it resonated. Yes, I flipped my closet from cold to warm season clothes. I listed some pieces on Buy/Sell/Trade and Poshmark. I organized the pantry and laundry room and tidied the fridge. I put the dry cleaning away. I even found a website called DuoLingo that is a free language learning site. I decided to brush up on my French skills. I am now back to intermediate level and can order two croissants in a bakery again. What’s still lingering on my to do list that I just didn’t quite get to? Well, the same things that have been there for six months or more:  dust bathroom light fixture, dust baseboards, deep clean this and organize that.

I’ll tell you what I learned during this experience:

  • My days started much like they did in my PC (pre-Corona) life:  coffee, pets, couch, devotional, news, scrolling FB and Insta.
  • I’m really good at napping. I mean, seriously good.
  • I love my family and they love me. There is some sound wisdom, though, in the statement “distance makes the heart grow fonder.”
  • Whether home all day during quarantine or coming home after a long day at work, I am a classic “early to bed” girl.
  • I miss and apparently need routines.
  • I love being around my pets all day. I think they shared the sentiment.
  • I’ll state again, I have mad napping skills. I mean, I could maybe give a Ted Talk.

And the biggest discovery I’m taking away from this whole thing is riddled with common sense and I’m sure everyone else has been doing this all along but it’s new to me so I’m sharing it in case just one of you isn’t already doing this:

I run the dishwasher every night. Now those of you who aren’t third generation only children may be thinking, “well, duh.” But it’s just three of us here. And what used to happen was I would tidy the kitchen at night and look at the dirty dishes and think, “well, it’s not enough to fill the dishwasher so I’ll just wait to run it.”  What would inevitably happen, though, would be the next night, more dishes would appear and they wouldn’t all fit in the dishwasher so I would get caught in an endless cycle of the washer being full and the sink having dirty dishes in it. Now, I run the dishwasher every night. Now, no, I’m not going to run it with a plate and a glass in it but if it’s more than half full, it gets the green light. The average dishwasher uses 4 gallons of water, so I figure this exercise is worth my happiness and mental wellness.


I’m going back out there tomorrow. I won’t lie -- I'm scared. I’m not really scared about getting sick myself, but I’m really scared about bringing it home to my loves. So, as exciting as it will be to bring a paycheck home again, I pray that’s all I bring. Y’all stay well out there. No hoarding paper products or baby piglets or whatever the next “it” item is, okay?

Monday, March 23, 2020

Tales of a co-worker



I saw a meme the other day that suggested, for a quick laugh, that you should replace the phrase “my dog” with “my co-worker” since many are working from home these days. You then were encouraged to plug in all of the activities/adventures of your pet in place of a co-worker during these strange Corona Virus times.

I don’t have the ability, at this time at least, to work from home so I’m just doing some of my other jobs which include being wife, mother, daughter, pet owner, maid, laundress, decorator, tv watcher and napper.

With that said, here’s my co-worker, Penny:



  • My co-worker just pulled a sock out of the laundry and brought it into another room to chew on it. 
  • My co-worker just took a dump in the dining room because it’s raining outside.
  • My co-worker has asked me several times if it’s time for dinner. My answer was, “no, not for a couple of hours still.”
  • My co-worker just spent a long time licking her foot.
  • My co-worker is fast asleep. And is apparently having a dream about chasing a bunny.
  • My co-worker tooted and then acted like nothing happened.
  • My co-worker routinely asks for belly rubs.
  • My co-worker is looking out the window at some squirrels.
  • My co-worker just licked a place on the floor.
  • My co-worker just tried to get in the trash until I caught her and redirected her.
  • My co-worker got in a stand-off with a cat at the water cooler.
  • My co-worker likes her ears rubbed.
  • I just trimmed my co-worker’s nails. I might clean her ears later.
  • Took my co-worker for a walk this morning. She peed in every single person’s yard we passed.
  • My co-worker just asked to go out. I asked her not to dig in the mulch and get muddy.
  • My co-worker just watched a dog on TV with intense curiosity.
  • When I eat, my co-worker sits very closely and stares while licking her lips.
  • My co-worker just tooted and then seemed scared by what had just happened.


Good luck during these uncertain times. I’d love to hear about your co-workers. Wash your hands, don’t touch your face and be well, my friends.