Thanksgiving and Beyond!

At this time of year, I get really sentimental. Woody and I are big Thanksgiving people...less so Christmas. We're gathering up all our stuff to go to see the grandkids, and wait for it, including the stuffing...or dressing as we say in the south. Our son thinks no one can make dressing as good as Mom! I make one pan of oyster dressing and one "plain". Ginny is our pet sitter for the weekend. She's great and the boys love her! I just want to wish all of you a wonderful holiday season...we are so blessed to have the best family and friends a couple could want.

Tomorrow we go to an 80th birthday party for a dear friend, and to our niece's Christmas musical at Belmont. Life is good!

I'll write more on Sunday to brag on Jessica!

I'm so ready for Florida!

I am so ready to head to Florida!! It's really getting cold here in Hendersonville! We've had a great week...finished our Christmas shopping and will get it all wrapped this week. I'm finishing up quilts for Sebastian and Riley to use when they watch TV. Most of the stuff is going to Charlotte with us for Thanksgiving so we have to have it all ready. Friday night we went back to 2 Country...slightly different band, but still playing songs I don't know. We left early. Tonight we went to Red Lobster and celebrated Woody's birthday a few days early. I have to go to the dentist again Monday, so we thought Monday might be an issue.

This week is the first week that I felt just a tinge of boredom in retirement. After two years of being retired, I guess this is a pretty good track record. I think it's because it's cold and dreary and I thrive on sunshine. I thought about applying for a job in Obama's administration but think I might have too many crazy relatives and difficult children to survive the vetting process. The application is 63 questions, and basically, if you don't walk on water, forget it! I really don't want to go back to anything remotely like I left, so I'm trying to imagine what it is I would like to do. I wish we had liked retail a bit better, as Halo Properties in Hendersonville is going to build work/live lofts near Indian Lake Village! That would be way cool. Walk to shopping, restaurants, book store and movies!! So if any of you have suggestions about what I should be when I grow up, let me know.

We went to the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, and it was fabulous. It was so fast paced that I had trouble catching my breath. This is the first movie since Mama Mia that we wanted to see. I think Hollywood forgets us oldsters! I guess we could move to California and become actors, or maybe extras! The only problem with that is we have no talent. My sister got that!

Notre Dame finally won today! I'm not sure what's going on with our quarterback...he showed up in a fur coat the first time he rolled into South Bend as cocky as you want a QB to be, and everyone thought he would be fabulous. None of the Clawson boys are living up to their expectations. Oh well...hopefully we'll improve. And then of course tonight, Alabama beat Mississippi State so Woody's bummed.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Barack Obama and Hope!

As many of you know, I was a huge Hillary Clinton supporter who unwillingly transitioned to Barack Obama. In listening to his speech on Tuesday evening, I harkened back to the days of John F. Kennedy...I felt a sense of excitement about our country and hope for the future that I haven't felt since Bill Clinton was elected! Watching the diverse crowd of supporters, I remembered coming of age in the 1960's and, even then, hating the black-white divisiveness that poisoned our country. I guess I've always been a liberal! Having been raised by the most wonderful black women and white women in Jackson, TN, (it took a lot of people to get me to where I am today!) I was so proud that our country selected the best man for the job. That being said, I'm tired of talking about race...Barack Obama is both white and black, and represents the best in our country...so get over it! He's going to be an excellent president if we support him and do our best to address the issues that are confronting our country! So...here's what we need to do. We need to put aside partisan politics, confront the needs of our country and not the special interests, live within our means, recognize that family values are not owned by the GOP and that we need to focus on the needs and responsibilities of and to our families, address the need to offer healthcare for all, and generally get on with re-establishing our country as the world leader!

During this election cycle, I've blogged under the name HealthcareforAll on everything from the Washington Post to the NY Times to MSNBC and CNN! I've tried to keep my blog for fun things...but today, I just felt like sharing with you my thoughts on the election. Please indulge me! Promise that you'll keep an open mind if you didn't vote for President-elect Obama; and if you did, be ready to help our country get back on track!

Have a great weekend! I'm still recovering from lots of dental work with more to come, so my weekend will be quiet! and soft!

Go Titans!

Just now recovering my voice after screaming my head off last night at the Titans Colts game! We won! Our guys looked fabulous in the 2nd half...did worry a bit at the beginning because we looked flat. Like a lot of people, I think our guys didn't really believe that they could beat Indianapolis...Lou Holtz has a saying: Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it! As a Notre Dame grad who was on campus for the 1988 National Championship, Lou can do no wrong! I need to get motivated! There is so much I need to do here in the house, but I just can't get motivated to tackle anything for some reason. Woody helped me put some storage in the closet in my office and I can't even find the energy to clear my desk and put things away! And heaven knows, I can't get motivated to diet and exercise! The flower beds are still only half cleared from the horrid bermuda grass our neighbor used in his yard. He has the only bermuda grass in the neighborhood and our beautiful yards are being infested! Well, at least bermuda does well in the hot, dry summer...and with global warming it may be the way to go!

Maybe tomorrow will find me more energized!

2 Country, Reese's mom, Leona Williams!

We're home and having tons of fun reconnect-

ing with all our buds! Hence the minimal posts! We've had dinner with Cindy and Lou at a cool place in Bellevue! A week ago Friday, we were at the Gallatin Senior Center being groupies for Bill and Jane and I got to sing back-up again! Shades of high school...I was a senior then too! Ginny and Elroy joined us and had fun. Woody convinced me I should join him at a Good-Guy's car show http://www.good-guys.com/news/hotNews.aspx ...if someone invites you to that...be afraid, be very afraid!! There were thousands of cars! Andy and I pooped out and visited horses, goats and the drag races so we could sit on the bleachers! The truck he's standing by say's "Woodies"!

We also went to our niece Jessica's senior recital at Belmont...that girl has more talent in her little finger than I do in my short, squatty body! She's a music theater major and incredibly talented. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vWgZfS0oTM ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzbZKBMEHBA Hopefully this link works...it's taken from one of her friend's cell phones!

This past Friday we went to 2Country, a meat and three restaurant in Hendersonville, for great food and country music! http://family.go.com/travel/places-to-eat/tennessee/nashville/poi-448014-2-country-hot-spot/ Now for those of you who know me well, you know I'm not one for the "older, twangy" country music, but the Sweat Band (yes, that's their name) at 2 Country was incredible. Leona Williams, who was married at one point to Merle Haggard, showed up and sang...while I didn't know any of the songs, she was very good. The band plays every Friday night from 7-9 PM; but even if you don't like country music, the fried catfish and veggies are heavenly! While we were there, Reese Witherspoon's mom showed up with the November 2008 issue of Vogue magazine with Reese on the cover...trying not to interfere, we just gawked! While I may not know the country stars, I do know Reese! Her mom is equally as beautiful! http://www.style.com/vogue/feature/2008_Nov_Reese_Witherspoon/

Yesterday, a quick trip to the Prime Outlets in Lebanon... http://www.primeoutlets.com/ Woody needed Nautica shirts! They were on sale...we retired people with crashing 401(K)'s need to watch our pennies! Thank heavens for a conservative retirement plan with cash!! My excitement was a new pair of tennis shoes...although I'm not sure why I persist in calling them tennis shoes since they are for walking...I do have tennis shoes but they have a different sole! or maybe soul! These are New Balance which are supposed to be good for old people!

Well off to watch football, and tomorrow night we go to the Titans-Colts game! We may actually have a chance with Peyton under the weather!

We're home!

Just a quick note to all of you following Woody and Pat's excellent adventure...we're home! We'll be here for a while visiting kids and doctors and dentists, oh my! I'll still drop a line occasionally if something fun happens while we visit with the kids and grandkids. We hope you've enjoyed our blog!

Sedona and Diamond Mining!

Woody and I are almost home! We loved Sedona and found a bit more information about the Chapel of the Holy Cross that we found interesting. It was designed by Marguerite Brunswig Staude, a pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright, and completed in 1956. We lit candles for all of you! The views are beautiful. We drove across New Mexico...boring! Did have some great barbeque in Elk City, Oklahoma at the Hog Trough. Great little local place with the best barbeque I've had in years!!!

We're in Hot Springs, Arkansas for the weekend. It was really depressing to see the downtown area...I remember it from when there were high end antique stores and auctions and the bath houses were still open. Now there is only one bath house that is operational and it's working on increasing services. Supposedly there are others that are being renovated in hopes that they can be leased. Coys Steakhouse is still here, and the race track seems to have some casino gambling. It's under construction so we didn't go. We are going for a bath and a massage tomorrow morning at my old favorite, the Arlington Hotel! http://www.arlingtonhotel.com/ The mineral baths are therapeutic of course! We finally got to dig for diamonds in Crater of Diamonds Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. We found absolutely nothing but had fun playing in the dirt...literally...check out the pictures of us filthy!!

Monday we're off to Tunica to meet Janet and Roy Lynn! A little gambling and a big buffet...we're od'ing on vegetables! We've eaten at three Cracker Barrels in the last week!! Tuesday we head to H'ville! Almost 3,000 miles and about $150 worth of gas a day not to mention every KOA campground from Hendersonville to West Yellowstone to Hendersonville! www.koa.com We've had great KOA experiences this entire trip except for one quite crochety old man in Alma, Arkansas (although he was efficient!), and of course, the KOA that wasn't in Cheyenne, Wyoming! I can't believe we're almost home...Happy early Birthday to Ginny!!! See you Tuesday!

The Grand Canyon

Well, we made it to the Grand Canyon! Stopped and saw the IMAX film of the Canyon at the National Geographic Center...it was great. We drove up with no problems and found parking quite convenient. We did a bit of hiking along the rim trail and had a great encounter with some rock climbers. As a public service they were over the rim picking up stuff thrown by tourists...they had gotten two 5 gallon buckets of coins! The condors eat them and die...they also found dog tags, a blackberry, an ammunition box with someone's ashes and other things! We had a delightful lunch at Bright Angel Lodge right on the rim of the canyon. http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/bright-angel-lodge-408.html

As usual...run by Xanterra! They do a great job.

We also stopped at a crafts fair put on each weekend by the Navajo Indians...the little girl was dancing to her grandfather's drum and chanting...of course, we had to put money in the tip jar. Some of the jewelry was beautiful, but I'm looking for something to knock my socks off...and we're going to Sedona tomorrow! That's Monday....keep watching!