On The Tennessee River

We boarded the American Symphony about noon today and now we are cruising on the Cumberland River to our first stop, Paducah, Kentucky. Last night we arrived too late to enjoy the Gran Ol' Opry but not too late to check into the largest hotel in the US that is not a casino. The Gaylord Hotel is one million square feet and very easy to get lost in. This morning we found out why the hotel is so big. The hotel is about 50 years and every few years it gets expanded, so there are different sections and levels all pieced together in some type of maze (to the uninitiated hotel guest). I tried to read the map of the hotel grounds and found it as confusing as walking all the corridors, bridges, ramps and hallways. Last night we had a guide to our room..today we were on our own and we got lost. Lucky for us a hotel employee took mercy on us and took us to the main lobby (which was pretty complicated) where American Cruise Lines personnel were waiting for us.

This morning we had the short tour of Nashville which has grown a lot since we were last here in the early 1970s. The ONLY thing we recognized was the Parthenon, everything else was new to us. We found out there are over a hundred "honky tonks" (aka music venues) in town, all of which are built in the hundred-plus year old riverside warehouses from when Nashville was a riverboat town and not yet "discovered." We saw Dolly Parton's new hotel, the Song Teller" and the gardens. Sadly Dolly passed away 2 weeks before it opened; she never saw her project completed. We also saw the huge Vanderbilt Campus that is now surrounded by the town. When we were here last, it was a bit out of the way. The town became a city and it is growing quickly.

Tennessee became a state in 1796, so there's a lot of history here. While we are cruising on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers we will go to lectures and take excursions to so many interesting places before disembarking in Chattanooga. We are excited to learn as much as we can. It's going to be fun. 

Back in Geezerville

We are now in the desert. It's HOT--hotter than any summer day in the mountains--and guess what? Our a/c quit the first night we were here. Lucky for us, our Geezerville neighbors saved the day--they knew who I needed to call, and the a/c was repaired the same day. How's that for service!

Today we are in for a storm. There are supposed to be high winds and rain. The desert can always use rain, so we are looking forward to it. The wind I could do without. One of my neighbors already warned me that I needed to take in outdoor furniture and pillows that might fly away. Since I don't have them out yet, I think all is ok?!

The drive from the mountains to the desert was long but not as tiring as it could be because my niece and I talked the whole time. Without planning we each drove about half of the distance. We left the mountains at 847 and arrived in the desert (after eating lunch and dinner and stopping along the way at 705 (we did cross a time zone from mountain to pacific time at the NV border.)

The house made it thru another summer, but the garden did not do as well. Our Christmas tree is looking pretty dry and some of the ground covering looks like it's been fried to a crisp. I need to talk to my gardener and find out what happened as it's not supposed to die when we are gone. Other than the a/c going out...the house did well.

It's good to be back in Geezerville...but that does not mean we will stay here--because we have a river cruise on the books. We are supposed to cruise on the Tennessee River, which is in the path of the current hurricane...AND there's supposed to be flash flooding in my neck of the woods...so it might be hard to get there and if we do, there might be a messy river. As of today, the cruise company says the cruise is a go! Remember, we're all in this together.

It's Almost Time...

 

The trees are changing colors and that's telling us it's time to head south. Fall is not "acting" the way it normally does though. Instead of having a forest of yellow aspens all ready to show off for the fall, we have a forest of trees with dying leaves. I think it might be an indicator that we did not have enough water during the year to sustain the leaves to turn to yellow. Now, don't get me wrong, there are some yellow trees out there, but the majority just look tired.

As we drive up the Snake River canyon the mountain maples are starting to fade. The red and orange of last week is quickly changing to welcome the next season, which will be winter. There's a saying up here that Fall lasts about 6 weeks and then winter starts. All of us are hoping that winter will be white and wonderful this year.

In the meantime, we're closing down the summer house, which is a bittersweet moment. Brigadoon, as we sometimes call this place, will go to sleep for 5 or 6 months. To get it ready for that "hibernation" we'll have to turn off the water and winterize the pipes with antifreeze. All outdoor stuff has to come inside. All inside stuff has to get covered and dust-proofed. All stuff we're going to move from one place to the other is getting lugged into the laundry room where it's an "easy" task of moving it to the truck. We've done this move 32 times and we know what to do.

In the meantime, wish us luck on the long drive to our desert home. We have help with the drive this year and that will make it easier. Anything that will make things easier is a good thing. Remember, we're all in this together.  

Some Old Movies and TV Series

A long time ago I read that looking at fun movies was a good way to recover. Since I'm still in "recovery mode" I've been recording some Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and streaming old TV series. Some are quite good and stand the test of time, others not so much.

Last night we tried to watch "Cheyenne Autumn." The 1964 movie was supposed to a more sympathetic look at the American Indian. We viewed 18 minutes of the movie when we looked at each other and said "we're done." Turns out a cast of "famous" actors can't make a bad story good, even if it is directed by John Ford. The pacing was horrible and while the storyline had not completely emerged in 18 minutes we felt it was not going to end well for anyone. We deleted the movie. We've been deleting a lot of TCM movies recently. Just because a movie is old does not make it good. 

On the other hand, I've also been enjoying some "classic TV series." Gunsmoke showed up on my streaming video Home Screen and I thought why not give it a try as it was a family favorite when I was a kid. The black and white episodes all star Marshall Dillon who is some sort of marvel. As a kid I did not realize just how wonderful Mr. Dillon was. He seems to be able to do just about anything in Dodge, Kansas. He keeps law and order, he's an expert shot, and he has charm to tackle problems, no matter their size. Then there's Miss Kitty.  No one seems to mention the fact that Miss Kitty is the madam of a brothel. As a kid I had no idea what Miss Kitty did other than wear fancy dresses and too much makeup. The stories are pretty good and hold up the test of time. They are "period" pieces and they depict the period fairly well. Gunsmoke is a good diversion if you want to have a blast from the past.

I've also been looking at the original "Little House on the Prairie" series, circa 1975. I never saw it when it was originally shown, yet I was a fan of the Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House" books (which I read to my classes). Again, the head of the household, Pa Ingalls, is the star of the show. He can do everything and be everything, etc. etc. etc. This led me to learn more about the actual people who were in the program; in particular I wondered what happened to the little girl who played Laura. In the intervening 50 years, several memoirs have been written about what it was like to be on LHP. Turns out, lots of drug and alcohol abuse were needed to survive the "happy" life the Ingalls family lived. They all look so happy on the set which (in hindsight) must have been in an emotional turmoil most of the time. They really did "act" to get thru the day. The new LHP is woke and is a mere shadow of the books. The old LHP is not woke and follows the LHP storyline well. The underlying story of the folks who made LHP "work" paid a high emotional price to be in the series. I've not seen past season 1...as back in 1975 a TV series had at least 30 episodes per season. Nowadays a "season" is a mere 8 episodes. 

I've been recovering. I do something, then I rest. I look at TV or read or crochet or paint rocks...then I do something else. The cycle repeats. If I feel good, I don't sit down a lot. If I "overdid" the day before, then I sit and rest. The beat goes on. My back pain is just about gone most of the time. I'm a happy camper. I'm thankful I have lots of diversions to aid in my recovery. Remember, we're all in this together.

Recovery and Other Musings

It's been 8 days since I had the second BVNA procedure on my back and I think both of the procedures are working. I do not have back pain. You have no idea what a joy it is to write that sentence. In fact, I don't have a lot of pain anywhere...this is good. 

SO, I'm walking and trying to act like a real human being. Some days are better than others, but I'm keeping up my routine. I'm walking circuits around the house, practicing standing and trying to get my stamina back. It's a slow process but it's starting to come together. I see the doc on Thursday and I'll let you know what he says.

As I look outside, I see a gray sky, damp ground (no puddles) and leaves trying to change color. The aspens in the back are not quite lemon yellow but they are trying. The mountain maple by the Snake River are brilliant reds, oranges, golds, rusts and yellowy-browns. They are putting on the first display of the season. Soon the cottonwoods and the aspens will catch up. Right now there are splashes of yellow and gold among the conifers in the mountains. It's a short lived display and always beautiful. 

In the meantime it's pretty good in the Rocky Mountains. Remember, we're all in this together.