Well, this past week I was looking down the holler toward Webb’s Creek and started thinking about the size of stomachs. A few days ago while driving in the mountains and generally minding my own business I heard a radio spot offering praise for a new breakfast biscuit. The announcer was beside himself with excitement as he described a home-made biscuit sandwich layered with ham, cheese, bacon and sausage all   Read More ...

Well, this past week I was looking down into the holler toward Webb’s Creek and started thinking about pioneer, John Oliver, the first white settler in Cades Cove. Cades Cove is a rare piece of flat farmland surrounded by the Smoky Mountains. Today, it is a protected section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and there is now a 12-mile loop road that meanders around the forest edges of   Read More ...

Well, this past week I was looking down into the holler toward Webb’s Creek thinking about how my slang needs a mega make-over to the max. I’m dead serious, dude. It hit me like a ton of lard last week when I got excited about something and actually said, “Jiminy Christmas!” I can’t believe I said that and I’m dyin’ if I’m lyin.’ It was one of those significant moments   Read More ...

Well, this past week I was looking down into the holler toward Webb’s Creek thinking about how Christmas is right around the corner and Uncle Sam is looking more and more like Santa Claus. He has handed out some great “gifts” already this year and it is not even the Christmas season! We all share a rich uncle who lives in Washington D.C. and his name is Sam. This uncle   Read More ...

Well, this past week I was looking down into the holler toward Webb’s Creek thinking about our delicious official state fruit. Tennesseans are quite fortunate because many of our united states, such as South Dakota and Arizona don’t even have a “state fruit” (I guess tumbleweeds don’t yield berries). Until recently when our Tennessee state legislature formally adopted our fruit (see Chapter 154, Public Acts of 2003) citizens of Tennessee   Read More ...

Well, this past week I was looking down into the holler toward Webb’s Creek thinking about how things aren’t so heavy when someone is helping. A few months back I bought a skinny screen TV so I had to rid myself of one of those solid wood, big-tubed bulky monsters. I tried lifting it up and even thought of using an old dolly I have in storage, but common sense   Read More ...

Well, this past week I was looking down into the holler toward Webb’s Creek thinking about the most versatile fashion accessory on the planet earth; baseball caps. I am so lucky to live in East Tennessee where the only challenging fashion question on my plate each morning is which baseball cap to wear with my “outfit.” I do sometimes attempt to match the cap with the color of my shirt,   Read More ...

Well, this past week I was looking down into the holler toward Webb’s Creek thinking about the only food item on my grocery list that is also on display in the Smithsonian Institute. In fact, it is the only dinner entree I know that has its very own museum in a 16,000 square foot converted K-mart building in Austin, Minnesota. There is no entrance fee. Nikita Khruschev, Margaret Thatcher and   Read More ...

Well, this past week I was looking down into the holler toward Webb’s Creek thinking about performing orthodontia on myself. I saw a captivating commercial on TV for tubes of dental putty. It depicted a person installing a filling in his own mouth. Wow! The announcer said you could also attach crowns to your own teeth and it appeared the only tools required were a clean putty knife, a mirror   Read More ...

Well, this past week I was looking down into the holler toward Webb’s Creek thinking about how much we have in common with the monarch butterfly. Other than the fact that butterflies can flap their tiny arms much faster than you or me (some flap up to 70 times per second) and they only live for a few weeks or a few months…we share a very similar life cycle. Our   Read More ...