To Fry...

All this rain has left quite a dilemma in several southerner's heads this date:  to fry or not to fry? Green tomatoes are rampant in my neighborhood, and all the rain is causing them to blacken in places before they ripen. Everyone knows southerner's love some fried green tomatoes...this round chick included. I just couldn't bring myself to pull these two beauties today, even though the skillet called for more than just the one we actually HAD to pull. My uncle's (husband of Flower Queen the AUNT) garden, albeit small, is producing AMAZING numbers of tomatoes this year. ::::::::::doing the snoopy happy dance:::::::::::  This girl loooves tomatoes....

    

As you can see above, I jest not about the number of these jewels this year...each plant has at LEAST 20...guess it is time for me to stop dissin' the rain, eh? Anyone else in Jland having this kind of yield? The squash, corn, and beans are amazing, too.

The Mother's Rose

One of the Mother's roses, freshly rain-kissed after a shower this morning.

Tolling of the Bells

 

Every day, promptly at 5pm, the bells in this church toll.  This is one of the prettier churches on the southern part of town (an affluent area). The bells make a gorgeous sound, I love listening to them...if I happen to be in the area, I will always pull over and just sit back for a few minutes and take in the sounds.

This is the view of the bells inside the tower, they actually swing back and forth when they are tolling. I wonder how they program them to play the music that they do.... I absolutely love the grounds at this church, they are beautifully manicured with flowers and statues everywhere...it is really a beautiful place. I'm sure the members love coming here for service...

 

oh. my. <insert higher power's name here>!!!!

Ok, I was doing a nice, calm blog jog...

 

around my favorites when I encountered this written about (sorry for the redundancy) ONE OF MY FAVORITES, if only recently found, journalists... (I know this is a little late, but I have been working SUCH hours that the day off is what I need to catch up). As she is a big girl, I blah blah'd the parts that didn't pertain to me personally....but felt the need to <ahem> take up for myself....

 

"I came across this journal when my sister decided to total slam you for your views (let me apologize for her and the other nonbelievers)....blah blah blah....I am personally ashamed of my sister and all of her mindless followers and fear that she, as well as the others, will indeed burn in Hell for their ways and their misguidings.  Anyone who doubts the consequences of sin, in particular homosexuality, needs only to pick up a little book call The Bible and give it a run through....blah blah blah...What a shame that they will undoubtedly influence countless others to the negative making our job as good christians that much more difficult...blah blah blah... Comment from edited out for author's sake - 6/27/04 9:38 PM"

Ok, first, I am not mindless...and certainly not a mindless follower---I choose those I follow carefully before going into my blind followship. You may only call me mindless if you know me and have made that decision by careful study...and some have, and i respect that---for they did the scientific study needed to make that educated decision. Second, I am not a non-believer. There is definitely a higher power at work in our lives...it is up to the individual to decide which higher power gives them guidance, comfort, solace, and peace of mind, and not for anyone else to condemn. I have given the Bible a "run-through", and found it one of many interesting religious readings. Last, I am not here to "influence countless others to the negative." What does that mean, anyway? Even if I could grow an itty bitty mustache I would not resemble Hitler, mainly because I am a round chick lacking the Moe-style haircut, and also becauseI respect the right each of us is given to make our own decisions. (Seeing that you worship the way you do----do you remember who it was in your bible that actually gave "free will" to all? Do you wish to go against his writings by taking it away from the multitudes?)

Now...last but not least....I also wrote this in the journal in which you commented:

Judgement is not for any of us (including you, mere human) to make. Remember that as you pray to your higher power tonight, and possibly ask for forgiveness for breaking his rules?

p/s---live and let live.  c

Image title “Hypocrite” Unknown Artist

 

Work Station from Hell

 

This is the work station from hell....  thought I would share where I spend my days, listening to the endless chatter and needs of the dudes in blue. Yes, I know it is two different colors, but it is large...I had to snap two shots and piece together...apparently the light was better in the left half of the room... I actually was able to get out of the dispatch cave today and ride along with one of the officers (so I could get a take on what happens at the other end of my mike). Eight hours and 4 dramamine tablets later, I would say it is much more festive to be out on the road all day than in the cave...however, I would really suck as an officer, so I will stay put (yes, we arrested a nineteen year old for contempt of court...didn't show up or pay his last ticket...and I felt SO BAD for him...just a kid, and he was so sweet.  :::::stop shaking your heads, I told you I would make a bad cop:::::  The officer I was riding with---a friend---was laughing at me and said, "We aren't taking him to daycare, Christie, stop asking if he is comfortable and if he needs anything.").  It is easier where I am in that perspective, people are only a name, race, sex, and date of birth or social from my console, I never see that they are just kids, etc. These are just a few of the dispatchers takes on the people we work with, not all officers, many of them are actually inside the building all the time. (Some people call them "brass"...I have more....festive....names for some of them myself.)

Garfield says Ask Me If I Care...he is mine, by the way....hehehehe

Camp Mac

CH-CH-CH-CH...AH-AH-AH-AH.....  This is the lake on Camp Mac in the Talladega National forest area. The camp looks just like a scene out of any of the Friday the 13th movies, but the lake was beautiful this day...

Zen

Meet Zen, my betta... Zen was a rescue...hahaha Yep, for real. Our warrants officer served (arrested) this chick (then "fish's" owner), and Zen came to the station in a nasty little vase with a plant stuck in it. Well, we cleaned out the vase and set him up...the water kept turning and he would just lay on the rocks. I was out sick for a couple of days, and one of the dispatchers called and told me my fish would probably be 10-89 (dead) when I came back. I went and bought him a little aquarium with an aerator, turns out he was getting no oxygen in his little vase...now he is sooooo happy in his little condo (he surfs in the bubbles hehehe). He will come to the front of the tank and beg anytime someone walks in, and he sits and watches us dispatch...and he provides us with a calming effect---everyone should have an animal in the workplace...even if it is just a couple inches long and lives in water. He really lives up to his name.....that job can be very stressful, and he gives much needed "time-outs" during the shift...sounds nuts, I know, but it's true! I love him!

View from the Back Yard

Photo Friday 6/25

Clouds... Photo Friday Entry

My Favorite Landmark

  

This is my beloved "Bat Building"....the Bellsouth tower in downtown Nashville.

It is the first thing you see when Nashville comes into view, and it tells me I'm home.

These are all large pics, but I can't scale them...it is sacreligious...I love it that much.

I couldn't get a full frontal  picture of the building because of (grrrr) power lines.

 

<sigh>  I get homesick every time I see this building...isn't she gorgeous???

The Historic Ryman Auditorium

The famous center stage "circle" at the Grand Ole Opry was cut out of this building...it is amazing, inside and out...and the acoustics are unbelievable.

My Hero

             Carolyn Dawn Johnson...singer, songwriter, producer...she does it all.

                  

      

                     Carolyn put on a stellar show for us, as always.

Can't go wrong here, folks.... this girl is my hero. And to top it off, she is just as sweet and genuine as she is talented. These photos are from the fan appreciation party in Nashville at 3rd & Lindsey during Fan Fair week.

Another sunrise

 

Makes you just wanna hop a train and take a trip, eh? hehehehe

Stormy Trip to the Mount

  

Today was a beautiful day...and my last day off...so I decided to ride up to Mount Cheaha and chill out with nature and the camera. This was the view at the bottom of the mountain...gorgeous, serene, very relaxing...  Then I got to the summit, and...

 

 

the storm was coming in from the southwestern part of the state, and when I got to the spot where the view is usually breathtaking and I was ready to snap a few photos of the spread from the highest point in Alabama---this is the scene I arrived on. Clouds, beginning wind, and sprinkling rain.

 

 

 

 

I decided it would be smart to drive back down, as Mount Cheaha is usually what keeps the tornadoes from actually hitting my peaceful little burg on the backside valley...because it takes the brunt of the storm and breaks it up. The wind and rain were horrid...there was debris everywhere. Of course, being the storm freak that I am, I was loving every minute...

 

 

 

 

These flags were wrapped around the pole and flapping so hard that I thought they would let loose at any minute...they stood straight out and twisted and turned the whole time I was there...I could barely hold the car door open while I was standing there. The wind had to be blowing at least 40-50 mph, my car was bouncing around while I was sitting in the parking lot because of the wind blowing underneath and around it.

 

 

I got back down to my little neighborhood level, and there was debris everywhere...trees down, branches and leaves strewn across the roads...it was a pretty strong thunderstorm, but that's all it was---there were no tornadoes. Coulda fooled me...

Thirsty Girl

     

This is the other Shelby in my life, my best friend's niece (and my adopted one). I was late getting to where they were the other day, and her little face just lit up when she saw me, and she jumped up and hugged me and wouldn't let go. That is an awesome feeling. Here, she had been busy giving goodbye hugs...or more like making people chase her around the yard to GET their goodbye hugs (she is rotten), and happened to see the 2/3 can full of Sprite I had on the porch in front of me. She never took a breath!!! That mug was GONE. Guess you had to be there, but it was so funny, the can is as big as she is....

Twofer

Yeah, yeah, yeah....I know...more freakin' lillies....  I can't help it!! These are so pretty, and my aunt's yard has erupted in them! They are EVERYWHERE...I don't think even SHE thought this many would actually blossom...must be the torrents of monsoon rainforest waterfalls that pelted us in the last month... And now, the twofer:

MMMMMMMMMhmmmm, another flower.

I'm off to have some twofers of the malted hops kind....to quiet the 20 voices in my head (all wearing blue uniforms, of course...)--Headquarters, 1039...1028...1029 five times by name and date of birth...nope....not today! Have a great one!!!

Sunday Sunrise Service

I was on the way to work this a.m. for yet another 12 hour shift in flourescent cop hell, and I took the time to stop, breathe, and stare for a moment. This was taken over the cemetary of the local (well, ONE of the local) Methodist church. I felt a little more refreshed and ready for the day after worshipping this scene for a few minutes...

Buzzzzzzzzz

Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly....but the bumble bee doesn't know that so it keeps on flying anyway.... --- Mary Kay Ash

I love this quote because it is so true..... We were horridly covered up at work today, and I was actually probably as busy as this little fella was when I took his picture last week. I won't go into details, but the scourge of the earth surfaced in our town today --- and luckily several of them were spotted walking...just walking. Like they had done nothing at all...and picked up by our officers. Now they are whining to their families for cigarettes and/or bail money. ::::::::::sigh:::::::::  Sometimes I really, really, REALLY hate my job...........especially when it comes 12 hours at a time....did I say SOMETIMES?!?!? hmmmm...

Photo Friday

Photo Friday Challenge....   "Fashion"

Serenity

The higher powers knew just what I needed tonight when I went out to walk amongst my aunt's newly bloomed lilly symphonies....and although I got some great shots of her flowers---the view behind the house spoke to me. Last night, I had a harrowing experience at work, and have searched for a way to breathe ever since. This evening---all I had to do was look skyward, and I was left breathless and my lungs seemed to fill at the same time. Serenity returned with this view. Last week, one of my dearest friends told me that nature was the most abundant of calm and beauty, if only we would take the time to notice. Tonight, my friend, I noticed...

Duck River

One of the main rivers in lower Middle Tennessee...it looks harmless enough, but several people have drowned in rainy season because it becomes a torrent and runs throughout several counties. I think the last summer I worked at the sheriff's dept, there were about 7 people that drowned in one month. Well, on to happier thoughts...I loved the way this turned out so very green, if it weren't for the darned power lines, it would be awesome! It had just rained, and everything had that fresh, crisp look on...

No Visitors

Ok...I don't know how many people believe in this stuff, so I'll keep it short. The house near this barn had a padlock on the door, so I really couldn't get permission to photograph it (there was actually going to be a person, whom I was taking pictures of, sitting in the loft in this picture). We drove up the lane leading to the barn, and she said "Do you feel funny?" I said "Yeah, strange." We decided at that point we would go no closer to the barn, but I did get out and take a couple pictures. In the field near me in two of the pictures, there is a bright "bubble" looking...something. I got back in the truck, rolled down the window, and took this one as we were turning around to leave. Check out the loft. We got back and uploaded the pics from the camera, and tripped OUT. Possibly just sunlight playing tricks, but I took a couple of pictures about 2 minutes before this, and a picture of the creek about 2 miles away just after---with no spots/bubbles/discolorations of any kind. Do you believe?

Someone is watching over us...

Approaching Thunder

Coming across a horse farm not to far from the house in Tennessee....

Journey

Journey....

The Bear

This is my Hannah, or "Bear" as she's become better known. She is the oldest chow. I LOVE this dog...

Spencer

               

Say hello to kit-tay...better known as Spencer. His mommy is my best friend in Tennessee, Beth. Kit-tay was one of the banes of my existence while I lived here, but we have agreed to disagree and let each other co-exist for the weekend. haha He is one of 4 cats and 5 dogs that I had to leave behind with Beth to move back to Alabama to raise the Mother. I will try to post more of their pics while I am here...trippy little animals, they are. The puppies (not puppies anymore...but always called that...2 chows, 2 english setters, and a whiny, whiny, WHINY spitz...) are photo hams...I know they will be glad to meet you. I'm off to hear some music!!

The Stick Flowers

    

Ok, awhile back I mentioned that my aunt had these big blooms that sprouted off of a stick in her yard. These would be the flowers. She calls them the twin towers, because she has no idea what they are either. They are really pretty, and as you can see by the last one, critters love 'em! (First time I have ever seen a lightning bug and a spider co-habitat...was kinda strange....) Anyway, does anyone know what they are?

Also, Conz mentioned that she liked these little buttony flowers in one of my entries, so I thought I would put this full size pic of them up. They are really pretty and petite, only about an inch across. They are...um...crawling something-or-other...I so am not good with names. I just call 'em buttons. It works. This one's for you, Conzo love. mwah!

I am off to Music City (Nashville...home....) for some good times, good music, and a lil' R & R away from Alabama...(yay!)  Some people call it FanFair...I don't care what it's called now as long as I am present. You guys have a great week! Christie