This Is Udderly Cooling

This bull 🐂 is keeping a close eye 👁️ on his ladies as they wade in their pond and take a dip to cool off from this crazy hot and humid weather -

Luv that moo-dy water…

Pahk The Cah…

I was born and raised in Massachusetts and spent 61 years living there. However, I’m now a transplant here in East Tennessee and I thought perhaps the following would be helpful for y’all Southern folk in understanding me betta, you’re welcome 😉 -

The geographical center of Boston is in Roxbury.

Due north of the center we find the South End.

This is not to be confused with South Boston which lies directly east from the South End.

North of the South End is East Boston and southwest of East Boston is the North End.

There is no school on School Street, no court on Court Street, no dock on Dock Square, and no water on Water Street.

Back Bay Boston streets are in alphabetical ohrddah: Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth. etc.

So are South Boston streets: A, B, C, D, etc.

If the streets are named after trees (e.g. Walnut, Chestnut, Cedar) you are on Beacon Hill

If they are named after poets, you are in Wellesley.

Massachusetts Avenue is Mass Ave.

Commonwealth Avenue is Comm Ave.

South Boston is Southie.

The South End is The South End.

East Boston is Eastie.

The North End is east of the former West End.

The West End and Scollay Square are no more; a guy named Rappaport got rid of them one night.

Dorchester is the (Dot)

Roxbury is The Berry.

Jamaica Plain is J.P.

There are two State Houses, two City Halls, two courthouses, and two Hancock buildings (one is very old; one is relatively new).

The colored lights on top the old Hancock tells the weathah:

"Solid blue, clear view."

"Flashing blue, clouds due."

"Solid red, rain ahead."

"Flashing red, snow instead." (except in summer, flashing red means the Red Sox game was rained out!)

Most people live here all their life and still do not know what the hell is going on with this one:

Route 128 South is I-95 south and it is also I-93 north.

The underground train is not a subway It is the T, and it does not run all night

(Fah chrysakes, this ain't Noo Yawk).

Order the cold tea in China Town after 2:00 AM; you will get a kettle full of beer.

Massholes: think that it is their God-given right to cut off someone in traffic. (It is!)

Massholes: think that there are only 25 letters in the alphabet (No Rs)

Massholes: think that three straight days of 90+ temperatures is a heat wave.

Massholes: refer to six inches of snow as a dusting.

Massholes: always bang a left as soon as the light turns green, and oncoming traffic always expects it..

Massholes: believe that using your turn signal is a sign of weakness. (It is.)

Massholes: think that 63 degree ocean water is warm.

Massholes: think Rhode Island accents are annoying.

The bridge connecting Boston and Cambridge via Massachusetts Avenue is commonly known as the Harvard Bridge. (Or Hahvahd Bridge).

When it was built, the state offered to name the bridge for the Cambridge school that could present the best claim for the honor. Harvard submitted an essay detailing its contributions to education in America, concluding that it deserved the honor of having a bridge leading into Cambridge named for the institution...

MIT did a structural analysis of the bridge and found it so full of defects that they agreed that it should be named for Harvard.

This is all true!

Do not pahk your cah in Hahvid Yahd. They will tow it to Summahville (Somerville).

Do not sleep on the Common. (Boston Common)

Do not wear orange in Southie on St. Patrick's Day.

The Sox = The Red Sox.

The Cs = The Celtics.

The Bs = The Bruins.

The Pats = The Patriots.

How to pronounce these Massachusetts cities correctly:

Worcester: Wuhstah

Gloucester: Glawstah.

Leicester: Lestah.

Scituate: Sit-choo-it

Woburn: Woobun.

Dedham: Dead-um.

Revere: Re-vee-ah.

Quincy: Quinzee.

Tewksbury: Tooks-ber-ry.

Haverhill: Hay-vrill

Leominster: Lemon-sta.

Peabody: Pee-baa-dee.

Waltham: Walth-ham.

Chatham: Chad-dum.

Samoset: Sam-oh-set or Sum-aw-set, but nevah Summerset!

Massachusetts Facts:

Frappes are made with ice cream - milkshakes are not.

If it is carbonated and flavored, it is tonic.

Tonic means Soda.

When we want Club Soda we ask for CLUB SODA.

When we want Tonic Water we ask for TONIC WATER.

Pop is another name for Dad.

The smallest beer is a pint.

Scrod is whatever they tell you it is, usually white fish. If you paid more than $7 per pound, you just got scrod.

It is not Cape Cod... it is The Cape

It is not a water fountain… it is a bubblah.

It is not dinner... it is suppah

It is not a trash can... it is a barrel.

It is not a basement... it is a cellah.

It is not a purse... it is a pockabook.

It is not a turn signal... it is a blinkah

It is not a liquor store... it is the packie.

We don't put sprinkles on our ice cream... we put jimmies!

We don't make a U-turn... we Bang A Uey.

They are not franks... they are haht dahgs.

Franks are money used in Switzahland.

Police do not drive patrol units or black and whites... they drive a crewza.

If you take the bus, you're on the looza crooza.

It is not a rubber band.. it is an elastic.

It is not a traffic circle or round-about... it is a rotary.

You park in the driveway and drive on the parkway

"Going to the islands" means going to Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket

To-Do List

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the below pic -

This is an easy one.

A Bullfrog enjoying the expanded size of the pond with all the rain we’ve had so far this summer.

You can hear the males in the evenings and early mornings croaking away!

Sweating To BBQ

I checked out and had dinner at the Swifty Pig BBQ restaurant in Jonesborough yesterday -

I’d driven by it several times and it looked interesting, so I took the drive and gave it a whirl.

I went with the brisket burger with American cheese (extra cost), fried onions and BBQ sauce, and an order of fries (extra cost).

First impressions of the food when it arrived was how small the burger was, tiny really, similar to a McDonald’s hamburger, so a bit disappointing but it was delicious! SO tender and juicy, it melted in my mouth. The fries were ok too, typical, nothing special.

The AC wasn’t working and it was very hot so it was very hot and sticky inside, which kinda put a damper on the experience. It’s one thing if I was eating something spicy and was sweating but sweating just waiting for my food, well that was a bummer. The owners were there and very welcome, and actually apologized for the AC issue. The wait staff was just ok, friendly and all but a tad aloof.

All in all it was delicious burger and a clean place. I’d go back to try one of their other items.

The Food Pyramid

And living in East Tennessee!

Here’s Your Sign, Literally!

Here’s our hard earned tax dollars at work.

Can you spot the issue with the below picture I took this morning -

Is this some new PSA program here in East Tennessee where the town of Greeneville has the resources, time and money to post random signage that have NO bearing to the general area it’s posted in?!

There’s NOT a single crosswalk within a good half mile of this sign, NOT a one!

Might as well post a railroad crossing sign or a no diving in the pool sign or drawbridge ahead sign or any other non-applicable sign, alas…

Seems to me, “Someone can’t pour water out of a boot with instructions on the heel.”…

Antique Mailbox

Here’s another unique mailbox, an industrial foot-operated punch press -

From what I’ve been able to determine, these were common in the late 1800s into the early 1900s. Made of cast iron and likely weighs well over a ton! 

Often used for punching holes in sheet metal, stamping small metal parts, form or bend metal with custom dies and rivet parts together.

Suppose this is a pretty cleaver way of repurposing this relic. Too bad it’s not been kept up and maintained.

A Buck For An Apple

This young buck was helping himself to some fresh fallen apples - the early bird gets the worm, am I right?

The interesting thing is that this tree is in a residential neighborhood with the nearest wooded area some 200-300 yards away, so dare I say he was being awful bold.

It was late morning too, which I thought was odd for this dude to be so far away from cover, especially with cars passing by, neighbors out puttering in their yard and people, some with dogs, walking by.

Suppose being hungry and having a hanker’n for fresh apples takes precedence and worth the risk. 

Use Yah Blinkah!

What’s the deal with SO many of these East Tennessee drivers and their refusal or perhaps it’s their inability to use said blinkahs?

I realize that like one out of every five vehicles has a handicap license tags here in Tennessee -

However, I find it had to believe that you can get a handicap tag for the inability to have the basic common curtesy to signal the vehicle’s behind you that you’re making a turn!

So do betta please.

Power Reds 🩸

Yesterday, I completed my second Tennessee Red Cross blood donation at the Carver Recreation Center in Johnson City -

This drive was held in a smaller room than usual, so the work areas and beds were tight but the Red Cross crew made it all work.

As always they did a great job and I appreciate them!

85 pints donated to date and counting, with my next donation appointment already scheduled!

Chicken Hood Ornament

Looking for theories on why a neighbor places an ornamental, fake chicken on the hood of her mini van, see below -

Seems to always be there.

I’m thinking one of the following - as a deterrent to keep critters from climbing or perching on the front? A superstition or personal habit, like a routine or lucky charm? Folklore? Joke? Habit? Dunno but curious.

Whatever the reason it’s unusual and a tad comical.

They’ve Flown The Coop

I’m outta the chicken business -

They’ve all been re-cooped.

Short lived. Bad timing.

I’m Look’n At You!

On my walk this morning I “spotted” this doe staring me down! She was maybe 15’ from me at the edge of the walking path where the overgrowth is thick.

I stopped and slowly backed up as I reached for my phone/camera and she didn’t move a muscle. She stayed stoic and continued to stare me down -

Giving me the old “whatcha look’n at bruh” stare -

It was at that point that I had a pretty good idea why she stayed still and didn’t bolt. And my suspicions were confirmed when I got a better angle -

A protective momma and her fawn!

Had she been alone I’m sure she would have bolted long before I saw her but instead she stayed to protect her baby.

This is why you put your phone away, no ear buds, music or podcasts! Just listening and taking in the sights and sounds all around you.

Absolutely adorable. Priceless really!

#Blessed

More Than One

Y’all know this to be true…

What’s Your Desire?

If you had the choice where would you choose to live, Pleasure Circle or Pleasant View Drive and why?!

Go!

Open-air Footwear

I’m a bit confused 🤔 

I’ve noticed many of the folks I pass when out walking, who are out walking themselves, wearing flip flops or sliders or sandals or something similar. Believe it or not, there was even this one dude who was actually jogging in sandals, no socks (sock with sandals is a whole different rant), I kid you not!

This seems super uncomfortable to me. Putter’n around the house, at the beach or pool I can see but walking any distance, especially running seems odd to me. However, full disclosure, I’m not a flip flop or sandal kinda guy so there’s that.

Just an observation that I find unusual.

Carry on.

Put Me In Coach II

You’re on deck, so dust off and get ready to be “put in” -

Stay Hydrated

Here’s a creative and caring dog loving abutter to the walking trail I’ve been visiting!

A “Doggy Hydration Station” -

It’s always full and always crystal clear clean!

It was SO hot and humid the other day I contemplated taking a drink myself tongue 😜 

Small Vee II

Of course, just a couple days after posting about not seeing many Canadian Geese here in East Tennessee, we’ll whadda yeah know -

Yup, several dozen milling about in this recently harvested wheat field this morning, which runs along a section of the trail I’ve been walking. 

As I pointed out in my previous post, Small Vee, the “goose grease” is the dead give away that these nuisance pests are nearby and sure enough it was present and covering a large portion of the trail today, gross 🤮!

The more I think about it, I’m guessing here in East Tennessee, these honkers will start appearing more and more as corn fields, soybean fields, wheat fields, etc., are harvested leaving behind oodles of grains for the taking.

I don’t blame them, free eats after all is a good thing. Just would be nice If they’d stay off the walkways, roads and parking lots…

Dos Fawns

I “spotted” these two adorable fawns this morning and immediately banged a u-ey, so I could takes these pics and watch them frolicking -

They seemed awfully big to still be sporting their spots but what do I know.

They were adorable and fun to watch regardless how spotted or old they may have been.

A Striking Pollinator

Here’s another beauty I captured in the below photos yesterday on my walk, a female Black Swallowtail butterfly.

There were many busily fluttering about but only this little lady was feeling photogenic, the others, not so much -

She was dining on the nectar of a red clover flower -

Believe it or not, according to the Google machine, the Black Swallowtail is one of the most common and familiar butterflies in eastern and central North America.

I would have guessed it to be the Monarch butterfly. I stand corrected ☺️ 

Small Vee

I was slow on the drawn with my camera at capturing these Canadian Geese flying by. I heard them approaching but still didn’t react quick enough.

Perhaps, because I’ve been conditioned with SO many of these honkers back home, where they’re actually more of a nuisance, in my opinion anyway, that I was slow on the draw.

You see them ALL over back home! They’re paired up in the spring in areas where they chose their nesting spots. Pretty much wherever there is some sort of water.

Yes, their gosling are adorable but that cuteness wains as they grow and there are scads of these waterfowl taking over. It’s not the animals per se but the “goose grease” they cover everything with, 🤢! This is problematic at ball fields, parks, businesses, golf courses and public spaces.

This group I captured needs to work on their flying formations. They were in two groups with one kinda in a vee but the other not even close -

Seems I recall, back when I was a youte, these critters were seldom seen and when you did see them they were typically flying overhead and in tight vee formation! They were on the brink of extinction at one point in time, however, conservation programs successfully brought them back.

They don’t have many real predators to keep them in check; yes, coyotes and foxes, which is one reason why there numbers have exploded.

They’re still federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which is one reason why there are millions of these bird and why you see them everywhere.

They don’t seem to be as invasive here in East Tennessee, as I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen them since being here. Maybe I’ll appreciate them more by having less encounters with them but they definitely need to work on their flying formations first.

A Little PDA

Looking like real life Beaky Buzzard (Looney Tunes cartoon) and Mama Buzzard (Becky’s overbearing mother) who debuted in the 1940s -

Perhaps, just two Black buzzards on a romantic date 🥰 -

Or, with full bellies, they’re simply discussing how delicious their roadkill dinner was, 🤔 

Either way, they’re cute 😊 

A Black & Yellow Kaleidoscope

Here’s a group (kaleidoscope) of male Eastern Yellow Swallowtail butterflies puddling along the Nolichucky drinking water and healthy minerals they so need.

Although, a bit hard to make out, there are five in the picture below -

They were busy doing their thing and were not bothered by my presence. There we oodles along the banks of the river, many in groups like these.

It’s been so darn hot and humid, who can blame them.