Back in the 30's and the 40's small carnivals cross-crossed the country. It was before television and the Internet. Amusements were simpler back in the day. I'm not talking about the circus, just a carnival with some rides and a midway. They are gone forever.

I remember them. Dad allowed us one ride, a walk through the midway and a hot dog. What sights! What sounds! What smells! That was what childhood memories were made of. We went once.

Big improvements are afoot at Big Ridge State Park, and park superintendent Keith Montgomery said what park guests see now is just the beginning.

Montgomery has been superintendent for about three years now, and along with park staff he's been working to address a list of issues with infrastructure and aesthetics at the park. At the top of the list are safety concerns, followed by subjects of complaints from visitors.

"It's a menagerie of reasoning," said Montgomery.

Dixie Stampede in Branson, MO, Myrtle Beach, SC and Pigeon Forge, TN has a new name…. Dolly Parton’s Stampede. There was much talk about a name change, but the reality hit home after observing the new signage in Pigeon Forge; all remembrances of the supposed offensive word “Dixie” have been removed. This decision was made and quickly implemented after an August, 2017 Slate.com article was published. Dolly Parton has millions of fans, and many defend her by stating all the things she has done for literacy, her community and Sevier County during the 2016 fires.

The old rocking chair is empty on Thursday;
Grandma is no longer in it.
She is off in her car to the Senior Center, not far,
And buzzes around every minute.

You won't see her trudging off early to bed
From her place by her warm fireside nook.
Her computer's click-clicking long into the night,
Grandma is writing her book.

Grandma ne'er takes a backward glance
To slow her steady advancing.
She won't tend the babies for you anymore
For Grandma has taken up dancing -

Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is a common tree in our area, normally found growing in low areas where the soil is moist, such as near streams or drains. The name comes from the taste of its hardened sap that bleeds from wounds on the trunk.

The tree is easy to identify, with leaves distinctly star-shaped and with a small-toothed edge. The bark is gray and furrowed with flat ridges that form a diamond pattern. The twigs are showy in the winter with corky wing-like protrusions. The fruit is a spiny ping pong sized ball that hangs on well into winter.

When a man and wife have a disagreement and the man fares less well than his spouse, it is sometimes comically said that the husband “is in the doghouse”. I once unexpectedly found myself in the cat house, though it certainly had nothing to do with my wife.

So far, you might think I was in a somewhat disreputable place, and I admit I both gave and received a lot of loving that afternoon. Gentle reader, don’t get excited! Though confession is good for the soul, I’m a little too vain to tell on myself in writing.

There is really something to be said for the instruction, “Do it yourself.” It’s the best way to learn, and it’s the best way to excel at whatever you do. This is the title of the cook book Evelyn Monroe Johnson wrote for her family–her children and grandchildren. Evelyn was employed many years at the Registration Office of The University of Tennessee; but, like many of the rest of us, learned that if you will cook, “they” will come. Eventually, I’m sure she got so many requests for recipes and how to do this or that it was just easier to sit down and write them a book.

Why write about screws and nails, you ask? Why not? They are a necessary part of life. I remember growing up during the Great Depression and during WW ll when good ones were hard to find.

Let's look back at screws, first. Phillips screws were unheard of. If they were around, we never saw any. All we had were the slotted ones and it seemed we seldom had new ones. A box full of assorted screws, nails and small fittings was a joy to sort through.

Oleomargarine. My, that is a long word. We call it margarine, nowadays. Back before WW ll, we called it oleo. You will find that name in old cook books.

I think most everybody likes pineapple. There's Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Pineapple Casserole and last but not least, Pineapple Pie. I like pineapple any way you fix it. Of course, fresh pineapple is the best, but that is only available part of the year.