ANIMAL CRACKERS. Our wildlife expert John Balch says (after hearing my breathless revelation) I most likely saw a fox squirrel during the weekend. I was driving south on Third Street in front of Whiteside Hall when I noticed a squirrel running alongside my buggy at the edge of the vacant lot. (I know some of you won’t appreciate this, but this is the site of the long-gone Henry and Mercedes Dildy home which faced that short block of Sunset Street. Mr. Dildy sometimes kept a horse in his back yard. The flame-haired Mrs. Dildy was rumored to have been a high-kicking Radio City Rockette in her youth.)
But back to the squirrel. I was struck by how RED it was. Especially the tail. I’ve seen hundreds of gray squirrels and brownish squirrels, but never one this red. I am also remembering Roberta Teeter’s palomino squirrel of a few years ago.
AND MORE Animal Crackers. My early morning walk — on those days when I can haul my lazy carcass out of bed — is made very pleasant by the wakening neighborhood population of birds. They are singing to the tops of their precious little lungs.
Since the first visit to my new patio bluebird house by a blue couple, I’ve had no more sightings. I had hoped that by placing the birdhouse closer to a sheltering tree they might feel more secure and enjoy cooler afternoons. Maybe they’ll be back. They were just house-hunting, probably.
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AN ANSWER in Monday’s crossword puzzle was terra firma. There was a time when ladies here belonged to one of the local garden clubs — the Nashville Garden Club or the Terra Firma Garden Club.
I remember lots of articles about the garden clubs in the ‘Nashville News’ because the most important office in each club was the corresponding secretary who sent stories to the newspaper.
When a lady died, her obituary would dutifully list her garden club membership.
One of the garden clubs had some lifesize cutouts of Joseph and Mary and the three Wise Men for their annual Nativity scene which was, I believe, illuminated by spotlights and put up on the courthouse lawn for a few weeks each December. I could be wrong about some of these details.
I don’t know which garden club folded first. But the Nativity scene cutouts were given to a local gent who was a minister on the side. He put up the figures for a few years and then the cutouts were either destroyed by age or they disappeared or something.
One thing I do remember about the Terra Firma Garden Club and the Nashville Garden Club was that the members were quite dedicated to making Nashville beautiful. One lady in particular promoted the planting of crepe myrtles along the length of Sunset Street. The idea didn’t catch on, unfortunately, because the trees would be awesome today.
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THE GOOD EARTH. Some bananananana palms in my pool landscaping have already grown to waist high. The purple thingys in the landscaping are vigorously pushing up, and there are some survivor petunias in one of the planters that was left outside over witer.
Before Easter weekend, it had rained three weekends in a row, much to the chagrin of Robert and Susan Nannemann out at Sunshine Acres Nursery. Saturdays in April are important to their business. Lots of us consumers can hardly wait to load up on blooming plants. The prevailing intelligence is to wait until the annual Easter freeze, but I’m impatient.
I’ll bet the ladies in the Nashville Garden Club and the Terra Firma Garden Club could resist the temptation to plant to early.
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AT ST. MARTIN’S annual Easter ‘Way of the Cross’ procession and re-enactment of Christ’s crucifixion — the breastplate of one of the Roman soldiers fell off. Underneath, the soldier was wearing a t-shirt proclaiming “It’s Great to be a Scrapper.”
Another note: the soldiers and costumed members of the Sanhedrin used a battery-powered Black & Decker drill to assemble the cross.
I appreciate the procession and the way the Hispanic members of St. Martin’s have invigorated my previously-sedate observation of Easter.
Easter is, after all, a joyous point arrived at after torture, despair and death. The procession drives home that point.
Also, thanks to the Nashville Police Department for the blue light bookends on the procession.
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THE INCREDIBLE and Mostly Unbelievable Adventures of my distant kin, Uncle Parry Normal:
Uncle Parry is the fastest sleep therapist on earth. Everyone becomes real tired of him real quick.
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THINGS I LEARNED from opening (and believing) email: “Intentionally losing a game of rock, paper, and scissors is just as hard as trying to win.“
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WORD GAMES. Another set of twins: Sticks and Stones. They hurt my bones.
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HE SAID: “”Time is fleeting, tomorrow is not a promise, so today if you will give a hug or a kiss to those you love, you will give us joy. Our faith is stronger than ever. We will be ok.” John Ash, (RIP) former minister at Sunset Church of Christ, Nashville
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SHE SAID: “Our uniqueness, our individuality, and our life experience molds us into fascinating beings. I hope we can embrace that. I pray we may all challenge ourselves to delve into the deepest resources of our hearts to cultivate an atmosphere of understanding, acceptance, tolerance, and compassion. We are all in this life together.” Linda Thompson, songwriter and ‘Hee Haw’ cast member
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SWEET DREAMS, Baby
