Things I miss about Tennessee (Part 2)

The Baseball

Ah, the summer game. There were Atlanta Braves games constantly playing on the TV. I saw a few Nashville Sounds AAA games in a smaller-sized stadium with great beer and kickass sight lines. Wonderful ballparks with knowledgeable, friendly fans. Bliss.

The People 

"Southern hospitality" is no joke. Local folks are unfailingly polite and talkative with strangers. I got my small talk mojo back explaining our complicated, bicultural family history. Our next-door neighbors were sweet and conscientious people. We lived in a diverse community with plenty of residents who were "from away" like us. Generally, people would smile and wave when they recognized you. Kids wandered around the neighborhood in relative safety; someone's parent was always watching over them. It wasn't Mayberry, but it was a nice, safe place to have the girls experience the suburban North American way of life.

The Roads & The Greenery

Typing this makes me miss my motorcycle. I loved that I could hop on my trusted Kawasaki 600 bike and within five minutes I'd be on a backwoods country road with trees on both sides. Only a few other vehicles shared the pavement with me. The pleasure driving was wonderful and a welcome stress relief at times. 

Locals would complain about traffic jams…but there weren't any traffic jams! And I wallowed in day jaunts with friends from work. We'd explore the small towns outside the orbit of Nashville, often trips back in time. The pinnacle of my bike touring in the South was our trip along the Natchez Trace Parkway all the way down to Louisiana, and back. In short, unforgettable two-wheeled memories.

My work assignment neared its end. Then came the onset of the COVID-19 lockdowns. During the initial quarantine, we used the space in our house and our backyard to the max. I started remote work; the girls had no school. After getting progressively stir crazy within a few weeks, we started "family hikes." First was furtive day hikes in local city trails, then we got enough confidence to head off into the state parks. There were beautiful hiking trails. Until COVID, we never had the inclination nor the time to explore them. In a nutshell, rural Tennessee was delightful.

But there is one shockingly horrible thing about Tennessee life I must point out…

The one thing I DON'T miss about Tennessee

The food. Because it's too damn tasty, too damn much, and I couldn't stop eating it. Damn you, exquisite southern cooking. Damn you, Publix and Kroger supermarkets. Damn you, magnificent dry rub BBQ places everywhere in sight and Dairy Queen (I didn't forget you, evil purveyor of cold milky rich goodness). And double-damn you ballpark hot dogs. 

The war of the waistline was hell.

Hey, Volunteer State, thanks for the wonderful memories!

Things I miss about Tennessee (Part 1)

I pretend to be unsentimental. The flipside is that I have a nostalgic gene that takes command of my thoughts every now and then. Triggered by corny sepia-colored memories or wistful affection for a particular snapshot of the mind, I enjoy the odd trip down the rabbit hole. This post is the result of one of those trips.

The Rising Family™ has been fortunate with opportunities to live outside its comfort zone. Particularly for Lady E. and M., our two-and-a-half-years in the Nashville area contributed to their language skills and broadened their life toolkit. Naomi developed her own friendships and support systems. I learned lots from being in a state that physically resembles my home province but is different in fundamental ways. I first fell in love with the idea of The South thanks to reading the novels of Pat Conroy in my teens. I got to experience southern life for real by living in Tennessee. I was lucky to have that chance.

Accordingly, here's several things I loved about living in, and exploring, Tennessee. And the one thing that I hated about it. 

The History

There's a lot of history in the Volunteer State. East, Middle, and West Tennessee are geographically, culturally, and economically distinct. We did a fair amount of in-state travel and experienced the differences among Memphis, Jackson and Chattanooga. I enjoyed being in the Music City's nexus of country music bars in downtown Nashville. But country music is lost on me. My musical heart lies in Memphis. Sure, Graceland and Elvis cast the longest shadow, but there so much more with Sun Studio and the Stax Museum of American Soul.

Another thought: for me, listening to "Southern Man" by Neil Young set against "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd defines the dilemmas of Southern history that are still relevant today.

I also enjoyed a bunch of great concerts including the Cowboy Junkies in old Franklin.

The Places
On weekends, we'd explore as a family. Places like the Nashville Flea Market, the Ryman Auditorium, Cheekwood Mansion and Belmont. And finding Asian supermarkets and restaurants.

And in autumn, the pumpkin patches. Those were always a hit. 

County fairs in late August.

The Food & Drink

When we wanted some reliably good food with southern atmosphere, we'd hit the Cracker Barrell.

And --this is more my thing --southern cuisine: wet versus dry rub BBQ, homestyle macaroni and cheese, pies of all kinds, fried pies, fried EVERYTHING...

My Dad, feeling the hot chicken burn.

 and Nashville's famous hot chicken.

I was overjoyed that I could go to a local Walmart and get my caffeine fix with Tab and Diet Coke Lime. However, the onset of the COVID pandemic led the Coca-Cola Company to discontinue Tab…(sniff).

- To be continued -

R.I.P. Pon-chan the Philosopher Fish

It is with great sorrow that I report that M.'s pet fish, Pon-chan, has died.

Pon-chan passed away this week. I wish I could say for certain why he died, but he had been sluggish for quite some time. I wish I could tell you that he passed peacefully, in his sleep, due to natural causes. I wish I could specify even one cause of his departure for the Watery Hereafter. I can't.

We went on vacation in mid-August and even prior to our departure old Pon-chan stayed close to the bottom of his tank and rarely moved. Seldom gave us a smile. Fish, our aquatic buddies, are filled with mystery because of their placid behavior. Pon's contemplative approach to life was…sedate…to say the least. He was far too cryptic to indicate what exactly was exciting or troubling him. He always had that upside-down frown that fish have—pondering existence in silence (except for the gurgle of the tank filter).

Still, Pon had charisma.

He gave Marina immense pleasure. He also taught her about responsibility when charged with the well-being of another living thing. Things like providing care and sustenance, interacting in good times and bad, and the give and take of close relationships.

"Well, he had a good life," said the mighty M. Her composed reaction to his demise reflects the serenity Pon imparted during their years together? One will never know.

We gave Pon a place of honor in the pet cemetery in our small front yard. He got his own rock marker. Doing so marks where he rests and ensures his remains are not disturbed by local critters looking for an easy meal.

We all liked Pon. He was easygoing, he did get excited when we doled out a pinch of his food, and frankly he wasn't that needy. All he asked was that we clean the tank every now and then, which Marina took seriously and did diligently.

One final thought: imagine old man Pon hovering out there forever, pondering the floating existence in perpetuity, and giving the Rising Family™ much pleasure. We wish Pon a full stomach and clear gills in fish heaven. Pon-chan, we will miss you.