Apology Accepted

It appears that Mother Nature is trying to apologize for last night's fury.  She's so fickle!

We often have sunrises that look like this too, except they're on the other side of the sky ;o)

Sleepy in Nashville

Here's what went on during the wee morning hours here in Nashville.  I'm learning that warm air in January isn't something to get excited about.

Did I ever mention that the thunder in Tennessee shakes the house and rattles the windows?  I don't remember it doing that in other places we've lived.  Come to think of it, the washing machine is shaking the house right now.  Hmmmm...

Snow Day - Really!?

Hey all you friends who live in snowy places, are you ready for a good laugh?  Here's what last Friday's snow day looked like in Nashville.  It was even wimpier than some of last year's snow days.

Below is what a snow day might have looked like in Wisconsin.  After it snowed like this, we'd often see three snow plows in a row come tearing down the street for a quick and efficient clean up.

This is what happens when it continues to snow in Wisconsin and the temperature stays below 32 degrees for about 5 or 6 months.  We fondly called this Mt. Walmart.

Mystery of the Bizarre Statue - Solved

There's a statue south of Nashville to the east of I-65.  As you whiz by at 70 mph, it's hard to get a good look at it - but you see enough to know that there's something 'just not right' about it.  Here's a picture taken by someone who labels it as the 14th ugliest statue in the world. 

(source)

If you can get near the private property where it's located, it looks like this.  Yikes!

(source)

The statue is of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.  He also has the 'great' distinction of being the first Grand Wizard of the KKK.

Patrick R. on yelp.com says it better than I ever could:

The Nathan Bedford Forrest Memorial...is probably Nashville's most appalling landmark. And I'm not only saying that because of the historical and racial implications--it's also aesthetically atrocious.

Forrest, who is best known for his work as a general with the Confederate Army and his role as "Imperial Wizard" of the KKK in the years following the Civil War, is depicted in this statue as a ghastly, screaming dwarf.  The horse on which Forrest rides makes the general look like a nine-year-old with a radically contorted face wearing a false beard and a skirt.

Black-eyed Peas

I must have been living under a rock for the last several decades.  Yesterday, I heard for the first time ever that it's good luck to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day.  It's a southern thing.

It seems that this southern tradition was a adopted from Sephardi Jews who settled in Georgia in the 1730s.  Now, isn't that surprising!?  It is "good luck" to have specific foods on your table for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.  One of the "lucky" foods is black-eyed peas.  This tradition apparently has been "a southern thing" since around the Civil War.

Next year I'm going to have to remember to make up a batch of Hoppin' John and to count the number of peas in my serving, which will predict the amount of luck (or wealth) that I will have in the coming year.  I also have to remember to leave three peas on my plate to assure that my New Year will be filled with luck, fortune, and romance.

Paula Deen, the quintessential southern cook, has a recipe for Hoppin' John that I think I'll have to try before January 1, 2013.  It looks kind of yummy, doesn't it?

Hoppin' John