My mini-vacation

I went to Nashville this past week. I didn't get to see the Grand Ole Opry or the Parthenon or anything like that, but I sure did get to see a lot of the drivers' licensing bureau! (Well, not a lot really, but I saw it for a loooooooooong time.)

Ann and Daniel agreed to put me up in their living room for two nights, which was nice, and I in turn agreed to help Ann do some things she couldn't get done without access to a car. We managed to get to Big Lots, assorted thrift stores and Dollar Stores, Target, Wal-Mart, Kroger's, the Social Security office, and above-mentioned drivers license place. Those places are all within about a ten-mile distance of Ann's apartment.

Unfortunately, on the third day, when house guests and fish begin to stink (just ask Ben Franklin), I was stupid enough to try to open my trunk by pulling up on my car key. It bent, really bad. I was already not in a great mood, since I had been there longer than I anticipated (by about three hours), was missing a good party, and was going to have to drive after dark on the BG Parkway (not a good idea). Ann got the key straightened out enough so that I could get the car started, but then the key wouldn't come out of the ignition, so I was forced to leave it there and to leave the doors unlocked. Not good, especially when a person has to attend to nature at a rest stop or something.

Daniel was sweet enough to offer to take us to supper, so I decided right then and there to stay another night and try going back on Friday. After supper, Ann crawled through the back seat into the trunk and pulled out stuff I would need for the night--I had already packed. Then Daniel offered to take us to the Opry Land Mall. Since we had spent the better part of two days shopping, that didn't interest me. So he decided to cook curry instead--I don't know why, but Ann says that he does that a lot a while after supper, when he decides he hasn't had enough to eat.

Sooooo at 9 o'clock Nashville time (10 o'clock in KY), Daniel and Ann start working on curry. They decided to try out the food processor that Ann had gotten from Granny's stuff. It works great--it's just noisy as heck. Pretty soon we hear a stomping on the ceiling of their apartment--apparently the neighbors didn't appreciate the racket. They went on with their cooking, but cut everything else up by hand. The curry was ready about 11:30 KY time, and yes, I did eat some, and NO, it didn't interfere with my sleep. It was pretty good! The next morning I left and drove almost straight back to KY.

A side topic: Ann and Daniel are both pretty darn good cooks. They're not afraid to try new things and seem to learn from their mistakes, which is something more of us ought to do! Ann fixed a great Rachel Ray recipe for chicken and dumplings, she had a good taco dish for lunch the day I got there, she fixed some interesting hamburgers that were well-seasoned (and she knows now there was too much seasoning in them), and Daniel fixed a good chicken curry. We don't have to worry about them starving to death.

In addition, I got to witness the way they interacted with each other, just normal banter, and they are great friends. I really appreciated that. It looks like they are each other's best friends, not just each other's spouses. They are excited about their apartment and are slowly gathering some furniture. They get excited about the littlest things, like a new mop bucket or a new dust pan, and are seemingly content to make do with what they have until they get newer stuff. I don't think I heard a single cross word the whole time I was there.

They are also excited about their church. They took me to see it. It was after dark when we got there, so I didn't really get to see the lovely landscaping. But it was lit enough for me to see the fountains and some of the gardens. The church is WAY small, only about 10 people--after all, it is a church start! I think that is pretty neat, that they are having a married-life start and participating in a church start at the same time. The pastor and his wife are friendly to them, which is nice--they even went out to eat with them on Sunday. I think that's going to be a good church for them. I just wish it were a little larger, but it will grow.

I guess that's enough for now, folks. Good night, and God bless.