slow going.....

When you live in a city for 30 years, you tend to amass certain things. You also tend to take them for granted. I used to fume because the cabinets were full of pots and pans that were rarely used as well as a number of shelves full of spices and cooking ingredients. I viewed it all as clutter but it sure came in handy when I got a whim to make something different - whether it be baking or cooking. Why did I complain when it would take forever to sift through all the stuff until I found that bottle of lemon extract? At least I had it.

I moved to Clarksville with just clothes and electronics. Every time I think about baking something, I run into a wall when I discover I don't have a certain ingredient. In Austin, baking powder and baking soda were on my shelves forever. There were pie tins a'plenty; all sorts of flour, dark chocolate, white chocolate, semisweet chocolate, sea salt, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar, turbinado sugar, confectioners sugar, blah blah blah. I'm in month number 3 in C'ville and the pantry is still growing. Some day.....

auntie em. auntie em.....

Tornadoes seem to be a big part of Clarksville history. No one can talk about the courthouse without mentioning that the current one is brand new. The old one was leveled by a tornado. There was a forecast this past week for a warm day followed by a very strong cold front. The experts were predicting severe weather. The natives were predicting apocalyptic weather. People were buzzing for days in advance for the possibility of a tornado. One guy at work couldn't believe that I didn't have cable TV. "How will you know if there is a tornado coming?" I'm supposed to spend $100 a month for severe weather warnings? yikes

Wednesday afternoon came and people hightailed it for home. Around 10:00pm, it got super windy. I can't speak for the rest of the city, but there is a tornado siren in the downtown area. It was like what I imagine air raid sirens to sound like. I have more windows than walls in my apartment so I figured the living room was a bad place to be. I went and sat in the bathroom. The sirens stopped after 15 minutes and I went to bed.

People seemed disappointed on Thursday morning. Winds were reported at 75 mph but no tornadoes in the upper middle Tennessee region. Nuts. giggle

holy water....

In my new apartment building, there is a common area on each floor. It's basically a big lobby with some really nice couches and chairs as well as some bookshelves. Each area has a coffee table with a never ending supply of assorted candy in a bowl. I think the intent is to get people out of their apartments, possibly curl up on the couch and read and generally interact with people. I have yet to see anybody use these areas for their intended purpose and I don't think I'll be the first. giggle.

However.... scattered throughout these lobbies are old photos from Clarksville High School. One of my favorites is a picture on the first floor of the championship football team in the 1940's. The photo shown here is of the Class of '25. It is in the main lobby right at the base of the stairs that I use to get to my apartment. I pass by it every morning and night. Each time I pass by, I touch the photo and I ask the Class of '25 to watch over me. It's kind of like my daily sacrament. Amen

moving day....

I've been in Clarksville long enough to be moving into my second residence. yikes. The original plan of buying a house proved too ambitious, so I'm moving into another apartment. I've been in my original furnished apartment for about 2 months. It was convenient to work but it was in the outer edge of town among the chain restaurants and shopping malls. It was nice having a 5 minute drive to work but that was the only redeeming feature. The complex was brand new but all 16 buildings that made up the "apartment community" were identical. It was very blah.

The attached picture is the original Clarksville High School that was built in 1906. Like all other cities, the school district figured that newer was better and they moved out in the 80's. A developer bought the school and converted it into an apartment building. I move into the Greenwood Ave (the street the school is on) apartments tomorrow. It is a few blocks from the local university and a few blocks from the middle of downtown. My lease is for 6 months but maybe I'll stay longer. The drive to work will be about 20 minutes but I'm looking forward to the move.

make it stop....

I have always been something of a chocolate junkie. Since I have moved, the addiction has been out of control. The candy aisle in the Clarksville Kroger's is right in the middle of the store. Even though they aren't on my list, I can't resist grabbing a bag of M&M's as I pass by. I have found myself celebrating the holidays by getting the themed bags. I am currently plowing through the Valentine's holiday bag of dark chocolate M&M's. White, purple, red and pink little demons. For awhile, I was filling a glass tumbler and putting it on the counter. As I tried to slow down my consumption, I tried filling it half way and putting the remainder away but it didn't help. I am already counting the days until the Easter M&M's come out. uurrrgghhhh.

eating for one....

It's been just shy of 2 months since I moved to Clarksville. I moved here with what would fit inside a small Mazda. It meant that my kitchen is very modestly stocked. After 30 years of collecting stuff in Austin, I had every casserole dish and pan and bowl and pot that I could ever need. In Clarksville, I don't have any baking supplies and my cooking supplies only allow for single course meals. I made a vow when I moved here that I would only eat out one lunch and one dinner a week. So far, I've done a good job of sticking to that plan. The bad news is that I'm getting sick of steamed broccoli. giggle. I am also getting less fond of spaghetti and salad. I'm having some household goods shipped to me next week. I'm already planning my first meatloaf and chocolate chip cookies.

The happy thought is that I'm going to Nashville tomorrow. I am so looking forward to eating out. Wish me luck.

died and gone to heaven....

I spent last Saturday in Nashville. I arrived around 1:30 and had some brisket at Jack's BBQ on Broadway. It is right around the corner from the Ryman Auditorium. There weren't any shows happening at the time so I at least walked around the building. I saw the side alley and the famous bar Tootsie's where performers are known to visit between shows. There is a guy at work that goes to the Ryman every Tuesday night. Yikes

After the BBQ, I headed to the Vanderbilt University area. I found a bakery and had an outrageous slice of tiramisu and a cup of coffee. Around the corner from the bakery was the Belcourt Theater. It's a small theater that shows art house films. They also serve the local Yazoo beer which is an added benefit. I saw Nicole Kidman's newest film, Rabbit Hole. It was mighty fine.

I had so much fun, I'm going back this weekend