Sping Park and Friends

Saturday was a busy day with friends and family and it is so good to get together.
Irene Latham had a book signing at Coldwater Bookstore in Tuscumbia, Al and it so nice there.
Just down the hill is Spring Park and the Helen Keller Festival was going on with live music and artisans.

Some things that are permanent fixtures are the man made waterfall.


The Indian carved out of the tree and Bronze statue portraying the removal of the Indians known as the "Trail of Tears"




There's lot to do and see in our area and a lot of history to write about.

Writing what you "think " you know

I wrote a short characterization of of a girl playing basketball. Now I played basketball in the the 70's and some how I got confused as to the number of players of on a team. There are 5 players on the girls team now but for some reason I put 6. Now where did I get that? I had to find out was I crazy was there ever 6 on a team? There was but it was when my MOTHER played basketball, not me. Funny how your mind plays tricks on you like that. So I learned a very valuable lesson: When you write you know, may sure you know what you are era you are writing in.

Time Flies

I can't believe it has been April when I last posted. Having four or five jobs couldn't be the problem. I just don't know how to slow down.
But I just got back from vacationing in Fairfield Glade, TN and that is a good place to learn to slow down. We made it there around midnight Wednesday night so we didn't see the beautiful hills until the next day. We just took it easy and looked around, then the next day we went horseback riding. Thanks to my good friend Pat and her horseback riding lessons, I didn't fall off my horse Tattoo. In fact it was all I could do and the horse behind me to get that animal to move.He would trot for like half a second. Even getting bit by the horse behind me didn't make him move any faster. But Pat knows that is about all I could handle anyway. Then Saturday we visited a water tower that was built in the 1930's during President Roosevelt's term. I've always heard of the New Deal and knew that my granpa helped build a school, but this was different. Two hundred fifty two homes were built close to Crossfield, TN. The families grew crops and made buttons and ornaments out of walnut shells. The guide told us that two thirds of the crops the families raised were given back to the government. They had special coins that were to be used in the general store. They had HS cut in them and could only be used at this particular store.
The tower is octagon shaped and if you are ever between Nashville and Knoxville go by and check out this unique nugget of history.
To learn more about the homesteads and visitor information check out the website: www.Cumberlandhomesteads.org.

My favorite phrase: It's complicated

My friend Pat Weaver wrote on her blog about the mystery genre and how she didn't like mysteries, but changed her mind.She stated that mysteries were just puzzles. That makes it sounds so much easier. I commented that puzzles can be complicated and that could be why I'm having so much trouble writing one. I read how one author starts at the end and works her way back to the beginning. That must be the way to do it. I started at the end, and then went to the beginning. The middle is giving me fits "It's complicated" So I guess I'll start over from "The End".

Since we are on mysteries and I'm hung up on "It's Complicated", I looked up in my very old dictionary on where "complicated" came from.

According to the Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, College Edition, 1957, complicated comes from the Latin word complicatus, meaning to fold together.
com-together
plicare- to fold or weave
put them together and you have to make or or become intricate, difficult or involved.

Who would have guessed? I guess you could say: "It's Complicated!"

Happy National Lab week

Many of you may not know that April 18-24, 2010 is National Lab week.
There are a variety of jobs to be had in the lab. Here are the one that I can think of:
MLT- Medical Laboratory Technician- takes a two year course at an accredited college and studies courses specific to the lab along with some basics courses like Math, English and History .

MT- Medical Technologist: four year program that studies in more detail Chemistry and Biology along with the basics and includes management.

Phlebotomist: fancy name for the person who collects blood. They are trained in anatomy of veins and reactions a person may from drawing blood like fainting. Also has to deal with difficult patients and children.

Secretary

Courier

LIS- Lab Information System- this person takes care of the Information system for the lab, making sure all these new tests inputted into computer along with billing codes and test codes.

Laboratory Director- is usually an MT
Medical Director- Pathologist: Doctor who has studied disease and helps other doctors in diagnosing patients.

Histologist-prepares tissue samples for pathologist
Cytologist: reviews slides at cell level

Lab Personal must: MLT, MT, HT and others must be certified, some states requires a state license.

We are tested throughout the year to maintain competency and proficiency in our ever changing fields.
If you know someone that works in a medical laboratory wish them a Happy Week. They work hard to make sure you get the right diagnosis.

Oak Alley and other pictures

This is snapped from the second floor veranda, which goes completely around the house. We are facing the front of the house. There is a levy at the end of the trees and across the road. These Live Oaks are approximately 300 years old the trees in the back of the house are only about a 150 years old.(bottom photo)

The fountain is behind the house and as you can see flowers were blooming every where. April is a good month to visit Oak Alley. The azaleas were in full bloom.









More artwork by the wood carver believed to be Marlin Miller at Pass Christian Park.
Notice the trailer in the background is their public library.

Beauty Out Of "Natural Disaster

While visiting relatives in Biloxi,Ms, my sister-in-law, Evelyn Dawson, showed me and my family around the sites. One of them is this eagle that was carved from one of the trees that was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.

This was taken at the park in Pass Christian, MS. She said it was done by wood sculptor Marlin Miller. He and another sculptor, Dayton Scoggins, donated time and effort to these. It is so nice to something beautiful along the Beach Road or Highway 90. Other things that are shaping up is some artwork in Ocean View, MS. I'm sorry to say that I don't know the artists name but if you get a chance to visit, it is a very nice town with lots of little shops to pique your interest and pocketbook.

It really gave me encouragement and made me think about my writing in a different way. Sure I may butcher my idea at first, like when they first started carving on the trees or putting the mosaic tiles together, but with time and fine tuning, cutting away what is not needed you end up with a beautiful work of art.