RIP Dolly

I have a feeling many of us will remember where we were when we heard Dolly Parton had died. 

I was sitting at my desk in what was once my home office (when I was working) and is still a place I often hang out during the day when I am reading or writing. 

I received an alert on my phone from one of my news sources, telling me Dolly had died. I could not believe it. Had I not just seen her on TV a few days ago? 

Because I live in suburban Nashville, I immediately turned on the TV to a local station. Grim-faced newscasters were conveying the news and already looking back on Dolly's life. 

Dolly's house is about a half-dozen miles from mine in the suburban town of Brentwood. She was seldom spotted in public (other than her official appearances), but Wife and my three children swear they saw her 25-ish years ago in a Blockbuster Video store. I was not there, so I can neither confirm nor deny it, and I suppose they would have had no reason to make it up. 

I never saw her perform and never saw her at any type of appearance she made. But like just about everyone, I liked Dolly. I thought she was funny, genuine and smart, and I loved that she lived nearby, at least part of the time. I think she spent a fair amount of time near the theme park she built, "Dollywood," in the Tennessee hills where she grew up. 

There is speculation about what will happen with her home here. Although it sits on five acres, back from the road a bit, it is still in a residential area, and I can't see it being made into a museum like Graceland (Elvis Pressley's home) in Memphis. I am sure neighbors in that area would not be pleased to have a tourist attraction right around the corner, and I'm guessing some zoning laws would have to be changed to even permit it. 

All that will be worked out in time. For now, we simply remember Dolly with a smile. 

Consider the hummingbird

I wanted to include a picture with this post, but my subject is elusive. 

That would be any of the hummingbirds that feast at my feeder, hung outside at the top a large picture window in our kitchen. 

When a hummingbird positions his/herself there, I simply cannot get in place quickly enough to get a shot. So, use your imagination. 

Here is the part of providing hummingbirds with nectar I find most baffling: their unwillingness to share. 

There are four spickets on my hummingbird feeder, with plenty of room for that many to feast simultaneously. 

But no. When one has decided to have a meal, and another one shows up, the new one gets chased away. 

Every. Time. 

If only I could teach them the joys of breaking bread (or sucking juice) together, I think they could have a change of heart. But no. The first one to the feeder decides he owns it, and woe to those who might dare try to perch alongside him. (Or her. I can't tell the difference between male and female hummingbirds.)

Some of my grandchildren were in town over the weekend and I decided to use the hummingbird feeder as a teaching tool. I showed it to them, explaining what I have just written here, and lamenting the lack of sharing that takes place in the hummingbird community. 

They enjoyed watching for a few minutes but were soon on to other things. 

Somehow, I hope the lesson about sharing, and how unattractive it is to be selfish, sunk in. 

 

In the kitchen

Wife and I have lived in our home, which was built in the mid-80s, for 25 years. 

Over time we have we have made changes and improvements, mostly cosmetic, although in the playroom we tore out some cabinets and installed some built-ins. But in general, lots of paint, flooring changes, bathroom overhauls and tearing down some god-awful wallpaper over the years. 

We have a nice-enough kitchen. It's not huge but it meets our needs and we have room for a decent-sized table and chairs which is a nice supplement to our dining room when we have family and/or friends here and need additional serving and/or eating space. 

The cabinets were originally a wood finish and we had them painted off-white before we moved in. We also replaced Formica countertops with granite. 

We've repainted the cabinets at least twice, but over time they looked tired, and the paint would always begin to chip. 

A couple of years ago we got a quote for a complete kitchen renovation in which we would pretty much gut all of it and start over with new cabinets and a new layout. It was cost-prohibitive to say the least. It was bonkers what it was going to cost, and there was simply no way we would do it. 

So we have continued to touch up the paint here and there and re-attach cabinet doors and drawer fronts that began to wear. 

Early in the year, we decided we could at least make some changes to brighten things up a bit without breaking the bank. Our cabinets -- the "boxes" -- were still in decent shape, so why couldn't we simply get new cabinet doors? 

Hardly anyone would even discuss that with us, and we would be told time and again we might as well get new cabinets. Unfortunately, that is a huge cost, a significant part of the entire project. 

So, we could just continue to live with what we had. 

However, Wife continued to persist and finally found a competent person whose company would do what we wanted -- install new cabinet doors, new countertops and a new backsplash. The price they came back with was quite reasonable (a fraction of the quote to renovate the entire kitchen) and to make a long story short, we have what looks in many ways like a new kitchen. They even added a foot to the length of the kitchen island, and it does not feel cramped at all. We could not be more pleased. 

We don't know how long we will stay in this house, but we will enjoy this while we are still here, and I think potential buyers will find the updated kitchen a plus. 

Before and after below: