Tennessee, Sweet Home

Sometimes it is surreal living here in Tennessee.  When I was a child Tennessee was the destination of most of our vacations. Okay, all of them but one. And it was the place "we"  my Mom, my Dad, my brother, No he got married.  Just Mom, Dad and me. It was the place we would move some day.  The family dream.  Someday Tennessee.   Someday moving back to the "farm".

Well, 18 1/2 years ago.  Paul, the girls, my Mom and I moved here.  Dad was already gone.  Charles got married and moved to Indiana. But we made it here.  Made it to the "farm".  It's really just land.  The barns and outbuildings long gone.
As I travel roads that I traveled as a child I sometimes have a flashback to riding down this road or flying around that curve.  And I am happy to be living out Dad's dream.
Tennessee is where my family came from.  Tennessee has our history here.  It's nice.  It could have more shopping.  It could have more diversity.  But it has quiet.  It has a sense of independence  and self reliance that you don't find everywhere.  And nature and beauty unending.  Trees.  Hills.  Rivers.  Blue skys.  Flowers.  All kind of animals.  And that's not even mentioning the people.  I love people.  And Tennessee has awesome people.  Paul and Mandi call my friends, my peeps.  I love the variety of peeps here.  I have my lifelong friends aka cousins.  I have a slew of them.  And than the friends at church, the co-workers who are now friends and the ones that have come into our family because of my girls.  School and than along with marriage has come more peeps to love.  They all add depth to my life.

Down the road on land that used to be part of the farm, is a tree that held my childhood swing.  I can still see in my minds eye:  the house and outbuildings that were once there.   Christmas stockings with oranges.  The time Charles brought home Teddy, my teddy bear home.  My 5th birthday with a cake with homemade chocolate frosting Mom had made.  The wild squirrel Charles had on the back porch.  Running and playing with Dennis.  And that stubborn Mule Joe that kept running back to his old owner.  And the day Dad and Charles brought home a toy riding tractor.  It was red and so much fun.
I live on the road I went down when I wanted to go to Uncle Carlis' and Aunt Thelma's house about 3 miles away.  Also the road that Mom spanked me on for scaring her and "running away".  She caught up with me right by where I saw my first snake.  Scared me to death until mom said it was just a little garter snake.  No big deal!

Yes Tennessee is my home.It holds memories new and old.  And after all the moving we've done.  It is nice to be in one place.  Tennessee, I love it!