Driving through Maryville to the Smoky Mountains

River in the Smokies

Uprooted tree exposing shale rock

Feels like Canada

Nice lookout towards South Carlina

Yes, I'm a mountain man!

Driving back into Knoxville

Canadian visitors at the Tomato Head

Stream development behind my house

3rd Creek

The University of Tennessee

Follow up on the Dog Situation

The peace was short lived. Last night when I walked by again, they barked and growled at me again. I feel so used! (sigh)

The Enemy of my Enemy

This morning the dogs up the road in the wealthy neighbourhood I live in and I found peace. What was it that stopped them from barking and lumbering towards me aggresively? The crows were making them furious, eating the grass seed from their owner's lawn. As I moved towards the lawn his time, they didn't bark at me. They actually looked releaved that I had scared off the crows for them, and they walked back to the house with the solid Oak doors, slowly to lie down at the foot of the front steps. In this way I found peace with the dogs. Will this peace last? I don't know. I will be walking by again tonight though as I often do, and I expect I will find out then.

The Southernization of a Canadian

I forget what I ever said before y'all's for the plural form of yours. Yankee English is inadequate I think. Because "you" and "yours" apply the same whether I am talking to one person or 100. Now whenever I talk to more than one person I have this overwhelming urge to say or "y'all's" when I'm refering to something that each of them posess. For example "y'all's assignments are outside my office". Ahh, music to my ears!

Does this mean that I'm becoming American? No. I'm just a Canadian becoming southern, if you can accept it.

My doctor assures me that this accent will wear off 6 months after leaving the south. "Just don't eat any grits, southern BBQ, or drink any Sweet Tea during that recovery time" he said. "And whatever you do DON'T say 'I'm fixin to'!"

I think after that 6 months I may be able to watch "The Beverly Hillbillies" again and get their jokes. Right now it just sounds normal to me. I don't understand why everyone is laughing on Jay Leno when they interview a southerner. My adaptable ears have cut me off from the rest of society of which I once partook. I am now, in some ways at least, becoming southern.

I gotta go, I'm fixin to get me some vittles!