Springtime in the Cumberland Mountains

There's really no more beautiful sight than the Cumberland Mountains in bloom. The bright yellow forsythia usually starts the blooming frenzy, followed shortly by the dogwood and red bud trees in April.

This week, the mountain laurel is in full bloom and the bank coming down our driveway is covered with these glorious blossoms!


Natural landscaping at its finest!

Every window in this house frames nature's work of art, and this is the view I have from my dining room window.

These beautiful blossoms will be gone by next week - just in time for the rhododendron display.

About Hillary......

I just finished A Woman in Charge, the recently published biography of Hillary Clinton. This 500+ page work is exhaustively researched and tightly reported by Carl Bernstein, half of the Woodward/Bernstein team of "Watergate" fame. As an investigative reporter, Bernstein has interviewed over 200 individuals and referenced countless books, media reports, speeches, and private notes and papers. The bibliography itself is 9 full pages. Every source was corroborated by a secondary source.

All that to say that this is not a gossipy tabloid biography. This is a serious journalist who is interested in and commited to telling the full story - in all its glory!!

Here are some of my thoughts about Hillary, having read this biography:

• Born in 1947, she is of my generation (I was born in 1946). I can totally relate to her journey as a woman coming of age in the 60's. The limited opportunities for women during her early professional life and the choices she made are reflective of that generation of women. She fell totally "in love" with Bill Clinton, who firmly believed that his political path to national office went through the state of Arkansas. At that point, she hitched her career to his. She believed he could be President and I'm convinced that without her steady and determined focus on that goal, he would have never succeeded.
  


• Hillary learned through trial and error, and a series of missteps, just how tough state and national politics can be. Her response was to close ranks, demonize the opposition and come out fighting. Remember - there were few female role models in politics at this time. This was new territory for her and for women. Her behavior, I believe, modeled the male "warrior." The path to success, many women believed, was to compete based on this "warrior" model - may the best man win!! Feminine voices and behavior patterns (building consensus, creating community and family, etc.) were viewed as weaker behaviors and not worthy of leadership roles. Androgynous leadership styles are only now emerging.
  


• Her early career (BB - before Bill) was marked by a passion for children, particularly for poor children and their families (Children's Defense Fund), and for civil rights, reflective of traditionally feminine concerns and values. She seemed to return to these core values in times of crisis - e.g. the 1994 Republican takeover of both houses of Congress, the demoralizing defeat of her health care package, the Lewinsky affair. Her book, It Takes a Village, was written during 1995 (post 1994 congressional elections and health care defeat) and was intended to show her more reflective, thoughtful and compassionate voice. I believe we also saw this pattern re-emerge in her "I Found My Voice" speech in New Hampshire this year, coming after her stunning 3rd place finish in Iowa.
  


• Hillary does not seem to be able to remain true to this "inner voice." At times, it's an almost schizophrenic pattern - the warrior Hillary vs. the compassionate Hillary. I wonder if she even really knows who she is. Self-examination and reflection are not her strong suits! To me, it's a tragic tale of a bright, talented and driven woman who has lived her life (warts and all) on public display. Through it all, she seems to rise again and again from the ashes. That's why I never count her out. Her displays of apparent arrogance and self-righteousness, I believe, arise from a deep insecurity fostered by the uncertain and rocky path she has followed. (Way too much psycho-babble!!)
  


• Somehow, I think her inability to accept defeat is tied to her life experience. She has taken "spin" to a new level, a la her delegate math assertions. She just can't help herself!! To admit defeat is very personal to her - a body blow.

So, there you have it - my lengthy Hillary analysis. As you can no doubt surmise, I have followed Hillary's career with much interest and, at times, with much respect and admiration. Her current campaign, I must say, is not one that I admire, but I do feel that I understand her path and I ache for what might have been.

It's a journey

Rolling on the River - Tennessee River, that is

We spent a few days with Bobby and Elaine Dodd at their cabin on Shoal Creek which empties into the Tennessee River in Florence, AL. They have just completed an addition which doubled the size of the cabin. What a great place to relax and pass some time.

Jim and Bobby got in a couple of rounds of golf. I got in some training workouts and mostly just sat on the spacious deck and did some reading. Elaine was busy putting out plants, deck cushions, bird feeders, etc. - generally getting the place ready for summer, and it all looks great. A couple of ducks, Dizzy and Donnie, have set up housekeeping at their dock and from all reports should have a brood of ducklings coming along soon.

Late afternoon there is a great time for a boat ride. The dock is only a few steps down from their back door, so it's really so easy to run out for a short sunset cruise down the creek before dinner. Ahhh!!! The good life!!

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

Was she surprised?? Jimmy planned a surprise birthday party for Lisa - and she didn't have a clue!! Good job - Jimmy. The party was at Jimmy & Lisa's almost-finished house. No carpet is laid yet, so no worries about food or beer stains. And, there was plenty of food and a great birthday cake - orange and white, of course.

The day was perfect and the breeze up on the deck was great, although not such a great idea for the grass fire burning between the house and the creek. Soon, the fire trucks were there putting out the fire and providing some unexpected entertainment for the afternoon.

Lisa's best "bud" Wendy and her husband Kyle were there with their 4-month-old daughter, Madison Grace.

Will was busy practicing his skate-boarding moves, but found time to "play" with baby Madison.

Here's a few pics of the folks at the party. Great way to spend the afternoon!

Happy Mothers' Day

We had a great weekend for mothers. Marci & Ryan were here along with Cammie & Erik (shown here in front with our family on Mt. LeConte) and their two children. Cammie was Marci's honor attendant in their wedding and Erik is Ryan's uncle and also in the wedding. They are the matchmakers who introduced Marci and Ryan to each other.

Cammie is a new mother (Charlie is 8 weeks and Amelia is soon to be 3) and Marci is hoping to be a mother soon, and I enjoyed having both my daughter and my "adopted" daughter here. We took in the Sewanee Arts & Crafts weekend and had a delicious lunch on Saturday at the Blue Chair, a delightful cafe with a mission - be sure to click on the Blue Monarch link to learn about their program.

Jimmy, Lisa and Will stayed in Chattanooga for the day, so we shared the day and greetings and hugs by cellphone.

A favorite quote:

Grown don't mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What's that suppose to mean? In my heart it don't mean a thing. ~Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987

To all you mothers out there - keep the faith!!

North Carolina Goes Big for Obama!!

As I post this entry, it appears that we won North Carolina by solid double digits and that Indiana is too close to call, but will probably go for Clinton by 2 points. What this means, I believe, is that it will be very difficult for Clinton to make the case that she should be the candidate with this mediocre showing in what has been Obama's roughest week so far. Once again, I am so proud to be a part of this campaign. Barack has weathered the storm and shown that he can do it with dignity and integrity.

We canvassed door-to-door until the polls closed at 7:30 tonight. On the way back to headquarters, we got the news that CNN had already called North Carolina for Obama. There were four women in my car screaming their heads off and acting like wild creatures!! We had worked so hard, and were so tired I think we were just delirious.

The victory party was at the Asheville Brewing Co. They had a huge TV screen for viewing the results and free pizza for the campaign volunteers. Everybody was so happy - and the pizza was delicious. I couldn't resist taking a picture of this banner. Check out their website: Drinking Liberally

Here are some pictures of my campaign buddies that have been here throughout these 5 days.

This is Jeff and Fadia. Both of them live in Chattanooga. Fadia rode over with me on Friday and Jeff has been here since last Wednesday. Jeff is an architect and has also campaigned for Barack in Ohio, as has Fadia. Fadia is a Jordanian and cannot vote, but has worked very hard to elect Obama. Fadia and I have canvassed together most days and Jeff has driven voters to the polls.

Below left, are Kim and Stan, who are married and live in Asheville. Stan was actually more involved in a local contest for county commission, and his candidate won. Kim joined us this afternoon for canvassing and was in the car screaming like a banshee when we heard the CNN results. My hostess, Kathy is also in the picture. Kathy volunteered all day today holding signs up at intersections and getting voters to the polls.

Below right, is Carolyn with me. Carolyn is an accountant from Greeneville, SC, who was the canvass coordinator for Greeneville in the SC primary in January. This woman can absolutely run circles around anybody!! We were celebrating the victory - sitting at the bar with our pizza and beer.

So, tomorrow I say farewell to my wonderful hosts for my stay in Asheville. Eric and Kathy have made me feel so welcome. Thanks, Eric, for the great oatmeal breakfasts every morning - I love your recipe and will take it home with me! Thanks, Kathy, for outfitting my bed with the high-threadcount sheets, down comforter and the wonderful mattress warmer. Believe it or not, it's cool enough in Asheville at night that these accessories feel great. It has been wonderful to fall into this comfortable bed every night, with the windows open, the train whistling in the distance and the birds waking me up with their singing in the morning. And thanks for the great conversations we've had. Best wishes in your move to Ithaca - Kathy enters law school at Cornell this fall!!

As wonderful as this trip has been, I will be so happy to get back to our mountain tomorrow. Have a great week!!

Sunday Church at Solid Rock

Sunday in Asheville - a gloriously beautiful day! I started the day in church and finished the day in the Noodle Bowl, one of the many restaurants that line Broadway in downtown Asheville. This one was a Thai restaurant, moderately priced and VERY good food. By the way, downtown Asheville is like a New York City neighborhood - lots of people on the sidewalks, a restaurant every 2 or 3 buildings, small shops. Even on a Sunday night, people were still out at 9:30 pm and restaurants were still open and busy.

The last door that we knocked on Saturday was a couple (Calvin and Anita, in the picture to the left) who were Obama supporters. It was the end of the day, so we spent more time than usual talking with them. They invited us to attend their church on Sunday morning and said that their pastor was a big Obama supporter. Before we left, Anita went into the house and came back out with a portable phone and handed it to Lisa - my campaign partner for the afternoon. The pastor of the church was on the phone and wanted to invite us not only to attend but to speak during the church service on Sunday morning!

We accepted his invitation, and headed off to Solid Rock Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday morning. The church itself has quite a story. Here's a link to an article in the local newspaper that tells the story better than I can: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880328113 By the way, Calvin and his 5-year old son are pictured in the article's sidebar photo.

Their service begins with music and carries throughout the entire 2-hour service. The pastor, Rev. Otis Ware, (in the picture to the right with Lisa, her daughter Dominique who is 11, and me) who loves to sing, even works music into his sermon. One of the most touching moments was when the entire congregation - about 75 people - stood up, turned to face us and the other visitors, and sang a welcome song to us as we remained in our seats. By the way, this is the most "hugging" church I have ever been in. We were hugged as we came up the sidewalk, hugged again when we walked through the doors, hugged several times during the service and hugged over and over again as we said goodbye.

Lisa and I both spoke about why we support Barack Obama and encouraged those who had not voted to vote on Tuesday. I think our words were well received - at least we got a lot of "Amens"!

The campaign goes on. I'm off this morning for another day of door knocking and tomorrow is election day. I'm meeting some great people and I'll tell you more about my campaign buddies in a later post. They are literally from all over this side of the country and totally committed to getting Barack Obama elected. This is an amazing campaign!