Trading Post Chat

SAVANNAH CUNNICK

Are you kidding? It's Thanksgiving already? Where has the time gone? I guess we are all so busy working and taking care of our families and friends that the days just fly by! JD and I are not traveling far this year for Turkey Day. Going to our friend's home and everybody is bringing a dish. Looking forward to it! We just got back from Asheville, North Carolina.

Just gone a couple days...but JD's momma isn't doing very well and we were very concerned. She is a very special person in our lives and we could not be more blessed than to have shared so many years together. It was JD's sister's birthday as well....so it all turned out to be a most purposeful visit.

I was getting a kick out of the advertising signs and billboards all along the highway to and fro. There was the Cross-Eyed Cricket Campgrounds, On-the-level Towing, From Wine to Shine Liquor Store, Free Bytes and Bites Motel (offering WiFi and restaurant availability). I think the Lexus pulling a U-Haul was a great oxymoron. Then there was a Rest Stop featuring a sign: No Big Loads right in front of the restroom facility. The town called Crab Orchard tickled me.

The Smokey Mountains were so majestic and the autumn leaves were still bright and colorful. I really enjoyed all the scenery and little towns scattered amongst the larger cities.

Uncle Festus told us to make sure that we stopped and had lunch at his favorite restaurant: The Road Kill Café. He said it was the: Taste of the Wild Side. Well, against our better judgement, we gave it a shot. I knew we were in trouble when the menu featured: Head Light Delights. The Today's Special was: Sun Bake Snake, Toad Ala Road, Rack of Raccoon, Thumper on a Bumper and Chunk of Skunk. Dessert was Hog n Datsun ice cream. Smidgen of Pigeon was the Appetizer. Somehow, nothing quite rocked my world . JD said: Well, maybe we can just get the Take-Out Special : Bag a Gag. But, only served fresh every night after dark. Right away, my excuse of : Sorry, I'm on a diet ...kicked in. I told JD that if he even considered tasting that food...I would never give him a kiss again! And, anyway...Why do think Festus is such a hot mess....eating those kind of groceries would scramble anybody's mind and body!

Cousin Clarence just loves to eat at that place also. Why am I surprised?

Speaking of which....Clarence just opened a new business called : Shampooch. It is a doggie beauty shop and day care. So far, he has scorched the fur totally off a Pomeranian, shaved too much hair off the head and tail of a prize poodle, painted the toenails and another digit not considered a toenail of a male terrier and caused a urinary tract infection that cost the owner a fortune to clear up at the local vets. ( The vet could not help but make note of this particular case in his records of hysterical animal treatments.) From what I understand, with the last bottle rocket that went through his salon window, Clarence closed up shop and left town for awhile.

The Short Mountain Trading Post is growing in leaps and bounds. We now have a waiting list for vendors. We are expanding into as many new spaces that we possibly can. Our newest vendor deals in fantastic antiques. They are very unique and reasonably priced . Another vendor features eclectic artsy items
and furniture. We will have a new pottery artisan in the spring. If you haven't seen Ruby's Red Slipper room...you must !!! Our Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, will be one not too miss. Prices are slashed and so much to choose from! We will be open as usual at 10 in the morning and close at 4. Our normal business days are Thursday thru Saturday from 10 to 4. Weather will be getting quite chilly soon, and we are guessing that by the middle of December we will be closed until Mid March. I will keep you all informed on the reopen date as that time gets closer. If anyone has throw away furniture and household items they no longer need, please call me at #615-464-7824 for drop off time or pick-up. Our starving artists who's art is refurbishing these used pieces deeply appreciate what had been donated thus far. So, take a look around your basement, attic, garage, sheds or barn...there's bound to be something throw away there that you can donate.

The clothing drive has been stupendous! There are certainly a large group of folks who now have a warm coat, sweater and slacks for this winter. If we didn't get to all of you who called me to pick up items...please forgive us....we will contact you soon, so hang on to those things you have gathered up for us. We are still distributing warm clothing throughout the winter months along with the food that Feed America Organization is offering every Saturday from 7AM to 9AM at the Woodbury Station. For directions and further details please call me at the above phone number.

Before I sign off, I just wanted to mention what a catastrophe in the city of Paris with the loss of so many people due to the terrorists of the Taliban. What a horrible mess and I wonder if they actually realized that by causing such a catastrophe so many immigrants from Syria are now banned from entering our country. I mean, America has totally absorbed way too many citizens from so many needy nations. It's sad that all these people need a better place to live and escape from such ongoing terror. I've always felt that our country cannot care for all OUR OWN PEOPLE! Much less, keeping the melting pot so full that our own people here in the United States cannot find a job or care for their families in a proper fashion. What the heck is going on?

Well ENOUGH OF THIS has been going on...America is the land of opportunity....FOR WHO? We cannot care for our average citizen properly....we cannot supply proper medical care or social security benefits for our elderly citizens...crime control is insufficient and crime investigations are sketchy....robberies of businesses must be handled by the business owners...help comes too late....churches are burned down....gangs shoot up neighborhoods and end up killing innocent adults and children who are merely trying to stay off the streets but get killed anyway when bullets go into their homes....drugs, meth labs take over leaving nothing but stunned addicted victims stumbling around and destroying all they know just so they can get ONE MORE HIT.

I mean, we have religions here that are preaching against our own Christian beliefs and how we worship. It's on the news. Well, if it's on the news...why is it allowed in our country. Even how we handle waste disposal is disgusting...dumping it in our oceans...nuclear plants in our deserts...chemicals and lethal fertilizers running off into our lakes and rivers. Is there no regard left for ANYTHING...ANYMORE...Folks? And we wonder why our country is dissolving and no longer safely productive as it once was so many years ago when we seriously CARED about our nation and our people. (OK....I'm jumping off my soapbox...but just temporarily.)

I guess I will sign off for now....but when we say our Thanksgiving prayers this Thursday....hold that hand of the person seated next to you and mean every word of thanks that we offer. Take care of each other, give a smile and a hug and remember what we talked about today. Many Hugs,

Savannah.