Don's shoe

Photo made by Don, of his shoe, 22-Feb-2009. I remember those, so well! :)

©2012 Tiffany Reed

One pepper, one pound

I found these really big peppers one time, so Don wanted to weigh them on his handy-dandy scale. They weighed about ONE POUND each! In the lower left of the photo, you can see Don's hand sneaking in to get his own photo of the pepper on the scale! We did the goofiest things together! LOL!

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Quan-Yin

One of my statues of Quan-Yin. She is maybe a foot tall and was always on a special, small "altar table" in the edge of the Sitting Room. Quan-Yin is the Chinese concept of the embodiment of Compassion into a feminine form. I think Don rather liked having Her around, since she is prevalent in Buddhist tradition, which was close to Don's spiritual leanings. I have no idea where she is at the moment. I am sure she must be in one of the boxes in the storage building behind my parents' house, but I have been unable to find Her since I moved my things down here. Perhaps She is away from home, helping other sentient beings at the moment...? LOL

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Robert Siegel, NPR

I have always loved National Public Radio (NPR). I was listening to them, avidly, from my teenage years onward. In fact, I still have a cassette tape that I recorded off NPR back in the early 1970s! LOL! Their broadcasting contains pertinent news, educational programming, classical music, and items of heartwarming interest. There are many impressive people at NPR. One that always stood-out in my mind was Robert Siegel. He has a very polished, professional attitude and a fabulous voice for radio. It reminds me greatly of Don's great "radio voice," and I see some similarities in their appearance, too. Each week, I download stories from the NPR website for my father and me to hear when nothing interesting is on television. I could read the stories aloud for us (and sometimes do, when audio is not available for a particular story), but I think Dad might enjoy hearing the varied voices that read the stories, rather than my single voice droning on and on. It is always nice when it is Robert Siegel that is reporting a story. :)

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Snowy night

My car and Don's car in our back yard on a snowy night.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Snowy day

Looking out the back door on a snowy day. There's my car up there; Don was either at work or parked on the street. The other car visible beyond my car is an old BMW which Don and Steve stripped for parts, to fix other cars. It took a while, but we finally found someone interested in hauling it away for us in exchange to all the extra parts they could get from it. :)

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Clawfoot

This is NOT the "Clawfoot Chest" that was in the house on Wateree Street. Sadly, I do not have a photo of that one. But this photo, found online, reminds me of it. Ours had THREE drawers across the top, not two. And there were TWO deep drawers beneath the three smaller ones. We kept candles in one drawer, old keys & such in another drawer, our spare light bulbs in another, and I kept some of my book jackets and such in there, too. It was a lovely, old piece of furniture! :)

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Beech Trees

These beautiful beech trees lived happily in a vacant lot at the corner of West Market Street and State of Franklin Road for over a century. I think the property was actually part of a homestead before the city expanded all around it. Plans were made to use the property for the expansion of the "Medical Corridor" associated with the hospital, and the trees were somehow "in the way" of the proposed progress. Many of us could not understand how the property could not be developed in a judicious manner so as to save the trees. I signed a petition to save the trees, and many others actually picketed the site. We lost the protest, though, and the trees were cut down. Then, the proposed project fell through and was never even started. Last I heard, a chain-drugstore was being built there. So much for "progress" and living harmoniously with Mother Earth. :(

photo by Johnson City Press

Friendship Garden

The "Friendship Garden" at Metro-Kiwanis Park on Knob Creek Road, part of the International "Sister Cities" program.

photo by Johnson City Press

Nostalgic

Decades ago, this is what Main Street in downtown Johnson City looked like on a snowy day in winter. I love this nostalgic view!

photo by Johnson City Press

Johnson City Public Library

photo by Johnson City Press

Sophisticated Otter

I spent quite a few happy hours at the Sophisticated Otter. A great group of people interested in "alternative spirituality" held their "munches" (casual gatherings of like-minded folk to dine & chat) there until it closed. It was such a great place, with good food and good atmosphere! When the Otter closed, we started going to the Acoustic Coffeehouse until it grew a little too noisy — even outside! — for conversation. Then, we moved to Numan's and another little place downtown. After I met Don, he went along with me to some of the munches, too.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Lightnin' Charlie

©2006 Lightnin' Charlie

Reagan Boggs

©2010 Reagan Boggs

Rhythm & Roots Reunion

Each year, as Kingsport begins to go into withdrawal when the Twilight Alive series has ended for the year, the city of Bristol comes to the rescue with the Rhythm & Roots Reunion! Held in the old downtown area of Bristol, attendees can enjoy great music, food, and browsing many of the shops that remain open during the event. Some of the live music that was scheduled when Don and I attended were (clicking on the names will link to their websites, if available): ♫ Marty Stuart ♫ Darrell Scott ♫ Royal Pine ♫ Adolphus Bell ♫ Carolina Chocolate Drops ♫ Sigean ♫ Reagan Boggs

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Twilight Alive

Every summer, downtown Kingsport has live music on Thursday and Friday evenings. On Thursdays, artists from the Blues & Jazz genres are more prominent. On Fridays, the fare is usually geared towards the Bluegrass & Zedeco genres. All concerts are FREE and always entertaining! Here are some of the acts Don and I were able to see (clicking on the names will link to their websites, if available): ♫ Robinella ♫ Sonny Landreth ♫ Drivin' 'N' Cryin' ♫ Dash Riprock ♫ Marcia Ball ♫ Johnny Winter ♫ the Lee Boys ♫ the Subdudes

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Blue Plum Festival

The Blue Plum Festival which is held in Johnson City every year always has good music! Don and I were only able to attend one year together, but it was lovely! The following musicians performed that day we went (clicking on the names will link to their websites, if available): ♫ Hector Qirko ♫ Martha Scanlan ♫ the Waybacks ♫ Railroad Earth

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Little Chicago Blues Festival

Johnson City has been nicknamed "Little Chicago" because it was a major "bootlegging" center during the Prohibition Era, and also because gangster Al Capone reportedly frequented the town (probably because of the bootlegging activity). Also, northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Virgina was the birthplace of country music, and is home to many good musicians (Johnny Cash and June Carter, just to name two). So, each year, the multi-day "Little Chicago Blues Festival" is held at a music venue called "Down Home" in Johnson City. Don and his sister, Dawn, went to the festival several times over the years, and I was able to join them in 2006. Thank you, Dawn, for making that possible! It was so fabulous! Here are some of the musical acts we were able to see that year (clicking on the names will link to their websites, if available): ♫ Bleu Jackson ♫ Blue Mother Tupelo ♫ Blue Rapture ♫ Bobby Knight ♫ Brim Leal ♫ The Hoodoos ♫ Jenna & the Jonses ♫ Lightnin' Charlie ♫ Marley's Ghost ♫ The Nightcrawlers ♫ The Nomadz ♫ Paul Rishell & Annie Raines

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Statesmen of Jazz

Milligan College's 21-piece jazz ensemble performs to the public every year, under the direction of Rick Simerly, Milligan associate professor of music. Don and I attended the concert on the evening of 04/05/2006, when three jazz musicians from eastern Tennessee were honored with the title "Statesmen of Jazz" — Jimmy Fleenor on clarinet, Bill Gamble on saxophone, and Charles Goodwin on piano. It was a marvelous evening, hearing those accomplished musicians perform along with Milligan's jazz ensemble!

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Buddha

I really like this artwork of Buddha, which hangs in my favorite nail salon in Kingsport (Signature Nails, across from the Fort Henry Walmart).

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Pilgrims in bondage

My late husband had a wacky sense of humor. When I came home, excitedly clutching this cute pair of flats from Ross, he hesitated as if in thought. Noting the 'buckle' motif that looks like it was made of chain, he said, "It's like Pilgrims in bondage!" LOL

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Rest area

On many of my trips back-and-forth between SC and TN, I was often grateful for clean, safe restrooms along the way.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Mercury vapor

Outside the front entrance of the Johnson City Medical Center at night, the landscaping looks eerily beautiful under the greenish glow of a mercury vapor street light.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Artwork

This beautiful artwork hangs in the hallway of the fourth floor at Johnson City Medical Center, where Don stayed during his tests. I absolutely love this artwork! It is so pretty!

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Bumps

I made a "food run" to Taco Bell for Don when he was admitted to the hospital because he missed the cutoff time for his first meal there. This is the view I had pulling out of the Taco Bell parking lot at the corner of Market Street & State of Franklin Road. I find the row of continuous "bumps" to the southwest of Buffalo Mountain fascinating.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Buffalo Mountain

Buffalo Mountain, as seen from a point along State of Franklin Road near the Johnson City Medical Center. To make a prettier photo, I took artistic license to remove the power poles, power lines, traffic lights, signs, and so forth. See how much nicer it would be without all our junk in the way?

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Pause, Reflect, Heal

Outside of each room on the floor of the Johnson City Medical Center, where Don went for the tests, was this plaque. It is as good advice for visitors as it is for patients.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Jaundice

Sometime early in 2009, perhaps in January or February, Don noticed his diabetes medications were losing their effectiveness, so his doctor began adjusting dosages and switched him to a different medication. We were both concerned, but this sometimes happens with diabetics. Had we known, that was a possible early-warning sign of the Pancreatic Cancer, as was the depression he battled (which I attributed, in part, to my absence while caring for my parents, as well as financial struggles). He finally had to resort to insulin (two types, one slow-acting and one fast-acting). We knew something was amiss when the steatorrhea started, so his doctors ran blood tests and urinalysis tests. He was given a report from one doctor that his kidneys were functioning at decreased capacity. Don and I, both, began to suspect Pancreatic Cancer. Further testing was hampered by his lack of insurance and our lack of financial resources. The real kicker was when I walked into the bathroom one night while Don was enjoying a very loooooooooong soak in the tub, which he called "water therapy" (LOL) and thought his skin had a yellowish color to it. He dismissed it rather quickly, saying it was just the lighting in the bathroom. After emerging from the tub, he still could not see the yellowish tinge to his skin, even in other lighting, but it was obvious to me. I took the photo, below, to try to show him what I was seeing. Next to the white sheets, he definitely had a golden glow about him. He agreed to call his doctor the next day. The next day showed an increase in the jaundice, to the point that even Don could finally see it. The doctor wanted to see him right away, so Don got dressed and left. The next thing I know, I am getting a phone call from him that the doctor took one look and sent him straight to the Johnson City Medical Center. That started the series of tests that confirmed that a tumor was present in his pancreas.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Lights! Decorations!

The house on Watauga Aveue that always has fabulous lights & decorations for every major holiday (also featured in the December 24, 2011 entry of this blog) is decked-out here with Hallowe'en fare.

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Pretty Paws :3

I saw this place a lot because of its location on Knob Creek Road, not far from the "back entrance" to the apartment complex where Toni and I lived in Johnson City. Pretty Paws, for pretty puppies & kitties! =^..^=

©2012 Tiffany Reed

Birthday

Happy Birthday, Don... wherever you are.

©2012 Tiffany Reed