We went over to Springbrook Park for our summertime nightly walk. I commented to the Mrs., hey, there's no place to park, but there's nobody at the park? There must be a ballgame, she replied. Must be a big one, says me.

Little did we know that we were wading into the middle of one of the biggest high school sports rivalries in Tennessee.

We asked a couple of kids walking by, who's playing? Maryville and Alcoa, they said.

Oh, my! The 4A v. the 2A State Champs, hometown teams from our own county squaring off. We were somewhat embarrassed that we hadn't been keeping up and didn't know.

Anyway, it's an exciting night in Blount County. Probably bigger than Boomsday over there in Knoxville this weekend. Can't wait to read about the game in tomorrow's paper.

A few photos after the jump...

Female Pekinese found on deck in my back yard. Took to the vet to see if she was micro-chipped and nothing. Vet confirmed sex and age approx. 1-5 year. White/tan color.

The attendance at last nights swearing in of Michael Meares as our County Circuit Judge was impressive! In all due respect to the Governor, in my opinion, the full chamber went beyond the presence of the states highest ranking elected official being present. This was about good people having an opportunity to be part of and show the whole county - being 'fair and impartial' is what this county desires. Last nights attendance showed that the counties Democrats and Independents have joined and found their voice. This duo has come together to take back the counties pride. Their force will be felt in the 2008 elections. The die-hard Republicans of the county will not be able to take this force for granted in the future! (to use a imfamous phrase of the Prez) "Bring it ON!"

Arrogance gone WILD!

Did you see the picture of California Rep. David Dreier sitting on the lecturn of Columbia's House Chamber? (This was equivalent to a statesman from Columbia meeting with our Prez and deciding, for comfort, to sit on the desk in the Oval office.) In my humble opinion that picture represents the WHOLE Republican Party in this country - arrogance. It starts with the leader - the Prez - and filters down all the way into our local political systems. What will it take to wake the 'common folks' of this county and the nation that a "fall cleaning" needs to be done in November?

Is it any wonder that right before the 2006 election developers were taking out full page ads in the newspapers in support of Jerry Cunningham? Is it any wonder that the Blount County United Way is stacked with Republicans?

The Blount County United Way has made much of it's kickoff. And, as most know it strives to do a lot of good with many deserving organizations. But it sure seems strange how a non-profit organization would lead its fund-raising charge with a host of politically-charged Republicans. The object is to bring in as many dollars as possible to help the UW's member agencies, not to politicize the campaign and risk losing donations from those who have serious issues with the highly questionable financial shenanigans of the group unaffectionately being tagged "Bennett & Co."

Let's see, Bennett, Blount Republican party chair, is "chair" of the United Way campaign. Julie Talbott, who works in Bennett's office, is chairing the United Way Day of Caring. Disgraced Circuit Court Clerk, Tom Hatcher, also a Republican, is chairing the UW's Hamburger Luncheon. Now, you'll note Commissioner Mike Lewis is chairing the UW's Golf Tournament, and yes, he is a Republican. But, in his defense, he's been involved in charity golf tournaments for many years, and is a relative newcomer to politics. He's still trying to figure out all this political stuff.

With all due respect to the United Way, this smells kinda stinky. And, the UW administration and Board of Directors should have seen the writing on the wall. Then again, maybe they did, and went with the political angle anyway. Either way, this year, donations from this wallet will be given directly to the member-agencies. It doesn't make sense to send money through an organization that leads a major campaign with politics instead of keeping its eye focused on its mission of helping those with real needs.

There was this weird substance dropping from the sky yesterday afternoon. It was wet and cool. The plants seemed to reach up and embrace the substance. What a pleasure.

According to The Maryville Daily Times and the National Weather Service, 1.91 inches of the substance accumulated at the Knoxville airport. Living about a mile away from the airport, as the crow flies, we only received 1/4 inch. We are still happy and our plants are happy.

What is it, though, with the people that continue to water their yards every day? Do they not read the paper? Do they not care about the community?