Growing in the Right Direction

As my second month of blogging comes to a close, I am excited to look back and see how this blog project has evolved as the summer has unfolded.

During my first month, May, I mostly copied and pasted content from other green websites. I wasn't really sure in which direction I wanted to go, other than to heighten awareness about green living.

But during June, something started to click.

I began making more personalized posts, and adding photos...either taken by myself or grabbed from the internet.

I also began to formulate my own personal definition of green living, which is more broad than narrow...in a nutshell, green living for me is about more than reusable bags and denim insulation. it's about living consciously with love, sharing with others, being more joyful, getting back to soem of the values of our parents' and grandparents' generation without sacrificing some things I enjoy about 21st century life...

This blog also has rekindled my love affair with writing, which had waned after years and years of journalism and other type of writing jobs that sucked the life out of me!

As I blog, I am learning that it's not so much about being perfect (as I had to do in jobs)...it's about sharing.

So that means I'm going to have to step out of my comfort zone and develop more of a readership! Scary...but exciting!

Water, Water Everywhere!

One of my favorite childhood memories is of putting on my bathing suit and playing in the sprinkler.

The water coming through the hose, had a certain scent that I can't even begin to describe. It just smelled fresh, I guess...quite different from water coming from the tap inside even though it was the same water.

I liked to drink it from the hose because it had a fresh taste that matched the smell.

I also loved to play in the street gutters after a rain! If it was a heavy rain, water would be rushing and gushing down the gutter towards the storm drain.

I loved to put on boots or some other type of rubber shoe and splash and splash! If the weather was really hot, as it often was in Memphis in the summer, the water would heat up from the pavement. Or sometimes the water would feel cold, depending on the time of the year.

I enjoyed playing in the water no matter what the season.

I could take this opportunity to talk about stormwater runoff as an environmental issue...but I won't.

I'll just continue to savor those simple childhood memories.

Wormy Stuff!

Wow! I am fired up about composting with worms...it seems much easier than making a compost bin, etc. The worms do all the work! Of course I do have to supply them with some bedding...shredded newspaper.

Check out this link at wikihow.com on how to compost with worms. It may take me a few weeks to get everything together (ie, order the worms) but I hope to have a full report soon...

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Worm-Compost-System

What to do with cinnamon basil?

Every year I plant cinnamon basil in my herb garden because I love the scent...it's totally different from "regular" basil or even varieties like purple ruffles...

But I never know what to do with it, other than sniff it a lot!

So today I searched on the internet for recipes using cinnamon basil and found this:

I plan to give it a try soon...

Cinnamon Basil Cupcakes

1/4 cup fresh cinnamon basil

1/3 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup sour cream or milk

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Puree cinnamon basil with oil in a blender. Combine with sugar and egg. Sift together flour and baking powder and add to oil mixture with remaining ingredients. Bake at 200C for 12 minutes.

Rags for Sale!

Until he was about 5 years old, Steven, his parents, his older sister, Kathy, and his younger sister, Carol, lived in a brick bungalow on Keating Street in Chicago.

One of Steven's vivid memories is of a man in a horse-drawn wagon coming down the back alleyway shouting in a creaky old voice, "Rags for sale! Rags for sale!" This was in the late '50s/early '60s.

I remember my grandmother speaking of the "rag man" as well.

Back in the day, everyone recycled! It was a way of life that was just natural and normal.

In an effort to reduce paper towel usage, I've been using more "rags". Instead of paper towels or paper napkins at meals, we've been using cotton dish towels. They get kind of yucky after a day or two, especially considering how much pizza we eat, but there is something satisfying about using them.

Since we needed more than the pitiful two or three I already had, yesterday when I was in Wal-Mart I purchased 12 of what are now called "bar towels" for $5.50. I was pleased with that bargain.

I used one this morning to clean all the kitchen counter and table surfaces with vinegar and water, then threw the whole lot into the washer along with the cotton kitchen rugs, place mats, and a few other items.

Then I hung them out to dry on the line!

The few minutes I spent outdoors hanging clothes was really special. Yes, it was hot...over 90. But it was so quiet! No traffic noise, no noise from the neighbors. Just one bird singing, and Bits and Bubs asleep on the porch, and my Mr. Stripey heirloom tomato quietly growing in his 5-gallon bucket.

I don't get much alone time, so I really enjoyed hanging out the wash.

And now, a few hours later, it's time to bring in the fresh-smelling "rags" and rugs. What wonders will I discover on this visit outside?

As a postscript to Steven's life on Keating, we revisited the old house last Christmas Day, and went back into the alleyway where the rag man used to drive past shouting, "Rags for sale! Rags for sale!".

Saturday at the Market

Going to the Franklin Farmer's Market is a treat we enjoy at least once a month. Franklin is far enough away from Ashland City to make it seem like a mini-vacation.

This week's market was nearly double in size from several weeks ago!

Some highlights: meeting a couple (about our age) who operate a personal chef/detox business in Cool Springs to assist people with detoxing and eating healthier. We plan to set up an appointment when we figure out our vacation plans.

Meeting the good folks of Peaceful Pastures, a new vendor. They offer organic beef, chicken, lamb, duck, pork, and goose, and have a CSA program.

Purchasing some yummy pattypan squash from Eaton's Creek Organics and making it into Creole Squash using their recipe. Basically, cut up the squash, boil it w. onion and bay leaf, drain and mash, add brown rice, Tabasco, and can of tomatoes (although all I had was tomato sauce and it worked fine) and some parsley or other fresh herbs.

Purchasing a ginormous bunch of kale and having my mother cook it--she's much better at it than I am.

Buying my mother some fantastic looking green beans that she had been wanting.

And finally...purchasing some gorgeous soaps from a new vendor whose name I unfortunately can't remember....here they are, in a beautiful gauze bag! I am so crazy about the color combo I almost don't want to use them. But I will!

You Make Me Feel Like a Natural...Home

My new issue of Natural Home magazine (http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/) came today, and as usual it's packed with fantastic stuff!

This issue is the publication's special 2008 Reosource Guide, filled with 500+ "great green products."

Just so there's no confusion, the above photo is last year's resource guide which I grabbed off the internet, and as you can see there are now 100+ more great green products!

Natural Home is what led me to greener pastures, and I'm grateful for it!

It's 4 p.m. here in Nashville, time for my afternoon siesta, so it's not hard to guess what publication I am going to curl up with today!

Young Green Entrepreneur

There was an excellent story in yesterday's Tennessean about a young, green, entrepreneur named Nathan Zack.

His story reminds me of stories from The Depression, with a modern twist.

Now 27, Nathan's dad died when he was 15. Because money was tight, he quit school to help support his mother and siblings. His first venture was a lawnmowing business in Farmington Hills, MI, where he and his family lived.

Nathan eventually went to work for his uncle, who had a scrap metal business. That experience, combined with his mother's environmental activism, gave him the idea to create Great Lakes Electronics.

Basically, Nathan's company recycles computers, a much-needed service.

His employees wipe the data clean, and test the products. If the item works they sell it on eBay. If not, they break down the parts and sell them to various recyclers.

Great Lakes Electronics has done so well that it has warehouses in Florida, the Chicago area, and the Atlanta area as well as Detroit. Although he started out asking neighbors for old computers, he now has K mart and other large companies in his customer list.

Since it's a privately owned company, Nathan is not required to disclose sales data, but his mother says she has to "pinch myself" to believe it.

Can you imagine the commitment and determination this young man had, to quit school to help his family and then build a successful business that supports not only himself and his family but his employees and the environment as well?

What an amazing young man!

Woo-Hoo!

No more Ortho! After being there for several weeks, it went away after I published the post about it a few moments ago!

Advertising--Oi vey!

I can't believe it!!!

I've got Ad Sense on this blog and several weeks ago I published a post about using vinegar to kill weeds.

So ever sense, the only ad I've had on the blog is for Ortho weed killer, which I'm sure is loaded with noxious toxins I'd never use in a million years.

I am going to have to figure out something that will shift it to another, more green product.

Just wanted everyone to know I am not promoting Ortho weed killer on purpose!

My Vegetable Patch

Well, folks...when I say I am taking baby steps to be more green, I really mean baby steps since my vegetable garden consists of 2 tomato plants. One is "Mr. Stripey", a low-acid heirloom, and the other is Arkansas Traveler, a pink tomato.

Back in the winter, Steve and I had big plans of finding someone who wanted to have an organic garden but did not have the yard space. We have the space, but not necessarily the time and energy to keep up with a garden.

We asked around at the Ashland City Farmer's Market but couldn't find anyone.

So here it is, my two tomato plants! Better than nothing, I say. And they seem to be thriving. I didn't have good luck with tomatoes a few years ago but now I realize I wasn't planting them deeply enough. My friend, Candace, plants hers in a five-gallon bucket so I decided to do the same and it's working.

I also have some herbs growing in clay pots...pineapple mint, thyme, cinnamon basil, regular basil, and tarragon. I also planted some millet in a clay pot, first because it's beautiful and also for the birds. I just learned the other day that you don't need to put Miracle-Gro or other plant food on herbs but I had already fed them twice by the time I learned that.

So far I have not cooked with the herbs, I just enjoy having them and inhaling their scent every time I walk out the kitchen door.

Wake Up!

I guess this is a day for reprinting others' words on this blog, but this quote from Eckhart Tolle just came to my inbox via the Unity Church e-newsletter and I thought it was very applicable to green living.

I've noticed in the few short months that I've been taking baby steps towards living green, that I've started to wake up and be more conscious. Things that I once did routinely--like leaving the water running while I brush my teeth, or constantly reaching for paper towels--are now becoming acts of sacred consciousness because I want to do them differently, more consciously.

This awakening, to me, is at the heart of green living.

And now--Eckhart!

"Here is a spiritual practice that will bring empowerment and creative expansion into your life. Make list of a number of everyday routine activities that you perform frequently. Include activities that you may consider uninteresting, boring, tedious, irritating, or stressful. But don't include anything that you hate or detest doing. That's a case for either acceptance or for stopping what you do. The list may include traveling to and from work, buying groceries, doing your laundry, or anything that you find tedious or stressful in your daily work.
Then, whenever you are engaged in those activities, let them be a vehicle for alertness. Be absolutely present in what you do and sense the alert, alive stillness within you in the background of the activity. You will soon find that what you do in such a state of heightened awareness, instead of being stressful, tedious, or irritating, is actually becoming enjoyable. To be more precise, what you are enjoying is not really the outward action but the inner dimension of consciousness that flows into the action. This is finding the joy of Being in what you are doing. If you feel your life lacks significance or is too stressful or tedious, it is because you haven't brought that dimension into your life yet. Being conscious in what you do has not yet become your main aim."
Eckhart Tolle, in "A New Earth"

From friend Tom LaRotonda come these words of wisdom. Although he does not speak directly of environmentalism, his comments underline my belief that simple acts of using fewer paper towels and hanging clothes on the line once in a while can make a difference:

"Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”Scot Adams Every moment of your life your thoughts, words, and actions send forth a powerful energetic ripple that is destined to make a difference somewhere in the world. Those thoughts, words, and actions are like pebbles that strike the surface of a cosmic pond of life, initiating that ripple. It doesn’t matter how significant or insignificant you believe your actions are. Once a pebble comes into contact with the pond’s surface the ripple’s momentum cannot be stopped. Your ripple has the same transformational potential as those of the most powerful and influential people in the world. Everything you do - contributes to the overall consciousness of the planet. It is not a question of, “Do my thoughts, words, and actions make a difference in the world?” New spiritual and scientific discoveries continue to build mounds of evidence that we are all energetically connected. Given the significance of our unified connection, the life changing question before each of us is, “What difference do I consciously wish to initiate in the world by casting purposeful pebbles?” In a world besieged with the reality of war, disease, global warming, natural disasters, starvation, genocide and economic collapse, it’s hard to fathom that an action as ordinary as helping a neighbor dig their car out of a snow-bank in Colorado can send a positive ripple that eventually will save a starving child in Africa. It’s hard to believe that an anonymous act of forgiveness directed at an aggressive and rude driver could possibly neutralize an incalculable number of hateful thoughts occurring elsewhere in the world. Yet for a moment, imagine how different your life would be if you knew beyond any question of doubt that even the smallest act of kindness carried this kind of power. It truly makes you think, doesn’t it? Take a moment to recall a small act of kindness that was directed at you. How did it make you feel? Call to mind any details of how it changed the course of your day. Did it inspire you to do a similar act of kindness for someone else? Truly recapture that moment. Now imagine that ripple continuing to spread…that the person you did something for in turn did something for another person, and so on. Imagine the chain is never broken. Eventually all 6 billion plus people in the world would be touched by this one act of kindness. Just imagine - billions of people positively uplifted by one person casting a purposeful pebble containing love, kindness, and compassion. To transform the fear-based consciousness that is gripping our planet we must fill the world with ripples of love. Just think what could happen if each person reading this would commit to one conscious act a day filled with hope and inspiration! Robert F. Kennedy said to a delegation in South Africa in 1966, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” You do not need to achieve the stature and influence of a Robert Kennedy to make a significant difference in the world. Your pebbles are equally as powerful. But they will never have power if you don’t toss them. Your pebble may be the one that greatly influences and inspires the direction of a future leader…but you must toss it. Your pebble may be the one to inspire someone to totally change the course of their life…but you must toss it. The impact caused by each act of kindness cannot be logically conceived. Some people believe that their pebbles have more power if they are cast as part of a great and worthy cause. This belief will limit you. The fact that you never followed your dream of joining the Peace Corps or participated in building a Habitat for Humanity home does not reduce the power of your daily actions. The purposeful pebble that your inner voice is telling you to toss today, no matter how small it may seem, is destined to flame the winds of great change. My inspiration to you this day is that you cast purposeful pebbles filled with hope and inspiration. Know that the ripples your pebbles initiate are cosmically designed to make a difference far beyond what your mind can conceive. What power you have in your grasp! Use it wisely and lovingly. Till Next Time – May You Empower Your Life,

Tom Tom LaRotonda is the owner of Core Matters LLC, a transformational leadership organization based in Denver, Colorado. He is a keynote speaker, free-lance writer, life/executive coach, leadership consultant, and seminar facilitator. His life purpose is to inspire his clients to boldly pursue their life dreams by taking the road less traveled. One of the foremost and leading edge speakers on the concept of Inspirational Living, he has addressed audiences around the world. Tom brings passion, excellence and dedication to his calling as a transformational leadership path-finder.

I encourage you to share these messages with your friends and family. You also have my permission to reprint any message in your newsletters, websites and message boards providing you include full authorship, copyright, and subscription information. I also welcome your comments and feedback. Subscription Info: To subscribe to the Core Reflections weekly message simply send an e-mail to tom@corematters.com. You have my commitment that all personal and professional data will be held in the strictest of confidence. ©2008 Tom LaRotonda All Rights Reserved

Happy Father's Day!

Salvation Sacks

Lots of women are shoe-a-holics...not me, I'm a purse-a-holic!

So I was extremely excited to learn about Salvation Sacks.

These handmade bags in several styles are made from vintage clothing, leather, jewelry, and even shower curtains!

What's really cool is that the creator/designer is a former corporate attorney who left the rat race to make these fun, eco-friendly bags.

They're a bit pricey, but if you join the club you get $35 off!

Check out the website at http://www.salvationsacks.com/! I'm saving my money for a red one with vintage men's neckties!

Baby Steps

Well...as previously reported, I had been forgetting to use my brand-new reusable bags from Wal-Mart.

Friday night, though, I turned the corner. Steve and I dashed down to WM for a couple of frozen pizzas and remembered to carry the bag into the store!

Of course, when we were at the self-checkout, I almost forgot to use it! We had to take the pizzas out of the plastic bag and put them in the reusable bag, thus confusing the computerized checker as to whether our items were bagged or not...but it was worth it.

Another baby step...since my hair is so thick, I also decided this morning to turn the shower off while I soaped and washed my hair, and it worked well. For some reason, I got a little dizzy when the water was off so I just grabbed onto the grab bar.

I'll keep doing it!

Are You "Putting Up"?

Back when I lived in Mississippi, my closest friend, Larry, was a third-generation farmer.

A bachelor, he lived in the original family farm home with his mother, Miss Anna Lou, while his brothers and their families lived down the road.

Every summer during July and August, when I called the house to talk to Larry, Miss Anna Lou answered the phone.

When I asked what she was up to, the response invariably was, "I'm canning (fill in the blank)"

Being from The Depression generation, and a lifelong farm/country dweller, canning everything in sight in the middle of hot summer weather was a way of life for Miss Anna Lou.

I was interested in canning myself; however, I worked full-time and commuted 2 hours a day, and by the time the weekend came I was just too lazy! Plus, a friend of mine said he and his wife got fired up about making homemade jam, but reported that it was a hassle and everything was so expensive that the jam wound up costing about $5 a jar. I guess you have to be committed, organized, and do a lot of canning to make it pay off.

I did go so far as to attending a class on canning and buying a water bath canner and a case of jars, but they remained unopened in my cupboard for several years. I wound up giving them to my neighbor when I moved to Nashville.

But now that I am working at home and even partly taking this summer off, I am considering doing some canning.

What to can?

Probably mostly tomatoes and tomato products, like salsa or maybe even homemade ketchup.

Maybe some green beans. Corn, I would probably freeze.

It's all just a matter of getting organized, not my strong point.

How about you? Do you "put up"? as we say in the South? Will you this year, given rising food costs?

Do you have a favorite canning memory from childhood? (no one in my family canned while I was growing up).

For some canning tips, here's a great article from Radish Magazine:

http://radishmagazine.com/stories/display.cgi?prcss=display&id=302583

Letting Nature Takes Its Course--Amazing Wind Power

Steven has been busy this week, helping to secure funding for a Colorado-based wind farm. Energy production from wind farms is up 45 percent from a year ago, and wind power is being used to power 4.5 million U.S. homes.

It's been interesting to learn more about the process of starting a wind farm. The wind farm is to be built on acres and acres of previously unusable land in Colorado. Since wind farms are becoming more popular, there is about an 18-month wait to obtain the wind machines.

And they are quite costly, with larger ones taking tens of millions to construct.

The government has been providing tax credits for wind farms, but an article in today's Tennessean (view it at http://www.tennesseegreen.com/), noted that the current program expires in December and the new the bill has stalled in Congress. The House passed the extension in May, but the bill has failed the Senate three times, probably because it's part of a larger package bill.

I don't want to get on a rant about politics, but...wind power is vitally important to our future and I hope the future of some of these farms is not jeapordized by political posturing, disagreeing, and back-scratching.

It's Just a Matter of Time...

It's just a matter of time before I begin to use my reusable shopping bags...

Monday when I went to Wal-Mart to purchase the week's worth of groceries, I grabbed three of their reusable shopping bags and added them to my cart.

At 99 cents each, they're a great bargain as well as a great way to be more green.

I felt much more peaceful about using them...I really don't like coming home from the store with zillions of plastic bags that I feel like I can't really throw out, yet...they become clutter.

I have to admit, they do come in handy as "free" liners for the small bathroom garbage cans, or for a few other household uses.

But still...they are clutter in my house and clutter in the environment.

So...I was all excited about my reusable bags.

I took one to Nashville with me on Tuesday when I stopped at Kroger to get my mother some blueberries they had on special...and forgot to use it.

I also forgot to use it Wednesday when I went to Rite-Aid, and even worse...forgot to use it yesterday when I went back to Wal-Mart to get some ice cream!

Is this old age, or what? I guess sometimes it does take time to teach an old dog new tricks, but this dog eventually intends to use her reusable bags everywhere! And when I do, I'll feel really great about it!

Guilt-Free TV

Finally!

Guilt-free television!

Planet Green made its debut June 4, but I did not get around to discovering whether we had it on Directv (www.directv.com) until this weekend.

Yes!!!! If you're in the Nashville area and have Directv, it's channel 286.

I thoroughly enjoyed the programming.

I watched a couple of 30-minute shows about homeowners doing green renovations (one couple was expecting a baby and wanted the new addition to their home, plus the baby's crib and all, to be healthy, organic, and environmentally friendly), and I also watched a program by Bill Nye (remember the Science Guy?) on breakfast foods.

Did you know that pig farmers feed fishmeal to pigs? This has led to overharvesting of sardines and anchovies, leaving lots of penguins and pelicans without enough to eat.

He also discussed shade tree coffee, orange juice (squeeze your own like our mamas used to do when we were kids), and eating fruit seasonally instead of having an apple trucked 3,000 miles from Washington, or worse, New Zealand (I don't plan on eating any Braeburn apples after watching this show).

There's plenty more good programming on Planet Green including a documentary on Greensburg, the Kansas town destroyed last year by a tormado that is being rebuilt as the world's first all-green community.

I'm planning on tuning in a lot this summer, in between my two favorite summer shows, So You Think You Can Dance? and America's Best Dance Crew.

I do have to put in a plug for those dance shows, because they showcase the talent, charisma and commitment of many of our young people. I love to hear how dancing has changed some of these kids' lives, ie, got them out of gangs.

Now that I think about it...how green is that?

Recipe for Refreshment

I have always loved water, even before it was hip to drink it, but for some reason I don't find it as refreshing in the summer.

In summer, I like lemonade, tea, or other "flavored" beverages that sometimes contain high fructose corn syrup...like the Minute Maid Limeade and Pomegranate Tea sitting in my fridge.

So I was delighted to find a recipe today for homemade flavored water.

Basically, just add some lime (or lemon, I prefer lime) slices, cucumber slices, and mint, to a pitcher of water.

It's delicious...and refreshing.

Because I've had some digestive problems today, I also added a splash of aloe vera juice and Ok---a bit of the pomegranate tea for color. It's quite pretty as well as tasty.

I have an abundance of mint in my garden so I added both pineapple and lime mint. The flavor that stands out the most is the cucumber, since those mints are subtle.

It made me remember a beauty tip my mother taught me when I turned 16: use a cucumber slice to cleanse and tone your face.

So after I made my water, I took an extra cucumber slice and ran it over my face. Wow! It made my complexion look fresh...and young! Very important when one has turned 51!

And you can't get much greener than that! It even comes with its own natural packaging, and best of all...no animal testing.

Cheers!

Nashville's Gettin' Green!

Yesterday I went to a Lunch 'n' Learn session sponsored by the Nashville chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.

It was my first time at the event, and I was pleasantly surprised to see about 40 people there. I was expecting around 6-8.

Apparently, there is a lot more green stuff in Nashville than the abundant hardwood trees covering the hillsides...

The topic was Metro government's new Green Permit for building. Anyone who is building a residential or commercial building and becomes LEED or EarthCraft certified can apply for, and receive, the Green Permit from Nashville.

What are the advantages?

Besides marketing (there was a lot of discussion how anything with the word "green" in it is instantly marketable these days), the Green Permit creates a permanent record for posterity that the structure was built to green specifications.

Codes Administrator Terry Cobb and Council Mike Jameson were the speakers, and during their talk let it be known that under the new leadership of Mayor Karl Dean, Nashville has set a goal of being the greenest city in the Southeast within the next 8 years.

In fact, despite being smaller than other major cities in the Southeast, Nashville is already ahead of the curve, being outstripped only by Austin, which is much, much larger.

I was very excited to hear this, and also to see how the Metro government is supporting green issues. I hope this will trickle on over to Williamson and Rutherford Counties, and eventually to Cheatham, where we live at present.

As a side note, one bizarre topic came up...apparently a couple from California (one of the zillions of Californians who have moved here in the past few years) purchased a brand new house...never lived in...then tore it down to build a "green" home!

This apparently got a lot of media buzz even though I never heard about it. In fact, it apparently got a lot of positive media buzz, which shows how ignorant the media is...at least, here in Nashville.

The woman who brought this up was outraged. While I don't want to get outraged about something which is someone else's personal business, I am thinking, "What the.....?"

While they could have just greened up the existing home, I decided they probably didn't want to deal with off-gassing.

A better solution would have just been to purchase a lot and build a green home to begin with!

It is kind of ridiculous to think of all the labor and expense that went into the original home, and that all the materials are now sitting at a garbage dump somewhere. I hope at least someone salvaged cabinets, windows, and so forth.

Anyway...time to sign off now and go out to dinner!

Reel "Em In!

There is so much going on this coming weekend (it's only Monday at 9:27 a.m. and already I am dreaming of the weekend!)...downtown development tours, art gallery crawl, Love Drums concert, and much, much more...

And one of the coolest events IMO, is the Fishing Rodeo at Centennial Park on Saturday.

Alas...I am now too old to participate but when I was a young 'un growing up in Memphis, TN, there were few things I enjoyed more than the annual fishing rodeo at Audubon Park. I don't remember ever winning any prizes but I sure did have a great time!

Did you ever participate in a fishing rodeo as a kid? Do you still love fishing?

Here's the scoop on this weekend's Nashville event, taken from www.tennesseegreen.com:

Cumberland River Compact and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency presents the Sixth Annual Catfish Rodeo. This family festival is about connecting children to local waters. The day involves 2,000 pounds of catfish stocked in Lake Watauga, two flights of fishing, educational booths and activities for children to enjoy with their parents. For ages 5-16. Each child must register before the event. For more information and to register visit www.cumberlandrivercompact.org/events_catfishrodeo.shtml