Happy New Year!

My plans tonight are to take the Christmas decorations upstairs to storage and rearrange & clean one of my rooms.  Oh.. and be a taxi driver for a certain 15-year old.  Exciting, no?!

Whatever your plans are, please be smart, be safe, and have fun!

Happy 2011!

2010: A Year in Pictures

I make no claims that these photos are any good, but I thought it would be fun to post a year in pictures for LaVergne.  Here’s 2010 in retrospect… enjoy!

January

I’ll throw in a “jump” here… click if you want to see the rest of the year in pictures.

O Christmas Tree…

O Christmas tree
Thy leaves are so un-changing…

That is until you start shedding them all over the living room, then you just have to go.

So what to do with that old Christmas tree once it’s outstayed it’s welcome? Here in La Vergne, you can take it to the parking lot next to the Public Works Building, 148 International Blvd. (off Waldron Road) between Dec. 26 and Jan. 21. Or, if you live so close to Smyrna that they can spit on your house from their lovely new water tower, you can take it to the drop-off location at Lee Victory Park. The designated area there will be by the football field. But make sure you remove all the trimmings first. Tinsel doth not good mulch make.

And while we’re on the topic of recycling, I’d like to point out some other sites that may come in handy when you’re clearing away the refuse of Christmas past:

• Rechargeable batteries are accepted at both Home Depot and Lowes.
• Home Depot also accepts compact fluorescent light bulbs. Don’t toss those in the trash, y’all, they’re full of mercury!
• If you have old electronics with cords that you want to be rid of, you can drop them at 1140 Haley Road in Murfreesboro on Tuesdays & Saturdays between 10: 00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. If they still work, you can also give them away on freecycle.com, or to an organization like Goodwill Industries.
• La Vergne City Hall has a mixed paper recycling bin. You can drop off phone books, junk mail, paper bags, office paper, newspapers, etc. here. But please do not throw in anything with food on it, anything your pet parakeet may have pooped on, or the plastic-windowed envelopes your junk mail comes in. And don’t forget to to pull the cheesy law firm magnet off the front of your phone book before you toss it in.
• Plastics labeled #1 – #7 can be dropped off either of the Kroger locations in Smyrna, but NOT plastic bags, bubble wrap, or anything that’s had motor oil. antifreeze, or pesticides in it. I’ll say it again- NO, NO, NO plastic bags or bubble wrap!
• Plastic grocery bags, the thin type, are recyclable at the little bins in front of Kroger and Publix. Publix also has a bin for styrofoam egg cartons.
• And lastly, packing materials- many pack and ship type stores will take clean packing peanuts and bubble wrap. And I know some UPS stores will take big chunks of styrofoam and run it through a shredder of sorts to create packing material that they can then use to pack their customers’ items. Just be sure to call ahead as UPS stores are individually owned and operated.

And now it’s getting late, my brain cells are extremely taxed from all this writing, so feel free to chime in on anything I’ve missed!

10 Things I Love About LaVergne

1. I love that several times every year, the fireworks store on Murfreesboro Road lets it rip… fireworks up to Independence Day, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve!
2. I love how the guys at Mixed Grill Gyros will make you a cup of hot tea – their own special blend not on the menu – if they like you.
3. I love that the street lights sometimes pop on or off as you drive underneath them, making you feel magnetic or magical or … worried (?!) !!
4. I love that from almost anywhere in LaVergne, you can get to downtown Nashville in just 30 minutes, depending on traffic of course.
5. I love that there are two boat ramps here, along with at least one walking trail lakeside.
6. I love that there are so many talented musicians in this town, evidenced by the phenomenal performance of The National Anthem during the November swearing-in ceremony.
7. I love how sometimes when I drive home at night, I see deer.
8. I love that when the USAF Thunderbirds come to our area to perform, we can often see them from our own front- or back- yards.
9. I love that roundabout.  I really do.
10. I love that you can walk through Kroger and say hello to at least one or two people you know.

What do you love about LaVergne?

Merry Christmas!!

Light Posting, Busy Days & Nights

With apologies for the light posting to come this week – thanks to extremely busy days and nights  in preparation for Christmas and … well … working – I give you this brilliant headline and story thanks to DNJ.

East Tenn. deputies find 4 aggressive monkeys at meth lab

While the news itself is bad, that there are four aggressive monkeys at a meth lab is something.

If you’re not working, go spread some Christmas cheer!

Make Christmas a Charitable Time

With Christmas just days away, this is a good time to reflect on its true meaning and to practice random acts of kindness.  How can you do this?

1. Go through your pantry and find some canned or other non-perishable items to donate.  While it might seem that you already do this, this time give items that aren’t gross.  Give green beans, corn, stuffing mix, chili beans, mac & cheese, rice, asparagus, and pasta rather than canned artichokes, sardines, and the jars of baby corn on the cob and pigs feet. Bring the items to our local food pantry.
2. See the car behind you in line at McDonald’s?  Looks a little beat up?  Pay for their meal, too.
3. See the service people working at the fast food restaurants, in retail, at the gas station?  Give them a tip every now and then.  You’ll probably not miss your dollar, but it could turn a bad day into something good for them.  I work a lot at Bridgestone Arena raising money for Girl Scouts and let me tell you it’s shocking who does NOT tip…
4. Visit Modest Needs.org and see how your $5, $10, $20 or more donation can directly help someone in need. If you worry your money won’t make a difference, this organization tells you exactly who you’re helping.
5. Hand write a letter or card to someone who wouldn’t expect it… your Mom? Dad? Grandparents?  Someone in a nursing home, a widow, a single woman or man who might be lonely. No one takes the time to write letters anymore and getting mail from someone who cares could mean everything to them.
6. Look someone in the eye and sincerely ask, “How are you?”  Then listen to them… genuinely care about what they say.
7. Get a handful of nickels, dimes and quarters and drop them somewhere where you know kids play or hang out.

What are you ideas for performing random acts of kindness, LaVergne?

City Hall Wedding

Congratulations to Tenna and Blake Bryant on their marriage yesterday.  Also congratulations to Mayor Senna Mosley for presiding over her first wedding ceremony.  I hope the newlyweds enjoy a long, beautiful, very happy marriage and that any hardships will be faced together with undiminished love.

The mayor invited the newlyweds to have the small cake reception in her office.

Congratulations again to Blake & Tenna!

Liveblogging: Special Meeting

UPDATE to add DNJ article link:  LaVergne OKs severance deal.

Am Liveblogging this special called meeting. Half full room so far. Just called to order…

Sorry, my phone would not cooperate so here’s an update on what happened…

A motion was made and seconded to accept option 1 which provided a 3 month separation and release package for Mark Moshea.  After lengthy discussion, Mayor Mosley, Alderman Farmer, and Alderman Broeker voted Yes to accept the package.  Alderman Green and Alderman Waldron voted No.  The motion was passed.

Mayor Mosley said that since option 1 was accepted she motioned to deny option 2.  Alderman Farmer seconded.  After discussion, Mayor Mosley, Alderman Farmer, Alderman Green, and Alderman Broeker voted Yes to deny option 2.  Alderman Waldron voted No.  The motion was passed.

The third item for discussion was for appointing an interim City Administrator.  Mayor Mosley nominated City Recorder Bruce Richardson and at least three Aldermen seconded.  After many positive comments regarding Mr Richardson’s work the measure was unanimously accepted.

If You Could Name Streets

I know there is no chance of this happening, but here’s what I’m thinking.

So we have streets named after the old TV show Dallas.  We have streets named after baseball players.  We want to attract young urban professionals, families, people who work for a living to our community, right?  What better people than engineers, for example?  What do engineers like to watch on TV?  Star Trek!  So if I could name streets to attract buyers, I’d set up a subdivision called (drumroll, please)…

The Federation

Then use the following street names:

• Klingon Way
• Romulan Road
• Andorian Lane
• Spock Street
• Picard Place
• Kirk Corner
• Roddenberry Road
• Majal Court
• Darmok Drive
• Tanegra Trail

Oh the possibilities are endless….

What would you name a subdivision and streets?

Open Thread: What Do You Want for Christmas?

Steve wants us to stop kicking the dead mule, so let’s try to talk about something new! What do you want for Christmas? What should Steve get for Christmas? Discuss!

(o:€