Everyday Craftsmen

 My appreciation for craftsmen has grown lately. That’s because we’ve called on their services for several projects. Now, I’m not talking about those who paint or carve or sculpt. Instead, the craftsmen that have helped me are roofers, plumbers, and landscapers.  

My wife reacts to my climbing a ladder to reach the roof the same way the woman on the gutter guard commercial. True, I’m not as steady on my feet as I once was, but that doesn’t mean I’m unable to climb or walk on slanted surfaces. However, to satisfy my spouse, I called on Daniel Hood Roofing again. Jimmy, the man who handles guttering, came to the houses and performed his miracles. In little time, he and his sidekick placed gutter covering around the house. I look forward to not ever having to clean out gutters or watch cascading water drown our deck when it rains. Years before, I took as stab at installing gutter guard, but the stuff was too cheap to stand up to all the leaves and sticks, and it collapsed in the middle. Jimmy guaranteed that his work would last. He tied ends together seamlessly. I appreciate his know-how in working with things so important to home protection.  

Another craftsman I admire is the owner of Luke’s Plumbing. After 44 years, the faucets and pipes need some attention. Luke was right on time and quickly took care of the first problem. When we remodeled the kitchen, the plumber installed the faucet bracket upside down. He also failed to tighten the drain. Luke fixed the bracket so that the faucet didn’t move every time it was turned on. He installed stems into the faucets of one bathtub and one shower, Luke also put frost-proof faucets outside and raised one to make connecting a hose easier. He kept things clean and picked up spare and worn parts. He performed those jobs with such ease that I was amazed. I’d struggled to fix lines and faucets and drains over the years, and if I managed to get something in working order, the job was so sloppy that I feared things would fall apart as soon as I turned my back. That won’t be a problem with Luke taking care of us.  

About 4 years ago, I put pavers in at the back of the pool concreted area. I dug and worked and laid about 100 of those things. The end result was an uneven surface that looked ragged at best. We decided to have professionals to do the job right this time. The company was Leaf and Lawn. The owner, Kevin Cox, is a man I’ve known since he was little. He played first base on one of our baseball teams. Back then, Kevin was as big around as my little finger and wore a ball glove that looked as if it had swallowed his arm. He grew into a big kid who could play a great game of basketball. He was quiet, but his face always had a smile. Kevin’s parents taught him hard work and honesty, and he’s applied it to every aspect of his life.  

His team worked on this small project of ours, and it turned out wonderful. The pavers are straight, level, and locked into place. Our pool area is even more beautiful thanks to the work of this man’s business. It’s difficult to realize that the little boy who played on our team and later sat in my English class is now a successful craftsman. 

I appreciate the talents of folks like Jimmy, Luke, and Kevin. They take pride in their skills and honestly and fairly work for their customers. My daddy once told me that “everybody has a job at which they are good, and we should use them when the time comes.” Guys, thank you for the care you took in fixing our home and for your kindness and friendliness. You’re wonderful craftsmen whom I greatly admire and endorse.  

I Miss Reading Materials

 My dear wife Amy bought me a Kindle Fire so that I would have something from which to read books on the beach when we take our vacation. I like this new one because its battery lasts a long time, and the device can hold bunches of books without weighing a ton. That new “wonder” led me to thinking about some of the reading materials we had at home when I was young.  

Mother and Daddy were keen on education and planned for their three sons to earn college degrees. I remember the man coming to the house to give a presentation about an encyclopedia set. Our parents bought the books and made payments for them. We boys sat down and looked at each of the volumes. Almost anything our minds could think of was covered in those books. The photos in the encyclopedias were better than any taken by our cameras. Even better, we got a year-end volume and could look at the events of the past 365 days.  

Magazines were favorites in our household. Look and Life magazines were special. Back then, they were large and had super pictures, especially for the cover stories. Writers excelled in stories such as the Kennedy assassination, and the photos told the tragedy without having to read single word. In those days, I thumbed through magazines to look at the pictures, not necessarily to read stories.  

Catalogs were our only means of perusing things we wanted for Christmas. We’d look at toys and dream about unwrapping them on Christmas morning. Additionally, we’d flip through the Spiegel catalog and peek at the women’s lingerie, an act that was combination of curiosity and hormones.  

Mother liked the S&H stamp catalog. She saved those books of stamps until a big item was needed. We boys hoped she would use some of the stamps for something for us, but she designated them for important things for the household.  

We boys went to school in a time when students were assigned textbooks for their classes in elementary school. I liked the spelling book and worked hard to always make a 100 on every test. The math book was different story. The basics of math I learned, things like multiplication tables, long division, and fractions, was easy.  Anything else left me lost. Every night I’d pull out those books to complete homework. That activity ended in high school where I flunked algebra, made D’s in geometry, and earned C’s in English. 

I miss the telephone book. That sounds silly with today’s technological age. What I liked was that people’s numbers and addresses were listed in that book. Its thickness gave an indication of how much Knoxville was growing. Unless a person paid more for a private number, something most folks didn’t spend hard earned money on, his or her number was made public. These days, few people have a land line. Their cell phones serve as that now, but no book is available to discover a person’s or business’s number. That leaves many of us unable to contact individuals or to make appointments with professionals. Yes, I know that the Internet is here, but finding the right “John Smith” is impossible when everyone of them in the universe is listed.  

The feel of paper is something special when a person reads any material. These days, however, reading newspapers or books or magazines is much easier to do with and iPad or Kindle. In a few generations, children might never experience holding a book. That’s sad, but let’s just hope that children will still read as opposed to having technology insert stories and facts into their brains. The satisfaction from reading is like nothing else.  

Give It a Try

 Some of the hottest days of summer have descended upon East Tennessee the last few weeks. Like much of the rest of the nation, we are firmly in the grips of an oppressive heatwave. Temperatures have soared into the 90’s, and the “feels like temperature”-something we never heard of as kids-reaches to 100 or above. I have no doubts that some of the unusual weather occurrences of late can be attributed to global warming, but I also know that at this time of year, it’s supposed to be hot; it’s summertime.  

Something else I’ve noticed is that few young people are venturing out of the house. It’s a safe bet that several of them are dead asleep after having stayed up until the early hours of the morning. Many more of them are stowed away in their bedrooms awake, but not really. Instead, they are zoned out of consciousness as they exercise their thumbs in battles of Fortnite or some other video game. Even if youths make it to the outside, their stays are brief. Complaining, “It’s too hot,” or “I’m getting sweaty” have them high-tailing it back into the shade-drawn rooms where the air conditioning is set in the mid-60"s.  

I’d like for young people to go back with me to live in the 1960’s. We sang praises to cool summer mornings. Air conditioning wasn’t a convenience most families had. Window fans and box fans stirred air enough to cool temperatures or at least make us believe we felt relief. By mid-morning, the cool air had disappeared; humid, sweltering temperatures arrived. We were already outside. Sometimes jobs around the house had been assigned. Weeds needed pulling in the garden. Grass around the house, flower gardens and paths needed trimming with hand held cutters.  

Sometimes a ball game had been scheduled for the morning, and boys rode their bikes to a yard where it would be played. Occasionally, we rode bikes to Hardin Valley from Ball Camp to spend the day with a friend. That kept us cool as we made our own breeze by pedaling just a little faster.  

By the time noon rolled around, we were melting outside. Still, it beat frying in the house. Trees offered shade for relief from the sun’s rays, and we sat as still as possible on the grass to keep from being hotter. Boys found other things to do at those times. Taking a blade of grass to stick down a crawdad hole occupied time, although no one ever seemed to pull a creature from its lair. More daring souls played games of “stretch,” where a knife was thrown into the ground and a boy stretched his leg to the spot. The loser was the first one who couldn’t reach that far.  

In the evening, we sat at the supper table, ate food from the garden, and washed it down with at least two big classes of milk. Then we headed back outside. The waning hours of dusk were spent chasing lightning bugs or taking unsuspecting buddies on snipe hunts. The worst sound of the day was a parent’s call for a child to come inside.  

Night was filled with baths and just a couple of television shows. Then it was off to bed. With a little luck, the wind blew through the bedroom window, or a summer shower would fall. We all knew the next day would bring the same routine, and we loved it. Summer might have been hot, but outside is the place we always want to be. Young people today would have a fuller life if they would venture out just a few minutes each day. They might be surprised what was waiting for them. I’d tell them to give it a try. 

A Deer in the Yard

The Karns community is up in arms over the proposed construction of Belltown. This development is supposed to be a community within itself. I’ve never known what that is, but the developer, Smithbuilt Homes, declares it offers the best of living. It also will bring as many as 4000 people to the community. That will lead to many headaches for residents already located in Karns. At the same time, similar problems exist in communities next to Karns.  

Within one mile of my home, I’ve counted six signs for use on review on plots of land. In all but one case, new bunches of houses or apartments or condos are to be built. That’s in addition to the new developments that are already under construction at the corner of Karns Valley and Beaver Ridge Roads and at the intersection of Emory and Henderson Roads.  

All of these new places dump more traffic onto roads that are narrow and haven’t changed much in size since I was a boy. One proposed plan would be built on too close to an already loaded intersection, and residents fear that even more dangerous traffic will be dumped onto a road that is narrow and was never intended to support that many cars. When citizens voice their concerns about the overflow traffic that backs ups during morning and evening rush hours, the head of roads and engineering always says, “There a lots of narrow roads in the county.” 

Some parcels of land have been denied rezoning requests, only to be submitted again by another company or the same one, and for some reason, the requests are granted. Residents speak out against the continuous building. They tell of horrible traffic backups and wrecks, and in some cases, they present water problems caused from the runoff of water. Yet, in too many cases, they seem to be talking to unintereste board members and commissioners. 

Their complaints fall on deaf ears. Why is that true? The people appointed to the zoning board are charged with the task of looking at properties and using common sense to decide what is best for the existing subdivisions or homes. County Commissioners sometimes listen to appeals on land zoning, and too often, they seem to automatically fall in line with developers.  

The most recent answer to concerns in our areas about traffic is, “The new Schaad Road project will take care of the problem.” Well, that project isn’t finished yet and might be a year or more off. These new subdivisions are slapped together in much less time than that. Too, all these extra cars are going to be traveling on streets already in existence, the same ones we’ve been told are typical of many county roads. If 4000 people move into the Belltown project, how many more cars will that add to the steady stream of vehicles that already travel Emory Road and Karns Valley? Has a traffic study been completed? How many children will live in all these new places? Has Knox County Schools taken that into account this in its 5 and 10 year growth studies?  

I have nothing against new developments...to a point. However, when they begin to crowd existing neighborhoods and cause major inconveniences for folks, the time has come to put a moratorium on building. When the infrastructure can accommodate all, then those projects can continue.  

The overdevelopment of land is also causing problems with wildlife. Skunks, “possums,” and raccoons travel through neighborhoods where once those critters lived and thrived. I’ve lived in Ball Camp all but a couple of years of my life. This past Tuesday our dog Sadie began barking and ran to the fence enclosing the pool. Amy and I turned to see what the problem was, and for the first time in my life, I saw a deer run across our back yard, jump a fence, and scamper into the field behind us.  

It’s time for the zoning commission and County Commission to support those of us who already live here and listen to our objections. We elected one group of commissioners, so why on earth would they back businesses over constituents?  he Karns community is up in arms over the proposed construction of Belltown. This development is supposed to be a community within itself. I’ve never known what that is, but the developer, Smithbuilt Homes, declares it offers the best of living. It also will bring as many as 4000 people to the community. That will lead to many headaches for residents already located in Karns. At the same time, similar problems exist in communities next to Karns.  

Within one mile of my home, I’ve counted six signs for use on review on plots of land. In all but one case, new bunches of houses or apartments or condos are to be built. That’s in addition to the new developments that are already under construction at the corner of Karns Valley and Beaver Ridge Roads and at the intersection of Emory and Henderson Roads.  

All of these new places dump more traffic onto roads that are narrow and haven’t changed much in size since I was a boy. One proposed plan would be built on too close to an already loaded intersection, and residents fear that even more dangerous traffic will be dumped onto a road that is narrow and was never intended to support that many cars. When citizens voice their concerns about the overflow traffic that backs ups during morning and evening rush hours, the head of roads and engineering always says, “There a lots of narrow roads in the county.” 

Some parcels of land have been denied rezoning requests, only to be submitted again by another company or the same one, and for some reason, the requests are granted. Residents speak out against the continuous building. They tell of horrible traffic backups and wrecks, and in some cases, they present water problems caused from the runoff of water. Yet, in too many cases, they seem to be talking to unintereste board members and commissioners. 

Their complaints fall on deaf ears. Why is that true? The people appointed to the zoning board are charged with the task of looking at properties and using common sense to decide what is best for the existing subdivisions or homes. County Commissioners sometimes listen to appeals on land zoning, and too often, they seem to automatically fall in line with developers.  

The most recent answer to concerns in our areas about traffic is, “The new Schaad Road project will take care of the problem.” Well, that project isn’t finished yet and might be a year or more off. These new subdivisions are slapped together in much less time than that. Too, all these extra cars are going to be traveling on streets already in existence, the same ones we’ve been told are typical of many county roads. If 4000 people move into the Belltown project, how many more cars will that add to the steady stream of vehicles that already travel Emory Road and Karns Valley? Has a traffic study been completed? How many children will live in all these new places? Has Knox County Schools taken that into account this in its 5 and 10 year growth studies?  

I have nothing against new developments...to a point. However, when they begin to crowd existing neighborhoods and cause major inconveniences for folks, the time has come to put a moratorium on building. When the infrastructure can accommodate all, then those projects can continue.  

The overdevelopment of land is also causing problems with wildlife. Skunks, “possums,” and raccoons travel through neighborhoods where once those critters lived and thrived. I’ve lived in Ball Camp all but a couple of years of my life. This past Tuesday our dog Sadie began barking and ran to the fence enclosing the pool. Amy and I turned to see what the problem was, and for the first time in my life, I saw a deer run across our back yard, jump a fence, and scamper into the field behind us.  

It’s time for the zoning commission and County Commission to support those of us who already live here and listen to our objections. We elected one group of commissioners, so why on earth would they back businesses over constituents?  he Karns community is up in arms over the proposed construction of Belltown. This development is supposed to be a community within itself. I’ve never known what that is, but the developer, Smithbuilt Homes, declares it offers the best of living. It also will bring as many as 4000 people to the community. That will lead to many headaches for residents already located in Karns. At the same time, similar problems exist in communities next to Karns.  

Within one mile of my home, I’ve counted six signs for use on review on plots of land. In all but one case, new bunches of houses or apartments or condos are to be built. That’s in addition to the new developments that are already under construction at the corner of Karns Valley and Beaver Ridge Roads and at the intersection of Emory and Henderson Roads.  

All of these new places dump more traffic onto roads that are narrow and haven’t changed much in size since I was a boy. One proposed plan would be built on too close to an already loaded intersection, and residents fear that even more dangerous traffic will be dumped onto a road that is narrow and was never intended to support that many cars. When citizens voice their concerns about the overflow traffic that backs ups during morning and evening rush hours, the head of roads and engineering always says, “There a lots of narrow roads in the county.” 

Some parcels of land have been denied rezoning requests, only to be submitted again by another company or the same one, and for some reason, the requests are granted. Residents speak out against the continuous building. They tell of horrible traffic backups and wrecks, and in some cases, they present water problems caused from the runoff of water. Yet, in too many cases, they seem to be talking to unintereste board members and commissioners. 

Their complaints fall on deaf ears. Why is that true? The people appointed to the zoning board are charged with the task of looking at properties and using common sense to decide what is best for the existing subdivisions or homes. County Commissioners sometimes listen to appeals on land zoning, and too often, they seem to automatically fall in line with developers.  

The most recent answer to concerns in our areas about traffic is, “The new Schaad Road project will take care of the problem.” Well, that project isn’t finished yet and might be a year or more off. These new subdivisions are slapped together in much less time than that. Too, all these extra cars are going to be traveling on streets already in existence, the same ones we’ve been told are typical of many county roads. If 4000 people move into the Belltown project, how many more cars will that add to the steady stream of vehicles that already travel Emory Road and Karns Valley? Has a traffic study been completed? How many children will live in all these new places? Has Knox County Schools taken that into account this in its 5 and 10 year growth studies?  

I have nothing against new developments...to a point. However, when they begin to crowd existing neighborhoods and cause major inconveniences for folks, the time has come to put a moratorium on building. When the infrastructure can accommodate all, then those projects can continue.  

The overdevelopment of land is also causing problems with wildlife. Skunks, “possums,” and raccoons travel through neighborhoods where once those critters lived and thrived. I’ve lived in Ball Camp all but a couple of years of my life. This past Tuesday our dog Sadie began barking and ran to the fence enclosing the pool. Amy and I turned to see what the problem was, and for the first time in my life, I saw a deer run across our back yard, jump a fence, and scamper into the field behind us.  

It’s time for the zoning commission and County Commission to support those of us who already live here and listen to our objections. We elected one group of commissioners, so why on earth would they back businesses over constituents?  he Karns community is up in arms over the proposed construction of Belltown. This development is supposed to be a community within itself. I’ve never known what that is, but the developer, Smithbuilt Homes, declares it offers the best of living. It also will bring as many as 4000 people to the community. That will lead to many headaches for residents already located in Karns. At the same time, similar problems exist in communities next to Karns.  

Within one mile of my home, I’ve counted six signs for use on review on plots of land. In all but one case, new bunches of houses or apartments or condos are to be built. That’s in addition to the new developments that are already under construction at the corner of Karns Valley and Beaver Ridge Roads and at the intersection of Emory and Henderson Roads.  

All of these new places dump more traffic onto roads that are narrow and haven’t changed much in size since I was a boy. One proposed plan would be built on too close to an already loaded intersection, and residents fear that even more dangerous traffic will be dumped onto a road that is narrow and was never intended to support that many cars. When citizens voice their concerns about the overflow traffic that backs ups during morning and evening rush hours, the head of roads and engineering always says, “There a lots of narrow roads in the county.” 

Some parcels of land have been denied rezoning requests, only to be submitted again by another company or the same one, and for some reason, the requests are granted. Residents speak out against the continuous building. They tell of horrible traffic backups and wrecks, and in some cases, they present water problems caused from the runoff of water. Yet, in too many cases, they seem to be talking to unintereste board members and commissioners. 

Their complaints fall on deaf ears. Why is that true? The people appointed to the zoning board are charged with the task of looking at properties and using common sense to decide what is best for the existing subdivisions or homes. County Commissioners sometimes listen to appeals on land zoning, and too often, they seem to automatically fall in line with developers.  

The most recent answer to concerns in our areas about traffic is, “The new Schaad Road project will take care of the problem.” Well, that project isn’t finished yet and might be a year or more off. These new subdivisions are slapped together in much less time than that. Too, all these extra cars are going to be traveling on streets already in existence, the same ones we’ve been told are typical of many county roads. If 4000 people move into the Belltown project, how many more cars will that add to the steady stream of vehicles that already travel Emory Road and Karns Valley? Has a traffic study been completed? How many children will live in all these new places? Has Knox County Schools taken that into account this in its 5 and 10 year growth studies?  

I have nothing against new developments...to a point. However, when they begin to crowd existing neighborhoods and cause major inconveniences for folks, the time has come to put a moratorium on building. When the infrastructure can accommodate all, then those projects can continue.  

The overdevelopment of land is also causing problems with wildlife. Skunks, “possums,” and raccoons travel through neighborhoods where once those critters lived and thrived. I’ve lived in Ball Camp all but a couple of years of my life. This past Tuesday our dog Sadie began barking and ran to the fence enclosing the pool. Amy and I turned to see what the problem was, and for the first time in my life, I saw a deer run across our back yard, jump a fence, and scamper into the field behind us.  

It’s time for the zoning commission and County Commission to support those of us who already live here and listen to our objections. We elected one group of commissioners, so why on earth would they back businesses over constituents?  he Karns community is up in arms over the proposed construction of Belltown. This development is supposed to be a community within itself. I’ve never known what that is, but the developer, Smithbuilt Homes, declares it offers the best of living. It also will bring as many as 4000 people to the community. That will lead to many headaches for residents already located in Karns. At the same time, similar problems exist in communities next to Karns.  

Within one mile of my home, I’ve counted six signs for use on review on plots of land. In all but one case, new bunches of houses or apartments or condos are to be built. That’s in addition to the new developments that are already under construction at the corner of Karns Valley and Beaver Ridge Roads and at the intersection of Emory and Henderson Roads.  

All of these new places dump more traffic onto roads that are narrow and haven’t changed much in size since I was a boy. One proposed plan would be built on too close to an already loaded intersection, and residents fear that even more dangerous traffic will be dumped onto a road that is narrow and was never intended to support that many cars. When citizens voice their concerns about the overflow traffic that backs ups during morning and evening rush hours, the head of roads and engineering always says, “There a lots of narrow roads in the county.” 

Some parcels of land have been denied rezoning requests, only to be submitted again by another company or the same one, and for some reason, the requests are granted. Residents speak out against the continuous building. They tell of horrible traffic backups and wrecks, and in some cases, they present water problems caused from the runoff of water. Yet, in too many cases, they seem to be talking to unintereste board members and commissioners. 

Their complaints fall on deaf ears. Why is that true? The people appointed to the zoning board are charged with the task of looking at properties and using common sense to decide what is best for the existing subdivisions or homes. County Commissioners sometimes listen to appeals on land zoning, and too often, they seem to automatically fall in line with developers.  

The most recent answer to concerns in our areas about traffic is, “The new Schaad Road project will take care of the problem.” Well, that project isn’t finished yet and might be a year or more off. These new subdivisions are slapped together in much less time than that. Too, all these extra cars are going to be traveling on streets already in existence, the same ones we’ve been told are typical of many county roads. If 4000 people move into the Belltown project, how many more cars will that add to the steady stream of vehicles that already travel Emory Road and Karns Valley? Has a traffic study been completed? How many children will live in all these new places? Has Knox County Schools taken that into account this in its 5 and 10 year growth studies?  

I have nothing against new developments...to a point. However, when they begin to crowd existing neighborhoods and cause major inconveniences for folks, the time has come to put a moratorium on building. When the infrastructure can accommodate all, then those projects can continue.  

The overdevelopment of land is also causing problems with wildlife. Skunks, “possums,” and raccoons travel through neighborhoods where once those critters lived and thrived. I’ve lived in Ball Camp all but a couple of years of my life. This past Tuesday our dog Sadie began barking and ran to the fence enclosing the pool. Amy and I turned to see what the problem was, and for the first time in my life, I saw a deer run across our back yard, jump a fence, and scamper into the field behind us.  

It’s time for the zoning commission and County Commission to support those of us who already live here and listen to our objections. We elected one group of commissioners, so why on earth would they back businesses over constituents?