Mini Minnie Me - 31 MAR 2008

In TN, driving west on Innerstate 40 and I see a bill board about the home of Minnie Pearl but I didn’t get to see what exit. Then I saw this sign, being dyslexic I thought it said “Gender Switch Center”. It was five miles before I could turn around. Doubling back the next sign says 19 miles down the road, but I’ve got to check this out…what is it? You go in a guy and come out a girl? Or they make switches? Are they used for electricity or to give 40 lashes? Then I got close and saw what the sign really said: 

And there I was in Centerville, home of Sarah Colley. (Grinders Switch was the fictional home of her comic  character Minnie Pearl, it refers to a railroad switch.)

I didn’t get to see a grinder as the center had closed awhile back; part of the collection is in the Chamber of Commerce which was not open. 

Tinky Winky loved getting to pose with Minnie, and wanted a hat just like hers. The town had an interesting layout; it was four blocks in a square with the court house in the center. 

I don’t know what kind of food this is…fruit, meat? Most certainly, Southern. Then back on I40 I spotted some more white animals: 

I’ve been listening to Eckhart Tolle’s ‘A New Earth’ and he was talking about the innocence of babies, even baby animals as they have not been influenced by their environment. 

And this calf brought home the message. You might think cows are just hamburger on the hoof but I've seen cattle on the farm display knowledge about their environment. They are shy around strangers and will move away from the fence unless you are the farmer they know. But this little guy was all curious and came over to check me out. It was fun watching the two calves play with each other. 

Again on I40 my eye caught something, I made a quick turn and was able to confirm what I saw…it just spoke to me on many levels. 

There may not be a lot of foliage on the trees but at least it makes it easy to spot the bird nests. At a rest stop I got to watch birds building their nests.