Paris Mountain State Park

For the past week, we have been volunteering at our state park. We lead second graders on a nature hike. I love being around the little children and hearing their conversations. Some of the children have never been to a state park before! 

Original photos by Pat Hensley

32¢ - 1998 “Teddy” Bear Created

National Teddy Bear Day is celebrated on September 9th every year so I thought I would see what stamp would honor this special day.

The Teddy Bear Created stamp (US #3182k), often referred to as the “Teddy Bear” stamp, is part of the "Celebrate the Century" series, which commemorates important events and cultural icons of the 20th century. The first day of issue was February 3, 1998, in Washington DC. The "Teddy Bear" stamp was issued as part of a sheet celebrating the 1900s to honor the beginning of this iconic toy. The stamp commemorated the teddy bear and its association with President Theodore Roosevelt.

The teddy bear's history dates back to 1902, during President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt's term in office. The story goes that Roosevelt was on a hunting trip and refused to shoot a bear that had been captured for him, as it was unsportsmanlike. This act of compassion inspired a political cartoon, which then led to the creation of the first "Teddy's bear.”

Rose and Morris Michtom, New York City shopkeepers, created a toy bear which they called “Teddy’s Bear.” That first “teddy” bear sold quickly, and orders for more poured in. This continued demand led to the founding of the Ideal Toy Corporation. The bear photographed for the stamp is the bear made by the Ideal Toy Corporation and is from the collection of author and bear historian Dee Hockenberry.

A toymaker in Europe also claimed to be the creator of the teddy bear. Around the same time that the teddy bear was becoming popular in the United States, a German toymaker named Margarete Steiff and her company began producing stuffed bears. Margarete Steiff's nephew, Richard Steiff, designed a bear toy in 1902 that had movable arms and legs. This bear was displayed at a toy fair in Leipzig, Germany, in 1903, where it caught the attention of an American buyer who ordered a large shipment of the bears. These German-made bears were sold in the U.S. around the same time as the American "Teddy's bear."

Because of this, both the American and the German toymakers are credited with creating the teddy bear, though the name "teddy bear" comes from the American story about President Roosevelt.

The teddy bear became a popular toy, symbolizing comfort and companionship. Eventually, children everywhere wanted their own teddy bear. Kids still love the teddy bear today!

Little River Trail and More Antiques

(Here is my write about about our trip from last week.)

Click here for pictures.

We got up early and headed to Elkmont Campground. Before the campground, we turned to go to the Little River Trailhead. We got on the trail at 7:30 am and hiked for about 5.5 miles round trip. We saw lots of interesting flowers along the way. We finished hiking as it got very hot and sunny. On the way out of Elkmont, a coyote ran out in front of our car! Then we headed back to Sevierville to Arby’s and the antique stores. Don shopped for 3 hours and found lots of treasures. I was able to sit on the bench and knit while listening to podcasts. I met a family from Lincolnton, NC who knew people from Fountain Inn that we knew. We met another couple from Clemson and the man talked with us about his wonderful hearing aids that he bought from Sam’s Club.

Things we saw:

• Maidenhair fern
• Jewelweed
• Silvery Glade fern
• Wild Ginger
• Mushrooms
• Jack in the Pulpit berries
• Doll’s eyes (White baneberry)
• Cardinal flower
• Bee balm
• Goldenrod
• Phlox
• Butterfly (Swallowtail)
• Coyote

Original Photo by Pat Hensley

Hearing Aids

I have finally convinced my husband to get hearing aids.

He had surgery a couple of years ago and the anesthesiologist told me that hearing loss contributes to dementia because the person is not getting enough input into the brain. When I told my husband that he agreed that he would look into it but never did.

This year he kept putting it off because he needed surgery on one of his eyes.

I have been nagging him about it because I want him to have a better quality of life.

After agreeing to get his hearing checked, I made an appointment with an ENT doctor. First, he had to have a hearing test by an audiologist and then the doctor would meet with him to discuss the results. We found out that he has severe loss in one ear and moderate loss in the other. But they said it would cost $100 to have another appointment with the audiologist to discuss hearing aid options.

We decided to wait and see about going through the VA for hearing aids. Consumer reports said that the VA was the best place to get hearing aids. It took several attempts to finally get someone from the VA to tell us that he has to file a claim for hearing loss and that we need to submit evidence. Of course, this could take months (or years?) to get approved.

So, I suggested that he get his first pair of hearing aids from Costco because quality of life is so important. He could get them sooner and start getting used to them. Meanwhile, we will continue to pursue the VA claim and if it ever gets approved, he could get his next hearing aids through them.

The Costco appointment was made quickly and when he arrived for the appointment, he was given his hearing test. Then the audiologist gave him a pair of hearing aids to “test drive” around the store. It was amazing to see my husband’s face light up as he heard sounds that he hadn’t been able to hear before. It didn’t bother his ear and it didn’t weigh as much as he thought it would. So, he agreed to get a pair. They were $1600 which included 3 years of insuranHearingring aids are not taxed either. They ordered him a pair and he will pick them up next week.

It was interesting to know that it would take 3 days for his brain to get over the strange sound in his ear and that it would take up to 3 months to feel comfortable with them. My husband also needs to read aloud to himself at least 10 minutes each day for his brain to relearn how to hear letter sounds. His hearing loss has caused him to have some speech-reception problems that he has to overcome.

I’m so excited for him!

Gatlinburg Trail, Cataract Falls, and more antique malls

(Here is my write about about our trip from last week.)

Click here for pictures. 

When we heard that the air quality was going to be bad after 2 pm, we decided to go hiking early. They warned people to stay inside after 2 pm. We hiked the Gatlinburg Trail while it was cool and not crowded. It was a lovely hike! On the way back we stopped at Cataract Falls. This is the first time that we had the falls all to ourselves! 

After hiking, we headed towards Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. We stopped at Arby’s for lunch; by then it was getting hot and miserable. So, we headed to some antique malls that we missed yesterday. Don found some treasures in both stores but I didn’t find anything. I was happy to knit and listen to podcasts as he shopped. 

After shopping, we decided we deserved to eat some ice cream so we stopped at Baskin and Robbins and had a banana split. It was worth it even though it cost over $20! 

On the radio, we heard about a fire in the park and that Parsons Branch Road and Abram Falls area were closed. They are calling it the Flint Gap fire. 

At 6:30 pm, while standing on our balcony,  we saw a turkey and a black bear in the field across the street. 

We were back at our resort by dinner time. At 7:30, we went downstairs to hear a local fiddler but it was rescheduled for Friday at 6:30. We ended up sitting on the balcony and enjoying the sound of the creek until 10 pm. 

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Antique Shopping

(Here is my write about about our trip from last week.)

Today we took a break from hiking and went shopping at antique malls. I had my knitting so I didn’t mind walking around hunting for things that I think Don might be interested in.

But before we went to the antique malls in Sevierville, we drove up to Buc-ees on I-40 and filled up with gas. It was .50 cheaper per gallon than in Gatlinburg. After that, we stopped at Bass Pro Shop and bought Don some new shorts. We decided to stop at Arby’s for a snack before going shopping which was a good plan because we shopped for almost 5 hours!

Don found some paper treasures and I found a music book.

On the way back, we took the scenic route by the arts and crafts community.

For dinner, we had pasta and sauce and just relaxed.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Laurel Falls and the Smokies

(Here is my write about about our trip from last week.)

Click here for pictures. 

This morning we had breakfast at our condo and then hiked the Laurel Falls Trail. It is a 2.5-mile round-trip hike and it is uphill all the way to the falls. We talked with a nice couple from Wisconsin when we got to the falls. After the hike, we stopped at the Sugarlands Visitor Center. It was sad that they took out the movie theater that showed the movie about how the park began. After that, we went up to Clingman’s Dome and then did the Spruce-Fir Nature Trail. After that, we went to the Chimney’s picnic area and played in the river. For dinner, we had pasta and sauce at the condo. I had to call the main office to inform them that the refrigerator/freezer wasn’t working. 

Today we saw: 

Ironweed

• Indian Pink

• Thimbleweed

• Evening Primrose

• Mushrooms

• Rattlesnake root

• Goldenrod

• Spiders

• Mountain Angelica

• Wood Aster

• Wood Nettle

• Wood fern

• Hobblebush

• Big Shaggy Moss

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Porter’s Creek Trail

(Here is my write about about our trip from last week.)

Click here for pictures.

On the way to breakfast, a bear ran out in front of our car (that makes 4 in two days!) We went to breakfast at the Log Cabin Pancake House and had the special for $11.25 each. It came with eggs, 2 pancakes, bacon, and a drink. I noticed the lunch specials have gone up to $11.95 from the $9.95 from two years ago.

Then we went back to our townhouse and prepped for our hike. We ended up at Porter’s Creek Trail at 9:15 am. We hiked for about 2.5 miles and it was uphill all the way. We finished around noon and then stopped at a place to put our feed in the river. After relaxing for a little while, we went to Food Lion to pick up some red sausages and sauerkraut for lunch.

We saw some flora and fauna along the way.

Things we saw:

• Maidenhair Fern
• Christmas Fern
• New York fern
• Southern Lady fern
• America Spikenard (close relative to wild sasparilla)
• American Jumpseed (aka Virginia Knotweed)
• Cardinal Flower
• Beechdrops
• Solomon’s seal
• Indian Cucumber
• Southern Harebell
• Jewelweed (orange and yellow)
• mushrooms
• Caterpillars
• Millipedes
• Squirrels
• Mayfly larva

Our lunch was delicious! We relaxed around the townhouse after lunch.

In the afternoon, we went to the pool and relaxed. The hot tub was nice and hot which relaxed our muscles. The pool was cold when you first got in it but then it was okay. In the evening we watched movies (Days of Thunder, Top Gun, and Guardians of the Galaxy).

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Treetops Resort 2024

(Here is my write about about our trip from last week.)

For pictures, click here.

We left home at about 8:15 am. First, we went to breakfast at Waffle House and then returned home to finish packing the car. We took our time and went through Townville, Clayton, Dillard, and Cherokee since we couldn’t check in until 5 pm.

We stopped at a few flea markets and a yard sale on the way. It was nice to get out and browse. We bought a few things at the yard sale. When we got to Franklin, we had lunch at Ingles. I got a meat + 1 vegetable and a drink for $7 and Don had a 4 vegetable plate and a drink for $7.

Once we got to Cherokee, we stopped at the Oconoluftee Visitor Center to buy our yearlong parking permit for the national park for $40. Then we went up the mountain towards Gatlinburg and stopped at Newfound Gap to look at the views.

When we got to Gatlinburg, the traffic increased. There must have been a jeep rally today because we saw tons of jeeps all day long!

Since we were early, we decided to take the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail which is a scenic drive. Along the way, we saw 3 bears! One bear walked right in front of our car!

We got to the resort at about 3:30 pm and were able to check-in. We got room #328 which was amazing! It was a townhouse on floor 3 so the kitchen and living room were downstairs and then we had to walk up a flight of stairs to the 2 bedrooms with full baths. There was a half bath downstairs. Our balcony looked right over the beautiful creek.

Once we got settled, we ran to Food Lion for supplies and snacks.

The first evening we sat on the balcony and watched the sunset. We saw a turkey across the road having dinner. The temperature dropped enough for us to put jackets on. I sat and knit until it got too dark to knit.

Original photos by Pat Hensley