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Jan Penton-Miller

The aroma of coffee brewing and the hum of conversation surround me as I enjoy another Monday morning at Snowbird Mountain Coffee. I have always loved writing in a place where I can people watch as I peck away on my computer, and this one has so much character with the original brick walls and such.

The clock is ticking away the moments until another little person will come into my life. Ava Grace will be arriving soon, and I cannot wait to hold my first great grandchild in my arms! The idea that my sweet firstborn will be a grandmother is crazy to think of since I feel young myself. I was thrilled with a recent photo of Aidan and Alex. I could see a mixture of contentment and anticipation in their faces that spoke volumes. It is easy to see how happy they are.

Melinda and I rambled to Knoxville recently and strolled around downtown taking in the sights and sounds of the city. A couple of street performers caught our attention, and we stopped to listen for a moment. I was quite impressed with their repertoire from several genres including Christian music, which is my favorite. They played the lovely old hymn, How Great Thou Art, without missing a beat. Upon further scrutiny I realized that the older gentleman was playing a saw!

I couldn’t help but wonder about their situation, and hoped that they had a personal relationship with the One they were singing of. In retrospect, I missed an opportunity for what could have been a good and natural conversation. Maybe I’ll have another chance another day. My thoughts went to the many street musicians in New Orleans whom also play for tips. I didn’t feel any danger in Knoxville the way I did with my friend, Anne, one day in the French Quarter. That’s another story for another day, but the feel is totally different.

We threw a donation in their hat after a few moments and ambled on down the street. The next interesting thing we came upon was a gentleman strolling along with his pet hog. It was huge, and when we made small talk with her owner we learned that her name is Spooner.

Spooner sleeps in her own twin bed and is enormous! I wonder if she snores with her big hairy snout? She had admirers all around and actually has a social media following. I suppose I was reaching when I complimented Spooner’s owner on her cuteness. I was only allowing my southernness to guide me with a compliment much the way no one fails to say that a baby is cute even if he or she is not. Melinda quickly commented that Spooner was definitely not cute, but looked like something from the Neverending Story! I suppose she was correct, but I bet Spooner is cute to her owner since we all know that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.