Shopper Blog: Library offers another stop on World's Fair nostalgia tour
BEARDEN
Library offers another stop on World's Fair nostalgia tour
John Shearer, Shopper News
Numerous Knoxville residents or former residents who attended the 1982 World’s Fair likely have a few mementos, tickets, collectibles, or programs from it stashed away in a drawer or closet.
The McClung Historical Collection off South Gay Street does, too. In fact, the library facility has more than 120 boxes of fair-related paper mementos, not to mention a few other items like small Sunsphere replicas and commemorative trays.
Library officials were like the person who could not throw anything away, and now many of the more interesting items are on display for the public both in person and digitally in connection with this year’s 40th anniversary of the fair.
Along with the separate Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound films and the also-separate Museum of East Tennessee History exhibit of larger items and visual images, a visit to this East Tennessee History Center collection is almost like a return trip to the fair.
McClung Historical Collection archivist Joanna Bouldin said helping pull some of the items out for display for this project that began last year was enjoyable.
“It was fun to go through the material and pick out what was going to be on display and then put it up,” she said, adding that library staff member Diana Rogers meticulously figured out how to display the items in various cases.
Besides the small collectible items like a Coca-Cola commemorative tray from the fair and a large ceramic Stroh’s beer mug, the display cases also feature old programs and posters, as well as booklets from the various international exhibits. With the former, there is everything from a menu from the Sunsphere restaurant to a simple program when Knoxville College Day was held at the fair.
Among the items from the different countries’ pavilions, the Chinese exhibit brochure has some personalized writing on it referring to the McClung Collection. Also, a Saudi Arabia program has “message of welcome” printed on the front of it from those days when the country was less scrutinized for its human rights record than in 2022.
Among the tickets, one is a two-day pass that cost a visitor $15.95 with tax.
“We truly picked the items we thought would be the best and put them on display,” Bouldin said.
Dozens of the flat items like brochures and photographs can also be seen online at the collection’s website.
McClung officials say this caretaker-of-the-fair’s-memory role began about five years before the fair, when then-McClung archivist William MacArthur started working with fair president Bo Roberts to have fair items donated to the collection.
“And (former McClung staff member) Steve Cotham and Sally Polhemus went nearly every day to the fair and picked up items,” said Bouldin of this thinking-ahead mentality when most locals were focused simply on the present.
Over the years, the library has also collected photos and other items, including some of fair graphic designer Jim Thorpe’s materials and some group photos of visitors to the fair that 40 years later are hard to identify.
Bouldin said she was only 7 years old and living in Texas when the fair took place, but she said her work and interactions with people who were there have given her a special appreciation for the memorable event.
“It has a nostalgia,” she said. “You’ve got the Sunsphere there with a little bit of memories. And especially this year, people like to share their memories of going to the fair. And an awful lot of people worked at the fair, and they seem to enjoy talking about it.
“It seems to have overwhelmingly positive memories. Whether that was true at the time, I cannot say. But I think it was pretty impressive they were able to pull it together.”
HALLS
New Brickey-McCloud principal Susan Hutton wants school to be 'loving, caring and safe'
Ali James, Shopper News
The school year wrapped up at Dare Elementary School in Yorktown, Virginia, in early June, and just three days later new Brickey-McCloud school principal Susan Hutton had moved to Knoxville.
“My husband started last year at a job in Oak Ridge working remotely,” said Hutton of the big move. “I wanted to finish the school year in Virginia and was looking for something for this school year.”
Hutton said she and her husband wanted to be closer to family in North Carolina. “This is where we want to stay put and one day retire,” she said. “I have really enjoyed that everyone seems very friendly. We have been hiking a lot, enjoying the hills, mountains, and rivers. The hills are a whole lot different from where we came from.”
When Knox County Schools decided to group the district’s schools into regions, previous Brickey principal Megan O’Dell was appointed regional director of region three overseeing schools throughout South and East Knoxville.
Hutton has just spent several days in intensive professional training with other local administrators before returning to Brickey-McCloud to prepare for the upcoming school year.
“Everyone has been very welcoming,” she said. “I have been hearing how great Brickey is (from other school leaders), and everyone has been offering to help.”
Because Knox County is a large school district, Hutton feels the new regional structure will offer a more tailored approach for schools in their respective regions and better support for someone who is new to the district.
Hutton worked as an elementary school teacher and middle school AVID teacher in Newport News, Virginia, for nine years before stepping into her first administrative role in 2006 as an assistant principal at a math, science and technology magnet school in Yorktown, Virginia.
In addition to a bachelor's degree in University Studies from University of New Mexico, Hutton has a master's degree in the Art of Teaching from Christopher Newport University, and a doctorate degree in Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership from the College of William and Mary.
“I have been a middle school principal for seven years and an elementary school principal for the past three years,” said Hutton. “The school population ranged from 400-800 so this is right in the realm of what I’m used to. And Brickey is larger than the last school I was at.”
Brickey-McCloud has certainly grown to keep pace with demand. After requesting 14 new classrooms, it was provided with 10 in the past year.
“My first priority is the kids; they are my passion and my love,” said Hutton. “That is all we are here for, the whole child, and supporting everyone in my school community helping the teachers and staff, too.”
Hutton wants to see what is good about Brickey and maintain those strengths while continuing to improve. While she will refer to data for some of that perspective, she said looking beyond the numbers to hear feedback is also important.
“I really like to build positive relationships, be visible and out and about in the mornings and in the classrooms,” said Hutton. “Being kind is very important to me. You want it to be a place everyone wants to come to and you can feel that when you come to a school, being loving, caring and safe is my goal.”
FARRAGUT
Karns fair comes back like an old friend after two-year pandemic hiatus
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
One thing about the Karns Community Fair that’s always constant. People can be overheard saying “There’s my neighbor!” followed by a happy “Hello! I haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays!”
“That’s what the fair is all about,” said board member Charlie (Mr. Karns) Austin, “bringing neighbors together into community. But remember, community is not where you live, it’s something you do.”
With a two-year break due to the pandemic, this year’s fair was back more popular than ever with about 6,000 visitors.
The event had that nostalgic feeling with prize-winning chickens, a petting zoo, and a kids’ midway run by Girl Scouts.
The bake sale was back in full force with baked goods donated by community members, the proceeds going back to the fair board for future events.
Beauty queens and politicians were all smiles greeting the crowd, and antique tractors glittered in the sun.
About 100 vendors, many bringing handmade items, all seemed to be thankful for being inside in the air-conditioning.
“This is a great day,” said Brenda Anderson, from Garden to Gourmet Goodness, who brought dozens of flavors of fresh, homemade jam.
One of the highlights of the day was the rib eating contest sponsored by Texas Roadhouse. Contestants had three minutes to try to eat an entire rack of ribs. Perhaps the most popular contestant was cheerleader Caroline Matthews, 17, who didn’t win, but gave it her best try among cheers from the crowd.
The winner was Sam Compton from Knox County Parks and Recreation, who received applause for being on the Beaver Creek cleanup crew. He received a bucket filled with Texas Roadhouse goodies.
But he wasn’t the only winner of the day. Sheena Fowlkes won a brand-new kayak in a raffle from the Beaver Creek Kayak Club, and Chuck Walsh won a phenomenal cake shaped like a beaver baked by Cassie Kiestler.
There were a number of politicians on hand, but none such good sports as County Commissioner Terry Hill and school board member Betsy Henderson. Both took their turn in the dunk tank.
“I’m more than happy to do it,” said Henderson. “I just hope the water is refreshing. I have to steel my nerves for the drop, though.”
Both Hill and Henderson were popular targets and spent more time in the water than on the bench.
Members of the fair board said their goals are no longer limited to just the fair. They want to incorporate several events held in the Karns area.
The Fall Festival is planned for Oct. 1 at Karns Middle School.
The Christmas Parade will kick off from Ingles Market Dec. 3. It is anticipated that the Christmas Parade will be bigger because there was no Fair parade. The fair board decided to forgo the parade since Knoxville had so many July Fourth parades. The heat was another factor.
“Now we’ll be looking forward to the Christmas Parade twice as much,” said Austin.
Info: Find Karns Fair on Facebook.
POWELL
What is an Integrative Breastfeeding Consultant? It comes down to helping anxious moms
Ali James, Shopper News
In the midst of the recent baby formula supply crisis, there was an uptick in prenatal visit requests, according to Candy Scarbrough, an Integrative Breastfeeding Consultant and certified lactation counselor.
“People are fearful of not having food for their baby,” she said. “There are requests for relactation and help for people who stopped breastfeeding in the early weeks then were unable to obtain formula.”
In some cases, Scarbrough said, she was able to obtain from other families specific formulas that were difficult to find in store and assist with obtaining breast milk from milk banks.
Scarbrough is in private practice and provides in-home lactation consultations in Knoxville and the surrounding counties.
A 'passion to serve others'
In 2009, Scarbrough lost her 3-year-old son, Tucker, to congenital heart disease. “Throughout his illness my passion to serve others in some capacity in the medical field was ignited,” she said. Less than two months after her son died, Scarbrough was studying to be a physician assistant.
“About halfway into my schooling journey, I took a job as a night shift desk coordinator in Labor and Delivery,” said Scarbrough, who lives in Corryton. “It was the first time I’d heard of a lactation consultant, despite having breastfed three children. I arranged to shadow the hospital consultants for a day.”
Through the seeming “grunt work” of washing breast pump parts for a mother whose baby was in the NICU, Scarbrough immediately knew what she needed to do.
After completing a one-week course to become a Certified Lactation Counselor, Scarbrough was able to volunteer as an intern.
“I would work a 12-hour night shift in Labor and Delivery, then shadow the hospital IBCLCs for 1,000 direct supervised hours,” she said. “I took a total of 90+ lactation specific education hours before sitting my board exam and officially becoming an IBCLC in 2011.”
Scarbrough’s focus is Integrative Lactation, with a focus on whole body wellness for mother and baby.
A typical home visit includes a full body comprehensive assessment of the baby to spot any potential obstacles when it comes to breastfeeding. Scarbrough observes a full feeding and helps make adjustments in positioning.
Just as importantly, she assesses the mother and baby’s personal birth and medical history.
“I often do visits for mothers exclusively pumping or for babies having difficulty with bottle feeding in general,” she said. “One-on-one prenatal consultations are becoming more desirable, for those with previous breastfeeding struggles or moms who want to get off on the right track before baby comes.”
All kinds of issues addressed
Some of the most common reasons for a lactation consultation are painful nursing, infant weight gain concerns, GI trouble and food sensitivities, special needs infants, infant oral evaluation and even just general breastfeeding questions.
Many commercial insurance companies will cover six or more home visits at 100% and the cost of a breast pump. Scarbrough is currently in network with major insurance companies, offers a self-pay option, and although Tenncare does not contract with private practice IBCLCs, she is working to change this.
“Your personal IBCLC should plan to meet with you three to five days after birth to create an individualized plan and follow-up care as needed,” said Scarbrough.
The first two weeks are the most important for establishing breast milk production, she said.
“Many moms are forced to wean early due to poor long-term milk production issues that were not addressed in the first two weeks.”
There are many misconceptions when it comes to breastfeeding, Scarbrough said. Moms worry that they can’t make enough, that their baby is allergic or that they will not be able to breastfeed when they go back to work.
“This is a very sensitive and all too common issue society has come to accept as the norm,” she said.
“In fact, I have worked with numerous people who had multiple (medical or labor and delivery history) flags who ended up producing more milk than one baby could possibly need,” she said. “The truth is, milk production is impossible to predict; however, in most cases, with early intervention, anything is possible.”
To request a consultation, contact Scarbrough through Facebook; search for Candace Scarbrough Lactation (Ibclc). There is a private Facebook group called “The Breastaurant” with around 1,200 moms offering one another support.
SOUTH KNOXVILLE
He graduated from South-Doyle, now he's back as the principal
Ali James, Shopper News
Brad Carr comes home as South-Doyle High principal
“I think the perception is that South-Doyle has a diverse population,” said the high school’s new principal, Brad Carr. “I am a South-Doyle alum, and I am familiar with the area, and I’ve had the opportunity to be away from home and gained diverse experiences.”
Carr’s varied and interesting career began with Knox County Schools as a teacher at Fulton High School in 2008.
He went on to work as a TAP (Technical Advanced Placement) mentor teacher at Austin-East Magnet High School and a TAP master teacher at South-Doyle High.
In 2013, he moved into administration, first as assistant principal at Powell High school. He has also been an assistant principal at high schools in West Virginia and Virginia. In 2018, he became the principal of Graham High School in Bluefield, Virginia. Last year, he was named director of human resources for Tazewell County Public Schools there.
The new role is very much a homecoming for Carr, his wife and four sons.
“This area is home to me; this is where my wife and I started our family,” said Carr, whose wife will be teaching at South-Doyle Middle School. “We both started our teaching careers here and felt like it was time to come home.”
In addition to his work experience, Carr has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from King College, a master’s degree in Modified and Comprehensive Special Education from the University of Tennessee, an education specialist degree in Administration and Supervision from Lincoln Memorial University and a doctorate in Educational Leadership, from University of the Cumberlands.
When Carr was a TAP master teacher at South-Doyle High School, the school had just become one of the first 1-1 schools, where every student received a device, and he was able to help mesh that educational technology piece.
South-Doyle High School and Green Magnet Academy were just two out of 27 schools from across the state to receive STEM school designations this year. “I am learning that about it, too,” said Carr.
“Within our curriculum, every student takes at least an introductory to STEM course in their freshman year to learn what it encompasses and what we offer moving forward. Outside of that we get some funding ($30,000) for a fabrication lab and to prep our site for that. It is pretty exciting.”
Over his first two weeks on the job, Carr has been heavily involved in professional development and meeting other district administrators.
“The most exciting thing about coming into a new school is the new people, meeting the students and teachers,” he said. “I have some familiarity with the community, but getting to know them has been a lot of fun. It is really important to do that at the beginning.”
Carr credited his 11-year predecessor, Tim Berry, for making a lot of improvements at the school.
“The STEM designation is huge; he was the engineer with a big team behind that,” said Carr. “There was some Blue Ribbon ‘Beacon’ School of Excellence too. I’m not walking into a school that is in bad shape.”
Carr remembers attending South-Doyle School in the late 1990s.
“It had only been a school for seven years, merged into that one site,” he said.
“I had a wonderful experience as a student, but now it is 30 years past that merger and I really think the various communities have really come together into one big community. They no longer feel like their school was taken from them. It is really nice to see that (former football coach) Clark Duncan and Tim Berry have had a lot to do with that.”
Opportunities are the biggest thing for Carr.
“My expectations of our staff from top to bottom is that we love our kids, partner with families and hold kids to a high standard,” he said. “I want our families to know we are a partner; we will love them but push them to be great.”
WORDS OF FAITH
Home improvement for the whole world
John Tirro, Shopper News
I’ve tended to live in forests my whole adult life. My spouse and I love old houses and old trees, which has led to a whole lot of unforeseen home improvement, plus a good bit of tree repair, as well as learning what will and won’t grow in shade as the forest canopy closes.
This week, I’ve been home with COVID, mild symptoms thanks to vaccination but still isolated, in a room away from my spouse, windows open for ventilation, or out in the yard where I’m not likely to get anyone sick, masking between the two places. It’s made me grateful in a new way, for a home, for trees, and for birds and birdsong.
Maybe it’s just old homes in forests, or maybe it’s timing, but the first years in our house, it seemed like we were supporting it a good bit more than it was supporting us. Surface water issues, basement floods, that huge hailstorm that took out everyone’s roof and pocked our cars all over like golf balls, a windstorm that twisted a huge elm until its thickest limbs split, as if they’d exploded, HVAC and water heaters giving up the ghost — you know, home ownership.
Well, after two months with my in-laws, who are builders, kindly coming with a skid steer and backhoe to regrade and install what an engineer later called “a very aggressive drain system”; another month installing a pump system with battery backups (thank you, MasterDry!); several rounds of insurance reps and car and window and roof specialists swarming everywhere; a team of arborists with chainsaws high in our trees; a whole lot of ax-swinging and firewood-stacking (excellent exercise!); and various repairs and improvements over a decade, now the house and forest are able to support not only us, but birds.
It’s a beautiful thing, in the hour before the anti-viral med makes your tongue taste like metal, to sip coffee, in a home that supports you, and listen to birds — in stereo, at all distances, far and near, high in the branches and down by the bird feeders, cool-flowing air filled with God’s own music.
In Genesis 18, Abraham graciously hosts three travelers, the Lord and two angels, who’ve come to destroy a city for harming instead of helping travelers (Ezekiel 16:49; Matthew 10:15). Abraham bargains with God and gets God to say he won’t destroy it, if even 10 righteous people (gracious hosts) are found there.
As I sip coffee in my home and listen to birds (and now thunder), as a pastor of a downtown church surrounded by so many who can’t find a home, and as I prepare to preach this text, I think two things.
First, if even a small percentage is good — coffee, birdsong, and rain — it’s worth what we go through to get there (like sparing a city for the sake of 10).
Second, what would we have to go through, together, to help more people have houses?
John Tirro is pastor of music at St. John’s Lutheran Church. Info: sjlcknox.org.
POWELL
Group plans PHS monument to alumni killed in action
Al Lesar, Shopper News
Bringing history to life is the mission of Rusty Smith and Jim Hackworth.
A teacher at Powell High School for the better part of two decades, Smith wants to prove to his students that history is more than names on the page of a book.
History will be the 13 names that will be on a monument outside the school — near the existing flag pole — that will honor former students who have died in war.
“These people have paid the ultimate price,” said Smith, a Powell native and an Air Force veteran. “This is an example that freedom comes with a cost.
“Some students really get it; some don’t. If they are kids of veterans or know someone in the miliary, they understand what it means. The ones that don’t have any connections are the ones that don’t get it.”
Both sets of students are the target audience monument sponsors are trying to reach.
Names of those killed include two — Vernon Harris (Class of 1938) and Eugene Roop (1942) — in World War II; five in Korea — Brady Hatton (1949), Charles Nix (1951), Jack Amyx (maybe 1950), Robert Buckner (maybe 1947) and Paul Reed (maybe 1947); and six in Vietnam — Charles Reed (1965), Larry Barnard (1965), Lennis Gentry (1967), Ray Hankins (1968), David Marine (1969) and Tommy Higdon (1964).
Veteran of three wars
Smith credited his father — a veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam — with his passion for history and his appreciation for the military.
“My dad got caught running moonshine for the third time when he was 14,” Smith recalled. “After being in juvenile detention twice, the judge told him to come back the next day with his Bible. Since my dad was born at home, there was no birth certificate.
“The judge added three years to his age in the Bible, and sent him into the military.”
All that happened before Smith was born in 1969.
Early in his teaching career, Smith had a conversation with legendary Powell basketball coach Mike Ogan. They talked about a plaque with those heroes’ names on it that used to hang somewhere prominent in the school. After a few renovations, the plaque disappeared.
Smith didn’t want the memorial to be lost. He set out researching the names, cross-checking them between the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial website and Powell High School yearbooks.
“I can’t even guess how many hours I’ve put in,” he said.
Worthwhile project
With the research part of the project completed, Smith is passing the project to his neighbor Jim Hackworth.
A publisher of real estate publications by trade, Hackworth has taken on the job of raising money and securing a design for the monument that Smith hopes will be done by this fall, Nov. 11 (Veterans Day), to be exact.
Besides getting an early rendering of the memorial, Hackworth has taken on the task of setting up an account at First Horizon Bank and has gone into the community to try to secure corporate donations.
“This is a worthwhile project,” Hackworth said. “It’s all about service and sacrifice. It’s something significant for our community.”
More: How do the past five Tennessee football coaches sound now? | Mike Strange
FARRAGUT
Beaver Ridge UMC pool party gives 'perfect ending' to fair
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
More than 200 people showed up early for the community pool party hosted by Beaver Ridge United Methodist Church at the Karns Lions Club Community Pool on July 16.
Travis Burnett, Children’s Director of Beaver Ridge UMC, said the pool party was another in a series of community outreach events hosted by the church.
“We are looking for ways to reach out to the community and add to the list of community events we do. We have our Fall Festival, Easter Egg Hunt and this year we did Camp in the Community instead of VBS, which was a big success,” said Burnett.
Burnett said Beaver Ridge UMC wants to be known as “that church that supports the community, the church everyone can count on.”
The church does a number of events. In addition to supporting the Food Pantry, it hosts Troop 50/51 Boy Scouts and the Pumpkin Patch, which is run by Suzanne Davidson.
The church will be hosting a Nerf Battle for the kids in August with food trucks and music outside, capped off by a message from Pastor Teresa McClure.
“It’s just an old fashioned outdoor service with lots of fun and music; everyone is invited,” said Burnett.
Most recently, the church hosted the Fairest of the Fair Pageant.
“Yes, that was a fun event, we enjoyed it very much,” said Burnett. “I hope to continue that relationship and host the pageant for years to come.”
Burnett said the church decided to host the pool party to cap off the fair.
“It’s such a hot day, and everyone is tired. They’ve been at the fair most of the day and now is time to relax and cool off. What better way to end the day than with a community pool party with everyone just hopping in the pool?”
Blair Idol brought her son, 1-year-old Cabe, to the pool. They spent the morning at the fair. When asked which she liked better, Blair said she liked them both equally. “The pool party was the perfect ending to a perfect day in Karns.”
Info: www.beaverridgeumc.org.
POWELL
Dog-training career launched on four legs
Al Lesar, Shopper News
Before he retired, Alex was a natural.
Fluid, graceful, fast, strong and quite a leaper.
At 14, Alex is content to plop on the couch and rest on his laurels.
In Trent Steele’s opinion, Alex has earned this luxury in his golden years. He played a role in Steele turning his life in a different direction.
For 20 years, the 46-year-old Powell resident worked in the restaurant business. His latest position was as a general manager at McAlister’s Deli.
About 12 years ago, Alex – a Weimaraner – got entered in a dock diving competition at Tommy Schumpert Dog Park in Powell. Dogs start at the end of a 40-foot dock, chase after a favorite toy at full speed, then leap into a pond or pool after the toy with the distance of their leap measured.
From that first leap, Alex was a winner. His career was highly decorated, enough to be enshrined in the Smoky Mountain DockDogs Hall of Fame.
“Alex has brought a lot of people together over the years,” said Steele.
Seven years ago, Steele used his knowledge of dogs to leave the restaurant business and buy the franchise for Dog Wizard in Farragut.
Training and competing
Dog Wizard offers training for dogs in class settings (up to six in a class), one-on-one and board-and-train options. Costs vary from $500 to $3,900.
“While training can be expensive,” Steele said, “it’s how you train and that trainers are there for you.”
Steele said with the training comes access to “graduate” classes to work on specific issues for the life of the dog.
When he’s not training dogs, he’s competing with them. While Alex’s days of soaring toward that favorite toy are behind him, Steele has a Belgian Malinois that has a personal best of 24 feet, 4 inches – about 8.5 feet behind the world record.
Steele said his dog “left 2 feet on the dock.”
“About 90 percent of a dog’s jump is human fault,” Steele said.
DockDogs strategy boils down to fun
The key is for the dog’s owner/trainer, the only human allowed on the dock, to throw the toy so that the dog’s jump is at the end of the runway. That way, the dog can take off at the end of the dock to maximize the total distance.
Dogs can be trained to catch the toy in midair as they jump (which Steele does), or have the toy already floating in the water, so the dog can jump after it (which is the way the record holder approached it).
“I’m pretty good at throwing the toy, so that helps,” Steele said. “I can get real nerdy about things like the right stride or the good jump.
“The important thing isn’t to win, it’s to be able to have fun with your dog. That’s what it boils down to.”
Steele said membership in the Smoky Mountain DockDogs has gone from about 10-15 when he first joined to over 50 now. He will go to about eight competitions this summer.
Two of those events are in the Knoxville area. A competition in Maryville June 24-25 drew 50-100 dogs, while a national event in Farragut Aug. 12-14 will have 150-200 dogs.
OPINION
Training puppy didn't go as planned
Leslie Snow, Shopper News
I had such big plans for Buttercup.
I dreamed her into existence when “coronavirus” was just a word I’d heard a few times on the nightly news. She was born before daily case counts scrolled across our TV; before we knew about variants and subvariants, and when a vaccine was a fervent wish instead of something to fear.
But weeks after I brought my Great Dane puppy home, the world shut down. That’s when Buttercup and I became a bonded pair.
We had nowhere to go and nothing to do, so I decided to make training my new dog my singular focus. I pledged to spend my days teaching her basic obedience along with a few crowd-pleasing tricks. I vowed to stick to a daily training schedule that would make her the most well-behaved of all my dogs.
And that’s just how things went. For about a week.
Then my sister got sick, and my world was upended. The time I’d set aside to train my puppy was lost in trips to Ohio and phone calls to doctor’s offices.
I never did train Buttercup properly, but in an odd twist of fate, she decided to train me instead.
Most of Buttercup’s commands are a combination of pitiful whines and nonverbal cues. And as I’m very well trained, I can interpret even the most subtle changes in vocalizations.
When she cries by the bathtub and stares at me intently, she wants a drink from the faucet.
When she whimpers pitifully in the middle of the night, she wants me to cover her with a blanket.
And when she nudges me while I put on my shoes, she wants me to take her for a walk.
Buttercup is a skilled human trainer. She rewards me with a wag and a nuzzle when I follow her instructions; she barks impatiently if I go astray. She’s firm but loving, and most of the time, I earn her approval.
The last couple weeks she’s been trying to teach me a new trick. I’m embarrassed to say it’s taken me a while to learn it.
For this trick, she stands at the top of the walkway that leads down to Fort Loudon Lake and howls. That’s my cue to go to the lake and pick up a raft. Once I’m in my raft, she waits for me at a spot where she can get into the water easily. If I take too long to swim to her, she barks impatiently. Once I’m in position, she gets in the water so we can swim together.
Buttercup thinks it’s the best trick she’s ever taught me. And I agree.
She stays by my raft, swimming around me, nuzzling me with her nose to keep me in line. If I float too far away, she barks until I come closer. I follow her commands because she’s smart and I know she has a lot to teach me.
Over the last two years Buttercup has taught me to be a good listener and to meet each moment with unending exuberance. She’s schooled me on the importance of daily exercise and taught me that treats make every day a little sweeter.
Her zest for living has reminded me to be present and to enjoy all of life’s simple pleasures, from taking a Sunday drive to meeting new friends who smell good.
I’m grateful for my COVID puppy. And even though I pictured our training sessions a little differently in my head, I’m proud to say, I’ve turned out to be a very good girl.
Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com
More: Why hasn't state attorney general released taxpayer-paid audit? | Victor Ashe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Shopper News brings you the latest happenings in your community
