Observations of a Lesser Kind

 I have lived my entire life in the South except for 4 years when I lived in a foreign country and while I enjoyed living in Cairo, Egypt,  I have always preferred the southern lifestyle even though I have only visited other parts of the US and never lived in those place for longer than a week or two which does not really give you a proper perspective of that lifestyle.  However, I can say without exception that the weather is warmer down south than up north.  As I get older, the colder weather seems to bother me even more than high humidity.

The wages are less down south as is the cost of living.    Depending on one's lifestyle, I doubt that the entire state of Tennessee has fewer bars than New York City but that kind of lifestyle has never been one I cared much for, even though I did my fair share of drinking in college.

One thing that has caught my attention in some southern states is the number of churches that one sees  around the urban areas...  and, most of them are Baptist.  Seems like a waste of money to have so many of these Baptist churches in one area when one or two would suffice.

The other thing that has caught my attention is the number of pickup trucks I see on the road.  Like SUVs, it is difficult to see around pickup truck to get an idea of what is in front of you before it is too late.  What I find rather humorous is that whenever I see the driver get out of their pickup truck that person is always under 6 feet tall.  I have concluded that only short people drive pickup trucks.  I know that is a false conclusion but that is all I have seen.

Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky are the states in which I have lived.  Most of my years have been spent in Tennessee actually 32 in total.  I like Tennessee the best but not because I have lived here the longest but because it fits my lifestyle and mentality.

I live simply with no debt for the last 15 years.  I can walk around the community without the fear of getting harmed.  There is no state income tax.  We have an adequate number of franchised restaurants.  There is minimal traffic except during rush hour in Knoxville.  I can do everything that I want to do.

One thing that I have decided to do which happened recently is I am going to donate my body to the University of Tennessee  Medical Center for research when I die.     Consequently, I will have no funeral expenses.

I turn 75 in 3 months and figure that I have no more than 20 years left to live.  That is not a very pleasant thing to think about but it is a reality for me.  So, sometimes in the morning when I am drinking my coffee, I think about what I would like to do these next 20 years that I have not yet done or accomplished.  And I can think of nothing...