Amy Marsalis usually celebrates Valentine’s Day at home. She sets a beautiful table, while Keith, her husband of 20 years, prepares a delicious meal. If not for COVID, the couple, who love to welcome guests to their home, had debated a red-themed dinner for the holiday. They pictured bolognese, perhaps, maybe a red velvet cake, a tomato appetizer, and, of course, red wine.
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The American Cancer Society estimates ovarian cancer will strike more than 22,000 women in the United States this year. And 14,000 of those women will die. Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect in its early stages and challenging to treat once the disease spreads. According to Marci Houff, “Every woman in the world is at risk of developing ovarian cancer, and a great majority don’t know much about it.” Including
A few years ago, while conducting research for his first book, RJ Jacobs reached out to a virologist at Vanderbilt University. She and her lab colleagues studied viruses and the diseases they caused. “We’re currently investigating a strain of the coronavirus,” she said during their interview. RJ, and most of the rest of the world, had never heard of it. And Then You Were Gone arrived in bookstores last March,
When I seldom leave the house and yearn to see my adult kids, a routine comforts me. During quarantine, my husband and I wrap up our days and meet on the couch for a drink and the evening news. A little after 5 pm, Reed Clapp comes into our living room with his inventive bag of ideas for kids and parents and grandparents. Reed, or Mr. Clapp as he’s known
How does it feel? I ask. Check Yes or No winds down, and a stadium filled with 20,000 fans erupts. Amid the claps and screams and shouts, what goes through your mind? Marty Slayton Jordan is way too kind and modest to admit the experience is one gigantic rush. But don’t you know it is?
When Laticia Williams’ grandmother was a teenager, she needed a new pair of shoes. In the basement of Nashville’s FW Woolworth building, one of the original “five and dime” stores in the country, the sales clerk was willing to sell Big Mama the shoes. But, like other stores of the day, she wasn’t allowed to try them on. Big Mama traced the outline of her foot on a brown paper
Whether exploring a new city or tracking down a coffee shop in my own town, I prefer to park my car and set out on foot. When I meander through a neighborhood, I notice flowers and window displays and people I don’t see from the backseat of an Uber or behind the steering wheel of my car. And – even more fun still? – wandering through a community while devouring
One of the things I missed most about leaving Houston was my monthly book club meeting. Our group was much more than lively conversation, often on topics far beyond the book we were meeting to discuss. Book club prompted me to read books I might not otherwise choose and to explore issues I may not dig into on my own. It forced me out of my box. Parnassus Books, a tiny jewel
A hard-nosed, young Navy diver, Ryan Black was assigned to deep sea salvage and rescue missions in southern Japan. While stationed in the country, he set his sights on learning kendo, the sword fighting martial art. However, when he went calling at the kendo temple, he was informed – and not at all politely – the group did not care to have an outsider in their midst. Not one to
Feeling like old friends, Mark Bilbrey greeted me with a big smile, a warm hug, and invited me behind the cheese case at Porter Road Butcher in East Nashville. We spent the next two hours laughing and talking and comparing varieties of cheddars and goudas. Tragically, 3 months later, on November 6, 2018, Mark lost his life in a one-vehicle auto accident on rain-soaked streets. For his family, friends, colleagues,
Surrounded by posters and thank you cards and sweet messages from school kids, Jake Belair is a rock star at the Nashville Zoo. “I have a great deal of fun showing people, including a whole lot of kids, the glamorous side of my job as an animal keeper,” he says. Sweaty, grimy, and sporting rubber wading boots, Jake has spent the morning cutting tree branches for his parrots, hawks, and
Traveling to a new city, I don’t necessarily want an overwhelming list of restaurant recommendations and tourist attractions to sort through and analyze. Just give me a few good spots to eat and fun places to go to get me started – leaving room for impromptu exploring and spontaneity. These are my current Nashville favorites – I know my list may change periodically. Hope you enjoy checking out a few
Crazy about pretty clothes, great shoes, and lists of all sorts, I fell in love with Brittany Fuson and her long-legged girls. Dressed in fabulous dresses and carrying the latest handbags, her blondes and brunettes and redheads sport everything I ever hope to find hanging in my dream closet. As she finished up her Apparel Design degree at the University of Alabama back in 2009, Brittany wanted to give each
According to Matt Russo, “a gambling stick is an old Appalachian name for a stick used to hang a pig from the limb of a tree. Threaded through the heels of the pig, the stick supports its weight while the animal is harvested.” The gamble, and hope, is the stick can handle the pig’s weight, and the animal will not come tumbling down. In a parking lot in trendy East
As we wander through the charming, historic Music Row building with the rickety staircases and old-world architecture, Dustin Williams proudly explains, “Everything we have here we fully expect to last 200 years.” The older they get, the more valuable. The more they are played, the better they sound. “We are lucky to be the caretakers of these beautiful instruments.”
Folks with illnesses requiring time off from work, individuals with sudden Injuries or disabilities, seniors with smaller incomes, people who’ve lost their jobs, kids in at-risk homes. It is impossible to keep track of everyone who needs help. Many won’t ask for assistance. Some are embarrassed to seek aid. Others don’t know how to get support. One thing is for certain – many faces of hunger exist all across our
Since moving to Nashville, I spend more time listening to live music in a variety of venues around town. After all, this is Music City. Aside from raw talent and lots of practice, I never think about what else makes for an outstanding show. According to Chris Pence, a sound engineer with country and pop bands, “When everything at a show sounds great, the artist is wonderful! But when things
Thirteen years ago, Hayley William’s hair stylist was out on leave, and Brian O’Connor was her next available option. Making small talk as she sat in his chair, Brian asked Hayley the basic questions about what she was doing and where she was working. Laughing now, as he recalls their initial conversation, Brian said he secretly rolled his eyes when Hayley told him she wrote and sang songs. Of course
Showing me around her meticulously organized and overflowing art studio, I have a hard time keeping up with Xima Lee Hulings. Amidst pens and paints and textiles and even a blow torch, she talks about her life and paintings and projects in her rapid-fire, exuberant way. Inspiring and educational, she motivates me to make a mess and create something. Because, as Xima laughs out loud and says, “Life is an
