One of my favorite things in December is how we take the time pause and reflect about the year as it winds down.
It seems like every news outlet – nationally and locally – has its own version of the Top Stories of 2012. It even extends to the world of sports and entertainment and a look back at celebrities who passed away this year.
Following that tradition, last year I posted a two-part series in December, taking a look back at our Top Stories for 2011. Today and tomorrow, I will give you my Top 10 for 2012.
Here goes:
10. Driving Us Batty –
I wasn’t prepared for the call I received that day at work when Lisa had officially gotten word that we had new tenants – a small colony of bats had chosen to located in a recessed area our siding near the top of our house on the west side of our house. The really bad news is that our local humane wildlife relocation company could not move them because the momma bats had just had baby bats. So, for the better part of the summer, we hosted Big Brown Bats. Then, one day when Varmint Busters came back to complete the exclusion when it was legal to do so, we found the bats were gone. They must’ve relocated into our woods because we saw them for weeks after their move. AND, our mosquito population in 2012 was non-existent. We placed a bat house for our friends at the edge of the woods but as of last week, there were still no residents inside. On the plus side, we got a nice Christmas card this year from Varmint Busters!
9. New Jeep -
In January, my old Expedition finally threw in the towel after many trips, baseball tournaments, madrigal events and so forth. The departure of Big Blue from our family made way for the arrival of our new Jeep Grand Cherokee (new to us, that is, as we bought the vehicle from Carmax).
We’ve definitely enjoyed having it but we also miss Big Blue.
8. Holly, the intern –
This fall, Holly has been working as an intern in the public relations office at UT. She has gotten some great experience and built a nice portfolio of clips. Meanwhile, she has also served as news director for 90.3 The Rock this fall and carried a full load of courses. She’s rolling toward a Spring ‘13 graduation.
7. Pickering, Cladwell and The Detective -
It was a busy year for Paul on the stage. In the spring, he played the role of Col. Pickering in the FHS APAC presentation of “My Fair Lady.” In the fall, he was “The Detective” in the “Jekyll/Hyde.” Perhaps my favorite role of his from the year, though, was playing the evil Caldwell B. Cladwell at the Governor’s School production of “Urinetown” at MTSU in June.
Also of note, he won a district award for his portrayal of “Man With Scar Tissue” in “Marisol” and a state first place award at the THSSDL competition at Collierville High School in April for storytelling. His story was “The Night the Bed Fell” by James Thurber.
6. Family History –
The release of the 1940 census really sparked my interest in genealogy this year. With a membership in Ancestry.com, I was able to track the Gary family back to Hertfordshire, England (in the 1500s) and followed the crossing of Arthur (born in 1599) in 1635. He sailed to America on the ship Abgail from Plymouth, England and landed in Massachusetts.
Closer to home, I looked up all the family members listed in the 1940 census. At my dad’s suggestion, I did some research on his grandfather (my great-grandfather, Pittman Carpenter and his family) and even visited his grave at the Magnolia Cemetery to pay my respects.
In 2013, I intend to continue this research. In particular, I am wanting to find out information about his first wife, my great-grandmother Mary Valentine Carpenter. We know she died at a very young age. But, there’s so much more to learn!
Tomorrow –
I will count down numbers 5-1 and take a look at the numerous ‘honorable mention’ candidates for the Gary Top 10 of 2012.
JG
(Source: CNN)
Originally posted 12/18/2012
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