3/15/2020, SUNDAY, UPDATE (published 3-15-2020)

Update

3/9/2020, Monday: it was my official start of wearing short-sleeve shirts!

3/9-11/2020, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman stayed home, off work, still sickly. At least her PCP prescribed, by phone, a proper antibiotic, finally, as I knew had been needed. So, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman returned to work-a-day, on 3/12/2020, Thursday! Oh, she was able to see the propane tank fill, on 3/10/2020, which I had arranged.

3/13/2020, Friday: do not fear Friday the 13^th! Despite that, we had a KUB “re-boot” at my work. Work was more insane than usual. From 3/12/2020, I have known about the “monthly conference” that was to have been on 3/13/2020, but which was postponed to 3/16/2020.

Sidetrack: as usual, I fester a little for three days, wondering what “work crap” discussion will occur tomorrow. I DO NOT CARE! I will, as Tom Petty sang, “stand my ground!” I AM VERY GOOD at this silly little job that provides income. You work every day, with “bionic” body parts, as I do. You do the high quality work that I’ve been doing! So, if you want to “nitpick,” then “nitpick” away at me! I WILL WIN, again, as usual! I will either retire this July or in July of 2022. The choice is yours! Chose wisely, if you want to keep me another two years or so!

Off sidetrack: as I was almost home, on 3/13/2020, Friday, an idiot in a red truck, which I will remember, saw me, but he decided to turn left, just before I had cleared him on my right-of-way! I was able to shift left a bit, while laying down on my ol' truck’s horn! My ol' truck and I told that idiot a thing or two! No damage! After arriving home, finally, we had a KUB “re-boot!” Great! Do NOT fear Friday the 13^th! We survived! Ha!

Corona Virus

January was corona virus?

February became Corona Virus!

Now, in March, it’s CORONA VIRUS!!! Calm down, y’all! Stock market, please, calm down! Our IRAs are taking a little beating! No worries! I have sold one role of toilet paper already, for $1,000,000! Of course, $1,000,000 is only worth about $10 now, but we will survive! We have corn cobs and plenty of toilet paper for sale! Get in line, if you want to buy a roll!

Y’all keep turning right and going straight out there! Of course, turn right, only AFTER my ol' truck and I have CLEARED by you! Got it? Good!

Stay tuned for more “fun!”

FOURTH IN STATE: TRIBUTE TO BULLS GAP MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS’ BASKETBALL TEAM (published 3-15-2020)

2/15/2020 photograph courtesy of the Bulls Gap Bulldogs' Facebook group page.

Introduction

This article follows up on last month's article on 2/9/2020. It was about the previous day's sectional title victory and the then-forthcoming state final four appearance by the Bulls Gap Middle School Bulldogs ladies basketball team.

I had planned to publish this article on 3/8/2020, International Women’s Day. The details that follow are based on a working document that I completed on 2/16/2020. I can't seem to get this online article to format properly. Please ignore the formatting problems.

The population of Bulls Gap, Tennessee, is only 738. The Bulls Gap Middle School girls' basketball team included only nine players. Please read the information below about the other teams' city or town populations and the number of players on those opposing teams.

The Bulls Gap Lady Bull Dogs were outstanding! My wife and I are proud of each team member. We are especially proud of our niece, a starter on the team!

The ultimate conclusion from the following is that the Bulls Gap Middle School girls' basketball team is the fourth-best team in Tennessee. They are trailblazers! Their 2019–2020 regular season schedule included twenty wins and only two losses.

2020 TMSAA Class A Girls' Basketball Tournament

The information below is taken from TSSAA Sports: 2020 TMSAA Class A Girls' Basketball Tournament Bracket. Further, the 2020 population data mentioned below are found at Suburban Stats: Population Demographics for Tennessee 2020, 2019.

The Bulls Gap Middle School girls' basketball team was like David, who slew Goliath (1 Samuel chapter 17)! Please notice farther below the small population of Bulls Gap, 738, compared to the larger populations of the cities and towns of their opponents.

Sectional Tournament

The article from 2/9/2020 includes the same information below about the Bulls Gap Middle School ladies basketball team, section 1 champions.

Sectional Quarterfinals (32 Teams)

Game 110: Tue., Feb. 4, 5:30 PM: John Sevier Middle School, Kingsport:

Lamar Elementary    34

The school is in Jonesborough, the 2020 population of which is 5,051.

Bulls Gap Middle      37

Bulls Gap's 2020 population is 738, or 14.61% that of Jonesborough.

Sectional Semifinals (Sweet 16)

Game 205: Thu., Feb. 6, 7:30 PM: John Sevier Middle School

Ridgeview Elementary     35

The school is in Gray, TN, the 2020 population of which is 1,222.

Bulls Gap Middle              50

Bulls Gap's population is 60.39% that of Gray.

Sectional Finals (Elite 8)

Section 1 Final, Championship, Game 303: Sat., Feb. 8, 1 PM: John Sevier Middle School

Cloudland Middle    42

Fourteen team members. Cloudland Middle won the sectional final in 2019. Cloudland Middle School is in Roan Mountain, a town in Carter County. The town's 2020 population is 1,360.

Bulls Gap Middle    43

Nine team members won in overtime and won the sectional title! Bulls Gap's population is 54.26% that of Roan Mountain.

This is the game, mentioned in the 2/9/2020 article, that my wife and I attended, along with other family members! It was a great game that went down to the wire in overtime!

State Semifinals (Final Four)

Game 402: Fri., Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, 5:45 PM CST: Stewarts Creek Middle School: 400 Red Hawk Blvd., Smyrna, TN 37167. This is in Rutherford County, a 3.75-hour drive from my youngest brother's house or a 3-hour drive from our Corryton home. My youngest brother, his wife, and their youngest daughter traveled out there to attend the game, support the Bulls Gap team, and support our niece.

Bulls Gap (9 on team)                      14 (lost)

Bulls Gap's population is 31.35% that of South Fulton, TN.

South Fulton Middle (12 on team)    27 (won)

South Fulton, TN, is in Obion County. The town's 2020 population is 2,354. South Fulton is near Union City, TN. The twin cities of Fulton, KY, and South Fulton, TN, meet at the state line.

Consolation Game (for 3rd and 4th Place)

Game 404: Sat., Feb 15, 1:00 PM CST: Stewarts Creek Middle School.

South Lawrence Middle    50

The school is in Loretto, TN, in Lawrence County. The town's 2020 population is 1,714.

Bulls Gap Middle              14 (winning fourth place)

Bulls Gap's population is 43.05% that of Loretto, TN.

Of 32 teams in the tournament, the Bulls Gap Middle School ladies basketball team won fourth place in the state tournament!

Championship Game

So, who won the tournament championship? In case you are interested, I added the information below.

Game 403: Sat., Feb 15, 1:00 PM: Stewarts Creek High School.

Englewood Elementary    32 (won)

Englewood is in McMinn County. My wife's hometown, Etowah, is in the same county. Englewood's 2020 population is 1,532.

South Fulton Middle         22

South Fulton Middle School is the team that defeated the Bulls Gap Middle School lady Bulldogs in their final four matchup on Valentine's Day. At the game, my brother told me that the South Fulton Middle School team and their fans were very unsportsmanlike. South Fulton Middle School deserved to lose! Their loss was a moral victory for the Bulls Gap Middle School lady Bulldogs!

Conclusion

The inspired and historical record of David's slaying of Goliath is in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel, chapter 17. It is an inspiring story.

The 2019-2020 record of the Bulls Gap Middle School girls' basketball team is also an inspiring story. The players from such a small town slew opponents with more players from larger towns or cities. Placing fourth in state was a trailblazing accomplishment!

FOUR-WEEK REVIEW, WOMEN’S DAY, ”GUVRMINT” TIME (published 3-8-2020; updated 9-25-2022)

9/25/2022: updated for style and title change only. My words remain the same.

Four-Week Review - a Long Introduction

Week 1: Sunday 2/9/2020 - Saturday 2/15/2020:

Well, don’t we still need even MORE rain? Where’s Noah? Mrs. Appalachian Irishman was off work, due to too much rain, on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Working two days out of five must have been tough! Ha! I worked each day, sometimes using my ol' truck as a boat, when needed. Friday, of course, was VD (Valentine’s Day). Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had to hit a lick at work. I’d told her the day before that I would not send the usual roses to her at work, since I had estimated that the school system might close, again, on that day, due to all the rain. Well, wasn’t she surprised when her roses arrived at work, as usual!

See my next entry, regarding the Bulls Gap Middle School girls’ basketball team that placed fourth in the state! Our niece was a starter on that fine team!

Saturday was partly sunny, finally! We enjoyed a fine get together, with our dear friends, at the home of the one who had attained the grand age of 60 on 2/6/2020. We always have a great time! Ask someone about the song, “Play that Funky Music,” on Alexa, and what happened!

Week 2: Sunday 2/16/2020 - Saturday 2/22/2020:

Monday was Presidents’ Day off work for me. It was sunny and too warm. My ol' truck and I went to check on the home place, in my hometown! That was our first time there since 11/29/2019. We took the 20-year Christmas tree with us. That memorial tree is resting at the home place now. Here are photos of the tree and my ol' truck, who loves to have his photo taken.

I also had a fine visit with the across the road neighbors. They seem to be doing well enough. They are fine neighbors!

Well, the rain came back the very next day, stayed a while, and then turned into “snow” (aka dandruff). Mrs. Appalachian Irishman left work early Thursday, due to early closure by “dandruff,” and went to work late Friday, due to late opening by the same “dandruff.”

Week 3: Sunday 2/23/2020 - Saturday 2/29/2020:

Sunday afternoon: HOUSE MOUNTAIN HIKE #167 is in the books! Can you tell which foot has the “bionic” parts installed? It’s the right foot. I still feel the difference in every step, but the difference is not as much as it used to be. My ol' truck clocked 173,500 miles even, just as we were on the way home!

 

I took a day off from work on Monday, to see my dentist for my annual cleaning and inspection. “Come back in another year, as usual!” Also, on Monday, I mailed an old fashioned postal letter, to my youngest brother and his wife’s eldest daughter, in tribute to our niece being a part of a fine Bulls Gap Middle School girls’ basketball team that won fourth place in the state tournament, in Smyrna, Tennessee! (I’ll have another post after this one that will have all the details!)

Tuesday and Wednesday, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had to miss work, due to a bad case of the crud. She saw her doctor Tuesday. She went back to work Thursday, after another two-hour “dandruff” delay.

Overnight Wednesday to Thursday, my ol' truck was hospitalized, so that a crankshaft sensor could be replaced. Ok, Nissan, why is the crankshaft fine, but the sensor that checks it is bad and needs to be replaced? Why is there a crankshaft sensor in the first place? It’s a scam to get more money!

Saturday marked another leap year. I did the IGA errand, etc., while Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and her sister went to Maryville, for a work-related reason, with no pay. That’s “fair.” I hope that they send their school system employer a bill, but I doubt that they will. I would have done so!

Week 4: Sunday 3/1/2020 - Saturday 3/7/2020:

Sunday marks the first day of spring, as if we had any winter. No, spring does not start on 3/19/2020! I’ve explained this to you before!

March came in like a lion, Monday night through Tuesday morning. Middle Tennessee got the damage, with the tornadoes there. This world is not perfect. Tragedies happen, unfortunately. This world is not our home. We are just passing through. Heaven is home. No disasters will be there. Such tragedies here remind us of this, sadly. Thankfully, Nashville sister-in-law and her home were not damaged.

Friday, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had to take off work, to go back to her doctor. The crud is still with her, unfortunately. I hope it does not turn into the three-month “kick you butt” virus that I endured from November 2012 to early February 2013.

Saturday would have been a fine day for House Mountain #168, but my “bionic” body parts were not up to it. Instead, I found a beach ball near the fence line in the back yard! How it arrived there, I’ll never know. Molly has a new and fun toy! I wish I’d had my phone camera with me! We had fun “hiking” in the yard at least!

Women’s Day/”Guvrmint” Time

Women’s Day: Всем добрым женщинам, особенно друзьям в России, желаю счастливого женского дня! (To all dear women, especially friends in Russia, I wish you happy Women's Day!)

“Guvrmint” Time: Well, the “guvrmint,” once again, forces me to set all the clocks back an hour. The jet lag, or possibly my “bionic” body parts, forestalled my desire to hike “My Mountain” this afternoon. Darn it!

As a boy, I recall Papaw Ferrell complaining about that darn “government time!” I keep up his tradition! After all, my first name was his first name. He did not have a middle name. Mom had a say in my naming too! My middle name of William is from her father’s middle name. His name was Aby William Wood. Don’t call me Bill! I am Marion William Ferrell, in the proud Irish meaning of Marion (Merrion) and Ferrell (Fearghail). I wear my middle name, in full, proudly also!

Conclusion

Well, let’s eat soon dear! I hope you are well enough to work tomorrow. Otherwise, burn a sick day to get better. I assume that my two-day rest of my “bionic” body parts has me ready for another work-a-day week!

Good evening, y'all. Oh, by the way, to my known family and friends, if you ever post a comment here, I’ll set you up to post anytime, without my moderation first. After all, I’m still hanging out here in the backwaters of the Interweb, but I’m working on taking over “Farcebook!"