THE BLOGGER 
 
 
INQUIRER
 
 
 
ISSUE # 45
 
"For Blogging Minds Who Need To Know" ... 
 
Founder: Lucy 
 
 
Editor: Bookworm 
 
 
Interviews
 
 

On my way to interview Fairweather I had some initial good luck, a last

 minute seat sale on a non stop flight to Nashville. I really didn’t 

mind that I was the only one on board not going to the Grand Ole Opry, 

although I was looked at by everyone with great suspicion.

I pickup up a rental car at the Nashville Airport and followed the

 signs to Knoxville. Fort Loudoun, where I was to meet Fairweather, 

is located about 30 miles south of Knoxville then south on 75 to 

Highway 72 and  east to Highway 411. Finally I turned north through 

Vonore and followed the signs to the park.

It was coming out of Nashville that I started experiencing a strange

 and uncomfortable feeling, almost as if I was being watched. Of course I

 was driving a car on the highway, just me and an old Bud Lite truck so it 

had to be just one of those odd meaningless sensations.

Putting that out of my mind I finally reached Fort Loudon State 

Historical Park.  The Park commemorates an obscure massacre of

 captured British and colonial militia troops during the French and 

Indian War (1757-1765).  It has been reconstructed about a mile from

 where it originally stood, after the Little Tennessee River was dammed up to

 make Tellico Lake.  Within the fort precincts they have original cannon, a 

powderhouse, a cookhouse, barracks, a blacksmith shop, and an old well 

(filled in).  The whole park covers several acres and includes picnic 

areas and hiking trails.  This time of year the dogwoods in particular

 are in bloom, these great white patches among pines, cedars, beeches, 

maples and oaks.

I was meeting Fairweather for the interview at one of the picnic tables

 on the side by the lake. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, meeting a 

woman whose blog is filled with elegantly creepy stories of the 

supernatural at a park commemorating a massacre.

However she proved to be very friendly with fair skin and lively 

intelligent eyes and a voice with a charming accent.

Fairweather:   "Your voice has a charming accent," She said as we

 introduced ourselves.

Anexplorer:   "My voice? I thought you were the one with the accent?"

Fairweather:   "Not down here," She said.

Anexplorer:   A strange figure moved at the edge of the trees in the 

distance and that feeling of being watched returned full force.

Fairweather:   "Is something the matter?" Fairweather asked.

Anexplorer:   Or had I just imagined it?

"No, no," I replied somewhat distracted. "Perhaps we should  get started

 with the interview. What do you feel you bring to the Stream?"

Fairweather:   "Whimsy, mostly.  I've never quite grown up, so 

my blogs aren't exactly what you'd call mature, considered, or deep."

Anexplorer:   "I think your blogs are a lot of fun. How did you pick the

 name of your blog?"

Fairweather:   "From a C. W. McCall song.  McCall was a country 

singer from the 1970s whose most famous hit was "Convoy."  

On one of his albums, he had a song about two Iowa county deputies 

named Fairweather Lewis and Willard Clark.  That's where Willard 

got her name, too.  I just liked the sound of Fairweather Lewis."

(Editor’s Note:  The video is the song Convoy.  I couldn’t locate any

 version of Lewis and Clark.  But I have included the lyrics)

Lewis And Clark

By Bill Fries & Chip Davis

---

Now Arnold Jones 'n Marybeth Jensen 'as in a 'Vette down by the Deep-Rock Had John Denver on the 8-track gittin' high Marybeth's wig 'as on the floor and Arnold's feet was out the door When we shined our flashlight in Arnold's startled eyes I sez what chew doin' boy? Don't chew know that's aginst the law? We jus' gonna halfta git this situ-ation under control Now my name's Fairweather Lewis, an' this here's Willard Clark An' we the Pottowattamie County love patrol Then two hippies in their Chevys, puffin grass an' sippin' wine 'bout fourteen miles southeast 'a Council Bluffs They 'as passin' round the peace pipe, when we caught 'em with our flashlight An' Willard's hairy hands applied the cuffs I sez, boys you got some trouble, you commitin' Herbicide We jus' gonna halfta git this situ-ation under control Cause my name's Fairweather Lewis, an' this here's Willard Clark An' we the Pottowattamie County weed patrol Then we spied old Marvin Kline a headin' south on twenty nine Like a midnight auto ac-cessory store on wheels His trunk 'as full of hubcaps, an' his back seat's full a tires When we picked him up an' made him spread his heels I sez hands up on the wall boy, you allowed to make one call We jus' gonna halfta git this sit-uation under control Cause see, I'm Fairweather Lewis, an' this here's Willard Clark An' we the Pottowattamie County Rip-Off patrol Then Orval Hinkle left the Go-Go club on his brand new motor-cicle Runnin' stop lights, raisin' hell an' causin' acci-dents His brain 'as doin' wheelies, an' his blood was 3-2 beer When we nailed 'im in his driveway at his resi-dence I sez Orval, you in trouble boy, an' if you blow this here ballon up We're gonna git yer situ-ation under control Now I'm Captain Fairweather Lewis, an' this here's Willard Clark An' we the Pottowattamie County Juice patrol Then we's passin' by the Dewdrop Inn when we heard this woman scream So we pulled on in an' parked an' got the guns out We bashed on through the lobby in to unit seventeen There's twenty eight folks in there without no clothes on I sez everybody up aginst the wall, an show us yer identification We jus' gonna definitely git this situ-ation under control Cause my name's Fairweather Lewis, an' this here's Willard Clark An' we the Pottowattamie County Sin patrol C'mon Willlard let's go sneakin' 'round in the dark somemore Never know whatcha gonna find

Anexplorer:   "Interesting. What would we find you doing in 

your free time?"

Fairweather:   "Talking to Mom (she's disabled from rheumatoid 

arthritis and COPD), reading, singing or listening to music, writing 

in my personal journal, and petting my cat, Blackadder."

Anexplorer:   Once more I caught a fleeting glimpse of a strangely

 dressed elderly woman at the edge of my vision. But when I turned

 my head she was gone.

Fairweather:   "Are you sure you're all right?" Fairweather asked

 with some concern. "You're a much jumpier person than I thought 

you'd be."

Anexplorer:   "I'm just having the strangest....It doesn't matter. 

Tell me, your blog shows a strong interest in the supernatural, 

how did that become an interest of yours?"

Fairweather:   "YIKES!!  I read my first ghost story at the age of eight. 

 It was in a book with a blue cloth cover and had a lady ghost who 

carried a "reticule" and wore a cloak, so she must have been from

 the Victorian era.  Can't remember the title or author, but that got

 me started.  

Later I got into "true" stories, because we have so many floating

 around in the South.  They're just FUN--and I seem to do some of my best 

writing about ghosts, so--I guess y'all will get ghost stories from me 

for some time to come."

Anexplorer:   "Would you share with us a favorite memory from 

childhood?"

Fairweather:   "When we first moved to the house Mom and I share now, 

there was an old overstuffed chesterfield chair stashed in a back room,

 abandoned by the family who lived here before us.  I used to get up 

before everybody else in the house and sneak in there and sit 

on that chair and read.  It was just about the only time I had to 

myself in the old days.  The chair was thrown out when my

 grandmother moved in with us and that room became her bedroom. 

 I still miss that chair."

Anexplorer:   "What is the greatest lesson life has taught you?"

Fairweather:   "That when the going gets tough," she said thoughtfully. 

"You keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Eventually you'll get 

SOMEWHERE, even if it's only a nap, a moment spent looking at flowers 

and listening to birds or petting the kitty, or a really good book."

Anexplorer:   "Thank you. Now we come to the Mandatory Questions.

 What brought you to Blogstream, and what did you hope to get out of it."

Fairweather:   (She thought for a moment,) "I was in dire need of 

someplace to share my writing--and fortunately I found people who

 like what I do.  That was literally all I hoped for."

Anexplorer:   "What 5 CD's are currently in your player?"

Fairweather:   "Actually only one at the moment; my CD player doesn't

 have a changer.  That one is SOLDIER OF THE CROSS, by Ricky 

Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder.  Bluegrass gospel, gorgeous vocals

 and instrumentation."

Anexplorer:   "Then of course, the question I hated the most, the 5 

bloggers you want to meet."

Fairweather:   "Bella, Sylvia's Daughter, Sinann,  Indian AND Sherry, 

and Taylor--you get my drift?" (Editor's Note: I couldn't locate an icon

for Sylvia's Daughter)

Anexplorer:   "Yes it's really hard keeping to five, isn't it? And your

 favorite alcoholic beverage?"

Fairweather:   "None.  I'm a teetotaler.  Don't like the smell of any of

 them, so I don't think I could bring myself to drink them.  

(Ask Madame Sadie that question.)"

Anexplorer:   "Who," I asked.

Fairweather:   "The bane of my life. An old bat whose likely the most 

dangerous woman in the State, especially if she gets her hands on

  Bud Lite. She calls herself a psychic but, don't worry, I'm sure

 I've given her the slip. She has no idea we're here."

Anexplorer:   I look around cautiously but nothing was moving, not

 even the dead. "What is your nationality? Ethnic background?"

Fairweather:   "American.  Ethnically, I'm Irish, Scots, German, 

Cherokee, Welsh, and (family lore has it) Gypsy."

Anexplorer:   "Last book you read? What was the best and worst book

 you read?"

Fairweather:   "Last book I FINISHED was DIED IN THE WOOL, 

a murder mystery by Rett McPherson.  (I've always got three or four 

books going at once.)  The best one(s) I've ever read, I think, would 

be Emily Bronte's WUTHERING HEIGHTS and Barbara Tuchman's 

A DISTANT MIRROR.  The worst, hands down, would be Harriet Beecher

 Stowe's UNCLE TOM'S CABIN."

Anexplorer:   "Who is your favorite actor or actress?"

"Favorite actress, Katharine Hepburn.  Favorite actor, David 

Straithairn."

Anexplorer:   "What was the last movie you saw at the theatre?"

Fairweather:   "I THINK it was the Disney version of THE HUNCHBACK OF 

NOTRE DAME, or POCAHONTAS, whichever is the most recent.  

I don't get to the movies much."

Anexplorer:   "The most embarrassing moment you remember?"

Fairweather:   "Too embarassing to remember.  Probably gonna be 

when this interview gets posted."

Anexplorer:   "Favorite recipe that you would be willing to share?"

 Fairweather:   "I'm a lousy cook.  As long as there are cans to open, I won't 

starve--but a favorite is my tater tot casserole, which is a base of 

ground turkey browned with green pepper and onions, covered with a can 

of VegAll, a large can of cream of chicken soup (or, if I'm feeling 

adventurous, mixed cream of chicken and cream of celery) and a layer of

 tater tots.  Bake at 375 degrees for thirty minutes.  Usually serve

 it with coleslaw."

Anexplorer:   "Your middle name?"

Fairweather:   "Grace."

Anexplorer:   "What is your favorite word?"

Fairweather:   "Music."

Anexplorer:   I shook my head. For a moment I thought I saw an elderly

 woman staggering along the tree line, this time clad in a bikini made out of 

what looked like gopher skins. But when I blinked as she was gone.

Anexplorer:   "What is your least favorite word?"

Fairweather:   "Two, actually--"Shut up."

Anexplorer:   "Pardon?" I asked, a little offended.

Fairweather:   "No, not you. My least favorite words are 'shut up'"

Anexplorer:   "Oh, sorry. What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or

 emotionally]?"

Fairweather:   "Music, flowers, good conversation."

Anexplorer:   "What turns you off?”

Fairweather:   “Politics.  At least during election years."

Anexplorer:   "What is your favorite curse word?”

Fairweather:   “Shit.  I'm a country girl, so that one's a natural."

Anexplorer:   Several Park rangers were wandering over to the picnic area, 

stopping to talk to people as they came.

"What sound or noise do you love?"

Fairweather:    “Wind in a pine thicket."

Anexplorer:   "What sound or noise do you hate?"

Fairweather:   “Gunfire."

Anexplorer:   "What profession other than your own would you like to

 attempt?"

Fairweather:   “I never really had a profession; I have a degree in history, but

 never worked in the field.  Maybe writing a lifestyle/folklore column for a 

News chain."

Anexplorer:   "I can see you being really good at that. What profession 

would you not like to do?"

Fairweather:   "Anything military."

Anexplorer:   "Ah yes, the, uh, gunfire thing." The Rangers were almost

 at our table.

I rushed to get in the last question before they arrived. "If Heaven 

exists, what would you like God to say to you when you arrive?"

Fairweather:    "Now see, you got here--in spite of your best efforts."

Anexplorer:   The Rangers reached our table and showed us a fuzzy

 photograph.

"Have either of you seen this woman. It seem she got into a whole truck

 load of bud lite and has been jumping out of the bushes terrifying Park

 visitors."

Anexplorer:   Fairweather noticed my shock of recognition. It was the 

demented woman I'd been noticing in the distance. Giving me a meaningful 

glance, Fairweather kicked me under the table in an even more meaningful way.

(Editor’s Note:  I couldn’t find a picture of an attention getting kick.  

Hope this will suffice)

We both said no.

(As the Rangers left us) "Thank you, thank you Anexplorer. I have to run.

 It's that old bat Madame Sadie. For their sake, I can't let them find her. 

You can't imagine the havoc she'd cause. I'm happy to have met you," 

she yelled as she scampered for the tree line.

And I realized our interview was over.