(c)2009 NPT PHOTO BY DAVID POPIEL

Glen Bible points to the running board on his van where a black snake often visits to
rest and relieve itself, said Glen. I didn't see the snake but the proof was there.

Early September has been a harbinger to fall with the onslaught of deep purple ironweed across drying fields about our hometown, and farmers making their last pass at the hayfields for a final cutting.

We talked about the sting of summer when in our last column we dispelled the blacksnake nest on a utility pole story. I failed to mention that many weeks ago, while traveling along Bybee Road, Hayes Hill café beckoned me in for a ham biscuit. It was there on the counter I saw a flyer warning people of giant Japanese hornets. I called the woman who reported this, and she claimed they were two-inches long and the three openings for the hornets were at the top of the nest. I never heard of these giant bugs and told her to bring me one; hopefully it will already be dead. Before I quit talking about hornets, blacksnakes, and move on to dog stories, I note that Glen Bible said that his dog "Wolfie" has been getting all the attention since his photo ran here last week. I did want to show the other photo not published of the snake's lounging van and private toilet on the running board.

Here is a good news item I picked up after seeing a lost puppy poster at Cedarwood Veterinary Hospital. You know Charles and Myra Mooneyham, who operate Mooneyham's Gold & Diamonds and a used car business off Cosby Highway. She is a professional photographer and it shows in the photo of her daughter and her pup, which had gone missing. The Mooneyhams got the red healer/beagle mix pup from the Newport Animal Shelter in mid-August, but the pup wandered off. The Mooneyhams live off Old Sevierville Hwy. They put out a lot of flyers and got a call two days later from a neighbor who had the pup. Amelia, 8, who had been in tears was overjoyed to see her "Cutie Pie" back home. She attends Grace Christian school. Myra told me that wedding photo business had been slow but people were bringing in gold jewelry to sell. When I was leaving, Charles said "hi" before taking an old Cash for Clunkers pickup to the crusher. He explained that he had bought some body parts but the remainder of the truck had to be destroyed. Speaking of vehicles, I dropped by John Clark's upholstery shop off Knoxville Highway. He stays busy and was working on a beautiful restored 1939 Chevrolet, black and soon to have new gray interior. I hope to get permission to take a photo and tell about this unusual car.

Sometime during early July visiting Junior Hommel's rock business off Knoxville Highway, I bumped into Boomer, a bounding boxer working with his sidekick. I took a few photos and promised to call Eugene Eslinger and finally chatted with him last Monday. He had finished some work with Newport Housing Authority for the day, and I was wondering about Boomer, the three-legged dog.

It so happens that I do know Eugene's brother, Jeff, who at one time was married to former Plain Talk employee, Tammy. Jeff now works at Newport Parks & Recreation. Eugene, whose nickname is "Easy," is the son of the late Ruel and Ruby (Hartsell) Eslinger. Ruel grew up at Cosby and Ruby, a sister to Ernie Hartsell, lived at Carson Springs. The other of the five children are: Linda Smith, who is married to Glenmore Smith's son, Steve, and works at National Bank of Tenn.; and Brenda Byrd, who runs Thomas Group marketing in Sevierville. Her husband is Andrew Byrd. Then there is the oldest child, Shirley, married to Joe Johnson, of Parrottsville.

Eugene, 49, is married to Deborah Fine, daughter of Banjo Fine. They have a son, Travis, 24, who works with his Aunt Brenda at the Sevier agency. During our recent travels we have come across many people who worked at the old Detroit Gasket and Eugene was another one of those folks. He spent 25 years and left when the plant closed in 2007. As an electrician, he was interested in a hands-on maintenance career. It was the right time to enroll at the Tennessee Career Center programs under the Workforce Investment Act. This is an excellent program and allowed Eugene to get heating and air conditioning training at Tennessee Technology Center of Morristown. Kenny Thornburg, who works with Eugene, also took the training for 16 to 20 months. During this time, Eugene started Easy Comfort HVAC. "I love anything mechanical," he said, so the training "just clicked." Later he met and gets help from Justin Wood, a Tenn. Tech grad, Teddy Cameron, and Darwin Jones.

This leads up to the Boomer story and how Travis met the puppy at a friend's house after the pups were born in Oct. 2005. Travis liked the pup because when Boomer rode around in the car, the young women owed and aahed, not over Travis, but the beautiful brown pup. He was a natural "chick magnet." All went well until Boomer suddenly became gravely ill and Dr. Mike Copenhaver at Appalachian Veterinary Hospital, diagnosed the illness as Parvo, which is usually fatal. As the vets have done before, they saved the dog's life. But that was just the beginning of Boomer's tribulations. Travis moved to a new home and Deborah got attached to the pup, who stayed at Carson Springs off Splashaway. One night in July 2006, Boomer was helping Eugene work on his service truck. Afterwards, Eugene was playing with his two other dogs and didn't notice that Boomer had disappeared. This was shortly before midnight. There were celebrations with fireworks in the neighborhood, so Eugene thought Boomer got scared. After scouting about, he did find a boy who had seen the dog but friends hushed him up, said Eugene. A final call to the Newport Animal Shelter paid off. There was Boomer, who had turned up under a porch of a woman's house about two miles from the Eslinger home. The dog's toes, crawling with maggots, and hip had been damaged by what Eugene believes were injuries caused by fireworks. "I think they stuck firecrackers between his toes and exploded them. We couldn't believe how he had been tortured." Dr. Copenhaver and Dr. Matt Bryant performed surgery on the boxer's damaged toes, legs, and hip. Infection set in despite medical treatment and eventually Dr. Copenhaver had to remove Boomer's right rear leg. If you know animals, they do not sit around feeling sorry and pitying their plight. Boomer did get a lot of pampering and rebounded quickly. He claims his own blanket, spot on the couch, and convinced the Eslingers he needed lots of meat, hand cut and hand fed to him.

Boomer does work for his food, accompanying Eugene on calls. He is especially welcome in the dead of night as a guard, and, when the workers have to go under floors, Boomer will go first and ferret out snakes and other varmints. "He's got it made," said Eugene. Usually you will see him in the passenger's seat. When I first took his photo, he was in the driver's seat of a dump truck at Hommel's rock and sand business. I don't think he drove the truck. Kenny and Boomer have been known to fight over who gets to ride shotgun, and Boomer usually wins. If not, he will be right behind the passenger licking an ear. His bad experience with some humans has not turned him away from his family and friends and he does have the "Easy" life at age four.