The further along we moved into January the colder it hasgotten in our hometown where schools closed last week, ponds froze over, andpeople sought warmth.

Former sheriff Tunney Moore dropped by for a chat andtold me it is the first time in many years that his cattle watering trough hasfrozen. Many farmers are facing this problem, as winter pastures wither. By theway, I got a phone call from his grandson, Matt Munsey, who is in a popularGospel bluegrass band, Barry Scott & Second Wind. The group has beennominated for a Grammy Award and so the band members are trying to raise fundsfor a trip to Los Angeles to be at the awards in late Jan. You will be readingabout a local benefit concert Jan 15 here. Matt is the son of the late ministerJames Munsey and former Mitzi Moore. Matt and his wife, Juliann, whose parentsare Tracy and Charlene Jones of Newport, are Free Will Baptist Bible Collegestudents in Nashville. They are interested in becoming missionaries. I recallthat James Munsey had a mission in Mexico from McAllen, Texas. He died whenMatt was 16. The other Munsey children are Rachael, who you may recall sufferedfrom a rare kidney problem and had a transplant many years ago. She is 19 andattends Free Will Baptist Bible College and may need another kidney transplant.Laura Bosworth, 27, is married to William, who is in construction in Nashvillewhere she works in radio advertising. As a youth, Matt learned to play guitar,banjo, and mandolin and teamed with Carter Moore to start the Mountain EdgeBand.

Last week you saw a couple of photos featuring PaulGregg, and Kim Gregg with Cesar Milan, the TV celebrity of The Dog Whisperer. Ididn't get to tell you about them hut you got the hint in the photos and I'msharing our conversations today. A bit of news came our way when winter arrivedthat inspired this chat we are about to share, one that is more enjoyable, ifyou happen to like animals, particularly dogs. Some of my best friends aredogs. Kim Gregg sent an e-mail explaining a chance meeting she and husband PaulGregg had several weeks ago while traveling in southern California, a place youmight like to be this week. At first I tried to figure out if I knew thisLincoln Avenue couple and decided perhaps not. What immediately caught myattention was the photo Kim sent of her getting a close-up with the DogWhisperer, Cesar Milan. I am one of his big fans because of the training,expertise, and friendly personality that come across on TV. Kim said he is justlike that in person, warm, glad to offer his time and advice. Paul got to meeta giant stuffed spotted dog. The Greggs had initially gone to Los Angeles andalso visited Beverly Hills, Huntington Beach, and Catalina. While in the areafor their second wedding anniversary, they saw a flyer promoting the NorthShore Animal League's "Tour for Life," featuring Cesar. So they droveover and joined hundreds of others at the event and met Cesar, who gave Kimadvice on her pet grooming as he has an online training program. "We aregreat fans of Cesar's and admire his unique ability to communicate withdogs," she said. When I talked with Kim and shared some e-mail, I quicklyremembered that we met a couple years ago at the Newport Animal Shelter. She wasthe director and her name at the time was Kim Grimmette. I made her photo withvolunteers preparing for a Rolling Rescue mission to find homes for stray andabandoned dogs. She resigned about 2007 and opened her at-home business, TheGrooming House, and also married Paul that Sept. to live at his Second Streethome behind the Lutheran Church off Lincoln Ave. I learned a lot about hisfamily and Eastport and got some old photos to give to Duay O'Neil forinteresting future "Pages from the Past" articles you will read aboutin the Plain Talk.

Let me tell you about Kim before exploring the Greggfamily and some interesting connections we made during our visit at theirunique home the last week in Dec. As an aside, the same day in the morning Idropped by the East Tenn. Coffee Shop for a morning blend, cookie and to say"hello" to Beverly Myers. A husky working fellow who was familiar tome had just got his cup and was leaving. He is Ricky "Rat" Evans,whose late wife, the former Kay James, was Beverly's sister. His name will comeup again here.

Kim has lived in Morristown and Newport for the pastdozen years but is from the small coal town in West Virginia of Man. However,she was born in Michigan, moved to Morristown to be near her parents and attendWalters State Community College. Dad, Archie Caldwell returned to Man, and Mom,Peggy Caldwell, is deceased. Kim was director of the Hamblen animal shelterseveral years. Why is it that most of the people who move here come fromMichigan? She always had animals around. Her son, Ricky Grimmitte, is asecurity guard at the local ConAgra plant. Kim worked at various jobs duringher life, including with the US government, library assistant, real estatesales, studying animal science at colleges, and then the animal shelter. She metPaul at First Christian Church, Morristown, but had already decided she wouldnever marry anyone from Newport. "Never say 'never' again," Ireminded her. I don't know where and when along the way she picked up herinterest in pet grooming, but she had a roomful of eager animals waiting,including a fat rabbit. I saw Faye Fish's dog, Coco, and the Greggs' pet. Jackwas in the front yard wearing his neckerchief when we left their home to walkto the Grooming House next door. The Jack Russell showed up in the neighborhoodseveral years ago and took up living in the bed of Paul's truck and stayed.Jack is popular with neighbors Mike Kyker, Bob and Hazel Walker to name a fewwho feed him from time to time.

When Kim first gave me a little information about Paul andhis family, I was intrigued and decided to visit. That Monday there was aladder leading up to the front of the Gregg home and newly shingled roof. Paulexplained that Wormy Evans and his crew had just finished the job on the steeproof. About 30 years ago when Paul built the house over a period of years,Evans' father shingled the roof along with his boys. The house reflects Paul'sindividual care for detail and craftsmanship. He did get some tips from mastercarpenter Cy Owens. The door to the house is made out of two extremely widechestnut planks. The mantel is black Italian marble, a soda counter top piecefrom the old Nelson Bales Drug Store. You may remember rubbing your elbows onit.

 His father,the late Oscar Paul Gregg, and his brother, Beecher, ran a garage across EastBroadway from where the Plain Talk was located before 1968. Willie Greene nowowns the building housing his Newport Printing & Office Supplies. YoungPaul, who was born Oscar Paul Gregg Jr., and rearranged his name later, had aninteresting career with the postal service. He retired in 1990 so I must havebumped into him over the years, when he delivered Newport routes along withAaron O'Dell, Gump Lewis, Paul O'Dell, Glenmore Smith, and Tug Sutton. The lateand famous Postmaster Paul Penland hired Paul about 1960. During aninterruption in work, he served in the military during the Vietnam War and nowmanages his rental property and loafs around the house he built. I asked if heknew my old friend, Hugh L. Gregg of Eastport, and, yes, they are double firstcousins. I was sorry to learn that Hugh has been in poor health at age 75. Paultold me a humorous story about young Hugh that I will share in a future column.

Life Along Second Street

You don't have to be an old timer to remember OscarGregg, one of three brothers who were experts at auto repairs, and anythingelectric or mechanical. He was also somewhat of an inventor. The brothers alsoincluded Ted, who worked at the garage, a very large and long building thatspanned from facing the Plain Talk and its rear doors facing the railroadtracks and next to Ruble's clothing shop. On other side along East Broadwaywere other landmarks, Theo Parrott's service station and the Sinclair station.The fourth brother was Jess and their sister was Leoto. Oscar was the son ofAndrew Gregg, a train conductor who was killed in an accident in 1906 at age36. He had been married to Mary Kendrict of Greeneville. Oscar married EndoraFinchum, whose family came from the Indian Creek community in Jefferson County.Her father, John Finchum, ran the Stokely Brothers farm before he and wife,Dorcus, moved to Iowa. Paul said there is one surviving sister from that clan,Louise Pack.

If you turn up Lincoln Ave. at Brock's Market, you willsee Beecher Style's house on the right. Just behind it is where Oscar andparents lived. Oscar married and moved to Filbert and Second where Oscar andEndora made their home during the Great Depression. There were many interestingdetails that Paul had learned of the neighborhood, such as why Second Street isso wide: It was planned for city hall off Filbert. He showed me the location inhis front yard where Frank Strickler's parents house stood many decades ago.George Shepherd's signature is on the deed from D.L. Jones and Lillie Duncan tothe Greggs. Their first child, Anna Jean, was born in 1929 and Paul 20 yearslater. Paul showed me a yellowed Plain Talk from November 1949. Now get this,on the front page was a short note of the birth on Nov. 7 of little Oscar atMims Clinic. When he turned 60 this fall, he had a surprise visit during a bigparty at City Park. One of his Vietnam military friends from Clearwater,Florida, arrived to share in the celebration. I also made a connection to anold friend, the late Walter Shell Jr., who I got to know at Rhyne LumberCompany, when I helped with their advertising in the Plain Talk. Walter marriedAnna Jean and they lived at the 620 Second Street home. It was here that theirson, Donnie, was born. I saw an interesting two four-generation families photomade at the First Christian Church and Donnie was a tot. Our chat about JuniorShell also brought back some sad memories because of his suffering fromemphysema. He was a big smoker as was Paul's father, who died rather young.

If you think about this era of the 1930s through the1950s you can see it was a time of America's auto industry explosive growth.Just look around Newport and the number of auto dealerships and garages reflectthis atmosphere. Stokely Brothers cannery remained the center of industry andanchored Eastport and dozens walked or drove down Lincoln Ave. to work. Endorawas one of those who answered the whistle call, whether to sort bugs from beansor drop fatback in cans of beans. I can still smell the aroma or kraut comingfrom the giant vats on the Westside of the plant.

Paul has one child, a daughter, Amy, who is married toErnest Ogle of Gatlinburg. They live in Sevierville where she works for SmokyMountain Spa. Thanks to her, Paul has two grandchildren, Aaron and Allison.

In plain talk the end of the year brought things weexpected and other changes as unexpected as the turning of the weather.