Early voting begins today in Tennessee where Hammock Inc. is located. We're not a swing state or a battleground state, which annoys me. I like to be wooed, although I made up my mind in January who would get my vote. Well, truthfully, I made up my mind while still in the womb 56 years ago.

Since I'm a junkie for presidential elections, I checked this map from wikipedia to see how Tennessee has voted in each election since 1952, the year of my birth.

Tennessee has voted for every winner, except John Kennedy, in every Presidential election since 1952.

The other tidbit about Tennessee voting that I find intriguing is that if Tennessee had voted for native son Al Gore Jr. in 2000, he would have won the election. The Florida vote would not have been an issue.

I never thought that I had hazardous wastes in my home, but I do. What are they? Small household batteries, fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescent bulbs, old cell phones and out of date medications (both over-the-counter and prescription).

Although I drank the cool-aid of the green movement years ago, until recently I never realized the proper disposal of the above mentioned items. All of the above become pollutants in the soil in a landfill and drugs, often flushed down a toilet or dumped in a trash can, wind up in our water supply. Ooops, was that Vioxx in my coffee this morning?

Here's where to take your small household batteries, CFLs and fluorescent tubes, cell phones, unused or out of date medications and mercury thermometers this Saturday, November 1, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Metro Nashville Recycling drop off locations:
Hillsboro High School
Bellevue at the MTA Park and Ride
Dupont Hadley Middle School
Joelton Middle School
Elysian Fields Kroger

I'll be at the Bellevue location. And so will Metro Police to monitor the medications. If you bring in a mercury thermometer, you'll receive a digital thermometer.