With the sun shining for the first day in a zillion years, I thought we would celebrate the occasion with a pet of the week.

Check out adorable Chanel, a lab/chow mix who is ready to share your home and your love.  Her parents could no longer take care of her so she’s all alone and ready to come home with you.

Chanel is 4-years-old and does nest as an only pet and with children over the age of 13.  You can see Chanel and other adorable awaiting pets at the Nashville Humane Society.

Okay, so I’m not some well dressed meteorologist, but it’s been raining now for what, like 7676256072820850 days straight here in Nashville.  I mean, we’re basically all turning into rain it’s raining so much.

Oh, and guess what’s new now?!  According to the National Weather Service (NWS) East Nashville may be victim to some flooding Tuesday.  A low pressure system is gathering more strength over the lower Mississippi Valley and spreading its rainy doom over much of Tennessee. 

The NWS says Middle Tennessee might see storms today that could produce two to four inches of rain before the system moves out later this evening.

Spots in East Nashville might see even more rain, up to four inches, which would cause flooding in certain areas.  Now if the temperature would just drop some more every hour, then, we might be talking a small East Nash snowman.  Either way, rain rain go away, come again another year!

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist revealed over the weekend that he will not be running for Tennessee’s governor in 2010.

When asked if he was sitting out the race for a potential presidential campaign, Frist flattened that question with a flat no.  Instead Frist says he will be focusing on his continued teaching at Vanderbilt University as well as his private investment work.

This news opens the already crowded floor for the GOP’s gubernatorial nomination.  Governor Phil Bredesen will not be able to run again due to term limits.

Nashville’s independent label, Equity Music Group, has announced that they will be closing the doors.

Launched in 2003 with co-founder Clint Black, Equity Music Group is currently the label home to such acts as Laura Bryna, Kevin Fowler, Carolina Rain, Blake Wise and Black himself.

“Our investors tried to find a way to keep the doors open at Equity, but with a struggling industry, an overall decline in discretionary spending by consumers and a freeze on credit markets, the board of directors have been forced to make this difficult decision,”  Equity president Tim Wipperman stated.

“We want to wish our wonderful staff and artists all the best in all their future endeavors.”

And sadly another one bites the dust here in Nashville.

Federated Auto Parts is offering up a free trip to Nashville for the coveted 14th annual Federated Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race on June 6, 2009.

The grand prize winner of the Start Your Engines sweepstakes will be going on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Athens of the South. 

So, I know we all live here in Nashville, but you know how much a room at Opryland Hotel can be, so I say we register anyway and enjoy a free trip in our own city. 

Enter to win here: www.federatedautoparts.com.

Nashville’s native daughter Bettie Page died Thursday at 85.

Before Page became the amazing pop culture pinup legend, Bettie graced the Hume-Fogg High School yearbook pages and called Nashville home.

After suffering a heart attack in Los Angeles last week, Page was placed on life support and never regained consciousness.  Mark Roesler, Bettie’s agent, and her family agreed to take the reclusive star off life support Thursday.

Speaking of Bettie, Roesler stated, “She captured the imagination of a generation of men and women with her free spirit and unabashed sensuality.”

“She is the embodiment of beauty.”

Now don’t go getting all excited and blow off the handle on this one, but Detroit Red Wings hockey player Chris Chelios thinks all us Nashville Predator fans are, ‘hillbillyish’.

On a recent Detroit radio show, Chelios revealed that Nashville Preds fans can be hillbillyish and emotional, but maybe it wasn’t really an insult after all.

After being asked about the Nashville-area fans, Chelios revealed, “Yeah, they’re hillbillyish.. I don’t know what to say, hillbilly or country. They are a very emotional crowd, exciting crowd, loud, so it’s actually a fun place to play on the road.”

So, we’re apparently hillbilly country but still fun to be around.  Hrm…I don’t know if I take to that very kindly, what about you?

What can we say about Detroit fans?  They’re Canadian-ish?

There are many reasons to feel proud of living in Nashville, and music is one of them.

With this year’s Grammy nominations revealed on a CBS special, we’re all a little excited about Nashville’s own. 

Alison Krauss shares an impressive five Grammy nominations with Robert Plant for their Raising Sand album. 

Middle Tennessee rock group, the Kings of Leon, have been nominated for three awards.

The big news for Nashville was when the Best Rock Album Category came up and a total of THREE Nashville-area acts were nominated, including the before mentioned Kings of Leon, The Raconteurs and Kid Rock.

All in all it’s been a big year for Nashville, and it can only get better and bigger from here.

Two Nashville residents shot during the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India are still recuperating before they can come home next week.

Rudrani Devi and Linda Ragsdale were visiting Mumbai with the Synchronicity Foundation, a community that teaches meditation.

Sadly, two other members of the group also visiting India were killed, a man and his teenage daughter.  The bodies of Alan Scherr and his 13-year-old daughter Naomi are presently being returned to the US for a memorial service in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Our hearts go out to their families.

Devi runs a holistic medicine clinic on 12th Avenue South.

*Linda Ragsdale pictured