Almost Home For Christmas

Well it’s Christmas time in Tennessee and in Germany as well. The two locations are half a world apart and seem even farther for me and my family right about now. My little girl is over there with her new husband and (through no fault of his own) he couldn’t get away from his work for long enough for them to make the trip, so for the first time in her life we’re separated during the holidays. It would be horrible except for the marvels of modern communications. Today we used Skype to video-conference us all together as we each opened a gift simultaneously. It was amazingly festive and gratifying. Certainly not as good as being together, but I’m thankful to Al Gore, Bill Gates and anybody else who had a hand in allowing me to gaze upon the prettiest face on two continents, as she smiled and spoke to us like we were in the same room. I take comfort too in the fact that I know she’ll be home for the holidays next year and until then, I’ll have to hug ole Clay twice as often (he loves it when I do that).

From Tammy and me, here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas.

Sweet Ride

Sam winning the door prize



A Tight Sqeeze Waiting To Happen

Circumstances have conspired to prohibit me from taking any sort of rode-ride for over a year. Over a YEAR? Is that right? Wow….. It was first a little knife work on my back, then came winter, next came my little door-to-door neighborhood hiking tour that kept me tied up for 6 months and then some. Finally with no excuses remaining and the weather near perfect this past weekend, it was time to break away for some much-needed R&R (riding and rejuvenation), so I dropped a hint to the (always ready to ride) Adcock boys and the plan was set to meet at the Antique tractor show in Waverly on Saturday. We hooked up there with new buddies Meleia, Dale and Freddy for a tour of points of interest in Humphreys County. A highlight of the day was a side trip to Andy Dodson’s farm where that worthy was busy processing his guinea corn crop, old school style. Sweet sorghum molasses, squeezed into submission. Andy gave us an interesting demonstration and a tour of the place as well. It was a good time and we walked away with some samples of the sweet stuff to boot. Thanks to him, his crew and to Meleia, who shared some insight into the family history of the place. A pretty good day and just what I needed to recharge the system a little. Thanks guys.

She's My First Lady, Anyway

My Tammy works for an insurance agency and when she returned to work after taking off Friday (to recover from the Thursday election), this is how she found her office decorated. They were very supportive and it tickled her that my win made them happy enough to want to celebrate in some way.

Two Weeks To Go

Well it’s been a while since I posted anything here, so I do so now while I’m thinking about it. If someone had told me a year ago what the next 12 months were going to be like, I might have crawled into the big ice box with Walt Disney and Ted Williams’ head. This run for county-wide office is a demand that cannot be described in mere words. Suffice it to say, it has been all-consuming. So much so that I’ve neglected my Job, my family and my friends, for about 5 months now. Too, too much. It’s like being tossed into the middle of the ocean and told to swim for it. At this moment, there’s only 13 days, 5 hours and 21 minutes until the polls close and my life can begin returning to normal. I feel I’ve forgotten how to have fun, so I’m going to need some help getting back to normal. I’m open to ideas for making that happen……….

Something Old (me), Somethin New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

A couple weeks ago, my little girl had her big day. The whole family made the trip down to Sanibel Island in Florida, for a wedding just like she had always dreamed of. It couldn’t have gone any better, even if it where a little on the warm side and everyone (but me) lost their shoes.

I wasn't crying, that was just sand in my eyes........

Monroe Gold

Here Fearless Charlie shows Peewee how he photographed his own bling, while Barry stolls along in what passes for sunshine in North Carolina. Good people make for good times.

You know you've had enough of winter when........

COME ON, Will Somebody Just Kiss Me Already? I'm Freezing Out Here

Dang, I hate February. This month has been a historically hard one for me. Why? Well to begin with it’s still cold. I’m old and so I hate the cold. Then the days are too short. I leave for work in the dark and I come home in the dark (or is it the other way around?). What else? Oh yeah; February is obnoxiously undependable. I mean, it’ll go 2 or 3 years making me suffer for 28 days and then “BAM” it’s a whole day longer. I hate that about this month! There’s no trials events to ride in, the fish won’t bite and duck hunting season is over.

Oh well, soon it’ll be spring, followed shortly by summer. Gone will be the memory of sunlight depredation and frostbite. The days will be long and the world will smell like fresh-cut grass. Cutting grass….man, that’s a hot job. Come July, the grass will grow so fast that you got to cut it twice a week. Course the days are longer, so I’ll have a couple of hours every evening to go at it, after getting home from work. Whew, that makes for a long day…….Dang, I hate July

My Pal, John Prine

There’s a restaurant in Gulfport Florida (outside Tampa) called Yummies. A short while back Leslie and Scott were paying up after a meal when they noticed a signed photo of John Prine hanging there by the cash register. Scott comments to the manager of the place that his father-in-law is a huge fan, about the campfire singing, and how I love that “In Spite of Ourselves” song. The guy replies that Prine has a place nearby and stops in to eat from time to time. He goes on to say what a nice guy Prine is and if Leslie will give him their address, he’ll get Prine to sign something for old Pap. A month or so later, this picture shows up in her mail box and she sends it to me for my birthday. How cool is that? If you don’t know the song, you owe it to yourself to check it out on youtube.