I've been absent from Wordless Wednesday lately so I must make amends. This vintage picture of my great grandmother as a young telephone operator hangs on my bedroom wall to remind me from whence I came. I bear an uncanny resemblance to her, by the way. I've always thought that if I found that guy on the left, he would be the one in a "Somewhere in Time" sort of way. No luck so far.

Alice over at 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera was playing blackjack today and I was in a gambling mood so I took her up on the invitation to play. Only I changed up the questions a bit. I'm mean like that sometimes.

1. What was the last blog you left a comment on?
Vitamin Sea
2. Favorite movie of all time.
Field of Dreams
3. What's in your 'frig right now?
Cheese,turkey,half and half,real butter,beer,leftovers
4. How many pillows do you have on your bed?
Three..two for me and one for Faith.
5. Do you regularly share your bed with anyone?
Three dogs..one big and brown and two smaller terrier mixes. And sometimes the cat
6. What do you sleep in?
Boxers and a t-shirt.
7. If you get your "economic stimulus payment" what will you do with it?
Pay some people that I owe. Like the propane guy.
8. What was your favorite moment of the day?
Sittin' at the park watching the dogwood blooms fall when the wind blew. Easily entertained.
9. Something you regret about today?
Not a thing. I'm still kickin' and able to take nourishment.
10. Hardest class you took in school?
Quantitative Analysis. Math wiz, I ain't.
11. Ever had a car you couldn't drive?
Um..yep. I bought a Lincoln Mercury Capri with a stick shift and learned to drive it later.
12. What is one food you've learned to love?
Asparagus..after I got my own bed and started picking it like a madwoman every
spring.
13. Why?
Because it's there and it's free!
14. Would you ever eat cat meat?
I think I did one time at a Chinese restaurant. On a stick.
15. What is something as a child you wanted to grow up to become but didn't?
Astronaut.
16. Name one place in the US you haven't been but want to.
Colorado
17. Name one place outside the US.
Mountains and beach...where is that?
18. Favorite smells?
Narcissus,Sexy Cinnamon by Trapp
19. If you could pick any game show to compete on, what would it be?
Definitely Jeopardy. I've won a kazillion dollars in front of my TV over the years.
20. When did you go on your last real vacation and who did you go with?
August '03 to Gulf Shores. Me, BG, Liz and Al had a ball!
21. Best birthday ever?
The one coming up in September ^j^

One of the coolest things about living in the country is that you can burn shit when the wind is just right. Today was one of those days on Pecan Lane. We singed a nearby tree, but managed to burn the pile-o-pine without having to call the fire department for backup. If you remember the great Thanksgiving asparagus burn-off catastrophe, ya'll can appreciate the fact that we didn't burn the farm up.

Tomorrow is a school day so I'm headed for bed. Peace out and all that jazz.

^j^

This past week an area minster drowned while out fishing on a lake. After spending a week searching for his body, rescuers decided to drain about eight feet of water off. Afterwards, they found him lodged under a tree. He has been a part of my spiritual past through the connectional nature of our church. Willis died in a boat too...from a heart attack. When we first met I was trying to get people to donate blood to a new place that was locally operated so that we didn't have to use bus service for delivery. He preached a couple of sermons and got folks involved quick. That group is still alive and well, and they are his legacy.

There was one when I was a little kid who ran off with the church secretary, bless his heart. The walls are lined with pictures of the men and women who have pastored one of the oldest churches in our town. Not many women, by the way. But some! Okay, one. There is where I think that many Christians fail to realize that going to church is just kind of like a support group for folks who are out there in their own individual ministries.

Everyday an opportunity comes along to do the right thing and lighten somebody else's load a little. The cashier at the grocery has problems just like you so don't be a bitch mean and snarl at her. Older folks and little ones need help with basic things and so do sick ones. And animals. It's up to us to get our heads out of you-know-where and grab the moment when it comes around to do something kind "just because". Sometimes I feel way too rushed to stop and see what the needs are of the people that I run into. Every time I do, there's a blessing there. Go figure.

I actually got to sit down today at the sawmill and visit with my co-workers a bit. Mostly we talk about kids and values and good stuff to cook. Girlie talk. We talk about our pasts and futures around that table on a regular basis and I don't know one who wouldn't watch another gal's back in a heartbeat. Yeah..I reckon the guys would too if we tabbed it for 'em. Ain't that right Freda? We are a team.

Daddy just came by to check on the horses..in the rain. As I watched his truck pull out of my driveway I thought about how I've always taken that sight for granted just as I did the memory of my mother driving. The thought also crossed my mind about the day that BG first pulled out of the yard without me and I felt so absolutely nauseated and helpless I could have died. I gave her one of those little guardian angel pins to stab into the dash. My Aunt Nancy gave it to me after Jimbo died and I couldn't think of any better place for it that in that car as a constant reminder of my admonition every time she walked out the door: " Remember who you are."

Sometimes I forget...heck, we all do. That's when it's especially nice to chill out and get a new perspective on the whole deal. What's the worst that can happen? I have two free days to do just that so I'll catch you on the other side. Keep the faith.

^j^

I was whining to a friend the other day about the current state-of-the- union mood and he told me, basically, what I needed to hear at the time. Something along the lines of " put on your big girl panties and deal with it." Something to be said for that kinda tough talk.

Counting blessings is a daily thing for me because, frankly, I've blessed to the max living all my life on the same piece of land with my family close by. We moved here twenty years ago because I was dead set that the BG get the chance to experience it too. In spite of hitonious utility bills and extreme drama, we're still here. And still kickin'! We have dirt to grow things on ;) I listen to the elders more now because I am about to become one of them and the story has to be told and passed on. I swear to you that if I look down from heaven and see eighteen more holes of golf where I used to live, there will be hell to pay.

Ya'll know I've worked at one place for thirty years which means either I'm crazy, lazy or loyal. Actually it's been a good mixture of the three that has kept me punching the clock all this time. I have so many people to call friend that have held my hand or patted my head when the shit hit the fan. Many of them work somewhere else now. Some are dead. It's like a little community, where you go for the day job. Nobody wants to be there really but we all make the best of it and watch each others' backs when crunch time comes. Well, uh...most of us.

My parents are such a joy these days I can't find the words. They are at the point in life where nothing much matters but being together and going through their routine just a bit more slowly. They have recliners a few feet apart and cell phones programmed with important numbers. They are happy.as.clams. That makes me happy too by default. Brother 1 is planning a visit soon...it's all good.

To be honest with you, I got stuck with crying babies too many early mornings doing the nursery and I just didn't want to hold 'em for a long time after that. When BG was still in utero I tormented the heck out of her poking my belly while sprawled out in a recliner with my big fat self. Loved every minute of it too. She had a little trouble gettin' here, but the first time I held her I knew that we were partners for life and beyond. Lately, I've found myself holding babies again and playing with 'em. Lori brought hers in several times and I got to be the cuddler without inflicting pain. Much more fun, kids. Much.

There have been some pretty deep vallies that I doubt I could have managed without puppy kisses from my dawgs. We've birthed kittens in a drawer, closet and basement and buried many loved ones who got gobbled up by nature. I see turkeys and deer and 'possums *oh my*! And the most beautiful sunsets ever. The horses are part of the scenery but they don't get much action unless the dogs start to running them around the pasture.

Old Poops is missing the live band at the Kudzu bar this evening because it's almost dark and I can't wait to crawl into a nice hot tub and soak. Supper's in progress and I'm not cooking so, life is good. I hate to be cliche but man...I love that bar. Maybe next Thursday, 'huh Kweens?

There was no tornado last night..In fact, I slept through the whole thing. I won't ever forget the night a tornado really did come and I was totally oblivious. My sister-in-law called from Memphis to give us heads up on the track and it went bat shit crazy less than a mile from our house. I still notice the missing trees on Thompson's hill when I drive home every day.

Why does the wind die down at night? I mean, gah. Does Big Ernie know when it's time to say "be still"? There's a huge pile of pine out front that's just waiting for a special occasion to go up in flames. Follow the smoke signals and you can't get lost.

Time to go figure out how to record SNL for later.

^j^

One time when I was in the attic digging through an old trunk, I found this decopage plaque from my high school days and took it downstairs with me to restore to my life. I have NO idea who gave it to me but I liked the words. Still do, so it's hanging on the door to my bedroom as a sort of mantra to all who enter here...including cats and dogs. No snakes allowed. Or horses. Or even cute little baby calves. Rabbits? Only on the first of the month or somewhere close.

I got an email from a friend today asking for some special karma for his friend who is pretty sick. I've never met Friend1 in person but I know enough about who he is as a person to know that anybody who's a friend of his is a friend of mine. Card in the mail, Junebug ^j^

The weather is what we like to call in West Tennessee "unsettled" which means grab the candles and run to the basement on a moment's notice when west meets east next to a big muddy river. The wind blew the freakin' tablecloths off at BossLady's cookout for us today but we had fun anyway. Always nice to get away from the sawmill and talk real life smack. If you get a cellphone call from my basement anytime in the next month...Please!Answer!

Lily has this annoying kitty habit of wanting to climb all over me when I'm typing so she can perch on my left shoulder and watch the mouse. The claws are sharp, ya'll. I've discovered that a spray bottle full of water will send her packin' to Babygirl's room to whine and howl like the princess that she is and generally have her feelings hurt because she's not being held. Puleeeezzz.........

It's my weekend at the sawmill so you know what means. Yeah..party like a rock star and roll out about 5AM to save your life. Trust me, okay? I got into a hissing fight with a guy at work yesterday that had me so mad I was literally shakin'. Everything was cool until he spoke the evil phrase " It was an error in your perception." That's what SK used to say to all of us back in the day when we were young lab girls and dared to get upset about his man way of doing things that,literally, affected our entire lives. We kept him looking good for a lot of years and he's never once said thank you.

After the burgers I ran some errands for me and the BG, watching the needle on the gas tank droop and listening to the brakes squeak. And feeling the front end shake. She's got a little over a week left of this semester, and can't wait to sleep for 8 consecutive hours, bless her heart. I know that feeling.

^j^

Shoutout to my cousin Sandy in West Virginia for today's graphic :) I haven't watched the news in oh....a week or more. Tonight's viewing clearly showed me why I tend to skip it in favor of That 70's Show or the Bluecollar Comedy Tour. What did I see? Hillary hollering "jobs JOBS jobs!!" in Pennsylvania. Sam's and Costco restricting rice purchases because the price has doubled in the past few months. Promotions for our military officials running the "war on terror." Mortgage and credit crisis and the price of fuel. We're not in a recession, though. Just flirtin' with one is what the experts say. Bulls**t. Exxon, BP and Wallyworld are posting record profits while the rest of us shop at the dollar store for essentials and worry about how to get to work then grow our own food when we clock out from the day job.

Got the yard mowed today, finally. and picked up the first tick of the season. Found that sucker crawling up my leg. EWWWWW!*# I followed that up with some water hose play, cleaning the siding around the back porch, redneck style. That siding is twenty years old and has never been pressure washed. Ya'll got one you can bring over? I'll buy the beer. Afterwards we can burn that big old pile out front. Heck, I'll even cook some supper. You like fresh asparagus?

In spite of regular ingestion of prescribed meds, I find myself in "that mood" again...the one that doesn't have a name and is sort of unsettled. Not sad or mad or anything like that. Just kind of weary from keepin' the faith time and time again when it all goes to hell in a handbasket. Which is how it usually goes around here ^j^

29% Geek
29%

For somebody who's on the keyboard about 20 hours a day I didn't score too high. Maybe I could get some training from Risible Girl My remaining four hours are spent sleeping and/or walkin' the yard to see what's up. Right now it's asparagus, hosta and narcissus. Do I hear an amen?

Been doing a little spot mowing here and there but it's becoming increasingly expensive to maintain the monster machinery and afford petrol so this will probably be my last season to cut. Besides, I'm too old for that shit stuff. Anybody got a teenaged kid who needs gas money? Okay..how about some goats?

Lunch this week has been great so far. You can't beat free with a stick, I'm just saying. BossLady is good at lining things up for us worker bees and feeling our pain. Oh, and she can clean and organize like a cat-in-heat on crack, bless her heart.

The zoo is gathered around me in front of the TV checking out American Idol. This is where it gets really FUN, ya know? That poor boy didn't even know the cat was singing.

Give me strength.

^j^

I've got so many dang pictures taken from my perch out there that I could fill an album with 'em. This particular one was taken a couple of weeks ago when the backwater was high and the sun was setting. There's a crop field just across the road that fills up during the growing season with produce of some sort...corn or soybeans usually. Cotton takes a lot out of the land so it's a gamble. If I were a gambler, I'd say this will be a hot and humid summer here on Pecan Lane. Great odds, if you know what I mean. The globe seems to be warming up a bit. Back in the day, that field was an asparagus patch with a shed up front where kids came out and picked, then packed it up for shipping. Over across the lane and down the hill a bit is my favorite spot to watch the sunset with my dawgs Faith, Hope , Butterbean and Sam. They are all three smooth passed out from runnin' and playing all day while I worked to buy dog food for their ungrateful puppy asses.Here's the view out back. If you look really close and squint, you can spot the golfers over there behind the barn yellin' FORE!. Between us and them, there's about an acre of muck behind the pumphouse in a low spot. The dogs love to waller in it about as much as they like rolling in the fresh grass. Several of the barns around here are sporting new silver paint on the tin roof. This one is haunted, so I've heard. It doesn't look too scary when the pink dogwood is in bloom but you 'gotta watch out for the kudzu up in front come summer. No mercy, I tell 'ya.

What you don't see is the history of this place I call home. I talk about it when the spirit moves and listen to the elders because they might be gone soon and who will tell the story of us?

As I type, the first hummer of '08 has arrived to feed. He came yesterday, but the feeder wasn't up yet. I've spent several hours today outside diggin' in the dirt like a kid. My current mood is all about the good feelings that come with planting a seed and believing with all of your heart that if it don't bloom this year, maybe next spring. On a scale of 1 to 10, today was an 11 on Pecan Lane in the community of Samaria Bend.

I ran into our official mayor up at the dollar store and we talked forEVER about everybody who ever has been and will be around these parts. I hear there's a family wedding coming up soon for them very soon. My people are all busy gettin' married and having babies too. "Time moves ahead", Mozella said. She worked at the hospital for about 22 years in the OR department sterilizing things and making friends with everybody.

Babygirl is tryin' to hang in there for another week or two until she gets a break from school. I don't guess I ever told ya'll how much respect I have for her, did I? She's planning on seeing Santana at MIM and I'm jealous so she promised me a picture. We have a date on Mother's Day to cater to the grands at our place. Don't tell anybody, but umm..sometimes we drink margaritas when we're cooking!

Most of the fields are plowed that are above water, and it's amazing to watch how they work their way back towards the waterline breaking up the dirt to plant corn or cotton or beans. The turkeys headed back where they don't have to worry about rednecks shootin' their butts. Give me strength!

"Bless ALL our hearts" is about the extent of wisdom that I've got to offer right now. Everybody's got something going on that is stressful or sad and we are fortunate to have a few folks who really care along the path called life. Ya'll know who you are ^j^

Mahala posted some pictures of the front and back views from her home in Frog Pond Holler and told about the landscape, so to speak. I usually try to stay in touch with what's happening over there...interesting neighbors.

As for me? Hmmmm....a good kinda tired that comes from doing something you love, dirt and allergens and all that mixed into one payback that you don't mind in the least. Something will grow, if not now...later.

Have a great week kids. And don't forget to go to Hallmark and buy a card for your favorite medical laboratory person. The poor things are so used to being lavished with praise that they might not appreciate the thought.

There will be pictures.

^j^

Bound for me to sleep through the earthquake. Somebody please give me a call if the rapture happens because I'll show up late with dirty hair and no badge, for sure. It's just the way I am, and it's too late to change all that. Lord knows, I've tried. I distinctly remember the time that I applied for a PR position with the hospital and threw away a typed page instead of copying it for the test. Needless to say, I stayed in the lab after that in a "non-management yet team player" sort'a way. I don't regret that decision one bit. Ain't no telling how many folks bought a few more months of life to settle their business because of a bag of blood.

All of us at the sawmill were talking about Mr. Joe's death and how his daughters are takin' it. It seems as though all of us who work together have formed some kind of strange bond where you take food, give hugs and send cards. These good lookin' ladies stopped by to visit at work today. That proud mama is a nurse now. And that little one? Full.of.life. Next week is National Medical Laboratory Week which can only mean one thing...free!lunch! Promise and cross my heart I'll apply the savings on food to my next utility bill :) Always the cheap date!

Ya'll enjoy the weekend. It's what we live for, right??

^j^

Poops ain't here today. She's over in the kudzu.

Best I can tell it was because they didn't want to get run over by the Camry.

Wasn't quite sure, until I woke up today coughing and hackin' and blowing clear snot out of my sinus cavities. The wonders of modern medicine and physician's samples never cease to amaze this smartass country girl. Did I mention grateful too?

It's cold again, with more rain and a light frost in the forecast. Hopefully we won't have a hard freeze like the one last spring that killed every living bloomin' thing. It would be nice to have some peaches and apples on the trees come this summer.

I have a live TV perched within viewing distance of my bed this evening so as to watch SNL accompanied by the warmth of a three dog night. They all like comedy as much as I do, bless their hearts. In the meantime, we're happy with the food channel and NASCAR.

I was on my way to the kudzu bar to meet Yaya yesterday afternoon when I passed by Pennington's and spotted some ferns out on the sidewalk, strategically placed to entice junkies like me. I'll travel a few more miles on my wore out tennis shoes and enjoy the pleasure of a big old honkin' ass Boston fern swinging in the breeze on one of the porches. I still have mucho work to do on Casa Poops, but I have faith now that it will happen. I heard one time or another that "to clean up a mess you have to make one." That is especially true with an old house like mine. It's a journey, not a destination.

Not only will I be an aunt this year, but also the proud poopie to my cousin/sister's first grandchild. It's a boy, by the way.

I'll be back around to see ya'll sometime soon. Maybe after another shot in the ass.

^j^

Wired to the max here, kids. I called in sick took a step back from the sawmill today to visit my friendly PA at the clinic and she hooked me up with a cure for what ails me the most right now...which is most likely some sort of virus from hell or maybe the bird flu. The avian thing wouldn't surprise me considering the number of crows that have been hangin' around Pecan Lane. I would blame it on the stagnant backwater, but the blackbirds were here long before the river passed flood level. Suckers eat the dawgs' food right out of their dishes which really pisses me off because I didn't sign on to feed all their little birdie butts.

Phase 1 of the "TV in the bedroom" project got underway today with a new receiver delivered and installed with a recorder thingy in it. In the living room again. Seems as if the ginormous satellite TV provider failed to mention to the installer that there was relocation involved and they charge a whole lot in cash for that kind of deal. Once again, we are broke and not able to afford the luxuries like watching Letterman in bed. It is hitonious , if you ask me. Remind me to write to my congresspeople about that new Tennessee satellite "privilege" tax. Tuition has gone up steadily and yearly during the time that BG has been furthering her higher education. (with no help from the feds because she's under 24 and lives with her single poor ass Mom, all the while working a fulltime job on the graveyard shift to pay for the car that commutes her back and forth to said institutions of higher learning). I'm glad she's young, bless her heart.

We lost Faith this afternoon! Me and BG loaded up in her car and ran around the trailer park neighborhoods across the highway to see if we could round her up. Nada...no brown dog. It's a whole 'nother world over there, ya'll. When we wheeled through the parking lot of the hindu hotel, I saw a nekkid guy laying on the bed with the door wide open, hairy chest and all. Mr. Patel said the people with the large brown dog left early this morning *sigh*

All's well that ends well. When we got back home, I happened to remember that I had let installer dude into the basement to scope out the conditions for wiring. And usually when somebody goes into the basement, a critter follows. Opened the door, and voila! There was pretty girl laying patiently on the steps waiting to be let in. Now she's out there barking at the moon.

Go figure that one.

^j^

Following an extended absence, Diva and Punkin got outta the crib for some fresh air yesterday right as I was driving by. Diva is sort of dressed down from her usual getup but I admire the fact that she's wearing a halter top and shorts and it ain't even May yet. Actually, I think the outfit goes quite well with her high top black tennies and white socks. Punkin had evidently decided that she didn't feel like walking the last few feet back to the crib and just sat her ass down on the concrete refusing to move. That probably explains why Diva carries her most of the time on the arm that's not holding the boombox up to her ear. She was carrying some sort of silver clutch bag which didn't make it into the picture. I figure she kept her crazy check in there when she walked to the bank to cash it. Or maybe her little black book. Any of you hot guys out there want me to hook ya'll up?

Old Poops is sick. I've made it through flu season without gettin' bit and all I can figure is that, by the law of averages, it's my time to have a cold. Nobody available to rub my head even. Pssht. Life ain't fair sometimes. I sat out on the front steps Sunday after work and bawled my everloving eyes out just because sometimes a girl needs to do that to sort of clear the air. When we get like that, there's nothing short of a Caribbean vacation that will make things better. Unfortunately, that ain't in the budget so I cried it out and put on my big girl panties and soldiered on.

I have never, in my entire life, had a TV in my bedroom. That is about to change because I need some entertainment up in there and there's not much going on in the sex department, if you know what I mean. I never seem to light long enough on the couch in the living room to watch ANYTHING so this is plan P. I feel sure that the dawgs will enjoy watching Stewie with me. It will be "our time."

My sympathies to Redneck Friend and all the rest of us who were pulling for the U of M Tigers last night. Sheesh. Put Kansas into overtime and they turn into a freakin' scoring machine. Well played Tigers! Next time, avoid the overtime at all costs. I doubt seriously that Stanford will do the same to the Lady Vols this evening. Pat Summitt just don't play that way.

More heavy rain in the forecast for the next couple of days. Don't be surprised if I show up with some pics of us sandbagging the kudzu bar. The little place right behind them already has water upto the back porch. I bet there's snakes in there too. Big ones that will bite your butt.

Gotta go hit the cold medicine again and check the asparagus bed. The warm days have finally coaxed a few spears out into the open. Can you say Yuuuuummmm??

^j^

Well ya'll, the drought is officially over here in the 'burg. I won't even go into the big water that is the Mississipi and Obion rivers covering Dyer County farmland. Instead, I will focus on the little bitty Forked Deer that winds in and around south Dyersburg and surrounds the farm. Back in the day when I was a kid we got flooded pretty regular to the point that we'd move to town and live with relatives until the water got off the road enough for the old red Chevy wagon to pass through. That probably explains why there was a hole rusted plum through the floor in the back seat. I remember sitting back there watching the gravel pass under my feet thinking it was just the coolest thing since sliced bread. I've always been "easily amused".

When I was a teenager, the Corp came in and did some dredging and channel work. My brother was their constant companion down on the riverbank, watching the progress as they dug through the mud. The floods don't come nearly as often now here on the farm, but if it rains much the water will be over the main road to civilization. Let's hope the weather forecasters are WRONG about that Wednesday/Thursday forecast for heavy rain. I wandered around with the camera on the way to a meeting at the sawmill this afternoon and took a few shots of the current state of the Forked Deer. The normal flow of the river through downtown is snug within the banks the are next to the railroad tracks and under the first of the double bridges when you're headed south like toward the Dairy Queen :)


Yikes! This is the view from the parking lot of the kudzu bar. A few months from now all that water will be replaced with the crawling devil weed.

This here is an egret enjoying some time up close and personal with the photographer. And this? This is the field road to nowhere. When Hoss came to visit a couple of years ago we got stuck in the mud about a mile past where you see the waterline. Me with a beer and him with a whiskey going to check out a fishing hole. As the story goes, I left him there to die! Actually, I just walked the mile and half back home to call a wrecker to pull our dumb asses out. About the time we got close to the main road Butterbean got sprayed by a skunk. Hoss was trying to haul her up in the cab of the wrecker with us and she stunk to high heaven. I made her run because I'm just mean like that. Anyways, Hoss survived that brush with death and even managed to walk a fair piece before we arrived to pick him up. Ain't life grand?

He says he's gonna be a dung beetle in his next life, but I'll think about him every time I see an egret.

And so it goes.

That long pole thingy saves a few trips up the ladder is all I'm saying. Of course I'll be back up there on the ladder again very soon with a paint brush if my feet hold out and the river don't rise much more above flood stage. It didn't rain today which is a "good thing" as Martha would say. Sometime in the next week I expect to see the turkeys and egrets nesting in the last of the old pine grove over on the west side of our estate. Stranger things have happened around here.

*shoutout to redneck friend* How 'bout them Tigers? Mama says they're disgraceful because they left a spot on the bench for the dude who got busted for smoking a doobie. There's dumbass on every team and he made a poor choice on the eve of his cinderella story. I say they played a helluva game and Kansas shouldn't get too cocky.

Gotta go hit the shower. Tomorrow is a school day.

^j^

And damn proud of it, by the way. The video below was sent to me by a friend today with the explanation that the animals are pets of a homeless man in Santa Barbara. I can't attest to the validity of that, but I did follow through and find this cool site where some peace loving old hippies like myself have banded together to form a thinktank about what the possibilities are for the power that we, as a world, posess in this day and time and how to use it for the common good. As bleak as things seem these days, it doesn't hurt to think positive, ya know?

I'll be at the sawmill this weekend so ya'll don't party too hard while I'm working.
Oh, and. Keep the faith. ^j^

It's been almost a year since the last show at Midnight Rodeo which featured Primal Heart, if I'm not mistaken. You can bet the farm that I was there in the kitchen sipping a beer and enjoying the live music each and every time the doors opened for bidness. I'm funny about the tunes that way. Too bad the 'burg wouldn't support a cool venue like that. I reckon they'd all rather go to the country club and swap keys when the night's over. There's a group named something about pink dogs that is their legacy. I reckon their mama and them are mighty proud when they see the bumper stickers.

Even though I lost money on that rodeo deal and wore my fragile little self OUT cleaning the grease in the kitchen, it was among the best times of my life because we were on a mission. When it all seemed impossible, the whole thing came together and everybody had fun and danced or sang along. Of course I was a whole year younger then and a lot less tired.

The last time I saw the ocean was back before Gulf Shores got slammed with a hurricane and I'm having serious beach withdrawals, thanks in part to the smartass photographer and his posts from St. Augustine. I also need a vacation. Like....bad. But I regress.

I don't make the b**g rounds much these days because life is busybusybusy what with the day job and the big ass yard to take care of. Not to mention all the sawdust that's still stuck on every surface around here. Did ya'll know that clean floors show up every.speck.of.dirt that is known to humankind? Yep..it's true. That's a very stressful situation for a slob like me who has three in-and-out dawgs during a particularly muddy spring in Tennessee.

But you know what? I wouldn't trade it for a brazillion bucks.

^j^

I'm in a pissy ranty sort of mood so if you came here for the warm fuzzies you might as well move on. Oddly enough, it was teevee coverage of tapped out independent truckers coupled with doubletalk by oil executives when questioned about record profits that set me off. Imagine that. Me...the little guy getting mad about being screwed by the very government that is sworn to look after my best interests. I'm thinking that when the hauling stops the powers that be might sit up and pay attention. The bottom line is that us little bitty consumers bottom feeders will be the ones to pay the price in the end..hell we already do. Remember that dime for a cup of ice at the day job? Um hmmm.

We survived the storm last night which turned out to be a little puff of wind compared to what we've experienced here before on the hill. All it did was add more water to the already flooded rivers and run the turkeys out into the open where I got to pause and watch them feed on the way to town this morning. There was a couple of big old males all puffed up struttin' around amongst the harem of 40 or so hens and kidlets. The sun finally came out today after a week in hiding but it won't last long. More rain on the way. Not a good spring to be a farmer close to the Mighty Mississippi and its' tributaries.

On a humorous note, the mayor of Memphis has decided that he doesn't care for that gig and wants to be the superintendant of city schools for the same pay. King Willie, they call him. Now, I don't know the man personally or anything, but he sure has been involved in a lot of controvery lately..especially involving his buddies at MLGW and ladies of questionable integrity. I'm gonna wait and see if he gets what he wants. If he scores, I'm gonna demand that I get an easier job at the sawmill without a pay cut. THAT will happen when donkeys fly and the devil ice skates right up to your front door.

Today is "Doctors' Day" which is when we pause to honor those great members of the healing arts profession and watch Scrubs re-runs for hours on end. Watching that show is the only thing about healthcare that makes me smile these days. For every egotistical arrogant MD who has taken out his frustrations with life on me, I imagine he or she as a resident gettin' dissed by a veteran nurse with an attitude or an attending on a power trip from hell. Hey..whatever works at the moment.

Now, ain't I just a precious little bundle of sweetness and light? Damn skippy.

^j^