Grooving

Have you ever had one of those weeks where nothing special really happened, but really a lot of special things happened? I spent part of this week chauffeuring my son around. The old Mercury has been acting up, so he got me to take him to work and take him home every day. I had to get up before daylight and drive through the dark to pick him up. He'd usually make me wait a little while before we loaded up the car and blasted off to Bob's. By then, daylight made it possible to see.

The other day, I picked Scout up in Sugar Valley, and we headed on back to Resaca. The sky was blue, and everything was clear around us. We drove east past the river down highway 136 and turned right to cut across the backroads to Bob's house in Red Bud. Gordon county is a particularly beautiful place. There are farms along the way. It is hilly and pastoral. We ran into blankets of fog as far as the eye could see all the way to Bob's. I wonder if that is what the hills of Scotland look like in the morning.

Bob's driveway had hay strewn all over it. Scout explained it had fallen off as they brought hay to the farm. There was a huge stack of big round hay bales covered with a giant tarp. Scout pointed out a stack of rafters Bob had for his new barn. His other barn had burned down. That's why all the hay is under the tarp.

I usually pulled up close to the house and let Scout unload the car. Every day he carried a coat and a square pink Igloo cooler*, compliments of me, and his lunch. Scout doesn't usually eat out but he eats outside. They aren't usually close to any restaurants. They were putting up a fence in Murray county this week. Scout said he had fun putting a fence across a creek. I don't know if he was serious or not. He got his boots wet so that probably wasn't comfortable. 

This morning I dropped Scout off for work and headed back home. When I got to Resaca, instead of turning right to go home, I hung a left at highway 41 and drove the extra mile or so down the road, past the new Gordon County jail, to Hardee's for one of my favorite breakfasts. That's a treat.

Only, this time, I noticed they were awfully skimpy on the bacon and egg. It was mostly biscuit, and I sure didn't need that. I get plenty of starch daily, thank you very much. When I fork over money for food, I'd like to have some sustenance. Ya know what I mean? Anyway, I brought breakfast home for me and my baby. Baby, being the operative word.

Colt comes home on the weekend so 'momma' can do his laundry and give him a little tender loving care like nobody but momma can do. Ain't I right, ladies?

On a similar note I was talking to my cousin the other day and mentioned that I saw Scout with a roll of my paper towels under his arm as he was getting ready to leave. She said, "Yeah, isn't it nice when they come shopping like it's Walmart?" Yeah, really! Now the shoe is on the other foot, I understand what a nuisance I was when I was young.

Nothing much else happened except Donny's birthday was this week. Now we will be the same age for half a year. That always makes me smile a little.

In closing, all I can say is ...

AS ALWAYS

PIO

* I think the pink cooler adds a degree of  joie de vivre to the day.

Old People II

Colt and I went to the local Subway's to get something to eat last weekend. He drove because I can't see well after dark. We went inside to order and while we were waiting on another customer to have his sandwich made we looked over the menu. I happened to mention that the boy who was making the sandwich must have been working there a long time because I'd seen him there often. I teased Colt and told him the boy was a 'sandwich artist.' Colt's first job was working for Subway's and he always referred to himself as a sandwich artist.

We watched two employees making sandwiches and finally paid and started to leave. When we got in the car. and Colt started driving away, he said, "I wish you'd quit doing that."

I said, "What are you talking about?" Colt said that I kept calling the person making our subs a guy and that "...she was a girl." Of course, I said, "Unt-uh! That was a guy. I know it was." Colt kept arguing with me that I was wrong. 

I told him I had wondered about the big one who looked 6 feet tall until I saw the boobies, but I knew the other one was a guy. I said "I've been up there a lot of times. I talk to him. It has to be a guy." I almost wanted to go back to check.

I thought about all the times I had been up there and probably said 'sir' or something like that. I was beginning to worry.

I said, "I might call Subway and ask who all is working tonight. I just have to figure out how to ask without sounding like a nut." Colt said they would probably say the person's name was "Chris, or Pat, or something like that." I burst out laughing as I imagined the character Pat on Saturday Night Live. Pat is an ambiguous character who leaves people scratching their heads trying to figure her/him out. I refer to people like that as shemales. Some people are androgynous mysteries who don't fit clearly in a category.

I'm still not convinced the person who waited on us was a girl. What do you do when you aren't sure what sex someone is? Do you refer to them as the sex (boy, girl, lady, sir) that you think they are, or do you watch yourself and try not to use any nouns? Colt said "Do like Crocodile Dundee and grab 'em." That made me hoot with laughter. Dundee, an Australian in New York, had grabbed the cross-dresser's crotch. Then he knew Gwendoline was a man. (Crocodile Dundee 1986)

Next time I go to Subway's I'm going to try to read the name tag of the guy who makes my sandwiches. If I've been calling him a boy and he's really a girl I'm going to feel pretty awkward next time I address her.

I get a kick out of hanging out with Colt and Scout. They are always embarrassed, or laugh at me for being an old fart and for some of my misperceptions. I don't mind. I do say some dumb things now and then. Sometimes I can't hear and I misunderstand people and repeat back some strange things I think someone has said to me. I can't see good when I'm driving at night so that's always good for a couple of laughs and I get frustrated easily. What's not to love?

This week Scout had to go to court for jury duty. His car has been quitting unexpectedly so he asked me to drive him each day. Monday he went to the courthouse and waited half a day but was dismissed before lunch. I picked him up and took him home. Today he went back to the courthouse again and they let him go early without choosing him for jury duty. If you aren't selected for jury duty you don't get paid so Scout wasted a couple of days sitting around for nothing. That's not good.

I didn't mind getting out and taking Scout to town early. I ran some errands and paid some bills. I haven't paid bills in person in so long that I didn't realize the cable company closed their office in Calhoun. Signs were pasted on the windows with information about going to Rome or Cartersville if we needed personal service. Rome is 40 miles away and Cartersville is even further away. I don't know my way around either one and I'm sure not running around looking for them. I came home and called the cable company and learned you can pay your account by check over the phone. Who'd of thought you could do that? I don't like paying bills digitally. It makes me nervous.

The reason I had to pay my cable bill over the phone was because I'd made a mistake with my bill. I found out I had recorded the check in my register but must not have written the check because the numbers were wrong. I couldn't have written the check. I've racked my brain trying to remember what happened. I think I must have mailed the bill but forgot to write the check and put it in the envelope. I thought I had already paid the bill. I hate doing that. I blame it on chaos.

I really need to learn to pay bills a full week in advance so they will have plenty of time to get there. The post office is closing smaller post offices across the country, laying people off, and considering closing on Saturdays and Sundays. Mail delivery is becoming slower. 

Snail mail is in less demand but I still don't trust giving my account numbers and other vital information to strangers, even when I make the call. I'd never give anybody I didn't know information if they called me asking questions. I'd worry about identity theft. I don't have enough money for us to spend, much less strangers.

I imagine it won't be long before we do all our business using computers. We have moved into another step along the evolutionary ladder from pen and paper to keyboards and the internet. We're as far removed from early cave drawings or indecipherable hieroglyphs and our modern technology as a paper plane is compared to a jet. 

I don't want to give up mail service, although I hate unsolicited mail. I get tons of things trying to sell us insurance, requesting donations and coupons out the wazoo. I drown in piles of it until I decide to purge everything and have a bonfire in the backyard. I'm ablaze with anticipation. I can feel a conflagration coming on. I've got tons of junk mail and a brush pile I need to burn. Oh boy! That should be fun and that will get rid of some of chaos.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Is That You Tom

My parents rented a house from Mr. and Mrs. Hale when I was six months old. It was a little two bedroom cottage that sat behind the Hale's house at the edge of the woods. I loved living in the little house. We lived there until I was eight years old. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hale had a nice modern looking house with a lovely paved circular driveway. They had a hedge separating their yard from our yard behind the driveway. Mrs. Hale had a flower bed along the hedge. I liked to watch her plant flowers and tend to her garden. Sometimes she let me help. I believe that is where my love of gardening began, with a lady in a garden learning to tend to beautiful flowers.

Mrs. Hale was a lady in every sense of the word. She was married to Clifford Hale who was Superintendent of Dalton City Schools. They were both well educated. 

One time they had a beautiful garden party for some of their hoity-toity friends. They had tables set up with tablecloths and china under the trees. Bouquets of flowers enhanced the elegance setting. I'd never seen anybody have such a beautiful big party like that before. I stood at the edge of the hedges, watching the guests and activities at the party. It looked so exciting.

The little house we lived in behind the Hale's house was nestled at the edge of a tree line. It felt very secluded from the neighbors. We could only see the Hale's house in front of us. I always felt safe living there. The only time I was ever scared was when I got lost in the woods. 

I wandered around in circles until I came out on the other side of the tree line at a neighbor's house. Several people were outside in the yard and saw me come out of the woods crying. They called around until they called Mrs. Hale. She told them she would tell my mother. We didn't have a telephone.

Momma came to pick me up and take me home.  Momma thought I'd run away from home but I didn't. I was just being a goofy little kid wandering around in the woods near my house when I realized I was lost and was hunting my way home. I was pretty scared. If I hadn't had my little cocker spaniel, Janey, with me I don't know what I would have done. She stayed by my side and didn't leave me alone.

Our little house had one bathroom and I can remember being so little I had to wrap my legs around the toilet to keep from falling in when I sat down. I was always afraid of falling in. One evening while I was sitting on the toilet, looking at the Sears Roebuck catalog like my Daddy did, I heard a loud noise outside the window. Momma hollered at me to ask, "Is that you Pam?"  I told her I hadn't done anything. The sound came from outside.

Daddy wasn't at home so Momma got Daddy's pistol out of the bedroom and walked down the hall, past the open bathroom door. She told me to stay inside; she was going to go check outside to see if she could see anything. She came in a little bit later, madder than a wet hen. 

Momma said someone had been peeping in on me while I was in the bathroom. She said she should have gone out the front door and she would have caught the sorry rascal.

We had a propane gas tank sitting under the bathroom window and there were hand prints in the dust. We saw it clearly the next day. We had proof that someone had been spying in our windows. Momma promised herself she'd use better judgment next time and she'd shoot him if she caught him back there. I believe she would.

I never thought about the implications of someone getting their kicks out of peeping at people, much less kids, when they were naked when I was young. I just thought they were probably 'touched in the head'. Looking back at the situation now I realize how dangerous the situation could have become. Maybe we were lucky the guy saw Momma come down the hall holding a gun. That probably caused him to think twice about coming back. I'm pretty sure Momma could have made a hole in him if she had a chance.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

************

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Cheating

A medical scandal is surfacing about doctors cheating on written exams for their medical licenses. It is coming to light that different sections of the medical community have been passing answers around so others can prepare for the tests. Radiologists, dermatologists, and who knows all have been exposed as cheaters. I never liked cheaters.

I've always said and believed, "... you wouldn't let a doctor practice medicine on you if he cheated would you? ... Neither would I, so never cheat. Make an honest grade. That's what counts." Now I find those same guys I've been holding to a higher standard are, themselves, cheats and possibly unqualified physicians. Ye gads!

What does that say for the medical profession, and equally important, what does that say about integrity? It's so much easier to access information nowadays so maybe they should allow wider latitude about testing and make the rules more lax but do you want to go to a surgeon who hasn't studied everything because it was so much easier to look it up on the internet? How do you know who cheated and who really knows their stuff? If radiologists are cheating, and dermatologists are cheating, you know other fields of medicine are doing the same thing.

I don't know how doctors learn everything they need to know, anyway. I can guarantee that I'd never in a million years be able to become a doctor. They have so many articles and studies to keep abreast of new information, on top of the hundreds of patients they have to shuffle through their medical mills. Doctors probably don't have very much time to evaluate their patients. When they get their license and go into business doctors "practice" medicine. Maybe they have always cheated and that's why they call it practice instead of repair. I don't know. I still don't feel comfortable with doctors cheating.

I think we have to insist on quality in certain professions. Medicine is one important profession that should be held to the highest standards. Doctors can help or ruin people's lives. I'd prefer to err on the side of helping.

I never liked cheaters. When I was in elementary school a teacher accused me of cheating off another student. I think we were taking a test. I may have been fidgeting because I didn't know the answer but I did not cheat. I don't remember if she sent a note home to my mother or gave me a failing grade on my paper but I do know what my mother did. She made sure I was telling the truth and then she went to school to talk to the teacher.

Momma worked in the cotton mill and had a 'net' of cotton around her head if she didn't 'blow off' after work. She showed up in the hall at Mrs. T's room, clad in a halo of cotton. When the teacher saw momma she went to the door and asked who she was looking for. Momma told her she was my momma and she came to talk to Mrs. T. Mrs. T started backing into the room and momma followed her inside. Momma said she came down because Mrs. T had accused me of cheating and she wanted to get it straightened out because I didn't cheat.

Mrs. T was backed up against her desk and every eye in the room was focused on her and momma. Mrs. T said she caught me cheating and, besides, I hadn't been doing my homework either. Momma said, "Now I know that's a lie because I sit with her every night helping her get her homework." Then Mrs. T started backtracking and said I didn't turn it in. She made reference to some cousins somewhere in the conversation and Momma told her she had no right to judge me by something she accused my cousins of doing.

Momma told Mrs. T that she worked third shift but if she had to she would come to school every day and sit in class with me and make sure I did my work; then Mrs. T wouldn't have any trouble out of me. Mrs. T started himing and hawing because she realized Momma wasn't kidding. She wasn't going to let me get by with doing nothing, and she sure wasn't going to let Mrs. T accuse me of things when nothing was true. I admit being a goofy kid but I was very honest. I didn't know any other way to be. Momma and Daddy didn't broach any lies so I'd better not be passing them around to others. After that incident, my grades went up. I think Mrs. T didn't want Momma to come back to school.

That's when I first realized how important it was to be trusted and how important it is to be honest and tell the truth. It's also the first time I remember Momma standing up for me.

When I was in high school I saw a few people cheating. It got so bad that some people cheated or copied off each other all the time during tests. The same group of cheaters counted the ballots for homecoming queen one year. Oddly enough, one of the girls won. How about that? That was my first experience with politics. No wonder I'm a cynic.

AS ALWAYS

PIO
*********
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FEBRUARY

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY YALL. I HOPE ALL YOU LOVERS HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY.


February is a between month. By that I mean, it is a time of waiting. It's not really cold and it's not really springtime. It's the period in between. I know people who live in other parts of the world are still contending with the cold and the snow but it has been positively tolerable around here The backyard is still green. Granted, it's mostly weeds and not much grass but it didn't die off like the yard did last winter. I'm not saying it's because of global warming but the weather has been awfully mild this year.


It's been raining a lot. That's not always good, especially if you live in lowland. We get all the run-off from the neighbors north of us when it rains. The water runs through our backyard over the septic tank field line. Too much water, too quick, tends to slow down the plumbing. I can always tell we've been getting too much rain when I leave the bathroom plunger in the bathroom for weeks because I might need it. I take it outside when we don't need it. The stinking plunger has been in the bathroom since Christmas! That's a sign of the times.


The other night I pulled out some old home videos and watched them. They were so bitter-sweet. Colt was my adorable little monster baby who wouldn't listen to a single word. You can hear Donny saying, over and over again, "Colt come here." "Come here Colt." He never takes a step to obey. I guess he had a mind of his own, even then. The little rascal would run away from me when he could get a head start. That's why I got Donny to build a six foot fence around the yard. I was afraid he'd run in the highway. 


Watching those videos took me back to the sweet days of the kids youth. I also got a few pictures of people in the family who have passed away. My only regret is listening to the people who kept telling me to 'quit filming me' and wish I'd just kept on. I would have had more pictures of my grandmother before she died. 


Donny's mother was on the tapes. It is such a drastic change from how she has become. Edwadene was talking and laughing and playing with the children. Now she has Alzheimer's disease and doesn't seem to know any of us. His little granny was also on the tapes. She died a long time ago. So was Donny's step-father, Charlie McAllister. He was a big old man. He was bigger than life. Charlie was a character and he loved to fish. Everybody who knew Charlie loved Charlie.


Daddy and Momma were so young looking. Wow! They were the age Donny and I are today. Time keeps on ticking. 


Scout was the sweet little shy boy he is today. He played 'horsey' with Colt and was always there as his protector.  


I wish I could go back to one day and spend it with my little boys again. I wish we could all go back and spend a day with those who are no longer with us and just enjoy being with them once again.

Don't forget to say "I love you." 

*********

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Mikki, Alicia, Brooke, Don, Delbert, Douglas, Bailey
and those celebrating this month

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
to those celebrating this month

RIP

to those who passed away

AS ALWAYS

PIO


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One Life To Live

My favorite soap opera, One Life To Live, was taken off the air after 41 years. I loved that show. It focused on families and involved people representing several generations. Asa and Rene were the elderly members of the cast, and next were Viki and Clint Buchanan, Asa's son. Viki's children and grandchildren were on the show. That accounts for four generations of family. I'm sure people who have watched the program longer than I have remember Viki's father, Victor Lord. One Life To Live was the best soap opera I watched. 

Actors like Erika Slezak and Kassie DePaiva or Robert Woods and Jerry VerDorn could spin gold out of drivel and keep the audience engaged. Everybody bought and accepted some silly stories. We accepted Viki's multiple personalities disorder over the years. We even accepted Clint's mean streak and redemption at the end of the show. We were all rooting for Clint to revive and reunite with Viki for the third, and possibly last, time.

I watched Starr Manning, played by Kristen Alderson, from the time she was a baby on the show. She and her brother Eddie Alderson, who played Bo and Nora Buchanan's son Matthew, were incredible young talents who grew up on the program. 

Over the years, and thanks to the internet and Media Domain, I have grown to admire and love many of the characters and the actors who portray them so well. When I hate a character I have to admire the actor for being able to project those characteristics that repel people and cause fans to buy into their narcissistic or evil characteristics. 

One Life To Live had delicious characters like Roxanne Balsom and Dorian Lord. David Vikers and Rex Balsom were good comic relief, and they weren't hard on the eyes either.

The two Todd's will always be remembered and weighed against one another as the final ultimate plot twist when One Life To Live brought Roger Howarth back and revealed Todd to be an impostor. Todd (Trevor St. John) was revealed to be original Todd's twin brother, Victor Lord, Jr.

I know there are plenty more wonderful actors and characters who deserve to be mentioned from the show but they are too numerous to count. Although the cast is front and center in our hearts and our minds they would be nothing without the great staff and crew behind them. The writers and the directors and the grips and the makeup and decorating departments were all exceptional and excellent in all that they did.

One Life To Live gave us characters that we could root for, or despise, together. I will always cherish the stories I have followed over the years and the wonderful actors who honed their craft and earned a living working in the wonderful world of make believe called soap operas. 

Adieu my sweet stories and delightful characters. 

So long. 

Good bye. 

I'll miss you and remember you fondly. 

I promise not to cry.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Blue Speckled Pan

Ode to My Blue Speckled Pan


My blue speckled pan is my baby

She ain't hardly no size at all

She barely holds a five pound chicken

But she'll cook anything up for y'all

Instead of tin foil and garbage

My blue speckled pan is so sweet

All I have to do is wash her

In hot soapy water

After removing the meat

Roasts a roasting for the family

Vegetables nestled around

A splash of Dale's seasoning

After cooking for an hour

It's time to turn the temperature down

I know this blue speckled pan may not show it

I know you can't tell by the sound

But I use this pan for my family

To make great meals

Because I love having them around

AS ALWAYS

PIO
*****
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Momma's Alright

"Mommy's alright

Daddy's alright

They just seem a little weird ..."

SURRENDER by CHEAP TRICK

Momma had another health scare last week. She has been sick and short of breath since the middle of December. She went to the doctor and he treated her for bronchitis. Her condition deteriorated and she seemed to be getting worse. She didn't feel like doing anything but lay around. Momma never lays around so, after a while, Daddy convinced her to go back to the doctor. The doctor diagnosed blood clots and immediately had her admitted to the hospital. She was in the hospital all last week. Thankfully, she was released and is back home now.

Daddy stayed with Momma every day to keep her company. He also made sure to get the word out that Momma was in the hospital. She had several visitors. She even got a couple of nice bouquets of flowers.

I called her one day to see how she was doing and if she was going to get to come home. She said she wasn't getting to come home yet but she was 'ill as a hornet' so I figured she was starting to feel better. Momma doesn't like to lie around. That cheered me up but also made me reluctant to visit her.

Not to worry. Momma was in high spirits and starting to feel more like her old self again. Nobody could cross the threshold without having a conversation with Momma. She loves talking to people. That runs in the family.

It was probably more like a vacation than being in the hospital for Momma. She got to lay in bed and get waited on and fed. She shared her dinner plate with Daddy. She said they especially enjoyed the fried shrimp. She kept trying to push her food off on me when I came to visit, too, but I declined. What is it about Momma and hospital food? She thinks it's a picnic or something. 

I was so glad the doctors finally discovered what was making her sick and able to treat her. I only wish she didn't have these medical scares. She and Daddy worry me. They are both so healthy and robust that it is hard for me to imagine them growing old and helpless. They are my parents. They are invincible. Aren't they?

Now I'm ill as a hornet.

*****

Daddy was in the hospital last May.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

The Parade

J.R. Martinez is the winner of Dancing With The Stars. He is also a Iraq veteran who was wounded by an IED (improvised explosive device). J.R. was on All My Children in a story about wounded veterans. He was such a good actor they kept him past his original storyline. J.R. and his mother moved to Dalton when he was 17. He went to Dalton High School and played football for the Catamounts. Now J.R. is a motivational speaker and a real American hero. Dalton is very proud to claim his as a citizen. That is why they gave him a parade after he won on Dancing. This is his second parade. The first was to honor him for his service and sacrifice in the Iraq war.

Daddy asked me to ride with him in the parade for J.R. Martinez in Dalton. Momma has been sick and didn't feel like going. I've never been in a parade before so I was kind of excited. We got there early.

This was a neat looking 1951 Chevrolet that was in the parade. It was a beautiful day.

 Daddy made friends with the man with the white Chevrolet and other people who came over to admire his Model T. I was excited to be in the parade. Daddy drove. My job was to wave.

Model T's aren't made like cars are made today. The gas throttle is on the wheel. There are three pedals on the floor. The middle pedal is for reverse. 

We had to creep along slowly in the parade. Everything was going okay until people started pointing and shouting something to us. The radiator started overheating and leaking. Daddy's friend from the car club walked up to us and told us that something was wrong. We pulled over on the first turn and parked because we weren't sure what was wrong.

Daddy had remembered to buy gas and checked the battery but he forgot to check the radiator before the parade. He also forgot to bring a jug of water with us. His friend pulled over with us and kindly went to get us some water.

Well, half of the parade was fun. We got to see J. R. whiz by on a convertible so it wasn't a total bust. I wish we were able to complete the parade. I would have taken more pictures. Better luck next time, if there is a next time.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Sun Beams and Other Things

I thought I'd give you a peek at some of my observations around here.

You can click on the picture to enlarge.

The dogwoods already have buds developing  on them.

This is our turnip green garden.

Feeding time for the critters.

Sunlight through the magnolia tree.

Some 'lowland' by the Dollar Store in Resaca. A house used to be there. They finally moved away. Can you blame them?

AS ALWAYS

PIO

*****

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JANUARY

Now that 2011 is over I wonder what 2012 will bring. The internet is abuzz about the Mayan calendar ending on December 21st. I'm waiting with bated breath. I bet the survivalists are preparing. It will probably be Y2K all over again. 

I ain't scared.
*******

We got two loads of gravel for the drive way after Christmas. The driver was a woman. She did a great job spreading the gravel but she left a few hills of gravel in places. She had to avoid the electric wires and magnolia trees. Donny and Colt raked the gravel until Scout borrowed Bob's tractor to scrape it down. I almost want it to come a pouring rain. I said, almost. I get tired of living in a mud puddle.

Scout is on the tractor.*

Donny is supervising.

Don, Scout, and Colt are checking out the job.

Looking good.

Now we have plenty of parking.

*Thanks to Bob DeGraan of  Fencing Unlimited  for the use of the tractor. 
1-706-625-8848 office 
1-706-506-4284 cell
Owens Gin Road
Calhoun Georgia
Thanks to Scout Strickland for his invaluable help.

Last year was a hard one for some of my family. One cousin died, another cousin lost her significant other, and today another cousin's husband passed away. My heart goes out to you all. I can only hope that your pain is mingled with beautiful memories of your loved ones.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Roy, Rhonda, Amanda, Evelyn, Ann, Frankie, Angie, Sue, Norma, Joey, Donna, Valerie, Angela, Jacob, Mika, Brenda, and Teresa

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Donny & Pam

RIP

Jimmy Hutson, Sam Burchfield, Lela Smith, Beulah Burchfield

AS ALWAYS
PIO

Christmas 2011

A few days before Christmas a tornado tore through Gordon County and caused a lot of destruction. One community was hit hard. We had hard rains but we were lucky and didn't have any storm damage here.  

The weather was just the opposite of last year. This year at Christmas we had warm temperatures, plenty of rain, and a tornado. Last year we had an unprecedented (in my lifetime) snow storm on Christmas day. We didn't go to the yearly family dinner last year. I remember eating lots and lots of deviled eggs and potato salad we were supposed to take to the family dinner. Gads. 

This year Momma and I didn't plan anything because I was sick for a couple of weeks and she has bronchitis. Donny and Colt and I were hacking and coughing for a while but I think we are all finally on the mend. I hope nobody else catches what we had. 

The holidays always make me melancholy. I pine for the 'good old days' when the kids were little, or I was young. I don't know why nostalgia seems so sweet as I get older. I just didn't have the Christmas spirit this year. We didn't even put up a single ornament

We had our family get together at Donny's sister's house this year. It was a beautiful day. After the dinner we didn't start home until after dark. We had to drive through a blanket of fog all the way home. Visibility was limited. I asked Donny to drive through Dalton so I could see the Christmas decorations but it was so foggy the lights weren't impressive. It had a creepy, slasher-movie feel to the night.

It's so muddy around here that Colt's car got stuck when he was pulling out and he slung mud all over the white picket fence beside the house. Donny helped Colt clean the fence. Donny was determined to get some gravel.

We got some gravel for the driveway and since one load wasn't enough we got another load today. Yeah! No more slopping around in the mud when it rains. No more having to straddle the mud as I get the groceries out of the car in inclement weather.

Scout is going to borrow Bob's tractor this weekend to smooth down the gravel and spread it out evenly. I can hardly wait.

*****

By The Way my contest was a bust and nobody guessed correctly about my little quiz. Since my buddy Jerry White did respond he won by default. Colt delivered his award. I hope you like the peppers Jerry. Thanks for participating. 

AS ALWAYS

PIO

The Spy Who Loves Me

Now tell me what the Russians are looking for. Are they trying to get insight into me, or merely access my natural wit and humor? Hmm ... I wonder. I'm serious yall, the Ruskies are watching me. No, I am not crazy, although crazy is in the eye of the beholder. 

At first I was flattered when I realized they were coming to Resaca Rose. I thought 'How nice. I wonder how they found me.' I love having visitors from around the world. I've even talked to a couple of people from other countries. 

Russia is one of my top visitors, which is cool but, the only problem is, they don't show up on any of my locators. That raised my little spidey senses and got me to thinking about why some of these countries don't show up on all my various locators. Maybe they are the web-crawlers that sneak in looking for information. That's just plain weird. 

I told a friend about the Russians loving me and she said she loves the Russians, especially one man who was a business associate and a very sweet and charming man. But she also said she thought he was rubbed out by the Russian mob. (Get out of here!) It seems he was competing with the Black Market and disappeared. Poof! He was never seen, or heard from again. Who'd of knew? I'm just surprised to realize that stuff like that really happens. 


I never thought about the mob controlling imports and 'taking care of' competition.  It never occurred to me that people are smuggling merchandise in products they buy from America and shipping them into other countries. I live a  very bucolic and simple life. Things like that just don't happen in my world.

I have wondered how the Russian economy was advancing after the collapse of the USSR. I thought it was a wonderful opportunity for the American entrepreneurial spirit to establish businesses in Russia. Places like Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut. It would have been a perfect way to help Russian's develop business opportunities and also expand American businesses.

Despite the fact that it's a joke that Sarah Palin can see Russia from her house, Russia is becoming very connected to America. Russia has announced plans to build a 65 mile underground tunnel between Russia and Alaska under the Bering Straits. It will be twice as long as the famous Chunnel which runs between England and France but the tunnel isn't being built for passenger traffic. It will be a route for shipping cargo underground. I wonder what's so important that they need to build an underground tunnel.

No doubt we will be hearing more about this amazing feat of engineering in the coming years. It will be interesting to see this come to fruition.


I imagine the Russians who are coming to visit me are not like the fellow on TV who says 'Hello. My name is Peggy.' I don't know what they're looking for but it's making me paranoid. That's all I need.


It's not like I'm not paranoid enough, what with all the wars and fighting and recession around the world. The economy is shaky and we're one year away from another Presidential election which can send America spinning in another direction and throwing us off course. 


We haven't adjusted from the entire mess the Bush administration left the country in. I dread thinking about the country's future after the next election. 


I wonder what Russia's government is doing trying to ship cargo through Alaska and how that will impact America. Will Homeland Security be able to monitor everything that will be shipped through the underground tunnel. Will terrorists target the tunnel and try to ship something in or might they try to bomb it? See, I told you I didn't need anybody making me more paranoid than I already am. It keeps growing and growing and growing.


Let's just hope the Russians are nice Russians like Yakov Smirnoff. He's one funny Russian.


Now I wonder what those Slovenians are up to. 

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Kim's Couch

Little Layla and the couch.

How do you like Kim's couch Momma covered with the help of me and Scout and Kim? That's some bright and cheerful material. I think that couch will be remembered for a long time. 

Kim found the couch at an estate sale for ten dollars. It's very retro with the woodwork on the arms. I think it was probably bought in the 60's and decorated in a French style. I like the modern update. Don't you?

Scout and Kim sanded the wood and then we put several coats of polyurethane on it. Momma covered the couch and worked on the cushions. I helped her tear them back down. She finished everything up Saturday with Scout and Kim's assistance.

I didn't get to go up there this weekend and help them because I have some kind of bug and didn't want to chance being around them all and making them sick, especially Momma. She and Daddy have to watch their health. Momma had those blood clots the summer before last and had to go to the hospital. She doesn't need a chest cold.

I have a sneaking feeling that Colt made me sick. He has been coughing and spitting up for a while now. I figure he passed it on to me. We're always together because I get on the computer in his room and he watches TV in here. He thinks he probably got his cough from the neighbor's kids.

Justin and Sydnei have three little boys who are four and below. Colt said Zack coughed on him and he told the kid to cover his mouth. Zackary thought that was funny so he would run up to Colt and cough on him again and again.

Later on Sydnei said the boys had foot and mouth disease (not to be confused with hoof and mouth disease found in livestock). It's Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. It manifests in sores around and within the mouth or on the hands or feet of children.

Being the paranoid person I am, I think I have foot and mouth disease because Colt was exposed to the germy little rug rats. I doubt mankind will go out with a bang. We'll probably go out with a whimper as we succumb to some odious germ.

Maybe I should start carrying around a can of Lysol and spray for germs everywhere I go. Who am I kidding? They'd lock me if if I sprayed Lysol on kids. Kids are all just little walking petri dishes.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

An Update

Thursday I went to my dental implant dentist and had my teeth cleaned. They gave me a clean bill of health and want me to come back in six months. They have been so nice to me that I took them a bag of greens. 

Our turnip greens have taken over the garden. Donny likes to cook a 'big mess' of them on weekends. We've got so many that we've been sharing them with some of our friends and family. I like having something to eat out of the garden this time of year. This is only the second time that we ever had a late garden. I wouldn't mind making it a tradition.

After I got out of the dentist's office I stopped at Momma's and Daddy's to see what Momma had been doing with Scout's couch. Momma hasn't been able to resist working on their couch. It's coming along nicely.


I went back to the upholstery shop today and helped Momma work on the couch. We worked on the cushions and scrapped the first plan and are now on to the second. I'll take some pictures after we get it together. Momma and I are on a roll.


Speaking of being on a roll, wonder what's up with that 'tree'? Maybe it's one of those politically correct type Christmas trees designed to appeal to the masses. Maybe it's an antenna that will get signals from Mars. Maybe it's a big old squirrel cage for them to play on. Welcome to the 21st century in the south. 


Good old Gordon County. Last winter a dump truck with a scraper blade. loaded with gravel fell through the parking deck at the court house. Maybe they took the insurance money and used it to buy this beautiful (cough, cough) holiday decoration. I don't know. I only know I wish I could vote on the commissioners but I can't because I live in the county. I can't even vote for Resaca's commissioners because we don't live in the city limits. That's just downright annoying.

Watch out for the Grinch.

Everybody look lively out there. Home invasions and daytime burglaries are on the rise. My sister-in-law was robbed this week. My cousin told about a couple of strangers showing up at her house late at night, up to no good. The thieves and lowlifes are cranking up their business for the holiday season. Don't be caught unaware.


I just wanted to thank the people who commented on my previous post. Since no one guessed what PIO stands for, and only one person commented, I guess Jerry won by default. Thank you Jerry for kindly guessing. I'll contact you soon about your pepper.

I'll be back when I'm feeling better. I think I've caught a bug.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

DECEMBER

Momma and I haven't been covering anything this week, mainly because we're waiting on Scout and Kim to work on their couch. I took advantage of being home and have been trying to clean up some of the crap I have laying around here. To say I'm OC/DC is to put it politely. 

Piles of newspapers are spread out around my dining room. I won't throw them away or burn them because I want to save the print newspapers. I want to buy some wheat paste and make a huge ornament with shredded papers and our giant beach ball. I'm in the process of separating the print from the colored papers for my ball project. I've got to start my project before the cats or dogs burst my ball. My little imaginary projects never seem to get anywhere. Wonder why?

I don't know if I'm in the doldrums or if it's just my usual disdain for the holiday season but I am not revved up for Christmas. I figure it's mostly because the boys are grown up and live away from home. Scout's not here to decorate everything and run up the electric bill like he usually does. Colt's not big into decorating so he doesn't care very much and I don't care any more.

I know it's almost Christmas but I haven't done a thing. I hope the rest of yall are doing better than that. I'm about as excited as ... well, I'm not excited so I thought, why not do something fun for everyone and generate some excitement.


How about a contest, or a riddle, or a quiz? I'll ask a question and give yall a chance to answer it. Just make a comment and, if you win, give me your mailing address and I will send you a prize. I thought, since I still have plenty of peppers in my freezer from last year, I would share some of them. How about that? So, without further ado ...


What does it mean when I end my posts with PIO? Post your answer on COMMENTS. The contest will be over when someone answers correctly or by December 8th.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Schylar, Scout, Amanda, Kiersten, Tony, Denise, Todd, Carmen, Andy, Noody, and Carole

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Diane and Larry

AS ALWAYS

PIO