Ambrosia

Thanksgivings are hard on Jilda. It was always such a special holiday at her folks' house. Food-o-plenty, lots of kinfolks, fun and laughter. Those were happy times.

When he dad Sharky passed away, it put a damper on the holiday, but everyone rallied around her mom and carried on.

When her mom Ruby died just before Thanksgiving a few years ago, the holiday changed dramatically for Jilda.

This year on Thanksgiving morning I went into the kitchen where she was working on food to take to my sister's house and I could tell by the look on her face that she was having a hard time.

"I miss my mom," she said with tears in her eyes. "Me too," I said trying to comfort her, but I came up short.

The moment passed and later that day when I went into the kitchen, she was whipping up something on the counter. "I'm making ambrosia," she said with a gleam in her eyes. Ambrosia is something that Ruby made every Thanksgiving. Ambrosia or nectar of the gods, is a delightful mixture of fruit and coconut.

Thanksgiving evening, we sat by the fireplace and ate a dish of Ambrosia. That simple act put a smile on both of our faces.

Library

My niece Samantha has a paper due soon and she needed books from the Library. In the past, the Jefferson County library card was free even though I live in Walker County because I work in Jefferson County and I pay occupational tax. Since the economic meltdown in Jefferson County, they've started charging to renew library cards.

Today it was $50. That smarted a little, but where else can you go and have access to so many great resources. There are books, tapes, cd's DVD's, magazines, newspapers, and archives.

I love libraries. Samantha checked out a half dozen books she needed to finish her paper and I checked out a book called the Social Media Bible. It contains a wealth of information on how to use "new media" to get your message across.

I'm just glad they don't charge what the card is "really" worth.

Signing

I signed books in the mall today and Jilda went with me for moral support. What was encouraging is that there were a lot of shoppers today and they are were bearing packages which means they were buying. That was good news.

I sold some books, visited with old friends and made a bunch of new friends. I had several people who brought books they had previously purchased and asked me to sign them.

I sent a book to the Birmingham News book reviewer recently and she sent me a note this past week that it was at the top of her list for the holidays. I think a good review (hopefully it will be a good review) should be boost for sales in town.

We'll see how that goes. But tonight, both Jilda and I are whupped. We are about to put a movie in the player, make some hot chocolate and veg out.

Have a great Saturday evening.

Iron Bown

Some of my friends that are Tide fans were blowing off this game against Auburn. I knew that was a mistake. Auburn ALWAYS plays the Tide hard. This game was no exception. They never trailed in the game until just over a minute was left to play.

I needed oxygen toward the end. Games like the one today are what make college football a premier sport.

The Auburn team and fans, while disappointed, have nothing be be ashamed of. Alabama was a two touchdown favorite and Auburn was within a play or two of knocking off the #2 team in the nation.

The thing I love about this Alabama team is that they simply do not give up.

Remarkable game.

Happy Thanksgiving

This week at work has been like a ghost town. I was on call so I didn't have the luxury of taking off. As it turns out, I was busier than a one armed paper hanger. So busy in fact that I didn't get a chance to walk at work on my breaks.

Today, I made up for it. The air was crisp, and the sun was warm. The dogs skittered around like chip monks. Many of the autumn leaves have fallen, but the ones that remain are stunning. Reds, yellows, and oranges. It would be hard to slip up on anything because the ground is covered with crunch brown leaves. I walked long enough to make up for the days I skipped.

We had lunch with my sister Mary Lois. My mom dozed in her recliner while we all ate. She doesn't like crowds even though it was family. She can't hear good and she says the sounds of people laughing and talking loud hurts her ears. My hearing is not what it once was and I have a hard time hearing in crowds too, so I understand where she's coming from.

It was good to spend a nice day with family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving.

I Can't Wait

The Iron Bowl comes on Friday. To say I get animated during that game is a gross understatement. I've been know to frighten small children to tears when they get anywhere near me during the Alabama/Auburn game.

I've had a lot of Alabama fas say that Auburn should be anything to worry about, but I know for a fact that's not true. Auburn could be having the worst year ever and play like the Saints when they line up against Alabama.

I don't know if there is a better rivalry in the country that the Iron Bowl. Great traditions+ great athletes=great fun.

I can't wait

Pressure

The editor of the paper called to tell me he needed my column early. I thought I had tonight, tomorrow night and all day Thursday to finish up. Apparently some of the want to take the holiday off...if you can believe that.

I handle pressure fairly well most of the time, but writing under pressure is hard for me. "What if I can't think of a topic? What if I get in a hurry and say something stupid?" TOO LATE, I've already said a lot of stupid stuff.

Anyhow, I got down to business. Jilda put on some nice piano music (not the elevator stuff) and poured me a tall glass of ice tea. First thing you know I was off to the races.

I knocked the column in in record time. Maybe I should do that every week.

Gone Too Soon

I found CalmRadio on iTunes this week. I was looking through the Classical radio streams when I clicked on CalmRadio. I selected the one for piano and guitar. The music I've heard so far has blown me away.

It's perfect music for writing. There are no words being sung to break my concentration. They also have a website where you can buy CD's if you like. I know it's only a matter of time before I buy up some of the things I'm hearing.

A song that just played reminded me of a picture I shot yesterday while walking down to the barn.

I shot the picture with my iPhone. I seem to use the camera in the phone more than I use the phone.

With the wind and the rain, the fall color will be gone soon, but not forgotten.

PreThanksgiving

I got some much needed rest last night. Thankfully I only got one page and it was fairly early. This morning after coffee, we pulled on our walking sweats, jackets, and hats. There was a breeze out of the northwest that was downright chilly.

The walk was invigorating. The dogs were ecstatic! This is dog-walking weather. When we let Astro out, he tore through the gate like a thoroughbred horse and I'm not sure he's stopped running yet.

We have a huge fenced-in area and they get plenty of exercise, but the joy of running, for him, can only be experienced in wide open spaces.

We had lunch with Jilda's sister Pat. She did early Thanksgiving Dinner so that all her kids and grandkids could come at the same time. Those Phillips girls sure can cook. I'm not sure that better turkey & dressing exists on the planet.

It's almost time to practice. Jilda and I have a few gigs coming up early in December and we want to be primed. I'll post specifics later.

Have a great Sunday evening.

Sleepy

I worked through most of the night and for several hours today on computer problems. I would no sooner get one resolved before I'd get another page on my Blackberry. Then I was up again for an hour or two.

Today, I didn't get my usually Saturday nap so I'm currently a little snippy. Looks like I should have learned by now that snippy doesn't look good on me, so I just need to get over it.

In fact, I think I'm going to put on my sweats, grab a book, hit the couch and pray that I don't get called tonight.

Y'all have a great weekend.

On Days Like Today

My calendar at work had only one meeting on it when I headed in this morning. I had visions of getting to work, pouring myself a tall cup of steaming coffee and getting down to the business of playing catch up.

When I got to work, I had barely put my laptop in the docking station when my pager started screaming like a baby with a wet diaper. The rest of the day was a blur.

There is still system down in Georgia and I may be on the call all night long. Perhaps I'm being too pessimistic. Maybe when I rejoin the outage call bridge here in a while they will deliver great news and I'll be able to sleep in my bed tonight.

Let's hope.

The Lost Symbol

I just finished "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown and I loved this book. It is a thriller that involves Free Masons and ancient mysteries. It's fast pace and Brown weaves in a great story around history, ancient scripts, symbols, and it all takes place in Washington D.C.

I am fascinated by his style. The main character in this book is the same one in the Da Vinci Code.

The story has twists and turns with the requisite good against evil, but it leaves you with a feeling of hope. I can't wait for my lovely spouse to read it. She loves these books too.

Grueling Day

It was a grueling day at work today, but the project that we've been working on for a year went live today without any major snafu's.

I feel like my head's been in a vice all day. I'm about to fix me a cup of sleepy time tea and turn in.

Snowy Looking

The air is noticeably colder this evening after the rain moved off to the east. The clouds coming out of the north west were dark as charcoal. The sky looked as if snow might start spitting any moment.

I have a feeling we'll get some of the white stuff this year. I know we often get a few flurries, but rarely do we get enough for rolling a small youngun. We have a great nephew next door that will be two at the end of this coming January. He's just about the right size to roll.

When I was growing up, my older brother and sister had a ton of fun at my expense. The thing about it is, I didn't mind being used as a snow-ball.

Time will tell if we'll get the white stuff.

Losing Friends is Hard

I heard my father-in-law Sharky say a few years before he passed away that the hardest part of growing older, was losing his friends. At the time, I hadn’t lost that many close friends, but I could tell by the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes, that he was speaking from experience.
That conversation was almost 20 years ago, and I’m getting to a place in my life where I understand first hand the meaning of his words.
When my wife and I were younger, we did a better job of spending time with our family and our good friends. Someone would call up, and at the spur of the moment, we’d all be piled in the back seat of a car having the time of our lives as we headed for a bluegrass festival, the mountains or the beach.
On other occasions, someone might find a good deal on steaks and in a flash, we’d have a yard full of our friends and be blazing steaks on the grill. It was not uncommon to spend the evening picking guitars, singing old country songs, and talking late into the night.
We found time to be with the people we cherished.
But something happened as we got older. We got busy, and put the things that make life worth living on the back burner. And for long stretches of time, it seems we couldn’t find time to spend with our friends and extended family.
We spent the last two Sunday evenings with friends, but it wasn’t under the best of conditions because we were at the funeral home. We lost two of our good friends in the blink of an eye.
As I stood in the visitation line for our friend Charlie Yow, I thought to myself just how brief and fragile life is.
It seemed that one moment they were there talking, laughing and making plans. The next moment all their friends had come together to pay their last respects.
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times – “I am thrilled to see you, I just wish it could have been under better circumstances.
Why is it so hard to find time to visit with people whose friendship you cherish?
I asked myself this same question last year when we lost our dear friend Joel Robinson. For a while, we did better. We visited more of our friends and we rebuilt relationships. I wrote more cards and letters. I also penned personal e-mails instead of simply forwarding mindless jokes, which only gives the illusion of keeping in touch. But time has a way making you backslide on even the most sacred promises to yourself.
Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. Maybe I‘m at a point in life where I let go and simply learn to say goodbye.
On second thought, I wouldn’t be much of a friend to my friends if I believed that.
In the words of Emily Dickinson, “My friends are my estate.” I want my friends to know how much they mean to me while they are alive, and not say the words to their loved ones when it’s too late. I hope these words encourage you to call a friend today.

First Things First

I was lying in bed this morning doing some thinking. I remembered a video that I saw in a class I took a few years ago. The name of the class was "What Matters Most". This concept is so simple that it's deceiving. The class teaches you to do the "first things, first".

Most people understand what things are important with their lives, but yet they (we, and more specifically, I) don't always find time to do the important things.

There are only 24 hours in a day and you will fill up those 24 hours doing something. Sometimes you important things and sometimes you do things that seem important, but they're really not.

Anyhow, lying in bed, I started thinking about re-calibrating/re-prioritizing my life.

I have so many things I want to do, but yet I spend a lot of time doing things that are unimportant.

I want to change that and bring focus back into my daily routine.

I was on vacation this week but I spent three days of it working on projects at work. But the last couple days, I've had time to relax and get some things done that I wanted to finish.

I hope you all have a great week.

A Good Time Was Had By All

We had a great time with our friends last night. As always, Jilda out did her shelf with the meal.

My nephew and niece Alesha came by to share some good news. They're expecting!!! I'll be an uncle again! More chances to spoil youngun's

I love America!

If y'all are out and about this evening, join us a Berkley Bob's Coffee Shop in Cullman 7 to 9 p.m.

Friends A-Coming

Jilda and I are both excited this evening. We're having our friends Tom and Judy Camp along with Brenda and Danny Arnold, come over for dinner.

We've spent most of the day getting our house in order. Actually, we started yesterday and continued into today.

Right now, we are both spruced up, we have piano music on, fresh flowers on the table, roast chicken and potatoes baking in the oven, and we're now sitting back cooling our heels.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Fall Cleaning

Jilda and I spent a little time fall cleaning today. My bathroom was a wreck. I cleaned and re-caulked the shower, I cleaned the cabinet underneath the sink. I can honestly say it has never been truly cleaned until today.

I threw away old bottles of shampoo, conditioners, and other things that were so old the labels had faded to the point that I could not read them. I had Old Spice after shave that was bought in the last century. The Old Spice still smelled good though.

I cleaned out the drawers and I wound up just bringing in the garbage can and dumping everything but my dental floss.

Not many people ever venture back into my bathroom so no one but me will know I did a through cleaning, but I'll know and I feel good about it.

We have friends coming over tomorrow so we'll spend the day sprucing up the great room and preparing the food. Most of our flowers are gone now so we'll need to pick up a fresh batch before tomorrow evening.

The weather tomorrow looks good so I hope you all have a great Friday.

A good day

The rain moved out sometime in the night and when I woke up this morning, I could see daylight through the blinds.

As the coffee brewed, I stood in the back door looking to the south and the sky was as clear as a glass cleaned with Windex. When I stepped out on the deck, I closed my eyes and breathed in the smell of autumn. The last remnants of Tropical Storm Ida was causing our harvest flag to flap against the post. The wind blew oak and hickory leaves onto the deck leaving a crunchy carpet.

Our dogs, who all thought we were going for an early morning walk, skittered around the yard like squirrels in love.

I knew right then that it was a good day to be alive.

Cluttered Office, Cluttered Mind

My office is a mess. I sat down tonight to write an entry here and nothing came to mind. As I looked around, it was almost as if I had just awakened from a long sleep.

I've got pictures, sticky notes, CD's, books, magazines and a ton of junk mail awaiting slaughter in the shredder.

I'm on vacation tomorrow so it's my intention to get this place ship-shape. Ever who said "cluttered office, cluttered mind," hit the nail on the head.

But tonight, I guess I'll listen to the wind and the rain that the weatherman swore wouldn't hit Empire.

A Change Comes to Sloss

It happened in super slow motion, so none of us kids in Sloss saw it coming. One day you could play stickball right in the

middle of Sloss Road, but then came “progress.” The next thing we knew our little community had changed forever.

We were all pretty miffed when a crew from Birmingham came in and hauled away our railroad tracks. One warm summer

day they came clattering slowly down the Sloss spur line on flatbed cars pulled by a tired old freight engine. They pulled up

the rusted railroad spikes by the thousands and they hauled our tracks off for scrap.

The railroad no longer had a use for the old tracks, since the coal had already been scratched out of the hills and hollows,

and burned in the furnaces at U.S. Steel in Birmingham

But the kids of Sloss used those rails all the time, for home base, and rail walking contests. We really hated to see them go.

Even today, I can close my eyes and smell the creosote, and the bitterweed that grew between the crossties. The tracks

were perfect speed bumps for the community. Any car that hit those tracks too fast could blow a tire or break an axle!

Sometime later, a state survey crew came into our neck of the woods with a chain gang and a man with a telescope. I later

learned that the device was a transit, which surveyors use to accurately lay out tracks of land.

We peppered the workers with questions, and they told us they were building a new road to replace the tar and gravel pig

trail that ran through Sloss. They were also paving the red-rock section of road that connected Sloss to highway 78.

That sounded OK at first, until they walked deep into our yard and drove wooden stakes with handwritten numbers in the

ground.

They went even deeper into Mama Watson’s yard and the yards of our other neighbors.

As soon as they left, we pulled the stakes up and threw them in the creek.

The next time they came through the crew chief threatened us with life in Atmore Prison, if we fooled with the stakes

again. We were pretty sure he was jacking us around, but we didn’t bother their stakes anymore.

Men in suits came to visit all the families on the west side of the old tracks and made offers to buy their homes.

We had property in the back of our house, so the state simply moved our house a few hundred feet. Neither my

grandmother, the Plunkett’s nor the Castleberry’s had any land behind their houses so they were forced to find other places

to live.

As time passed, more state trucks, road graders, dump trucks and Caterpillar bulldozers showed up.

The construction foreman said, “Progress will be good for this place.” I wanted to say, “If progress is so fine and dandy,

why don’t you do some progress in your community.” But I kept my mouth shut and endured the sadness I felt as I

watched my childhood friends pack their things to move away.

We stayed in touch with our friends, but our community was never the same after the new road came through.

I was looking through a box of pictures recently and came across some faded photographs taken in front of the old home

place. The houses weren’t much by today’s standards, but they suited us just fine. The old thoroughfare wasn’t much wider

than a driveway, but these days when I stroll down memory lane, it’s always on the old road.

I'll Miss My Friend

We've been at the funeral home the last two Sunday evenings. Last week, the brother of our good friend Joyce had passed away and tonight was visitation for our friend Charlie Yow.

I heard someone remark tonight that Charlie was an extraordinary, ordinary man. He went on to say that Charlie seemed ordinary in that he never put on airs, but the things he did were extraordinary.

He graduated from Dora High School in 1957 and became a successful businessman. He loved to fish and made a career in the fishing lure industry. He served as a councilman for the City of Sumiton.

The Dora High School Alumni Association selected him as the Alumnus of the Year in 2007 because of his lifetime of support for the school and the community. He was always kind to me.

Tonight when we spoke to his wife Joan at the visitation, she told us something that Charlie had said about Jilda and me and I was touched. She told us that Charlie had said that "this world is made up of putters and takers. Those two are putters."

I know that Charlie was a putter and I will miss my friend.

Bad News Travels Fast

Bad news travels really fast

Writer Douglas Adams once wrote: “nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news.” What is it about the human race that loves bad news?
I think it’s somehow coded into our DNA.
Any newspaperman will tell you the best way to sell papers is to have the scoop on some really bad news.
My grandmother loved bad news so much that she had a prescription (her words) to the National Enquirer. Each week when the paper came in the mail, she would start reading it while drinking her morning coffee. They lived in the house next door, so I was usually there for the reading. She would flip through the paper and spend hours recoiling from all the bad news.
"MOM USES SON'S FACE FOR AN ASHTRAY," or,
"MADMAN CUT UP HIS DATE AND PUT HER BODY IN HIS FREEZER," or
“PIT BULL EATS MOBILE HOME”.
I do recall reading at least one upbeat story with a headline that read:
“LEGLESS BOY SOMERSAULTS THREE MILES TO SAVE DAD”
It felt a little weird being so drawn to reading about the misfortune of others, even though the stories seemed far fetched. Mama Watson thought it was strange too, but she kept on renewing her “prescription” to the paper.
In those days, most of the regular news traveled slowly. Of course, we had Walter Cronkite on the evening news, but his news was not sensational, and his reports often made you think. This didn’t get much traction with the bad news junkies.
Sometimes we got our local fixes of bad news from the insurance salesman, the milkman, or the peddler that came through Sloss Hollow. The bad news might be something like, “You know Mr. Smith that lives down there in Praco? Well, he passed away last night,” he would report with a grim look on his face. “Yes he choked on a chicken bone and died in his bed.” This kind of news traveled like wildfire.
West Pratt would be buzzing within minutes. By the time the story got to the edge of the community, the news flash evolved to –A killer rooster as big as a cougar attacked Mr. Smith. The rabid bird had pecked out Mr. Smith’s tongue and both his eyes before dragging his mangled carcass back to the chicken pen.

These days, Fox News, CNN, and the Internet can lay some bad news on you before you have you morning coffee. “Forty people were slashed to death today by a mentally unstable Orangutan cranked up on crystal meth and sweet tea,” the newscaster reports with a gleam in her eyes.

I’ve heard a lot of theories about why we are so fascinated by bad news. Steve Goodman, who is one of my favorite songwriters puts the hay down where the goats can get it, with his song Somebody Else’s Troubles
That's 'cause it ain't hard
To get along with somebody else's troubles,
And they don't make you lose any sleep at night.
Just as long as fate is there bustin' somebody else's bubbles,
Everything's gonna be all right.
Yes, Everything's gonna be all right.

Cookout

We have a yard full of kids tonight. My niece Samantha is the coach of Sumiton volleyball team and she wanted to have a cookout for them. They are out in the yard slamming down dogs and smores. After they leave here, they're going over to Samantha's house to do a slumber party. I doubt that they'll get much sleep tonight.

They are about to head down to the barn so I'm about to put on my "Scream" mask and scare the stew out of them.

Spinning

I miss the daylight when I get off work. Before the time change I had a few hours of daylight to walk on days when my work hours were jam packed. Since the time changed, the street lamps are already glowing by the time I get to my truck.

The upside is the color of the sky just before the last remaining light disappears on the horizon to the west. Tonight it was a cross between indigo and teal with a tinge of amber mixed in for good measure.

Also on the upside, is my wife before the time change was a zombie while we drank our coffee. Now that the day arrives an hour early, she's chattering like a squirrel on diet pills as soon as she gets up.

In about six weeks, the days will start getting longer again and the cycle will start all over again.

The world keeps spinning around.

Bad Decision

I wussed out last night because the entire side of my head was aching. I had four root canals yesterday afternoon.

I've had the procedure a number of times, but never that many at once. The dentist gave me the option of doing a couple at a time but I told her I had a high threshold to pain.

I'm not sure if it was bravado or sheer stupidity, but I told her to do it all. She raised an eyebrow as if to say, are you sure? "Yes, let's do 'em up." She did.

When the Novocain wore off last night, I felt like someone had cold-cocked me with a cinder block.

It felt a little better today, but I still would not have won a race.

I plan to slam down a few over the counter pain meds and hit the hay shortly.

Have a great Wednesday.

Life Lessons

I don't do this a lot, but I love the wisdom of older folks. I didn't check to see if it's true or not, because after reading the list, I know the things on the list ring true with me. So, here goes:

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 44 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:"
1. Life isn't f air , but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God.. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".
26. Always choose life.
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
29. Time heals almost everything.. Give time, time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
32. Believe in miracles.
33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
36. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Yield.
44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Candy Desposal

We had not Trick or Treaters Saturday and we'd bought a bucket of candy. So in the interest of keeping our weight headed in the right direction, I hauled it all to work today and left it in the break room. I went back and lunch and it was all gone except a couple of Tootsie Roll wrappers.

It's a great way to rid yourself of stuff.

When we have company, Jilda normally makes a very nice desert. We'll eat desert with our company but I normally take what's left to work and share it with my break room buddies.

Coming home tonight the sky was cloudless and the moon was full as a spotlight. The recent rain which was followed by cooler weather cleaned the atmosphere as clean as a Windex-wiped window.

Very nice.

Busy Day

It's been a long day for the Watson's. We had to be at the TV station at 7:30 this morning but of course the time change last night had our internal and external clocks messed up. I spent the first hour resetting watches, closed, coffee pots, microwaves, and stoves.

We sang a few songs on live TV and spent time talking about my book and the books of our friend Edie Hand. Our new friends Charlie and Yvonne Watts have a show called Coffee Time on Sunday mornings. It was a hoot.

We had a book signing gig at the mall this afternoon and we spent several hours getting ready for that and then talking up all the folks that dropped by. Charlie came by and helped with the promotion.

After the event at the mall we drove back to Sumiton to see my mom for a few minutes and then went to the funeral home. Some friends lost a loved one and we went by to pay our respects.

At the funeral home, a ton of people came up to Jilda and I saying they saw us on Coffee Time.

I wasn't sure how many people got up that early on Sunday morning, but apparent, a lot of people do.

Anyhow, tonight we are both whupped and it's just 8 p.m. Someday, someone has to explain the value of Daylight Savings Time to me.

I saw a Native American quote that said: "Only the government would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it on the bottom and have a longer blanket."