I went to urgent care today. I haven't been sick in three years. I have had a knee replacement and several dental bone graphs but these were elective, so to speak.The last time I got sick wa… Read More

Jilda nor I came close to getting our steps in today. It was raining when we got up to drink coffee. By the time we got our morning chores done, the rain stopped long enough for us to take t… Read More

We had a garden inspector that showed up unannounced this morning. I'd gone down to check on the bees and on the way back I met him.He was shy at first, but he seemed to enjoy the layout of… Read More

One last picture and story about Savanna. Jilda and I walked a great deal while in Savannah. On Saturday after our afternoon nap, we decided to walk over to River Street. It sits on the… Read More

I’d just finished weed eating the backyard fence and was sitting in the shade sipping ice tea when I heard a rumble at the house across the road. The place has been empty for a few mon… Read More

We ate out this evening. I wore my turquoise linen shirt. Jilda wore a long black dress. The restaurant was upscale and the food was remarkable. A young couple sat beside us with a ramb… Read More

Life comes at you fast. Maybe it's because I'm older and can't take in the volume of information that I could when I was 20. Or maybe when I was 20, I let the information shower over me, onl… Read More

Today has been a long one. I won't bore you with the details. The weatherman said it would be in the upper 80s so we walked early.Jilda's John Rose was blooming. We're not sure what kind of… Read More

Jilda was scheduled for a long day at work today so we decided to walk early. After coffee, we shoe'd up and headed out. Once outside, we both stopped on the front stoop and inhaled the… Read More

I know I lean toward autumn as my favorite time of year. The foliage, the sounds, and the smells. But still, there are many excellent reasons to choose spring.The weather this spring has bee… Read More

Jilda and I celebrate our 45-wedding anniversary this week. Our first date was a warm night in May of 1968. It was the night I graduated from Dora High School. I picked her up in our family… Read More

Jimmy shuck corn, but I don't care.....Or was itJimmy Cracked corn...I don't care either way.But, we had corn on the cob today as one of the sides for our belated Easter dinner with Jilda's… Read More

We have family and friends coming over tomorrow. We'll do a little sprucing up we told ourselves. A little spit and polish. This evening we both look as if we've been whipped with a rose bus… Read More

We attended a high school reunion tonight. It was the 50th anniversary of the class of 69. The thing is, I graduated in 68, but I went to school from the first grade with most of the people… Read More

I've been reading about the kinds of flowers that bees like. The one that kept popping up was asters. They bloom until late autumn.This week I decided to order some online so the search was… Read More

The woods around here have gotten lush. It seems that one day the persimmon, poplar, and cotton were holding out until the sun dealt them a better hand and then the next day everything rushe… Read More

One of my favorite pictures of my grandfather was taken one afternoon in the yard of their house in Sloss Hollow. He and my grandmother were sitting in aluminum folding chairs watching their… Read More

The sky was remarkable today. Last night was chilly, but once the sun cleared the trees things warmed up fast. When I walked down first thing this morning to check on the bees, they wer… Read More

I ordered a book from a second-hand book store earlier this week, and it arrived today. You may have guessed that it's a book about bees. I checked the ebook out of the library a few weeks a… Read More

Today was blustery. WeatherFolk have been jabbering for days about the potential for bad weather. I stepped onto the deck while Jilda was finishing lunch. I had a small bag of roasted peanut… Read More

Jilda and I both had doctors appointments this morning. Mine was a semi-annual checkup. The one in the spring is a fasting event. No food after midnight. When I don't have coffee in the morn… Read More

The bees haven't found these yet. They are all over the blueberries bushes and the tulip poplar blossoms, but not this baby. It's hidden on the east side of the house in the shade of a… Read More

The recent rains have felt tropical.  One moment the sun was blazing with white clouds drifting across an azure sky and the next it was raining so hard I had to drive with my emergency… Read More

The wedding I mentioned last night was in Gainsville, Florida. We have been there for a few days but I don't write about "being away from home" on this blog. I have aggregators that syn… Read More

Jilda and I attended a beautiful wedding this evening. It was the daughter of two of our dearest friends. It was a remarkable event that brought people together from around the country.After… Read More

Jilda and I had the opportunity to visit a place we'd never been a while back. The historic district of Micanopy, Florida. As often happens, we found it by accident.We were heading… Read More

Tonight my head is empty. I've tapped the letters off the keys on my laptop and nada. Thankfully, I had a photo I could use. I came across these wild yellow daisies this morning. I know… Read More

 On the way home yesterday, the rain had moved off to the north leaving a Monet'ish scene on the lake near the house.When I pulled in to take a picture, the ducks thought I wa… Read More

It felt like Panama here today. One moment the sun was blazing with white clouds on an azure sky and the next it was raining so hard I had to drive with my emergency flashers blinking. The h… Read More

I had a memory drift today. One moment I was stopped at the red light on Highway 78 at the Bryan Road intersection in Sumiton, and the next I hung a right down memory lane. A blinking b… Read More

This evening, Jilda baked chicken with garlic, cherry tomatoes, and chickpeas. Sides were corn on the cob and shredded zucchini. Like most of the things she prepares, it was scrumptious… Read More

We had our first public performance of this season. We played a private event on Thursday, but today was the Coal Festival. Did I mention that we live in the heart of coal country?My grandda… Read More

We had errands in Birmingham this morning so I started my chores early. When I stepped down the throw some scratch feed to the chickens, I only heard one. Over the last six months, owls… Read More

I was busy again today. A friend asked Jilda and me to perform at a quarterly retired educator's luncheon. I love teachers but we couldn't stay for lunch because Jilda had to work this after… Read More

As I stood at the sink waiting for the coffee to finish dripping, I gazed out the garden door to the south. The sun hadn't reached the horizon, but the first rays of the day tented the top o… Read More

I haven't slowed down today. During the morning, I covered a city council meeting and did two interviews.After that, I headed into town to run some errands, each lunch, and attend a content… Read More

This afternoon, I pulled the truck through the garden to haul topsoil and potting mix to the back gate. We hope to start planting our raised beds this weekend.As I approached the gate, I not… Read More

After the rain moved through last night, a cold front settled in. The day before yesterday it was almost 80 degree (F) but this morning it was chilly enough that we had to switch the unit fr… Read More

I was on call at the paper today. I think this was my last on-call weekend because the publisher hired a new person that will take my slot in the rotation. This is a good thingOn the way hom… Read More

Jilda and I  marked something off our goals-todo-wish-vision board list that has been lingering...for three years. I know she will write about it tonight so I won't steal her idea so if… Read More

I was tossed into the deep end of beekeeping this morning. I thought I had time to prepare...to learn some things and to assemble some new hive components. But that was not the case.An early… Read More

OK. This is random. Forty-eight years ago today was a Saturday. It was the last weekend at home before shipping out to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky.I could count on my hands the number of times I'… Read More

It was popsicle'ish this morning. I headed out with the dog wearing a thin turtleneck but five steps into the walk, I turned around for something thicker.The dogs were ecstatic. They hate it… Read More

One morning last week as we walked, I saw something in the barnyard that caught my attention. It was a shard of cobalt blue glass from an old Noxzema jar. Some people rented the farm in the… Read More

The temps were in the 70s here today. Last night we had the heat on, but by lunchtime, it was almost warm enough to swim.Each day as we walk we find more things blooming. Today, we saw this… Read More

Today has been a good one. It started out early with a ringing phone.Jilda's father always called her at the crack of dawn every year because he wanted to be the first to wish her a happy bi… Read More

Tomorrow is my lovely spouse's birthday. I could tell you her age, but that might cut my life short.I first met her when she was in junior high school. She was dressed as a pilgrim and… Read More

Fluctuating temperatures have not been kind to the camellias blooming by the backyard fence. When they first bloomed, they were hard to miss.But beauty is ephemeral. This morning when I… Read More

One of the best things about living where we live is the fruit. The peaches, apples, pears, and figs make living in the sticks more palatable if you'll excuse the pun.They've been poppi… Read More

I did something yesterday that I haven't done before. I missed an appointment for an interview. Actually, let me be more specific – I forgot that I'd made the appointment.I'd somehow p… Read More

I knew it was a long shot, but I thought I'd give it a try. The mayor called me over the weekend to say that a movie company was shooting a few scenes of a movie in Old Dora.I dug my press p… Read More

I have an old metal folding chair that my neighbor gave me a few weeks before he died. It's been leaning against the pear tree out back.Today, I dragged the chair down and placed it under th… Read More

I set the clock for 5:30 a.m. this morning which is something I rarely do.   Setting an alarm pretty much gaurantees that I will not sleep well. But, I needed to be on the road ear… Read More

The storms came through yesterday afternoon. The wind chimes sounded angry as the first line of storms swept through. Then the power blinked out. I did my blog in the dark last night… Read More

We had baked garlic chicken with chickpeas for lunch today. Jilda cooks almost every meal we eat.  She found this recipe in a magazine that featured Mediterranean dishes. I could s… Read More

The rain moved out yesterday. Through the great room windows, I could see the morning sunlight turning the trees a light shade of fuschia.  After coffee, we put on our walking… Read More

There is a window of opportunity in the lives of most children when it’s possible to inspire them to reach higher. Young children will often listen, but they get lost in the words. Old… Read More

I was in Birmingham this week.  Tuesday I had an appointment with my doctor.  Her office is on 20th street. It’s one of the main streets running through town… Read More

Dogs are funny creatures. We've had a multitude of mutts through the years and no two were the same. They all found a way into our hearts.Ol' Hook joined me this morning when I got up to bre… Read More

I'm reading my eleventh book of the year. It's by an author I've been reading for many years. It's New Iberia Blues by James Lee Burke. Most of Burke's work is crime novels set in and around… Read More

Life is a water pipe. It may be hard to wrap your mind around this, but it’s true. It will take a little “splaining” but bear with me.This past week the sun and blue sky ma… Read More

We planted collards in our homemade planters in the fall and we've had several meals of their tender leaves. Caring for them is easy. Just make sure they have water and a little food every f… Read More

I came across a picture tonight I had forgotten. It was taken almost 60 years ago. It's my cousins and me and was taken near our old house in Sloss.We were a gang back then. I'm the one to t… Read More

I interviewed an exchange student from Italy this week. This afternoon, I took a few pictures of her with her host sister. The sister lives a few houses away.This young lady is delightful. S… Read More

I met my bees today. The old gentleman where they currently reside, called yesterday to say that the warm weather has them abuzz.He suggested that I pick them up tomorrow but the weather for… Read More

Jilda and I talked a great deal about clouds today. Bear with me.I had a six-month checkup at the knee-doc this morning. It's rare that I set an alarm clock, but we wanted to make sure we di… Read More

Even though it's still winter, some of the trees and shrubs around here didn't get the memo. Our buttercups, yellow bells, baby's breath, peach, along with the blueberry bushes decided… Read More

I had to cover a city council meeting in Sumiton yesterday. Sometimes it’s hard for me to face that kind of work without a stiff drink, so I stopped in The Blend Coffee Shop to buy som… Read More

We were getting ready to go to bed last night when I got a text. It was a number from which I rarely get a message. I hate getting these texts.It was from weather alert saying there was… Read More

This afternoon after we returned home from the produce stand. We heard a siren. Not a police or ambulance, but the unmistakable wail of a tornado warning. When hurried inside and flippe… Read More

I'm out of steam tonight. When I looked through my archives, I found a picture from February a few years ago. That's all I have tonight.Life stories, writing, music, advice, southern, Alabam… Read More

I took my desktop to the computer store in Birmingham today. The rain had slacked up when I left, but the drive home was a slow one. When I got close to home, I decided to swing by the… Read More

I've been in a melancholy mood most of the day. My calendar dinged to remind me, but I remembered that today is the anniversary of my mother's death. She died on February 20 2012.I was hard… Read More

Sunday we booked a room in Savanna for our 45 Anniversary in May. It's a beautiful B&B. Jilda has a knack for finding hidden jewels. It looks remarkable. It's less than 20 miles from Tyb… Read More

The rain moved out overnight. Even though it was still overcast this morning, the light was different and it didn't feel as cold.I spent most of the morning in my home office writing a story… Read More

We did rainy-day things today. The rain slacked off just before noon and we got a few steps in before the deluge restarted.The sky was overcast making the light unremarkable. I did manage to… Read More

I worked on taxes today. With a small business, it's complicated. After about six hours of compiling receipts, verifying numbers, and figuring I was ready to slash both my wrists.That seemed… Read More

Jilda was scheduled to do a yoga instructor certification class today. I'd planned on fishing, but it was deceptively cold with rain in the forecast. Call me a wimp, but I postponed my … Read More

Jilda and I played a festival several years ago. The venue used an old farm in Tennessee. It wasn't far from Virginia. Or North Carolina. It was a beautiful place.The music was good, and sev… Read More

I drove into the driveway this evening. Sitting there collecting my things to take into the house, I glanced through the windshield. Ol' Hook was watching for me through the laundry room win… Read More

I had an interview this morning with a woman who was 94 years old. Her name was Lola, and she called me because she has some news clippings she thought I'd enjoy reading.We chatted for a lon… Read More

The sky this winter has been remarkable. Yes, there have been days when the clouds were ash grey, but on other days the color at sunset took my breath away. Maybe it has always been this way… Read More

It's been too long since we've been to the beach. Today was as dark bad news. Jilda worked on training classes for new instructors that she'll be teaching this.I walked the dogs, but they ke… Read More

Today was my day to be on call at the paper. On my sheet when I arrived was a Freedom Foundation gathering. Politicians O'Plenty were there. I shot a lot of pictures.The Lt. Gov. finished hi… Read More

Yesterday the temps hit 80 degrees. After the front moved through last night, the temps dropped like a stone. I think it was in the 20s when we got up this morning. Jordan's grandpa was havi… Read More

Our antique VCR stopped working when we replaced our TV last year. The device works, but we can't make it work with the new TV.  We have almost a hundred old movies on VHS tapes. Some o… Read More

The skies were dusty gray yesterday as I drove into Birmingham. I kept thinking that it would rain but it never did.The bed of my truck was full of garbage bags stuffed with plastic. I'… Read More

The year after bombs rained down on Pearl Harbor, Hansel Pendley turned 18 years old. World War II was raging, and his draft notice came in the mail. He spent most of the next four year… Read More

Last Sunday, the weather app on my phone chirped while I sipped my coffee. When I read the alert aloud, it said we were under a winter-storm advisory for Tuesday. Jilda was giddy. She loves… Read More

It felt warm enough to swim here today. I didn't work as hard as yesterday, but I handled a lot of things that I'd been putting off until the weather warmed.The rural county where we live do… Read More

I fixed the broken oven handle I mentioned in my last post. I was born at night but I wasn't born last night. Fixing that handle was high on my list.I also burned a mountain of debris that w… Read More

The handle on our oven broke this morning. To some people, this wouldn't be a big deal. I'd rather have a broken steering wheel on my truck than a broken handle on the oven.A broken handle m… Read More

It seems that I've written about the weather a great deal lately. I think it's in my DNA. When I was a kid we spent a lot of time on our front porch and it seemed to me like we spent a lot o… Read More

We normally run a box fan at night to generate white noise. Without the power the fan was silent. I tossed and turned until just before 1 a.m. the fan sprang into life and whirred as God int… Read More

A car hit a utility pole this evening and we’re in the dark. It’s 27 degrees outside but the gas logs fireplace makes it cozy in here.Hopefully we’ll have power soon.Life s… Read More

My fourth-grade teacher at Dora Elementary School taught me some things that had nothing to do with reading, writing, or arithmetic. Even though I was only 10 years old, I realized Mr. Hocut… Read More

Things will be getting sweeter around here this summer. We've kicked around the idea of getting beehives for years. A few weeks ago I took the leap.A woman I work with overheard me talking a… Read More

Jilda, her brother, and I drove to South Alabama this morning.  We went to Wetumpka which is a little east of Montgomery. A tornado stomped through there a few weeks ago. Fortunately, n… Read More

The river is up. Driving by today, there were people standing there watching. The last few months have been wet. I've seen more rain that I can remember. It rained so hard a few weeks a… Read More

We have triplets now. Not Jilda and I. That would be an immaculate reception. But there are three young deer that we see in our garden.The last several times either of us has left or co… Read More