Today was decoration day at Davis Cemetery where my people are buried. Digging back through the archives a few years ago, I discovered that my grandmother was a Davis.I tried several times t… Read More

For a month I've been trying to track down my friend Leo who hangs out at the Sipsey Forks. Each time I stopped by, the guys would say, "You just missed him. Or "He’ll be back after wh… Read More

The mimosa trees are blooming here. We noticed them a few days ago when driving to Birmingham. The hillside beside the Interstate was a pink cloud that changed color from fuschia to almost w… Read More

I've been trying to track down my river buddy Leo. We discussed doing a story about fishing and whatnot back in early spring. He was all for it, but even though he's been retired for 20 year… Read More

The new camera I bought last week has so many features it's taking time to get used to them. Using the settings that were useful on the old camera comes up short on the new one.But practice… Read More

Today was election day here in Alabama. I covered a city council meeting this morning, but just after, Jilda and I drove to Birmingham for the visitation of one of our songwriting buddies.&n&hell…Read More

We had some things that needed to go to the post office today, so after lunch when Jilda headed to work, I went.About a hundred yard from our driveway, I saw someone on a four-wheeler speedi… Read More

Jilda and I have been looking forward to today for weeks. We'd contacted our songwriting buddy Joe Greg and invited him over to write a song.  He works at a steel mill, and th… Read More

We hit the ground running this morning. After swilling a few cups of coffee, we walked the dogs. The weatherman said it would be beautiful today. He was right. He also said it would be hotte… Read More

Most of the money I earn goes into the family till. We're both fond of eating, have lights that come on when we flip the switch, water when we turn to the spigot, and so on.But, I do work on… Read More

Tomorrow is the first day of June. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around that flip of the calendar. I feel like I still have confetti in my hair...or beard...you get the idea. time scoots… Read More

The weather this spring has been wonky. It stayed cold longer than usual and when the sun decided to make an appearance, early May was more like late August. Then the tropics began to c… Read More

I went to my nephew's house yesterday afternoon to have a grilled hamburger. Jilda was working. I had his cooler and he needed it to store ice for those coming. There were several erran… Read More

We have a row of blueberry bushes at the edge of our garden. Through the years we’d plant one here and there.Now, they dot the crest of a terrace row and they curve almost 90 degrees f… Read More

Posted Sunday, May 27, 2018BY RICK WATSONSUMITON - Robbie Soles of Birmingham was rummaging through booths at a flea market in Birmingham last month when she came across something interestin… Read More

We have company coming tomorrow. It's mostly family and a few friends, but we still clean like the Pope is on the guest list.Our deck furniture was still in the yard. We'd taken everyth… Read More

I made a mistake.  When I took Cailou to the vet a few weeks ago, she suggested I take him to a pet grooming place and get him a summer cut. "He'll be more comfortable in the summer mon… Read More

My old partner in crime a the college sent me a text yesterday and wanted to meet me for lunch. I had business in Jasper, so I told him I'd be glad to break bread.His boss from one of his pa… Read More

I'm working on a story for Memorial Day.  It's one that started as a mystery, but with some research and a little luck, it turned out to be an incredible piece. A few more things have t… Read More

Prayer Wasn’t Enough: Guest PostingRecently I published Prayer Wasn’t Enough, a memoir about the eight-and-a-half years I spent in a Benedictine convent in the 1960s. Rick has gr… Read More

Our dance cards have been punched these last several weeks. We had nothing on our calendar for today. So, we sipped coffee and read the papers this morning. It felt good to veg out.Yest… Read More

Jilda and I attended a wedding today. It was south of Birmingham. The groom is a great-nephew. The wedding and receptions were beautiful affairs. The wedding cake was some of the best w… Read More

We played tonight in downtown Jasper. It was a songwriter in the round thing. It was fun but the temps were in the 90s when we started a 7 p.m. By quitting time, I felt like a wilted petunia… Read More

Jilda and I fund a scholarship for a high school senior graduating from our alma mater. We started in 2008 so this year was our 10th.The young man that received our first scholarship when on… Read More

Jilda had some physical therapy and some routine tests today. I wrote my column sitting in the waiting room.I also completed two other long features for the paper today. All together it was… Read More

It's been hot and dry here. We planted the garden this past weekend and we've had to water it almost daily. I was beginning to be concerned until I saw the weather forecast yesterday ago. A… Read More

Jilda and I got up before the morning sun rose above the trees to the east. The back was in shade. I'd pressure washed all the grunge off last weekend and allowed a week for the wood to back… Read More

Back in the mid-1990s my mom first started having problems with her health. I wrote a series of email to our friends detailing the experience that my mom and the rest of the family were goin… Read More

Our nephew Haven and his wife Alesha hosted the fish fry this year. In years past he cooked the fish but we did it at our house. Our backyard is massive and by 4 p.m. it's shaded by towering… Read More

Our great nephew Jordan was here early this morning. Today was May Day at school and his mom let him skip since it wouldn't go against he attendance. He was still sleepy when he walked… Read More

Jilda worked for Wallace State Community College in the PR department in 1986. She got a call one day from Clarke Stallworth. He was a journalist that worked for the Birmingham Post Herald a… Read More

The blueberries have tortured me the last few weeks. The bloomed early and berries formed in prodigious numbers. Even the yearlings are loaded with berries. Each morning I inspected each bus… Read More

I was on the golf course by 7:30 this morning. I don't play golf, but there's an 87-year-old gentleman who plays three days a week. The interview with him was like talking to an old friend.H… Read More

I’m not sure what it is about this time of year, but I tend to daydream a lot. It started in grammar school. When May arrived, I knew the final day of class was approaching. It was lik… Read More

We got out little dog Ol' Buddy from Jilda's mom in 2005. He was just a pup then. Ruby adored Ol' Buddy (she called him baby) but after she broke her leg, she knew he would not long be able… Read More

Today was our 44 Anniversary. I bought Jilda petunias and blue suede shoes. That's exactly what she wanted. She bought me a new disk drive for my laptop which was what I wanted.Tonight… Read More

We received a card this week through the mail from the Red Barn Veterinarian Clinic. It said it was time for Caillou's annual checkup. He was not excited about the checkup. It's not the… Read More

Jilda and I just rolled in from a performance north of where we live. It was just over an hour away but by the time we loaded our equipment and said our goodbyes we didn't get out until 8:30… Read More

We had an early morning appointment in Birmingham. We swilled coffee and scooted. Jilda had her first physical therapy session. While they put her through the paces, I sat in the corner and… Read More

The wild hydrangeas are beginning to bloom. Anyone who's never seen one, here's a picture I shot several years ago. They line the sides of the canopied road to the barn. They are delica… Read More

This week Jilda and I will celebrate our 44th wedding anniversary. Each year we try to do something special. While checking prices of rooms at the Marriott Hotel in Muscle Shoals, we found a… Read More

I'm about reunion'd out. Tonight was an All-Class reunion from the high school. The oldest class represented was the Class of 1948. Two members of that class were there. The latest grad… Read More

Tonight our senior class from high school celebrated a 50-year reunion. There was a great crowd. Sometimes when classes have these reunions they choose not to come for one reason or another… Read More

Tonight I'm celebrating a random event. It's my 8297th blog post. That's right, over eight thousand. Sometimes I struggle with an idea. This much I know for sure – writing makes you be… Read More

Some of the first blossoms have served their time and have moved on and the second shift is coming on duty.This is a poplar blossom. Poplar trees are tall softwood trees. They use the wood f… Read More

This Monday has been a day of clouds. Every now and then the sun would find an opening and blaze down for a few seconds before darting behind clouds as thick as wood smoke.As Jilda prep… Read More

There are those who scoff at the predictions from the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Weather scientists with new-fangled equipment can be very vocal about this. I’ve found that the Almana… Read More

We didn't do much for Earth Day today. It's rained. Jilda and I try to be environmentally friendly though we still buy too many products that come in plastic. We recycle newspapers, magazine… Read More

Rarely do we have an "unscheduled" Saturday. For two people who only work part-time, we seem to be busy. Having a Saturday not filled with stuff does not happen that often.But today was… Read More

We saw old friends tonight and made new ones. The sun was still hot when we started, but when it dipped behind the adjoining building, it cooled off quickly. We had a great crowd at our… Read More

I've felt a little off-center today. I'm not sure why. The oak pollen is brutal right now and I think my body is fighting off the dreaded GUNK.The sun was warm today but it was much coo… Read More

When we bought the adjoining property a few years ago, I walked it the first time with Jilda. We took our time paying attention to as many details as we could absorb. There's a monster fig b… Read More

I’ve had a fascination with books for as long as I remember. My mom bought a set of World Book Encyclopedias when I was in grammar school. The pages between those red leather-bound cov… Read More

Today was much colder. When the storms moved through yesterday the temps dropped like a (put your own simile here).When it was time to walk this morning,  I pulled on my shoes, walking… Read More

I woke up just after 3 this morning to get a drink of water and to check the weather. April in the south is beautiful, but it can be violent. Seven years ago on the 27th of April, 55 tornado… Read More

It's been too long since I've been fishing. When my job ended on January 31, I told friends that I'd be resting and fly fishing. I didn't. Life has a way of swirling around you and sucking u… Read More

Today on our morning walk, Taz the wonder Yorkie decided to amble. All the other dogs run free, but Taz is not road smart so she walks on a leash. Walking untethered is OK at the barn but wh… Read More

I didn't sleep well last night. My Fitbit said 6 hours. Tossing and turning until 4:45, I decided to get up and work on my column for Sunday.Jilda had some tests today a the "ear-doc." I'll… Read More

Today was beautiful. The temps were in the low 70s but the sun was out full-force. I sat on the deck waiting for Jilda to put on her walking shoes. The black sweatshirt heated up quickly. Th… Read More

NOTE: The idea for this column came from a blog post last week.This past winter was cold. The earth and especially the fruit trees loved it. Jilda prefers cold weather to hot weather. I&rsqu&hell…Read More

I helped kick off National Library Week by participating in the Local Author's event. The turnout was not bad. I met some new people and sold a few books.  It's always fun meeting fello… Read More

There's something about water. You can be wound as tight as a coil with life-stuff, but if you can spend a little time close to the water you know that things will be OK. On Thursday, we wer… Read More

It's been cloudy and cool today. Placing my solar-powered nightlight out on the deck to charge was wishful thinking. It got a few fleeting moments of sun, but mostly the sky was Seattle… Read More

We were at the hospital just after 8 this morning. We hustled because we wanted to see Jilda's brother before he went into surgery. As it turns out, we could have slept in today. We als… Read More

We've all been wound tight as a spring today. Jilda's brother is having health issues. We thought doctors would do procedures today, but that didn't happen.My niece Samantha called to s… Read More

I had Entrepreneur class tonight. We've gotten into the financials. Many people open new businesses with killer ideas. These newcomers feel they cannot fail. But they often do. The… Read More

A few weeks ago, I found myself in Jasper and had a little time on my hands. It had been a while since I’d talked to my friend Yvonne, so I gave her a call. She seemed a little down. S… Read More

We had Easter Lunch today. Some of those we invited bowed out. Their loss. Jilda outdid herself. The kids don't come to eat. They come to visit and play in our backyard. When I'm watchi… Read More

There's a stump in our yard that's been there for years. It's from a sweet gum tree that was a sapling not much more in diameter at the base than my forearm when we first moved into our hous… Read More

The last few days it seems that all I've done is write. We did get out an walk this morning between rain showers. The hollow by the barn is full of dogwood, wild honeysuckle bushes, and wild… Read More

The morning was overcast, but the clouds drifted to the east after lunch. By mid-afternoon, the temps were near 80.That can be troublesome this time of year. Rain moves back in tomorrow with… Read More

The sky was overcast for much of the day. This week is Spring Break so the schools were out. Jordan's Pop had a routine medical test today so he had a choice to sit in a doctor's office for… Read More

We stopped by to see Jilda’s sister Nell a few weeks ago. During our visit, she told us about her latest kitchen thingamajig. It’s one of those new-fangled digital pressure cooke… Read More

And today the dogwoods bloomed. They'd been on the cusp for several days last week, but then cooler weather returned. I guess after the light frost, they decided to take another nap.Yesterda… Read More

We played at an assisted living home today. The last time we did one of these, all the residents wanted to here were gospel songs. Jilda probably knows them all, but my playing them on the g… Read More

My nephew called yesterday afternoon to ask if I'd do a story for the magazine that comes out in a few weeks. I've worked at the paper for over 10 years but he's now the head nacho. I t… Read More

Today is the first full day of spring. Standing at the back of the great room looking toward the barn the sky looked like spring. Puffs of clouds drifting across an aquamarine colored s… Read More

Last night was tense. The weatherman came on early because of storms on the ground just north of us. Had the wind not been howling, I sure we could have stepped out front and hear the tornad… Read More

This past week I had an appointment in town. The time change had made my internal clock wonky, and I was running late. Not one to waste good coffee, I slurped down a half a cup and “bu… Read More

Both Jilda and her sister have birthdays in March. Casie, one of her sister Pat's grandchildren cooked lunch for everyone today.When Jilda and I arrived at noon, Casie's three children were… Read More

The weather today was remarkable. Jilda put a corned beef brisket in the crockpot early this morning and put it on slow cook. She does it every year for St. Patrick's Day. We have corned bee… Read More

I had errands today so I didn't get my steps in as I usually do. This evening while Jilda prepared dinner, I took the jump-jump to the back porch and marched my last 5000 steps on a tiny tra… Read More

My column this coming Sunday is about picking up a hitchhiker last week. It was an old cold rainy day. I'm not doing a spoiler here, but giving this guy a ride reminded me of when I was in t… Read More

We had someone come to our house today that has never been here before. Our directions are good, but people still struggle out here where cell reception can be spotty, and GPS sometimes take… Read More

On our walk this morning I stopped at the dogwood in our front yard.  A few weeks ago when the temps toyed with the mid-80s the dogwoods were tempted to bloom, but mine were too smart t… Read More

Jilda and I both were like sore-tail-cats today. I don't think we're sick, and there's nothing troubling us...except this damn time change. I'm sorry for the bad language, but there's no oth… Read More

Today was freedom Friday for us. No commitments. No to-dos that were on fire. We "Called in drunk," as they sometimes say here in Alabama.I picked up a New York Times yesterday and we read i… Read More

Each spring the wild honeysuckles bloom here. I walked down to the edge of the hollow yesterday to survey their progress. We also had one that we transplanted to a flowerbed in one corner of… Read More

Some days writing ideas come to me like mosquitos to a fat baby. And some days I couldn't buy one with an AmEx Platinum card.  Today was one of the latter. Of course, my column deadline… Read More

This past weekend we put flowers on the graves of our parents. It's easy to get swept along a the speed of life and forget where you came from, and who you are.We put flowers on their g… Read More

The rain took the day off yesterday, making it feel like San Francisco weather. The sun was high and warm on my face. It felt like the perfect day to wash a winter’s worth of grime off… Read More

Roses are redViolets are...Hmmmm. they're not blue.They're not quite purple.Strangely enough, they are not really violet either.I thought they might be topaz, but what would rhyme… Read More

Today's been hectic. It started out well, but then our sister-in-law who'd headed down to Sumiton to get a haircut was rear-ended. She wasn't injured but the incident set a chain of events t… Read More

When Jilda's sister Nell gave us young collard plants, we weren't sure they survive. Our record of growing collards has been spotty.  Nell promised these would be different. She's had t… Read More

When Jilda mentioned building an arbor on the front of our house a few years ago I was hesitant. The front of our house is unique and I wasn't sure an arbor would fit. I couldn't see it.Jild… Read More

I didn't have a picture today, so as I often do, I waded back through the archives. I found a picture of Jordan's mom when she was about his age. This was a critter she found at the sch… Read More

Spring is coming too early. Color is exploding all around us here. Each day is a new bouquet. Today, as I drove to the bank, I passed the city's walking track.The entryway was a cloud of whi… Read More

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about invisible people. Mentioning this to a friend this week, he wasn’t sure what I meant. I explained that invisible people are the people we… Read More

It has "sunned" on and off today. I could say it rained on and off, but I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy so you get the picture. When the rain subsided this morning, we donned ou… Read More

The air today felt like it was May. Jilda and I spent hours on the road today and spring is trying its best to...well, spring.  The Bradford Pears are blooming of course, but those tree… Read More