Sammy

Coming soon to a cradle near me

Only raindrops

Happy Birthday, Ziggy!!!
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Thanks from Carolyn and her ol’ man for the anniversary wishes, everyone.
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Not enough time in a day for a person as self-important as I. Been having some breathing problems when I lie down so I will visit the heart doc today. I’m sure tests will follow over the next week or so. Being old is crappy; being old and crippled is crappier; being old, crippled, and having heart problems is crappiest. Could be worse; I could lose my sense of humor … or (gasp), my good looks!
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Just bought a Nook book written by Albert Brooks. I generally don’t do celebrity stuff, but this one seems to be different enough to warrant a look; most critics and readers like it. The tome is titled 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America. Amazon has a Kindle version plus the normal archaic, horse-and-buggy, old fashioned paper-page kind.
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Have a reasonably good Thursday!

Carolyn and me ... 47 years

Tomorrow

Tomorrow will by our 47th wedding anniversary and for me, it has been a heck of a learning experience. For instance, just today I was told by my bride that a month has 90 days. This may be true and I have no surefire way to prove otherwise; when a woman speaks, calendars, clocks, and the cosmos be damned. I merely filed the information away in the long-term memory banks of my brain; my built-in random access memory is crammed full of many facts such as this and I feel no disturbance in the Force when a profound idea is uttered.
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On Saturday, Carolyn picked her first pepper from the plants she has husbanded so carefully; today she got two more along with her first cucumber. She received much praise from me and if Allah exists, he too should have given her a pat on the back.
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Dr. Anderson’s sinus treatment seems to have worked once again; although the sinus passages are still blocked most of the time, the infection seems to be gone and I am feeling a bit better. Modern medical science is a wondrous thing but please, do not try any of my cures for anything on another human being including yourself.
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Have a Tuesday, my lovely friends.

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I’d Love To Change The World

There was a big Vietnam Veterans get-together and to-do in Johnson City Saturday. It is about time these men and women who served so unselfishly are getting some of the recognition they should have had 40 years ago. Of course, the Rolling Thunder motorcycle club thundered into town on their Harleys and such, I used to have great respect for the organization, but too many militants have taken over and the club has become excessively politically right-wing to the point that if you disagree about our troops being in Afghanistan or Iraq they accuse you of being unpatriotic. Same old Republican bullshit which has sustained that party for many years. Shame and Fear–and in the case of certain motorcycle clubs–Intimidation.
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Ashley just called and Carolyn is on the way to once again take her to emergency room; pains and bleeding again. She is 38 weeks so the baby could come at any time now and be a normal-term brat.
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I have been sick for the past week; sinus. Last night I was up until wee hours waging the good fight; at 6:00 this morning I finally got enough clearance to catch a few winks of sleep. I am up now and once again kicking ass and taking names with the snot brothers. I’m spraying hydrogen peroxide up my nose twice each hour; I understand that most sinus infections are surface bacterial types and I’ve successfully used this treatment in previous bouts with the malady. I just don’t want the mucous building up in my lungs and causing pneumonia … again.
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Happy Worshday, my friends.
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Paid in Full!

Warsaw squirrel for Tammy from Jola

After 72 months of payments, we today paid off the Escape loan. We still owe two more years on the Chevy van but we have it paid down far enough that we can sell it for more than what is owed on it.
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Courtney, our future granddaughter-in-law has been diagnosed with a serious illness; I hope you all will send her some healing thoughts and prayers. She is engaged to Jeremy and living in Atlanta.
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Have a great weekend, dear ones.
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American Woman

Farmer Carolyn dumped her radishes and is about to do the same with the tomato plants. For more than a month, radishes grew spindly and produced no bulbs. Tomatoes are also spindly and not bushing out. Radishes and tomatoes both act like they don’t get enough sun yet they are in the same place as last year. Cucumbers seem to be doing fine, and peppers look pretty good, too. This year, she had her choice between veggies or  flowers, and she decided to do produce. Now she has very little to show for her investment of money, labor, and time. So goes life down on the farm.
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Firefox web browser version 5 has just been released. It seems to be quite a bit faster than v.4 which hasn’t been out very long. Also some bugs have been mended and the new tab system looks interesting.
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http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?id=91761
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A good Thursday to you!
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Back to the Garden

Thunderstorms and heavy rain again last evening; we are soaked to the gills while Florida and the Gulf Coast burns. Arizona lawmakers are blaming much of their state’s wildfire problems on illegal immigrants.
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Out of one side of their mouths, American lawmakers vehemently condemn oppressive regimes in the Middle East for taking a hardline stance against protestors and the need for change, while here at home these same legislators bust their collective asses to enact insane laws similar to the ones the revolutionaries over there are struggling against. God Bless America!
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The Tennessee legislature is preparing laws to curtail teacher’s rights to collective bargaining in the state. Way to go, boys and girls; let’s keep the teachers on the outside of the education system. Hell, why don’t we just have one state-wide teacher for each grade and let them mentor via closed circuit TV? Even better, let us do away with the institution of public schools in America and have the teaching performed on Public TV channels. The kids can stay at home, school buses will no longer be clogging our residential streets and puffing pollutants into the atmosphere, billions of tax-payer dollars can be recouped by selling existing school properties, and taxes can be lowered because no new facilities will be needed. Why not take it a step further and eliminate the human teacher completely? Modern computers are more than bright enough to teach our children everything they need to know in this simplistic modern world; our society will be a big step closer to human utopia.
“…we got to get ourselves back to the garden”.
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Have a Wednesday, y’all!
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WOODSTOCK
Performed by:
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Lyrics by:
by Joni Mitchel

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Well I came across a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him tell where are you going
This he told me
Well I am going down to Yasgur’s farm
Going to join in a rock and roll band
Goin’ to get back to the land to set my soul free
We are stardust, we are golden
We are 2 billion year old carbon
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden
Well then can I walk beside you
I have come to lose the smog
And I feel like I’m a cog in something turning
And maybe it’s the time of year
Yes and maybe it’s the time of man
And I don’t know who I am
But life is for learning
We are stardust, we are golden
We are 2 billion year old carbon
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden
By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bombers jet planes
Riding shotgun in the sky
Turning into butterflies
Above our nation.
We are stardust, we are golden
We are 2 billion year old carbon
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden

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Summertime

Peace

After so many days of unsettled weather, the skies are crystal clear this morning. Welcome to Summer 2011!
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The next presidential election should be very interesting as Republicans bring out every piece of vileness and mud slinging rhetoric they can possibly muster. Their radio and TV talking heads are are already trying to make bigger names for themselves; one in Atlanta is encouraging people (read ‘white people’) to arm themselves and go into the streets and kill “thugs” (read ‘non-white people). Racism was intolerable in the last election and it will be worse in the 2012 fights. Any minority group other than some military veteran organizations will be targeted for special attention by insane right-wingers from the Tea Party, Christian Coalition, Nazis, Skinheads, Kluckers, and many others including Westboro Baptist Church and its ilk. I believe America will show the world the worst of its worst. Some of the stinkiest of it is already taking place behind the scenes; many of these hate groups are particularly cowardly and do not want their names directly associated with the actual dirty deeds.
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Thanks to Tammy for the beautiful Florida Gulf Coast sunset photo; I never witnessed an ocean sunset or sunrise with my own eyes.
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Have a good mid-week, y’all!
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Happy Birthday, J.B.!

Happy Mega Birthday, J.B.!
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Welcome to the coming American Revolution; the Christian Moral Majority is in control of my once great state.
According to news articles, a proposal that prohibits the teaching of homosexuality in Tennessee public schools has passed the State Senate. Instruction or materials at a public elementary or middle school will be “limited exclusively to age-appropriate natural human reproduction science.” Republican Senate sponsor Stacey Campfield of Knoxville says “homosexuals don’t naturally reproduce.”
Thanks Stacey for your mind opening explanation; I didn’t know that.
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Have  good Worshday!
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Father's Day 2011

Billy

Legendary musician Clarence Clemons died on June 18 at 69 years of age. He was one of the original members of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Though Springsteen was the front man for the band, the person I always noticed first was Clemons. His presence was huge in his physical stature and in his saxophone masterpieces.

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Happy Father’s Day to all the good Dads everywhere.
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Been thundering and raining off and on since just after noon yesterday; Mother Spring is leaving with an attitude.
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The total take from yesterday’s yard sale was $53.
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Ashley is feeling better today.

Yard sale fever

I don’t know if yard sales were invented by Americans, but I bet we have perfected them. The sales can be a person with one or two items to sale from the porch, garage, or yard, family and multi-family sales, block sales, street-long sales, and city wide sales in some small towns. The largest I know of is slated as the World’s Longest Yardsale. It is 675 mi. long (1086 kilometer) and spans several states from Michigan to Alabama. It is headquartered in Jamestown, Tenn. which is not too far from where I live.
Just about anything goes in the sales, including stuff people have bought at previous yard sales and at flea markets. Unwanted gifts, old clothing, new clothing, and just about anything one can find in a “normal” American household can be found at these sales. I’ve seen tiny earrings for babies on a table sitting next to a dump truck and all were for sale, including the table. Clothes are the most popular items, almost any size and any condition. Baby clothes and other toddler items are always in demand. Things that are the most difficult to sell are what-nots and frick-fracks; Carolyn and Chris have a table full of them.
Carolyn’s first customer came by at 7:30 this morning and there have been a steady stream every since. She will probably make only a few dollars this time, compared to the close to $400 she made two years ago.
Most cities have “regulated” these sales in one way or another, with some threatening to ban them because the municipality could not collect sales taxes. The promise of law suits soon ends such governmental abuse of power. I’ve never seen statistics on these sales, but my guess is that in the U.S., there are many millions and maybe even billions of dollars exchanging hands each year from the home enterprises. Most of the money goes right back into circulation as little of it is saved. Many people pay for their vacations through yard sale profits.
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Have a frugal weekend, my friends.

Happy Birthday, Tammy!!!

Baby spread your wings ...

Weird rain. Twice yesterday evening I watched it pour rain on the street forty feet from my desk and it was barely sprinkling on the front porch. I wonder if I’ve paid my taxes?
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I’m three months behind on having blood work done; today is the day to do it.
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Dreams is the only Van Halen song I really like. I love Eddie’s innovative finger tapping style of picking but most of their songs before Sammy Hagar’s brief stint with the band I place in the category of “fluff”.
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Have a cool Worshday!
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Ask

Tennessee Thunder

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
~Job 12:7-8
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Good Sunday Morning! The quote is one of many pieces of wisdom from the Hebrew bible and is something I have believed since I was a small child in the hills and fields of my home. I don’t believe because the bible says it; I know it to be true because of the things I’ve seen and the teachings of my elders, mainly my uncles Roy and Fred. Roy was a born philosopher and Fred was a natural naturalist. This bit of knowledge is most likely about as old as is rational thinking.
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The photo is of Little River in Great Smokey Mountains National Park near Cades Cove on a very scenic drive along Old State Hwy 73 in East Tennessee. The sound of the creek is awesome for miles along the road.
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Have a wonderful new week!

Working the weekend

Ashley is being sent home from the hospital, but “they” are speaking of possible C-section “later on”.
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Little kids make me nervous; the smaller the child the more nervous I become when they are nearby. I was like that with my kids, with my grandkids, and I will be the same with Sammy.  It is a fault in my genetic makeup which I have worked to overcome through the years but with little success. It caused me to be a not so great parent and grandparent, and I will be a lousy g.grandparent. Not being able to cope with it has been stressful; as I write this there is an ominous device right behind me waiting to attack me with little Sammy noises when he comes. There is a baby crib in the corner of the office. Little kids make me nervous.
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Another beautiful but hot day in my East Tennessee hills. Humidity is the usual high, air pollution can actually be seen in front of my face, and life is good. I did not go to sleep until after 5:00 this morning, and slept uneasily until eleven o’clock. I need to shave, bathe, and change my bloomers but hey, I will always have my good looks in every circumstance.
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I have decided to use Flickr mostly for online storage of photos; the price is right at $25/year, and I can keep big photos indefinitely as long as I pay the annual bill. The past month has seen me placing hundreds of large .jpg files of my own pics there; they can be seen by no one but myself. I will continue to use the service for photo sharing with a few friends, but I will not be using it as a social site. I won’t be using Megashot for such, either; this blog will be my social outlet, such as it is. I also am posting pics to a FB page for Tennessee.
I have opened an account with writing.com and have placed a few stories there; I will also be putting unfinished stories on the site as I create them.
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Have a great weekend!

Perils of Papaw

Ashley woke us with a phone call at one o’clock this morning; she was bleeding and hurting again. She just wanted to alert us to be ready to take her to hospital if need be. At nine o’clock she called again; she had contacted her doc and he told her to go to emergency room immediately. Carolyn is with her now and as she is being admitted; I don’t know what it means but she is dilated 2cm.
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I will keep you posted as Carolyn lets me know.
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Have a summer weekend, my friends … maybe at the beach or pool or at a park.
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Hey, did you happen to see …

 

When this song came out around 1974, I hated it. I hated the song, I hated Charlie Rich, and I hated his “Silver Fox” good looks which made the ladies gaga. Thirty-seven years later, I realize it was a fine song and I suppose Charlie couldn’t help being pretty. 1974 is of the era when country music was going through its change from the good ol’ boy Nashville establishment to the more onerous and laid back Texas sound of Waylon and Willie and the boys.

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Tinnitus today … big time …

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Have a gaga Thursday!

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Mis-fire

I almost spoke too soon about the baby’s due date; yesterday afternoon Ashley began hurting real bad and Chris took her to hospital. Her doc came in and checked her and told her indeed that Sammy was wanting out. She was actually having labor pains and her womb exit had begun to dilate a bit. However, they sent her home and told her if she began having more than six pains per hour, to come back to emergency room. Ashley seems ok this morning,  and Chris, Carolyn, and Mike–Ashley’s dad–have settled down somewhat. It will be hectic until he is born.
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I am slowly getting caught up on things; I’ve had the blahs and caint-help-its for a few weeks. I still owe Maggie an email about a new community on Megashot. Maggie is posting some nice photos on her blog of her beautiful garden and her trip to the Galapagos. She has worked extra hard on the garden the past two years and it is definitely showing.
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This is the first song I ever heard from Dire Straits. I like this long version.
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Have a super day!
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Monday!!!

Flowers from Tammy's garden; guarded by Eden

Beautiful weekend! Saturday I did nothing until late when I rode with Carolyn to Fall Branch. Sunday I did nothing at all. The highlight of the weekend was when a heavy thunderstorm caused the power to go off for a few minutes yesterday afternoon, interrupting my boredom; instead of incessant PC monitor staring, I was forced to swivel my chair and look out the window.
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Obama! Get our forces the hell out of Iraq; five more killed today! I realize you want to improve the unemployment figures, but grave digging just isn’t the way to get it done. Bring them home safe and sound from around the world, kick some congressional ass, and get this country back into the business of being great. Now!
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The civil war in Yemen is a bit scary to me; with our politicians seemingly ready and eager to police the world, it won’t surprise me if we don’t have ground troops deployed in that “strategic”" nation toot sweet.
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Have a calm Worshday!
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Walk, don't run

"My my; hey hey; rock and roll is here to stay." The times have certainly changed since Neil Young penned those lyrics. Glam metal band KISS had a momentary lapse of reason and put out a disco album; Rod Stewart and the pop group Bee Gees had already sold their souls to the disco devil. MTV shortened the lives of many bands, promising short term big money for long term misery of trying to re-find themselves many years later. Shock rocker Alice Cooper is probably on a golf course as I write this, and Boston Bad Boy Steven Tyler has had a face lift which has given him a frightening case of the uglys. Too many others have died; but at least a lot of them did it the rock-and-roll way; from drugs and alcohol abuse. Few of the true rocker bands are still around in much the same as their original form and sound. Two of them are the Stones and Iron Maiden; long may they run.
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One of Carolyn's accounts is cutting back her services from five nights to three nights per week; another financial blow for us. But hey; it is summertime, and things just don't look as bad when the weather is warm.
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I see that Dr. Jack Kevorkian has died; I consider him a true patriot to the cause of human rights and freedom of choice.
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The State of Tennessee seems to be trying to become the first minimum wage state; they are encouraging business to hire through temp agencies only. We are already one of the poorest per capita income states in the union; we wanna be number one! For the working poor and borderline middle-class, wages would be cut, fringe benefits would be nil, humiliation and intimidation would rule in every facet of our decline into a fascist state. The governor of Georgia is wanting to put unemployed people to work doing stoop labor on corporate farms. How about the honorable Mr. Deal and all members of the Georgia legislature hitting the fields and doing the work yourselves for a month under the same conditions and restrictions you want to apply to the state's unemployed.
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Have a good weekend, my friends.
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Sleep Walk

This tornado stuff is getting crazy … almost as crazy as the crazies who claim global warming climate change is crazy. Crazy! Massachusetts? East Tennessee?
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I was on the porch well before sunrise this morning; it was perfect!
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Carolyn’s little garden is doing poorly. She allowed someone to sell her some bags of topsoil for her containers that is nothing more than composted tree bark. The radishes came up, grew a couple inches, and leaves are now turning yellow. Her tomato plants also had yellow bottom leaves but she pulled them off; the plants have barely grown but are blooming. The cucumbers are mostly recovering from their bout of yellow leaves and are growing well. Some of the peppers are pretty with blooms already set. She needs plain old dirt. I hope something produces well so she won’t feel so badly.
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Prepare yourselves for more Ventures videos; sorry, Beatles; sorry, Stones; sorry, Jimi; The Ventures were my 60′s band. This one features Skunk Baxter on the pedal-steel----

As I sat on the porch this morning, the farmer behind our house was roto-baling his hay field. Pungent yet compelling sweet scents of the curing grasses filled lingering nighttime mists, along with subtle perfume from drowsy honeysuckle along the fence row. Even the noise of the machinery could not block the trilling of a robin and the varied songs of cardinals. Smaller birds were piping in occasionally; chickadees with their namesake chick-a-dee-dee-dee and tits calling a questioning peter-peter-peter. If I could hear half well, it would have been a symphony. The resident mocking bird was diving at insects being sent airborne by the baler, I was enjoying coffee, and Carolyn was at hairdresser. A pretty good morning but by 10am, the air was so warm, humid, and sticky that I had to retreat to the office.
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Couldn’t sleep last night; I was up at 3am taking half a Xanax and thirty minutes later I was sleeping. Fortunately for y’all, I don’t have most of your phone numbers and being a gentleman of the old school, I would not have disturbed your sleep anyway … would I? Other than me and possibly Maggie, Jola was probably the only one of our virtual little family who was awake at that time.
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While laying awake, I thought of some more stuff to add to the story, and also a way to trim some fat from what I already have. I hate for my serious work to be overly wordy but it seems to be the norm with authors and publishers these days. Too much salt spoils the soup … and the cook.
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I love the long version of Suzie Q.
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Have a (choose your own superlative) Wednesday!

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