ARIZONA

We went to Arizona last week to visit with Justin and Vanessa. It was a great trip! My first plane ride too. I was really worred about flying, but Dr. Ballard fixed me up, and it was actually pretty nice. Everything was so different there. I was just amazed practically the whole time.

We flew into Phoenix on Wednesday the 12th. Justin met us at the airport. He looked so good. I hadn't seen him since last Christmas. We went to our hotel, ate supper, changed clothes, then went to the Mesa Temple for an Endowment session. That is a beautiful temple. The next day we drove to Tucson, going the scenic route so we could just see the countryside. It is very rugged, a lot of scrub plants and cacti. I was looking out the window at everything and all of a sudden I saw a cow, just standing out in the desert - actually a long-horned steer I guess. He just looked so out of place.

Then we got to their apartment in Tucson and got settled in. We did several day trips - going up to Mt. Lemmon (8,000 feet! - with snow on the ground), going to Tubac one day for shopping at quaint gift shops, eating Mexican, Italian, just eating. I tried really hard to stay on my diet. We just had a really good time. I saw tumbleweeds, a roadrunner, and heard coyotes howling in the middle of the night.

One day we went to the Desert Museum. That was a fun place to visit. It was like going to the NC Zoo and seeing the Sonoran Desert section, except it was ALL desert section.

On Sunday afternoon we had dinner with some of Justin and Vanessa's friends from church. Their home, like most of the houses, was made of cinder blocks and looked like it was sitting in a vacant lot with all the scrub brush in the front "yard". We went in, and inside it was beautiful and roomy. Then we went out the back door to sit at their patio table. Their back "yard" was amazing. The ground was just dirt - but not dirty. It was kind of sandy and rocky, but looked like it had been swept clean or something. There was no scrub brush in the back but several mesquite trees shading the whole walled in area. Yes, most homes have walls around them. They had pomegranate bushes and a coy pond with a sparkling fountain over big rocks. There was a trampoline at ground level that their grandkids were jumping on. And they had a small area (maybe 30x20 feet) of grass growing with borders around it. It was kind of the opposite of our yards with our bordered areas. Anyway, like I said, I was just amazed at everything.

We took a few pictures. This is me and Justin in front of the Mesa Temple.


These are orange trees growing on the temple grounds.



Me and Justin just in the desert.

The desert.

Me and Bennie.

Justin and Bennie.

More desert.

Saguaro cactus. I liked these the best.

The weather was perfect all week. One morning Justin and I went running at a local park trail. It was in the 50's around 8:00 a.m., and by lunch time it was in the 70's every day. And the sky was that perfect clear blue the whole time. We had a really good time, and Justin and Vanessa are great hosts!

Poor Vince Young

Yeah, cry me a river. This kid had everything going for him - EVERYTHING. Then he had a bad game, got a little hurt, got booed by his own fans, and then just quit. So now he is back - as second string QB for the Tennessee Titans, behind - of all people - Kerry Collins (remember the former Panther?). So, now Collins is leading the team, and they are UNDEFEATED - the only NFL team that is. But it could have been Vince Young in the spotlight instead of Collins, because actually Young is the better quarterback of the two. He HAS to hate this whole situation. So I'm wondering if he still is getting his big bucks just sitting on the sidelines smiling all the time - at least every time the camera turns to him he is smiling or laughing with his teammates. Well, maybe he's not so dumb after all . . .

5K

I ran (mostly walked) my first 5K yesterday. My number was 161, and that was close to where I came in as. I was one of the last ones - but at least not THE last. Anyway, it was fun. Challenging. I started out with Quentin. He ran with me until I had to stop and walk, then he went on. As the race went on there was this older lady (late 60's/early 70's) that was always about 50 yards in front of me. I kind of told myself that at least I could beat HER, but every time I would run a little, so would she. Then I would have to stop and walk again, and she would too. It was almost like she was keeping an eye on me or something. So she beat me in the end. My time was 41 minutes. I know, I know. People can walk three miles faster than that, but I walk slow too. So, another one off my "bucket list".

Sad Stuff

The last couple of days have just been full of sad stuff for me. Yesterday Mom and I went to see "Nights in Rodanthe", which was a great movie - just sad. I love Richard Gere. He just gets better and better with age. And then last night and today I've been catching up on my television shows I've recorded for the last few weeks. My gosh, did any of you see ER? They always kill off someone that you really like. And One Tree Hill - they lost someone. Oh, and BTW I'm getting really tired of the "torture" scenes with Dan. I know he is a really bad guy, and at first it was okay because he was getting some payback, but now enough is enough. And then I come in here to the computer and find out that Paul Newman is dead. He is without a doubt one of my alltime favorite actors - ever. I love "The Sting" probably the best, and then "Butch Cassidy". He was just good in everything. And also in his personal life he gave so much to help sick kids. So, yesterday at the movies I cried a lot, and then today I've cried watching stupid TV. All I can say is that the Panthers HAVE to win tomorrow.

How 'Bout Them Cats?

Yesterday's Panther game was one of the best I've ever seen. It was so exciting, and came down to the LAST TWO SECONDS. Jake is back! And I really like D'Angelo Williams. He can read the defenders so well and will change his direction if needed, not just go into a bunch of players just because that is where the play is supposed to be run. And Dante Rosario was very impressive. He should be way ahead of Dwayne Jarrett behind Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammed. Phillip Rivers (NC State) did a good job for San Diego. And I loved to watch everyone's reaction at the end. Jake was on Cloud 9 running down the field toward Rosario, and John Fox was cute as a button dancing out to the field. The poor SD coach just looked disgusted. Anyway, the game was a lot of fun to watch. I honestly believe we can go all the way this year!

Autumn in August?

This is the view from our driveway looking out our backyard.

Phone Calls And License Plates

Today I got a phone call. The caller ID read "Northern Hospital", which is our local hospital in Mt. Airy. So I answered, and a female voice asked if this was the residence of Bennie Harris. I said yes, starting to get a little scared. Then she said her name and that she worked in the Emergency Room at the hospital. Now I'm really scared. Then she said, "Do you have any John McCain signs?" WHAT? I'll be so glad when Bennie is no longer chairman of our county Republican party.

And below are pictures of my new license plate. The old one is first, then the new one. Isn't it cool?

1997 Nissan Maxima

That is what multi-millionaire, academy award winner Morgan Freeman drives - or did drive until he crashed last night. I hope he is okay, but I just found this strange.

East/West

Mom and I went to the East/West all star basketball game on Monday night at the Greensboro Coliseum to watch Victor Davila (6'9") play his last high school game. There were ten on each team - the twenty best players in the state, and Victor dominated! He scored 24 points against a 7'1" guy who has signed with Wake Forest (who in turn only scored 12 points against Victor). He tied with a guy from the East who also scored 24 points, and who was the MVP - but just because the East won. If the West had won Vic would have been MVP. Anyway, it was exciting to watch. AND he only played a little over half the game. The coach would sub all five at one time halfway through the quarter until the last quarter, then I think Victor played the whole time. So, now on to Virginia Tech. Go Hokies!

Ponyboy, What Happened?

I just finished watching a TV movie, "A Gunfighter's Pledge", I think was the name. C. Thomas Howell was one of the main characters. If I hadn't seen his name in the credits I wouldn't have recognized him. He has not aged gracefully at all. On the other hand, Luke Perry, who was also in the movie, has really come into his own since the Dylan McKay days. He has finally shaken off that teenaged punk look and has actually grown up into a pretty decent-looking actor. I think it's interesting to see how people age. When I go back to Starmount to a ball game or something I usually will see some people that I haven't seen since high school. The guys who were so cute back then are such rednecks now - beer bellies and all. It's like an opposite thing. The nerdy guys have actually grown up to be pretty handsome and seem to take better care of themselves. And the girls/women. Most of us have also gained a lot of weight, but there was this one girl at one of our reunions a few years ago that was always really heavy in school, and now she's got the body of a model. It's just strange.

Golf - Me?

I have never enjoyed watching golf before, and I don't really know how to explain this, but on Sunday I happened to come across the end of the U. S. Open and watched the last few holes. I guess I just kind of got caught up in it, and then the thrilling ending where Tiger Woods tied Rocco Mediate. He was so excited. So the two guys had a playoff on Monday - all 18 holes again. Well, I didn't really plan to watch it, but while I was eating lunch yesterday I turned on the TV, and there it was, finishing up the 9th hole. So I recorded it to watch later. Then last night Bennie and I both watched the rest of the match(?) together, and I loved it. I liked Tiger Woods, but I had never realized what a baby he is. He makes a shot he doesn't like and cusses and pouts. On the other hand Rocco really seemed like a fun guy to be around and very likeable. Plus he was the MAJOR underdog, so Bennie and I were both pulling for him. The problem was he CAN'T PUTT. Not worth a nickel. He would start off and get his ball really close to the hole, and then it would take a couple more to actually get in the hole. Whereas Tiger would be terrible starting off - getting his ball in the sand or the high grass. But then he would just hit it right out and get it within a yard of the hole. Several times Tiger's ball would be twice as far away as Rocco's on the green, and he would putt it right in, and then Rocco would barely miss and have to tap it in. It was fun to watch. After the 18 holes in the playoff they were tied again and went to sudden death. At the end Rocco actually had a chance to tie it again, but, like I said, he CAN'T PUTT. He barely missed it, and lost to Tiger. I never thought I would say this, but that golf match was exciting to watch. Maybe I'll become a fan now - of Rocco, not Tiger.

IPODer

Yep, that's me. I can Ipod with the best of them, thanks to a LOT of help from my family. I have 177 songs and 469 pictures on my new free Ipod. Yes, I said free. I got it for free from our Greenpoints by shopping at Lowes all these years. I've got things organized, and I feel really good about it. I hate learning something new technology-wise, because it just seems so foreign, but once I get some of it down I just feel good about it. So now I'm ready to go.

On a down note, several of my favorite TV shows have been axed - New Amsterdam, Men in Trees, Shark, Women's Murder Club, and October Road. Oh well.

But some other shows are just starting back - Last Comic Standing, Mad Men, Burn Notice, just to name a few.

Oh, and I've seen two really good movies the last couple of weeks. The first one was Prince Caspian. The Narnia books are my all-time favorites, and this movie didn't disappoint. And then last Friday we saw Indiana Jones and the KOTCS. I thought this was better than or as good as the first one, but a LOT better than the second and third ones. It had everything in this movie. I enjoyed it immensely.

I think I'm starting to be a little less afraid about our trip this November to Arizona. It's kind of like having a baby. You go nine months, and you try not to think about the labor and delivery, but just having the baby with you afterwards. So I'm trying not to think about the flight and just concentrate on being with Justin and Vanessa.

If anyone has any ideas for good songs let me know. It's hard to think of songs that I like to put on my Ipod. Sorry I've been rambling - oh yeah, Ramble On. There's another one!

It Finally Happened Last Night

A few months ago I posted a blog about the show, "Don't Forget the Lyrics", and how they did the million dollar song. When you got all the other songs and went for the million dollar one they wouldn't tell you anything about the song, nothing about how many words you would have to know, and once you said you would try it there was no going back, you had to sing it. If you didn't know all the lyrics you would lose your money from $500,000 down to $25,000. So, of course no one was going to even try. Well, last night someone DID try. But things had changed. NOW they told you that the song was a number one hit, AND you would only lose down to $100,000 instead of $25,000. So, that helped a little. Anyway, last night Kimberly Locke, an ex-American Idol contestant, was on for charity and got all the way up, winning the $500,000. So after hearing the apparently new rules for the million dollar song, she decided to go for it. The song was "You're Sixteen" by Ringo Starr. What a dud. She tried not to let her face show anything, but you could tell she had no idea, AND she had to come up with 15 words. When the song started she didn't even know how it went, and Wayne Brady had to sing along with her a little bit. Suffice it to say, her charity only got the $100,000. BUT, at least I got to see how they did the million dollar song, finally!

Brooke The Mouth

I am getting really tired of Brooke White's mouth on American Idol. Can't she just shut up?? Every time she has finished her song and is standing there while the judges critique her she has to mouth back stuff, constantly. And she is very obnoxious about it. She doesn't seem to be at all grateful that she is even there. I hope she is gone next week. Even last night while she and Kristy Lee were standing there in the bottom two, and Simon was voicing his thoughts about Kristy Lee, Brooke stood there like a stupid mother hen with her arm draped all over her friend and shouted to Simon, "Hey!", like she was telling him not to talk like that to her chick or something. I just don't like her at all.

On a side note - I am so excited about something. I made fudge the other day the way I saw someone make it on the food channel, and it worked! I added my margarine, evap milk, and sugar, and when it started to boil I turned it down a notch, put the lid on the pot, and forgot about it for ten minutes. I was scared that it would stick or something, but it turned out great! No more having to stand there and stir constantly for all that time.

And, we talked to Josh last night. He won a music composition contest - first prize. Congratulations!

Better Than The Best

I just saw an article about people's favorite books. Of course the Bible was #1, so then they were talking about the #2. It had the usual - "Lord of the Rings" for men and "Gone With the Wind" for women, and then regionally they mentioned "The Stand" and "Angels and Demons". Now this is what I thought was interesting. I always thought that "Angels and Demons" was better than "The Da Vinci Code", but the DVC was #1 on the charts forever - maybe a couple of years, I don't know. It seems like when it came out it was always #1 week after week after week, and I NEVER remember A&D even being in the Top Ten.

As for my personal favorites - I would say both of those books by Dan Brown (I never could get into his other ones), all of the Chronicles of Narnia, LOTR, GWTW (the book is SO MUCH BETTER than the movie, which is really good), all the Calder series by Janet Daily, most of John Grisham (except for his latest ones - he has really gone to pot) especially "The Partner" and "Bleachers", which reminds me, "Beach Music" and "Prince of Tides" by Pat Conroy, Stephen King's earlier books (including "The Stand"), and my all time favorite - "Wild Bells to the Wild Sky" by Laurie McBain.

I'm looking forward to Dan Brown's new book, but from what I've read it is not going to be very kind to our church. At least it will be fiction, and maybe people can remember that - just like the DVC and the catholics.

Nooooo . . .

I really wanted Memphis to win last night. The only thing I like about Kansas is their coach, who looks like July Johnson, and I always felt sorry for him.

And one other thing. Toward the end of the game last night, as they were going into overtime or maybe already in overtime, I can't remember, but one of the announcers said, and I paraphrase, "Kansas knows how to play in overtime. They won in triple overtime in a tournament championship," then he says "in 1957". What?? Who was there who remembers that? Except maybe the announcer.

How Cool Is This Show?

My new favorite TV show is New Amsterdam. If you haven't seen it you should. You can probably start from the beginning and watch episodes on the computer. It would be well worth your time. The premise is this guy (John Amsterdam) who was living in the 1600's. He saved the life of an Indian woman, and she placed a spell/curse on him that he would live until he found his soul mate. So he is living in New York (which used to be called New Amsterdam) and is working as a detective. On each episode there will be a flashback of things he did maybe a couple hundred years ago. He has been married many times and has had a bunch of children. It is just a really interesting show with great writing.

Go UNC!

I hope Carolina DESTROYS Kansas.

Go Wildcats!

Can you believe Davidson?? I'm really enjoying watching them right now. They are a fun team. There is so much hype about Stephen Curry, and he deserves it all. He scored 33 points last night against Wisconsin. I read that in the second half he outscored the whole team by himself something like 22-20. He scored 40 points in the first NCAA tournament game against Gonzaga, and then 30 points against Georgetown last week. But it's not just him - the whole Davidson team is really good and well coached. It's just fun to watch this run.

Having said that, they play Kansas tomorrow. But still, making it to the Elite 8! Who'd have thought.

Twice in My Lifetime

About 20 years ago our family was traveling to Shelby to visit some good friends, and on the way - right in the middle of nowhere - we saw a blimp. It was the Metlife blimp and had Snoopy on it. It looked huge and weird up in the sky, and it seemed to be moving very slowly, although it didn't take too long to go on out of sight. I thought it was amazing.

And then yesterday as Bennie and I were coming back from Apex we saw another blimp! This was the Direct TV blimp on its way to Raleigh for the basketball tournament. Bennie had made the comment that we have now seen two blimps.

Speaking of the tournament, did anyone see Davidson play yesterday? Stephen Curry, who is Dell's son, scored 40 POINTS! He was awesome. I filled out four different brackets, and I had Davidson on three of them. UNC was boring. But I hope they come away with it.

And on the NIT side, VT played a good game last week. I hope they go all the way. I think they play again Monday.

And on Sunday, on the women's side, Temple will be playing at 9:30. They have a girl who played for East Surry the last four years - Marli Bennett. So, we actually have a local playing in the NCAA, even if it is on the women's side.

VT Fan

As of yesterday I am trying to become a Virginia Tech fan, so I will be ready to watch Victor next year. So Yesterday I watched them play Miami. This is what I don't understand - they start five freshmen. So is Victor going to have to wait three more years before he can start??? I like the coach, though. The announcers liked him too, which helped me to like him, I guess. He seems like a good guy, and he was named Coach of the Year for the ACC this year. He looks kind of like an older Chris Daughtry. The only problem I see with VT is their school colors. Ugly. BTW as far as colors go I think Starmount has the prettiest - Navy blue and orange.

Pisgah

That word just conjures up all kinds of bad memories for me. In November, 1975, Mom and I took a trip to Pisgah, NC (west of Asheville)for a football game. My brother, Jimmy, was the star quarterback at Starmount High School, and this was, I think, the first time Starmount had ever been in a state playoff game. Back then only one team from the conference would go (and that was usually Elkin). So, we made the trip and had booked a room for the night because it was so far away. But what we didn't count on was the weather. It was cold. It was freezing. I have never before NOR SINCE been that cold in my life. The wind was blowing really hard the whole time, and the temperature was 0. I don't know how those boys played. Starmount came out in their usual football uniforms with a lot of skin showing - bare arms and legs. And then here came Pisgah, covered from head to foot. That was the first time I'd ever seen a football team wearing gloves. So, suffice it to say, we lost. Pretty bad too. It was a heartbreaker - going all that way. The only good thing to come out of that game was a scout from Western Carolina who was watching the game and liked the Starmount quarterback, so Jimmy got a full scholarship to WCU.

Okay, now to last night. As you might know I've been following the Starmount basketball team this year (pretty much for the last four years), because I love to watch Victor play. He is THE MAN. This is his senior year. About three or four weeks ago they recognized him at halftime of the last regular season game as being the highest scorer ever at Starmount. That night he had accumulated over 1800 points over the four years. So, to say he has been as asset to the school is an understatement. Also he is, as everybody says, a "fine young man". Nice, humble, quiet - but he can be a monster under the basket.

So, Starmount won the regular season this year. They started off pretty slow, losing about 6 non-conference games, and a lot of people just gave up on them. BUT, once they started conference play they only lost one game - to North Surry. And then in the conference tournament they beat everybody. So, they were #1 seed in their section going into the state playoffs. They then proceeded to flat out beat North Lincoln, Bessemer City, and last Friday night a very good Salisbury team. And then last night was the Regional semifinals. There were four schools from the west and four from the east. We were to play Pisgah in the first game, then Shelby and East Lincoln played the second game - winners playing this Saturday, and then the state championship next Saturday against the east team. Now last year we won the semifinal game at this point and then beat Shelby at the Regional final in double overtime to go to Chapel Hill, only losing to the east team - Cummings.

But, last night was a different story. Pisgah - how I hate that name! They came in and ran all over us last night. They were hitting everything they put up, and only missed ONE foul shot all night. The final score was 69-60. It was really sad. It's like the "Victor Era" is over.

However, on a final bright note - we can all continue to watch Victor play next year at VIRGINIA TECH!!

They're All Three Snakes

There is a story about an old man who was walking up a pretty steep hill one day. About halfway up he came across a snake, who asked the old man to carry him the rest of the way up as he was too tired to make it on his own. The old man reached down, picked up the snake, and carefully put it in his pocket. He then proceeded up the hill. When he got to the top he took out the snake and put it on the ground, at which point the snake suddenly bit the old man. As the old man lay dying, he asked the snake, "Why did you bite me after I helped you to the top?" The snake replied, "You knew what I was when you picked me up."

This is how I feel about our three top contenders for President - Hillary, Obama, and McCain. And there's just nothing we can do about it.

Exciting Night

Ever since NE beat the Panthers a few years ago in the Super Bowl, I have not been a fan of them, SO of course I was going for the Giants last night, which made it a great game to watch. I'm glad that Eli has come out of his brother's shadow finally. The BIG PLAY of the game that they keep showing over and over, where Eli had to scramble big time to get away from all these huge defensive linemen and then threw a beautiful pass to the Tyree guy, who in turn made a fantastic catch - that was one of those plays where I had to call Bennie in to watch. Actually I called him in a couple times, but that was the best. It was just a good game overall.

And speaking of brothers, this morning on Fox News they had a short segment showing Peyton and Eli coming together for the first time after the game, where they were just talking about the game, as brothers, not for the cameras (although they HAD to have noticed all the cameras). Peyton was talking about different plays they had run including that catch, and you could hear Eli saying, "Yeah, he's (Tyree) a gamer, I told you he was a gamer." You could just tell they were close brothers.

And now for the commercials. I liked several. I liked the Justin Timberlake one, except for the mailbox scene. What was it, three times he had to bounce off that? I thought that was a little much. And I liked the Prison Break commercial. I thought that was a real preview for the show. I told Bennie it reminded me of being in Washington a few years ago. We rode the subway to the Smithsonian, and we came up the escalator right in the middle of a big field. And I liked the horse/Rambo commercial. I DIDN'T like the Doritos/mouse commercial. Or the ugly girl one. And I thought Tom Petty was a little old last night.

But all in all it was a good show. Just one last comment. This morning on the Today Show Meredith Viera was talking to Tiki Barber (who BTW I bet is SORRY he retired last year), and at the end of his little segment she asked if Giselle (TB's girlfriend) left with Eli after the game. Poor Tiki didn't really know how to respond to that.

Okay, NOW I'm Mad

I haven't really been affected so far by this stupid writer's strike, until now. Today was the last new Y&R for a while. Next week starts reruns. Why are they striking anyway? Not enough money? How much is enough? Millions of dollars instead of hundreds of thousands maybe? What greed. What are they making now while they're out of work? I remember when the air traffic controllers went on strike years ago, and President Reagan didn't bail them out like they thought he would. Instead they all lost their jobs, and new people were hired in their place. So why doesn't that happen now? I'm sure they can find new writers. Anyway.

Better Than Radio

I am really getting sucked in here. I have an Itunes account, thanks to Christmas presents from family members, and so far I have bought songs that I've heard on TV. I actually love this. These TV shows - the ones that I watch anyway - have great music playing in the background. I discovered "Hallelujah" by watching the O.C. a few years ago. "Hey There Delilah" was on some show last year. Recently I was watching Criminal Minds and heard "Decoration Day" by Drive-By Truckers, which was on my blog a few weeks ago. Then last night while watching October Road I heard another song I had to buy - "Mystified" by Rocco Deluca and something. These last two songs I had never heard before on the radio, and never heard of the bands either. I was trying to tell Justin about Drive-By Truckers, but, since they are from ATHENS he knew a little more about them than me. And Supernatural has great music, however it is stuff I grew up with, so I know it. Anyway, I'm enjoying this trend of mixing good music with good TV shows. And it is so easy to find out what the songs are, and then, of course, to buy them on Itunes!

Cormac McCarthy

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about the movie "No Country for Old Men". This is from a book by Cormac McCarthy, who I guess is pretty far down my list of favorite writers. So a few days ago I watched another movie, "All the Pretty Horses". I remembered when this came out several years ago that I wanted to see it but never did. It has Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz, and the trailer at the time looked like it would be a good love story. So, last week I noticed it was coming on TV and recorded it. When I got some time to watch it I was pretty excited and got settled down to see a good romance, with apparently some cowboys thrown in. And then, as the credits were rolling at the beginning of the movie, I saw where it was also based on a book by Cormac McCarthy. That is when I started feeling some dread coming on. And sure enough, it was another movie that I would not recommend to anyone. What is wrong with people when they feel like they have to have these bad endings to their stories? All I ask for in a movie or book is a happy ending and one that wraps everything up nicely. I'm done with Mr. McCarthy. He's up there with Erich Segal as far as I'm concerned.

Debbie Does . . . Dobson?

This is the story. Bennie got me a Foodsaver for Christmas. I've been wanting one for a long time, but they are kind of expensive. So I was delighted with it. I read the little booklets that came with it and tried to learn about it before trying to use it. Then last Sunday I was finally ready to try it out. One last thing. There was an instructional DVD that came with it, so I was going to watch it too. Bennie was watching something on TV so I went to the computer and put in the DVD to watch in here. Instead of Foodsaver stuff, "Debbie Does Dallas" stuff came up. Suffice it to say I was surprised. However when we tried the DVD in the TV it was the Foodsaver stuff. So Monday I called Foodsaver. The "supervisor" I talked to said that it had happened to someone else too, and they were investigating it. She got my name and number and said they would call back. Oh, and she apologized profusely. I emailed Quentin to see if maybe I could sue, but he pretty much shot me down about that. Anyway, I am using and enjoying my Foodsaver (just maybe not as much as Debbie did).

Cool Song

DECORATION DAY
It’s Decoration Day.
And I’ve a mind to roll a stone on his grave.
But what would he say.
“Keeping me down, boy, won’t keep me away”.

It’s Decoration Day.
And I knew the Hill Boys would put us away,
but my Daddy wasn’t afraid.
He said “We’ll fight till the last Lawson’s last living day”

I never knew how it all got started
a problem with Holland before we were born
and I don’t know the name of that boy we tied down
and beat till he just couldn’t walk anymore.
But I know the caliber in Daddy’s chest
and I know what Holland Hill drives.
The state let him go, but I guess it was best
cause nobody needs all us Lawsons alive.

Daddy said one of the boys had come by
the Lumber Man’s favorite son.
He said, “Beat him real good but don’t dare let him die
and if you see Holland Hill run.
Now I said, “they ain’t give us trouble no more
that we ain’t brought down on ourselves”
But a chain on my back and my ear to the floor
and I’ll send all the Hill Boys to hell.

It’s Decoration Day
and I’ve got a family in Mobile Bay
and they’ve never seen my Daddy’s grave.
But that don’t bother me, it ain’t marked anyway.
Cause I got dead brothers in Lauderdale south
and I got dead brothers in east Tennessee.
My Daddy got shot right in front of his house
he had noone to fall on but me.

It’s Decoration Day
and I’ve got a mind to go spit on his grave.
If I was a Hill, I’d have put him away
and I’d fight till the last Lawson’s last living day.
I’d fight till the last Lawson’s last living day.
I’d fight till the last Lawson’s last living day.