Where In The World Is Jimmy Stegall?

In the fall of 1970, the Oakshire Raiders football team went undefeated. Coached by Coach Doug Daniels (full time postman and part time coach), the Raiders won the Whitehaven Elementary Athletic Association Football Championship. Oakshire Elementary is still located on Holmes Rd, near where it crosses I-55. In the late 60s and early 70s, Oakshire… Read more »

The Day The Music Died

In the early 1960s, just as the The Beatles brought a new sound to America, he brought rock and roll to Birdland. He taught every kid in Birdland to sing Herman Hermit songs with a “proper English accent”. Ponder that for a minute. He saw doing what he did as something of a public service…. Read more »

The ‘Cup’

Photo Credit Jeff Presley

Cajun Greenbeans

My son recently asked for my recipe for cajun green beans. He and his girlfriend Laura are spending Thanksgiving at Laura’s parent’s home. Ratboy is a pretty good cook. He understands that he has to bring something really good, and this is it. This isn’t a completely original recipe. I got the bones of it… Read more »

A True Story

In the July of 1976, I had just got my truck out of the shop after I hit a deer with it. A deer will do significant damage to a 1975 Toyota Hi-Lux pickup truck. I must say, Dad was not amused. The truck was in the shop for about two weeks while it was… Read more »

Aunt Lottie

Sometimes in quite moments, just out of the clear blue sky, a random thought brings a memory back to life. I just thought of my Aunt Lottie. Aunt Lottie was a tiny woman with a big laugh. She had an exasperated way of saying “Randy!” She broke it into three syllables: “RAY-AN-DEE!” She was right… Read more »

The Witches of Shrewsbury – the Wives of Richard and Thomas Garner

In 1636, a woman in Shrewsbury, England was accused of witchcraft and sorcery. In a trial by water, her death established her innocence. She died by drowning in the dunking stool in the pool at the Square in Shrewsbury. Her name was Katharn, wife of Richard and mother of John, and she is buried in the Old Churchyard at St. Chad’s Church in Shrewsbury, England. From this family, my branch of the Garner family was born.

Remembering Rocket

When I was a child, the 4th of July was always a special time to me. It wasn’t special because that’s the day the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, or because it is the day Vicksburg fell in the Civil War. No, as a small child, I didn’t know about any of that…. Read more »

At Least I Can Sing

Fifty-some-odd years ago, a friend of mine, Jimmy Bolin, decided he wanted to open a guitar store. It didn’t matter that he was in high school or that he didn’t have any money to work with. He loved playing guitar and he wanted to open a guitar store. He taught private guitar lessons until he… Read more »

These Boots Weren’t Made For Walking

At lunch yesterday, I received a call that was a survey checking attitudes about smokeless pouches and vaping. Landi and I were at lunch with friends, so I stepped away from the table to take the survey. It was long and extensive. In our exchanges, I learned a lot about legislation and the positions various… Read more »

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Latest

  • Thoughts on a Lab

    A Lab believes she can cure you when you are ill A lab does not recognize the concept of personal space. A lab considers all bugs to be playmates. A lab will ensure that your beer does not get warm. A lab will joyfully remove your empty beer can. A lab will joyfully bring your… Read more »

  • Rest in Peace, Tony Perez

    Tony Perez had a tough start in life.  When he was just a puppy, the guy who owned him broke his front leg.  In stead of putting the puppy down as the bastard requested the vet, Dr. Perez, offered to take the dog off the bastard’s hands and in exchange would not call the police… Read more »

  • Pizza Drive-In

    As I sit here this morning, the smell of the fresh, homemade pizza still drifts in my mind if not in the air.  Pizza is a magical food that, if homemade, is fully configurable.  You can put anything you want on it and it will never cost you $30 per pizza.  As a long time… Read more »

  • A Blind Date Gone Bad

    Each spring I am reminded of a long, cold winter many years ago.  It was my first winter living up north, in Pennsylvania.  I had rented the top two floors of a 200 year old hotel.  I got them cheap and shared them with a five and a half foot tall, somewhat shady, chef.  Just… Read more »

  • The Jube

    The Jube photo courtesy of Curtis Steele

  • Duck Hunting

    Years ago as we approached duck season, my bride and I considered sending our son, Catfish, down to Arkansas for a Thanksgiving duck hunt with my brother Matt, his son, creatively named, Matt 2.0 and my brother-in-law, Tony, and his son Guy. My brother and my brother-in-law had a duck club complete with flooded woods,… Read more »

  • Prom

    Early winter in Florida produces some wonderful nights, just cool enough for a fire in the fire place. Frequently Landi and I watch watch reruns of old TV favorites. Right now, we are watching Castle. We always start with the pilot, and then watch the whole series to the end. Last night’s episode featured Castle… Read more »

  • Buck and Tony Perez

    Buckwheat

    He was born in near Harrisburg, Arkansas in December of 1994. About two months later, my brother got him a plane ticket and shoved his hairy little ass on a Northwest Airlines flight to Newark, NJ. He weighed about 4 lbs, but most of that was bark and howl. He didn’t remember me when I… Read more »

  • How To Ride A Bull

    When I was about 18 years old, I moved out north of Jonesboro on 141 to ‘the farm’. The Farm was where Dad had his herd of Registered Brangus Cattle. Dr. O’Neal actually owned the farm, and I was supposed to live out there and take care of the cattle. For about 3 months, we… Read more »

  • LSUcks

    Many years ago, having been kicked out of Arkansas State University, and asked not to return to it’s branch campus at Beebe, I became a student at Ole Miss. I lived in a dorm called Twin Towers. Seems like every college has a dorm named ‘Twin Towers’. On the seventh floor, we had an interesting… Read more »