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

  • The Last Swim Meet

    In early August of 1965, I joined the Jonesboro YMCA swim team. I joined on a Friday, and the State Swim Meet was held the next day in Jonesboro. I won 3rd place in Freestyle and Backstroke, and would have had 2nd in Butterfly, but I was disqualified. Before that morning, I had never heard… Read more »

  • Blessings

    Every now and then, I pause and count my blessings. I’ve had a wonderful life. In my time, I have been a cowboy, a carpenter, a diving instructor, a sky diver, and a computer geek. I rode a bull exactly one time. I have had an office in my basement, and I have had an… Read more »

  • The Gin

    The Gin was to Ole Miss what Rick’s Cafe American was to Casablanca. It was more than a cross roads or a meeting place where libations flowed and inhibitions fell. It was a place where ideas were debated, and pretty girls were woo’d; a place where music rattled the the walls of the old building… Read more »

  • If that ain’t country, I’ll kiss your ass.

    The old Masonic Hall in Pensacola stands on the corner of Palafox and Garden. The ground floor has been converted into a music hall with a smallish stage and a balcony. There are bars upstairs as well as on the main floor. In the back there is an area with couches and small tables. We… Read more »

  • Technical Support

    Some years ago, my mother-in-law bought a new HP computer. She asked me to come down to Riverside and install her software on it, and move her documents and photos to it. I took my external drive and drove down, spending the afternoon installing the software and restoring the documents and photos. Everything worked, and… Read more »

  • Hot Catfish and Cold Beer

    Last night Landi and I had dinner at a ‘Seafood’ house. that’s what they call a ‘fish house’ down here on the coast. It had all sorts of nautical gear on the wall, and it smelled…well….it smelled of fish. It smelled of good fish. It smelled of fish so good it made your mouth water…. Read more »

  • Footprints in the Dew

    Yesterday, my sister and my niece dropped by on their way from Destin back to Jonesboro. We had a great time remembering our childhood adventures while sitting under the pavilion here at The Empty Nest. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner under the stars while we laughed about Mom and Dad, Birdland, and growing up. This… Read more »

  • Keurig Maintenance Tips

    This morning dawned with a beautiful blue sky. The air was crisp and clean and clear. My morning coffee smelled wonderful as my trusty Keurig machine slowly pumped out it’s wonderful morning elixir. ‘Slowly’ is the operative word. My bride noticed it, too. The weather forecast called for rain so my plans of installing water… Read more »

  • Brisket

    My chocolate Lab, Svatchime, watched me warily all day long. In the pre-dawn hours, I carefully built my fire. The Big Green Egg came to easily to temperature. My brisket had sat overnight, salted and peppered, on a rack in the beer fridge. It was dry and looking good when I put it on the… Read more »

  • How to Shampoo Carpet

    I usually start early, about 6:00 AM, on a day when my wife is traveling. This way I can vacuum the carpets, and shampoo them in one continuous operation without interruptions of conference calls and other realities of real work. The first thing I do is check the vacuum cleaner. We have one of those… Read more »