Always the Last to Know.

There are times in your life when you discover things that are shocking, completely unexpected, just out of the clear blue sky. People manage these moments in different ways. We all have friends who are blessed with grace and poise, a calm demeanor able to absorb difficult news with control and dignity. I’m not one… Read more »

Always Take The Test Drive

One afternoon years ago, a friend who shall remain unnamed, unexpectedly dropped by my apartment at Avondale Armpits. Avondale Armpits were apartments in Jonesboro, located on Nettleton just east of the intersection with Church St. They were originally designed to be a Holiday Inn, but somehow the deal fell through while that place was under… Read more »

Remember the Alamo

A couple of years ago, I visited the Alamo. The ghosts are thick there. I used to not believe in ghosts, but after living in a haunted house in Pennslyvania many years ago, I became a believer. That’s a story for another time. Ghosts seem to be part of my life now. From Gettysburg to… Read more »

A Southern Adventure Continues…..

Trying to get traction with the big publishers is like going to Nashville hoping to be discovered as the next big country music star. There are so many others with such incredible talent who are already there doing the exact same thing that you are doing that being ‘discovered’ in Nashville is next to impossible…. Read more »

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ISO Jerry Lawler

A few years ago I wrote Me, Boo and the Goob: A Southern Adventure. It was a fun little novel about small boys growing up in and around Jonesboro and Memphis in the 1960s. Many of my friends recognize many of the exaggerated events of my life as portrayed in the novel. The story itself… Read more »

Cocktails, Anyone?

Years ago when I was an age group competitive swimmer, after a long and hard race I was always utterly exhausted both physically and mentally. I had done all I could do. In swimming a 200 meter individual race, it’s just you. There is no team. Every third stroke, you take a much anticipated breath…. Read more »

Tomorrow Eventually Comes

The journey of our lives takes us down many roads. Along the way we meet many travelers on those roads. Forty three years traveling those roads seem to pass at the speed of light until time stops long enough to remember good times with a dear friend. The Mississippi River, the Father of Waters, takes… Read more »

Grimm’s Guerillas

It’s a long road back to 1975. that was the year I graduated from high school. I was supposed to be in the class of 1976, but it was decided that graduating a year early was the right thing for all parties consulted. In my two years in high school, I found more than my… Read more »

JD and Me: Bad Ideas and Poor Judgement

Writing is hard. It’s like digging a splinter out of your soul. “Me, Boo and the Goob” was a great success when I released it several years ago. It took a long time to write because three chapters from the end, I encountered writers block. I was stuck for about three years. Finally a friend,… Read more »

W.W.B.D.

Roughly five years ago, I released Me, Boo and the Goob: A Southern Adventure. It was my first book, and I didn’t know much about marketing it. In my research I found a template for marketing a book. It seemed to make sense to me, so I followed it. I have learned from it. First,… Read more »

Latest
  • Waffle House #393

    Waffle House at 8:00AM is a microcosm of America. The counter and the booths are full. You’ve got the elderly Marine Corp veteran eating alone, looking through the window at memories of rice fields and triple canopy jungles. You’ve got the two debutante wannabes eating in a booth. Four brothers are laughing and eating a… Read more »

  • White Dog

    There was a time many years ago when exploring new albums meant going to TG&Y at Indian mall, or perhaps KATZ at Caraway Plaza and perusing the bins containing albums. The tiny and sparse inventory was selected and creatively managed by some middle aged clerk in a back room who enjoyed listening to regional classics… Read more »

  • In Search of Open Water

    Years ago, a friend, let’s call him JD, and I used to hunt at every opportunity. We were young, so getting up at 4:00AM after drinking and chasing girls until midnight was not a problem. We just got up, loaded up and went. I remember one year we had tons of snow. I woke up… Read more »

  • My Favorite Uncle

    I hope everyone has a favorite uncle.  Kids need favorite uncles. Mine was my father’s brother, Randy.  Uncle Randy is 12 years younger than dad was, and he’s 12 years older than Sweet Pea.  He’s an impressive character even before you know much about him.  He was a college football player at Northwest Mississippi Jr…. Read more »

  • The Road Less Traveled

    Once the ‘new’ highway to Harrisburg was completed, and liquor stores popped up in rice fields on the country line, Highway 63 became the road less traveled.  Ever since Craighead Country had gone dry, Highway 63 had been the path to liquor.  The liquor stores in Truman had struck gold.  Craighead Country going dry didn’t… Read more »

  • Under the Dogwood Tree

    My first dog was a German Shepherd named Duchess Ann, but pronounced ‘Duchess-zann’. I was probably 25 years old when I realized that the name was actually “Duchess Ann”. I had always heard it and said it as one word. I am told she was named for a friend of my parents who lived in… Read more »

  • Darlin’

    Late one night many years ago after spending some quality time drinking beer, laughing, and listening to music in an Oxford bar called The Gin,  three friends and I meandered our way back to an apartment at the Round houses.  Katherine and Allyssa lived there.  We all staggered into the apartment and flopped into various… Read more »

  • 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 »