NO.  That calendar is wrong.  Dead wrong.  Ain't no way it's now been six decades since the Theodore high school graduating class of 1961 picked up their diplomas and scattered to the wind. I mean six decades is a long, long time.  Something like 60 years.  But then,...

About 8:30 Thursday night I went to the Family Dollar store around the corner to get some toilet paper.  (Something none of wish to run out of.) Found what I needed and paid my bill.  Then stuck my hand in my overalls pocket for my car keys. Oh no.  They weren't in...

I, like many of you I'm sure, have always been a sucker for chidden.  Their innocence is' breath-taking,  They can warm the coldest heart.  I well remember when my son, Kevin, and daughter, Kim, were little more than toddlers and learning to talk. Some of what they...

The pandemic has created chaos with students--and those responsible for them, be they parents or teachers.  But as we know, some young people are resilient as heck and look for opportunity during even the most dire circumstances. Add Charlotte Bowder, a student at...

From time to time I have mentioned my son Kevin who lives in Mobile and writes for Lagniappe.  (The most recent being his frustration at trying to get Covid shots.  Fortunately he got his second last Saturday.) He is an excellent writer and a relentless researcher. ...

Like so many of my posts, this one begins with "a long time ago." It was about 3 p.m. on a Friday.  I was in my old Ford on U.S. 31 between McKenzie and Georgiana.  I crossed a railroad track on the southside of Georgiana and the Ford immediately quit running.  I...

We recently shared the story of seven year old Liza Scott of Homewood and and her efforts to raise money to help with expenses of brain surgery in Boston.  Her fund-raining effort went extremely well, netting nearly $400,000 and now we get word that she is doing well...

Had my second shot (Pfizer) last Friday.  While some have had a little reaction to the second dose (like my sister), I had zero.  Jusr another shot. Thankful for that. *********************************************** Governor Kay Ivey is keeping Alabama's mask mandate...

It takes a cold hard heart to not melt at the sight of a beautiful, vivacious seven year old girl.  Especially when it is accompanied by a smile that fills the room with sunshine. This is how I describe Liza Scott of the Birmingham area.  We often hear athletes...

I don't need to add any words about this article. Other than I find it amazing.

For those who have been turning over lots of rocks in hopes of getting access to a Covid vaccine shot, here is some good news.  According to this article from AL.com,  CVS has announced that it will be giving shots in  Bayou La Batre, Camden, Evergreen, Greensboro,...

Judge Merrick Garland has been nominated by President Biden to be U.S. Attorney General  Everything I've seen and heard about him indicates he is a class act. And when I came across this article about him, it made quite an imprfession. "He's been nominated for Supreme...

Editor's note: I have told you about my son who lives in Mobile and his challenges trying to get a Covid vaccine shot.  After searching high and low, he finally had an appointment recently at a local Wal Mart.  But three days before he was to get the shot, he came...

Some of you may have known Methodist minister Thomas Lane Butts Jr.  Others may have heard of him. For sure, those of us who crossed his path did not forget him. Butts passed away a few days ago at age 90 at his home in Monroeville..  My friend Francis Coleman wrote a...

Senator Ted Cruz didn't just stir up a hornet's next by running off to Cancun while millions of his Texas constitutes were being battered by a historic winter blizzard, he poured gas on the nest and set it on fire. Late night comedians, editorial boards and both...

The whole world knows that all of Texas looks more like the Artic Circle than where cowboys roam.  A historic winter storm has cut off electric power and shut down water availability.  People are dying. So what does U.S. Senator Ted Cruz do? He hops a plane to Cancun,...

When I heard it was to be 19 degrees in Montgomery, my first thought was of mountains of quilts stacked atop cast iron beds in grandpa Lee's little frame house near Red Level in Covington County.  Except for one fireplace in the small living room, there was no heat. ...

My last post concerned my son in Mobile who has a severe respiratory issue and his frustration at trying to get a Covid-19 vaccine shot. I am happy to report that he now has an appointment at a west Mobile Wal-Mart this coming Wednesday.  Let's hope this happens.. And...

My son Kevin is 57 and lives in Mobile.  He has a severe respiratory condition known as alpha 1-antitrypsin related emphysema.  This means his liver does not produce a certain enzyme needed for the lungs to retain elasticity.  A very rare condition. He has been...

The Democrats managing the impeachment trial of Donald Trump opened their presentation with a 13-minute video.  You should be able to see this in its entirety by going here. You be the...

It was Tuesday, August 16, 1977.  I was somewhere in Illinois moving to Des Moines, IA when news came on the radio that Elvis Presley had died.  I was shocked. Truth is that I am a bigger fan of his today than I was back then  Over the years I have come to realize...

Editor's note:  We all remember the major push by elected officials at all levels in 2020 to get people to fill out their census forms.  The reason being that voting jurisdictions and Federal funding are greatly impacted by census data.  However, many feared that the...

Editor's note:  Some of us thought the Nov. 3 election would come and go and, regardless the outcome, life would move on.  We were wrong.  If anything, the chaos leading to the Nov. 3 election paled amidst what has since transpired.  This chaos turned to violence last...

In today's world: We all need a good laugh. Did I read that sign right? TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW. ------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ - In a Laundromat: AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE...

All of us gather a host of friends as we travel this life.  And then we make some very special friends who join a small group.  We may not be in contact with them for five or ten years, but when we do re-connect, we take up where we last left off.  As if time has...

Editor's note:  While some in this country seem intent on treating the Covid virus as some hoax and ignoring the best advice our scientists give, the truth is that more that nearly 350,000 U.S. citizens have now died from the pandemic. The Wall Street Journal has...

Regardless of how you classify your self politically--red, blue, pink, brown, purple, conservative, liberal, independent--I'm guessing that there would be general agreement among most of us that that the pitiful excuse that passes for "leadership" in Washington is by...

Five days before Christmas 2020 and Covington County is stone cold dead.  The green of Bahia and Bermuda grass pastures has long since dried up.  Cows tug at the tiny tufts which has got to be like chewing cardboard all day.  Fields that grew cotton and corn last...

Editor's note:  A wonderful story from The Washington Post about one person's effort to help people at Thanksgiving.  And if we have ever needed reminding about such things, it is now. "Rob Adams is a successful real estate agent in Utah. But when he was 11, he and...

While the most celebrated holiday of the year is probably Christmas in most places, I would argue that in Alabama it is the Iron Bowl.  The late fall day when the football teams at Auburn University and the University of Alabama play each other. For all intent and...

Well alright.  But what does love have to do with this blog? My knee-jerk reaction is that since this is my blog, any topic is fair game.  In addition, since we are so bombarded by news that dwells on hate, belittlement, lies and insults, why not talk about something...

Editor's note: unfortunately I am at the age where dealing with the process of getting older occupies too much of my time.  I can't help it.  Which means I can definitely relate to what is below: I changed my car horn to gunshot sounds. People get out of the way much...

Editor's note: While we hear a lot about the "Electoral College," many of us don't really know much about what it is and how it works.  Here is a quick review. There are a total of 538 Electoral votes.  Each state gets one for each senator and one for each...

The avalanche of bad news bombarding each of us takes its toll.  The steady drumbeat about 1,000 Americans a day dying of Covid-19 and the incessant tsunami of political lies and misinformation are ample reason for anyone to question their sanity. Then, like the...

We're now less than a week away from election day on Nov. 3 and insanity is the order of the day.  Accusations are flying from both the Trump and Biden campaigns.  Every day gets more outlandish.  Millions and millions of dollars are being spent in these final few...

It was the spring of 1961.  Senior night for those of us in the Theodore High School class of 1961.  There were skits and music and various and sundry silly things dished out for admiring parents and others. It was the night I learned a lesson I have never forgotten....

Editor's note:  Dana Hall McCain is a columnist for AL.com  She writes about faith, culture, and politics and is a member of the 2020 Leadership Council for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.  Here she does an excellent job...

Editor's note:  Thanks to the keen eye for a great story by AL.com's Michelle Matthews, we bring you the wonderful story of DeKalb County's Hunter Norwood.  It is a story of real devotion to family and mankind and for what is actually important--not the contrived and...

Editor's note:  I am a sucker for stories like this.  (But I could have much worse faults--and probably do.  So when I came across this on FB, I knew I wanted to pass it along.  Besides, I think this is the real world, not the BS that we're told is politics these...

With bad news pounding us each day, a small glimpse at the goodness of humanity is more than welcomed. Which is why I share the following story from The Montgomery Advertiser. "It's pink, it rocks, it has tunes and the wheels light up. Just the thing for a 2-year-old...

From time to time I mention my friend Hope Zeanah, who is assistant superintendent for the Baldwin County school system.  She lives with her daughter and two grandchildren (Graysen and Sully) on Fish River.  Like so many down there, they were hammered by Hurricane...

John Pavlovitz is a minister in Wake Forest, NC.  I share one of his recent blog posts in which he expresses amazement at the discord and bitterness now being sown throughout the country.  I could not agree more. "I’ll never understand it. As long as I live, it will...

There it was.  A slight September breeze with a whiff of freshly-mowed grass.  And as so often happens at this age, you are suddenly jerked back decades.  This time it was to the fall of 1960 when you were 17 and playing your last football season for the Theodore...

Editor's note:  In these very, very weird times, stories such as the one below from The Washington Post are worth their weight in gold: "Johara Benrahou grabbed a red-white-and-blue blanket, a mask with dinosaur designs and three books as she ran outside the front...

There are exceptions to every rule. Before Sept. 12, the last wedding I recall attending was my son's in the fall of 2006.  But on Sept. 12, 2020 I came out of "retirement" to be there when Lauren Donaldson of Opp married Bill Paulk of Lowndes County.  I wouldn't have...

Editor's note: For reasons I do not understand there are people who apparently get their kicks by trying to gin up bogus info on Covid-19, twisting data out of context and putting forth conspiracy theories.  Which simply says to me that "all nuts don't grow on...

Laughter seems to be virtually forgotten these days given 1,000 deaths a day from Covid-19, economic issues, political unrest and natural disasters. However, a friend shared some PANDEMIC PUNS with me and i wanted to pass them along.  You may groan at some, but...

It's now been 11 years ago this week that I lost one of my dearest friends, James Parrish of Ashford, right outside of Dothan.  A longtime high school football official, he was refereeing the first ball game of the season when he suddenly fell dead. It was Friday...

We've all seen countless examples of children making an effort to make this world a better place.  Each one touches our heart.  And so will this story about seven-year Alden Young of the Birmingham suburb of McCalla who raised $1,000 to buy pack packs and supplies for...

My teenage years and those a ninth-grader faces today are daylight and dark.  Really mind-boggling really. I remember our first black and white TV, a party-line telephone, a stick shift and a clutch, a window fan.  The closest I probably ever came to technology was...

To say these are troubled times is a vast understatement.  The entire country is gripped by the pandemic.  No one seems to know exactly what to do.  And with the opening of schools across the country, the uncertainly grows much more. Indeed, if we have ever needed the...

Justin Minkel teaches 1st and 2nd grades at Jones Elementary in Springdale, Ark., a high-performing, high-poverty school where 85 percent of the students are English-language learners. Minkel was the 2007 Arkansas Teacher of the Year.  He shares his thoughts on where...

Most of us had never heard of the pandemic of 1918 until we ran headlong into the pandemic of 2020.  So from time to time we've come across references to 1918.  But what was it really all about?  Here is an excellent article by Christine Hauser of The New York...

While it may not be written in stone anywhere, I am 100 percent convinced that one of the rules of male peaceful coexistence with the opposite sex is NEVER, EVER utter a breath about a woman's weight. Wayne Reynolds is on the State School Board representing Huntsville...