Some "greats" are just "greater" than other "greats"!

It's always "GREAT TO BE AN AUBURN TIGER" but sometimes the feeling of pride looms larger than at other times. Such was the case yesterday when the unranked Tigers took on #4 Florida in Florida. No one believed Auburn could win - especially all the sports commentators. Most had Florida a three-touchdown favorite and some had it even more than that!

Florida Coach Urban Meyer had never lost a game in Florida and was pretty sure his team would have no trouble putting Auburn away in short order. Florida was also hoping for another shot at a national title this year. Supposedly, they have a #1 quarterback (Tebow) who is touted as one of the top best three in the nation.

Auburn's team has young players and a quarterback who had a rough start this year and by all calculations and all common sense, Auburn was supposed to lose and lose big! The only thing wrong is that apparently, nobody told the Auburn players that! And apparently Coach Tuberville gave his "Little Engine that Could" speech just at the right time and Auburn came on the field ready to win!

We had to beat Florida and also beat the referees - for instance, when a Florida player had the ball in his hand and got hit and then Auburn was penalized for hitting him because he didn't have time to call for a "fair catch"! That was preposterous!

Our freshman kicker had to end up kicking a field goal twice due to a little trickery on the part of Florida's desperate coach but all in all, we played hard and deserved to win! Our young defense just about shut down Florida in the first half and kept Tebow from showing off his stuff.

My hat is off to you, Tigers! You gave your fans a great game! Thanks and WAR EAGLE!

The VFW Fair Begins!

The DeKalb County VFW Fair has won 1st Place honors for Best County Fair in Alabama for years and last night I attended the opening night of this year's event.

There are the typical carnival rides, and judging of displays with ribbons being awarded for flower arranging, home-canned and home-baked foods, hand work and needle work of all varieties, agricultural products and much, much more!

Being a farmer's daughter and having participated in showing farm annimals at various events, I am always most attracted to that segment of the fair.

My favorite part of last night's visit to the fair was when a little 8-year-old boy (the son of one of my former customers) ran up to me, grabbed me by the arm and insisted that I go look at his prize-winning chicken !

Life is good at the Fair!

BOOM DAYS IN FORT PAYNE

Saturday my home town celebrated its heritage by celebrating the Boom Days in Fort Payne. These were the years from about 1880 to 1893 when the population swelled from 450 to thousands as northern investors came to Fort Payne to invest in the Fort Payne Coal and Iron Company. They built beautiful homes, a huge hotel, and the now famous opera house. As the iron ore fizzled, the investors went back up north but many of the things they left behind are still a large part of our community.

There were people dressed in period costumes, horse and buggys, a smelting display, broom makers, furniture makers, as well as area artisans of all kinds displaying their work.

Fort Payne was honored to host the Gees Bend Quilters. These are ladies whose quilts are world renowned and have such a rich heritage as children and grandchildren of the original quilters carry on the tradition of making gorgeous quilts. I would have bought one but they are pretty pricey but well worth the money. The workmanship on them is unbelievable.

Another interesting display was the folk art work of the late Howard Finster. Again, I would have loved to have purchased something but his work has gotten a little out of my price range. I have a couple of signed prints by him and thankfully, I bought them a long time ago while I could still afford it. Maybe my children and grandchildren can enjoy them for a long time to come.

Finally, Fort Payne celebrated our home town boys Alabama by dedicating a beautiful park in their honor. It is across from Union Park in downtown Fort Payne and has walking trails and will have a beautiful bronze sculpture of the guys when it is completed.

Thanks, Fort Payne, for such a great celebration!

Another Alabamian Sets a Record !

Jeremy Harper, a 31-year-old UAB graduate, computer programmer and valedictorian of his high school graduating class accomplished a goal Friday. He finished counting to 1 million out loud and recorded it all on camera on the internet.http://www.millioncount.com

It took him 89 days to complete the count - days in which he never left his home - just sat there and counted!

I don't quite understand the attraction for doing something such as that but then I don't understand soaking hot dog buns in water so you can swallow hundreds of them in order to win world hot dog eating contests. Maybe I'm just satisfied with mediocrity more than I am interested in setting world records.

There were at least two good things that came out of this: (1) Jeremy raised $10,500 for Push America, a charity for the disabled; and (2) he gave us somebody to read about in the paper besides Nick Saban!

Thanks, Jeremy!

Carrying Low Inventory Eliminates Problems

Several times I week, I pass the G & G Auto Sales car lot and their inventory always seems to be very low. Last week they had one car on the lot and my daughter Susan and I discussed taking a picture and putting it on her blog showing their selection of one! Too late! They have apparently sold the one car they had and now have none! I suppose there are advantages to carrying such a low inventory.

1. If you don't have anything to sell, you don't have to worry about disgruntled customers.

2. If you don't have any employees, you don't have to worry about not making payroll or paying unemployment.

3. If you don't sell anything, you don't have to worry about paying taxes.

4. You don't have to worry about taking trade-ins because you don't have anything to trade.

5. You don't have to worry about rearranging the placement of inventory on the lot so it doesn't look like you don't have anything new, because you don't ever have anything new.

Come to think of it, if I ever decide to have a car lot, I think I'll have one with no inventory - I think it would be a lot easier.

AND - Topping the List of Ridiculous Rules . . . .

I am a huge football fan and certainly not a football expert but for the life of me I can't find one single redeeming feature in the penalty for "too much endzone celebration."

Do they think that one man doing a little dance after running 80 yards is the last stop before he turns to drugs and child pornography?

I think scoring a touchdown should be a cause for celebration. We ask those athletes to risk breaking their bones, splitting their heads open and suffering other serious injuries for the love of the sport but then say - "Don't have any fun with it or we will penalize you."

Yogi Berra entertained fans by jumping into Don Larson's arms after a World Series perfect game - good thing he wasn't playing football - that would not have been allowed.

The further absurdity of this penalty is the fact that it is up to the referee to decide what is excessive celebration and what is not. I saw some guys high-fiving and bumping into each other in the endzone - no penalty. I saw another guy jump up and down twice and hold the ball up high in the air - oops! Can't do that ! Penalty!

I think a lot of old men are making rules for young men who just want football to be a fun game that they can get excited about. In my opinion, making a touchdown is something to celebrate - not penalize!

Mixed Dog Breeds

Mixed dog breeds have come into a world of their own lately. They even have names for them. The Maltipoo, Peekapoo, and Labradoodle are quite popular but there are so many that the breeders have missed, I thought I would come up with some of my own. Here are my suggestions and I invite my readers to add their breeds to the list:

Purebred Canaan Dog + Chow Chow = Purina Dog Chow
Chocolate Lab + Maltese = Chocolate Malt
Cocker Spaniel + Bull Mastiff = Cock n'bull
Teacup poodle + Irish Setter = Tea Set
German Shepherd + Dalmation = Germination
Bloodhound + Kerry Blue Terrier = Blueblood
Whippet + Bull Dog = Bullwhip
Shih Tzu + Bird Dog = Shihtbird

The Three Purchase Categories

I have always said there are three categories of purchases:

#1. These are purchases you need and get excited about making and showing off to your friends; such as, new clothes, new shoes, new cars, new houses, etc.

#2. These are puchases you don't need but make anyway and get excited about making them and showing off to your friends; such as new golf clubs, new jewelry, new motorcycles, new boats, etc.

#3. These are the purchases you need but don't get excited about making and rarely ever show them off to your friends.

Today I had to purchase a new stove! Definitely a category # 3 ! The old stove would start out just fine - on broil or bake - then about halfway through the process, the oven would take on a life of its own, cut off, and the food would sit there sogging for the remaining part of the cooking cycle! I tried going the "repair route" but I think all those people probably get commission on every new item sold because they always tell you it will cost more to fix it than to buy a new one. The "sensor" I needed to repair my old stove was $500 and the new stove was $524. That sort of seemed like a no brainer so for all my friends and family out there who could care less about whether or not I have a new stove, I'm telling about it anyway and am enclosing a picture for your viewing enjoyment!

Today is My Day!

Today is National Left-Handers' Day. (If you don't believe it, look it up) Us lefties deserve a special day. After all, history has not been very kind to us. There is a strong association with things referred to on the left as being bad. The word "sinister" is from a Latin word that means "left", and a left-handed toast amounts to a curse, not a well-wish.

Just one generation ago, many left-handers were forced to change with the rod of the school marm hitting their left hand every time they tried to write with it. My uncle, who was born left-handed, was forced by his parents to switch to being right handed and it caused him to stutter so badly that he had to go to a speech therapist.

Growing up left handed in a right handed world is not easy. I spent most of my college years sitting sideways in a desk which had the arm and desk part of a chair on the right side. I can't really use a power saw, hedge clippers, or a can opener , vegetable peeler, knife sharpener or many other helpful tools and appliances without the threat of amputating my limbs. After ironing with the cord sticking in my stomach for years, I finally learned to iron right handed and the same thing with scissors - just finally gave in and started cutting stuff with my right hand.

Here's a leftie discrimination for you. You can play polo if you are right handed or left handed except polo rules state that you must hold your mallet in your right hand. DUH!

So, for all you lefties out there who struggle in our right-handed world, today is our day ! Enjoy it and go out and play a trumpet or trumbone or strum a guitar (oops, I forgot- you have to be right-handed to do that!)

US Junior Amateur in St. Louis

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the US Junior Amateur Golf Tournament in St. Louis. It was spectacular! The golf course was absolutely gorgeous and the weather was perfect.

Grandson Will advanced to the top 32 out of a field of over 3100 junior amateur golfers and is now ranked number 81 out of a field of thousands of junior golfers throughout the world. I don't know how we could be more proud of his accomplishments. (And he still hugs his grandmom in front of people which is the thing I like most about him. )

World's Longest Yard Sale

It starts today! The 630 mile-long yard sale which goes through several states passes through the area where I live and there is quite possibly more junk than you could ever imagine amassed in one place! There are people who bring huge trucks and trailers to travel the entire distance picking up trinkets they don't want so they can sell them to someone else who doesn't want it so they can sell it to someone else - well, you get the picture. It is some sort of cult, I think. They call it perpetual junking.

Anyway, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I do not have to go out much for the next four days because getting from point A to point B is virtually impossible.

Breaking the Summer Slump

It seems as though I and my fellow bloggers have hit somewhat of a slump this summer. I look every morning and see very little new on the blogsphere so I decided to write an update of things going on in my life.

My grandson Will has been setting the woods on fire with his golf tournaments this summer. He qualified for the US Junior Amateur (only 155 qualified out of over 3000 who attempted to qualify). We are going to St. Louis next week to watch him for a couple of days. Today he is leading by three strokes in a Southeastern Junior Golf Tournament being played in Auburn- having 7 birdies in yesterday's round and finishing with an amazing 67! Way to go, Will!

This past weekend, we gave a little party for our friends, Jeff and Anna, who are getting married in September. It was lots of fun and all the wedding plans seem awesome! My daughter, Amy, will be in the wedding since she and Jeff have been friends since high school.

We had a nice trip to the cabin on Weiss Lake on the 4th. Eric almost tore up something he might need later when he was slung off a float device which was being pulled behind a boat traveling at about 50 mph. Another participant broke two ribs trying the same stunt! I think we probably need to stick to swimming with noodles and forget the motorized water vehicles.

We are enjoying summer and all it brings but are also already talking about football season which is right around the corner.

How about some new posts from my fellow bloggers. Chuck's trip out west, Amy and Eric's fabulous new loft, Susan's golfing excursions, and Heidi's new job would be a good place to start!

Celebrating the 4th of July

Tomorrow I will go with my family to the lake to celebrate the 4th of July. It is probably one of my most memorable holidays. From the time I was very young, I remember celebrating the 4th with family. When I was 6 years old we celebrated by building a new swing in the back yard, cutting watermelon with my grandparents and saying the Pledge of Allegiance (and yes, I still remember that day as if it were yesterday.) Watching the fireworks display at the Hamilton Drive-In was another childhood favorite way to celebrate the 4th.

For many years, we celebrated the 4th at my brother's house where we cooked out, sang songs, wore red, white and blue and saluted the flag. The most memorable of those occasions was July 4th, 1990. Our beloved dad passed away on July 1st and was buried on July 3rd. There was some concern that it would not be appropriate to celebrate so soon after his funeral but as we discussed our options, we decided that was exactly what he would want us to do. He was a true patriot and would have wanted us to continue to remember our country's heritage and the freedoms we enjoy. So we proudly sang the National Anthem with tears streaming down our faces.

Tomorrow, I will proudly celebrate with my wonderful family. We have been blessed in a thousand ways and we are fortunate to live in a country where we can pause for a day and thank God for the opportunity to live in America!

Happy 4th of July!

Bottled Water Reaches $15 Billion Mark

Today, it was announced that we are now paying $15 billion annually for bottled water and yes, I buy my share of it too but I did a little research and found some interesting statistics.

The NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands and found the following:

1/4 of bottled water is bottled tap water.

Much that claims it is "spring water" is brought to the surface by a pump in a well and is then treated with chemicals.

5 brands were sent to a microbiologist to be tested for bacteria and there was no difference in bacteria content in the bottled water and tap water.

Bottled water regulations are inadequate to assure consumers of purity or safety.

Everest water is not from Mt. Everest. It is from Corpus Christi, Texas. Glacier Clear water is not from a glacier in Alaska, it is tap water from Greenville, Tennessee.

Dasani and Aquafina are both reprocessed tap water.

On a final note, a taste test was conducted in NYC and testers were to rate water tastes as bad, average or great. K-Mart brand (which was also the cheapest) won. Aquafina (which is reprocessed tap water) ranked second, Iceland Spring and plain tap water tied for third and Evian (most expensive) ranked dead last.

So, if there is no evidence that bottled water is healthier and there is no evidence that it tastes better, I guess we are just spending $15 billion a year on hype!

But if buying bottled water makes us drink more of it, which we all know is good for us, I say, "carry on!"

Remembering Hazel

My sister-in-law's mother died last night shortly before her 96th birthday! The last seven years of her life were spent in the same nursing home and in the same room where my mother spent her last three years.

Being residents of the Alzheimer's unit was never without interesting moments. While it is sad to watch a loved one's world get smaller and smaller as the disease strips them of their ability to remember much to talk about, there are still many fond memories of their life as "roomies".

They had separate closets but it didn't really matter a whole lot because if they saw a dress or sweater they liked, they just put it on! They both wore dresses and hose every day because that was the daily attire of their generation.

The could entertain themselves for hours looking at a newspaper, reading the same story over and over. They frequently read to each other - the same story, of course.

They could also be in the same room with little conversation taking place but they somehow knew if one needed something and the other one was quick to report it.

Mother and Hazel were friends and they were bound together by a strong family relationship. They were fighters - both living much longer than most of us and they milked all they could out of life on this earth.

Thank you, Hazel, for a life well-lived. You will be loved and fondly-remembered by all who knew you.

A Great Idea !

For the past 30 years, my son has been in a wheelchair and I have watched scores of times as able-bodied people have parked in handicapped spaces, jumped out of their car, and run in a store, taking up the only space in the lot so they wouldn't have to be inconvenienced ! Other than trying to control my utter contempt for the perpetrator, there has been nothing else I could do ----- until now!

Check out this site: www.caughtya.org. You can now just take a picture with your cell phone of the license number of the person illegally parked, send it to this site anonymously, and they will do the rest ! Incidentally, they are always illegally parked unless their vehicle has a tag, or handicapped sticker clearly visible.

This is Really "Off the Chain"

You may have noticed that I like my new expression "off the chain" (stolen from my son-in-law) but there are some things that defy comprehension and this is one of them ----

According to MSN, Paris Hilton's orange-colored prison jumpsuit and underwear are on sale on Ebay - the togs she rejected because they didn't fit properly! I imagine it would be hard to find prison attire which would fit as properly as the designer clothes to which she is accustomed. Wish I could help the government get rid of its surplus clothing but I think I'll just save myself the humiliation of trying to fit into it.

Cruise Bound !!!!

For months, our family has been planning a cruise to the Caribbean and the time has finally arrived !!! We leave this weekend and will visit the Bahamas, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten.

We plan to eat great food, laugh our heads off, do a lot of "vegging", and enjoy each other's company.

Bon Voyage !

And the Winner is . . . . Susan !

After weeks of anticipation, last night's winner of the American Idol family pool was Susan T. ! She was teased by some for having ZERO points leading up to last night's competition but because she was the only person who picked Jordin Sparks to win and she also had two more of the top four so her total points were 240 and she won $210.

Thanks to all who participated - it was lots of fun !

Need to Make a Payment ?

If you need to make a payment on anything, there is a Quick-Shop on Godfrey Ave. in Fort Payne that will take it.