Of course your first impression of the word GIFT may be God’s grace, or Christmas or birthdays. However, this gift carries a little different connotation than those mentioned above. For the few followers of this blog, let me explain.

In 2005′ my better half received a call from an expectant daughter. It was not a pregnancy issue but more of an itch that could not be scratched.

” Mom, can you keep Kemper ( a four pound Maltese puppy ) for a few days? His constant yapping is stressing me out”. On the surface that did not sound like an unreasonable request.

We had met Kemper on a recent visit and was taken back at how cute he was. And yes, he was very energetic. How could this little ” ball of fur” be a problem? As I arrived home from a business trip my wife called me to the master bedroom. ” Come see our guest”. Sitting on a white duvet I would not have known there was a puppy on the bed other than his black nose and dark eyes. The manner in which he was sitting told me, ” This little bundle of fur acts as if he is king for a day, and he was.

That was almost nineteen years ago. Sadly, Kemper succumbed peacefully to old age a few days ago. During that time he brought us much joy ( and some stress ) but mostly joy. He was our four legged child. As emotional as his passing is, we did find comfort in a wonderful poem from our vet. Beloved pets go to a place called Rainbow Ridge. In short it is described as a heaven for pets. The only time the pets take a break from being happy is when they see the ones that cared for them and the reunion begins.

We have a lovely Momento of Kemper in a place we pass every day. There is always a kind greeting from eah of us. And on some days if you linger a few seconds and listen carefully you can hear Kemper Willie yapping saying, ” Hey guys, how about a little attention”? In the near future there will be a Kemper II, but Kemper Willie can never be replaced. He was an original and as they say, ” When he was born they broke the mold”.

Be safe

Several years ago one of my granddaughters and I were having a conversation about all things how hot the summers were in N.C. Of course, I was quickly reminded of my upbringing in a section of Eastern N.C. that is hotter in the summer than Charlotte. As I was explaining to my granddaughter how hot our little nine hundred square foot home could get in the July and August summers she innocently replied, ” Why didn’t you just turn down the thermostat on the a.c. unit”? After bursting out laughing, I gave her a little history on our thermostat.

As most of the residents in my small town the only “a.c.” unit was a large window fan. Only the upper class on front street could afford the a.c. window units at the time. The installation of the window fan was simple. You placed the fan in the most central window location in the your home. For us it was my parents bedroom. The fan was set up to blow out rather than in. At night we would raise our windows about four inches allowing the window fan to pull damp cool air through the opening. On many a night I would sit directly in front of the opening breathing in the cool air, simple pleasures.

Summers in the South are always hot and humid. As a youngster you accepted the heat as just another season realizing the only relief was heading to Butler Mill Hole for a dip in the pond. And then there were the tobacco fields that offered your only means of earning a few dollars. Imagine standing in the center of a twenty acre tobacco field where you cannot see the end of the row and on a sunny day the temperature is a hundred degrees or more. Youth somehow can disguise hard times, but when its all you know it is alot eaiser to justify. At the end of ten hours in a tobacco field you looked forward to three things, getting your five dollar wage, washing the tobacco gum off your body, and sitting in front of the window with the fan blowing damp cool air on you. Oh! the only thermostat setting we knew was low, medium, and high.

Stay cool and be sage.

Edward-Bulwer Lyton, a playwright from the 1830’s ( Are you kidding! Of course I Goggled it) wrote the line, ” The pen is mightier than the sword”. In today’s world I beg to differ.

Residing in the largest city in N.C. it appears the current fashion trend for the younger generation is not Polo, Lu-Lu Lemon or Nike ( wait for it) ” Do you own a Golck 9, Beretta, or AR-15″? Forgive my old age stupidity, but where the hell do these misdirected juveniles get the money to purchase a Glock or an AR-15?

“Mom, I opened a savings account today” ” Son, that is wonderful. What are you saving for, college”? “No Mom, the black market is selling gun’s to any race, color, creed, or mental instable person for half price”. Forgive my sarcasm, but in reality it is that simple to purchase a gun.

Probably if you are one of the few left that reads this silly little blog, you know where your children are after eleven o’clock. However, where are the parents of the youth that make the traumatic news headlines at six a:m the next morning. ” Youth (s) shot and killed at two-thirty a:m in downtown Charlotte.” It may be old fashioned in today’s politically correct world of raising children, but would it be such a “grave” injustice to ask the five W’s. WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE AND WHY?

Recently my neighbor asked me, ” Joe, if you could go back ten years in time, would you do it”? My reply, ” Not in today’s world”. With indifference to Mr. Lyton’s quote, in today’s world the sword has become more mightier than the pen.

For God’s sake, be safe.

His Christian name was Richard, known to everyone in our small town as Dick. The locals thought nothing of seeing Dick all around town. It was only the tourist that rubbernecked at the only stoplight in town as they headed to Myrtle Beach. You see, Dick was born with no legs. His torso stopped at his waistline

Dick would navigate the sidewalks using small paddles for maneuvering his skateboard. His movements were as fluid as the famous skateboarder Tony Hawk. To the locals it was not his birth defect that was unusal, it was his exceptional talent as a window painter. If this form of talent had ever been categorized, Dick would have been as famous as Andy Warhol.( famous painter of Marilyn Monroe and Prince). In order for Dick to be able to center the lettering for a window he had small pallets that acted as scaffolding which he could climb like a skilled gymnest. For those passing through town that might stop for Cox’s Hamburgers or peep into Azzie’s Barber Shop they were amazed at his talents. Dick was very eccentric usually from a hangover from his love of moonshine. He would growl at on lookers, ” What is the big deal with all the staring, never seen an artist at work”. And of course there would be a few expletives thrown in for effect. His only trademark was the small D.H. painted in the last letter on the window. Dick and his wife only lived in our town for six months a year. The rest of the year they traveled the South with a carnival.

When I was in the eighth grade one of the highlights was the annual trip to the N.C. State Fair in Raleigh. As me and three of my bud’s strolled the midway, the marquee at the large tent advertised, ” see the siamese twins, the sword swallower, tatoo lady ( Dick’s wife), seven foot giant, bearded lady and other freaks of nature.” for the small admission of twenty-five cents. Halfway through the sideshow we came upon the “man with no legs”. As we approached Dick he smilled ,” Hey boys, how are things in the Boro?” We just replied, ” Good Dick, when will you be coming home?” He said, ” Probably September”.

As we exited the tent we began to laugh. We had just spent twenty-five cents to see Dick H. our hometown anomaly.

Be safe.

Patience leads people to believe waiting WITHOUT AGITATION is an admirable quality. Patience is also Biblical ( Galatians 5:22-23 ). As my family will attest when God passed out patience, I must have been standing under a tree.

Having been blessed with good health for eighty-plus years, it has been very difficult in the last several months to deal with some major health issues. Enduring numerous medical procedures and enough medicines to stock the local CVS getting back to a ” normal ” lifestyle is a daily process. Of course as my family would comment, ” Doc, he never was normal, so do the best you can”. Realizing these new chapters of getting well were not in the scheme of things, my patience has been running very thin. I commented to my cardiologist recently ” In my small home town, baking soda and vinegar would unclog anything”.

After a blood clot procedure and two heart catheterizations I had somewhat of an epiphany regarding patience. When one of the best cardiologist in the South looks you in the eyes and says,” Your steps to better health are not sprints, they are marathons, so put on your patience pants and let’s get you better”. Kindy puts everything in perspective.

I am working on other fascists of my patience. However I still get a little peeved when the driver in front of me is texting while the stoplight is green. Forever gratful to all.

Be safe.

In 1985 Michael J. Fox and Christofer Lloyd starred in the highest grossing movie of the year Back To The Future. If you had the opportunity to see the original or any of the sequels the story line is Michael J. Fox returned to his younger years in a time machine. So, if you would indulge me for a few moments allow me to take you back to my youth from the late forties and early fifties.

I was raised in a small textile town in Eastern N.C. In the summers you woke to a hot humid house and in the winter you woke to a chilly and/or cold house. After dressing in whichever attire the season called for, you made your way to the small kitchen for breakfast. Breakfast was an adventure because on many occasions you were on your on. ( side note: my mom worked the mill and needed to leave home by 5:30 a:m. My dad was the butcher for the mill’s general store requiring him to leave by 7:00 a:m, thus the adventure for breakfast.). My perfect breakfast was my grandfather Troy frying eggs and cornbread fritters in the same skillet. His secret for this combo was a slather of mustard between the fritter and the egg. I know what you are thinking, it was an acquired taste. If Troy had too much moonshine the night before and was a no show, we did have options.

Our second option was loaf bread lightly buttered with a slab of hoop cheese on top thrown into a hot oven until the cheese was golden brown. Option three was rice from last night’s supper scooped into a glass and covered with a half glass of milk. This may have been Kellogg’s first version of Rice Krispies before today’s modern version. ( hells bells, we could have been eating a million dollar enterprise) The last option was then and STILL TODAY—–wait for it—-a mustard sandwich. My family thinks I am weird ( and rightly so) when asking, ” what did you have for lunch”? Answer, ” a mustard sandwich, pickle, and chips”. Jersey Mike’s eat your heart out.

You may be asking, “what promoted this topic”? When I walked into our kitchen for morning coffee, here were the choices of appliances and food selections: Keurig coffee maker, Ninja Air Fryer, microwave oven, Gerorge Foreman grill, and of course an oven. There were three types of cereal, instance grits and oatmeal, sixty second egg omelet, sweet rolls, and raisin bread whew!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AS my coffee cup was slowly filling up, yes I felt blessed, however it did take me back to my upbringing. In my mind for just a few moments it was my Back To The Future.

Be safe.

No dear friends, this has nothing to do with the politicians in Washington, DC. Back in the day if you traveled from the Western part of North Carolina toward Wrightsville or Carolina Beach more than likely you traveled Highway 211East. As you crossed the county line from Robeson into Bladen County your landscape changed from open fields of tobacco to the inner sanctum of The Big Swamp. Hwy. 211 suddenly became more narrow with black waters pushing against the shoulders of the highway, giant oaks and cypress trees creating a canopy over the highway that almost blocked out the sun. The swamp could be chilling and mysterious, but also inviting.

In it’s prime The Big Swamp was a haven for hunters and fisherman. There were white tailed deer, waterfowl galore, black bear, and some of the best fresh water fishing in North Carolina. It was also a haven for poisonous snakes, alligators, and black waters quick to swallow up the curious of heart. Of course for the locals ( yours truly ) in our minds it was our sandy white beach or sorts just like Wrightsville. Just as the hotel swimming pools would post warning signs, ” no diving” or ” no lifeguard on duty”, the swamp had it’s warning signs as well. The exception, these warnings were not printed on signs but warnings from the locals. Beware of water moccasins falling in your boat from dead tree limbs, objects that look like floating logs but upon closer inspection revealed bulging eyes just above the water line, or something large moving through the waters edge that was not a whitetail but a black bear. Being young and impetuous our mind set was, ” no danger here, full speed ahead”.

In our small town hazing was not even a word in our vocabulary, however there was a rite of passage that deemed you swamp worthy. It was simple, you just bailed your butt off the twenty foot high bridge that spanned the “Big Swamp”. The black current would sweep you down river for fifty yards like a feather in a whirlwind. We were reckless but mature enough to have spotters down river to assist anyone that needed help. No one was coerced into jumping. If it was a bad hairday you simply commented, ” maybe next time”?

As in any small town there are yarns spun beyond belief. You know “the six pound crappie that got away” or the ” twelve point buck that spooked before I could shoot”. And of course in the fifties, ” The Beast of Bladenboro” ( worth the Goggle) that was never solved.

Yes, the swamp was the playground for the young and old of heart. As some of can attest too ( yours truly) there were unwritten rules at times learned the hard way. The most important rule, ” when you take the Big Swamp for granted it’s black waters would swallow you up and still remain mysterious and inviting”.

Be safe.

On the eve of ringing in 2023′ ( Holy cow, I’ve been around for eighty-one of these going on eighty-two). In order to keep your minds sharp for the new year, how about a word game? Okay then. What part of our anatomy is associated with the synonyms: love, compassion, sympathy, feelings, mercy and sensitivity? I am impressed, you knew after the first word the heart.

A few days ago my better half asked if I had made any New Year resolutions? Not being a fan of resolutions, I answered, ” no”. After binging on every football bowl game imaginable resolutions began to resonate with me. ” Let’s see, I will not win the lottery, cannot do at eighty-one what I did at sixty, and my eighteen year old Maltese will still not come to me when I call him”. It may sound weird, but due to some recent medical issues the heart came to mind.

Do you realize the average heart beats 100,000 times a day? And, yes for millions of us it is taken for granted, until you are made aware your heart is not to be taken for granted in the future. Soooo! what does one do when the ” taken for granted heart” becomes a medical issue? After you recover from the mental ” gut punch” you follow the doctor’s instructions to a ” T “. And folks the procedures and medicines are new territory for this old guy. And second as important, psychologically you hope your heart is filled with the synonyms as mentioned in the first paragraph. And may I add faith to that list. Wishing you the best for 2023′.

Be safe.

Even though I have been writing this little blog since 2019′, I do not consider myself a writer. I must admit as simple as a blog may appear on numerous occasions you experience ” writers block “. At the recent Thanksgiving family gathering one of my granddaughters suggested, ” Why don’t you write about your grandchildren again”? In 2019′ I did offer a short overview of my grandchildren where they were then and to continue in the waining months of 2020′, ” where they are now”. So please indulge my ” Deja Vu ” writing about my ” young and restless” brood of grandchildren. ( Side note: they are all intelligent, pretty, and confident ).

( Y&R One) My ” personal golf coach” and her best friend are now entrepreneurs. ” PATH FORE SUCCESS” is their website designed for the young golfer with aspirations of pursuing a golf scholarship at a college or university. Their website ” cuts to the chase ” on the where, when, what and how for assistance getting your teenage golfer out front and noticed by the college coaches. (Y&R Two) In 2018′ this grand daughter decided private enterprise may be safer than carrying a badge. That decision has made her a rising star in the wine industry. Talk about starting in the trenches? Even with a college degree her initial entry entailed cutting open wine boxes, shuffling wine from the crates to the shelves, restocking slow moving products with best selling products. Today she heads up regional sales and can rattle off French and Italian brands almost as well as Ina Garten ( almost).

(Y&R Three and Four) These two grandchildren were pursuing a future in education, more specific teaching. Remember the old adage of the dog chasing the car and did not know what to do with it once he caught it? Well, rest assured these two educators know exactly what to do with it. One is in her third year as a fourth grade teacher and the second is in her rookie year as a kindergarden teacher. Hope they keep their memoris, there stories are classics. (Y&R 5) Remember the summer Olympics? My UNC granddaughter swimmer missed qualifying by a gnat’s butt ( I did dress up the gnat’s butt). This year she is captain of the women’s swim team and is experiencing fantastic success. On top of that, she will be working toward her Master’s Degree in Accounting next year. Yes Mildred, there are smart student/athletes out there.

(Y&R 6 ) This member of the brood is a rising Sophomore at three time national football champs, Clemson University. As we chatted over the Thanksgiving holidays about every topic from A to Z it dawned on me, ” am I talking with Dr. Phil”? Yep, you guessed it, she is studing psychology and I may have been her first case study . If counseling becomes her ultimate profession, she is a triple threat. She is smart, compassionate, and understanding. (Y&R 7,8,9 ) If they still have superlatives in high school these three will be ” Most Likely To Succeed”. They remind me of the Energizer Bunny of battery fame. College after high school seems certain for the two Seniors because of their academic excellence and community involvement. If Baptist played poker ( haha) one of these would do a leg kick if she got a pair of deuces, while the other would be holding a royal flush and the expression would never change. My high school Junior may follow in her sister’s foot steps as a college swimmer. The U.S. Naval Academy, UNC, and other colleges are expressing an interst in her. If the world can be changed, these three will be right in the middle of it.

(Y&R 10) A little over a year ago in God’s infinite wisdom, He needed a young well rounded All-American young man for a special position. Needless to say our grandson got the job.

Be safe.

When the philosopher Diogenes was asked, ” Why do you go about with a lamp in broad daylight?” He confessed, ” I am looking for an honest man”.

Can I assume ( yes, I know what a happens when you assume) there is none among us that has never used the following excuses:” He or she made me do it”, ” It”s not you, it’s me” ( usually a break up relationshsip), ” That never occurred to me”, or ” It’s not my fault”. The bottom line, we have all been thrown ” under the bus” from time to time. Sadly to say, in today’s world being held accountable for one’s actions is null and void.

Please excuse me while I take a moment to regurgiate today’s world. I am not sure if the people supposedly in charge of the world irritate me the most, or the people who follow them like sheep jumping off a cliff. How gullible we have become to accept a person’s ideology on Monday and on Tuesday their ideology has rotated a hundred and eighty degrees. While I have one foot on my soap box, why on God’s green earth would anyone be inclined to run for public office ( except for potential financial gains). You do realize your public and personal life ( true or false ) will be plastered all over the world. Not until this last election did I realize three streets over was a bank robber, car thief, and scam artist running for the school board. ( Not true, it was four streets over—just some levity there).

Maybe it’s me, but if a political ad can sway my vote there is a problem with me. Can I get an amen on term limits? However,I am reminded Jesus was crucified for thirty pieces of silver. If all the political rhetoric is correct I must ask the question, ” Is there an honest person among them”?

Be safe