Chicago-round

Chicago is a landscape littered with revolving doors. This is an unnatural way to enter and exit a room for a simple country boy. Cited first as another big city obnoxious annoyance Bubbie's view a been altered... if just a little. He surmises that the functional purpose of the revolver is to keep the weather out. There seems to be no time in Chicago that a chilly wind isn't whistling pasted one's ears and with a revolving door, the door is never really left open. No absentminded employee can leave a door propped open and no chivalrous patron can politely hold the door open for long periods of time and long lines of shoppers. The side affects of revolving doors are the practice of patience since one must wait for each person to walk through, and politeness since, while waiting a turn to revolve, momentary decisions of etiquette are performed as to who goes first. With that comes the thought that, "Hey, I can't stop now that I've revolved or someone is going to rear-end me!" When exiting a revolving door you might hit the person in front of you if the line stops and the person behind you may suddenly be pressed against you for a second of awkward stranger relations. Your mind may be thinking, "Whoa, someone is touching me." But then, after several instances Bubbie tends to think... so what. We're all just people trying to get by. In Bubbie's view, he'll keep going around until he can get back home where a revolver is something that sleeps under your pillow.

Charlie Daniels, Talk Is Cheap

Uncle Bubba was takin' a trip out to L.A. (Lower Alabama), toolin' along in a Chevrolet, tokin' on a number and diggin' on the radio. Just as he crossed the Mississippi line he heard that highway start to whine, and he knew that left rear tire was about to go. Just about this time Charlie Daniels started a-pickin’ and a-singin’ on the radio.

“People say I'm no-good,
And crazy as a loon.
I get stoned in the morning,
I get drunk in the afternoon.
Kinda like my old blue tick hound,
I like to lay around in the shade,
An', I ain't got no money,
But I damn sure got it made.

'Cos I ain't askin' nobody for nothin',
If I can't get it on my own.
If you don't like the way I'm livin',
You just leave this long-haired country boy alone.”

“Ha!” Uncle Bubba laughed right out loud to himself. “Yeah buddy… that mighta been true back in the 70’s when that song came out; well what a different world we live in today!”
He’s been out here amongst these long haired country boys and buzz cut rednecks for that matter and they’re all livin’ on the government. In Bubbie’s view, they’re beggin’, barrowin’, and stealin’. They’re all bitchin’ about Obama but they’re all takin’ the money.

Bubbie's World View

Uncle Bubba sat scribbling on a wrinkled paper, his mind adrift as he gazed out the window.
"Whatcha writin'," I queried.
"I was wondering if there is any place left in the world that people haven't seen," he said thoughtfully.
It seemed rhetorical with the quiet tone of his voice, but then he continued.
"So I was sitting here killing time and started to jot a few things down. I did a little research on figures and do you realize that a persons linear field of view taking in the circumference of the earth can see about 3 miles? Their angular field of view for binocular vision is about 120 degrees. So it would take three people standing back to back to see 360 degrees. The area of that circular field of vision is 28.37 square miles. The earth’s surface area is 57,500,000 square miles so using this formula: 57,500,000/28.37 = 2,026,788.86 X 3 = 6,080,366.58, we see that it would take about 6,080,367 people to see the entire area of the earth."

Todays current world population is 6,875,936,198, so if we divide that by 6,080,367 we'll find that we could see it 1,131 times over. Doesn't the world sometimes feel like a small place? So why are we fighting?

Kentucky Ladies

Uncle Bubba has spent the the entire summer in eastern Kentucky working in the hills and hollers. Arriving in late Spring he has witnessed a turn of seasons and a turn of circumstances. It's late October and he is putting the wraps on another job well done. He has several more weeks before returning home to his Sweet Pea but now he sits in the breakfast area in the lobby of a fine Lexington hotel. Sitting alone he slurps a sip of his hot black coffee and attempts to keep his early morning mind clear for soon enough it will again be hard at work. Try as he might, he can't help but to overhear one of two women who were sitting close by. As his gaze falls upon them he notices that their mere appearances represent the two distinctive flavors of Kentucky women. The woman sitting at the left was angular with her tresses of charcoal gray hair coiffed in a late 1940s or '50s style, bowed up high and rolled back from her high cheekbones, straight slender nose and chiseled chin. She was natural and sweet and sat straight upright while casually nibbling at a muffin while her more pretentious friend on the right sat expounding about the images appearing on her iPad. Her chatty friend was a petite older woman with short blonde, very blonde hair. She had dabbed on a little makeup and, though casual, donned designer clothes. She chatted incessantly about Facebook, Glen Beck, that O'Reilley fella, and Nancy Pelosi. Her rapid fire repartee triggered a thought in Bubbie's sleepy mind. In the past few years he has spent a fair amount of time in hotel lobbies, diners, restaurants, and bars and has noticed a split in the topics of talk depending on similar characteristics.

There are a lot of folks in this still great country that live in much the same way as our rugged ancestors. They work hard everyday and come home to care for their family and home. They survive, doing what they must do and in doing so they try to find some modicum of joy. If you strike up a conversation they speak of the weather, not just in passing but because they have to deal with it; it effects their work, their crops, their weekend plans, or how much money they'll spend fighting it. They share stories of their families and kids. They'll tell you about their day or how great a man their granddaddy was; they may even interject comments about the Lord. They almost never talk about Facebook, Beck, O'Reilly, or Pelosi; that seems to be the loquacious mantra of the upper middle class. But then again one would have to have something to lose to vehemently worry. For as much as technology and TV are useful tools, they are also used even more by the average American as entertainment. Oddly, we've forgotten that. We've stopped thinking for ourselves and swallow everything hook line and sinker. In Bubbie's view, the good old USA was stronger when folks were natural, polite, used common sense and thought for themselves.

Extraordinary Courtesy - Life or Death on the Road

Uncle Bubba has had the occasions to drive many, many miles over the past few summer months; from the deep south of lower Alabama up and down Highway 65 to Chicago, and Highway 75 from Florida to Kentucky and back several times. Aside from the beauty of the American landscape, the one thing that most stands out to Bubbie is the total lack of courtesy. He remembers a time when there was a phrase of "common courtesy" but what was once common is now extraordinary--and not in a good way. The risky and dangerous driving maneuvers that people make at any instant are stunning in so many ways. First and foremost is the fact that they are willing to wreck their vehicle, other's vehicles, physically maim or kill men, women, and children to get one place ahead in a line of traffic; such an inconsequential achievement with such potentially tragic results. No one, and that means no one, will slow to allow another driver in line. Everyone's first reaction is to stand on the gas and speed up to pass. If you are overtaken by the urge to be courteous, and for that matter safe, and you yield to another you'll inevitably be punished for mile after mile by the person behind you tailgating until they can pass you coming as close to hitting you as possible just to make sure you get the message.

Add the fact that people do not want to slow down in a construction zone, or pull over while passing a stopped vehicle on the shoulder, cut each other off at the gas pump, honking their horn moments after a light turns green and racing for a parking place, and you'll see just how rude and self-centered we truly are. In Bubbie's view, we are who we are before we get in a car.

Redneck Nachos

Uncle Bubba walks into the kitchen of his friend Wild Bill in eastern Kentucky and eases himself slowly into one of the wooden chairs at the kitchen table. It's been a long hot summer day of hard work and the two men are starting to think about scarring up some grub. Ain't nothin' worse than being wore out from work and then having to come up with some appetizing dinner.
"You hungry?" Wild Bill asks Bubbie.
"A bit."
"Yeah, me too," says Bill, "but I ain't starvin'... too hot. I wish we had somethin' easy to whip up that goes good with a cold beer."
"Yeah, like some redneck nachos."
Bill's head spins around and his beady eyes focus on Uncle Bubba over his glasses. "Say what?"

Uncle Bubba was working down in beautiful Dauphin Island, Alabama (yeah, that place that the BP oil spill is ruining) and ate a barbecue lunch at a little roadside stand. That was the first time he ate redneck nachos. Now get a pen and paper and write down this recipe; dump some Frito Scoopables on a plate, toss on some pork, baked beans, sprinkled with a mess of cole slaw. In Bubbie's view, it don't get no better than that.

Wild Bill laughs and says, "OK, let's do it! But I'm not so sure that you didn't just make that up."
Uncle Bubba, always the stalwart of honesty and one to give credit where credit is due pulls out his cell phone and laughingly shows Wild Bill the proof:

God Bless Our Troops, Shame On US

Uncle Bubba has been in Kentucky to work with issues associated with the recent flooding. During his work day he deals with members of the National Guard. It is striking to see the youthfulness of the men and women laden with such responsibility. Many, if not most of the troops that Uncle Bubba encountered had been to the Middle East or were new and eventually headed to serve there. Another striking thing that Uncle Bubba witnessed in the backwoods and hollers of Kentucky are the rattle trap, pieces-of-junk humvees that our service people showed up in. Obviously, we expect so much from our military personnel, yet invest nothing in their equipment. In Bubbie's view, we should be ashamed of ourselves.

Alabama Secret Gentlemen's Club

Uncle Bubba was toolin' down Highway 231 in L.A. or should I say... Lower Alabama, when an innocuous looking sign caught the corner of his eye. "What?", he yelled out laughing. He pulled the steering wheel to the left and U-turned in the median; he had to go back and see if he saw it correctly. Sure enough, he did...

SECRETS GENTLEMANS CLUB - BYOB
What in tarnation could be goin' down in the kinda gentlemen's club that ya havta bring your own beer?! Never mind, I don't wanna know.

Good Fences

When young Bubbie was still wet behind the ears he used to grab his daddy's old boat cushion and wade through the tall grass spooking the grasshoppers and dodging the honey bees, venturing out to the ol' charcoal gray split rail fence. With his arm through one of the straps of the cushion, he'd grab each of the weathered, rough and grainy rails and pull himself up. They felt hard as iron, like petrified wood as he climbed high, destined for the top rail. He had his favorite, one with a flat spot near the cross posts where he could precariously balance the boat cushion while he straddled the rail with his little legs and poked his small feet into the straps. Now, mounted on the saddle of his mighty stead, his hands holding the reigns, a short piece of rope tied to the cross posts, he could ride any range. Maybe today he'd punch the doagies grazing aimlessly on the other side of the fence, paying him no mind. Or he might have to save the day of course, chasing away the bad guys.

Now Uncle Bubba is a grown man, mature, life worn, road weary. But as he drives the back country roads of America he passes many old wooden split rail fences and they can at any moment make him smile. Uncle Bubba recalls that even as a young pup he admired the creators of fences; though he never recalls ever seeing anyone build one, they just seem to have always been there, as natural as trees. Yet the work and effort it must have taken to lay them straight and set the posts and rails had to be one of thankless dedication. As straight and true as it's creator could construct, these wooden jigsaw puzzles served a function, built sturdy enough to deter the livestock yet, maybe unexpectedly, esthetically pleasing to one's neighbor. Uncle Bubba has had some experience over the years of building and mending fences. Not the magnificent creations of old but of steel and wire; and in his mind, short cuts as so much of life today is about. Even so it's hard tedious work. But in Bubbie's view, when finished there is a sense of pride and accomplishment that one knows will go virtually unnoticed on the landscape. And he smiles.

FAME!

Yesterday Sweet Pea and Uncle Bubba drove up Hwy 65 through Birmingham to head to northern Alabama. They were escaping Montgomery for a few days to visit Huntsville in the northeast corner of the state. Just north of Birmingham Uncle Bubba decided to crank the wheel hard to the left and detour to the northwest corner of the state to visit Muscle Shoals; in particular Fame Recording Studios. They have been an integral part of American popular music from the late 1950s to the present. Artists who recorded there included Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Tom Jones, Duane Allman, The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bobbie Gentry, Mac Davis, Paul Anka, Etta James, Andy Williams, The Osmonds, Waylon Jennings, Travis Tritt and many others.

Muscle Shoals is a small town just south of the larger city of Florence. They were surprised when they happened to spy the studio at how inconspicuous it was, swallowed up in a busy intersection of CVS, Walgreens, gas stations and every imaginable fast food restaurant. Oh those awful chain stores, a cancer on the American landscape. Anyway, they pull the old Ford into CVS parking lot to access the small studio parking lot. Uncle Bubba excitedly jumped out with my camera and started taking pictures! He couldn't believe he was actually standing in a place that he had heard of all of his life, since he was a pup. This remote place that seemed like a lifetime away from where he grew up. A place that he tried to imagine but could never appreciate because he didn't know where it was, what the landscape and the environment was, what the air smelled like. On this beautifully sunny day, after taking the obligatory pictures outside, Bubbie walked up to the front door to see if they'd let him in and guess what; he and Sweet Pea sashayed right in to the very small reception area fortified by two glassed, cluttered but empty offices on either side and an ancient sectional couch and coffee table. No one was there to greet them but they could hear people in the building so they waited and looked at the many pictures of famous people and gold records that lined the paneled walls. A man came hurriedly down some stairs and, seemingly preoccupied asked if he could help the enamored gawkers. Bubbie asked if he could look around and take some pictures. He said, "Sure, feel free." and walked out the door. Then a receptionist named Suzanne showed up and took them right into the studios! Uncle Bubba couldn't believe it! There are 2 studios, A and B. A is much nicer than B.

Studio A

But with the decor, the smells of wood and carpet and whatever, the sound (that muffled sound-proof air), you'd swear that you stepped into a time capsule and it was 1970! There they were; where all of the magic had happened; where the mystical sounds that came out of our radio speakers for all these years had originated. There were instruments set up; pianos, organs, drums, amplifiers and microphones. Each room had high ceilings and a large semi mirrored window that hid the control rooms. It was incredible. Bubbie and Sweet Pea stayed for a good while and just soaked it all in... he wished he could have stayed for days, even weeks, but he didn't want to overstay their welcome. As they left and drove over the Tennessee River and across the rolling countryside to Huntsville, Bubbie's head was buzzing with dizzy pleasure. He still can't believe that he did it; it feels so great. And thank God that he had Sweet Pea by his side to share it all with. In Bubbie's view, many great adventures are always on the horizon but he thinks that this day will stay with him for a long, long time.

Final Four... Say What?!

Uncle Bubba was watching the Final Four of men's college basketball last night. You know, the March Madness tournament, oh yeah, it's now April but that's another story. So while Duke is playing West Virginia in the later game and the CBS commentators are interviewing Brad Stevens, the winning coach and player Gordon Hayward from Butler University. If you haven't seen coach Stevens, he's a white, youthful looking 33 years old. Gordon Hayward is white as well. CBS Commentator Gregory Anthony, who by the way is black, prefaces his comments with what should be an innocuous statement of casual observance when he says, "You two look like brothers." Say what?! He didn't just say that! What; does he think all white guys look the same? If that had been a white man speaking to two black men, he'd have been fired by the time they came back from commercial! He'd be offering an apology to Reverend Al Sharpton on his way to rehab!

In Bubbie's view, who cares. We've become too politically correct, but if you start a fight you'd better be willing to finish it. Don't accuse others for things unless you're willing to take equal responsibility.

Air Show

Uncle Bubba has drifted back to Montgomery and this weekend there's an air show. Being a heavily populated area of military bases, the show is a big deal. The news has warned of traffic issues and urged patience in getting around the city. Now if y'all have been reading this blog, you'll know the Uncle Bubba is not fond of crowds. It didn't take him long to decide that he'd be avoiding the area off the air show but would also keep an eye to the sky to perhaps catch an awesome sight of aeronautical daring. Uncle Bubba really enjoys flying and has soloed himself. This got him thinking, or should I say reminiscing about some great moments of his childhood. Growing up in a time that now seems so remote from our present techno-culture, it was a time of no cell phones, no PCs, no video games, and 4 stations on TV. Every so often little Bubbie's grampa would take him to the small community airport out beyond the boundaries of their town. He recalls his grampa strategically parking near some hangars and inviting him to get out of the car. Bubbie would poke his little fingers through and hang onto the chain link fence and peer through the diamond shapes to see if an airplanes were around. His grampa would keep reminding him to look to the sky to see if he could spot any. Every so often they'd get lucky and one might be circling and landing or just taking off. His grampa would always spin a tale of adventure to accompany each event; the folks on the plane may be returning from a safari or taking off to land on a far off indian reservation. Young Bubbie somehow knew that the ephemeral moments that he and grampa shared were more wondrous than the mysteries of flight they each marveled at. And now, in Bubbie's view, later in life, the lessons of a few quite hours shared with someone you love seem far more precious than texting, shopping online, virtually killing people for entertainment, and tuning out to 500 channels of stupidity.

Ode to Sweet Pea

Sweet Pea is one of a kind. One doesn't have to spend much time in the company of Sweet Pea and Uncle Bubba to notice something special, something just a little bit different. Though they've been together near about 30 years, they act like a couple of pups in love. Uncle Bubba will tell you that he can only account for his side of the relationship, and in doing so will tell you that he chooses to only focus on Sweet Pea's best qualities. And brother let me be the first to tell ya that there's a lot of them! In Bubbie's view she is still that sweet and sassy innocent little girl that he first laid eyes on... well, it seems like just yesterday. Yes, she's attractive to say the least, but there's an aura about her; classy yet hmm... I don't know. She's glamorous and earthy. She is kind and warmhearted, always ready with a big smile. She is generous to a fault and has opened her home to many a stranger or wayward friend. She won't mince words when she speaks her mind but prefers silence for quiet's sake. She's as protective as any mama bear and I dare say will back Uncle Bubba to the death. She'll defend her man whether he needs it or not.

Once when I mentioned how much I admired their relationship, Uncle Bubba flat out told me that the best feeling he ever had was when he first laid eyes on Sweet Pea and then tried to speak to her without making a dang fool of himself. "It was like floating on a cloud and I never wanted to come down." He added, "So I won't." I get it. We have the mind and the will to do anything. Why not stay in a place that you absolutely love? After all, as Uncle Bubba says, we have free will and it's our choice.

I've never spoken to Sweet Pea about such matters, but something tells me that I'd get the same response. And I can tell you that after knowing them both for so long, Uncle Bubba relishes delving into the mysteries of life and Sweet Pea is always right behind him; I dare say a match made in heaven. Everyone should be so blessed as to have a Sweet Pea of their own.

Saturday Night In The Bayou

Uncle Bubba had his fill of a long work week and a nice sized bundle of greenbacks in his pocket to show for it. He had made up his mind early in the day that he was going to twist off from the usual routine and treat himself to a little fun. After all, all work makes Bubbie a dull boy and runs completely counter to his general life's philosophy. He's told me many times that he's "tryin' to live 3 lifetimes in one."

He returned to his hotel room in Mobile for a shower and change of clothes before jumping back in his pickup and slipping under the Bankhead tunnel under the river. He rolled up to Felix's Fish House for a nice dinner of cornmeal fried oysters, crab soup, and corn & jalapeno fritters. The place was packed but Bubbie found a table in the bar. I tight little 3 piece band was playing low in the corner; he heard some Creedence, Little Feat, and Dilbert McClinton to name a few artists that the band covered. An hour, and too full, later it was time to move on. With no desire to head back to the lonely hotel he drove to some neon lights dimly shining down the road. There, jacked up on pylons, sat the Drifters bar. He could hear music playing from inside as he stepped out of his truck and it grew louder as he climbed the stairs in anticipation; this could be the worst places he's ever been or a diamond in the rough...

Stepping into the smokey bar he was surprised at how few patrons seemed to be present, but it was still early, he thought. The band was playing and they sounded good, though he can't recall their name. They were a four piece group that played much louder than the last band he had heard just minutes ago. But it was a fairly big joint and the sound carried well so it didn't seem overpowering. Bubbie saddled up to the bar and ordered a beer while politely smiling to others eying him. I should say that Uncle Bubba has an essence that tends to draw attention, whether wanted or unwanted. I can't say what it is, but something about him makes one take notice, though Bubbie is oblivious to it. Its somewhat comical but he always thinks he blends right in with any crowd. So grins and nods are passed around the room as he settles in. Invariably some local yokel will start chatting with him about where he's from or politics; neither topic is one that Bubbie cares to cultivate. But he'll politely defer. He notices an outer area through the back of the room and maneuvers that way. As he steps out onto the deck he's taken aback at the crowd hanging out and just having one helluva party and the view of the moon shining off of the water below. Before you know it it's drinks all around and singing along with the band; the parties on brother! Bubbie's view is a little hazy but he remembers singing Sweet Home Alabama (several times), shaking a lot of hands, and shooting back through the tunnel under the river. Good times in the bayou on a Saturday night!

Goin' Mobile To Mobile

Uncle Bubba traversed the Tensaw Delta like a skippin' stone skittering across bayou. He was clicking down 65 south through the cypress stands as the twin towers of the bridge, like great arched ladders rose into view on the horizon. The elevated highway merges onto 165 which mercifully carries it's travelers over the rough areas of Prichard with Mobile on the near horizon.  Its a task to take in Mobile coming in off of 165 because it literally drops you off on North Waters Street which runs along the docks on the left and the City on the right. The enormous cranes, lined up like so many gargantuan skeletal bones at a museum; quietly looming, waiting for they're prey to pass by. The city itself is the epitome of a southern port town. It's southern charms are typically grand, formal, and quaintly dignified. The historic downtown area around Dauphin St. and Joachim St. is dressed in wrought iron lace and its own rival to the New Orleans French Quarter.

Uncle Bubbie has landed and checked in to bed down for the night, but not before a nightcap at Veet's Bar on Royal St.; Doug Previto and the Family Jewels are layin' it down as usual. In Bubbie's view, a few days and nights in Mobile is gonna be a great thing.

Miss Montgomery & Hank

Here's more details from Uncle Bubba's letters from the road. He wrote...

Howdy Y'all,

Yesterday was quite a day! I checked out of my hotel in Montgomery and wanted to see some sights before leaving town. It was early so I drifted over to the cemetery and visited Hank Williams grave site. It's quite a memorial; the twin towers of Miss Audrey and Luke the Drifter! I then headed down hill and downtown to partake in the Hank Williams museum. It is a small but interesting exhibit with some maudlin and macabre things on display. Y'all, when a person dies, and you show up to see their things, y'all are probably gonna see some strange stuff. A lot of the stuff is owned and on loan from Hank Jr., like Hank's '52 Cadillac convertible, the back seat of in which he expired. OK, I could deal with that... this car was very important to him. But there written on a sign outlining the cars history declared that Hank Jr. wound up with the car and drove it to high school for 3 years! I mean, would you wanna drive around the car that your daddy died in? I'm just sayin"... 

From there I drove up to the other end of the city, which is about a dozen blocks and stopped at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where Dr. Martin Luther King was pastor. Interestingly it is one block from the State Capital Building. I walked around to take some pictures and there was a civil rights rally going on at the Capital Building; lots of black folks holding signs and police standing around watching them... a bit surreal. On another corner by the church, three angry black people were holding up signs of Jesus and yelling through a bullhorn at me, "the whites" for lying and mistreating them. Whoa; it must be hard y'all to be that angry all the time.

From there I drove around the block and on the opposite side of the capital, just across the street, is an old grand house that was the First White House of the Confederacy. It was the residence of President Jefferson Davis and family and is now a museum, but unfortunately it was closed. I sat on the front steps for a while and wondered what Montgomery must have been like in the 1850's and 60's. Hey, my 2nd grade teacher was Miss Montgomery! She was young and pretty. So with the morning fading I'm hitting the road and headed to Mobile. I'm gone.

Oh Montgomery

Uncle Bubba spent an oddly snowy day in Atlanta yesterday. The billions of large white flakes fell like little feathers from the sky and littered the bare winter ground with bleached crystal specks.  The cold wet dark asphalt seemed to creep up through the bottom of his shoes and chill his leg bones. After a restless nights sleep he left Atlanta this morning and arrived in Montgomery, Alabama early this afternoon. Crossing the GA / AL boarder also crosses the timeline into central time so Bubbie gained an hour. It was a beautiful day and driving along red highway 85 through the countryside was quite scenic; lots of hardwoods and farmland. Shooter Jennings' "God Bless Alabama" was cranking on the radio as Bubbie sped across the State line. 

Montgomery appears to be of considerable size with some very new parts in the east and some very, very old parts. Uncle Bubba crosses the Alabama river, twice, to get to work. He drives through abandoned brick warehouses and tall rusted water tanks that remind him a dinosaur bones. As the days here unfold, he expects to explore more and more. There is the Hank Williams museum, his burial site, and the museum which was the Whitehouse of the Confederacy. The folks seem very friendly and and typically southern polite. In Bubbie's view the most exciting adventure still lies ahead as he travels out into the outlying communities and witnesses how people really live.

Atlanta's Burnin' Down

Hey Y'all! Don't y'all just love that Dickey Betts song; "Atlanta's Burning Down"? Uncle Bubba had it fired up on the radio as he burned into Atlanta at twilight this evening after a sunny first of March. The smoke was rolling off of his tires as rounded the corner into the hotel parking lot just in time to stretch a leg and calm a nerve. On the way along highway 75 passed numerous signs for BBQ and he got himself a powerful hankerin' whilst traversing the asphalt monster... traffic was heavy and from the GA boarder north to Macon; it seemed like one looooong construction zone. Anyways, he passed the Old Hickory Restaurant by the hotel so he doubled back after check-in and got some good, old fashioned Georgia Barbeque. 3 meats, beef, pork, and ribs, mmmmm...

He come out smellin' a whole lot more aromatic than he did goin' in; like hickory smoke! In Bubbie's view, he's off to a great start on his rode trip. He just wishes y'all could be here to share in it with him. If yer game, he'll load y'all in the back of his pickup and tote y'all along!

A Day With The Duke

Uncle Bubba drove out to the ranch to visit with the Duke. It was one of those nice winter days where the sky is blue and bright beyond the bricolage blanket of alabaster clouds, and though the grass is straw brown, the air feels like Spring might show up and show out in a few days. It was one of those drives where you don’t care when you every really get there; everything looks beautiful and you notice every little detail of scenery as you speed past.

Uncle Bubba cranked on the steering wheel and turned off of the hard road onto the thin lime rock road that leads to paradise. It cuts razor straight thru a small pine forest and the bronze brown Mexicans with there jet black hair could be glimpsed between the shadowy rows of pine, hand raking pine straw into great mounds. They looked startled to see Bubbie pass by. Beyond the pines and thru a wooded pasture of lazy bovine, the sky opens up to shine brightly on the pastures that surround the ranch. The Duke's house sits poised in the middle beyond the trail of old live oak trees dressed in Spanish moss. Bubbie rounds the bend by the barn and rolls into the tunnel of oaks that stand like sentries along the drive to the main house. On the other end of the trees the dogs run up to greet every visitor with much to-do and barking; they are always happy to get company.

Uncle Bubba parked and already feeling satisfied, rolled out of the driver’s seat. It was good to be in the country; there is something so cathartic in it for him. It pleasantly touches a place in his soul that connects him to the Universe, the best in mankind and its history. The Duke is boarding some juvenile delinquents also known as the five thoroughbreds. They are tall, reddish brown young horses that are as beautiful as they are wild. The Duke has them fenced along the pasture by Bubbie’s parking place and to see them all in a line up is quite impressive. They are nervous power, flexed muscle and restless strength. They were born to run…run at full speed, and they don’t care if they have a rider, that would just cramp their style.



The Duke and Miss Dixie are as cordial and nice as ever to see their ol’ friend. Greetings are passed around to be savored and appreciated. There is no hurry to catch up, there’s always time to do that. The Duke always has chores to work and errands to run and his pardner Bubbie is always obliged to partake. The boys loaded up the white Ford pickup truck with supplies. The Duke kissed Miss Dixie and off they rode, back out the dusty lime rock rode. They talked about cattle feed mixtures, trucking operations, cow fecal testing and other pleasantries. Stopping at a filling station for diesel fuel they grabbed some fried chicken breasts and gizzards and a Coke for lunch. Yessir, life don’t get much better than that. It is living the moments of life that Bubbie is most interested in, and gathering the riches of giving. The day will pass as sure as the sun arcs across the sky and Uncle Bubba will return home to Sweet Pea. What could be better than that? The opportunity to do it again of course.

Happy New Year, 2010!!

Happy New Year! Here it is 2010 with a chance to start over once again and get it right. We can resolve to get on the good foot and be better people then just see it through. How hard is that? Do we really need someone else, some “expert” to tell us how to be better people, better Americans? What do these “experts” know that we don’t? Do y’all remember one of our national mottos; “United we stand, divided we fall?” Uh... we’re falling; what’s that tell y’all? How about our current national motto; “In God we trust.” Seems pretty straight forward to ol’ Uncle Bubba. How ‘bout we look inside our own hearts and take responsibility for the way we treat our neighbors. You be the expert of your own life. You are an expert on being nicer, kinder, better person; you just need to see it through.

God Bless the Ranchers, God Bless the Farmers

Uncle Bubba was driving through central Florida headed north. For a man that has made the trip many times over the past nearly 20 years, it’s an oddity. It is definitely a case study in how mans’ greed and ignorance can ruin the environment as well as another man’s livelihood and lifestyle. Where it was once vast rolling green vistas of pastures and prairies, it is now a vista of shingled hip roofs. Fighting traffic and following ineptly poor drivers trying to get back to the country is nearly futile. There are miles and miles of highways and county roads that wind through what used to be ranch land. Now it’s just a cancerous growth of neighborhoods; a blight of cookie cutter homes and strip mall storefronts and gas stations. Myriads of fake grand landscaped entrances to second-rate developments appear for mile after mile. Uncle Bubba pulled out a detailed map of Florida and figured that, discounting wildlife management areas and parks and wetlands, one is never more than 2 miles from a road throughout most of the state. So have no fear if you should get lost, you don’t have far to go to find someone to give you guidance. Every so often you may round a curve and see a few lazy cattle grazing amongst their white cattle egret friends. In view of a few scattered palms or some old growth oak trees, they are sandwiched between developments where a rancher is trying to hold on to a dying business and lifestyle. You see, a man that makes it his life to make a living from the land has a different agenda. It only behooves him to take care of the environment and keep the things of nature in go working order for the long haul.

This says very little for the man whom chooses to be a developer as a profession. It’s painfully obvious that their god is money and their goals are shortsighted. Any thought of the future generations doesn’t enter their one track minds. Having an eye for esthetics, Uncle Bubba can easily point out the shoddy workmanship in the acres and acres of houses. It’s obvious to the trained eye that these homes are not built to last; rather they are built for a quick profit.

Shame on the rest of us that sign on the dotted line; we can’t wait to have our new home built and to hell with the land that was once a pristine wetland; after all, it was already stripped and plowed over, and we just bought one little spot. To hell with the rancher or the farmer who is dedicated to producing food for our tables. We don’t need them anyway; we can get our food from other countries cheaper. Who cares if it’s raised in sub-par standards with unrestricted use of chemicals and pesticides? Who cares if the livestock are mistreated and diseased? Who cares if we put our own families out of work? In Bubbie’s view, it is just this limited and expendable mentality that has created this once wonderful nation’s current disappointing condition. But then again we all know it, we just don’t care.

Lets Go Green!

Let's go green? Ha! You selfish son-of-a... In the light of the new revival to go green it has become the fashion to reuse and recycle and renounce. Isn’t it sad that we have to be sold on the idea that going green is good, only because its fashionable. What? you say. I am going green because I care about the environment. Really. So the ad campaigns and celebrity endorsements had nothing to do with it? Are you so lost in your own delusions of self importance that you’ve failed to notice that we have had to have a television channel dedicated to going green to make you feel good about yourself? Of course you realize that all of this marketing requires environmentally damaging energy to produce.

In Bubbie’s view, we should have never been un-green. God created us; He created the green earth. He gave us dominion over the earth with all of its sustainable resources to keep us alive indefinitely. He gave us intelligence, which no other creature has. And with our intelligence we are able to interpret and manipulate matter. So we are creators, just as God created us. So then, that is how God created us in His image. He made us all creators. To be able to interpret and manipulate matter can only be for our benefit or our detriment. Why would we want it to be for our detriment? Why would we want to destroy what God has given us? Why would we take the green earth, which is supposed to sustain us indefinitely, and ruin it so that we will all eventually perish? What is the point? But if we live in harmony with the earth, we use it resources to sustain our lives, and we use our intelligence to replenish what we use, then we are using our creator-ness in a responsible way. The only thing outside of our own sustenance is to take care of one another. That is our purpose. We are creators, we are to survive, we are to take care of one another and love one another. It is our motives that are in question. In Bubbie’s view, we should be green because we love our creator and His creation, not to brag to our peers how wonderful we are to reuse and recycle.

2010 Yobabytes Part 2

To expand on Uncle Bubba’s comments on knowing too much, he offered these points in our conversation. Consider email, texting, tweeting, facebook, myspace, etc... within seconds we can know anyones’ business. We can know their personal data that they voluntarily post like their birthday, address, schools they attended, etc... We know about they’re relationships, no matter how nasty or embarrassing. We can know all about their antics at every party, no matter how nasty or embarrassing.

We carry our cell phones everywhere, all the time. We text and tweet and check our email. We are constantly in touch and believe everything we read. We voluntarily contribute to gossip about our selves since we only write about what we are doing and what we think. Admit it, we only really care about what we are saying and not what someone has told us; not unless its juicy gossip.

Now consider your grandmama’s day. The folks of that era lived their lives in private behind closed doors. It was taboo to air their dirty laundry in public. Words were chosen carefully and actions were judged on their merit. The person in their immediate company was their primary focus. They had the time, and took the time to get to know someone; and with much invested they cherished long and meaningful relationships. Remind me again why that was bad?

In Bubbie’s view, life is to be lived and shared. He ain’t no more scared to skin a buck as peck on a computer keyboard; that’s just part of life today. But he values people and the quality of the time spent with them.

2010 Yobabytes Part 1

Uncle Bubba has been scarce lately. I’ve looked for him often but to no avail. This usually says more about me than Uncle Bubba; it usually means that I have become too inadvertently distracted and time has slipped by. So this morning, when I wasn’t expecting any company, there was Uncle Bubba on my doorstep. Like the father of the prodigal son, I welcomed him with open arms and apologized for staying away for so long. In typical Uncle Bubba fashion, he saw no need for a fuss and wondered aloud at why I make such a big ta-do about nothin’.

I think it was no coincidence that he showed up at a point when I was thinking about the new year... 2010 of all things. Didn’t y’all think we’d be farther along in things by now? I thought we’d be living a lot more like the Jetsons, with computerized automation machines in our homes and we’d be all flying jet powered cars. Anyway, at these few days after Christmas it’s hard to not ponder what the new year might bring and feel somewhat simultaneously nostalgic. In chatting with Bubbie over a couple of hot cups of coffee, we agreed that in contemplation of the state of our union and the state of our society, one doesn’t get all warm and fuzzy. In the words of Uncle Bubbie, “I look around and wonder what the hell is going on? We’re goin’ to hell in a hand basket!” Its not difficult to echo his sentiment recognizing that causality postulates that we now know too much. Yobabytes of information! We know so much that most of what we know has little to do with relevance or truth.

Think about our sources of information; gossip, cell phones, smart phones, text messaging, email, TV, computers, magazines, newspapers, books, and the internet. There is so much data available to us, it has become information overload. And most news is useless. For example, why do we need to know that an 80 year old lady was hit by a car in a town 200 miles away? Because it was a hit and run and they are searching for the perp, or there is some purpose as to safety and a lesson learned perhaps? But that is seldom the case; if you pay attention, much of the “news” is just random stories with no relevance to the betterment of the community. Today we heard that a trailer burned down on Christmas leaving a family homeless, but no information on how to help them. So much of the news is just story after story of bad news with no relevance to society’s advancement.

Think again about our sources of information; gossip, cell phones, smart phones, text messaging, email, TV, computers, magazines, newspapers, books, and the internet. Each one of these items documents information originating from a human source with an innate agenda. There is nothing wrong with that; its only important to remember that nothing is truly objective. Its been proven that most “experts” on any media outlet is more than likely an expert in talking for money, not necessarily an expert on any one subject. In Bubbie’s view, we’d test a well to make sure that our livestock are not drinking contaminated water, yet we’ll so eagerly draw our news from contaminated sources poisoning our minds. As his mama always told him, “There’s 2 sides to every story; and somewhere in the middle is the truth.”

Bacon!

It was a cold December evening with a bone chilling drizzle falling like drops from a large showerhead. Uncle Bubba went to his favorite market, no doubt looking for some comforting cuisine to warm the cockles of his heart buried beneath layers of cotton clothing. In his quest he bought a small package of bacon thinking of sharing the aromas and robust flavors of a hot breakfast of bacon and eggs with Sweet Pea. He smiled warmly thinking of gazing into her sweet sleepy eyes through the steam rising up off his cup of black coffee. Ah, yes Bubbie thought, we need coffee and he strolled off toward the coffee isle, bacon in hand. Let me tell you what that delicious bacon was not; it was not processed by grinding the small pieces of pork belly into an emulsion and, adding a cure mixture that includes chemicals such as sodium nitrite which is added primarily as a color fixer that turns meats a reddish, fresh-looking color. The emulsion is cured for a predetermined period of time and thereafter placed into molds and slowly cooked at varying temperatures. The molded cooked product thereafter is chilled. In an alternate process, the small pieces of pork belly are cured prior to grinding into an emulsion. In a further embodiment, the bacon product is chilled after curing and packaged for marketing. Mmmm… Doesn’t that just some so good?!

No, Uncle Bubba’s bacon was cut fresh with the dark brown cracklin’ still running along one edge.

If you have never had real bacon, it looks like ham in color and texture. And its cut thick, at least one eighth inch if not more. When frying you can hear the cracklin’ crackling, calling and cackling out over the rim of the frying pan to your belly, “Get ready baby ‘cause I’m coming to getcha!” Shrinkage is not an issue unlike the shriveled up slivers Oscar Meyer delivers and the whole house doesn’t stink to high heaven. The bacon Bubbie bought was lightly smoked and the flavor is mild. As it accompanies a couple of fried eggs and toast from the kitchen counter to the breakfast table, the scenery is beautiful; the aroma enticing. As Bubbie enjoys that crispy bite he wonders why we stopped expecting all of our food to be fresh and healthy and naturally tasty. In Bubbie’s view, its time to get back to natural foods and use our common sense. Mmmm… Now that’s bacon!

Throwbacks

Have you noticed all of the throwback jerseys in MBL and the NFL this year? Why do you think Major League Baseball and the National Football League desire to have their players wear those old style uniforms? A cynical person may presume that it is all about merchandising and money. But in Bubbie’s view it has more to do with a collective subconscious to go back to the days when men were men. Before a player was groomed from the womb by is mama to chase the money; men used to compete in sports for competition’s sake. It meant something to be declared the best. It meant something to be looked at as a tough guy by one’s peers.

How ‘bout we throwback to the days before PC? Before it was politically incorrect for calling a poor sport a jerk. Before it was wrong to call out a prima donna for being a spoiled wuss. Let’s throwback to the time when the coach told the players what to do instead of the reverse we have today. Let’s just not throwback to the NBA days when those overgrown lanky pituitary cases wore those shorty shorts.

Goodbye Dear Friend

One of Uncle Bubba’s best friends, JD, passed away last week. Uncle Bubba told me that words cannot express the sadness he feels. As I visited with Uncle Bubba, he shared a few happy memories of JD and he growing up together. JD was older and young Bubbie was all too impressed by that. You know that in our adolescent high school minds that the smallest details often carry the most weight, and JD was a good looking, popular guy. It was clear in his reminiscence that Bubbie admired JD’s humor, his ferocious spirit and, as Bubbie stated, he was so big hearted. JD was courage in action. He was kind and generous.
 
JD had great taste; he always wore beautifully stylish clothes that fit him to a tee. His hair was thick and wavy and always perfectly styled. And he loved a nice car; it had to be fast, stylish and shiny. What young man wouldn’t look up to a guy like that? JD and Bubbie also thought of themselves as quite the ladies’ men as well; boy, were they ever dreamers.
 
But beyond all that, JD and Bubbie talked. They shared their ideas and dreams. They wondered about their futures and admittedly were both a little lost. They knew we were expected to be men, but not just your run-of-the-mill schlubs, but straight shooting, stand up men; someone of whom their families would be proud. Unfortunately neither one of the young knuckleheads knew how to go about getting there but they had each other, jobs to afford some spending money, and cars. You know that young men need to be everywhere, all the time, all at once; that was JD. He had to be at every school event, every social function, dating every pretty girl, while traveling between home, the cottage on the lake, and both sets of his grandparents—and thankfully, with Bubbie in tow. Oh what fun they had! Life was exciting and full of possibilities. To this day Bubbie is thankful for the wonderful memories of staying at the cottage—waterskiing and boating, swimming in that ice cold lake!

Uncle Bubba recalled how JD would get so intensely worked up over things, but to me that just showed how fiercely he loved his family and craved everyone’s acceptance. JD loved with his whole heart. When he cared for some one or some thing, he was passionate; there was never a doubt about the way that he felt.
 
JD eventually enlisted in the army. He was struggling with life as most headstrong young men do; feeling unfulfilled with his choices with college and knowing that he needed some structure and discipline to help find his way. Young Bubbie was crushed. He couldn’t believe he was leaving and yet he was so proud of JD for making such a bold commitment and following through. To this day, thinking of his courage to take action, he inspires a spark in Uncle Bubba to boldly be the best that I can be. Life is tough and we all need motivation to succeed. Bubbie often reflects on owing it to JD and the old gang of friends to represent, to be courageous in his decisions, and be fiercely committed to his family. JD influenced Uncle Bubba to be his best, to not only love with all of his heart, but express it. JD was a true friend, to be loved forever and remembered always. Uncle Bubba has shared stories of the adventures he and JD had with his children, both as lessons and as funny antidotes. JD was truly the best. In Bubbie’s view, life is too short and relationships too precious not to make the best of every moment, every day. Goodbye JD, we will meet again one day in heaven.
 

Screwed, Blued, and Tattooed

Uncle Bubba was driving his ol’ pickup truck through town with the radio on. He was just running an errand, you know, aimlessly driving with a few mundane thoughts drifting through his somber brain. He barely noticed the commercial innocuously buzzing on the airwaves. It was something about a tattoo parlor but it didn’t click in his consciousness until the tag line said, “If you love it, ink it.”

“Oh my gosh!” Bubba thought, “There ya go!” You see, that sums up the conundrum that’s been perplexing him for some time. It seems that these days, everyone from teenagers to middle aged, and that middle is ever so close to the far bottom of the “over the hill” age, has some patch on their carcass tattooed. And here’s the question; do they get the tattoo to accentuate the body part, or do they get the tattoo to cover up the body part? LIke, what is it they are trying to show off; the bizarre choice of personalized artwork or the hair’d-over kankle or flabby scapula back-flap that it adorns? In Bubbie’s view, he don’t wanna see either! What is it about a woman’s protruding, jello-like spare tire that makes her stamp it like a USDA approved side of beef and then display it for all the world to see? What statement is she trying to make? “Hey, look at me! I am a lazy, unfit, overeating glutton, and proud of it! And I celebrate the marvel of me by permanently inking my flesh to show you!” Uncle Bubba digresses. He’s lived long enough to know that he will never know some things. Heck he’s even got a few old tattoos himself, but in his era tattoos were a statement of nonconformity. Isn’t THAT ironic! A tattoo branded a man a rebel.

In Bubbie’s view, a tattoo is a personal choice. And with all choices, they come with the responsibility of ownership and living with the resulting consequences.

Just Another Day

It’s not yet twilight and Uncle Bubba is in his old Ford pickup headed to work. As he drives towards town the full moon is still high in the western sky and some dirty pink clouds are faintly waking in the east. Bubbie’s thinks about how seldom good things come at the early morning hours of a day but don’t it all change in an hour; for the birth of a new daybreak is starting to glow as he turns his wheel to the right and starts the long drive over the usual two-lane highway. The sky glows golden dressed in pink and corral underneath gray clouds and a pale blue sky.

At the next red light Uncle Bubba sits among the other vehicles, waiting. He looks in his mirror at the drivers behind him. Ladies are checking their look in the visor mirrors while others sit with blank stares. They are all someone’s unsung hero; tired, overworked, underpaid, under appreciated. They have children, spouses, parents all depending on their loyalty, their diligence to face another day at work. No one is going to shoot a documentary about their life. No one is going to give them a prestigious award for honor, or a beautiful gold medal for courage. No, they are doing what they must to have what they have.

The light finally turns green and Bubbie drives off with a soft song playing on the radio. A smile crosses his lips at a fond thought of Sweet Pea. He rubs a tired eye and sips hot black coffee from a travel mug and wonders what the day will bring. In Bubbie’s view, it’s a shame that we don’t know more about our neighbors and what small thing we might do to make their mundane days just a little bit better.

What Goes Around...

It has been a while since I’ve visited Uncle Bubba so I stopped by to catch up on things. I hopped up the couple steps of his porch and knocked on kitchen door. No answer. So I walked around back and found him in his vegetable garden.
“Well, hello stranger!” he barked as he saw me walking toward him. He had that old familiar grin that was so nice to see. Uncle Bubba’s eyes were about the size of double-ought buckshot and just as hard. They sparkled when he spoke like the fireworks in his brain might break containment and give you a flash burn. I always figured that was because he knew a lot more than he was tellin’ and that’s probably just as well ‘cause I won’t get it anyway.
“I am pickin’ some vegetables to go with some venison steaks I’m cookin’ for dinner. You’re eatin’ some with us so they don’t go to waste.”
How could I argue a direct order? Being that it was early fall and deer season was weeks away, I didn’t seem inclined to ask if the steaks were frozen or fresh, though I know they were the latter.
“You seem to be in good spirits.” I quipped.
“Yeah well,” Bubbie said, “I’d come through a rough patch. You know that sometimes work can get a man down.” He paused, “Not the work so much as the bull that goes around on the job. Every once in a while it gets too deep; you know what I mean? This last go-around got to me more than I thought so I decided to throw it all away. Life is good man! Too good to waste on the pinheads of the world!”
Bubbie let out a roaring laugh, cracked open a cold beer and took a swig.
“My good times are a higher priority than making my boss happy. I’ll do my job and do it well... but I don’t have-ta like it.” Bubbie added, “It’s what I do, not who I am.”
With that he laid out the red steaks on his grill with a expertise that would arouse a French chef. After another beer he tilted his head back and looked up into the clouds. As he paused the corners of his mouth curled slightly in grin. He kept his head tilted back, his beady eyes in a full on squint as he spoke, “Don’t forget to look up several times a day and see the big picture.“
And with that, Sweet Pea hollered out of the kitchen window that the table was set and when the steaks were done, it’d be time to eat and I wondered why I stayed away so long.

The Mermaid & The Manatee

Beneath the overhanging sweet gum and cypress trees, under the glassy lid of the lazy river, there was once a mermaid who was a creature of habit. Everyday she swam to the deep, fresh water spring along the same aqueous passage. She and her fish friends floated gently among the sunbeams, above the sandy bottoms and muskgrass shaded by the banana lilies. She was a delicate soul who wished no one any harm; she just loved to swim and witness God’s creation. Every Fall, when the air gets cool and the days get shorter, the manatees swim back to the warm spring to winter. The mermaid loves to see each friendly face as they drift in from the gulf; they share hugs and tales of there adventures in the deep blue sea.

Then one day a stranger came to the spring; an albino manatee that was haughty and more strident than the rest. The albino manatee claimed that it’s ancestors were the rightful owners of the spring and thus vociferously declared ownership of the spring and all the waters around it. The others didn’t pay much mind to the stranger, they were used to boisterous others that had come before it and pitied it for its nature. At first the albino manatee decreed that the mermaid and the manatees were allowed to joyfully swim as usual; however it didn’t take long before the new manatee began to object to the mermaid and her daily rituals. Surely, the manatee thought, that a mermaid who enjoys herself that much must be getting something from the spring, and though it was unsure of just what, it was something that belonged to the manatee. The albino manatee first put up a sign to stop the manatee from swimming along her regular passage. The mermaid was put off by the sign but decided to slightly change her route and continue to swim with her friends to the area of the spring. So the obstinate manatee hired some large, intimidating snook to patrol the spring and report any trespassing; however there was little to report. They informed the manatee that the mermaid swam past everyday, smiling and spreading goodwill. This made that ol’ albino turn flush pink and even more paranoid; certain that the mermaid was stealing something from the spring, something special. It was time to take matters into it’s own flippers, so it swam to the opening of the spring and decided to wait, just out of sight, and see what the mermaid was taking. Day and night the manatee waited, sure it was going to end the abuses of the mermaid. Eventually days turn into weeks, weeks into months until one day the manatee weak from hunger had to come out from the spring to eat and found that all of the other manatees had long parted as winter was over. The manatee was all alone. Alone except for the mermaid.

The mermaid circled the albino manatee from a distance and watched it nibble the grassy river bottom. She smiled a weary smile each time their eyes met. As the albino ate it gained strength; time passed and the days grew longer. It knew it was time to swim back out to the deep blue sea for the summer.
“Well Miss Mermaid,” the manatee grumbled, “I guess the spring will be yours until I return in the Fall!”
The mermaid smiled as she swam along her favorite passage.
“You really don’t get it, do you? The spring, the river, and all of its surroundings no more belong to me than any other living creature. We are here by the grace of God, and the spring will be here long after we’re gone.”
“But I own it!” the manatee protested.
“You may own it in your mind,” the little mermaid replied, “ but you do not live here all the time like I do. It is vital to me that it remain a clean, peaceful, and loving place to live. To me, it’s a gift from God to be respected and shared.”
The great white manatee gave a powerful flip of it’s tail and turned to the direction of the sea. It was still flush pink, and red-eyed from its ire with the mermaid. It barked one last order as it swam into the distance.
“You cannot share what isn’t yours to give!”
“And you cannot share what is yours to give.” the mermaid replied.
But she knew that the albino manatee didn’t hear her; it wouldn’t understand her even if it had. The mermaid knew that the albino would stay in her prayers for a good long time, hoping that one day it would see the light. In the meantime she and her fish friends would joyfully swim beneath the overhanging sweet gum and cypress trees, under the glassy lid of the lazy river, to the deep, fresh water spring along the same aqueous passage. She floated gently among the sunbeams, above the sandy bottoms and muskgrass shaded by the banana lilies.

Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness

Uncle Bubba and Junior went to a major league baseball game one recent Sunday afternoon. If one has never attended a ball game, there are wonderful intangibles that are missed in a TV experience; the smells, the sounds, the activities that surround the stadium, and the crowd experience. Any professional event tightly packs as many carcasses into as many seats as they can because seats is money. So you’ll be literally rubbing elbows with prefect strangers; and quite honestly, most of the time, it is a great and pleasant experience. It’s fun. After all, a ball game is a happy event and people come to enjoy themselves. This was the case for Uncle Bubba and Junior on a pleasant Sunday afternoon.

Here’s the thing that in Bubbie’s estimation has been lost on the current American society. We have an obligation to one another, which is a social contract to co-exist for the sake of the betterment of the society. This is the difference between a civilized and uncivilized society. In a civilized society, first and foremost we agree to cleanliness. This basic tenet undoubtedly unfolds into a multilayered discipline; branching into personal hygiene and cleanliness of the mind. Personal physical cleanliness is our best protection against disease. Just beyond bodily hygienic practices is keeping one’s personal space clean. So for example, if one attends a public event and partakes in concessions; then they should pick up all of the dropped food and empty wrappers, cups and bottles that they made manifest. I believe that is why there are rather large cylindrical binds known as trash receptacles located all about a stadium. For if you do not dispose of it--you know, the paper, plastic and residual food items covered with your saliva and DNA--them the other patrons have to walk through it to leave and someone else, most certainly an employee, must. That employee is someone’s mother, or father, or brother, or daughter. How much would you appreciate someone treating your relative in such a manner? Are employees and your neighbors beneath you? Are you improving the world around you; leaving it a better place than the way you found it? Yes, in Bubbie’s view, cleanliness is next to Godliness. Or as Bubbie would say, “Pick up your gal-darn trash you lazy SOB. Git-r-dun!”

Gates & The Policeman

The black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cambridge, Mass., police Sgt. Joseph Crowley who happens to be the white police sergeant who arrested him agreed to disagree. This was after accepting President Obama's invitation to discuss the July 16 incident over a beer Thursday evening at the White House. Here’s Bubbie’s view of the basic issue; a man was arrested for being in his own house. That’s it! So Gates was incessant and boisterous in his own house, HE’S IN HIS OWN HOUSE! PRIVATE PROPERTY THAT HE OWNS!

Having spent some time working in public service, Uncle Bubba would like to share this bit of advice to the police; if it takes 4, 8, 10, or 12 hours to wait for someone to calm down and reach a reasonable, peaceful decision, do it. You have nothing more important or pressing to do; that’s why there is a police force, so other police employees can handle other issues at the same time. It is far more important that Americans feel safe in their own homes, even from the police, than to rush into something that can cause harm on so many levels and egregiously waste tax payers money. How much do you all think that “beer at the Whitehouse” cost us? In Bubbie’s view, Mr. Crowley should pick up the tab.

Hard Times Sports Fans

These are hard times sports fans. What will future generations think of this era in sports history when we have to account for all of the pro athletes that have been accused of or convicted of crimes or cheating? Just listing the rehashed and ever growing laundry list of names isn’t worth the time, and frankly, Uncle Bubba is too busy to try. But a few things just seem to get under his skin that he just can’t help expounding on.

In particular, Uncle Bubba was watching ESPN’s First Take and the infamous Skip Bayless was debating the 2 Live Stews (Ryan and Doug Stewart) about Michael Vick’s re-instatement into the NFL. Regardless that Mr. Vick’s “handlers” are touting him as a father and provider, yet during his life prior to incarceration he was a pothead thug gambler that cruelly abused packs of animals. (Wow, how a few good years in prison can improve a man.) The show questioned whether or not the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, has too much power. Please! This is a private, for profit business; not no gall-darn democratic commonwealth! Anyway, the 2 Live Stews made the statement that all sports commissioners are white and if they weren’t, the players would get different (more favorable) treatment. What?! In Bubbie’s view they are all but saying that a white man has higher principles than a black man.

A 'Mater Samich

Uncle Bubba just polished off yet another a ‘mater samich. When one eats a home grown ‘mater samich, one of the best parts is that faint taste of the vine; it’s almost like the flavor goes up one’s nose and down through one’s core. It travels, taking the diner back through the vine into the dark, rich soil--the earth, the creator of the earth. There’s nothing better. No wonder Uncle Bubba loves a mater samich.

Old Folks Were The Best Folks

Uncle Bubba was sitting in a roadside diner hunched over a plate of eggs, bacon and a hot bowl of grits. The aroma of his black cup of coffee ran up his nose and ran circles around his brain. He heard the door rattle as an glanced over at an elderly couple walked in. He tried not to stare but he couldn’t take his eyes off of them; they were obviously an old farm couple but not undignified. They were dressed to go to town and looked nice yet out dated by generations. They reminded Bubbie of his own grandparents long since passed.

The old man held his lady by the arm as they passed through the busy diner. As the host seated them, they physically parted, but the spirits were one. The invisible force between them resonated with a oneness, a commitment to one another that was both primitive and ageless. Uncle Bubba thought of Sweet Pea; he was so far from home. He wondered if they had that kind of devotion. He saw it in his grandparents. They worked hard and relied on each other because technology did not pamper them. The toughed out the Depression. They clung to their values as they slowed with age and the world sped up. There was no propagandized 24 hour news on TV. There was no internet or email where complete strangers can send derogatory, biased and misleading chain mail; they formed their own opinions. They lived by their wits because they had to. In Bubbie’s view, the old folks were the best folks. With that thought he slugged down his coffee, paid his check and left the waitress a big fat tip. He knew he had to get back on the road and call Sweet Pea just to tell her he loves her.

Way Down Upon The Suwannee River

Way down upon the Suwannee River, far, far away; that’s where my heart is turning ever, that's where the old folks stay. The truth may be that the old folks along the 266 miles of the Suwannee basin are the heart of Florida. They are the folks that were there long before Walt Disney and all those crazy Spring Breakers. The old folks and their ancestors are the folks that others make fun of; the folks that live and work in their community through good times and bad. They believe in God and Country and proudly display the 10 Commandments on the steps of the courthouse. They enjoy hunting and fishing and feel fortunate to live in a place where that is respected. They say, “Yes ma’am” and “Yes sir”; enjoy music and a good laugh. In Bubbie’s view, he reckons they’re a lot like folks in other rural areas of the US. Leave ‘em be and go on about your own business. All up and down the whole creation, sadly I roam. Still longing for the old plantation and for the old folks at home.

Freedom!

The whisper of wind carried the scent of orange blossoms and freshly cut hay. On the roadside a mockingbird danced with a locust. The crescendoed whir of tires on asphalt and the rush of a passing car brought Bubbie back to reality. He fired the growling engine of his Harley and gunned the throttle; it always shocked his heart like a defibrillator. Looking back over his left shoulder he kicked the bike into low gear and slowly released the clutch. Ahead the pavement shimmered like water yet as fast as he rode he could never catch it; he knew it but it never ceased to amaze him. In Bubbie's view, these fleeting moments are as close as one can get to freedom in America today.

Boy Scouts of America

I asked Uncle Bubba where he got his strong sense of community and moral convictions. He laughed and said he was just wondering the same thing not long ago. In Bubbie’s view it came form spending the majority of his childhood involved in church and the Boy Scouts. As a cub scout he’d walk to the Turner’s house, where Mr. and Mrs. Turner held their weekly pack meetings. “My Lord!” Bubbie laughed, “I was only but 6 years old then! But what great and loving people. I was friends with their son Timmy.”

According to the BSA website, “Since 1930, the Boy Scouts of America has helped boys of cub scouts age. Parents, leaders, and organizations work together to achieve the 10 purposes of Cub Scouting:
1. Character Development
2. Spiritual Growth
3. Good Citizenship
4. Sportsmanship & Fitness
5. Family Understanding
6. Respectful Relationships
7. Personal Achievement
8. Friendly Service
9. Fun & Adventure
10. Preparation for Boy Scout”

Uncle Bubba then graduated to Webelos, which stands for We Be Loyal Scouts. It’s a 20 month program for 4th and 5th grade boys to prepare them to join a Boy Scout troop. Mr. Tom Martin was his pack leader and is still to this day, all these years later a positive influence in Bubbie’s life. Uncle Bubba then became a boy scout and eventually attained the highest rank of eagle. Bubbie reckoned he’d been brainwashed from reciting the scout oath, law, motto, and slogan so many times, but only in a good way; see for yourself.

Scout Oath:
On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my Country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law:
A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

Scout Motto:
Be prepared.

Scout Slogan:
Do a good turn daily.

He learned about citizenship in his community, the nation, and the world. He cheerfully performed many an act of community service. Why he told me that to this day he thinks about doing a good turn daily and doesn’t feel right until he’s accomplished it. You know, it’s one of those things that y’all don’t see the value in for years and years; then one day it all at once occurs to you. Thank God for good folks, adults with good values that take the time to mentor young’uns.

Tragedy in Binghamton

Less than 12 miles from Bubbie’s mama and daddy’s house, from his childhood home in West Corners, a tragedy occurred that made the national news; a gunman opened fire on a room full of immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing suicide. Don’t y’all wonder why these idiots don’t commit suicide before harming anyone else? Cause he was mad I reckon. Mad about losing his job, mad about maltreatment, just mad... like insane! So of course the do-gooders start right in on preaching for gun control. In Bubbie’s view, had he been locked in a room with a “gunman”, he’d prefer to be armed.

Bubbie worries about his family there; it is such a traumatic event so close to home. Why do these things happen? There have been a rash of mass shootings lately; Alabama, California, North Carolina, and Binghamton in less than a month. In Bubbie’s view it is because of fear. Since 9/11 this country has been under the pressure of fear with our own government turning and tightening the screws. Our government that we expect to protect us had fallen short and instead of admitting it and taken responsibility, they played a trick on us; they blamed us, put us on the defensive, and isolate us by ethnicity, religion, and economics. We have been preached to daily to fear our neighbors, to lookout for and report anything to authorities. It’s become our national, communal mindset. Fear, like a cancer, spreads insidiously into every area of our lives, we don’t trust anyone anymore leaving us to feel isolated and alone in our own homes. But that is not how our society agreed to live! Remember united we stand, divided we fall?! Sure, we’re all mad; we’re mad at our neighbors who bought and built houses that they couldn’t afford. We’re mad at the banks--the bankers--that gave the bad loans. We’re mad at the congressmen and women that are so adept at berating their friends, the heads of corporations--whom by the way paid to get them elected--that make the “laws” that let them rape and ravish our banking and financial system. We’re mad at the cost of gasoline and groceries. We’re mad because we are fighting two wars in the Middle East. We are mad because our future is uncertain which breeds more fear. But we can’t lose our heads, we need to band together and take care of one another. We need to have positive talk and positive support for one another and we’ll recover. We’ll get back on track and, if we learn from it, we’ll be better off for it. Ain’t none of us gettin’ out of here alive, but don’t we love our families enough to leave them a better place to live? Wouldn’t you want to know that your loved ones are living in paradise?

Uncle Bubba told me he sometimes thinks about former president Bush. Sittin’ in his fancy new mansion in Dallas; wonder what he’s thinkin’? Never mind.

Susie Q's

Uncle Bubba was traveling, driving through the countryside and all of a sudden... BAM! he got hungry. Y’all ever get hungry like that? Like all of a sudden your belly is like a bottomless pit and you gotta eat, and you gotta eat now! Luckily he was comin’ up on Susie Q’s, a little ol’ barbecue shack on the side of the road in Sumterville. He pulled ‘er in and got himself a barbecue pulled pork samich with baked beans and a sweet ice tea. It was a beautiful day so he sat at one of the picnic tables on the side of the shop and thoroughly enjoyed his lunch. Mmm... the baked beans had generous pieces of barbecue mixed into it. His pork soused gaze fell upon the sign out by the side of the rode that read, “Stop! or we’ll both starve” and it got him to thinking. In these trying times don’t y’all just feel like independently owned and operated businesses deserve our patronage just that much more? I know, folks that work at chain restaurants need to make a living too, but in Bubbie’s view it’s time to get back to the independent spirit that America was built on. His lunch tasted all that much better at Susie Q’s.

A Nice Ride In The Country

I wonder if this happens to everyone; Uncle Bubba was driving the byways--intensionally avoiding the highways--and yet riding in traffic. I mean he was way out yonder where he should only see trees, grass, and cows. He had some great music on the radio and was throughly enjoying the scenic beauty of the pasture land and old farm homesteads, and yet a woman was tailgating him soooo closely. He checked his dash and he was 3 or 4 miles per hour over the speed limit, which was tenuously too fast for some of the curves on such a narrow stretch of road. Y’all know they can stretch that asphalt pretty thin on those country byways, no need for wide lanes and shoulders; it ain’t in the budget anyways. The lovely lady finally passed him nearly skinning the paint off of his bumper as she wheeled around him. “Well,” he thought, “sometimes we’re all in a hurry” and he drove on enjoying his trip. A few more miles down the road a big black shiny SUV came screaming around a curve headed in the opposite direction. Bubbie noticed that the tires looked like they were bending from the rims as they hugged the curve; straining to keep the black monstrosity from crossing the double yellow line and slamming head on into him and WHOOSH, it was past. “That fella can’t even realize the beauty he’s passing, and probably couldn’t care less”, he thought. “What a shame.”

Uncle Bubba spends a lot of time on the road, not by choice, but for his job. He can’t believe that everywhere he goes... everywhere he goes... everywhere... there is someone there, and guess what; they’re in a hurry. Thank the good Lord that bump drafting ain’t been made legal yet, though so many folks would just as soon love to run y’all over as look at you. It’s rude. It’s selfish. When are we all gonna get it that we are supposed to be looking out for one another, through the eyes of love? In Bubbie’s view, it better come soon.

A Cowboy's Rebel Heart

Uncle Bubba remembered, after I made the last post, that there was a sweet antidote that meant the world to him. He was singin’ his cowboy set at the museum and kicked ‘er off with America the Beautiful. He sang two verses and then noodled around on the guitar in the same key of D a little before seguing right into Dixe. He’d been a watching this fella standing at the entrance, about 15 feet away that was quietly singing along. As Bubbie started into Dixe that fella removed his cowboy hat and held it over his heart! He looked over at Uncle Bubba; smiled and nodded before closing his eyes again and quietly sang along. Bubbie was so touched at the thought that his music had stirred that cowboy’s rebel heart. Of course—it’s what’s in one’s heart that matters most. God bless.

A Cowboys Life

In the movies, between the indian attacks, shoot outs, and rescuing the beautiful ladies in distress; a cowboys life is one of long days of working chores, mending fences and tending cattle. This workaday part of a cowboy's life is still alive today and it is as far from glamourous as any lifestyle with little monetary reward, but a cowboy is at one with the environment--at any moment the victim of Mother Nature’s whims or champion by the grace of God. Nature not withstanding, their profit margin grows or shrinks on the turn of the market. A small portion of this life has been captured in an exhibit at the Florida Museum of History titled, “Florida Cattle Ranching”.

The Duke called on Uncle Bubba to join him at the exhibit this past week. It was the grand opening as well as the State Legislature’s Regular Session had convened and the Duke had to go press the flesh and lay down the law. Uncle Bubba has been known to play a little guitar and sing and, remarkably, the Duke asked him to serenade the patrons of the exhibit with some ol’ cowboy songs. Bubbie was honored that his friend thought enough of his musical talents as to think he could contribute to such a noble event. With Sweet Pea by his side, Bubbie sat comfortably on a stool outside the entrance to the exhibit and sang classic songs of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Eddie Arnold, and Sons of the Pioneers. The cattlemen and their families passed slowly through the exhibit with smiles and small talk. Bubbie met some of the folks that were featured in the exhibit including members of the Seminole Indian tribe. They were very complimentary about the music, and there was just a tremendous sense of goodwill. Once again Uncle Bubba and the Duke had pulled off a remarkable experience and come out better for it.

Bubba Hears A Who

Uncle Bubba was laid up in his hammock under cypress and swamp maple trees. He closed his eyes and an unrestrained breeze whisked across his exposed skin. Through his eyelids he could perceive the brilliant sunlight dancing through the green canopy in the cloudless blue sky. Then his eyes cracked open and he squinted, staring up through the delicate green foliage into that blue endlessness. It was then that he had one of those profound moments when one realizes that we are on this tiny round speck floating around in space. It is right there, beyond the tree tops; space. In our daily perspective is derived from our upright posture always looking forward rather than up. We lay prone in our beds at night, in the dark, looking at the ceiling. We avoid the perspective of living in an enormous galaxy of 400 billion stars and their planets which is 100,000 light years across. It never crosses our minds that the only thing that separates us from deep space is our atmosphere that we see only as that brilliant blue sky; and adding clouds only clouds our vision; it’s too much for our egocentric minds.

So our focus is on our puny little lives. We pompously debate issues such as global warming instead of taking care of our own backyard. We think that our use of chemicals to fight bugs, keep a green lawn, a clean house, our eggs from sticking to the pan and our hair in place is so small that it could never an mount to anything dangerous. We drive by the litter on the sides of our roads and shake our heads at the contempt of the litter bugs, but we never stop and pick it up. We spend billions of dollars on research to discover things we really don’t want to know or heed. We fight wars and wait for poor people to fail so we can swoop in and take what little they have. We separate ourselves by race, religion, and economics; never thinking that we are living on a speck floating in space. Who do we think we are?

New School

If you read the previous post about the Dark Ages, this conversation with Uncle Bubba came from that. He wanted to go on the record on the topic of public education. In Bubbie’s view, the current public school system is broke for the sake of being archaic. It is an outdated method for not just educating our children and improving their strengths, but serving the family, our nation, and future generations.

Our schools are failing because they are organized according to a bureaucratic, monopolistic model for which $115 billion is allocated over the next two years. And we all know this number will decrease dramatically once the Congress get their greedy hands on it, but nonetheless, this is a lot of money spend on a broken, hold the line, status quo, brick and mortar operation. Why not spend that money setting up an educational system that combines home schooling and technology? Each child in America could be set up with a laptop connected to a satellite WIFI secure network. They could work at there own pace for less hours per day lost in preparation, travel, socialization, and wasted time in group dynamics in the classroom. The thousands of teacher’s and administrator’s salaries would be eliminated as only a few will be needed to teach the entire country. How much money could be saved if we eliminated the hundreds and hundreds of school superintendents that individually make hundreds of thousands of dollars each year?

It is not unusual for a child to have a minimal average of 4 hours worth of homework per day; that’s home schooling folks. A side benefit of Uncle Bubba’s idea would force the interaction of parents increasing family time. Since the children are not tied to a fixed schedule, the parents can no longer use the excuse that their work robs them of time with their children; they will actually have to be accountable to their children.

Alternatively, we could use the old brick and mortar schools for daycare. It would be cheaper to hire babysitters and daycare professionals to watch over our children as they socialize and have play time while parents worked. Bubbie admits these are lofty thoughts from a simple old country boy like himself, but it seems that with little effort the details could be worked out; we just need to get out of these Dark Ages and into the light.