Hey Charlie, It's The Great Pumpkin

(Published on iSurf News on October 27, 2011)

Every morning, I listen to my favorite radio show while I am getting ready to hit the bricks. "Billy & Wendell in the Morning" helps me get my days going with all the great stories they tell, the guests they have and every now and then, they even throw in a few great oldies song.

Earlier this week, special guest, Hugh Sweatt, was talking about how, when he was a kid, he knew which houses to go to and which houses to skip on Halloween. He talked about how people used to hand out homemade candy and popcorn balls rather than the pre-packaged, bite-sized candy people hand out today. Now, keep in mind, he was talking about a time when children could safely roam their neighborhood and people watched out for each other’s children. Trick-or-Treaters would create their costumes out of items from their parents’ closets and their mother's make up bag, and then they would grab a pillowcase and set out on their mission. They would spend hours hanging out with their friends, knocking on doors and getting great treats only to come home, empty out their sugar treasures and go out for more.

Full of Bologna

(Published on iSurf News on October 20, 2011)

Since October 24 is National Bologna Day I figured we would just talk about a lot of bologna for this week.

Bologna sandwiches are so much better when someone else makes them. I'm not sure why, I just know they are. I recently shared with you that my Granny Goldie always made the best bologna sandwiches in the world. There was just something about the way she slapped that piece of meat between two pieces of bread. Since she has been gone for many years, I only have the memories of those scrumptious sandwiches.

Last week, a friend of mine brought me a bologna sandwich. There was bologna, tomato, lettuce and mayo loaded up on two pieces of fresh white bread. I could not get it out of the sandwich bag fast enough. I will have to admit, my friend Angie makes a mean bologna sandwich. But was it better than Granny Goldie's?

My Friend Joe

(Published on iSurf News on October 13, 2011)

I have several friends named Joe. I have a few musician friends that are named Joe, one of which is the bass player in my favorite local band, Mudd River Union, and the other Joe is an amazing thumbpicker. I also have a friend named Joe that works at my favorite electronics store. Due to my love of that store and my inability to control myself, I only get to see him once, maybe twice per year. I once dated a guy named Joe and I often call my son Jo-Jo. But my favorite Joe is the first one I spend time with in the morning and the last one before I crash at night. Yes, I am a coffee drinker.

Help, I've Fallen…

(Published on iSurf News on October 6, 2011)

No, I've not really fallen, but it is my favorite time of year. I love fall and everything that goes with it. I love the cooler temperatures with the weather, I love the colors that we see when God decides to change the different shades of green to all the brilliant colors and I love all the fall festivals.

In recent years, it seems that we have not been able to enjoy the four different seasons like I remember from years ago. We used to have a spring, summer, fall and winter. In the past 10 years or so it seems like we only have two seasons that I have renamed, Hot and Cold or Snow and Rain. Either way, we usually experience one extreme or the other.

My Life According To Maxine

(Published on iSurf News on September 29, 2011)

Some days, I think Maxine is my alter ego. She can say exactly what she thinks and no one minds. If I said some of the things Maxine says, I would either be fired or shot.

Maxine, The Crabby Lady, was created in 1986 when Hallmark launched Shoebox Cards, and today she is one of Hallmark's top selling characters. Created by John Wagner, who Maxine calls “Arty-Boy”, the character was inspired by his mother and his grandmother. Usually, a cartoon character will begin first as a cartoon, and then moved on to a greeting card. However, Maxine performed this feat in reverse. Her syndicated cartoon strip, Crabby Road, ended in 2002 but she can be found in books available through Hallmark as well as her own licensed merchandise.

Neither Snow Nor Rain

(Published on iSurf News on September 22, 2011)
 

When you were young, what kind of games did you play? Did you enjoy playing board games? Maybe you enjoyed playing card games, jacks or even some games that involved exercise, such as frisbee or catch. When I got a little older, I enjoyed going to the local arcade and dropping quarters into the machines. Many times, I was the high scorer on the Ms. Pac Man game, but I also loved Pac Man, Asteroids and Space Invaders.

I also remember going to teen parties and playing spin the bottle, hoping that when the spinning bottle stopped, it was pointing right at the one I wanted to kiss. There is one game that I do not remember playing, Post Office. For the life of me, I cannot remember playing that game.

Rock Around The Clock

(Published on iSurf News on September 15, 2011)

I was born and raised in Muhlenberg County, only leaving long enough to go to college and then rush back home. Seems like I ran back just as fast as I ran away, something about growing up and hitting the pavement makes you realize that things were not nearly as bad as they had seemed.

There are so many things about this area that I am I proud of. I love to tell people that I am from the same place as the Everly Brothers. I love telling about how this area is so rich in coal, music history and wonderful people. Music has always had a special place in my heart, so when there is a concert or a music event in the area, I'm usually there.