My dear wife and her mother are both big gospel music fans. My mother-in-law even subscribes to a gospel singing magazine. There is a gospel music singer that my wife, Terry, likes very much. His name is Mark Bishop. He was originally a member of a family group known as The Bishops. However, he now is evidently a solo act. I don’t care for his style of gospel. It is more the style of bluegrass. If I want to hear gospel, I much prefer the big choirs that do Southern rhythm and blues gospel.

Well, thought Piney and She Who Must Be Obeyed, the sub-tropics are at it again!

On Aug. 1, Duck, Granny Rose and I attended the After Hours Summer Concert Series at Withers Park.  The weather was made-to-order and the featured band for this month’s event made for an exciting close to this season of After Hours concerts.  First of all, I want to express my personal gratitude to the Wytheville Parks and Recreation Department for their continuation of this wonderful summer program.  For those like me who aren’t quite ready to bid farewell to the Chautauqua Festival, this event is a great opportunity to still enjoy the music as well as the community fellowship that comes along with such happenings.

My youngest was dragging my arm toward the carnival rides.
“I wish you were little like me,” he said, pulling just ever so slightly faster. “Then we could play together and be friends.”
Nothing would have made me happier, if even for only one slide down the thing that “looks like a crab from behind but really isn’t because it’s a cowboy when you get around to the front side. You’ll see.”
It was still light out, around 6 p.m., when he and his brother pulled me over to the rides. From then they rode, pretty much without break, until it wasn’t light out, around 10 p.m. They rode the swings, the crab thing that isn’t really a crab, the bull, the train, the big mouse thing with the cheese on top and the American Gladiator. They named the rides themselves, so yes, I let my children watch “American Gladiators.” And no I’m not going to apologize. After all, I watched it when I was young to no ill-effects, arguably. They rode the crab thing that really isn’t a crab but a cowboy at least 1,112 times, not that I was counting.

My youngest was dragging my arm toward the carnival rides.
“I wish you were little like me,” he said, pulling just ever so slightly faster. “Then we could play together and be friends.”

While a family was attending their loved one’s funeral and burial, robbers were ransacking their home in search of valuables. Imagine the grieving family’s shock and devastation when they returned to find their home in shambles and their valuables taken. How could these robbing invaders be so callous and despicable with no regard for those who mourn? Sadly such robberies occur more often than we would like to imagine.

I have a friend. His name is Ken Brigham and among other things, he is a Vietnam War veteran. He is a former rock-‘n’-roll band member who plays both rock and religious music now. He is a lover of antique and classic automobiles (including Studebakers). He is a biker. He is also far more religious than I am. He lives in Oregon.

“Is he going to die?” The wide-eyed 6-year-old caught the mission teacher off guard. She and her mission’s class were visiting residents in a local nursing home. The other children had already rushed into the room, entertaining the delighted resident. However, this child remained in the doorway. I am sure it was the hospital bed and the medical paraphernalia in the room that prompted the question, “Is he going to die?”

Again, Piney emphasized the fun of observing people.

On July 27, I attended the free production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat performed by a cast of various local youth, who had spent the previous two weeks learning the songs and choreography involved with the production