I once heard about a wealthy man who was dying. While his life was full of many good things, including a wife and children, money meant the most to him. So important was this man’s wealth, he convinced himself he could do the impossible and take it with him.

It is October and officially autumn. To paraphrase Charles Dickens’ opening of “A Tale of Two Cities,” it is the best of times, it is the worst of times; it is the season of Light, it is the season of Darkness.

The girl who sat behind me in 10th grade history once told me I’d make a pretty girl. 

Women of the world, you have my sympathy.

I hate being a tourist. Oh, I love to see new places and learn new things. I just hate looking like I have never been there before, which, of course, I have not. I know that makes absolutely no sense, but I just do not like looking like a tourist. If I could be an anonymous tourist, I would be happy. Unfortunately, my wife will not let me do that.

All y’all old enough probably remember old Fats Domino singing, “Blue Monday,” where old Fats says how he hates Mondays. Well, Brother Domino (a pretty good singer by the way) ain’t the only one. According to that thing old Rock uses, Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia (en.wikipedia.org), “Modern culture usually looks at Monday as the beginning of the workweek, as it is typically Monday when adults go back to work and children back to school after the weekend. Thus, Mondays are often seen as a misfortune.”
Well, I’m here to tell all y’all, this past Monday was a corker, according to Rock.

Pillsbury’s famous commercial reminds us that “nothing says loving like something from the oven.” Country women are notoriously good cooks who love sharing their recipes along with their delicious dishes. 

Congressman Rick Boucher sounds convinced that Southwest Virginia could be roaring the same tune as the Celtic Tiger in the not-too-distant future.
Unfortunately, there’s a world between could be and will be. 

During the early part of the 20th century, Texas Baptists called him the Texas Tornado. As pastor of First Baptist Church of Fort Worth, J. Frank Norris lashed out against almost everyone and everything. In one of his infamous hate campaigns, “The Tornado” tore into the mayor of Fort Worth because he was Roman Catholic. Dexter Clipps, a supporter of the mayor, confronted Norris in his study over some of the pastor’s defaming remarks. There were no witnesses to the conflict, but Norris claimed self-defense when he shot the unarmed Clipps in the church office. A Fort Worth jury acquitted him.

I know fall is coming. Lately, every morning, a small flock of Mourning Doves gathers in our front yard for breakfast. They return in the evening for supper. They are beautiful. Their call, on the other hand, is a somewhat sad sound (thus their name “mourning” doves). Larger flocks of other birds, such as starlings, are beginning to gather, but they generally gather in larger fields to feed.