Back to the Grind

I am very, very grateful every time the Butcher opens his wallet to pay for things, since it has been so very, very long since he could do that. But I’ll admit that I hate that the dog is alone all day, even though I know she just sleeps, since that’s what she does when [...]

My Head Tried to Kill Me

Remember this morning when I was all “I had a headache, but it went away?” Well, it came back, in the shower, in waves that felt almost like the headache equivalent of a charlie-horse. There’d be great pain and then it’d subside and then great pain. It was as if every muscle over my whole [...]

The Five-Page Blues

So, I took a big trip to Illinois, went to Watseka twice, for five pages in the manuscript. Five pages I’m not sure are any good. But they are rewritten now and better for it since I’ve actually been to town. After having lunch with the College Professor and talking books, I am still not [...]

The Henry Granju Case–The Update that Will Make You Think the FBI Needs to Get Involved

I’ve been remiss in bringing you updates on what’s going on with poor Katie Allison Granju. But what she’s written today makes me think that either the TBI or the FBI needs to look into this.

Watseka Wondering

Mixed Feelings

Last night, we all got together for my Grandma D’s 90th birthday, which is Tuesday. She still drives. Her mind is still sharp. She lives on her own. She’s slowly shrinking and needs a cane, but otherwise is in fine health. She seemed flummoxed by turning 90. She is incredibly curious about people who are [...]

The 80s Were a Strange Time

Banjo B.

I was very briefly a banjo-playing country star. My one regional hit was “The Giant Shoe Blues.”

Wondering at Wonderful Watseka

I don’t even know how to start to tell you about Watseka. It was wonderful. First, everyone knows about the Wonder. The guy at the cemetery gave us directions to the Roff graves (go to the second blue barrel, turn right, veer away from the mausoleum and look on the right). The people at the [...]

Mrs. Wigglebottom Has Mean Revenge

Mrs. W. is too old and bad-knee-ed to get into bed with anyone without them lifting her up. She signals that she’d like to be lifted up by making a never-ending series of groans and grunts and whines, because she’s learned that out-right barking in the middle of the night scares people and doesn’t cause [...]

Dog Dad Cat

Before Mrs. W. came to live with us, she lived with my parents who were pretending like my other brother owned her. The butt-patting cat you see on the right here was already living at my parents’ house when Mrs. W. arrived. In their younger days, they used to take turns chasing each other through [...]

Feeding Nashville

So, I’m watching Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel and they were talking about the freegans in San Francisco and then I’m reading Chris’s piece and I have a question for us here in Nashville, home of food deserts and shitty produce in our grocery stores in poor neighborhoods and I had a thought–why don’t [...]

Here’s a Conspiracy for Bill Ketron to Research on the Internet!

The Tennessee Tea Party is harassing Republican State Representatives because they (oh, god, I just realized that ‘they’ probably equally applies to both the Tea party and many State Representatives) don’t understand how state government works. Ron Lollar, for instance, is being targeted for being a Republican-in-name-only for attempting to kill a bill he’s not [...]

Great Additions to the Country Music Hall of Fame

This morning they announced they’re sticking Jean Shepard, Reba, and Bobby Braddock in. If you don’t know who Reba is, I guess you’ve just been living under a rock. Bobby Braddock wrote “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” which should have gotten him in had he written no other song, if all he did every day [...]

This is What I Mean!

Look. Here is a perfectly good review of Lucinda Williams’ new album. It lets you know what kinds of songs are on it, what they’re about, and whether it’s a good and interesting listen (apparently so). But you know how I was talking about how strange it is in Jewly Hight’s book that there’s nothing [...]

I Wonder How Many Posts Have the Word ‘Anxiety’ in the Title?

I am feeling a little anxious about my trip to Illinois. That’s a lot of unmitigated time with my parents. But I’m also really excited. I’m fretting about the book, some, as seems to be my constant state when writing. I’m worried that it’s unfair to churches and ministers and that Methodists, especially, those who [...]