By now you've heard that we are ending the first decade of the new millennium with a blue moon. No. It won't be actually blue in color. As happens every two or three years, we will have two full moons in the same month. That phenomenon is called a blue moon. You knew that, because you are older than 5 years. Still its a neat way to end the year, and the decade.

I'm not expecting anything magical to happen. There was nothing particularly magical about Y2K, which always sounded a bit vulgar to me for some reason. And, I don't anticipate anything magical exploding into existence at the stroke of midnight tonight. I have a few acquaintances in New Zealand. They will see the new year and new decade in ahead of the rest of us. If their heads don't explode, then I'll figure that we're safe. But come to think of it, I've already known a few hard drinking kiwis heads to explode.

I think I'll play it safe tonight and stay home, right here beneath the Carolina moon.

Dread

This Year in Passing

Passing from beneath the Carolina moon this year, among others of little note, Mr. Popcorn Sutton.

(c) 2004 Melody Ko from North Carolina 24/7

Billed as the last living authority on Moonshine (he wasn't), he was none the less a folk hero to tourists and public television documentarist. Popcorn was truly a moonshiner and bootlegger (the two are different but related professions), but he'll hardly be the last. There'll probably never be another moonshiner with the personality of Popcorn Sutton, and that's maybe not necessarily a bad thing. But, As long as there is corn, yeast, cane sugar, and spring water, there'll be moonshine; Carolina moonshine.

Behind every mason jar of shine there's a moonshiner. There were a few "cookers" in my own family tree. From what I remember of family stories told winter evenings around the fire place, I don't think any of them could curse like Mr. Sutton. It's been said that his normal conversation would out curse a full battleship of sailors. And, I know none of my ancestral delegation to the mountain medicinal industry ever made a public spectacle of themselves like Mr. Sutton did.

Popcorn did make for a colorful character though, and through that, I suppose he enriched our cultural heritage. Maybe enriched is too strong a word. Embellished I think would be more proper. He often referred to his strongest shine as "five fights a pint". Yep. I think embellished is a good proper word. Popcorn Sutton embellished our cultural heritage, and did a pretty good job of embellishing his own existence.

Anyway. Here's to you Popcorn! May he rest in peace, in that special spot that he picked out himself, which may or may not be here beneath the Carolina moon. That's for Popcorn to know and the remainder of us to wonder about.

A Small Christmas but a Good Christmas

Don't blame the cat. She had no say in it, but she loves the tree!

21st Century Christmas Trends

Ugly Christmas Sweater Parties

Flashing Santas
Griswolded Houses
Nationalized Health Care
A Congress Drunk on Power Thinking Its Santa
Potted "Living" Christmas Trees

I just want an old fashioned Christmas. One like 1968 would be nice. I don't remember what I got for Christmas or what I gave. I do remember listening to the New Cristy Minstrels singing, "Go Tell It On the Mountain" on a 33 and 1/3 rpm record album. I remember my Mom's Graham Cracker, Frosted, Coconut, Gooey, Whatchamacallit Cookies. I remember my little brother's excitement. I remember my family all being together; parents, grands, kids, all of us. I remember my Dad reading us the real Christmas story on Christmas morning. I remember carolers coming by and singing at the front door. I remember being warm inside when it was cold outside. I remember that we had "happy holidays" but we didn't say that. We said "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" And, we said it with lots of feeling; good feeling. We had a live manger scene on the town square, and nobody grumbled about it. Everyone loved it. By golly, we had CHRISTMAS! What we have now is a farce.

I don't think I'm getting old and cynical. Just cynical maybe. Who wouldn't be after you've seen the best Christmases like the kids of today will never experience. But I wish they could. I wish you could. I wish I could. I wish we all could experience Christmas like it was, just one more time. I bet that would shake up this country! Then this century might have some hope after all. I guess that's my true Christmas wish. From here beneath the Carolina moon, I wish you and yours, the best of Christmases!

Dread

My Christmas Wish

Remember these guys? A visit with them has become a Christmas tradition for me. It's not Christmas without Clark and Eddie around the house. For the most part I find Christmas, as it has come to be celebrated, a stressful pain. However, an early viewing of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, may have helped put me in a more attuned Christmas spirit this year. My heart is beginning to feel that little tingle of magic, that whispers in your head, "It's Christmas!"

So, remembering Clark's unique Christmas wish for his family, and how it got answered, I have my own Christmas wish this year for our whole country.

Merry Christmas America!
from here beneath the Carolina moon