Twas the Day After Christmas and ....

Can't be any worse than the return to dysfunctional employment..

A Bi-lingual Message from Randy the Red Neck Reindeer

Y'all

Either "y'all" has both a plural and singular form, or the entire south is schizophrenic.  I prefer to believe the former, but I greatly fear its the latter.  There's, "Y'all get off the porch!", and there's, "Y'all's crazy!".  See, what I mean?

This shot was taken a few weeks ago from high in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains, somewhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The colors have completely changed now, and last weekend, the Divine Miss N and I took a trek to Tennessee and took loads of pix.  We're sorting through those now and will post a few soon.  By the way, we found that there are now elk once again in the North Carolina mountains.  They were brought in from Colorado and Canada a few years ago and, according to the park ranger we encountered, the wild breeding program has been a success.  There are now North Carolina wild born elk.  These things are as big as a small horse.  As you can see from the pix, we were able to get up close with one of the transplanted mother elk. 

Southern Humor

Yesterday, an acquaintance sent me this supposed joke:

An illegal alien, a muslim, and a communist, walk into a bar. The bartender says, "What can I get you to drink, Mr. President?"

At first I laughed,but then, I thought about what the odds were that it was true.

An Icon of Our Generation Passes

I never was a fan of the products.  But I always admired the creativity, innovation, and marketing savvy of the man.  He was a genius shaper of out times and very likely our futures.

Another Caractère de Notoriété Buys the Farm

March 29, 2011 a local character of some notoriety, Barney Barnwell, passed.  I missed posting anything here at the time. With his passing, passes another piece of an era.  He founded the Moonshiner's Reunion, held every autumn at his Plum Hollow Farm, claimed to be a former moonshiner (I don't know about the "former" part).  He played fiddle in the Plum Hollow Band, and also founded the Plum Hollow Alternative Bluegrass Festival, held on his farm each spring.  Both festivals were huge annual successes.  

Barney reveled in his notoriety and eccentric reputation, because he was mostly an entrepreneur and entertainer/artist.  He could spin a yarn as good as any liar, and since he made a living at it from time to time, I guess you could say he was a professional liar.  He would have liked being called that.  Some of his works are the Plum Hollow Farm which you can visit in New Prospect SC, the band's recordings, various spirit tree carvings, and some of his tall tales.  The Discovery Channel and the History Channel have both filmed Barney at the farm.  

Oh yeah, Barnwell also founded and operated the Overall Recording Studios which had an indy label.  So he wasn't totally the hick he portrayed himself to be.  Much like other southern eccentric characters, he loved playing the role.  Pictured above is Barney and George, his pet possum.  You can find more on Barnwell, his music, tales, art, the festivals and the Plum Hollow Farm here:   http://www.moonshiners.com

You can also read Barney's story about when he first got George here: http://swampland.com/articles/view/title:barney_barnwell_a_possums_tale

Neighborhood Infadelism

Just a few blocks away from my residence, there is a house with a flag pole in the front yard.  The flag of the United States of America flies on the pole.  Beneath the flag there is a concrete pig standing guard.

I assume this arrangement in the front garden is a tribute to all Islamic passers by.  I am being facetious of course.  I find this concrete pig in the front garden fascinating.  I would stop to ask the residents there if there is a particular significance to the concrete pig, but I'm guessing they would give me some dissappointing reply.  Something like, "Oh we just thought the pig was cute and decided to bring it home with us."  To which I would very likely ask, "It's such a great conversation piece!  Is there a reason that you don't keep it in your parlor?"  My guess is, from that location it probably wouldn't piss off as many Muslims.  My other guess is, they would reply, "Oh we prefer to keep it out front where everybody passing can enjoy it." 

Pigs have a hard enough time flying.  Now they're concrete.  This has to be something that you would only see here, Beneath the Carolina Moon, which lies beneath the American flag, and then just a little bit south.

The Little Brown Church

I pass this little brown church on my way to and fro.  I snapped a picture of it because it has always held intrigue.  I understand that it is used for storage these days.  With a beautiful pond to the right and just beyond it, the setting is beautiful for a wedding, quiet reflection, or perhaps even a christening or a baptism.  It might would be a money making proposition to fix it up and rent it out for weddings, etc.  I don't know who owns it.  I hate to see it succumb to the elements and become lost to posterity.  But such is the way of the world.  For a while at least, it shall be frozen in time here, Beneath the Carolina Moon.

What follows below, as a connected point of interest, and as a natural dove tail of nostalgia, I offer to you the true story of the original Little Brown Church of American folk music fame.

William Pitts was on his way to visit his bride to be in Fredericksburg, Iowa.  The stagecoach in which he rode stopped at Bradford, which was 14 miles west of Fredericksburg.  He strolled around enjoying the trees, lush green growth, and the gentile rolling hills.  Mr. Pitts found a beautiful spot in a wooded area in the valley that was formed by the Cedar river.  He envisioned a church there, and could not seem to ease the vision in his mind.  Days later, when he returned home, he wrote a poem about the imagined church.


In 1857 he set the lyrics to music and seven years later, Mr. Pitts returned to teach music at the Bradford Academy.  To his surprise, he discovered a small church building being erected on the very spot where he had imagined a church years before.  It was painted brown, because at that time, that was the color of affordable paint.  Mr. Pitts located the copy of his almost forgotten song and at the dedication of the new church building, his singing class from the academy publicly performed  The Little Brown Church for the first time.


Traveling musicians discovered the song, and through the years, its popularity spread throughout country churches.  In time, The Little Brown Church gained its place on the list of American folk music.


Isn't that an awesome story, and awesome church, all brought about by an awesome God.  Awesome!


 

Not For The Weak Stomached

It's Bad Mood Food!

For the last twenty plus years I have refused to eat at Arby's and literally retch at the thought when someone suggests it.  Twenty plus years ago, I was down to my last few dollars and left work at noon for my lunch break.  I stopped at a nearby Arby's drive though and ordered a beef sandwich and drove back to the parking lot at work, where I sat in my pickup truck and opened my sandwich.  Hungrily I bit in deep and as I pulled the sandwich away from my mouth there was resistance and I saw something stretching between the sandwich and my teeth.  I ripped the sandwich away from my mouth and pried it open.  It was loaded with kinky black hair; a huge glob of it.  I opened the door and spit out the huge bite that was in my mouth and threw the sandwich to the ground.  Spitting, gagging and retching I made my way back into my employer's building and made my way to the rest room where I rinsed my mouth with water and gagged some more.  I did without lunch that day, because now I was all but broke and sick to my stomach.

Ever since that day, I have warned people about eating Arby's.  It's not "good mood food".  It's bad mood food.  It's puke mood food!  It's freaking gross food!  All fast food has the potential to be nasty at one time or another.  To me, Arby's will forever be black kinky hair gob, gross, filthy, nasty,... forever.

Unusual Places

I pass this unique place in my to and from passing to the next city over.  It just seems really quirky and odd.

Osama Been Dead Two Days

I'm not finding the celebratory joy in this that a lot of people are. Osama Bin Laden was a horrible enemy of the people of the United States. We got him as a result of him getting us, and to keep him from getting us again. That's a good thing... an absolute good thing, and I'm glad. But to me war is a serious thing. When it becomes necessary to kill or be killed, its a huge relief when all is done, and the enemy is down and you're left standing. But I'm not so sure about celebrating killing. Still, I can celebrate being the one left alive! Party hearty Garth!

Yep. Osama's been dead two days, and I'm still alive. I celebrated still being alive yesterday. I can celebrate that today. And, tomorrow will be the third day, I can celebrate that too. I can celebrate being alive every day that I am. You see, we have the freedom to do that in a free country. I can celebrate that too.

I thought we had a generation of young people who had lost their way. To see them come out in the night, gather at the White House, bringing their American Flags, and raising them into the sky chanting "U S A! U S A! U S A!" says a lot. It says that generation isn't lost at all. And, I can celebrate that. The Oglala Sioux warriors had a saying each day when they first stepped out into the morning light, "Today is a good day to die". Today is a good day to celebrate!

Dread

What have I got? or rather What do I have?

I finally took the plunge of a longing I had following me for 25 years or better and took up the violin to learn to play. I went on e-bay and found a nice one at a good price and bought it. Then I started sorting though junk I have collected over the years and offering that on e-bay. I have this thing pictured above I found in the trash once, and it must be at least gold plated because it has never tarnished. I just haven't a clue what it is. It says Manchester June 1893 with a pennant that reads, NHCC. Then the bottom ribbon banner reads, 100 Miles Oct 3 97. Since I found this before 1997 and it refers to 1893, I assume that would be October 3, 1897. Anyone have a clue? Was England using miles or kilometers back in the 1890's?

I was thinking it was possibly a military commemorative from a 100 mile march but I can find no significant war reference to the dates. There were celebrations of train companies laying 100 miles of track though around that time, so maybe it was a make do rush job with an eagle on the top because train badges weren't available?

I am clueless. Anyone?
Dread