COLUMN: A day at Billy Graham’s Library
A couple of days after our recent visit to Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, we visited the home and library/museum of another famous North Carolinian – Dr. Billy Graham. I had never realized the comparisons and contrast between those two men....
COLUMN: Mimis and Paw Paws — get in line!
It was total chaos at the Dollar General store in Margaret, Alabama. People rushed out the doors carrying poster board, silver balloons and rolls of crepe paper. The party supply aisle looked as if a mob of looters had swept through it. Outside, throngs...
COLUMN: The 3rd week in October
The third week in October is one of my favorite weeks of the year. No, I’m not talking about a game…I’m talking about fall, y’all. I love the cooler temperatures and the lower humidity. My eyes dance as they take in the brilliant orange,...
COLUMN: Batteries not needed
The words “Batteries not included” are found on many of the things we purchase these days. If we had to buy enough batteries at one time for everything we own, we might have to remortgage the farm! It seems that most everything we use...
COLUMN: The perfect regift
At first glance, it wasn’t much of a gift, just a cheap pocket knife made of flimsy metal and plastic. It probably came from a flea market or an arcade game at a pizza parlor. Yet of all the gifts I received at my...
COLUMN: Measure twice, cut once
Last week, I was reminded of the old wood-workers’ idiom that says, “Measure twice, cut once.” I remembered the advice immediately after I demonstrated why it was said. Sometimes, you can measure once and cut twice, but only if you’ve cut your piece too...
COLUMN: Let’s go outside to play
At the risk of sounding like an old man, I have realized there is a great difference in how the youth of today entertain themselves and how the youth of my generation did so.
One big difference is that we mostly played outdoors. It was...
COLUMN: Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!
We’ve all seen the commercials that gave birth to the catchphrase, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Since the 1980s, it has been on television, shirts, hats, songs and just about everywhere imaginable. If people were like Weebles, when we fall getting...
COLUMN: Sweet Savannah
Yes, I am a country boy, but one of my favorite places to visit in this world is a city. No, I do not love all cities, but I do love Savannah, Georgia. Jean and I spent the latter half of last week there....
COLUMN: Just a matter of time
I need to vent, so please don’t judge me — just listen. I’ve got a problem with time. And yes, I know some of you are already muttering, “Duh! Everyone your age has a problem with time — there’s not enough of it left!”
Very...
COLUMN: Duck, Duck, Jeep
You may have that friend, or a strange cousin named Booger Ray, who has more miscellaneous junk than a neighborhood hardware store, all piled high inside his favorite mode of transportation. If their vehicle looks like that, can you imagine how their house must...
COLUMN: The First Flight
The plane trip began in Tuscaloosa, and stopped in Jackson, before it finally reached Dallas. Later in life, taking this hopscotch flight was as aggravating as a floater in my eye. But not when I was 21 years old. Not when I was headed...
COLUMN: Tumor Humor
“Laughter is the best medicine” is a cliché everyone knows. And it is based on the truth. Studies have shown that laughter relieves stress, releases endorphins and helps your overall well-being. But in the case of cancer, I don’t think it’s true. If my...
COLUMN: What a day!
I wrote a song a couple of years ago that said, “I’m going to have a good day, anyway – no matter what comes my way.” I have tried to live by that declaration, but I have to tell you, last Monday tested the...
COLUMN: Let’s go out to eat
Back when I was growing up, if Mama said, “Let’s go out to eat,” we did not head for the car. We weren’t going anywhere. She literally meant out…as in outside…as in not in the house.
I could count on my digits the number of...
COLUMN: Things don’t always go as planned
Jean and I are frequent visitors at antiques shops and malls. We often find treasures there that end up either in our house or in my own antiques booth. I love to find items I can rebuild, refinish or repurpose and then pass them...
COLUMN: Paw Paw goes to college
Well, it’s official and it feels weird. So weird, that I dug up my old fraternity jacket to see if it fits. Not even close, by the way. I’m sure you are asking why I would do such a thing. Because after almost a...
COLUMN: The final leg of our Western trip
Continued from www.cullmantribune.com/2025/07/20/column-from-dinosaurs-to-devils
Have you ever seen one of our presidents? On June 6, 1991, on the 47th anniversary of D-Day, I saw and heard President George H.W. Bush in Atlanta, at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.
In 2007, I saw George W....
COLUMN: Milestone Birthdays
Everybody has a birthday and everybody has one every year. Well, except for those individuals who were born on Feb. 29. Recently, I think I’ve had two or three each year! Some birthdays are more exciting than others. Sixteenth birthdays have not always been...
COLUMN: Back to Broadway
Excuse me, but did you ask me if I had ever been on Broadway? Well, yes, as a matter of fact I have. I have walked on Broadway, and I saw “Phantom of the Opera” there. I have never performed “on” Broadway, but last...
COLUMN: The misadventures of Handyman
It all started with the best of intentions. My sister had a small, ornate, antique table with a broken leg, and since she knew I fooled around with old furniture, asked if I could fix it. “Oh sure, I can,” I said. “Why don’t you...
COLUMN: From dinosaurs to devils
Continued from www.cullmantribune.com/2025/07/14/column-we-made-it-to-north-dakota
We visited two dinosaur museums on our trip. My favorite was Montana’s Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum, which presents the dinosaur from a biblical perspective. There we saw a giant Tyrannosaurus rex in mid roar! Well, OK, but we did see a...
COLUMN: A letter from my dog
Hey Joe!
This is your dog, Roscoe. It’s hard to believe it’s been over six years since you picked us up from the side of the highway. That’s a real long time for us, so I thought it might be a good time to tell...
COLUMN: We made it to North Dakota
Continued from www.cullmantribune.com/2025/07/06/column-south-dakota-is-amazing
Almost 221 years ago, in 1804, Lewis and Clark headed west under the commission of President Thomas Jefferson, to see what we had bought in the Louisiana Purchase. In the fall of that year, the explorers had made their way westward to...
COLUMN: South Dakota is amazing
Continued from www.cullmantribune.com/2025/06/29/column-we-made-it-to-rapid-city-but-not-rapidly
After a few hours of sleep in Rapid City, we began our journey at the drug store…Wall Drug Store. Wall Drug is more akin to a shopping mall for tourist than a drugstore, but it began as a drugstore back in 1931....
COLUMN: We Made it to Rapid City but not rapidly
Jean and I had planned a mega road trip for the summer of 2020. The few remaining states on our bucket list of setting foot in all 50 states included North Dakota. When you live in Alabama, you don’t go to North Dakota…unless…you are...
COLUMN: Water aerobics – H2 oh no!
Since I had knee surgery earlier this year, I’ve been looking for a low impact method of exercise. Actually, my wife has been looking for me. My choice was no exercise – that’s low impact, right? Of course, she completely ignored my comments and...
COLUMN: The longest journey of my life
By this point in my life, I have been on quite a few journeys. I do love to travel and experience new things. I’m aways excited to take off on a new journey and always a little saddened when it’s over, but at the...
COLUMN: 50 years didn’t take as long as I thought
It happened 50 years ago, on Saturday, June 14, 1975. I remember that day so well that it almost seems like it was last week, or at most the week before that! I remember that it rained that day, but it stopped prior to...
COLUMN: The Class of 2037
It was a big day. Especially if you were one of the 150 or so 5-year-olds in color-coded T-shirts marching down the aisle of an overflowing Baptist church. Because today was their kindergarten graduation day.
As a supportive grandparent, I was there – along with...
COLUMN: Making memories for a lifetime
I have heard it said that real painters don’t need a drop cloth. One person who had told me that, later that same day knocked a gallon of paint off his ladder. He descended to the floor almost as quickly as the paint can...
COLUMN: What’s under your bed?
Jennifer Garner must have asked me a thousand times, “What’s in your wallet?” The answer is always the same, “Nothing, absolutely nothing!” I keep hoping maybe she has put some money in there without me knowing, but no, it’s still nothing. A more pertinent...
COLUMN: I can see clearly now
At my age, the time has come. One of the last parts of my body that was still working properly finally needs help, and needs it now. No, it’s not that, you sickos. It’s my eyes. At long last I’m joining the millions of...
COLUMN: Remember the Alamo
No, I did not fight at the Alamo, at least not in Texas. I arrived a little too late and missed it by at least a few decades. I did, however, visit the Alamo, and I was quite glad there was no fighting going...
COLUMN: Where are you from?
Chances are I am not from where you live, but I may have been there. I may have even lived there at one time or another. Through the years, I have been blessed to see many wonderful and beautiful places and met many marvelous...
COLUMN: Dumped
You remember your first girlfriend or boyfriend. The one that was going to last forever. The one that made you stop eating - which is very difficult in my case. The one that makes every romantic song on the air seem like it’s talking...
COLUMN: One to whom I owe so much
Who was the first person in this world I ever laid eyes on? Okay, yes, the very first one may have been the doctor who delivered me, but I didn’t know him, so he doesn’t count. He was not the one with whom I...
COLUMN: A fresh coat of paint works wonders
She said, “What do you not do? You write, you sing, you play instruments and you even build instruments. Do you paint?”
I grinned and said, “Oh, yes ma’am, I sure do paint.”
Then she asked, “When did first begin painting?”
I replied, “I can’t say for...
COLUMN: Breakup songs
Wait for a rainy, cold, black-and-white movie kind of afternoon. Have a box of tissues handy, then grab a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. If you’ve got time, watch “Casablanca.” Now, go back in time and think about a breakup – the one that...
COLUMN: Cake-baking day is one of the best
I’m wondering if Saturdays have always been cake-baking day. That seemed to have been the case when I was a child, and now, many years later, actually, even many decades later, it still seems so. I have baked a few cakes myself, but it’s...
COLUMN: A biography with a different ending
I did not grow up in a family of readers. Oh, I don’t mean my family was illiterate. My parents could read; they simply didn’t do much of it. They read what they needed to read, but I can’t recall either of them sitting...
COLUMN: ‘Hey Siri! Where are we?’
Here’s a friendly reminder to all of you travelers hitting the road this spring and summer: your GPS routing system is only as good as the information you put in it. Simply put, if you type in the wrong address, it’s going to take...
COLUMN: The Olympics for older athletes
Editor’s note: This column was written last week.
I am a Baby Boomer. There, I said it, and I’m not ashamed of it. I was born right smack in the middle of the boom. We Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. I landed here...
COLUMN: March madness wasn’t just basketball
Sports fans, especially college basketball fans, can tell you that March Madness is the nickname of the NCAA Championship Tournament. Basketball, however, is not the only madness that happens in March, and strangely enough, it isn’t always contained in March. This year’s tournament, along...
COLUMN: We took a trip back in time
Jean and I just spent three days on a magnificent mountain that has, or is near, beautiful bluffs, gorgeous gorges, carved canyons, cavernous caves, wonderful waterfalls, wide waters, babbling brooks, crooked creeks and at least one rambling river that runs on top of a...
COLUMN: 19 things boys need growing up
As I look back on the life I’ve lived, I seem to focus a lot on my childhood. I think most anyone does. As the time between now and then grows longer, our memories seem to grow fonder. However, I readily admit that life...
COLUMN: I hear that mailman coming
Well, I hear that mailman coming, he’s rolling around the bend, and I ain’t seen a letter, since 2010. That’s because the mail doesn’t deliver personalized letters and cards like it once did. I miss that. That’s not the mail carrier’s fault, but the...
COLUMN: I just can’t seem to remember
I think I may have surely come to that stage and age in life where I can’t…I can’t…well, now I can’t remember what I was going to say. Oh, that was it, that stage where I just can’t seem to remember things. I’ve come...
COLUMN: No shirt, no shoes, no filter!
I pulled a couple of boxes of photos down from my closet the other day. These photographs were mostly black and white relics made with a camera and film that was dropped off at the drug store for developing. How do I explain a...
COLUMN: I’ll take a bottle of Coke, please
My first drinks of choice were either a Sun-Rise Orange, Nehi Grape or NuGrape. When I was a little older, my favorite became Coca-Cola. The one I loved most came in a green-colored, 6.5-ounce, thick glass bottle. Maybe it is just my imagination, or...
COLUMN: A cake fit for a king
What is as sweet as sugar, purple, gold and green all over and has a baby inside? A king cake! A king cake is a cake fit for a king. In my family, it is a cake fit for Kings and Woods. My family,...
COLUMN: Honk if you lost a car
I own a red Chevrolet pick-up truck. When I bought it a few years ago, I decided that it would be a good idea to buy a bright color. That’s because on more than one occasion I couldn’t find my old truck, a silver...
COLUMN: The importance of reunions
How do you have a reunion with a group of people when you have never met most of them? You can do that when the group is made up of people with whom you have something special in common.
Many reunions are with people who...
COLUMN: A holiday is simply 1 day
Editor’s note: Written prior to Valentine’s Day
You probably won’t get the day off from work, or school, on Valentine’s Day. You will be hard pressed to find a Valentine’s Day parade. Actually, Valentine’s Day is not even a legal holiday. All the stores and...
COLUMN: I have gone back to college
I am most thankful to have had the opportunity to get a college and seminary education. There was a time in my younger life when I had a hard time seeing how any of that could ever be a possibility. My parents encouraged me...
COLUMN: A nice little snow-cation
Well, I said, “Let it snow,” and it did. Thankfully, this one was no blizzard, but it was deep enough to make some snow cream. It was even big enough to be named. It was called Winter Storm Enzo. The strange thing about this...
COLUMN: Grandma groupies
I heard a rumbling noise coming from the second floor of my house. Since we almost never go up there, I thought that one of our dogs might’ve cornered a squirrel that got in through the attic. I made my way up the stairs,...
COLUMN: Going back where I’ve already been
The late Johnny Cash had a hit song back in 1996 in which he claimed to have been everywhere, man! He mentioned 92 cities across the United States that he had visited. He even mentioned Opelika, my hometown since 2007. In 2022, Mike Schmidt...
COLUMN: Aunt Ginnie
The first time I went to their home was for a family Thanksgiving dinner. Actually, it was the midday meal, but down here we used to call that one dinner. Besides, that’s too much food, and much too scrumptious to simply be called “lunch.”...
COLUMN: Drones fell on Alabama
These drone sightings over New Jersey remind me of a time years ago when mysterious lights were spotted over Birmingham, Alabama. I know because I’m the one who did it.
I have to make a confession: UFOs have always fascinated me. Maybe that’s because I...
COLUMN: The real Christmas story
Once upon a time, long, long ago, there lived a young lady named Mary. Mary was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. Before they were wed, and while she was still a virgin, Mary was found to be with child. God...
COLUMN: The music of Christmas
Christmas is my favorite season of the year. Christmas music is one of things about the season that I love so much. I love the story of the birth of our Savior, and the best Christmas music tells that wonderful story through song.
Some of...
COLUMN: I’m getting ornamental
By now, I’m sure most of you have your Christmas tree and home decorations up. Not me - I’m a world class procrastinator. Think I’m kidding? I still have a rotten jack o’lantern on my front porch. Of course, soon I will be forced...
COLUMN: Good dogs
“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.” Mark Twain
I read where author Rick Bragg’s just lost his dog Speck. If you’ve read his best-selling book, “The Speckled Beauty,” I think you will...
COLUMN: Thanksgiving is more than a holiday
The late gospel singer and writer Andre Crouch had a popular song back in the 70s titled, “To God Be the Glory.” The opening verse says, “How can I say thanks for the things God has given me? Things so undeserved, yet he gave...
COLUMN: A sweet treat in the autumn South
I’m not exactly sure how he managed to live in this world this long, especially in the South, and never experience one of the sweetest treats of life. Some of you have watched my grandson, Drew, grow up… if not in person, at least...
COLUMN: What can I get for this?
I’ve noticed in recent years, even though I’ve paid for a motel/hotel room in advance, the check-in clerk always wants my credit card for incidentals. That’s so I don’t skip out without paying for that Coke Zero and peanut M&Ms I scarfed down, or...
COLUMN: Love locks over the river
Many rivers have locks, but not only the kind that lower or raise boats in its water. You may have seen them before, but quite honestly, I never had. On our recent visit to Europe, I saw them for the first time. There were...
COLUMN: I absolutely loved cologne
I began shaving when I was around 13. Why, you might ask? Not because I needed to, but because I wanted to.
I did have a small amount of peach fuzz on my face by that age, and my dad had a razor, shaving cream...
COLUMN: Fry me to the moon
I was born in the South. And I live in the South. That means I eat fried food – me and about everybody else down here. Oh sure, I look on a restaurant menu and see where they offer grilled fish or chicken. They...
COLUMN: A ride down the Rhine River
When I saw the handwriting on the wall, I knew we were no longer in Kansas; excuse me, I meant Alabama. As a matter of fact, we were approximately 4,500 miles east of my home in Opelika. I didn’t need the prophet Daniel to...
COLUMN: Let’s get rolling
I was talking to a friend’s daughter at a high school football game. When I asked her if they had any special Homecoming activities on tap, she said sweetly, “We’re going to roll some yards. It’s a tradition.”
I smiled and nodded. Rolling yards was...
COLUMN: Why did he say that?
People can say some strange things. Some of these statements are quite annoying, while others may be funny and enjoyable. Some of the things people say leave me shaking my head and wondering what they said and why they said it.
Do you know what...
COLUMN: Boy on a hot tin roof
Mama had a mysterious situation. Her dried apples kept disappearing. Each day their number seemed to be less than it had been the day before. For some strange reason, she seemed to think I knew something about it. Mama must have thought I was...
COLUMN: Cowboys and channel changers
I’m sitting in my favorite chair, TV remote in hand, shaking my head in disbelief. There’s nothing good to watch on television. Unless, of course, you’re into UFOs, the location of the Ark of the Covenant, Hitler’s super weapon or how to survive in the...
COLUMN: Arguments
One of the most memorable lines I ever heard in high school was delivered to my friend Randy when he got into a heated disagreement with our English teacher, Mrs. Duncan. After about five exasperating minutes, she put an end to it when she...
COLUMN: Nudity, noise and dangerous toys
I have been yelling like a…well, a grumpy grandfather. It’s embarrassing really – yelling for quiet. But it’s necessary when you have a houseful of screaming kids.
I know my voice only added to the pandemonium, but I had to do something. The TV was...
COLUMN: Tips for deer season prep from local hunter Nick Rice
October will be here before we know it, and we all know what that means, bow season opener. July is a great time to get a lot of things done to make sure you are ready for opening day. Don’t procrastinate and be the...
COLUMN: The old man’s watch
Since It was my fourth trip to the watch repair shop, I didn’t have high hopes. I’m sure the little Russian man who owned it would tell me, like he had on my three previous visits, that he couldn’t find the parts to get...
COLUMN: Fishin’ and cheatin’ – caught lead handed!
I just read an article about a man who was disqualified from a fishing tournament for cheating. Y’all, I think Jesus is coming soon. Fishing is a sport that has long been known for its liars. Ever heard the term “fish story?” But when...
COLUMN: Dear Coach Saban
Dear Coach Saban,
Since I wrote a letter to Kalen DeBoer a few weeks ago and gave him some pointers about the South, I thought it was only fair to drop you a note and give you a tip or two about the strange new...
COLUMN: The Great Escape
As I tend to the scratches and scrapes on my bare legs, I’m wondering if I should get a tetanus shot. I don’t think the ones on my leg came from the rusty barbed wire fence in the woods, but I’m not 100% sure....
COLUMN: MiMi and the scooter of death
I should’ve known. I mean, I know a bad omen when I see one. Why didn’t I pay attention? On a recent trip to Disney World, the people at our hotel rented my wife Carol an electric scooter with the number three on the...
COLUMN: Cornbread 101
For whatever reason, I decided today was going to be the day. Without hesitation, I walked into the bedroom with purpose and called to my wife Carol, who was watching a movie on her iPad.
I got right to the point and said, “Hey, the...
COLUMN: Snakes hiss me off
It’s springtime, and I knew it was bound to happen with all this warm weather we’ve been having. Today, I almost stepped on a snake during my morning walk. For those of you who think an overweight old man can’t jump, I beg to...
COLUMN: Tickets
I know some of you are going to think I’m out of my mind, and maybe I am. I bought tickets to see the Rolling Stones. Yes, the guys who are in their late 70s and early 80s; the guys whose faces have more wrinkles...
COLUMN: Grandparent’s names – they call you what?
From my personal perspective, one of the most wonderful things about having grandchildren (besides being able to give them back) is that we get to choose the names that they call us. I’m certainly glad this is the case, but considering how parents micromanage...
COLUMN: Some assembly required
As we approach Christmas, I would like to send a heartfelt wish of good luck to all of you parents out there with young children. You’ll need it. If this is your first time to have Christmas when Santa Claus magically delivers all of...
COLUMN: Comics – they ain’t funny!
It was a horrible, sickening phone call. Within a few seconds, my hopes and dreams were crushed like someone stepping on a Coke can. And to think my mom did it!
Let me elaborate. Growing up, I was a comic book kid. Beginning about the...
COLUMN: Common scents
My wife Carol has been strongly suggesting (I call it nagging) that I visit my doctor and get the once over. I told her that even though it’s been six months beyond my usual check-up time, I feel fine. She responded that I would...
COLUMN: A slice full of memories
Decisions, decisions. What was I going to eat for supper? That’s always an important question for me, but today is a special day. Today was the first day that my taste has come back since I had Covid (my fourth time, by the way)....
COLUMN: Old theatre, old memories
I recently went to see singer Jackson Browne perform at the Alabama Theatre in downtown Birmingham, and a curious thing happened. After the first song, he looked around and said, “I remember this theatre. What a nice place to play music.” It’s a nice...
COLUMN: Say it ain’t so, Tony!
Oh, my Lord. I didn’t want to believe a link a friend just sent me. There is a new flavor of Skittles candy - mustard! I repeat – mustard-flavored Skittles. I’m gagging as I type this. Folks, the end times have to be near.
Though...
COLUMN: Celebrating in the Wundergarten – The Rock the South Rock Garden
Shane Quick is a “Home County Hero” of mine. The modern-day trinity of Frank Stitt, the James Beard Award-winning, celebrity chef/founder of Highlands Bar and Grill; Mother Angelica, the nun who founded the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament; and Shane Quick, the visionary founder...
COLUMN: Celebrating in the Wundergarten – Grandfather Pine and Grandmother Magnolia
BRING YOUR GRANDMA to SEE “THE GRANDMOTHER MAGNOLIA” and BRING YOUR GRANDPA to see “THE GRANDFATHER PINE” at the Sportsman Lake Park TREE MUSEUM—FREE and open to all, 365 days each year. (Directions: Go to Sportsman Lake Park and take the road to the...
COLUMN: Celebrating in the Wundergarten – Cultivate Cullman
CULTIVATE CULLMAN: The Countywide Arts & Gardening Celebration, which includes “Culinary Cullman” and musicians with Cullman County roots, grew from a seed of an idea to a big, beautiful, flowering thing faster than kudzu after an Alabama summer rainstorm. (Date for the 2024 CULTIVATE...
COLUMN: BBQ joints
I love me some BBQ. That’s because I’m Southern, and it’s the law. If you cut me, I will probably bleed smoky, sweet, red sauce. Any kind of meat is fine, but I have a strong lean toward pork ribs. I firmly believe a...
COLUMN: HGTV is BS
I’m not a handyman. I truly wish I was, but it’s just not in my DNA. I can’t make a straight cut on a 2x4 to save my dog’s life. If you give me a hammer and a handful of nails, all you’re probably...
COLUMN: The perfect gift – Thanks Harper Lee!
I just finished my annual reading of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Wow. As long as I live, I will read this novel. And for me, there’s a bonus. Every time I pick up the book, I’m reminded of a special graduation gift I gave...
COLUMN: Stop and smell the corn dogs!
I drove by our community ballpark the other day and saw that the All-Star baseball games were well underway. It’s hard to believe that the Little League baseball season has already come and gone. Has it already been two months since Opening Day? It...
