Southwest Georgia Labor Day Good Times!

Happy Labor Day! I used to have great times on Labor Day when I was growing up in Cairo deep down in Southwest Georgia. My Daddy and Mama and I would quite often go to one of my uncle's houses. The whole family (on my Daddy's side) would come to the event and bless me there was good food. It'd be so raging hot you could feel the huge squirting sweat coming out all over you and all the flowers in the huge back yard would be potently redolent with the giant Southwest Georgia aromas. One uncle of mine a big, tall guy named T.W. would do all the wild frying of the fish. He got the fish amazingly hot. He said he wanted it "John Brown" crunchy. My Mama liked the natural grits ole' T.W. cooked. He threw a huge heppin' of cheese in the big grits pot and Lord did he cook the daylights out of that grits. It was good time Charlie, that's what this scene was. After awhile when things eased up a little then my Uncle Clower (a huge man with incredible strong handshake) and my Uncle T.W. and Byron (another uncle) and my Daddy would get out some bourbon. Little toddy time then. It was a time to remember. Now those folks and days are gone and my life is so calm....yet, I tell you something...those crackling good times....they provided some mighty fine memories. Mighty fine!

Merry Christmas from a man of Georgia

Merry Christmas to everyone from here in the beautiful state of Georgia. The rains have gone and the weather is good. We are so blessed. The plan is to spend good times with our son and granddaughters today in Midtown Atlants. Good Christmas food and happy times. The Georgia and Southern tradition of Christmas is packed with strong religious feeling and family-oriented traditionalism. And that is good. The older I get the more I realize how important and vital is the meaning of family--one's blood. I remember reading the works of two favorite writers of mine, Charles Dickens and William Faulkner. The meaning of one's people is so deeply imbedded in the literary works of these two men. I remember my grandmother on my father's side and my grandmother on my mother's side. Both women taught me when I was very young to get strongly into having faith and having prayer and realizing what a beautiful and meaningful thing it is to be a man of the South. Now at this time in my life my religion fills up my soul and totally energizes me. My music and my art and films and jazz and culture delight me so much. The people in my life have given me so much meaning and definition and that is wonderful. So enjoy today everyone out there. As the song says, 'We Need a Little Christmas.' Please realize there is a man in Stone Mountain, Georgia who is trying to bring you emotional pure depth and soul in your lives. Enjoy the beautiful songs today: 'I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,' 'Deck the Halls,' and 'Joy to the World.' And also I remember the marvelous song that symbolizes today and my mother used to play it on the piano. Of course I am referring to the grand song, 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.' That dear song seems to symbolize for me the beauty and the joy and the magnificent culture that is today--Christmas. Bless you all!