It's News to Mobile...

 

                                                              CityofMobile.com  2024

The photo is from yesterday in Mobile when a plane decided they much prefer a completely horizontal flight because vertical gives them vertigo...no one knows for sure what to call the line of "smoke" behind the plane...don't even go there unless you want a fight...

I saw an announcement of the New Orleans Jazz Festival lineup on Facebook, and the first comment was from a guy who wrote "Eh, not for everybody..." proving the point that no matter what you do in this world, you can never, ever please everyone. 

The lineup includes the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Chris Stapleton, Crazy Horse, Vampire Weekend, Hozier, Widespread Panic, Bonnie Raitt, The Killers, Queen Latifah, Earth, Wind and Fire, Jimmy Buffett's band (in his honor) and many more top-name artists but this guy says "Eh,"  The festival runs April 25th through May 5th and I have definitely got my sights set on catching some of these acts...

Speaking of concerts, the Hangout Festival will feature crowd favorites Lana Del Ray and Cage the Elephant, as well as The Chainsmokers, Dominic Fike, Renee Rapp and Jessie Murph just to name a few. This festival is made all the more blissful by the idyllic setting of white sugar sand beaches, swimming pools and just being at the beach in general, listening to live music and enjoying the eats and drinks. Scheduled for May 17-19 the top-level packages usually sell out well in advance of the show. This festival offers a lot of choice beach packages that include digs on the beach, special access to food and drink areas, and shuttle transportation around the festival and beach. They also offer 3 day general admission and 3 day general admission Plus packages. People are still hungry for fun and entertainment since 2020 so it wouldn't be a surprise if this entire event sold out before May...

There's no better Bowl in the world to catch most of the potential NFL players in their college mode, than Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama on February 3, 2024. The Bowl announced that Tennessee Titans Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams will head the American Team and New York Jets Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will lead the National Team. Some of the accepted invites include Tennessee QB Joe Milton III, Georgia OC Sedrick Van Pran, Auburn DS Jaylin Simpson, Penn State Edge Adisa Isaac, North Carolina WR Devontez Walker and many, many more stellar college players from across the country. I believe tickets are still available so if you plan to go check in to it before the last minute...

Heavy metal classic band Judas Priest will be in Mobile following a European tour that concludes in Paris. In Mobile on May 12th at the Civic Center and something tells me this one will also sell out before the show date...

The Spot of Tea saga with the Board of Health continues, with the restaurant owner providing detailed updates on their Facebook page, to include board of heath scores ranging from 90 in November 2021 to 60 in January 2024...as the epic battle continues the owner has backed down from putting the place up for sale and says there could be a possible meeting with the BOE supervisors and staff. Meanwhile the restaurant appears to remain closed, bleeding money for lack of business, where it sits on the very best location you could hope for on Dauphin Street, right next to Cathedral Square...

Believe it or not Mardi Gras is in full swing already... Dauphin Island has their People's Parade tomorrow at 1:00 PM...and on Friday January 26th the Conde Cavaliers roll in downtown Mobile at 6:30 PM...I have spies attending these parades and bringing me back boxes of moon pies and beads with secret Mardi Gras society scribblings on them...

We had a very cold spell, then it warmed up for a day and the cold spell is coming back. Yankee weather, go home... remember last summer when it was 110 degrees? Ok, cold weather you can stick around a little longer...

If you don't promote yourself first, no one else will follow, so call it shameless self-promotion or whatever you want, somebody's got to sing your praises....I am "almost finished" with my next book, this one a "ghost story" set in Mobile...I finally came to appreciate that Mobile can, at certain times of the day or night be a classically scary place.  I have a disclaimer in the front of the book: "To be read at night, alone, preferably in a large, old, creaky house...."

It's News to Mobile...

 

When Antarctica finds his way all the way down to Mobile, you know everyone above is taking a hit for us. Hope everyone stays warm...

If you see a homeless person out in this cold you can call Eric Overstreet at 251-228-8454 for details about a shelter open at the Theodore Church of God. There are shuttles from downtown and Tillman's Corner, so there's no reason for anyone in the Mobile area to be left outside in the sub-freezing weather coming tomorrow and Wednesday...thanks to Theodore Dawes Fire Rescue for making everyone aware on social media...also, please visit their page on Facebook to help a member of their team who is ill,  Firefighter Lieutenant Buddy Clickstine...

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday and also a holiday with store and other business closings. One of the saddest days in American history is when his young life was ended by those who did not want to see equality in our country. Fortunately, those people did not get their way, even though it's still a way to go before Dr. King's Dream is fully realized...

Everybody is chattering about the thing going on with revered downtown restaurant Spot of Tea, a mammoth battle between the health department and some violations they say they found inside the Dauphin Street restaurant... the restaurant may be temporarily closed and some scheduled events moved to another restaurant, The Ruby Slipper...hopefully everything will be ironed out and back to normal soon, especially with Mardi Gras Money season on the cusp...

It's so cold in Iowa today that Frosty the Snowman posted his plans for a vacation in California this week... 

Today is Iowa's big, anticipated GOP caucus. That's where a few select Republicans vote who to support for the upcoming presidential race...Devilish favorite Donald Trump, after mowing down the only other candidate who could be a threat to him - Nikki Haley, told caucus members to get out and vote "even on your deathbed - it will be worth it."  There are a lot of people who would lay on the ground and die for Donald Trump. I am proud to say I am not one of them. It could be a spring day with butterflies flittering and birds chirping and it's still a great big ole no...but here is what I do love about the Donald - if someone did vote for him on their deathbed, and died in the process, he would not attend their funeral because it would "make him look weak" to be associated with someone who was obviously a failure in life because they died going outside to vote. Now that's what I call being a true American! We know what's up...

A lot of locals' favorite band The Red Clay Strays will perform in Fairhope on Friday March 29th...tickets are on stubhub and this one looks like good sellout potential...

You know how sometimes when you are scrolling through stuff and you see a "new" product and think wow, what's next? Apparently the Men's Pocket Toilet, which promises you will never have to hold your pee again on road trips. The "toilet" looks like - well, you know those plastic vacuum hoses at carwashes?  It looks like a piece of one of those. It hides the man's p-p so no one has to go through the traumatic experience of seeing one...while it may hide your stuff it probably will not change the fact that urinating in public is a crime in most places...

What's up with me today, voting on the deathbed and p-p cloaks...maybe it's that cold weather coming in...

Here's some more promising news...a new restaurant is opening at 219 Conti Street, downtown. It's called Penton's Bistro and from the looks of the set-up inside if the food is anything like the décor it's going to be a winner... the exact open date is not known but it should be "any day now..."

Shameless Self-Promotion Kiosk: I am working on another book, this one a series of "horror" stories...the first book in the series should be published soon, a few weeks, a month...and if you are still planning that first trip to Paris, my short expose on my own trip, Seven Days in Paris could prove useful. It's not a guidebook but does have suggestions for restaurants and navigating Paris...or, if fiction is your thing and you want to see the roles of Whites and Blacks reversed in the Sixties,  The Color White just might satiate your appetite...Heavy Metal fans might enjoy this fiction piece: The Chronicles of Norvovia: Battle of the Bands...

Stay warm, help others stay warm including checking on elderly who live alone... homeless and pets...despite our little tiffs here and there we really are all in this together....it just occurred to me, I am elderly and I live alone...but don't worry about me, I got matches, newspapers and an oil drum...

It's News to Mobile....

 

                                                   Max   CityofMobile,com 2024

Retired weather guru/author Alan Sealls  tells us we will be able to see the space station as it moves through our orbit tonight at 6:43 PM for about 4 minutes. This is for our entire area...It is moving West South West to North. If you are not sure what that is then just look up at the sky around that time, say shazam and cross your fingers (my words, not Alan's!)…

Speaking of the sky, and weather, one of the coldest airmasses in a very long time is tracking across the country and will reach the Mobile area around Monday night...it's still too soon to know the exact numbers but it's going to be well below freezing even in Mobile - maybe 18 or 19 degrees. When it gets that cold go ahead and step outside, lick your finger and then press it onto your nose...

The college football world is all a buzz with the announcement of the coach who is replacing Nick Saban for the Alabama team. Kalen DeBoer, who has three National Championship wins under his belt. He was head coach at Sioux Falls, California State and University of Washington before landing this iconic position preceded by Paul Bear Bryant and Nick Saban. New blood, new era, which jettisons hot fuel into the mix for all concerned...

Speaking of music, which we weren't, the music festival world is also all a buzz with line-up announcements by the Hangout Festival, Bonnaroo, Shaky Knees and late line-up announcer Coachella...and as usual, after each annual announcement social media populates with a barrage of complaints about the line-ups, which eventually turn into raves and all these shows sell out before the concert dates - Coachella sold out before they even made the line-up announcement, proving we love to hate our line-ups but you will find us hugging the stage of our non-favorite artists at the show...

Hey guys, if you want to make $20.00 an hour The Buffalo Bills is paying that if you are willing to shovel snow at the Highmark Stadium before the playoff game this Sunday between them and the Pittsburgh Steelers...

This Sunday the Mobile Marathon kicks off and concludes at Mardi Gras Park downtown...the event is presented by Infirmary Health..if you can't race in the event at least drive down there and watch, and maybe some of that health and energy will rub off on you...

Sadly, a homeless person was found dead in Midtown Mobile near the Starbucks...details have not yet been provided, but folks please be aware there are more shelters opening in anticipation of the below freezing weather coming in...the Theodore Dawes Fire Rescue wants us to know that starting Monday at noon the Theodore Church of God will provide winter weather shelter for anyone in need. It will stay open until the  19th or 20th...if you see any homeless out there,  or know of any individuals or families who need a warm place, please reach out to them with this information...it's also possible folks can get a ride to the shelter - contact Eric Overstreet for more information 251-228-8454...just saw on the City of Mobile web site transportation shuttles will be at Tillman's Corner Walmart on Monday 12-2 and 4-6, and Cathedral Square downtown 1-3, and 5-7...

The City of Mobile was mentioned in the Wall Street Journal as an "emerging hot spot" for new startups...they must have seen my blog and finally come to their senses....seriously, if you are a start-up or wanting to be one, check in with the Mobile Chamber of Commerce and they might be able to help you start up...

The City of Saraland is strutting it's stuff with announcements of a new outdoor facility called The Land at Saraland which will feature 8 baseball/softball diamonds and a bunch of other multi-purpose fields for football, soccer, field hockey and even lacrosse... the open date is set for this fall...as I recall, Saraland is a national hotspot for youth softball, winning a lot of national titles every year...and while they don't want their competitors to know their secret, I think it's grandma's turnip greens, fried chicken, lima beans and cornbread...don't tell them I told you...

There will be An Evening with Anya Hinkle at The People's Room of Mobile downtown on January 31, 2024...she is on a nationwide tour...get your tickets early because this venue is limited and intimate, is like sitting in the living room with the performer...I recently caught Eric Erdman at this venue...nice!

All of Mobile is excited beyond description at the recent announcement of Judas Priest with special guest Sabaton on the Invincible Shield Tour on May 12, 2024 at the Mobile Civic Center...these metal rocky icons will shake Mobile to the bones that night so if you are one of the two or three people who are not there, and you feel the ground shaking way out in West Mobile, now you know why...

It's News to Mobile...

                                           Kurt Thomas, Mobile Museum of Art  2024  CityofMobile.com 

Want to feel smarter? Visit a museum: it works every time, and it's not a figment of your imagination or a fake smarter - you are smarter. Viewing, experiencing the art of our world is an educational experience. It's also soothing to the mind. So imagine how much smarter you'd feel if you were able to gain access to behind the scenes at an art museum - you'd feel like a genius. That's exactly what The Mobile Museum of Art offered members and the public this week: A Behind the Scenes tour with the museum's Art Logistics director Kurt Thomas. This rare tour is offered twice a year and I arrived at the museum located in Langan Park early enough to be greeted by the museum's Curator of Art and Audience Engagement, Stan Hackney. I sipped on a glass of red wine and soon the other 11 guests for the 5:00 PM tour arrived. There were three tours yesterday - 5:00, 6:00, 7:00 PM. The tour was free to museum members and only $5.00 for non-members. Of course I am a member - aren't all Mobile residents who can tell a Monet from a Degas? 

I was super-excited about this tour, like some people get stoked before attending a major football game. Yes, I just admitted that...  (I am attending the Senior Bowl on Saturday, February 3, and more news about this annual event coming soon...so, I am not 100% nerd, just a percentage of me...)

As in most museums, all the work it takes to make exhibits happen takes place in the belly of the beast - in the basement, and this is where we found the administrative and support offices, and treasure after treasure troves of fine art. Kurt began the tour in the main administrative office, beginning with architectural to-scale models ( 1:12 ) of the exhibit halls and rooms.  These models allow staff to plan exhibits in real time using mock-up pieces and prints. We visited the graphics office where museum art signage is designed and cut on a vinyl cutter, and rooms in which matting and frames are stored for possible use in future exhibits, or as needed. Some of the rooms house display cases and all the materials needed to fashion an exhibit of the caliber required in an accredited museum. Kurt explained the accreditation process - there is a mountain of work involved in being certified to house and exhibit extremely fine art, some in the permanent collection and often art from other museums and traveling art shows that transport art around the world. 

We received a tour of the loading dock to see how art arrives (and departs) , and the various temperature and security-controlled rooms where art is stored based on its type. For example paintings, textiles, ceramics each have their own storage rooms. The doors of these rooms are, if memory serves me, 119 inches tall. Off the loading dock is an elevator tall and large enough to host a Mardi Gras float. We took a ride in this behemoth, to see ( and feel)  how the art is brought from the dock or storage to the main exhibit floors above - or back down to storage or on to some other show...Someone asked if there was ever a time when a piece of art did not fit in the elevator, to which Kurt explained there was a Monet that needed another inch or two for a fit, and try as they may by tilting it, etc. the piece would not fit and therefore was not able to be exhibited.  Being an Alabama boy I inquired as to why they just couldn't take a chainsaw and cut off the top of it, but no one seemed to hear my question...

                                                             CityofMobile.com  2024

I was struck by the fact that in museums across the country - the world - more than half of the art in their possession will rarely, if ever, see the light of an exhibit floor. When I suggested during this tour that perhaps this museum could be expanded, I was reminded by another guest on the tour that it takes money to do that - a fact that perhaps had momentarily escaped me as I suddenly found myself feeling sorry for archived art. I thought about the poor artist who spent months - perhaps years in some cases, creating a piece, only for it to end up in a museum basement. But before I pulled out my handkerchief I reminded myself at least the piece was catalogued and stored, and protected for longevity, unlike the multi-million dollar piece that travels from attic to yard sale and then finally ends up in a thrift store with a five dollar price tag on it. (By the way, if any reader is aware of any such art piece, let me know. I have a weakness for unrecognized masterpieces...) 

So the next time you visit a museum, while you are pondering the brush strokes and masterfulness of that rare piece, also consider all the work that went into getting that painting hung on the wall. Behind the scenes of fine art exhibits is steady and hard work. This exclusive tour arranged by Stan Hackney, Kurt Thomas and their co-staff  including Joe Lett, Jr. the Media Marketing Specialist, was a perfect one hour that made me glad I don't just scroll through certain emailed newsletters. If you are not already a member of The Mobile Museum of Art I ask what are you waiting for? 

Next up, the museum hosts a Family Mardi Gras Day, Saturday, January 13, 1-5 PM when the educational team will guide you through art-making activities including making masks and floats out of shoeboxes (bring a shoebox!)  There will be dancing with Gloria Petit Williams and live music. Admission that day is FREE, including all the activities. It doesn't get any better than that...

There are events throughout the month and year, with a whopping ten events scheduled for this month alone. If you are interested in clay and pottery, there are several events in this genre this month...

                                                             CityofMobile.com  2024

It's News to Mobile...

Believe it or not, there is bigger news than the retirement of Saban yesterday, although his throwing in of the towel after an unmerciful beating by the Michigan Wolverines did send shock waves around the world. I believe all colleges in Alabama are closed today while everyone ponders and frets over the biggest question facing college football in over a decade: who will replace him, or can he even be replaced?...

No, the bigger news was the line-up announcements of the various summer music festivals around America. Hangout Fest released their line-up yesterday and on the beaches of Gulfshores, Alabama from May 17-19th will be Zach Bryan, Lana Del Ray, Odesa, The Chainsmokers and Cage The Elephant will play this event as well, along with Dominic Fike, Renee Rapp, Jessie Murph and a few dozen other soon-to-be major headliners themselves such as A Day to Remember, All Time Low, Koe Wetzel, and Megan Moroney. Hangout has a variety of cool beach and concert packages including VIP and Super VIP, which always sell out pretty early...and they also have a payment plan...they often make other surprise guest announcements so tune in here for any updates...and on X @gulfshores...

The Bonnaroo folks in idyllic Manchester, Tennessee announced their four day event on Tuesday, with headliners Pretty Lights, Fisher, Post Malone, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fred Again... yes Fred, again...with  Pretty Lights closing the Sunday evening party...this event will feature dozens of other established and up and coming bands, including the stellar Cage The Elephant who I caught at the Gulfshores Hangout Festival a few years back...

Shaky Knees Music Festival in Central Park Atlanta, GA blasted their May 3-5 line-up to include headliner Noah Kahn, with names like Young the Giant, Weezer, Queens of the Stone Age, The Offspring, Foo Fighters, Billy Idol and Portugal the Man...

As you can see I will be spending the month of May in a musical paradise set in the deep of the South, and if you follow or like me, or if you even maybe love me you will catch a few exclusive chats with some of these bands, insider info that I will not charge you for and which you can utilize at various gatherings by throwing out your own breaking news tidbits such as did you know Matt Shultz of Cage the Elephant has perfected the art of flying off a stage and also flying back onto the stage and still remain in one solid piece? (Seen it with my own eyes at Hangout...)   No, I promise to give you better, so keep listening...and be aware all three venues offer lodging plans and packages which usually sell out long before the event, or you can just pretend you are a regular dude and buy general admission tickets. Who cares as long as you can be there at the happening, right? 

I have been to the Hangout event several times and there's nothing that says summer days on the beach like being at this event surrounded by cool music, great food and folks...and just because you may be older than 18 doesn't mean you can't reignite your youth another time and show how cool you are for swinging and swaying in front of the stage G Flip is playing on, or The Taylor Party....just please don't wear Bermuda shorts and a throwback Hawaiian shirt..

I finally made it to Pizzeria Delphia yesterday... It's located inside a little co-op of eateries called the Insider, 518 Dauphin Street,  and I found their pizza to be among the best I have tasted in a long time...I kept reading they have great pizza so of course I needed to find out for myself...call 251-458-1100 to order ahead ( or confirm their hours ) if you like, but they do serve individual slices as well if you want to eat in the dining area and do as I plan and check out some of the other restaurants in that little hopping collective (teeming with people yesterday...) Some of the downtown restaurants roll with their own special opening/closing hours so best to call and confirm if you are driving downtown...

Another place I checked out yesterday is Red and White, also on Dauphin but further down in the 1100 block. This place looks cool and has a floor cellar of wine I am sure I have not seen at this level of choice anywhere else in Mobile...their menu includes a number of "exotic" cheeses to have with your wine, and they have a snack and entrée menu which they bring into force beginning at 3:00 PM. I was a bit early so a go-back is in order. The staff told me reservations not required...

For those in the Mobile area, we could get some more rough, rainy/windy weather tomorrow...and then by Monday night the temps could drop below freezing, with a projected low of  29 Monday night and a burr-worthy 19 degrees Tuesday night...pets and plants folks. The ground plants I can't bring in I cover with straw and leaves, and the taller ones cover with something to keep the frost bite off...

I'm always on the hunt for those off the beaten track restaurants and venues anywhere in the Mobile area, feel free to share via email to gulfshores@gmail.com...

It's News to Mobile...

 

                                             JD Crowe, January 9, 2024,  CityofMobile.com 

World-famous - probably even galaxy famous because cartoonist JD Crowe might say other planets are aware of us but that doesn't mean they are going to put out the welcome mat just yet - was yesterday's guest and first speaker at this years' Government Street Presbyterian Church Lunch and Learn series that runs through April 2024. If you don't know who JD Crowe is then you don't live in Alabama and you've never read a newspaper. His pen is often searing hot on Alabama and national politics, but his humor doesn't stop there, or at AL.com where they are very fortunate to have him as the resident cartoonist. His work has appeared in newspapers across the world. As JD pointed out yesterday, newspaper cartoonists are a dying breed, (but JD is not dead - more about that in a minute)  with only about 30 left in the country. The newspaper industry doesn't have a logical reason for dwindling the numbers, but just say they are more focused on local news. Don't rack your brain trying to figure that one out. 

I arrived in the cafeteria of the church and was soon joined by Julie and Babs, two other guests who each arrived separately and we quickly became a friendly table of three.  We chatted about the previous nights' fierce storm and Babs said her only damage was a geranium  tumped over.  Imagine my delight at hearing that old term of endearment, tumped, which I had not heard in decades. Thank you Babs. 

Included in the $12.00 admission was a lunch prepared by the church culinary staff, a delicious pot roast over rice, corn bread muffin and desert. JD began by telling us that he's not dead, but had been out of circulation for several months with a rare but curable illness that made him so skinny he was afraid to take a shower 'lest he he slip down the drain.' He felt like he was "stuck in a 24/7 David Lynch movie."  But he was definitely back with this presentation, in a monologue that included stories of his Kentucky roots and his cartoonist family (several siblings are also cartoonists.)  He read a letter he received from an anonymous source who ranted/pouted about cartoons that poked fun at Alabama politicians....and took us back through some of his more famous cartoons such as "The tragic irony is, I thought the mullet was hiding my red neck," and "Where I come from, reading anything out loud is considered showing off."  He brought along one of his books "Half-thunk Thoughts (Rivers Edge Media 2014) where he takes a much needed break from political cartoons. It can't be easy being the only journalist in the state of Alabama who stands up against Montgomery...

A generous crowd showed up for JD Crowe,  (including former Mobile Press Register reporter Eddie Curran, who now runs Curran Research Services) and besides his book he brought along his 2024 calendar of sunsets in Fairhope and a special Happy Birthday wish personally inscribed on my date. I definitely made the right decision to put this event on my calendar, got way more than my money's worth. I signed up for his newsletter at AL.com, "Welcome to Crowe Jam" by simply typing his name in the search box and scrolling down to sign up for newsletter. Next up in the Lunch and Learn Series is author and radio talk show host Cam Marston on January 16th, and in a timely presentation here near carnival season on January 23, Cart Blackwell of the Mobile Carnival Museum will be the guest speaker. Reservations not required, just show up.  Lunch is served between 12 and 12:30 and the presentation starts at 12:30. For the full schedule you will find The Government Street Presbyterian Church on Facebook or just Google them and call. Parking was free right across the street from the church. This one was an easy, enjoyable afternoon...

After a stormy night the sky decided to shine all blue and sunny and I strolled downtown in search of the best pizza in Mobile...although I found what is supposed to be the place, it was closed...I messaged them and asked if they are open this Friday and they replied "yes," so we'll see if I can make this happen...if I do you'll read about it here...there is a new restaurant trying to open in the 200 block of Conti Street...as soon as they have their licenses in place I was told, they will open, hopefully in the next week or so...

I made a few new acquaintances during my walk, including Gerald and his loving pooch Buddy...turns out Gerald and I co-existed during a time in San Francisco way back when...and a friend of his stopped and we chatted about restaurants in the area. It should be no surprise everybody is a restaurant critic, and one new friend fired off various reviews of nearby restaurants that would have made Julia Child blush..."oh, it's o.k. - your everyday café food... but the seafood gumbo is excellent..." and about another, "it's over-priced,"  and yet another..."really good food..."  After I suggested one restaurant I have tried once, a friend messaged back and said "Yeah it was OK, not our favorite, how about...." We already know from Yelp that people will and do rant and rave about restaurants...sometimes you just have to go and find out for yourself because our tastes and expectations can run different, and sometimes a restaurant experience goes south because of extenuating circumstances...people have off, or bad days - you included so open up that heart and let your goodness shine...

In closing, and in the words of JD Crowe remember, "Where I come from, farm animals are 1.Pets, 2. Dates, 3. Dinner."

It's News to Mobile...

 

                                                  J.D. Crowe, Gov. St. Presbyterian Church

If you are going to try and have your hand on the pulse of your city, then you listen to the current chatter, which this morning seems to be the wild weather we had last night. As I sit here now the sun is peaking out from behind the left-over clouds, offspring of much darker and vocal, colorful clouds that swept through beginning at 3:30 this morning. No doubt phones across this great city pinged with the instantly detectable horn of the National Weather Service around that time - I know mine did. I checked the radar, which clocks the red cells up to a certain timeframe, and it showed the long, skinny, fast-moving band of clouds passing over us around 4:10 AM...I slept-walked to a lower level bathroom and pondered the situation.  Not to ignore the warning but my body navigated me back to the bed where I  soon heard the winds pass through. Spoiler alert: when the wind chimes start making a lot of noise that means it's very windy. I heard a thump on the roof, likely a small tree branch detached from it's parent, flying through the air and later confirmed to have found its way to the ground. I peeked outside and immediately saw a thin, spiky branch in the front yard. Now fully dressed with coffee brewing I walked outside and there were small branches scattered here and there, with one sizable but man-hand-able one way in the back, where there are lots of pines and oaks. The sun has once again been outplayed by the clouds and has retreated until further notice. Our area is still under a tornado watch until around noon, I think...we may hopefully be good for  now, until this Friday when another large storm threatens a big part of the country, leaving the kind of cold behind that causes you to bring in any potted plants and cover the ones that remain and might freeze next week. I saw one low reading of 21, which hopefully will be upgraded as days pass, to something more reasonable, something I can deal with...neighbors sometimes see me walking with an aviator hat flapping around my ears, when it's only 50 degrees outside. I kindly smile and remind them I don't do cold. I thermal up and retreat like a turtle dug in the ground, warm under the blanket of dead loblolly pine needles...

There is news that someone lost their life before light this morning, on a bicycle near Moffett and Wolf Ridge Road, perhaps trying to cross Moffett Road. It is reported this was not a hit and run and one can only imagine the remorse and mental pain felt by the driver in what was a tragic, unavoidable accident, and any loved ones of the victim.  I always hate to see people on bicycles anywhere except in a park or the beach. These roads are not made for bicycles, and even motorcycles face a much greater risk than do motorists in cars and trucks...especially when it's raining...

Some roads are still closed, some people lost power, and even though there is visible signs of damage caused by the fierce wind, trees and tree limbs, overall we came out much better than the potential that was there for very destructive tornadoes....

Om tap today, a luncheon with political cartoon satirist J.D. Crowe at the helm at the Government Street Presbyterian Church, 300 Government. $12.00, lunch served at noon, J.D. starts at 12:30. Parking is in the Jackson Street lot. No reservation required, just show up...but the number is 251-432-1749...this is part of a speaker series the church offers...

Someone posted that Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page is 80 today...wow, how time...but I can imagine his great-grandfather Keith Richards is very proud of him....who can resist a Keith Richards joke? Not me...

Shout out to the young, bearded fellow behind the seafood counter at Fresh Market, who walked me over to the Asian food section where I was gathering the final ingredients to make Tom Yum soup... I had been to the Oriental Food Market on Azalea Road and had just about everything, but I was holding out for fresh galangal instead of the frozen they had at the Oriental market...no one had it fresh so I followed the tip from the recipe and substituted fresh ginger with black pepper to make it simulate galangal...(which I am betting you did not know) I bought fresh Gulf shrimp from Fresh Market, and the soup turned out pretty good. The fresh lemon grass shoots are what really make it, but there are a ton of ingredients from fish sauce to roasted Thai chili pepper...I like, but am not a huge fan of all mushrooms, so I substituted fresh bean sprouts, which is what I ask for when I buy Tom Yum at a restaurant...the nice thing about making it at home is you control the spiciness,  and I like mine in-between, a medium hot...in case you are wondering Tom Yum is a Thai soup invented by a man named Tom, and it's very yum. Trust me, it is...and as a dear friend Sherri Marston is fond of saying...I am leaving the room now....

Be safe!