I hit another birthday , which is good because I’m still here at this elderly age.
Multimedia
“Sean, hi. I just want to ask you if you have any advice on how to show my 14-year-old daughter that I am proud of her. She doesn’t have her father anymore, and she is actually pregnant. I don’t judge her. I know more than anything that she would like to know someone is proud of her, and eve…
Sandy was seated on the porch, wearing an apron, folding clothes from a giant basket. She was a certified laundry fairy for three unkempt children. It was an average Tuesday, 1945.
Some days I’m just not motivated to do anything. Am I lazy, depressed or what? It seems like I get in a meditative state thinking about stuff and the hours disappear.
My daughter and I couldn’t believe we had to wait for a table for 15 minutes when there were 6 empty tables on one side of the restaurant and 4 empty tables on the other side of restaurant. What?
In my family, there was no real difference between religion and fried chicken. The two items went hand in hand. When you attended church events, you ate fried chicken. Any other dish was borderline paganism.
He was tall, lean, and young. When he approached me, he hugged me. Then, his mother hugged us both. A three-person club sandwich.
My heart bleeds for those poor families on Shin Point Road whose quality of life is degraded by a substandard road to access their homes.
As many home gardeners know, there are many varieties of corn to choose from. Essentially there is sweet corn and field corn—with a lot of different varieties falling within these two categories.
Sweet memories and the lovely flowers of spring are a combination unsurpassed.
I receive a lot of mail in the form of emails, letters, private messages, texts, Morse code, etc. It is impossible to answer all these messages, so I have compiled some of the most commonly asked questions, and will answer them here:
featured
(Wayne and Becky Whitaker of Bishop Mountain traveled to Belize. Becky, a former correspondent for The Advertiser-Gleam, shared this account of their adventure.)
(Editor's note: This column ran in 2017 and Eddie Wheeler has long since retired from the Marshall County Extension office. But alert reader Eddie Allen asked that we re-post this story. He said the "volcano mulching" referred to here is a common sin he sees as people spruce up their places …
I wish I had a few million bucks. You know what I’d do with it? I’d buy a piece of land, way out in the middle of the country and build bunkhouses for kids who are having rough childhoods. Kids without parents, or kids who are neglected, or orphaned. I would call it Camp Okie Dokie.
As temperatures continue to rise, many spring pests plague lawns and yards. Beware insect pests are becoming more active as they emerge from many different overwintering situations.
I got a chance to visit Guntersville High School last week. And as my visit came to an end, the thought went through my mind ‘I’ve got to get over here more often.’
Every Monday for the six years I have resided in Guntersville, I have wondered with a growing amount of curiosity why so many businesses in the community are closed the first day of the work week.
In our family, we have many Easter traditions. Before mom (Granny Lou) passed away in November of 2020 and pre-COVID, this was the one celebration that we gathered with both sides of the family. My entire Tennessee family and Jeannie’s entire family met together as one bigger happy group cel…
I finished a pastel painting of the Swann Covered Bridge at Cleveland. I took photos when my husband and I first explored the covered bridges in the loop area. I had always thought I’d paint it somehow.
Nobody knows when it started. But it did. The first jar of pickles to appear on Aunt Bee’s grave in Siler City, North Carolina, showed up in in 1989, the year she died. Legend states that the pickles were probably homemade. Although some claim they were store pickles.
I miss the 3 cent stamp and pretty stationary. We all communicate with computers these days.
(This story by the Advertiser-Gleam’s Claysville correspondent, Catherine Cameron, appeared in the magazine “Old Huntsville” and is reprinted here with permission. More of Catherine’s work will soon be appearing in the pages of “Old Huntsville,” we are told.)
Does your spring garden have you stumped? Are your shrubs shriveling?
There are nearly 10,000 named varieties of tomato. April is here, and Alabamians will be planting America’s favorite garden food in droves. Deciding which tomato to use is entirely up to the gardener.
Fourteen-year-old Hayden from Maryland sent me a letter asking what my favorite food is. Hayden says that her personal favorite food is apple pie with melted cheese on top.
I got a bit sad this morning listening to some old music on You Tube. I ran across the compositions and singing of Leonard Cohen. If you’re not familiar with him, look him up. He’s wonderful. Unfortunately he passed away some years ago.
Alabama is known for its robust and diverse agricultural production. From beef cattle to cotton, Alabamians play a significant role in the agricultural industry. However, most people do not think of meat goats when they think about Alabama agriculture.
featured
It’s been a while since the last time I reviewed my favorite shows for “What We’re Watching,” so I’m just going to dive right in this time around. These are in no particular order or classification, just a few of my recent favorites. Happy watching!
For many people, credit is a scary thing to think about. This is mostly because they do not always understand it. National Credit Education Month is a great time to learn about the ins and outs of credit.
I know I’ve told you that I’m a born procrastinator. I don’t mean to be because whatever the chore is, it’s always stressful doing it at the last minute. I just figure I have the time “tomorrow” to get it done.
A rare illness has been traced back to a species of tick commonly found in Alabama. Heartland virus has come into the spotlight as a potential threat to the health of outdoor enthusiasts. However, there is not an immediate cause for alarm.
Day One. My first 24 hours living in Birmingham. And in the words of my boyhood idol, Sarah Ophelia Cannon, I am just so proud to be here.
Alabama Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship wanted to make sure the public understood a few points about the funding that is coming to help fight invasive carp:
Alabama’s efforts to expand rural broadband in the last five years have given us a head start on bringing additional households online supported by $276 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars that the state legislature appropriated in January.
Two people were hurt – one of them seriously – in a crash on Highway 431 Sunday afternoon. It caused traffic to essentially shut down for a time, as one of the cars caught fire and the Guntersville Fire Department had to extinguish the blaze.
I am always astounded when I walk the halls of Guntersville’s Cherokee Elementary School these days, even though I have done it many, many times over the last several years.
Alabama is now eligible for up to $100,000 of federal money to help fight invasive aquatic species.
Regardless if it was raining or snowing out, my mother would always let us kids be out in it. Of course, lightning and blizzards were out.
To the Advertiser-Gleam:
Springtime is quickly approaching and there is no better way to welcome the warmth than with a new flock of backyard poultry. Chickens can be great to have running around the backyard while adding a new hobby or chore. They can provide a family with eggs and entertainment, but above all must…
I hung an American flag on our house today. We just moved in. We have only been living in Birmingham for three days, but I thought it was time we flew the Stars and Stripes.
Handkerchiefs are now keepsakes. Tissues have taken over.
A couple times during the Guntersville girls’ playoff run, a glaring thing jumped out at me as the teams were introduced.
I was reading in the Advertiser-Gleam about several young people in Marshall County who fell victim to one of the new leading causes of death in the United States, fentanyl mixed with other recreational drugs. Reports indicate that cocaine had been laced with fentanyl and was consumed recrea…
Farmers and gardeners have been using compost for thousands of years, but that doesn’t mean it always has to be the same old food scraps, pet scat and lawn clippings. Wheat straw bales make great compost—and great planters.
I seem to notice things that are a bit out of kilter, like pictures on the wall that don’t line up or stray weeds by a doorway.
Of course, it would happen when I’m no longer covering Guntersville sports full=time. The Guntersville varsity girls’ basketball team made it to the Final 4 and the won the 2022 State Championship game.
I had my “poison pen” out all ready to write “what the heck” after Coroner Cody Nugent asked the County Commission to build him a building the other day.
It has been a while since I have written a column. Since the last one I wrote, though, my mother passed away somewhat unexpectedly.
America's Boating Club of North Alabama will conduct a boating safety class at Lake Guntersville Yacht Club, 498 Yacht Club Road on Saturday, March 19, from 8 to 5.
A pair of Grant men landed in jail following a drunken fight.
