49/365

2.18.2021: I suspect that Lily Sue may be dealing off the bottom of the deck during a hotly contested game of "Old Maid." We are playing for Mardi Gras beads. Guess who is winning. 49/365

48/365

2.17.2021: On this day, 50 years ago, a young, apprehensive kid was issued a quite stylish olive drab US Air Force Field Jacket. Today, an old, not so apprehensive kid-at-heart still wears that jacket on occasion. 48/365

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2.16.2021: With all due respect to the majority of the United States, I don't think you realize what we are enduring here in the Atlanta area. 47/365

46/365

2.15.2021: Not a creature was stirring ... not even a Corgi. 46/365

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2.14.2021: Foggy Kennesaw Mountain Breakdown. 45/365

44/365

2.13.2021: And so it begins. 44/365

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2.12.2021: It was a late night run to Publix. And by late, I mean around 8 PM. Yes, I'm old. 43/365

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2.11.2021: Giant Ballerina sighted on Marietta Square. Police Chief displays cavalier attitude while dancing around pointed questions. Story at 11. "Suite!!!" 42/365

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2.10.2021: When life does NOT imitate art. 41/365

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2.9.2021: Getting my steps in today at The Avenue at West Cobb and, for some reason, I started humming this song: "Sign, sign ... Everywhere a sign." 40/365

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2.8.2021: “Why do I love clouds? Because you can’t save a cloud like you can save a leaf or a flower or a rock – clouds are now.” ― Terri Guillemets 39/365

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2.7.2021: That awkward moment when to walk into a party and realize ... only bamboo trees were invited. Then, you hope you will not be noticed. 38/365

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2.6.2021: A young buck in the Cheatham Hill area of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. That's the Illinois Monument in the background. 37/365

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2.5.2021: Gone ... but not forgotten! New owners of the old Stately Spiff Manor as of today. Janet & I decided to get one last photo together before the closing. Nearly 25 years of great times. Wonderful memories to last a lifetime. Our next great adventure has begun!!! 36/365

35/365

2.4.2021: With Valentine's Day quickly approaching ... love is in the air. And, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 35/365

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2.3.2021: You know you're going to have an iffy day when the first thing in the morning your frozen birdbath ... gives you the bird. 34/365 

How this happens: These towers are caused when the surface of the of water freezes first, sealing in the water below. As freezing temperatures continue, and that not-yet frozen water trapped below begins to freeze, it expands, creating higher pressure under the ice lid. Eventually, the pressure will either cause a small crack or opening in the ice where water will start to dribble out -- sort of like squeezing a tube of toothpaste. However, as that water squeezes out to the surface, it freezes too, creating a small bump of ice on the surface. The pattern repeats and the "bump" grows taller and taller until all the water under the main sheet of ice has frozen. And what you have left is called an ice spike.

33/365

2.2.2021: It’s been over 30 hours since I had the 2ndCovid-19 vaccination. Minor soreness is gone and really no other side-effects of note. I did fall asleep in my massage chair for a couple hours today, but don’t read too much into that as I’ve done that before on numerous occasions before having any Covid shots. For a moment this afternoon I thought that the vaccination had given me time travel abilities when I spotted these two classic cars. Then I realized, they must be shooting another movie in our area. Oh, well. 33/365

32/365

2.1.2021: I was more excited about getting this sticker (for my second covid-19 vaccination) than I was when I got my "I Voted" sticker. 32/365 

 NOTE: (11:20 pm 2/1/21) 9 hours after receiving the vaccination, no side effects or symptoms to report. I can very slightly feel soreness at the injection site. I also should mention, I suddenly have the urge to binge watch Pauly Shore movies.

31/365

1.31.2021: "Fog Monster" creeping up on our neighborhood. 31/365

30/365

1.30.2021: Anyone else see the amazing cloud formation this evening? (Took these shots from the nature trail in our neighborhood.) 30/365

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1.29.2021: No, this is not a photo of the cosmos. It's a closeup of "Ice, Ice Baby" on Kennesaw Mountain this morning. 29/365

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1.28.2021: "Heavenly shades of night are falling ... It's twilight time." 28/365

27/365

1.27.2021: Spent some time this afternoon at Marietta National Cemetery. I like to stop by on occasion to thank the men and women resting there for the freedom that I enjoy. Today, I randomly took a quick photo of a headstone and decided to see if I could find any information about that soldier. Here is what I discovered: 

Private William Britt was an Irish immigrant who settled in Paris, Tennessee. At the age of thirty-eight, he enlisted on October 1, 1862 in Company M of the Fifth Iowa Cavalry. Britt did his share of the fighting and was wounded and taken prisoner on July 30, 1864, in the encounter at Chehaw, Alabama. Research has suggested that he and seven other troopers wounded at Chehaw were hospitalized at Notasulga where he perished the first week of August. Britt was buried at the Marietta National Cemetery, but his grave was not identified with certainty. It was left to David Evans, author of “Sherman's Horsemen: Union Cavalry Operations in the Atlanta Campaign,” to positively identify his final resting place. Once that was accomplished, the military made preparations to provide the grave with an appropriate marker. The ceremony (in 1999) was made all the more meaningful by the fact that the members of the Irish parish where he was baptized in 1824 sent a piece of sod from his ancestral gravesite to be placed upon his grave in the "new world" where he had made his home…and for which he had offered his life. (Novum Scriptorium)27/365

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1.26.2021: "Sundown, you better take care ... If I find you been creeping 'round my back stairs." 26/365

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1.25.2021: Foggy, misty day ... but, the world still looked beautiful through my rain covered windshield. 25/365

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1.24.2021: If you are in the Marietta area and suddenly lose your phone signal, I may have discovered the problem. 24/365

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1.23.2021: If you listen closely, you can hear the laughter echoing off the walls. If you take a deep breath, you can smell the wonderful meals and desserts lovingly prepared in the kitchen. If you close your eyes, you can see friends and family throughout the house sharing their love for each other. If you could go back in time … you would do it all over again with pleasure. Thank you, 5745 Brookstone Drive, for sheltering us these past 25 years. And, for being a HOME that we shall never forget. 23/365

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1.22.2021: "Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind." - Nathaniel Hawthorne (Thinking of you today, Duffy.) 22/365

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1.21.2021: I rarely use pens or markers, but when I do … they are usually out of ink or totally dried up. I then return them where I found them, only to be frustrated again in the future. 21/365

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1.20.2021: On occasion, it is wise to check yourself out in the mirror to see if you look cute holding one of your toys. 20/365

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1.19.21: It was 1989 and we (Randy & Spiff) were in the midst of a fun phone topic during our morning show on Fox 97. The topic was “embarrassing dates.” The phones lines were jammed as Randy cracked open our mics and I prompted the listener, “What’s your name and tell us your embarrassing date story.” “Hello, this is Don Sutton and …” I interrupted, “THE Don Sutton?” “Yes,” he said. “THE LA Dodgers Don Sutton?” I asked. Again, he replied, “Yes.” “THE Don Sutton who is now a Braves broadcaster?” I queried. “That’s me,” Don responded. “Okay, THE Don Sutton … go ahead,” I said. Don then spun a very humorous tale that took place when he was pitching in the minor leagues. His date night ended abruptly when somehow, he put his foot into a large bowl of French Onion dip. 

As it turned out, THE Don Sutton was a fan our show and frequent listener. Through the years he often called in. We became friends. When there was a charity “Don Sutton Roast,” he requested that Randy & I be included on the panel of celebrities that poked fun of him that evening. I remember completely covering a baseball in blue ink and presenting it to Don that evening telling him that I had every major league player who hit a tape measure home run off of him, sign that ball. He thought that was quite funny. I loved listening to Don broadcast the Braves games. His stories, insight and sense of humor added so much to the broadcasts. 

I can hear Saint Peter now … “THE Don Sutton? THE Baseball Hall of Fame Don Sutton? Don’t just stand there in the on-deck circle, step through those Pearly Gates!” RIP, my friend.

19/365

18/365

1.18.2021: This is one view that I will miss from the old Stately Spiff Manor. 18/365

17/365

1.17.2021: I rarely watch professional football, but when I do ... I slow the shutter speed on my camera and attempt to take some artsy-fartsy photos. 17/365

16/365

1.16.2021: "If you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They're about to announce the lottery numbers." -- Homer Simpson 16/365

15/365

1.15.2021: Forrest & Jenny enjoying this incredibly nice January weather. 15/365

14/365

1.14.2021: "The world is but a canvas to our imagination." – Henry David Thoreau (Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park) 14/365

13/365

1.13.2021: "If you can’t be in awe of Mother Nature, there’s something wrong with you." —Alex Trebek 13/365

12/365

1.12.2021: “Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.” - Robert H. Schuller 12/365

11/365

1.11.2021: And so it begins. Got the first covid-19 vaccination. I noticed as I was leaving the facility, as I passed a mirror, I did not see my reflection. Also the daylight really, really hurts my eyes. Probably nothing. 11/365

10/365

1.10.2021: Jenny joining some of Janet's stuffed animals in our spare bedroom. 10/365

9/365

1.9.2021: Here is our resident Red-bellied Woodpecker picking up his preordered meal. 9/365

8/365

1.8.2021: Little Kennesaw Mountain and Kennesaw Mountain as seen from our neighborhood. 8/365

7/365

1.7.2021:  Janet showing the Food Network how it should be done. This evening she prepared a mouthwatering General Tso Chicken dinner. Janet's motto ... "It tastes the best when you make a mess." 7/365

6/365

1.6.2021:  "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em." Gigi & Aubree in a hotly contested card game. 6/365

5/365

1.5.2021: Aubree riding 65-year-old Mobo. As Roy Rogers used to say, "Yippee-ki-yay, kids." (Luckily, Aubree is not allowed to watch that Christmas classic "Die Hard" where Bruce Willis changed that phrase ever-so-slightly.) 5/365

4/365

1.4.2021: "Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above ... Don't fence me in." 4/365

3/365

1.3.2021:  Lily checking out our new neighborhood with Kennesaw Mountain in the background. 3/365

2/365

1/2/2021:  Please avoid Mount Calvary Road today as "Vulture Fest 2021" traffic is starting to build. Expect major slowdowns. 2/365

1/365

1/1/2021:  Jenny & Spiff getting ready for a big day of college football. Forrest is on a beer run. 1/365

When you live in a neighborhood that is used by the "Witness Protection Program," you often discover creative ways to "get rid of the body."

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