Doggette Determination.

Lady Di and I are gearing up for another Thanksgiving in the Boro. Last year I got on board a figurative train that Di has ridden already for several years: St. Jude's Church Thanksgiving feast. I posted the feast Last Year, and mentioned what a great guy I was for helping out, but my contribution is pretty small compared to a few others'. I've watched Lady Di separate lots of index cards, which she puts onto spreadsheets, so she, or someone else can contact other volunteers about donating, buying, or cooking turkeys or ham, dressing or yams, or dishing out the food in the serving line or delivering it to shut-ins. I've watched her and her "team piety" (pictured at left from last year) cook ninety pumpkin pies to be sliced and served tomorrow. Lots of folks have already worked hard, and lots more will work plenty hard tomorrow, but without some Chiefs, the Indians wouldn't be able to get the feast to the pilgrims. In military terms, Diane would be a Lieutenant (In cartoon-military terms, I'd be, like, Beetle Bailey). Our leaders are the Doggettes.
There's the Colonel. In Jim Doggette's case, that is not just an analogy: he was a full-bird Colonel in the USAF. He was a test-pilot, flying fast, fast planes for our Country, just like Chuck Yeager. Jim had "the Right Stuff", too, but not as good a press agent.

His boss is his bride, Gale (pictured to the left, next to Lady Di). Talk about a powerful "one-two punch"!

Anyway, lots of folks from St. Jude's Church (and some other kind souls from the Boro), bust their butts to help the community, but it wouldn't've happened this year without "Doggette" determination.

Harry Potter Rocks!

Lady Di, the Twins and I, could not've been hotter for Harry Potter. So we hopped in the car (Charleston's not far), and got tickets for all at the Citadel Mall. Voldemort's won is how it looks (but we're not worried: we've read the books!).

Teen Girl Squad.

Among the more bizarre fads to which oldest son Davis introduced me was Teen Girl Squad. You can click on the link if you want, but I won't try to explain it. As my Pop used to say, "if I have to explain it, it isn't funny" (Dad had many ways to brush me off. Sending me to the dictionary to look up things like sesquipedalian was one that stuck with me. I ended up learning lots of useless words from Dad's irritation). Anyway, it's been a couple of years since I gave TGS any thought, and it was kinda cool to see the bumpersticker at left.

Rice, Rice, Baby.

I'm smack dab in the middle of a two-week term of criminal court, so I've been, you know, busy. Still, I'm never too busy to enjoy a fine meal. Together with the marvelous salmon and beautifully prepared spinach, I supped tonight on Minnesota Wild Rice. Never heard of it? Neither had I. Lady Di cooked up some wild rice, then mixed in toasted chopped pecans, and a saute of onions and sliced mushrooms, and baked it all in a casserole for another twenty-five minutes. Lovely.

Empty Bowls.

The Boro, as I've mentioned many, many times before, is a pretty cool little place. Lots of imagination for a little place. A fund-raiser Lady Di and I attended tonight is a fine example: Empty Bowls. Local churches make various very fine soups. The Colleton County Arts Council has pottery students make bowls. The Arts Council sells tickets. People buy tickets. The Church people fill the bowls. The people eat the soup and keep the bowls. The Arts Council gives the money to the local churches so they can re-stock their food pantries for folks that need help. How cool is that?

Pinhoti Run, Featuring the Amazing AndyMan!

My brother, the Amazing AndyMan, is running again. About an hour ago, at seven this Morning (six Central Time), Andy started working the foothills and minor mountains of Northern Alabama in the Pinhoti 100 Endurance Run. Andy's run plenty over the last twenty or so years: scads of five K's and 10 K's, then scads of triathlons, ninety or so Marathons, and dozens of ultra-Marathons, including more than twenty 100 mile races. Still, 100 miles is a very long way to run, even for the Amazing AndyMan. His race number is 630, and you can track him over the next twenty-four hours or so at
Pinhoti

Run, AndyMan, run!