An Ode to Six Channels (Where did all these channels come from?)

 I freely admit I have reached an age where I like to riminess.  Really depending on the day, what I think about from the long ago changes on a regular basis.  it might be food, could be baseball, or school.  It could be some old friends.  In fact, I have thought about old friends a lot in the past week.  

I was in St. Louis all of last week because my mother was in the hospital, having broken her hip in a fall.  While there I talked, texted or emailed several friends I had back in the 60's and 70 that were concerned about mom's condition.

They included (not in any certain order, and sorry gals, I'm using names I knew you by 50 years ago).  Paige Staggs, Lisa Childs, Linda Richardson, Daryl Simmons, Sam Bates, Sandy Frazier, Sandy Smith, Bruce Chilton, Lynn Anderson, Reggie Wright, Sherry Tomnitz, Vanessa Davis, Leslie Davis and Keith Uebelein.  Plus of course my brother Barry.

But on this Wednesday night, as I sit home wide awake with Influenza Type A., it was one of my newer friends who suggested the topic for this blog.  Allison Blair is an Alabama girl through and through.  She has never lived anywhere else.  Since I have only lived here about 10 years, I do not have the history with her I do with the previous dozen.  But one thing I have discovered about her, that is really scary, we think a lot alike, especially in humor.

Our brains were in sync earlier this evening because I was watching an old NBC News program that had Chet Huntley and Frank McGee on it.   Chances are no one under 50 knows who those two gentlemen are.  They were news anchors in the long ago.  Anyway, Blair says write about your old tv channels, more specifically, "an ode to six channels", which is what we had growing up in St. Louis.

ABC was on Ch. 2, CBS was Ch. 4, NBC on Ch. 5, PBS on Ch. 9, and we had two independent stations, Ch's. 11 and 30.  That's it, six stations, and we were happy to have those six stations.  My wife M, said for much of her growing up years, they had channel, NBC.  Ugh.

It's funny, looking back on it, six stations was plenty.  I mean, you can only watch one at a time.  But with so few channels, it was easy to remember where your favorite shows were and what time they came on.

The one show I remember us watching faithfully was "Bonanza."  It came on Sunday night at 8 on NBC.  After Sunday night worship, we always watched the Cartwrights.  There was something about westerns.  On Wednesday there was "The Virginian," with James Drury, also on NBC.  Then on Friday nights, the Peacock had "High Chapparal," another favorite of mine.

It seems like CBS had all the comedies.  There was "Gilligan's Island," which I mention first, because my first tv crush was Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann.  We loved "Green Acres" and "Petticoat Junction." 

I was a huge "Hawaii Five-O" fan, but one of my absolute faves was "The Addams Family."  I'm telling you, John Astin as Gomez Addams is the best casting in the history of television.  If you haven't seen him, go to You Tube and look up best of John Astin as Gomez Addams.  Classic

Every Saturday morning my brother could be found in front of the television watching "The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Show."  Simply the best cartoons ever, then later on ABC "Wide World of Sports" came on.  I can still hear Jim McKay saying, "...spanning the globe, to bring you the constant variety in sports.  The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat."  Still gives me chills.

One last thing.  I am so glad there was no Fox News, CNBC, CNN or any other all-news channel.  All I needed were Chet Huntley and David Brinkley.  "Good night, Chet," "Good night, David, and good night for NBC News."

Good night my friends, both old and new, that is enough reminiscing for tonight.  I love all of you.

Pork Steaks, Spring Training and Grandpa Dalton

 I've been in St. Louis for a week now with my mother being back in the hospital.  She had a partial hip replacement yesterday.  Totally unrelated, the St. Louis Cardinals had their first Spring Training game of the year this afternoon.  Hopefully it was not a preview of what is to come, as they blew a 6-0 lead and lost 7-6.

The first game of the spring and being back in the old hometown reminds me of one thing, and one thing only.  Pork steaks.

Like toasted ravioli, gooey butter cake, provel cheese, frozen custard, pork steaks ten to be a St. Louis thing.  On warm, spring and summer evenings, especially on the weekend, to be outside, and no matter which way you the wind was blowing, you were overwhelmed by the smell of meat on the grill.  More often than not, it was pork steaks on the grill.

In many places in this wonderful country of ours, they are ignorant to the ways of the pork steak.  Mostly out west, the northeast and the very deep south.

M and I had been living in Tuscumbia, Ala., about six months when I went to my friendly neighborhood Publix.  They have a great bakery and deli, surely their meat department is first rate as well.  As I looked in the "pork" section, I was very disappointed, because nowhere did I see anything that even closely resembled a pork steak.  Don't try and sell me pork chops, that is not even in the same ballpark.

Finally the butcher, who must have seen the look of concern on my face, came out.

"Can I help you," he asked politely.

"Yes you can," I answered just as politely, "I'm looking for some pork steaks and can't find any."

He looked at me like I was some alien from Mars.  "I'm not sure what you mean."

I stared at him like he was an alien from Mars.  "You know, (obviously he didn't), a pork steak.  A steak cut from the shoulder/butt area."

A faint glimmer came to his eyes.  "You know, about three weeks ago there was a guy came in asking for the same thing."

Good gracious man, I am thinking to myself, why aren't they in stock.  "And," I finally said.

"I cut some for him," he said, still not sure if he was on Candid Camera or not.

"Well, think you can cut some for me?"  At this point I am considering driving to St. Louis and getting some.

'Sure," he said with that Publix confidence, "now what cut is that again?"

I explained take the pork shoulder, cut it into about one-half inch steaks and I want three of them.  And leave the bone in.  He said give him 15 minutes

About 20 minutes later I went back to the meat department, and he must have seen me coming.  He was waiting for me with a nice tidy package of three freshly cut pork steaks.  I must admit, for not knowing what a pork steak was, he did a pretty good job cutting them.

So I tell you all of that to tell you this.  It is a custom in the Sullivan family, yea verily, a state holiday, to grill pork steaks on the afternoon of the first baseball game of the year.  Growing up in St. Louis, and spending part of my life there, the weather in the Gateway city in late February can be anything from single digits to high's in the 70's.  Doesn't matter.  First game you grill.  No excuses.

Though it is a Sullivan tradition, it was my Grandpa Dalton who instilled in me a love of grilling meat (almost always pork steaks) on the grill.  Some of my happiest memories growing up were sitting on metal yard chairs in the backyard with grandpa, stoking a charcoal grill, that is cooking half a dozen or so pork steaks.  Frequently he let me make the barbecue sauce.  Yes, we made our own.

My grandpa Dalton died in 1973; I was 15 years old.  If I could have had one wish back then, it would have been God letting him live another 20-25 years.  But he didn't, and that is ok.  They must have needed good grillers in heaven.

Pork steaks, first game of the spring, my Grandpa Dalton.  The perfect trifecta.

George Edwin Williams

 This will be brief, but I hope powerful.

As most of you know, one of my retirement hobbies, besides writing, is genealogy.  I've had some good luck finding relatives and other friends. I try to spend a few minutes, some days it is a couple hours, on the Genealogical site run by the Church of the Latter-day Saints (the Mormons).  The address is familysearch.org and it is a wealth of information.

I have found information I didn't expect to find, and I've gone down a few, well, more than a few rabbit holes and come up empty.  This afternoon I was chasing after a potential relative named Williams, who was born, I think, in western Arkansas in the early 1900's.

As I dove headfirst into the rabbit hole, I did not find the individual I was looking for in the hundreds of potential matches provided.  But I did find was something more meaningful.  Something that caused me to pause, and under my breath whisper, "wow."

We know very little about George Edwin Williams. FamilySearch says he was born "about 1923," in Arkansas.  No town given, no county listed, no middle name shown, no record of who his parents were.

The next line was the powerful one in what it revealed.  So powerful it gave me pause in what I was doing.

George Edwin Williams died June 6, 1944 in Normandy, France.

You know exactly what that line means.  I stared at it for at least a minute.  Was he killed on one of the boats that brought him in?  Which beach was he on?  Juno?  Omaha?  Utah?  Was he gunned down while running on the beach?  Was he killed while caught in barbed wire?  Did he step on a mine?  Was he killed while attempting to climb to the top of one of the hills?  We may never know what happened to him.

We think he was 20 or 21 years old.  A lifetime ahead of him as part of "The Greatest Generation."  But it was a life that ended in sacrifice for the country he loved.  A country he fought for, a country he died for.

A single entry on one of the millions of records on this website.

George Edwin Williams died June 6, 1944 in Normandy, France.

Nearly 81 years later, we thank him for his service and we honor his sacrifice.

My Living Hope

 It has been roughly 36 hours since we dismissed from worship yesterday morning.  The time really doesn't matter because I simply cannot get out of my head one of the songs we sang.  It has been in my head, and I have been watching it on You Tube.

Before the lesson, our worship leader, Kaleb Suggs, led a song he had led a time or two before.  It was entitled, "My Living Hope."   A powerful, powerful song, I felt like I was hearing it for the first time, I felt like the words of the song were written expressly for me.  Have you ever felt that in a worship selection?  I usually don't.

But as we were singing, and approaching the chorus, instinctively my hands up, raising them to my Father in heaven, lifting my hands up to him in worship and praise.  Read these lines carefully from the chorus.  Contemplate the point being made.

Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There's salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope

Even now as I type this, I am singing the song, I feel filled with the Spirit.  Once again, I want to raise my hands to God, like I did in worship yesterday, as if I were a little child reaching for the Father.  

Hymns move us.  Scripture moves us.  Prayer moves us.  If you raise your hands heavenward during a particularly powerful song that moves you, Praise the Lord!  If you are just as moved by the same selection, but would feel better not raising your hands, Praise the Lord!  Whether you say amen after a song or prayer, or following a meaningful part of the lesson, Amen to that.  If you choose to be silent, Amen to that as well.

We are all, being filled with the Spirit, bringing our worship to God, collectively as a group of believing saints, offering our worship to Him.  We are not pre-programmed robots bearing preset responses.  We our God's children, we are sinners, we come to worship broken, we are hurting, our souls cry out.  We are all different, yet we are all in need of help that only the Father can give us.

Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There's salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope

Praise God!

Waffle House

 It was 9p eastern, 8p central on the evening of November 15, 2015, when the newest episode of Anthony Bourdain's, "Parts Unknown" comes on CNN.

The weekly program, features Bourdain, a renowned chef, author, philosopher and cultural observer.  Each week he is at a different locale somewhere in the world.  It could be Istanbul, or Hanoi, Djakarta or Cairo.  It could also be Montreal or Santa Fe.  One of my favorites was when he was in Beirut.  Each week a new city, a new culture, a new culinary adventure.

On this episode, he is in Charleston, South Carolina.  As the episode starts, Bourdain introduces us to southern chef Sean Brock, his culinary guide on this episode.

As amazing as it seems to you and me, the globe-hopping Bourdain has never been to a Waffle House.  Evidently, they don't have them in the greater New York City area.  That, or he looked down his nose at it, choosing to ignore it.

The dialog between Brock and Bourdain goes like this.

Brock: We have one choice for late-night eating and it's the waffle house. And they create this environment where no matter how blitzed you are or how normal you are, you are welcomed and treated equally with an experience. It's not just like, you know, eating a plate of food.

Bourdain: You're talking about all, the magical spiritual place.

Brock: It's beyond a magical, spiritual place.

Bourdain: It is indeed marvelous. An irony free zone where everything is beautiful, and nothing hurts for everybody regardless of race, creed, color, or degree of inebriation is welcomed.  It's warm yellow glow, a beacon of hope and salvation inviting the hungry, the lost, the seriously hammered all across the south to come inside, a place of safety and nourishment. It never closes. It is always, always faithful, always there for you.

Unless you watched that episode, you probably have never seen anyone wax so poetically about Waffle House.  It is deserving of every word.

Several weeks ago, I wrote about Two Fat Sisters in Tuscumbia, and my weekly trip to that establishment.  Make no mistake, they have a hearty breakfast, great waitresses and a welcoming atmosphere.

But Waffle House, Waffle House is just, well, just different.

For one thing, they are everywhere, they are open 24 hours, and it seems all of the workers have been there 20-30 years.  Their hash browns, oh my, their hash browns.  They belong in the same breath as Croque Monsieur, Oysters Rockefeller, a sizzling New York Strip or fish tacos.  They are that good.  As my son Barclay would say, "they are glorious."

M and I travel a lot.  I mean a lot, usually away from home 60-70 days a year.  The Waffle House is our favorite breakfast stop.  We have been to Waffle House in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.  Maybe some others as well.  From Panama City, to Macon, to Florence, it is as Bourdain said, "always welcoming."

Wednesday morning, we dined at the WH om Florence Blvd. In Florence.  It was about 9.30 or so when we arrived.  All the table and booths were full, as were most of the sets at the counter.  I think we were able to get the last two seats.  As patrons left and others arrived, the staff and cooks would call them by name.  "See you next time," or even, "see you tomorrow."

Our waitress, a seasoned employee immediately laid down a napkin, a fork and a spoon.  She asked if we wanted coffee.  We did, plus M wanted a creamer, I just needed some sweetener.  We also asked for a glass of water.  When she brought the coffee back, she asked if we needed menus.  We did not, we both ordered our "standard" fare.  A pecan waffle and bacon for M, two scrambled eggs, "smothered" hashbrowns, bacon and whole wheat toast for me.

It was served within minutes piping hot and fresh.  I generously added pepper to my eggs and hashbrowns and dug in.  M simply added butter and maple syrup to her waffle.

The food was good, the coffee was good, the bill was fair, we were satisfied and headed to our next destination.  Our tummies full, smiles on our faces.

One last thing.   Did you know the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a Waffle House Index for use during storms?

The Waffle House Index is informal measure of a storm's severity and its effect on a stricken community.  It comes from Waffle House’s reputation for being well-prepared for disasters and either remaining open during disastrous weather or reopening shortly afterward..

Take some time and go to You Tube and watch the Bourdain episode on Charleston.  Specifically, the Waffle House segment.  It is amazing how others look at one of the pillars of the South.

Have a great Thursday.  Be nice to each other, and remember, you want your hash browns "smothered."

Advice From Our Parents

 I stumbled across this the other day and thought it was worth sharing.  As most of you know, from 2000-2014, I was a journalist with the Pocahontas Star-Herald.  I would write news, sports, agri news, school news, take pictures, just pretty much anything my editor and boss, Anita Murphy needed me to do.

One weekly feature I did was "25 Questions."  I had a list of 25 questions made up, and every week, I had somebody different answer the 25 questions.  The questions were the same for everyone who participated.

One of the questions was, "what is the best advice your parents ever gave you?"  With several years of answers to sift through, one week in December 2008, I made a list of some the best advice the fine folks of Randolph County, Arkansas shared with me and used that as the week's 25 questions.

Going over this list, there are a couple of things that strike me.  One, is how sincere and positive the advice from the parents was and how timely it is in 2025m just as it was 15-20 years ago.  Secondly, as I read through them, I realized just how many of those who contributed are no longer with us.

For my Alabama friends and those outside of Randolph County, these names won't me much.  But hopefully the advice will.  Feel free to share with your kids.  

Be kind to each other.  Love all of you.

Dalton

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Best advice I ever received from my parents………..

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. – Bootsie Barre

Work hard and never quit. – Alonza Jiles

Treat others better than you want to be treated and always be honest and do what is right! – Angie Caldwell

Save for a rainy day, you never know what might happen tomorrow. – Angie Gifford

Don’t slump and don’t eat until you’re stuffed  (it’s OK not to clean your plate).  – Anita Murphy

Stay close to your brothers! – Ann Ring

Find the good in everyone. – Annette Williams

Take pride in my accomplishments, and be loyal. – Barbara Sisco

The best advice given has been that shown to me by the life they have lived before me. – Becky Kazee Alexander

Be honest and work hard, but have fun. – Ben DeClerk

We are but a shadow upon this earth, so cast a tall one while you are here. – Ben West

Love the Lord with all your heart and to have a friend is to be a friend. – Beth Waterworth

Always be honest, always give an honest day’s work, and always be willing to help others. – Betty Getson

Work hard and always be honest. – Chrissie Tanner

Do your best. – Bev Ducker

Don’t be in too much of a hurry. – Bill Endicott

My mom wasn't into giving advice.  She showed me by giving unconditional love. – Bobbie Lane

Don’t let someone else decide how you feel about yourself. – Brady Massey

Respect others. – Brent Earley

Pick an occupation you will enjoy doing. – Brent Ignico

Don't spend everything you make. – Brent Massey

If you start something, finish it.  Don’t quit. – Chad Chester

To always be straight with people, and to stand up for what you believe in. – Chad Mulligan

Be responsible. – Chandra McDowell

Put God first in your life. – Charlotte Heslip

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. – Chester Seawel

Remember the rewards of faith, the security of family, and the power of education. – Cindy Robinett

Remember always that God loves you every moment of every day. – CJ Johnson

Can’t never did anything. – Col. Roy Meeks

Don’t let people walk on you. – Connie Lemmons

Believe in myself. – Cyndi Coates

Finish what you start. – Dalton Sullivan

Never give up. – Dave Williams

Don't try, do. – David Byers

That I could do anything that I chose to do and be the best that I could be. – Debbie Foster

Be myself and love life, - Debbye Jarrett

Can’t never could. – Deshea Baxley

Believe in God. – Diana Dalton

Be considerate of others. – Diane Evans

Eat your vegetables. – Don Brown

Be good to all, man and animal, be fair and be helpful. – Don Waterworth

Do the very best you can, never do any project or job half way. – Don Wilson

It was not necessarily advice given, as it was life demonstrated. – Doris Sharp

Learn from your mistakes. – Doug Pratt

Always put God first and the rest will fall into place. – Dr. Amy Bradley

All choices have consequences. – Dr. Brent Holt

If I could learn to read really well, I could teach myself anything. – Dr. Kathleen Quinn

Live your life for Jesus Christ. – Eddie Jones

Trust in God. – Eric Young

Above all keep Christ in your life. – Fintan Baltz

Don’t be afraid of work. – Fred Hunter

Never judge someone by the color of their skin. – Gail Torok

Go to school, you’re too dumb to do anything else. – Gary Hagood

If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. – Gary Wells

Pay attention. – George Pratt Jr.

Do your best! – Ginger Jackson

To always pursue my dreams. – Harold Bagwell

The world is mine, if I’m willing to help protect it. – Heather Hoey

I could do anything I set my mind to. – Jackie Salyards

To follow my dreams. – James R. Tinker

Put my faith in God. – Janis Mock

To be truthful at all times with myself and others. – Jann Delk

Under promise and over deliver. – Jason Nier

Hold on to that, it might be worth something someday. – Juanita Johnson

Do not ever do drugs!  Never ever! – Jennifer Reed

Don’t ever get credit cards. – Jesse Worsham

Live by the Ten Commandments. – Joanne Jansen

You won't ever get a hit unless you swing the bat. – Joey Pfeffer

Never talk bad about anyone. – Joniece Trammell

If they pay you 50 cents, give them a dollars worth of work and you will always have a job. – Joyce Radcliff

Get an education. – Judy Downs

Be honest and forgiving. – Judy Richardson

To thine own self be true. – Julie Courtney

I could accomplish anything if I set my mind to it and worked hard enough toward it. – Justin Dorsey

If God is for us, who can be against us. – Karen Burris

Think before you speak, what you think doesn’t have to be heard. – Karen Bebord

Be true to your word. – Karin Ward

To keep my priorities straight. – Dr. Karla Baltz

See things through.  Don't be tempted to do something else until you have fulfilled your obligation. – Kathy Bergman

You make a living by what you earn, you make a life by what you give. – Keith Futrell

Plan your work and work your plan. – Kelly Rose

Take time to stop and smell the roses. – Kelly Thompson

Always tell the truth. – Ken Difani

Respect your elders, don't rush decisions, & not to judge. – Kevin Barnes

Put God first, family second and everything else will fall into place. – Kevin Rose

Form large goals, take small steps. – Laveida Jones

Don’t worry.  The things that worry you the most, trouble you the least. – Lin Hatch

Remember your raising. – Linda Collins-Smith

Do not be scared to be yourself! – Lindsay Coe

Always try to find the good in others. – Lynne Hogan

This too shall pass. – Margo Johnson

Take pride in any job I do. – Marilyn Hogan

Never pass up the chance to meet new individuals. – Marty Cagle

Your reputation is important. It follows your name. – Melissa Kirk

All the things in the world mean nothing if you spend an eternity separated from God. – Mike Broyles

Do what you say and do it when you say you will. – Mike Dunn

Learn from the past, live in the present and plan for the future. – Mike Miller

Live faithfully as a Christian. – Mitch Walton

There are no free lunches. – Nelson Henderson

Be honest and kind. – Pam Rankin

Always show respect to everyone and treat everyone equally. – Randy Patterson

Honesty in all things. – Reba Hyde

Seek God's guidance. – Rhonda Ahrent

You've got a good head on your shoulder, use it. – Dr. Roger Johnson

Smile. – Dr. RoseMary Weaver

Nothing is free. – Sandy Hudson

Never give up. – Scott James

Most of the time what you are looking for is right in front of you. – Shane Pratt

Family is very important don’t forget to take time for them. – Shannon Fish

Never be too busy to help someone. – Sharon Alphin

Never be late. – Shawn Ashcraft

Show compassion. – Shawn Carter

Be a good person.  – Sherry Huskey

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. – Steve Bigger

Care about other people. – Steve Huddleston

Standing on my own two feet and that having an opinion and standing up for it is a good thing. – Steve Shults

Enjoy, but discipline your children. – Suzanne Chester

Work hard, get a college education, and always be proud of who you are. – Terry Dickson

Always do more than you are expected to do. – Tim Scott

You are responsible for what you do and how you are remembered. – Tom Baker

Earn your own way. - Tom Towell

Crying is healthy. – Tracy Radcliff

Provide for your family. – Wendell Kimbrough

Open Letter to the Republican Party

 

Dear Republican Party,

Effective immediately, I am hereby withdrawing myself and any and all support to the Republican Party and any office holder who approves of and blindly follows this President

The final straw was his press conference this morning regarding last night’s mid-air collision at Washington-National. 

In his first on-camera response to the deadly collision that killed 67 Americans, Trump actually blamed the DEI policy and the Obama and Biden administration.   What kind of person in any leadership position would turn a condolence speech into blaming his predecessors for the accident and then unabashedly would turn the spotlight on himself.

He actually “quoted two articles,” about the FAA hiring practices, but gave no indication where these “articles” came from.  It was obvious he is absolutely clueless about the air traffic system and how it works, as he is about most aspects of the American Political System.  It seems to me he and his advisors are making this up as we go along.

Real leaders do not toss out blame without any evidence.  Real leaders have answers, not vague, baseless accusations.  When things go wrong, he suddenly becomes a victim.   Real leaders do not blame the previous administration(s), they simply fix the problem (if there is one) and keep their mouth shut.

None of this behavior by Trump is a surprise, likely not even to his MAGA supporters.  They jump right in with the blame game and magnify Trump's need to be in the spotlight, hanging on every word he says as if it were from God Himself. 

His behavior is absolutely disgusting and an embarrassment to the United States.

This is not the Republican Party I aligned with since 1976.  It has changed so much I don’t even recognize it.  I will be happy to return once the current leaders are out of power and common sense has returned to the GOP.   From here on, I want no part of it.

Dalton Sullivan