I went to the dentist, today, for my regular cleaning, x-rays, etc. All is well. It really helps when you have a hygienist that is gentle, swift, and conversant. Her name is Leah, which is my daughter’s name. Actually, a pleasant visit. But, my guess is everyone has hellish dentist stories, as do I.

I’m listening to an old Willie Nelson album on Apple Music. 1967 old. ‘The Party’s Over And Other Great Willie Nelson Songs.’ Amen.

Fall camp begins on The Plains TODAY! Hot diggity dank! Column to follow on Thursday.

Back to Willie. He did a duet with Tracy Nelson, no relation, many, many moons ago. After the Fire is Gone. Conway and Loretta did it as did many others. Spend the .99 and get it. Killer!

The Party’s Over always makes me think of Dandy Don Meredith and Monday Night Football. Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford, may they rest in peace. Such great stuff. Howard introduced many of us to the term “plethora.” As in, “A Plethora of wide receivers.”

Was Rush Limbaugh actually on MNF a few years back or was that just a nightmare? I didn’t watch it for  years. Didn’t watch much in the way of pro sports for quite some time. My NFL now consist of the Panthers, some Falcons, and the playoffs.

Cosell’s autobiography is quite good.

We’ve been watching Fargo, the FX series, for the past three nights. I absolutely loved the movie, but I love most anything the Coen brothers do. Billy Bob Thornton is great in the TV series.

Billy Bob is from Malvern, AR. Arkansas was in my territory, from ’93-’96, when I was working for AAA. Malvern had one motel, The Trout Motel. One of those old ‘mom and pop’ motor courts. It was clean. I love those old motels, particularly along old Route 66 in New Mexico and Arizona.

Now it’s chains. Everything is a chain. Food, beverage, drugs, retail, blah blah blah. We used to go to Liddell’s, Wetherbee’s, Joe C. Williams, Matthews Hardware, Albritton Drugs, Ratcliffe’s, et al, in Camden, AL. Same in Selma, often on Thursday afternoons  when Camden was shut down, or Saturdays. There was Lilienthal’s, Jackson’s, Brown Drugstore, Swift Drugstore, The Toy Arcade, and the Selma Del restaurant, among others.

Now ‘The Best of the British Invasion’ on Apple music… ‘She Loves You’ up first!

Anyway… chains. I try to avoid chain restaurants, unless it’s a rare “cheat” meal at a fast food place. It’s tough to avoid Target or Walmart. I’ll start with Goodwill first.

One chain I did love going to was Howard Johnson’s in Montgomery on the south side of town. I always ordered a ‘grilled frankfurter on a toasted bun,’ and either Swiss Chocolate Almond or Pistachio ice cream. Pistachio seemed so exotic. Went to the Paramount and Empire movie theaters up in the Capital City.

Hey! We had not one but TWO movie theaters in Camden, AL! The Alco and The Baggett. We’d stay all day on Saturdays usually watching either ‘cowboy’ or ‘scary’ movies.

Once I went to see ‘Frankenstein’s Daughter’ with Rich Jones (RIP, brother) one afternoon at the Alco. In one scene, the girl who transformed into Frankenstein’s daughter was sitting at a vanity and all of a sudden the camera zoomed in as she turned around, fully transformed. I fried like an egg,  jumped from my seat, and hauled butt to the concession area, screaming all the way. Rich came up there, got me, and talked me into going back in. He assured me the worst was over. I remain terrified at the thought.

And, oh! It was the ‘picture show’ and not the movies or the theater. Also it was ‘funny papers’ instead comics.

Something else just occurred to me, we, occasionally had a magician or some other type of live entertainment at the ‘picture show,’ if I’m remembering correctly. And the concessions were a pittance, as was the price of admission. A quarter for me to get in until I was twelve and then it went to fifty cents. A dime would do for your snacks. If you had a quarter you were in high cotton.

Wow! Today took a nostalgic turn. I’ll leave you with ‘The Game of Love’ playing in the background. Can anyone name the artist without cheating?

Ok… you can cheat now.

Grace and peace.