that high mountain

I remembered reading somewhere that our dear friend had been in a bike wreck and was in critical condition, a plea for prayers to save his life. As it turned out, that was not Big Ernie's plan and he died today following a valiant effort by medical folks to save his life. We went to school together and reunited at the kudzu bar back in the days when we all hung out there to catch up on life. He and Yaya laughingly called each other cousin in that second or third degree sort of way that makes kissing not alright but hugging a blessing. His wife came often and loved ladies night with us. He was always handy with the dollars when a girl just needed to blow off some steam and forget about real life for an evening. Because, hey....that's how he rolled. Always happy....a perpetual goofy smile plastered all over his aging face with those wire rims propped neatly on his nose.

I made several lifelong friends during the time that I was a regular up in the kudzu. I don't see most of them very often anymore, but I know that if I need help they'll be there. Redneck friend is one of those. Gigi is another, not to mention Mama Leler. Yaya and I just kinda sorta had our mid-life crisis reunion up in there because hey....it was time to play and somebody always watches a ladies' back at that place. Our mother grew up in this county together and still do bridge club every other week. Meeting place TBA, but always food and cards involved.

My brother took me on a tour of the farm yesterday evening in the gator, with Bandit in the back. There was lots to look at what with the levee repair following the great flood of May '10. You know....the big one where I almost died in the back of a crackhead's truck. Sheesh. I totally wish I was kidding. The temps around here are below 90 right now with lower humidity so it seemed like a good opportunity to explore. The southern part of Dyersburg business district proper looks like a ghost town these days. Many buildings have been condemned and the ones still standing are not occupied. The potential for cleaning up that part of town and making it successful is great but so far FEMA hasn't done anything but hang handpainted wooden signs on the front dead soldiers. I can totally imagine that some big fat honking government crew will come up in there and level the place. Or not.

Hope springs eternal in my book, not to mention faith.
^j^