Clinton, South Carolina, Friday, August 30, 2019, 12:02 p.m. Thursday evening was a matter of logistics. The Clinton High School cross country team left Wilder Stadium with the “game ball” for Friday’s rivalry at Laurens. They passed it to the Laurens harriers about halfway up U.S. 76; then they boarded the bus that had been …
Tag: freedom
Adventures with Freddy, Part 2
Clinton, South Carolina, Wednesday, July 31, 2019, 12:15 a.m. When last we checked in on Freddy Frost, he and “Horace” were becoming well acquainted. As in the words of Johnny Cash, by way of Shel Silverstein, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July, and before continuing on to Nashville, after a day of writing in collaboration with …
Independence with a Little ‘i’
Clinton, South Carolina, Saturday, July 6, 2019, 1:49 p.m. I’ve restrung two guitars this week during the time I could spare from work. I also worked on my next novel on consecutive days for the first time in at least six months. Independence Day gave me some time for independence. I had a few local …
Suddenly a Song
Clinton, South Carolina, Tuesday, July 2, 2019, 11:20 a.m. For about a month now, I’ve thought that next year, when I vote for the first time, it will also be the first time I walk into a poll unsure of my choice. The more I think about, this is natural. It’s likely that if I …
Twilight Gets Comfortable
Clinton, South Carolina, Friday, June 7, 2019, 11:49 a.m. Uh, the Red Sox have won four in a row. The Warriors are down. So are the Bruins. Yesterday I asked the governor a few questions. I wrote about a high school graduation. I watched Clemson’s Tiger mascot entertain and pose with elementary-school children. I went …
‘The Storms of Life Are Washing Me Awaaaayyy’
Clinton, South Carolina, Friday, April 19, 2019, 12:19 p.m. When I was a boy, one of my grandmothers was prone to say “it’s about to come up a cloud.” Another line of those storms is about to roll through, flinging out lightning. It sure seems like this happens more often than it used to. Mama …
Continue reading ‘The Storms of Life Are Washing Me Awaaaayyy’
A Long Line of Pistols and Sons of Guns
Clinton, South Carolina, Tuesday, April 16, 2019, 11:45 a.m. When my mother told me Notre Dame was burning, at first I thought she meant the football stadium. I switched to a news channel. Pete Buttigieg was talking. He’s the mayor of South Bend. It all made sense. Not. I’ve never been to Paris, but I’ve …
Hollings Was a Stately Man
Clinton, South Carolina, Saturday, April 6, 2019, 12:34 p.m. When I was in the sixth grade at Clinton Elementary School, U.S. Sen. Ernest Frederick “Fritz” Hollings visited my classroom. From the view of an 11-year-old in a desk chair he couldn’t get his leg in now, Hollings looked as tall and thin as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, …
Both Sides Now
Clinton, South Carolina, Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 9:53 a.m. Money can’t buy love. Lack of it damned sure can’t. It has, however, put me in a much better mood. Last week was the culmination of months of negotiation, ably handled by nephew who has business sense, that began when the mayor asked me if the …
One More Year in Review
Clinton, South Carolina, Monday, December 24, 2018, 1:31 p.m. I’ve been working on stories about the year in review, so I guess I might as well take up the subject of my own. Milestones come at intervals by definition, I suppose, but they’re not necessarily significant just because they end with a “0” or a …
Nightrider's Lament 