Tony Rice & Bluegrass All-Stars ~ Freeborn Man

Texas Buttermilk/Chocolate Sheet Cake

Mais, I woke up this morning with a chocolate jones ... mix, mix, bake, bake ... this cured what was ailin' me, ah garrontee ~ Texas Buttermilk Chocolate Sheet Cake ... one of my favorites. My sis makes this all the time ... took me about 25 years to coax dat recipe out of her, so you don't think I'm gonna post it here, do ya?? LOL

Down On The Farm

The 2 pics above are of the old hand water pump we had in the back yard out at the farm. The well was hand dug, and was the only source of water for the house when it was first built. Eventually a pumphouse was built (pumping water from that same well) and we got running water in the house. The old pump still got a lot of use, though ... mostly for us kids and hired hands to wash up (hands and feet) before going into the house. Mama din't cotton to people trackin' dirt and mud into her house, no! That's the SW corner of the house (Mom & Dad's bedroom) in the bottom pic ... and if you look closely at the top pic, you can see the corner of the brooder house in the upper right ... and an old piece of horse-drawn farm machinery sitting beside it in the weeds ~ I think it was called a 4-row lister.

These are a couple of old cream cans sittin' in the shady weeds ~ we had hundreds of these old cream cans when the farm was a working dairy ... milked 70-80 head of cattle twice a day ... that's a lot of milk. At one time, we were the 3rd largest dairy in the state of Kansas ... one of the first dairys in the country to use the new electronic milking machines (Surge) ~ I can remember making the switch from hand-milking to mechanical milking machines was a big, big deal ... newfangled technology, dat.

Down On The Farm 2

The 2 photos above are of the old hen house, where we kept our layin' chickens. I remember going out to this building to *gather the eggs* when I was a kid ... until one time I reached into a nest to get some eggs and there was a big ol' cold, slimy black snake in there ... whooooboy, I went flying out that ol' hen house lickety split, ah garrontee!! I wasn't too keen on gatherin' the eggs after that...

This photo is of the old cattle loading chute that was adjacent to the cattle pens next to our barn ~ the chute was built by my Dad and one of the neighbors, Cecil Kolterman. I spent many hours as a kid, playing on and around this chute. It was my fort. All pics were taken by me, circa 1982.

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Hazel Dickens ~ True Life Blues

Norah Jones - Tennessee Waltz

My Heros Have Always Been Cowboys

Remember these old westerns? <----click

The Boys In The Bunkhouse ~ NYE 2008

Simon Danborg ~ Lafayette, Louisiana

Johnny Clark ~ Rogers, Arkansas

Freddy Johnson ~ Big Cabin, Oklahoma
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John Hartford ~ Steamboat Whistle Blues

And Then The Fight Started

Well, last week my wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary. She said: "I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 180 in about 3 seconds."

So I bought her a bathroom scale.

And then the fight started........

Hearty Beef And Noodles

Made some hearty cold weather grub today ~ old-fashioned beef and noodles (used top sirloin) with fresh mushrooms, fresh garlic, onions, thyme & nice big fat egg noodles ... served it up over real horseradish mashed potatoes & sided it with fresh buttered carrots and peas. Slide show <---click

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Canned Heat ~ Gamblin' Woman

The Sky In Motion

And Then The Fight Started

So ... my wife is standing there nude, looking in the bedroom mirror. She is not at all happy with what she sees and says to me: "I feel horrible; I look old, fat & ugly ... I really need you to pay me a compliment."

And I replied: "Well ... your eyesight's damn near perfect."

And then the fight started.....

Poboy's Eggs Benedict

Breakfast in the coonass cucina ~ some the best boodan I ever ate (made in Lafayette, Louisiana) smoked over applewood, on a couple scratch buttermilk black pepper catheads, topped with farm-fresh scrambled eggs in bacon cream gravy, and sprinkled with some crisp bacon. Slide show <--click

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Conway Twitty ~ Hello Darlin'

Her Mandolin Made Me Sing

Jimmy Buffett ~ Something So Feminine About A Mandolin

It was late in the evenin', just a few of us pickin'
But the lady she played so easy and fine
And the chords that she strummed were so tastefully clever
They planted this song in my mind

Chorus:
Cause there's somethin' so feminine about a mandolin
The way that they feel, the way that they ring
Just to see slender fingers, movin' so quickly
Made this boy want to sing

And when I get older and I have a daughter
I'll teach her to sing and play her my songs
And I'll tell her some stories I can barely remember
And hope that she will sing along

And maybe one day she'll take a fancy to pickin'
Cause when that bug bites you, you live with the sting
And if she could just strum a few simple measures
She could make some young man sing

Cause there's somethin' so feminine about a mandolin
Way that they feel, the way that they ring
And that evenin' in a pasture somewhere near Austin
That mandolin made me sing

Her mandolin made me sing

Sunday Morning Gospel Hour

Hank & Audry Williams ~ Pale Horse And Rider

Listen poor sinner, you're driftin' away
From the Dear Saviour who's pleading today
What will you do, when the Saviour ain't nigh
When the Pale Horse and his rider goes by

The time now ain't long, when the Saviour will come
Then you'll be judged by the deeds you have done
On that judgement day, you'll weep and you'll cry
When the Pale Horse and his rider goes by

When that trumpet sounds, on the sinners below
Not even the angels in heaven will know
Then's when you'll wish you had Jesus nigh
When the Pale Horse and his rider goes by

Won't you redeem, your poor wicked soul
You can't pay your way with silver and gold
If you're not saved, you'll be lost in the night
When the Pale Horse and his rider goes by

Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Gloom Of Night...

This is the post office in Havensville, Kansas ~ where my dad was a rural mail carrier for 20 years, after he retired from farming in 1963. He took his job very seriously ... never missing a day of work in 20 years. The mail must go through. His route required him to drive about 85-100 miles through the country backroads every day, and he never missed a beat ~ making his appointed rounds on time, come hell or high water. The bottom picture is the back of the post office ... notice Harley's drug store across the street. These pics were taken by me, circa 1982.

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Glen Miller Orchestra ~ Tuxedo Junction

Peach Bread Pudding

Hot out the oven ~ gonna taste real good with country-style pan fried quail tonight. Can you say: Quail Gravy?

BBQ Meat & Three

Pulled pork/smoked sausage combo bbq sand, open faced ... red beans & rice with homemade venison hot links sausage, fresh cut shoestring fries and buttered brussel sprouts ~ put a lil' south in yer mouth!!

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Steve Earle ~ Hillbilly Highway

Skeeter Davis ~ The End Of The World

Red & White W/Fried Okra

A frugal washday meal on da bayou, yeh ~ and i woulda paid good money for it, too. Whooooboy, this was good eats ... sometimes bein' a poboy ain't so bad. Tru dat.

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Irma Thomas ~ I Would Rather Go Blind

Hootchie Mama!!

Whooooboy ... I ain't no fan of dat American Idol teevee show, and I hate what country music has become ~ but Skeeter Davis never looked like this, eh?? Hubba Hubba Hubba!!!!!

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Skeeter Davis ~ Crying Time

Red Beans & Rice

Mais ... it's Monday ~ and dat means a pot of red & white in the coonass cucina ... set these red beans t'soakin' last night, roasted the veggies with some my homemade venison hot links sausage & throwed it all in the pot. Lookin' good, ah garrontee ~ gonna side it up with some cracklin' cornbread, fluffy rice & fried okra.

Me & Ol' Willdog

This is my buddy Willdog and I ... sittin' out front the Emma Chase Cafe in Cottonwood Falls a couple summers ago ~ we went over there to hear our friends Monica & Patrick (The Farm Couple) play an outdoor/street concert. We met up with some other friends - had a picnic lunch in the beautiful Kansas Flint Hills, and heard some great music. It was a groovy kinda day.

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The Farm Couple ~ Kansas City Southern

Sunday Morning Gospel Hour

The Grascals ~ Farther Along

When we see Jesus, coming in glory
When He comes from His home in the sky
Then we shall meet Him in that bright mansion
We'll understand it all by and by

Farther along we'll know all about it
Farther along we'll understand why
Cheer up my brother, live in the sunshine
We'll understand it all by and by

Y'all Want Some Taters?

Doing a lil' prep this afternoon, while watching the KU bb game on the 'lectric teevee ... created some interesting looking taters for breakfast tomorrow. These are red bliss, gently parboiled whole until about 1/2 done ... then sliced thick while still warm & pressed into a mixture of crushed Pringles potato chips, Dizzy Pig Swamp Venom and a lil' bit parmesan cheese. The natural starches in the potatoes made the breading stick real good when they cooled and dried. Tomorrow, will pan fry them in a lil' butter ... to side up my eggs & sausage. Ain't no fancy city vittles.

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Well, fast forward about 18 hours to Sunday morning ~ here's what those taters look like ... taste much more better than good, ah garrontee.

Old Ink ~ Cook Of The Week

Playing around with my new Canon scanner today ~ scanning and uploading some newspaper clippings from my workin' days ~ now, if I can just figure out how to resize original newspaper clippings to fit my scanner!

Mustard Greens

Had a nice big bunch of fresh mustard greens pass thru the coonass cucina, so I commenced to cookin' with it ~ made a pot of sirloin steak/veggie soup & put about 2/3 them greens in the soup (dat was real good) ... then I hauled off and made a batch of Carolina red slaw w/mustard greens & hot dressing made with a homemade Carolina mustard-based bbq sauce (dat was real good, too) ... then I made these pan-fried potatoes w/mustard greens, onions & bacon (you know dat was good, ah garrontee) ... and today I'm fixin' to put some red beans to saokin', for to make a pot of red beans & rice w/homemade venison hot sausage and cracklin' cornbread ... and I recon dat will eat real good, too. Don't let nobody fool ya, greens is good groceries!!

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J.D. Crowe ~ Will You Be Satisfied That Way

We've been together for so long
It hurts to know your love is gone
Here's all my lonely heart can say
Will you be satisfied that way

Will you be satisfied to roam
Will memories fade when you are gone
A new love led your heart astray
Will you be satisfied that way

It's hard to stay when it is cold
So often that this story's told
I'm not asking that you pity me
Will you be satisfied that way

Will you be satisfied to know
You left a heart that's beating low
Somehow, somewhere you'll have to pay
Will you be satisfied that way

Deep down inside I'll love you yet
I've suffered but there's no regret
Love can't be bought it must be free
Will you be satisfied that way

Will you be satisfied to roam
Will memories fade when you are gone
A new love led your heart astray
Will you be satisfied that way

Harley Davis' Drug Store

This is where I used to go to get me a bottle of sody pop when I was a kid ~ Harley Davis' Drug Store, in Havensville, Kansas. This was one of the few places where I could get a bottle of 3-V Cola and a Cherry Mash candy bar for a quarter. There used to be a couple of old wooden benches out front, where I could sit in the shade & drink my 3-V and eat my candy bar. Ol' Harley had a lil' room upstairs over the drug store, and his office was in the back ... so if he wasn't in the store & you needed something, you just helped yerself and left the money in a cigar box on the counter. The honor system was alive & well in those days.

There was a lil' country grocery store (Fordham's Market) right next to Harley's ... my Mom's cafe was just down the street, and the post office where my Dad worked was across the street. Below are a couple closeup pics of Harley's front door & window ~ all pics taken by me, circa 1982 ... Harley had long since passed away, and the drug store closed and boarded up for 20-25 years.

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Norman Blake & Tony Rice
"I'm Coming Back But I Don't Know When"

Sac Au Lait Fishin'

Mais ... it's minus -10* subzero below zero degrees here this cold, cold (did I say it was cold) winter January morning ~ sure got me daydreamin' about summertime down at the ol' crawdad hole, yeh. Think I'll go make me a pot of jambalaya.

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Tab Benoit ~ Jambalaya

Joshua Tree

Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris

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In My Hour Of Darkness

In my hour of darkness
In my time of need
Oh Lord grant me vision
Oh Lord grant me speed

Once I knew a young man
Went driving through the night
Miles and miles without a word
With just his high-beam lights
Who'd have ever though they'd build

Such a deadly Denver bend
To be so strong, to take as long

As it would till the end

CHORUS

Another young man safely strummed

His silver string guitar
And he played to people everywhere
Some say he was a star
But he was just a country boy
His simple songs confess
And the music he had in him
So very few possess

CHORUS

Then there was an old man
Kind and wise with age
And he read me just like a book

And he never missed a page
And I loved him like my father
And I loved him like my friend
And I knew his time would shortly come
But I did not know just when

In my hour of darkness
In my time of need
Oh, Lord grant me vision
Oh, Lord grant me speed
Oh, Lord grant me vision
Oh, Lord grant me speed

Chilly Willy - Mexican Chilly

Susan Tedeschi - Don't Think Twice

Tracie Thompson ~ Artist

These drawings were done by an artist friend of mine, Tracie Thompson. The top drawing was sketched from a photo that I sent Tracie, of Hawgeye Mike holding a big striper he caught a couple weeks ago. I've long been a fan of Tracie's work, and you can see more of it on her blog, and/or web site.

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John Prine ~ Bruised Orange

My heart's in the ice house come hill or come valley
Like a long ago Sunday when I walked through the alley
On a cold winter's morning to a church house
Just to shovel some snow

I heard sirens on the train track howl naked gettin' nuder
An altar boy's been hit by a local commuter
Just from walking with his back turned to the train

That was coming so slow

You can gaze out the window get mad and get madder
Throw your hands in the air, say "What does it matter?"
But it don't do no good to get angry
So help me I know

For a heart stained in anger grows weak and grows bitter
You become your own prisoner as you watch yourself sit there
Wrapped up in a trap of your very own
Chain of sorrow

I been brought down to zero, pulled out and put back there
I sat on a park bench, kissed the girl with the black hair
And my head shouted down to my heart
"You better look out below!"

Hey, it ain't such a long drop don't stammer don't stutter
From the diamonds in the sidewalk to the dirt in the gutter
And you carry those bruises to remind you

Wherever you go...

Pistolette Poboys

Great gameday munchies ~ leftover pulled pork/kraut pistolettes ~ split, buttered & toasted, homemade venison hot links, dressed with pickle, onion and brown mustard (there is Swiss cheese embedded in the pistolette) ~ ain't nothing like this at Subway, ah garrontee!! Slide show <---click

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Harry Hypolite ~ You Used To Call Me

Billie Holiday - Fine and Mellow (1957)

Pulled Pork And Kraut Pistolettes

I whooped up these homemade pistolettes yesterday ~ with smoked pulled pork, Bavarian kraut and Swiss cheese ... even put some caramelized onions and toasted caraway seeds in the dough. Served'em up hot out the oven with a cold beer and some whole grain mustard. Slide show <---click

Old Timey Sunday Bluegrass

Flatt & Scruggs ~ Doin' My Time

The Havensville Bank

This is the bank in Havensville, both town and bank founded by my great grandfather, T.I. Eddy. I believe that is my great uncle Ira Eddy, standing in front ... and I have no idea who that cowpoke off to the side is ~ seems he had a faithful hound, though. This picture was taken early 1900s, probably around 1912-14. Note the livery stable/feed store behind the bank ... and also the outhouse. It looks like there is some snow on top the livery stable, which explains the white clumps in front of the bank ~ unmelted snow. The cowpoke has a heavy coat on, too ... so I'm guessin' this pic was taken late winter or early spring. Lastly, knowing the layout of the town, I know that the bank building faces ESE ... and judging by the low shadows cast on the buildings in this pic, it's apparent that the morning sun is pretty high in the sky ~ so I'm gonna say this pic was taken late morning, probably around 11 AM.

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Flatt & Scruggs ~ Cora Is Gone

The wind through the night is blowing so lonesome
Singing to me a song
A whippoorwill call is just a reminder
Pretty girls have hearts made of stone

CHORUS
I'll wake with the blues at dawn
My darling Cora is gone
I don't know why she told me goodbye
But my darling Cora is gone

The ring that she wears I bought for her finger
Purchased her raiment so fine
Gave her my last greenback dollar
And now she's left me behind

CHORUS

Drifting along like brush on a river
Caring not where I roam
Going to live in a deep forest
Dark hollow will be my new home