What a difference a couple of weeks on the planet can make:

This morning I was excited, over-joyed actually, to pay $2.71 a gallon for regular unleaded at the Conoco on Huntsville's 11th Street -- I drove 36 miles from my home to fill up with that cheap gas. And as an added, unbelievable benefit, there was no line at the pumps and no one was shot or beaten during the 7 or 8 minutes I was at the station.

14 days ago I would never have imagined myself purchasing a few $20 Wal Mart gift cards and dropping them off at a box headed for people who used to throw beads at tourists on Bourbon Street or waited tables at a jazz club or cooked at NOLA or shoplifted at the Kenner Stop n Go.

I don't think I've ever envisioned the day that the Mexican Army would roll into San Antonio and encamp in the shadow of the Alamo, with the purpose of helping to pull American veterans, draft-dodgers, retired teachers, disabled longshoremen, unemployed daycare workers, sanitation workers and blues musicians up out of hardship and hopelessnes.

Never thought the floor of the site of one of the Rolling Stones Houston concerts, where over 50,000 screaming rockers once sang along with
"Tumbling Dice" would become the temporary home, pharmacy, library and hospital for thousands of native New Orleans Saints fans. And couldn't have guessed that folks would one day prefer staying in a temporary shelter over spending a couple of months on a cruise ship.

Never would have bet that my Uncle Ted would have taken any morsel of assistance from the government...and been happy for it.

Life in the Milky Way.

Need a tissue, AP?

How about a whole roll?
$5.79 for a double-roll 6 pack at Kroger, yet another skitter in the galaxy.

Skitter?

I donated money to the Red Cross for the very first time in my life.

I believe a "Skitter" refers to the marks lift on the tissue...

Jane (and nota, hope I'm not being too familiar),
A skitter in the galaxy is what I either coined or stole from somebody else to describe what the 5th Dimension used to sing about back when I was in junior high, things like when Jupiter aligns with Mars, the moon goes to the 7th house and all that science fiction type stuff. I don't put any stock in it, but it helps describe what I view as causing the price of tp to go up so high.

Ok, but I do know what a moon is.

Euphoria:

The Conoco had an obscenely low price of $2.69/gallon this morning.

Kroger's got double roll 6-pack of Angel Soft on sale for $3.59 (card price).

And, Greg, I told you not to tell Scott, but I can't keep it in, man. Who'd of thought: I played a Southern gospel banjo medley at the Waverly Presbyterian Church a couple Sundays ago -- never even been in a Presbyterian church -- and they asked me back. Turns out they're just like regular folks.

Next thing you know, they'll have lights at Wrigley.

My head's spinning....

Not all Presbyterians are regular people. When my wife and I met, I was a "cradle" Episcopalian, while my wife was a life-long Presbyterian. This confict was resolved, as may be anticipated, by compromise. We now go to a Presbyterian church. Thus, it could reasonably be said that I am a Presbyterian. The State rests.

As a post script, however, I must note that we've had bagpipes, guitars, cellos and even an oboe played in our church, but never a banjo. I think there's a city ordinance against it. As a voter, I would favor extending that ban to bagpipes.

Scott, it sounds like you might be a Presbypalian, a class of people who usually make the best keyboard players.

I admit I was a little concerned about how the Mastertone would be received by the Presbyterians. After all, it's been a Baptist banjo ever since I bought it from that hippie needing money. When I was asked to come play by their music minister, I asked her if she knew what a banjo was, and if her congregation believed in tar and feathers. She allayed my fears, and sure enough, the Presbyrishioners seemed to enjoy the whole thing. The music lady said it was the first time she heard the people clap inside that beautiful hundred-year-old building.

We thought clapping in church was something that only Holy Rollers did.

I guess everyone is more liberal these days.

quote:

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but never a banjo [in church]. I think there's a city ordinance against it. As a voter, I would favor extending that ban to bagpipes.

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Scott, what do you have against the Scots-Irish and their musical instruments? Aren't we entitled to our own brand of ethnic music, too?

From the Plainview Presbyterian Church bulletin

Our thanks to Mr. Angus Macbeth MacKenzie for his stirring bagpipe special last Sunday. Charles Stuerfenmeister, Jr. mentioned at the elders' meeting Monday evening that his book store and tanning salon experienced a rent-out of Braveheart videos all week long, and he's sure it had something to do with "Scotland the Brave" ringing out from the sanctuary. However although they were quite happy for Charles and his video rentals, the elders did vote to forego any future bagpipe specials after young Charlie Mitsbuler was caught by the police holding his Aunt Ella's goose, pumping the animal briskly with his left arm, and trying to extend the bird's neck past its alloted physical capability, in an attempt to imitate Angus' special. Charlie's aunt was so glad that her nephew was in church last Sunday that she declined to file charges. Charlie proclaimed that "...well that fellow did it, and everybody seemed happy about it."

Ella told Charlie to get in the car, she was taking him to TSO immediately before he tried to play bassoon with the pump handle.

From the office of the Amarillo City Attorney's Liturgical Music Department:

We have received a number of complaints regarding Ordinance No. 05-90210 prohibiting the playing of bagpipes in Presbyterian, Episcopal and Lutheran Churches, as well as at Scientology ... well, whatever you call them. It should be recalled that the ordinance is not intended to bar all playing of bagpipes. There is, of course, an exemption for playing "Amazing Grace" at funerals and for playing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at church softball events. It has been determined, however, after consultation with our Scotch-Irish colleague at the Potter County Attorney's Office, that bagpipe playing is inextricably tied to the consumption of Scotch whisky and dark, room temperature beer. Similar concerns about preserving the dignity of our social institutions militate in favor of preserving the ban within Ordinance No. 02-5150 of banjo playing within 500 yards of any place at which more than five people congregate. The City Commission will take up consideration of a proposed ban on politicians playing any stringed instrument at its next scheduled meeting.

Following a series of posts is often an interesting means of learning what many intelligent folks think about the topic. Then again........
What have we learned here?
- Gas is expensive in the piney woods where they allow banjo picking Baptists to wander at will between unsuspecting Presbyterian churches and the paper goods aisle at Kroger.

- Banjoes are the preferred mode of melody making in the eastern part of Texas but receive little support in the panhandle. Bagpipes have a small but loyal following in an enclave near the center of Austin and Ireland.

- Skitter and skidder are not interchangeable, neither are bagpipes and geese. The jury is out on Presbyterian and Presbypalian.

Just one question. Does the prevalence of Scotch whiskey and warm beer have anything to do with the cost of gas?

Cami, that's a great post!

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Originally posted by Cami Sandifer:
- Banjoes are the preferred mode of melody making in the eastern part of Texas...

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I hail from east Texas - right up the road from Huntsville. And in regards to the Banjo being the preferred mode - Nuh-Uh. I object. Big time.
If you said WAAAAAAYYYY East texas, maybe. Please, please, please, don't put us all in that pot.

Being a native, fifth generation Texan, I always thought Huntsville was Wayyyyyy East Texas; it's just not DEEP EAST TEXAS.

I consider DEEP EAST TEXAS as anything behind the PINE CURTAIN.

Hey, Gilleland, aren't you going to speak up against the attacks on the bagpipes? We Scotts-Irish, and it is Scotts-Irish, not Scotch-Irish although Scotch does still go quite well with Irish,gots to stick together. I realize that at certain times of the night and if you ain't got the talent to do anything but make it squeal like a goose that it can be annoying, but please don't put us in with the Deliverance crowd. I don't know about the Deep vs. Waaaay East Texas argument, but anyone north of Cameron, Texas is a Yankee in my family.