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A Portrait of Grace

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Coretta Scott King and her daughter, Bernice, at the funeral of the Rev. Martin Luther King Junior. April 9, 1968, in Atlanta. (AP/Moneta J. Sleet Jr.) As much bravery as it took for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to stand up for what was right in the civil rights movement, I think it took even more strength to love that person, to grieve his tragic death and to raise their children by herself while continuing to spread the word about her husband's vision. Mrs. King continued to fight for people who were marginalized and took on the weighty issues of gay rights and AIDS along with race. It will always amaze me that a woman who put her life on the line, along with the lives of her children, did it will such grace and steadfast determination. I am proud to know that a woman from tiny, rural Marion, Ala. had, and will always have, the power to make the world look and listen.
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Coretta Scott King speaks with President Kennedy by phone on April 15, 1963, regarding racial tensions in Birmingham, Ala. where her husband was in jail. (AP)

Alt-State of the Union address 2006

While cringing until the all major stations start broadcasting the State of the Union address, I found this video gem. This guy's parody is so good, it's scary because this is so close to reality. He didn't have to stretch far. This takes a few minutes to watch, but is worth it. The two old dudes in the back are Cheney and Hastert.

I heart Cheebers (part deux -- a limerick)

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While sick, sounding like Barry White - My sister helped me to fight - Homemade chicken soup - I think I'll recupe - And now I can breathe through the night Thanks Cheebers!

All That You Can Leave Behind

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`````````````` The way we were -- The Joshua Tree (1987) Something about the winter time reminds me of U2. I am not saying that we have winters in the south anything like they do in Ireland, but I am usually kind of blue in January and February and U2 songs seem to tap into that mood. That is, when U2 was making interesting music. I have never been a big fan of greatest hits albums, but in the case of U2 this especially holds true as I listened to the Greatest Hits 1990-2000 this past week for the first time. My relationship with U2 started to wane with the release of "Pop" in 1997 and has gone south ever since. There seems to be so much that sounds the same with their albums since then. They returned to their "signature" sound with 2000's "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and the title was there to tell us that they hadn't lost their minds with experimentation, but that doesn't equal evolution. It seems instead that they were just trying ...

Kitters in the morning sun

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This is one of the things I love the most about these tabbies. Every morning Miles and Freddie dedicate time from their busy schedules for at least one hour of sun worship.

Ben's Christmas stash

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Next door nephew, Ben, is seven months old as of last week and he is more fun to play with every day. He really likes his toys and wants to put everything in his mouth. It seems like his sleeve and fist are so two months ago.

God Bless Chris Penn (1965-2006)

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Chris Penn was found dead yesterday. He was never the kind of actor that stood out as the pretty boys of the 1980s did (Cruise, Lowe, Estevez) and he wasn't the bad ass wildcard that his brother, Sean, Kiefer Sutherland and Nicholas Cage were back in the day. Like Danny Aiello, Chris Penn was the everyday guy and totally believable as Kevin Bacon's dorky country sidekick in "Footloose", Sean Penn's gullible brother in "At Close Range", Nice Guy Eddie in "Reservior Dogs" and my favorite roll as Jerry in the Robert Altman film "Short Cuts." Chris wasn't beautiful by Hollywood standards. He was like a guy you would see at the grocery store who wouldn't make eye contact with you as he was buying diapers for his baby. I always liked Chris Penn because he was less of a Hollywood hotass than his brother and made his statement by being a total believable and vulnerable presence on screen. We lost a fine actor this week -- one under t...

Touching base

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Saturday night after work I drove down to Montevallo to play with Clare and our friends The McGranns and Jess Walker and her son Walker Yancey, It was one of those strange nights in winter in the south when it wasn't really cold or warm and there was mist in the air constantly. Paul and Carrie McGrann live on a few acres of land in Montevallo and being in the country is a nice change and kind of amazing considering how such a rural area is so close to the biggest city in the state. This horse belongs to their neighbor, but has adopted the McGranns since they give him so much attention. When I first met the McGranns in 1993, they had just become parents to Dylan who was born in January of that year. I was good friends with thier upstairs neighbor and we used to hang at Brad's apartment listening to Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. while sneaking downstairs regularly to check on Dylan sleeping in his crib. Now he is 13 and has no memory of any of those good times and looks at us like...

Baby Anna is here!

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I have known Kim since we sixteen. I am one day older than she and at Camp McDowell we were known at the "Guitar Chicks". We played botched renditions of selections from the Camp McDowell songbook, Indigo Girls, R.E.M., Crosby Stills Nash and Young and my favorite was The Pretenders "Back on the Chain Gang." We had a lot of fun and partied all over the state of Alabama at various youth church events (being the die-hard young Whiskeypalians we were) and kept the fun going in college. My band played for a couple of Sewanee parties she helped organize. I hadn't seen her in years when we wound up at the same wedding last year in Huntsville. I got to meet her husband, Jeff, and catch up a little. E-mails and phone numbers were exchanged and we now we are back in touch - a wonderful thing. When I meet Anna for the very first time this year, I have promised to bring the Camp McDowell songbook so we get this little girl started off on the musical good foot. Congratulati...

Project Clare Share

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Back in the 1980's, Alabama Power used to run this sad little PSA with a decrepit old woman bundling up in gloves, a toboggan, a few coats and a scarf in her bedroom getting ready for bed. It was so cold her in house that you could see her breath. The commercial was for a program called Project Share where Alabama Power customers could give a dollar in addition to their bill to help the poor. Okay, I know its probably mean to make fun of that commercial, but Alabama Power played it forever and I mean forever. They revived it a few years ago and Karen and were both slack jawed that they were pulling that 20-year-old relic out of the closet It's not like they have a small budget being the only source for electricity in the state unless you want to go the Ben Franklin route. I hate the heat being turned on in my house because it's gas heat and it seems to have two settings -- high and off. This being the case and Karen being cold natured, I help her create an Alabama Power la...

Brevard Backtrack

After not blogging on a regular basis, I got a little backed up. Thanks to Angela Waddy (or just Waddy to me and my sister) for calling me out on it. While in Brevard I had no real computer access and I've been scattered since I have been back -- until now. The Brevard trip was wonderful. Although it's a long drive, it is always worth it because it feels a million miles away from reality and sometimes that can be very good.

The moon takes over

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The full moon in the deep forest and at the beach are its most amazing settings I say. The moon never looks this intense in the city.

Day is done

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Sunset on Cedar Mountain. January, 2006.

Me and my Mom, Cedar Mountain, N.C.

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IMG_3434_2 Originally uploaded by echeevo72 . I look nothing like her, but I'm hers and I love her like no one in the world.

Mi padres

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Mom and Dad in Cedar Mountain, N.C. IMG_3432 Originally uploaded by echeevo72 .

Tell it to the tail.

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IMG_3458 Originally uploaded by echeevo72 . Five out of seven whitetail deer flee the scene in Sherwood Forest. Cedar Mountain, N.C.

The Aull Cabin

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IMG_3386 Originally uploaded by echeevo72 . While most of us were hiking, Judy Aull and Tana Branch fixed us a wonderful lunch at Judy's cabin. This spread was Southern Living worthy (note the Moon Pies).

General Store, Hendersonville, N.C.

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I love a store where Gnarly teeth, snakes, firemen's hat and school buses can be found in the same place.

Basement porch at the Carl Sandburg home

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IMG_3483 Originally uploaded by echeevo72 .