Art Brewer, Master Jigsaw Puzzle Craftsman.

Art works on jigsaw puzzles at the Senior Center every week day. His assistant is retired sailor Brooks Bryant. It is interesting to check in on his progress with some very complicated puzzles. Recently his grand daughter sent him a 3d crossword puzzle. We thought that this puzzle would slow Art down. No way! Look at these pictures. This castle started as just a bunch of puzzle pieces. Art is such a craftsman and so patient.

Sidetracked Acoustic Music Club.

This club does a lot of bluegrass. They meet the second Saturday of every month at the Arcadia Railroad Station. I attended their meeting this afternoon and enjoyed the music. (All kinds of music.) Here is a sample.

I met Marni, an old friend from the North Louisiana Bluegrass Club. She gave me the flyer reproduced below for a Bluegrass show in Rocky Branch in two weeks. I know that all four of the bands listed on the flyer are great. It would be worth your time to attend the show in Rocky Branch. I am sure going!

The Dixie Dancers entertain us at the Senior Center.

What a delightful program. These Ruston ladies have been doing this for 16 years. The show this morning was their 438th !

Here is a sample of their show.

Selfie Obituary

I am taking a four hour course in obituary writing. I had a two hour class yesterday and will take two hours more next Monday. The class is being given by Deanne Groves who taught me some classes in family history writing several years ago. She is a good teacher and an inspiration. It was a delight to see her again.

I have taken lots of selfies. This will be my first go at a selfie obituary.

I am enjoying the class. Dianne presented a list of euphemisms used to replace the word "died".

Here is a map of the States and the most popular euphemism used in the State.

It looks to me like the most popular word used for died is "died". I think that I will join the club. I am too old to require euphemisms.

My homework assignment is to write an obituary. I am going to write one for my sweet wife, Jackie. Then a selfie for me. I will post them on my prunepicker blog.

Marshall vs LaTech. Basketball.

Great basketball game. Marshall was ahead the whole game until the very end. We got close and the crowd came unglued. Boy they stood up and energized our players. It was something to see. We won 94 to 90. See the video.

Jefferson Corner is a classy place!

Here is proof that Jefferson Corner is a classy joint. Wayne Brooks and Randy Roberson model their headgear. It was Saturday morning however. They are probably dressed for a some classy affair. During the work week we are not usually this classy.

Vital Signs for January 2017.

Started month in 227 pound range and ended in 230 pound range. Sneaky! Time to go back on diet,

Notice temperature spike on the 27th with my three day cold. My normal temperature is 97.7. Jumped to 99.3. My temperature really tells a story.

Lovely Breakfast with Rosa.

Picked Rosa up at 8 am and off to IHOP.. It was delicious. When we returned to Rosa's home we found that the door key was locked in the house. I had visions of breaking a window and hoisting Rosa up to get through it.

I called Rhonda. She called Tina. Tina was nearby on the the way home. In thirty minutes Tina showed up with a key.

Cell phones are wonderful. Each of us had one on us and that made it possible to make connections right away.

Twenty years ago I might have had to break a window.

John installs squirrel houses.

John put in a couple of hours of hard work this afternoon overhauling one squirrel house and installing two new ones. I sat in the shade and watched. My real job was to be on the alert and, if John had an accident, to call 911. John is very careful and experienced. Job went smooth.

It is hard work to put a heavy squirrel house thirty feet above the ground in a pine tree. I have two photos and a video for you to see.

John is on way down after the installation.

New house in squirrel land!

Watch John go up the tree using his tree stand.

Mississippi Genealogical Society Annual Seminar 2017.

There are a lot of genealogists in Jackson, MS. I met some and spent the day with them yesterday at the Society Annual Seminar. What an enjoyable day. Met an old friend, Jim Johnson, who drove from Shreveport for the affair. I met Jim at a seminar in Shreveport. Jim is a nice guy.

The Seminar was held in the Sparkman Auditorium at the Mississippi Ag Museum.

If you are early you can get a seat in the front row. Notice the almost empty hall. That is my brief case in the front row.

Later the hall was full.

The speaker (four one hour lectures) was D. Joshua Taylor. Josh is an excellent speaker with an inexhaustible store of knowledge about Genealogy. I really was impressed by him and enjoyed the lectures.

There were some interesting venders. Notice the gravestone rubbing wax. You can not find that in most stores. Good price too.

I almost bought  a "I brake for Cemeteries" bumper sticker.