Birthday Salutations

I must pause to give Whiff to Nephew Smiff, who today is celebrating his 20th birthday. True, he is my nephew by virtue of marriage to his “Unc”, but, I claim him just the same. I’ve had the pleasure of watching this young man grow from a 2 year old in training pants through his school years to now, a young adult.

We took the party down to Fuji at Rivergate. The food there is quite good and not as expensive as you will find it at it’s more fancy schmancy counterparts. Because it’s a little less expensive, the clientele is rather…well, let’s just say Jeff Foxworthy talks about them often in his act. (Don’t want to come off as the snooty princess everyone assumes me to be..heh)

For example, the people sitting at the table next to us….a couple with a little girl about 2. The mother, a very bleached blonde with a low cut top on. Listening to her talk was something akin to a cross between Anna Nicole Smith and Brittney Spears. As I was pondering her redneckness, she confirmed this when she took a nice, long sip of her margarita (or whatever it was…it was green in a martini glass). The little girl motioned and asked for the cherry. Brittney Nicole reached in the glass, got the cherry out and I’m thinking “She’s going to wipe it off before she gives the cherry doused in alkeehol to the youngster) and put it right in that baby’s mouth!!! Yes, she did!

Now, maybe it wasn’t enough alcohol on it to cause any intoxication, but, am I crazy or ignorant to think that one doesn’t give their two year old kid a cherry from a alkeeholic beverage?!?!?

Blue Ain’t The Word For The Way That I Feel The s…

Blue Ain’t The Word For The Way That I Feel

The shindig at the Country Music Hall of Fame last night, celebrating the new Ray Price exhibit was fantastic. Even more fantastic was the fact that Sista Smiff met and chatted with The Cherokee Cowboy himself. (I will have a photo to prove it here in a couple days)

Ray is one of those legends that when you are face to face with, you are kinda speechless and in awe, at least I was. He lit up, as much as Ray can light up (very low key, that Ray) when he found out whose daughter I was and reminisced a bit about how far they went back.

The exhibit itself is really nice, although I must admit, I didn’t experience the whole thing because it was hotter than hades in there, but, I saw some great clips of him singing, some outfits and all the regular stuff they have in those sorts of things.

I saw old friends like Jay Orr, Alan Stoker, John Rumble, Leigh Anne Wise, Charlie Douglas, Jo Walker-Meador, Earl Scruggs, Bob McLean, Kyle & Becky Cantrell; sat at the table with Hal Ketchum and his wife; chatted with Kirt Webster, Chet Flippo, Robert K. Oermann and his wife, Mary Bufwack; my blog/email pal Producer J from XM Radio; John Carter Cash and his wife Laura; steel guitar great Don Helms; I could’ve sworn that Irving Waugh was no longer amongst the living, but, apparently, he is, because he was there. Same with songwriter Danny (Long Black Veil) Dill. Coulda sworn he’d done gone to Glory, but, no. Charlie Dick, widower of Patsy Cline was also there in all his glory. Heh. Charlie Dick. How’d you like your last name to be “Dick?”

‘Twas a fun evening. I was thrilled to get to chauffeur my mother in law to the gathering. I was thrilled to be able to leave #1 Son in charge of #2 so I could get out for a bit.

Even happier I got to stand next to greatness like Ray Price. Do enjoy this classic clip from the mid 50’s of Ray, along with the most awesomeist twin fiddling by Tommy Jackson and Dale Potter.

Lunchtime In Blogville

Enjoyed a serious business lunch with these two today. We covered a lot of ground. Very productive.

Any time spent with Busy Mom and CeeElCee is time well spent.

It’s Official

Upon testing of some of my skills (not including my awesome numbchuck and computer hacking skills) by the Human Resources Department, it has been determined that Sista Smiff SUCKS at Excel.

That is all.