Whitlow Smoke School  Nation

Diary or Journal of George Artie Whitlow

West Monroe Louisiana

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Tuesday August 24, 2010-

I had a routine check up with the eye doctor today and found out I had a small cataract on my left eye. They said they will watch it and see if it grows. I realized for the first time during an eye test that I had double vision in my left eye when looking at the chart on the wall. The doctor said with my present glasses, that I see better than 20/20, so I guess I can keep the glasses that I have. That will save me about 500 bucks. They dilated my eyes and I could not see in the sunlight, so Angie had to drive home. She has been living here 3 years and she still gets lost. I guess it takes some getting used to after growing up on an Illinois farm with no interstate and no traffic.

I piddled around the house most of the day, taking naps as needed. I worked about an hour on the company webpage www.smokeschool.net . Then Angie and I attended a conference for Ouachita River Valley Association (OVRA). We listened to a speech by Senator Mike Walsworth. He was speaking on raising money to for the federal government to keep dredging the Ouachita River. He said if they did not dredge it, it would dry up and you could walk across it. We had a great Supper there. Angie had some fancy chicken dish and I had rib eye steak, rare, the way steak should be eaten. The food was good until I found a bug buried deep in my cheesecake. It fell out and crawled along the plate until Angie killed it with a spoon. The bug looked sort of gross trying to crawl around with its legs covered in cheesecake.

We met a rather interesting character, Mack Calhoun, District B Police Juror. He is a member of the Mt Vernon Baptist Church in West Monroe, Louisiana. Since we are moving soon a few blocks from the church, we probably will be going there. I imagine Mack and I will become good friends since we both like to hunt and fish. Mack helped in construction of the Corporal J R Searcy the branch of the Ouachita Parish Public Library at the corner of Jonesboro Road (Hwy34 South) and Mt Vernon Church Road. Corporal J R Searcy is the Ouachita Parish Deputy Sherriff shot and killed in the line of duty during a routine assault investigation.

It is 9:30 CST and Aaron just returned home from his Boy Scout meeting with Paul Laird, my left hand employee. I think I will walk out to the pool in the back yard and go swimming. See you later gator.

Wednesday August 25, 2010

Today was a great day. Angie had been worried about her toenail. Angie has 30 years experience in working in hospitals and she has seen many cancers. She had noticed a dark discoloration on her toenail that resembled a bruise. She thought it was melanoma.  We saw a plastic surgeon 2 weeks ago and he said it did look like melanoma. He wanted to schedule an immediate surgery to remove the toenail and perform a biopsy. He warned that since Angie is a diabetic, the toe may become infected and she may lose the toe. I suggested a second opinion and we saw a dermatologist Dr. James Altick in Monroe, Louisiana. Dr. Altick was a very nice young man and a graduate of LSU Med School. He examined the toenail and said it we should not be alarmed, it looked like a bruise. He explained the melanoma would not stop at the toenail but go on into the skin at the frame of the toenail. He offered to do a biopsy just in case we were worried. We chose to get the biopsy and he used nail clippers to remove a small portion of the toenail and took a biopsy. We should know the results in a few days. Later Gator

Sunday August 29, 2010-

Tonight Angie and I are on the 21^st floor at the Drury Inn & Suites Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas.  We came here for the second time this year. We stopped here a few days in July during out trek across Texas in a vacation business trip that started in Austin, where we met with TCEQ about conducting smoke schools in Texas. While we were in Austin we saw Willie Nelson at his 4^th of July Picnic.  This time we came to San Antonio after our Franklin Louisiana Sugar daddy, sugarhouse sugarcane smoke school.  We trained 50 Cajuns who wanted to be in compliance while operating the industrial plants where they cook the sugar cane and turn it into syrup and sugar. After the smoke school we drove on over to San Antonio to see my long time favorite radio show NPR’s Garrison Keillor Prairie Home Companion, a part of the Summer Love Tour at the Majestic Theater on Tuesday August 31.

The view of the Alamo City lights is spectacular here on the 21^st floor. We are on the side if the hotel that faces the Tower of Americas, which was built for the San Antonio World HemisFair in 1968. Yesterday we enjoyed a romantic river boat cruise down the Riverwalk. Today we attended mass at the historic Cathedral of San Fernando. I am not Catholic, but Angie is. I have been known to attend mass with her. The mass today was in Spanish and English, because Mexican Americans make up 41% of the population of San Antonio. The church was beautiful with all of the Gothic Architecture, stained glass windows, and statues. I lost 40 pounds during mass- stand up, sit down, kneel down.

After mass we walked down to The Goodwill Store, one of my favorite places to shop. I purchased several military fatigues and a plaque remembering Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, home run record chase. I paid 99 cents each for the fatigues. They will not fit this fat ole man, but they will fit my other brother Joe, so I got them for him. Tomorrow I hope to tour Lackland AFB where I attended basic training in 1969 back when the uniforms did fit me. Believe it or not.

After mass we also enjoyed San Antonio’s Market Square where we watched Michael Jackson and several Mexican American Children Dancing groups. During the walk back to the hotel we stopped in a park for a coconut snow cone, a wonderful taco, and a funnel cake. There must have been a thousand pigeons. They came up at your feet to eat the funnel cake. Angie fed them from her hand. It was a wonderful day. Can’t wait to see Garrison. Later Gaiter.

Tuesday August 31, 2010-

Tonight we finally saw Garrison Keillor Summer Love show at the Majestic Theater. I have been blessed to see many entertainers in my long life. I have seen Hank Williams JR., George Jones, and Willie Nelson twice, amongst many others. This was the second time that I saw Garrison. In his autumn years, he is better than ever. Unlike other entertainers that I have seen, Garrison stayed on stage for the entire 2 ½ hour show. He was Guy Nuwar, private eye. Garrison told a great story of Lake Woebegone, Minnesota, my home town where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average. I always love to hear about ketchup, the mellowing agent and Mammy’s Little Baby Loves Rhubarb Pie. Sara Watkins had a lovely voice and she played a mandolin. She and Garrison sang several duets in great harmony. I loved Guy’s All-star Shoe Band. Tom Keith the sound effects guy was very funny and creative. It was a great show, maybe the best that I have ever seen. It was well worth the 9 hour 514 mile one way drive to get from West Monroe, Louisiana to San Antonio to see the show.  I saw Garrison the first time at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. I arrived at the show early and saw Garrison taking a stroll under the magnolia trees on the capitol grounds. He was a great guy. We talked about 30 minutes before the show. He told me that Mark Twain passed in front of the Old State Capitol while riding down the Mississippi River on a steamboat back before the levee was built. Twain recorded that it was the ugliest building he had ever seen.

I started listening to Garrison Keillor's NPR Radio show Prairie Home Companion in 1995. The variety show takes me back to when I was a young Buck, before I ever heard the word television or air conditioner. In those days the entire family sit by the radio and listened to Bob Hope or Jack Benny. Prairie Home Companion is on every public radio station all over America every Saturday at 5PM and Sunday at noon. You should find the show on FM frequency 085 to 092 or on the talk category of your satellite radio.

Saturday November 6, 2010

November 4 was my 62 birthday. I have enjoyed my birthday season. I have wanted to get back into deer hunting again for about 10 years, but never had the time. It is very peaceful out in the woods and the woods are lovely with all of those white oaks, red oaks, and hickory trees. I put on my hearing aids and listen to the crows crow and the birdies sing. I watched a coon eat all the corn in one pile and walk about 75 feet to another pile. I watched 5 turkeys eat corn.  I watched an armadillo dillo dab along. It takes me right back to my childhood when me, my mamma, daddy, and baby brother spent every available off day camping somewhere around Castor Creek or on Clear Lake. I can almost see my momma and daddy and almost hear their voices. I can remember the closeness of the family and all of the stories. I think I have been in the woods every day of this season. I have actually seen 3 deer on 2 different days. Today Joe and I moved the large stand up closer to the crossing where they come out of the pine tree thicket into the oak woods and cross the dirt road. We put some corn out and some sugar cane syrup. I plan to bag one tomorrow Saturday morning so I can watch the LSU game. I appreciate all of your efforts. Jason and the crew are doing the schools so well; I don’t feel like I have to travel to all of them. The office staff is running smoothly and every one of our customers seems satisfied. Angie even went hunting with me on the stand. Heather, Erin, and Catherine are being nice to me. God is good. Thanks to you all.

I have some good news about Texas. We heard from TCEQ today and there were some minor corrections we need to do. Paul is working on them. I plan to making trips though Texas in April and in the off season in June and July. Keep your fingers crossed and remember us in prayer.

 I feel so sorry for Wendell. Lloyd knows what I mean. Angie Knows. I sure miss my momma and daddy. I wish I were closer to my brother. Birthdays were really big back then. We always had costume parties, either hobos or Cowboys. Thanks again to all of you.