April 30, 2009

Today was: work in the yard day, but of course there phone calls and visitors to make the day a little less boring. Filled several low spots in the yard with top-soil and scooped out creeping grass and weeds; (not shown in picture since I know you can use your imagination). Our mayor called and wanted me to talk to a gentleman from the Mobile Press about the changes that are taking place in Chickasaw. After I finished that, Sherrie Graham brought her paperwork on the Alabama Power Strategic Planning sessions which needed to be returned to Mr.Stockdale, our coordinator. Fininished up the flower bed (pictured) and returned to my office to price out a security system for a potential client. Who said retired people spend their time resting?

April 28, 2009

This morning was allocated to a Chamber Meeting to lay out the tactics for the Gumbo Cook-Off's next to last week. More ads were printed and we voted on a banner and ad in Tri-City News. I had my photo taken for the newspaper (in my gumbo apron of course) and returned just in time to attend the Council Meeting scheduled for an early 5:00 PM time-slot. Recognition was given to the newly formed East Village Community Organization, which was presented by Tom Ray. The Silver Haired Legislature headed by Noco Howell will be having a farewell luncheon at Chickasaw United Methodist Church this Saturday at 11:30 AM. Not much was said about the Civic Theatre Board except the council acknowledging their receipt of the
letter sent by Nedra Bloom. After we adjourned, it was on to Vigor High School to learn that Chickasaw School will move to a renovated Clake School for K-3, then K-4 and K-5 in the succeeding years. All those currently in Clark will be transferred to Shaw and the old Chickasaw School Of Math and Science building will be deeded to the City.

April 27, 2009

Our guest speaker at Kiwanis was Christine Greene from the McKemie Place, a refuge for homeless women. Some of the 25 women that are sheltered there have lost their jobs in this recent financial downturn; some are battered housewives and girlfriends and some are rape victims. Christine was very enlightening about their facility and our chapter donated $250. toward the home This evening Deborah attended the Womans Club Scholarship Awards,
where our neighbors: Bob and Nell Barnes were proud to see their grandson, Logan Barnes, receive a $500. award. Logan lives in Jackson, AL. with his parents, Cliff and Reba.

April 25, 2009

Friday and Saturday I traveled to Columbia, Tennessee to an alumni board meeting. Mostly a bunch of old guys, we had recently undertaken to completely restore an old Guard House on the campus into a museum for the school. I've got to say it looks great and is packed full of memorabilia from the school. Not only that, but we collected enough money, that we have almost $35,000. left to keep it up for the next 15 to 20 years. I always enjoy swapping stories about some of the crazy things we did as youth; and none of us wound up in prison.

April 23, 2009

I met our city code inspector at 9:00 AM to chat with a gentleman who has been loading grain and corn in Chickasaw without a business license. Now the Commercial Board will have to decide whether to clear his application to continue to do business here. Around 10:00 AM I spent a couple of hours with our mayor discussing general city business in relation to the chamber and commercial board. After an afternoon appointment, Deborah and I went to the University South, Mitchell Center for Campaign USA. where $93,499,000 dollars was raised for the school. They served a

wonderful dinner of roast beef, turkey, shrimp pasta, sushi and about forty other

accompaniments plus a full dessert bar and alcoholic beverage bar. Deb and I danced to a great ryhthm and blues band: The Tip Tops. The food and fun were so cool it almost bordered on being immoral.

April 22, 2009

My first business this morning was to check out the renovations to the building on Kansas Street where "Stephanie's Cute Things" will open in May. Then I had some lunch with one of my friends before I had a dental appointment to see about my broken tooth. Delivered some paperwork to the city code inspector and met Deborah so we could attend the cocktail party and preliminary session sponsored by Alabama Coastal Foundation and Watershed. The course is based around Low Impact Development, using "rain gardens" and porous cement and stone to avoid large amounts of water and sediment run-off. In today's green culture, narrow streets are back in fashion to preserve the natural infiltration of soil and sand. A most interesting evening with the added benefit of great hors de oeuvres.

April 21, 2009

Mayor Pittman had discussed purchasing the Chickasaw portion of the Prichard Water Board and was told they wanted 15 million dollars. Now MAWSS (Mobile Area Water and Sewer) is advocating a takeover of the Prichard utility. While the Prichard utility had suggested selling
out to a private concern, MAWSS is trying to keep that from happening stating that it would not be in the best interest of the stakeholders.

April 20, 2009

Of course the big news of the day is that the Mobile School Superintendent has informally released the decision to retain Chickasaw Math & Science School and the
fine folks now at Clark will be living their lives at Shaw High School in religious and educational fulfillment. We are delighted that Ms. Adams will be retaining her post
in Chickasaw. Today at Kiwanis, we voted to give Miranda, a very lovely Junior at Faulkner Nursing School, a $500. scholarship to help her in her endeavors to attend
University South in order to finish her degree. She is currently working her way through school by waitressing at Cracker Barrel. Tonight the Civic Theatre Board

hosted Mayor Pittman speaking about what the city is willing to do to satisfy the theatre group. After he spoke and answered questions, it was decided to ask the

city for a final lease draft to determine whether the board would vote to stay or go look for a new location. It just seems to me that a ten year lease is better than nothing at all.

April 19,2009

I delivered a new wireless mic to Father Saucier before 11:00 AM mass this morning. His lavalier had stopped working a couple of days ago. After church I had lunch then
attended: "The Barber Of Seville". It was a University Of Mobile, Center for the Performing Arts production and might I add, a very fine one. The part of Figaro was played by James Berrian, who hit the comedy and the somewhat effeminate role right on the head. His plans to allow Count Almaviva the opportunity to court Rosina by posing as a drunken soldier and then a passivist music teacher open the door to much laughter. If you have the chance to see this cast perform, you should avail yourself of it.

April 17, 2009

Here are some pictures of the Municipal Dinner last night. Chickasaw had 16 representatives at the event in Dauphin Island. The seafood was fastastic and the company enjoyable. Our Public Safety Director, Mike Reynolds was the bus driver
and not one time did he have to scream: "Don't make me have to come back there!"

April 16, 2009

The Chamber Of Commerce had their board meeting this morning and voted to contribute $250. to the Kiwanis 6K run in May and $250. to The Police POP program. The sponsor for today's lunch was Bay Coast Coaching and Consulting. Sherrie Graham from Bay Coast introduced our speaker, Dr. Roy Nichols, Mobile Co. School Superintendent who gave us an idea how much stimulus money it would take to bring our schools up to par. We also presented a plaque to Jim Hayward for his contribution to the Chamber for the library in the form of an alphabet sculpture. This evening we all traveled to Dauphin Island with the mayor and council for the Municipal dinner. A air, satellite and ground level digital scanning program was shown to give almost instantaneous 3D illustration of location of utilities or missing sand and earth caused from hurricane winds.

April 14,2009

Had an appointment at H&R Block for the annual: "Pay the Government what you owe, but not a penny more" day. After lunch I met with my friend Ed Baxley to discuss the city. It was time for the Opening Game with the Baybears, where many of the Chamber Of Commerce meet to watch our mayor throw out the first pitch. While the game was a little chilly, it is always exciting to help them start off the season. I did not get to blog yesterday, but it was spent attending Kiwanis where George Givens received the Hixon Award and ended the evening watching Teresa Goolsby show slides at the Historic Society meeting with my wife.

April 12, 2009

This is the day we Christians celebrate the miraculous resurrection of our savior for the sake of all human kind. Our church had beautiful arrays of Easter Lilies and an
important message to live by. Following service, Deborah iced cupcakes and we headed next door to Bob and Nell Barnes for lunch. (see cupcakes) Nell always presents a sumptuous feast of multiple meats, vegetables and desserts to fill the bellies of her kids, her grand kids and great grand kids. . . . and we show up too.
Got to let my belt out a notch and take a nap.

April 11, 2009

Today was our Chamber Of Commerce trip to Orange Beach and although only seven of us could make the trip, we thoroughly enjoyed it to a person. Mark Berson, the president of The Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Chamber was very interesting and we spent over two hours asking him numerous questions. We left for Fairhope and had lunch at Market By The Bay. Horace and Bonnie Allen were kind enough to call ahead and after our meal they brought complimentary dessert for everyone. When we arrived back at the J.C. Davis auditorium we thanked Peggy for her splendid job as driver of the bus. As the afternoon progressed I was asked to attend a get-together

with the mayor and councilman. By the time I reached the house, Deborah was home from work and we ate and prepared the turkey and a lime jello salad for Easter Sunday. . . . . Happy Easter all! (picture on the bus and at lunch)

April 9, 2009

The elders of Chickasaw gathered at the annual Easter Senior Lunch today for an abridged "state of the city" address from Mayor Pittman and a message about the seven last words of Christ before he died by Father Saucier of St. Thomas Church.
The food was very tasty roast beef with scalloped potatoes, green beans and a spinach salad followed by key-lime pie. Then, of course it was time for the Easter Bunny to show up and distribute gifts to all those seniors who still "believe" My afternoon was occupied finding a suitable video projector for Teresa Goolsby at
the library and brokering a wireless microphone purchase for an old Atlanta client.

April 8, 2009

At 10:00 AM this morning we gathered at Chickasaw's new opening of "Jazz It Up", a fashion boutique on S. Craft Highway for the official ribbon cutting. Mike and Neshelle, owners of the store, are a very likable young couple with what appears to be good business sense. I had the honor of presenting them with a Chamber Of Commerce welcome to Chickasaw gift basket to celebrate their official indoctrination. After the ceremony it was time for Holy Week lunch at First Baptist Church where we ate spaghetti and heard a timely message from Pastor Dennis Brown from St. Michaels Episcopal Church. (pictured: ribbon cutting and chamber gift)

April 7, 2009

Deb and I attended Holy Week lunch at First Baptist Church where we got to hear an inspiring message by Steve Warren from Chickasaw UMC. After running some errands, we moved on to the Chickasaw Garden Club meeting where several projects were discussed and passed to help beautify the city. Horace and Bonnie Allen provided refreshments which were delicious and we sat mesmerized listening to James Harrell Kimbrell on the subject of growing a vegetable garden. While Deb
did the weekly grocery shopping, I met my fellow Industrial Development Board members at City Hall to talk to Randy Fretwell about moving TARSCO into the old
Cash and Carry building on Highway 43. One of their main concerns would be securing the railway rights to an old tax lien encumbered property behind the building. (pictured: Garden club members and James H Kimbrell speaking)

April 6, 2009

Met Randy Fretwell, the operations manager for Blastech, a Creola company, that would like to move his operation to Chickasaw. His business rolls and welds steel into columns for structural supports. He is interested in the old Cash and Carry Warehouse on Hwy. 43, just north of the Water Tank. We then had an awards luncheon where Corporal Phillip Burson was given the Kiwanis: First Quarterly Public Safety award. His wife Rhonda, who everyone knows from Tommy's Pride service station, also attended the ceremony. I had a cup of coffee with Fayette Corlette, then visited Stephanie Andey who is planning a new childrens boutique at
Kansas and W. Lee. (pictured: President Carnes Craig and Corp. Phillip Burson)

April 5, 2009

After church at St. Thomas I washed the car and put out some Gumbo Cook-Off posters in Chickasaw. Tonight was spent at First Baptist Church for their Cantata and Easter Reading by Dr Henry Creel. The choir at First Baptist gets better everytime I hear them

April 4, 2009

After paying a few bills, planting some of the plants we bought yesterday, I went over to check on the Garden Club's Plant Sale. This evening Deborah and I attended the Mobile Symphony's presentation Of Dvorak's Symphony # 7 and the Brahms Violin
Concerto featuring Midori at the Saenger Theatre. Midori was born in Osaka, Japan
in 1971 and attended New York University where she graduated magna cum laude. She is a powerful artist and earned herself three standing ovations tonight.

April 3, 2009

The Chickasaw Garden Club opened their annual Plant Sale this morning about 9:15 AM with a steady stream of garden enthusiasts well into the afternoon. Ervin Dailey,
this years president, did a good job of picking some healthy varieties for this years sale. I worked from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM when I had to leave for an appointment
with the new business owners of the childrens boutique wishing to locate at 75 Kansas Street. The previous day's order for mic cable and right angle connectors got called in just in time before close of the business day. (pictured Marilyn McPherson Jones, past president of the Garden Club)