The Christmas Letters

2011

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas Friends!!

We greet you this year after a very busy year of being road warriors following our dream (working to pay the bills). As a job comes to a close those around me always ask, “Where ya off to next?” As I guess I am always a little “off” I take pause as to what they are implying, but then presume they mean geographically. I tell them, wherever “they” send me. The fates that is (Marty my boss).

This year had me last writing you from Greenwood, SC as I was finishing a bank there for some fine folks I have added to my friends list (a term stolen by some facebook inventor dude). When that adventure finished up Susan and I hitched up (our camper not the horses) and headed down just a little south to another interesting location, Thomson, Ga. There I was lucky enough to get to build a big metal barn covered with brick in the middle of a 10 acre Love’s Truck/Travel Center parking lot. Ah there is nothing like the smell of diesel exhaust to get you going at 6:30 in the morning! The good thing about this job (and the ONLY good thing) is that not being able to find a normal campground with full hook-ups (water, electric AND SEWER) we found ourselves staying at Georgia State parks in the vicinity. One was Elijah Clark and the other was Mistletoe. Both are on lakes and were very beautiful locations (where I came home to share my diesel smelly clothes with nature each night). Only problem with Georgia state parks is they do NOT have full hook ups, NO Sewer) and they limit you typically to only a 2 week stay before having to move off a site. We were lucky to hit on a site by accident at Elijah Clarke that was for a park Host (workers who work for the park for a free site) and had a sewer hook- up ..WOOHOOOOOO (things to get excited about when you are OLD!) but when our allotted time ran up we moved on to Mistletoe. There we found a beautiful site on the lake but would have to get up with our flashlight and wander to the facilities at 3am typically (also something you do when you are OLD). This always gave you a sense of excitement wondering who or what you might run into or step upon while in mid-wander. Luckily we never ran into/stepped on our legless friend that Susan holds in such high esteem (good snakes are dead snakes per Susan), but did happen upon more than a few deer enjoying a night snack.

As this adventure neared an end while sitting in my truck/office in the middle of the trucks spewing ethereal smoke into my windows at 106 degrees (did I say this job sucked!) I saw on our company calendar an item of interest….there was a bank in Key West we were putting a bid in on……Hmmmmmmmmmm. Now as much as I would miss the 3am walks to the john and the diverse characters you meet at a truck stop at all hours of the day and night…….I think that a change in latitude might just fit the ticket…….so I mentioned to someone at the office that I would entertain taking on a trip south……WAY south! Well……….lo and behold we go the job and so did I.

Susan and I left on Labor day weekend and drove for 2 days sans the camper to arrive in a very different location than I had ever spent any length of time. Our pre-conceptions have been thrown out the window (or off the scooter as it were) now that we have met the conchs (locals) and shared their paradise/home.

We set up home in a condo (NEVER thought that would be) and again my preconceptions went south, some very nice and courteous folks live here and not once have they made me wash my truck or told me I couldn’t wear boots to work. And there are so many accents down here my lack of an accent didn’t stand out once…well maybe a time or two. Told a waitress as she seated us “Precciate-it” and she immediately asked where we were from.

Another carry over that has dual meaning I didn’t fully appreciate is for many years you all know that I tend to call folks “partner” when hailing them or saying goodbye…such as “See ya partner”….after using this term several times here I realized that there are more meanings to it than I was eluding too….so my terminology may have caused some here to think I was eluding to maybe a innuendo of romantic interest…oh well….what the heck….as I say……some really nice folks down here…

Susan has been in heaven down here as the photo opportunities are endless and she has always loved the beach. She works in her office that has a view of the Atlantic ocean with palm trees swaying and beach breezes blowing, an occasional cruise ship coming by her window……..I am afraid the view from her office at home and the raccoons and turkeys might pale. That and it is never cold here…..oh my. She might stay when I finish I am afraid….think she might be looking at getting Conch citizenship!

But we will be home soon and the question has already been asked “Where ya goin next”. I tell them that if there is anything to this Karma stuff I guess the balance of things will take me to somewhere like Wisconsin in DEEP snow!! BRRRRRRRR

My kids this year have earned their keep in looking after our home place. Melissa religiously would go up every day to feed Maggie (our cat holding the raccoons off the porch) and get our multitude of bills and junk mail to us. This while she managed her own menagerie of parental duties and worked. Not sure where she got all her gumption, must have been one of those skipped generation things. And now she is going back to school at Kennesaw State, regression or an escape I am not quite sure but either way, very proud of her.

Carrie is watching the house for us now and sharing the joys of homes owning you. She and Daniel (her man) are house sitting and taking a break from living in town. They seem to enjoy the rural life again and still get to town to enjoy Sushi (yuck!) and other towny stuff. Tasha our four legged grandchild REALLY enjoys the country life…lots and lots of sticks to chase when thrown. We are currently going over house plans and Carrie still wants to live out here on the land that Mom and Dad passed onto us.

That purchase back in 1953 (a great year for many things! My birthday!) has gone on to give joy and a life to so many in our clan. Some day I would love to write something of that story before it is lost. Would be something to share with family and friends who knew the parents and what they offered up for all to share.

The grand kids as usual are up to many and varied things and it is a joy to see the accomplishments they gather each and every day. We are very proud of them and count our blessings to have them all near to us geographically and otherwise. Two of them are driving and have their own cars (fair warning to all!) and are looking at colleges. The other two are right behind and closing fast on adulthood. Melissa has a clock, kinda like the doomsday clock except in reverse……it constantly monitors till when she reaches that glorious PK state we go through twice. First is Pre-kids and then it is Post-kids. Wooohooooo. But a little secret I will let you in on…they never really leave….they come back…..with additions!!!! But don’t tell her!!

As always, as you should know, all of you our friends are with us in our hearts and we wish we could share our adventures with you each day. Susan does one heck of a job on her blog and I would recommend you checking it out. I do each day just to see what mood she is in before coming home! But as always I recommend stopping to smell the roses or watch the sunrise/sunset and know that you’ve got a friend in us for life.

Merry Christmas again and thanks for taking the time to read another of those dreaded family reviews you get each year….if nothing else it made ME smile!!

Love ya,
Buddy and Susan

2010

2010-12-20T13:24:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas and Season’s Greetings from the Tidwells!!!!!!

First off, a little editorial clarification……Last year I believe it was I made the social faux pas (God bless Google spelling!!) by calling ourselves the Tidwell clan (with a “C” you will note) but had second thoughts later that some of our friends and relatives in the north might have envisioned us all standing around in white sheets with fancy monograms warming around a campfire suspiciously shaped like a cross. Sooooooo to allay such perceptions……we will simply call ourselves the Tidwells hence forth……..although we do practice the secret handshake at times…….and some of our sheets do have holes in them….but NO monograms!

Now that that little clarification has been made, let us proceed to bring y'all up to date on the Burnt Mountain goins on.

Currently Susan and I are abiding in a little town by the name of Greenwood, SC while I am starting a First Citizens Bank. Amazingly enough there are still some financial institutions who are confident enough in their business savvy to step up to the plate and spend money, and thankfully hired us to share in their confidence. It’s a nice town about 3-1\2 hours from home and we are enjoying the traveling\camping experience other than the frigid weather. As always we are discovering the universal good people scattered about, even though the media would lead you to believe otherwise, and the always thought provoking history of the areas we are lead to by my work. We have discovered a little town by the name of Ninety Six, one of the first revolutionary war battles, and a test track owned by Michelin Tires that occupies over 3000 acres hidden out in the pine thickets just up the road. (Susan would LOVE to be turned loose on the test tracks, along with Melissa I think, no speed limit!)

Most of this year I was busy building a beautiful bank for some of my most favorite customers/friends, Monty and Gaye Watson. I was privileged to have built a bank for them 12 years ago and now was blessed to share in this new adventure also. I thank them for this experience. Over the years there have been relatively few clients that when the job was done I did not consider a life long friend regardless of weather I ever did any other building for them, a benefit of the position I am put in by W.H.Bass , the company I work for and who I feel also to be a life long group of friends.

Susan is still pecking away at Medical Transcription work, which Melissa also does, and her fingers and eyesight are still holding up, although we do now share glasses for reading and I catch myself doing wrist and finger limbering exercises just by sitting next to her on the couch at night, some sort of sympathy reaction I think! She is still composing her blog on a regular basis and continues to amaze me with her abilities to convey in words and pictures feelings and reflections that put most poets and professional photographers to shame in my opinion.

Melissa continues to work at home and manage to keep all the now teenage kids headed in the right direction and does a phenomenal job at stretching the ever shrinking dollar to the limits by bargain shopping and coupon clipping. She is without doubt the BEST I have ever seen at this process, as Carrie and Susan can attest as they have accompanied her recently on a shopping expedition. The merchants should shake in terror if they come on Melissa’s radar. I once dabbled in this lifestyle while pursuing crafting as a means to make a living (barely a living!) and I was merely an apprentice to her complete mastery of couponing. So, if any of y'all want some tips on how to win at the coupon game……contact her. Keith is still working in Marietta at a company that offers a service to control HVAC systems remotely so all the employees at a business can be mad at THEM instead of the office manager as to why there cubicle is too hot or cold…..a ploy that works rather well so it seems as we have installed this system in some of the projects I have been associated with over the years. A good rule of thumb we use in construction is applied to this business approach, blame whomever is not there with you…..hence blame the company controlling the thermostat 500 miles away and the local management is in the clear, at least for the short term.

Carrie is working over in Jasper (over the mountain from us) at a company affiliated with Windstream and I think testing out their internet connections to some extent each day to make sure the Facebook and My Space connection is still valid, along with Amazon, Kohl’s, etc. Also I think she does some direct work for the company also at times……..but not sure what is involved with that??? She and Daniel (her main squeeze) opened their lives to a wonderful little addition this year….no, no, no…any of you that know Carrie KNOW it’s not one of THOSE kinds of additions!! They now have a DOG by the name of Tasha who has added some real excitement to their lives. We the “grandparents” are allowed to keep her sometimes when the “parents” want to go away for a day or so and we always love having her as her youthful joy of exploring each and every leaf or tree branch is contagious.

As for the grandkids…. As previously mentioned, ALL are teenagers now officially. Kyle has his drivers license, Sarah is holding out before getting hers (smart girl! She knows she will be recruited for pick up and delivery chores!). Madison and Racheal are bringing up the rear age wise, but seem to be sharing in all the older kids lives just like they were that age also. They are all very active in church and school activities too numerous to list and we are very proud of them all. Wish our parents were still around to applaud them and smile at all their accomplishments in life, but I know they are watching.

As most of you know, the years speed up exponentially as we get older and the knowledge that we have a finite time on this earth becomes more of a factor in our choices. I sometime look in magazines I have saved over the years and smile at the adds for the latest VCR or tape player being offered and of course now all these are obsolete in a relatively short time, but then it comes to my mind of the solid never expiring friendships we share with you and the ones from my parents time. The real Christmas joy and spirit does live on year round in these relationships and we The Tidwells wish to thank you this year for letting us share a little of our life’s story each year with you, to sustain what truly is the most precious gift you could ever give to us, your friendship over the years!

So Merry Christmas to all of you and as always come by, call, e-mail or just stop and think of us, Your Friends…………Buddy and Susan

2009

2009-12-18T06:15:00.002-05:00

Welcome back Friends and Family to another edition of how the Tidwells survived another year to greet you this Merry Christmas. We greet you with a swipe of our brows in relief that we are still gainfully employed (a VERY Merry Christmas to our creditors!) and for me past my mid fifties and Susan somewhere behind me, we are still holding our own in health matters. Our girls are still living close to us as are most of our grandchildren and all of them are still employed and healthy...... so all in all we are having a good year personally, though our concern and empathy for many of our friends and family in not such good shape weighs on our minds and hearts. To hear of the plight of so many, and how quickly devastation can happen is very scary to we middle class folks. The middle class has been losing ground for years but the stubborn "can do" basis that was inherited from our parents who lived through the previous great depression usually served us all well to keep plugging away in hopes of making a good life for our families. But the "perfect Storm" of what has befallen working folks now will surely test the steel of many... but as in the movie Apollo 13, the quote "I believe this will be our finest hour" is what I believe.

So… with this somber introduction... I welcome you back to my revelations from here on Burnt Mountain in Georgia... our home in the hills.

My work has once again taken me to varied locations and each was a blessing in it's own way. I will always hold a special place for the little town of Royston, Georgia where I was privileged to do a major remodel for the friends at Pinnacle bank. They truly are my kind of folks... treated us just like family as I also feel about them. Then revisited our previous campground near Chattanooga for a project in Rossville for a spell. Now after more than a few weeks of doing odds and ends jobs I am about to begin a project for another previous friend I was privileged to build a bank for more than 10 years ago. Always rewarding to be able to rekindle past friendships with clients. As to my general demeanor I seem to have accumulated a few more gray hairs and various wrinkles... but all in all I'm holding up OK.

As to Susan, she is still transcribing away, as there will always be a need to listen to doctors do their reports as we all know they are too lazy to type themselves and they certainly couldn't write it down as you can tell from prescriptions they scribble. Susan is in the Christmas mode right now in guiding the grandkids through shopping and making presents, passing on a tradition of the joy of giving (although they DO enjoy the joy of getting also!) I have had one solicitation to use my shop to make one present this year so I hope to pass on a little of my sawdust enthusiasm that I inherited.

We took off on a couple of camping trips and revisited a favorite beach down on the panhandle to sit and watch the crabs and enjoy the quiet solitude. And we just returned from a repeat Christmas trip to Dollywood with our girls and their families. Was cold but that is part of the experience that makes it special. A friend of Susan's from her past when she worked at Fannin Regional Hospital has come to spend some time with us and has been great to have around the house. Sherry has a good sense of humor, which helps her put up with us and our cat Maggie who certainly appreciates her when we are gone and she is here to feed her and rub her belly. Sherry also went with us to Dollywood and shivered with the rest of the Tidwell clan.

Melissa and her family reside literally just down the hill from us and are all doing great. At the end of our day when Susan and I are sitting down to eat or watch TV I ask if she heard from the kids today…there is ALWAYS some good story to hear about what this one or that one has done, said, or is planning. The TV is a pale comparison to the comedy or drama that kids can bring to your life. When I say kids, this means grandkids and our kids... they will always be my kids, no matter how OLD they are getting... oh yeah... Melissa turned 30 this year... so Carrie reminds us frequently... who turned 27 this year... payback will be certain and severe in 3 years I predict!! I will lay low as my 60th is coming up in a "few" years and hope it goes unnoticed... uh huh. Hey... I've always got my OLDER sisters I can throw off on thank goodness... Just no fun being the "elders" now. Mother and Dad handled it much better than I see myself... I guess my sisters wore them down by the time I came along so they were mellowed out.

Melissa's kids are into track, band, chorus, church youth groups and more social activities than I can pretend to keep up with... but I LOVE to hear about all of them, I live vicariously. Two of the grandkids started driving this year and so far the trees, mailboxes and various forest animals have faired well. But it is early yet!

Carrie is now working in Jasper after her timely leaving of the banking business (the fates dealt her a better hand than they did the banks!). She still works at the gym in Ellijay also and is living over by the river in town (a townie!) She has to come out to the "country" to see her sister and parents and make sure we know what is going on in the outside world we can't see from our porch. Unlike some folks we can't see Russia... but I can see the highway when the fog's not too bad...

Life here in the hills goes on and God willing we will be able to pay our taxes and keep our little corner of heaven that Mother and Dad left to us. According to the very astute (wanted to spell that with 2 s's but the spell checker wouldn't let me!!) property assessors (THAT's spelled correctly) there is a real estate bonanza here in the hills and our property gained in value by a mere 800% in the last few years... so I am sitting on a true gold mine... as are all my other neighbors who are tending their chicken houses, not aware that they could sell their property for millions... but really, who would want to do that when they can tend chickens 24 hours a day, every day of the year... a much better life than sitting on a beach in say Florida where property is of less value... apparently... as all the Floridians are moving here to buy up the gold mines from under us. So I wish all the assessors a wonderful Christmas and give them an atta girl\guy for supporting their own jobs of listening to the entire county appeal for over a year only to begin again the next year... pretty smart huh? But I digress and lose the Christmas spirit when talking of such things...

Just didn't want all of our friends to think we lived in total bliss here in God's country... we have our moments of dissatisfaction….or at least I do! But when I come home in the evenings and the sun is setting in the mountaintops in a glorious blaze, sometimes I have to stop and just watch it in amazement of what we have been given. And sometimes when I am late going into work and get to see the sunrise I speak out loud and say "Oh My..." Makes me want to see each and every sunrise and sunset that is left to me on this earth and I feel I am cheating myself when I don't stop and admire the miraculous beauty that is laid out for us….the forests, the lakes, the mountains, the oceans and all the creatures sharing this great gift. So my wish for you this year is to stop and put your busy schedule on hold for a few moments and see the world that has been given to us…..what a gift. And if you don't have a good place to see the beauty, call me and I will be more than happy to give you directions how to get to such a viewing place... and I will come and meet you there... time grows short with each day that passes... one more sunrise and sunset that will never come again in our lifetime... don't waste this life we have been given...

And this glorious time of the year... reflect on your family and friends and know that The Tidwell clan will be thinking of you.......Have a Wonderful, Merry Christmas and make this coming year one to remember.

Love..... Buddy, Susan and the family.

2008

2008-12-19T07:00:00.001-05:00

Howdy to all Friends and Family!

It’s once again time to pontificate (expound or ramble on) on the goins on of the Tidwell clan here in the hills. Been a good year all in all as we all still have jobs and are able to support the local and not so local government jobs…grumble, grumble…but we won’t dwell on the low down lower than pond scum tax assessors (so called) and their figuring our little hill in the forest suddenly became 680% more valuable than it was last year…no, tis the time of the year for good will. By the way…. I would love to get all the 20 gauge buckshot shells anyone wants to give me for Christmas this year….no particular reason.

I’m currently wrapping up a bank in Cumming, Georgia and about to tear down and rebuild one in Royston, Georgia. Luckily the banks we have built for in the past and currently have done a better than par job of taking care of business and are still hiring us to continue their growth…Thank Goodness!!!

Susan and I ventured far from our corner of heaven this year after years of talking about it and several years of our kids prodding, we got passports and headed for the Canadian Rockies for 11 days in May. My, my they do grow them hills big up there !! And in May the lakes were still frozen hard so we didn’t do any skinny dippin…although we did soak in a natural hot springs that felt pretty good (with suits!). Ran into a few locals but most were as foreign to the area as we were…felt like a southerner in Florida. Japanese LOVE the area and bring their own tour guides I was told to save on translation problems. Only one that seemed to be taken by our lack of any accent at all was the customs guy at the airport when we were leaving…asked about our fight over water with Tennessee. When I started to tell him all bout it, seemed after just a few words he KNEW we were who our passports said we were and where we were from…at least me as Susan just laid low and let me be the source of entertainment. Anyways….had a wonderful time and may go back some day during the week or so when the lakes are thawed.

Also went rafting with the kids, first and second generation up at Nantahala Gorge near the Smokies and camped the night in Murphy…rained the night we got there but everybody made the best of it…typical Tidwell luck. Speaking of luck….Melissa went with Susan and I to a Tech game this year, got to see Tech whoop up on Mississippi State…preparing for the REAL game right after Thanksgiving…a game for which I gave GREAT thanks afterwards…..you out there know of which game I speak…..just like the locust…every 7 years we have our day….just makes whooping Georgia sweeter waiting so long…ahhhhhhhhh.

Now on to the rest of the clan…. Carrie is still stuck with taking care of us old folks and has agreed to stay and look after us for a little while longer. She cuts us some slack and doesn’t come in till late usually as she is still teaching at Gold’s Gym and this lets us snore on the couch and head to bed usually by the late hour of 9-10. She left her job at Gilmer County Bank and just started with a company which will be opening a new office in Jasper where she will be doing accounting work. She is driving our jeep and has decided that she likes sitting up higher than city folks, likes it better also now with gas getting closer to tolerable prices. Speaking of gas….the little scare THEY threw us southerners just recently brought back memories of Susan’s and mine honeymoon in 1973 when gas was only available on even and odd days depending on your license plate best I remember and even then stations would close by noon, out of gas. Saw some flunky on TV representing the energy department and local announcer was asking what could be done….he very arrogantly said that if we in the south wanted more gas we would just have to build ourselves some more processing plants. I think we should quit processing chickens and see how they like it…then we could cut off grits…boy we could show um!! Think THEY up there in Washington have the upper hand. I noticed he spoke with no accent at all…..dead give away he was no account and not from our neck of the woods. Think he probably has a cousin that is an assessor and moved in amongst us too now that I study on it!!

But I digress…again…..back to the kin folks. Melissa and Keith are still holdin down the foot of the hill just below us and are gaining ground on raising the kids proper. They have narrowed down some of the sports activities so that all the girls, Sarah(14), Racheal(12), and Madison(11) all ran cross country this year…much simpler to handle the logistics instead of soccer, softball, basketball, etc, all at once. Racheal is in the band and we went last night to hear a wonderful Christmas concert (must have been what I was waiting on to write this letter this year). Madison is still taking piano lessons and we hope to hear some of her notes Christmas Eve night. Sarah started high school this year…nuff said! She has lots of friends as I can testify to after seeing her Facebook page and all her friends seem like pretty cool kids…love being in the country..have a few strange folks but percentage is WAY down from livin say in New York City….just a random town I picked…nothing to do with where in the nation it is located… say North of the mason Dixon.

Again I digress(ramble)…Kyle is mostly still staying in Charleston and goes to school there. His Dad Andy is over in Iraq right now doing some work for the Corps of Engineers. Will be glad when he gets back…sorry but those folks just don’t seem very appreciative of anything to do with us. You know we all don’t mind pitchin in to help a neighbor frame a house or clear out varmints when they try and take over the farm…but when you do that and then they shoot at you, try and blow up your truck and speak ill of lady folk in general….well…..I think it’s time to say enough is enough….time to take down our tents and let them play in their own sand pile alone…and if they take pot shots at us and come over to our garden of Eden….local law prevails…prepare for country justice.

Susan wrote down some things to pass on to y'all while I rambles and it was that she turned 54 this year! or was it that I was a year older than her at times…….I forget….anyway we are still in good health and kickin….and we sure would love to hear from all of y'all, or even better yet come and see us…..we can be at the Varsity in less than an hour or Susan still cooks fried chicken so that the kids always are asking for her to cook it for a Sunday dinner. So come on over, we promise to feed you and would love to take you down for a hike to the falls or ride the 4-wheeler up to the top of the property…as always…what Dad and Mom left to us we will always keep and share with all of you our friends and family…

Merry Christmas from your friends in the hills, Buddy & Susan.

2007

2008-12-17T15:00:00.004-05:00

Greetings from the Tidwells this Christmas 2007!!

It’s once again time to bring you up to speed on the goins on from our hilltop of the world. The good news is that we are still able to send this out to y'all and we are still in relatively good health, other than the accumulating aches that are blamed on age, that and kids, grandkids, etc. Has been a year of some surprises and excitement, just the way we enjoy it best.

Susan and I spent the better part of the year staying at a campground just this side of Chattanooga while I was building a paternal twin bank to the one I built in Ellijay several years ago. Just so happens this new bank, Covenant Bank’s president is the twin brother of the president of the New Horizon’s in Ellijay. Was a joy building for home folk once again… spoiled me! Our time in Chattanooga was fun, and our first time of Susan going with me on an out of town job. She worked out of the trailer on her transcription (see IRS, told you it was a legitimate deduction!!) and we would come home on weekends. Got to enjoy some tourist stuff while there and the kids all came up and camped with us one weekend too. We were fortunate to have Carrie house sit for us while we were gone and Melissa to take care of the place and Maggie our cat when Carrie wasn’t there. Nice to have the kids in servitude! Also this year the kids took me on a whitewater trip down the Ocoee River for Father’s day and sent Susan and I to the Atlanta NASCAR race for my birthday. The kids try and spice up my dull life it seems… and I LOVE IT!!!! Susan is still carrying on her very popular blog and we all read it daily to see her take on things. I once again tried to procrastinate on this letter long enough to see if she would take it over but so far she has deferred.

Carrie made her big trip to Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia and took lots of photos so we could live vicariously through her exploits. She has some great stories on comparisons of our way of life and those down under. She loved it so much, she decided to go back a second time about a month after coming home. Seems there was a “bloke” who caught her eye, and she his, and another chapter of her life began. He is now coming over to meet us in a couple of weeks and has never been to the US before. He has seen Deliverance though, so he gets the jest of our way of life here in the hills. There is talk of us all going to the airport to meet him, me in my overalls with one strap loose, no socks or underwear and possibly some teeth blacked out for effect. Just afraid the security folks might target us as Hillbilly terrorists though. We’ll see…. Other than that, Carrie is doing just fine and staying with us to help out us old folks.

Melissa and her family are still running at breakneck speeds, figuratively and literally if you have ever seen Melissa drive! The grandkids are all still into a multitude of activities and 2 of them turned thirteen this year…but like all kids today I think they reach their teens now when they turn 8. Kyle has headed to Charleston to stay with his Dad and seems to really like his new school, and Sarah, Madison and Racheal are here to keep Melissa and Keith busy. Melissa is still doing transcription after her full time job of Executive Domestic manager. The good thing is that she works at home and the bad thing is she works at home. Keith is still traveling and has expanded his travels to Mexico to work on high tech equipment….seeing as most of our companies are moving there I guess it is only natural. I wonder what is going to happen one day when all our factories move there and all their workers move here…..we may be the ones crossing the border…..just a thought…NOT!! I still have a very limited Spanish vocabulary and will most likely stay that way, still working on English as you can tell (God bless spell check).

All our crew went to Mammoth cave this year for a long weekend and had the usual great time, with the kids getting to take the Trog Wild Cave tour together. This time Susan didn’t have a ham sandwich, or food poisoning, so it was a much improved trip over last time. Our other activities included a camping trip to the gulf coast of Florida and some other camping at state parks where it is nice to get away sometimes for just a weekend.

I’m currently in Dawsonville starting another bank (God bless the banking industry) and will be here till first of May. There is always the uncertainty of where the next job will take us and truthfully I like that, sure beats going into an office year after year, guess it’s inbred in my blood (thanks Dad).

I encourage any of you with internet to go to Susan’s blog as it will give you a much more in depth look at how life is here on Burnt Mountain at the Tidwell’s and a much more journalistic view with lots of great photos (Susan has become quite the photographer!). She is MUCH more accomplished than me in both aspects. Her blog address is included at the bottom of my page of rambling.

One thought I would like to pass on to you my fellow “Infidels” is that now more than ever this Christmas, we should pray for our troops who are protecting our right to have this celebration of Christ’s birth. We southerners are proud folks, proud of our families, our country and the lives we make for ourselves from honest work. I rejoice in the freedom to send this letter to all of you each year and the friendships that bind us. You friends and kinfolk have enriched our family in many ways over the years and we celebrate your friendship.

Have a VERY Merry Christmas and of course come by or write when you have time….would Love to see or hear from you!!

Your Friends and Family here in the hills,

Buddy and Susan

Susan’s blog website: http://patchworkreflections.blogspot.com

2006

2008-12-16T15:00:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas!!

And welcome to this the 17th annual Tidwell year in review… with some embellishment due to literary license I have granted myself. I have been lauded by some for this seasonal effort to verbalize what has occurred in our little world (not so little anymore!) but I find myself humbled by an explosion of folks now sharing their lives daily by “blogging”, a word that my word processor still does not recognize but is for real. My better half is one of these such folks and I stand in awe that they can put daily life down in words and pictures with such clarity that you are drawn into their lives with eagerness. There are several “regulars” who read Susan’s blog and she theirs and the common thread I see is their willingness and eagerness to open up their lives from as far away as Australia daily. It warms me to see so many literary wallflowers now blooming for the world to appreciate, and all just by a click of the mouse.

Here of late as the years have accumulated it becomes a test of ones memory to recall all that has occurred in the past 365 days or so….. shoot… hard to remember where I left my shoes last night for that matter! So I have reverted to having Susan quiz the kids and grandkids as to what highlights they feel worthy of this review and submit them for inclusion. This also serves the purpose of making sure I do not unwittingly slight a family member and pay for it for anther 365 days… or more! Brother the things you have to go through to just write 1 letter a year… I applaud and praise you daily bloggers!! Also I have been informed that the Christmas letters have become a topic of disdain for some cynics as to their boring review of ones family and is just a way to elevate ones kin to show folks we have a life. Have even heard it said that these ritualistic letters are only good for lining the birdcage!!! Well… here Tweety… here’s your carpet… for one day a year!!

The year has passed oh so quickly… and as usual the highlights seem long past when the tedium of daily life clouds your view… but here goes in retrospect… I am currently in Woodstock, Georgia finishing up on a branch of Cherokee Bank and then am scheduled to head to the metropolis of Rock Spring, Georgia to build an almost replica of my pride and joy New Horizon bank I build in Ellijay last year. Susan is still pecking away doing transcription from home, typing away about so many folks ills… may be of some use in the near future as she can pronounce to the doctor what will be ailing me as the years pile up. She is of course also writing a Pulitzer worthy blog almost daily. I tried to relinquish my annual blog to her but she wasn’t biting on that one.

Also of note we are currently having a red metal roof put on the house… after 30 years the one Dad and I put on has decided to retire. Our kids promptly starting calling us the Red Roof Inn… at least we don’t have to leave the light on like that other place…

Now for Melissa and Carrie and their respective family members. Melissa and Keith seem to be enjoying the mountain life just down below our place. Kinda comforting for me when I out to get in my truck this time of year with the leaves off and I can see their porch light… warming to know your kids are close. They have taken some trips this year to Vegas, Tunica and the Keys and we live vicariously through them… but didn’t have to lose money vicariously at the casinos also. This past summer I was “inspired” to build, with MUCH assistance, the long sought after treehouse for the grandkids… and my kids for that matter. The treehouse resides halfway between our house and Melissa and Keith’s and the kids seem to enjoy having a place to escape adults. Keith is still traveling the roads working on high priced machinery that has tolerances much thinner than this piece of paper.

Carrie has decided she missed the look of her last name being Tidwell and we all welcomed her changing it back. Also she felt she wanted to reclaim some of the sister time she missed out on when Melissa got married… so she is spending time with Melissa at her home and she and the girls (Melissa, Sarah, and Madison) seem to be having just a great time indeed. Carrie is still at Gilmer County Bank but also teaches classes at Gold’s Gym in town. One activity she surprised us with this year was an impromptu decision to go skydiving. She showed up at the house one weekend with a videotape of her dive… pretty awesome… but NOT for me to try! Speaking of surprises, this past Father’s day the girls surprised me with a glider flight over the mountains… now THAT was Coooooool!!!

Now for Kyle, Madison, Sarah and Racheal… the grandkids… their lives are one endless activity… they should promote a caffeine drink as they are constantly on the go. Kyle got certified to scuba dive, played football and baseball and he and Madison took trips with their other grandparents to Washington, D.C. and whitewater rafting. Madison continued her piano, was a cheerleader, into Girl Scouts and found time to go to Camp Glisson (long time Tidwell tradition). Sarah continued her trombone virtuoso, was in Jr. Beta club and ran cross country. Racheal shifted up to stay with her mom in Maryland and is showing our southern ways with those folks for a spell, and seems to be having a great year in school.

Just a couple of other items my editors wanted included, Susan and I made a hike we had talked about all our lives, to the top of Mt. LeConte to spend the night in the Lodge… been there, don’t that… and got the t-shirt! Also had a great camping trip to St. Joseph State Park on the gulf coast of Florida… Excellent park and beach!!

That about wraps it up for this year… don’t want to ramble on and be accused of generating too much bird cage liner… but as always… miss all of you our friends and family and hope your Christmas is spent enjoying the warmth of having Your family close to you…

Your friends and your family,
Buddy, Susan and clan

2005

2008-12-15T15:00:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!

There, hopefully I have stept on several overly sensitive ethnic groups toes if this letter is made available to the general public. All I can tell them is to get some steel-toed boots and put um on. Sorry, just had to get that off my chest right off the bat this year!

Now…on to the usual annual updating as to the goins on here in the Tidwell clandom. I sit here on a blustery day as the temperature drops below freezing and thankful to be inside after being on top of the museum roof in Gainesville earlier in the day resolving a leak. NOT my idea of a pleasant day in the construction trade. I spent the middle part of this year in a quaint little town of Elberton, Georgia, constructing an Operations Center for Pinnacle Bank. Was lucky once again to have some wonderful clients to build for and who could understand for the most part my southern mountain version of communication. At least they shook their head a lot like they understood. I will be headed out to another project shortly and if it is out of town Susan is planning on traveling with me this time and taking her transcription work with her. I believe she sees the new trailer we just got as looking a lot less trouble to keep clean than the homestead. We have been enjoying an activity called Geocaching for the past year, which began with me buying a GPS unit to use when we went 4-wheeling. It’s a form of a treasure hunt that is worldwide and takes you to some wonderful out of the way places. Susan’s caching name is “Downychick” and mine is "Georgiabuddy". If you get a chance look us up on the web page Geocaching.com and see where all we have been.

This year has been a good urn for the clan as all are well and working, woo woo!!! Carrie and Ryan are doing well, with Carrie still at Gilmer County Bank working with the head of their security department. I know she is taking her job seriously as to when we may loan her a $20 bill she holds it up to the light before accepting it from us. Ryan is still placing concrete and as a diversion takes martial arts classes. I now have to watch my son-in-law jokes for my personal safety. They have one child, Ludicrous…..their dog. Of all the grandkids, he takes the least amount of attention giving as all he requires is a chewy and a soft bed and he is good to go.

Melissa and Keith are doing well and are in a constant state of motion. With the 4 kids involved in, let’s see….soccer, football, baseball, basketball, piano, track and trombone, there are always places to be. Susan helps out some in the transportation and is getting to enjoy being a parent again, but with the option of dropping them off after just a few hours. I get to go and see them play at times and don’t have to cart the whole team out for dinner or ice cream. This grandparenting is a pretty good deal! Melissa has followed in Susan’s houseshoes and is doing the transcription work from her home/office. She also has a side business that takes her all around to meet ladies and expound on the Tidwell philosophy of “Life is short, seize the moment and live it”. She describes her parties as Tupperware parties with batteries…..enough said!! Keith is still traveling the country working on machinery that breaks down and takes a little more than WD-40 and a PHD to fix. He understands the term we in construction know as “seat time”…LOTS of miles….

Now for the grandkids…as I told you, they are into every imaginable activity…and seem to do well in all of them. I take some satisfaction in that Sarah has pursued the Trombone, and I have even bought myself a new one and have some Christmas sheet music we can play next Christmas for the amusement of the kin folk. Madison can accompany us on the piano and we might con Kyle and Rachel into some percussion or juice harp. I was recently met by Kyle and Sarah at my truck when I got in from work one night, with overly helpful intentions…the kind that set off an alarm in your head…..you know…..”Can we carry your coat for you…..here…let us help you up the stairs…..”I envisioned all sorts of terrible things awaiting me….That and Susan had called me and warned me on the way home NOT to immediately say NO to what they had in mind for me. Well, wasn’t as bad as I thought. After all the niceties and I finally pushed them to spit it out, what did they want….they presented me with a set of plans they had drawn for a tree house/club house. Had dimensions, a plan view and elevation. More than I sometimes get from some of the architects I have dealt with and clearer. We are currently in the negotiation stages of me saying I am looking into it and taking it under advisement, hopefully this will buy me time till spring and warmer weather.

Susan and I watch CNN Headline News in the morning when I am home and we are constantly amazed when they come on with little tid-bits like John Lennon being killed 25 years ago today….25 YEARS!?!?!?! Can’t be that long ago…..Life is so short…and getting shorter…and so much still to do. The days, months and years are flying by…but I hope all of you, our friends are making the most of what has been given us in this world. And I don’t mean the big vacations and fancy dinners; take time to enjoy the timeless joys, of a child holding your hand as you walk, or to sit in a rocker on the porch and listen to the owls and whipper wills calling at dusk, or to just watch the embers glowing in the fire….these seem to be the joys we take for granted, the joys our servicemen would and are dying for in a desert land far away. This Christmas I ask you to pray for our defenders and take a minute to appreciate all that we have been given by right of birth…..our birth and a birth more than 2000 years ago.

And in your 'spare time' check out Susan's blog page, she is the real writer in the family - http://patchworkreflections.blogspot.com - & you can track me by my photo albums on Webshots.com - Community - member name: buddyt48. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas to all our friends and kin across the world, your family and friends here on Burnt Mountain………Buddy and Susan

2004

2008-12-14T15:00:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas to Friends and Kin from the Tidwells here in the hills of North Georgia!! We survived another year, and I’m back to give you a brief review of the goins on in our little corner of heaven. Been writing this little novella for 15 years now, and I can still see fear in all those of the family who during the year make a few missteps, and then tremble as to whether it will be included in my year end review with a few embellishments, as literary license allows. But lucky for them at a spry 51 my ability to retain ALL the tidbits over the length of the year has lessened. So…without further ado. …Here is the review…

I was lucky enough to be rewarded with a job for the last 7 months here in Ellijay. Closest sizable job in 30 years in this business, and it was a real joy to be able to come home each night. Was privileged to build an impressive bank for some hometown folks and leave a thumbprint for my kids and kin for the future. Guess the best compliment I got was from my sister Kay, when she commented that Daddy would have been proud. On weekends, Susan and I got to do a lot more camping this year as we invested in a weekend home on wheels and made jaunts to here and there. One memorable trip was one with all the kids and grandkids to Mammoth cave. Found out what intestinal fortitude really meant when Susan enjoyed a ham sandwich furnished by the concessionaire 2 miles from exiting the cave, and had to hike her way out with food poisoning. Needless to say, she has not desired any more ham sandwiches since.

Susan is still pecking away at the puter doin her medical transcription, and enjoying the ability to turn a little corner of our home into a profitable zone instead of a chasm to pour money and sweat into for upkeep. Ah, the joys of home ownership….

Speaking of home ownership, our OLDEST daughter Melissa is now our next-door neighbor as she and Keith built their home just down the hill from us here in the “Lowlands”. (This in reference to a high dollar development just up the road that call their gated high fallutin place “The Highlands”.) Their place turned out really nice, and now we can carry on the practice of borrowing from our neighbors just like when my parents lived below us, and we would go and raid their cupboards when we didn’t want to drive to town to get some sugar or such. Came home last night to a note stuffed in our door, “Borrowed some syrup”…we assumed it was Melissa??? But then again the possums tend to be less adept at spelling and the note was put high on the door…

Keith has a position with Duke Power and has aspirations for Homer Simpson’s status someday, where you sit back with a jelly doughnut with the controls to an entire nuclear plant just one drip of jelly away from oblivion. Melissa has decided she would like to join Mom in the home employment venue, and is about to start training on transcription too, so as to save on wardrobe expenses. She and Susan can go to the buy one get one free sales at the house shoe emporium and sweat pant store (Dollar General).

Our younger, but still aging, daughter Carrie is still enjoying her position at Gilmer County Bank observing our less than sterling population, who attempt to outwit the financial institutions out of their and our money. We here in the hills take our thievery seriously, and use high tech methods such as printing money with Ronald Regan’s Picture on a $1000 bill, with Bear Bryant’s picture on the other side with a rebel flag in his hand. And we always ask for change in Jimmy Carter silver dollars. But Carrie and her associates caught these scaly-wags as they made a critical error of using the camera lens as a mirror to check that their curlers weren’t showing from under their hair net. Busted!!

Ryan is still placing concrete during the days and weekends but is taking martial arts classes in the evenings and getting very proficient as I hear. Time will come when we might need his services at Wally World when a sale is in progress and we need to clear out some of the flat-landers who think they can bully us hill and crickkers (a term used to describe those who live along a brook or stream) around when there is a bargain in the dry goods isle to be had. Our own personal Arnold (The Gov).

Now for the lesser in size but greater in portance category of the grandkids…Kyle is still taking gee-tar lessons to fall back on if his pro football or baseball doesn’t develop as we all hope it will. (So we get better rooms at the home for ol' hillbillies and crickkers). Since Garth has retired, Kyle sees a need for more country twangers. Although the loss of several teeth has taken her temporarily out of contention for the corn on the cob spokesperson and model, Madison still has a plan for the future as she continues with her cheerleading, with a fall back in the soccer legions. Rachel is also pursuing the soccer venue, and has Girl Scouts as her fall back so she might go into mass-market sales…cookies come to mind. Sarah makes the third of ours in soccer and the tallest, with of course the most shin to get kicked also, but leading toward interior decorating, as she is spending a good bit of time researching just the right ambiance to create for her new room… early teenager/mayhem…but with class. All in all, the kids and grandkids are all doing great and are doin us proud, as usual. I believe both Susan’s and my parents are smiling down.

Once again the year has flown by and I have missed you all as I tend to get so wrapped up in daily life and attempting to keep my “to do” list from getting too lengthy. But just know that there are those times when coming over the mountain and seeing a sunrise or sunset, with colors unmatched on any artist pallet, that a sense of what is really important comes over me…and you ALL are there. So even though you may not here from the Tidwell’s often (once a year basically!) just know you are more than a name on a list of friends and family to send Christmas cards to each year. When the tally is finally totaled, it won’t be an accountant’s ledger with a dollar sign to the left, but it will resemble more the friends and family and the impression left to remember one by.

Susan and I and all the Tidwell clan wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and in the very truest sense of the phrase…..A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

2003

2008-12-13T15:00:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas & Howdy to all y’all family and friends!!

2003, my how time has flown! The time between my Christmas writings seems to be getting shorter with each year and I seem to procrastinate more, also. But a benefit of my delay is that the kids are nicer to me longer, as they fear of what I will write about them in “The Letter” if I am treated less than royally – ah the power of the press! Their only hope is that my 50 year old feeble memory will work in their favor… and I must confess I have to rely on Susan more now for recollection of things, like who I am, and where I am going each day. But it’s good to know none of you, my spry friends and kin, have such afflictions – uh-huh!

So, here goes – to all my constituents – here is my annual review of life as seen from my failing eyes. It’s been another mixed bag, with highs and lows. This summer Susan’s mom Alma, who lived on the mountain with us, was called back to be with James, and help oversee things at the pearly gates. She will be greatly missed, especially by the grandkids who always got clothes made for them with lots of pockets, as requested.

I finished up the museum in Gainesville recently, which turned out rather nicely. After it was completed, Susan and I took off a week to belatedly celebrate our 30th anniversary this past July, or as I put it, a testimonial celebration to Susan’s tolerance. Also, of some lessor note, was my 50th birthday, which I had hoped would go mostly unheralded, except for the efforts of one daughter in particular who made it her mission to announce the event to anyone I had ever know or casually met. Take note that I did NOT forget this transgression… this brings to mind such phrases as “yea, though I tread in the shadow of death, I shall fear no superintendent!” Susan is still doing transcription at home, and getting very proficient at dealing with lawyers and such, as she is handling the probate on Alma’s and my mom’s estates.

Now for my two lovely daughters… Carrie is still at Gilmer County Bank, and enjoying the benefits of banking, as she and Ryan re-financed their home, traded their car all on their own, and didn’t need us for anything other than moral support. Won’t be long till we will be listing her as a reference for us to get a loan to pay for our retirement. Ryan has just begun a new career as an apprentice electrician, and is already enjoying the more regular hours and not coming home encrusted with concrete. This will also add a new facet to the Tidwell construction empire, the more the better!

Melissa, or “Little Buddy” as she is known in the family, is working with a law firm in Jasper during the days and is pursuing a secondary vocation part-time. Always the “thoughtful daughter,” she is helping to spread the Tidwell genes by working with a fertility group who are using her eggs for couples who want a Tidwell in their family… or at least our attributes. Little do they know what they are in store for! Keith is still traveling and doing repairs and maintenance on overpriced plumbing systems in industrial facilities. They tell him he is in no danger from fluids in these systems, but the kids all tell me they don’t need a night light anymore as Dad glows nicely at night. Melissa and Keith had a Jamaican wedding in May, a real southern hoe-down.

Speaking of kids, all four grand kids are doing well, and into their usual plethora of activities. Kyle, at age 9, played his first football this year, and did very well at center, being bent over and looking at the ground, there wasn’t that far to go, to where he and all the others would end up each play. Madison donned her cheer leading outfit after relinquishing her Miss Apple Bud crown and entertained us all with cheers such as “knock the whoopsi out of them”!

Racheal and Sarah both played soccer and Melissa became one of the heralded Soccer Moms, which means stand back and give them a wide berth. I am still working on establishing acceptable mountain accents and vocabulary with the girls, should be no time at all till I have them “usins, weuns and youruns” with the best of them, they already know where yonder is on the horizon!

To summarize, been a pretty good year. I made 50, Susan hasn’t run me off yet, and all the kids live within a good rock’s throw. W.H. Bass hasn’t run me off and I’ve been able to sleep at home each night, with a job site only 45 miles away.

Susan and I made a trip to Gatlinburg and Dollywood last week to enjoy the Christmas activities and shows. The effect it had on me was to sadden me in some ways, for the loved ones I have shared Christmas with in the past, who are gone but not forgotten. But then we have the rest of you family and friends who will be with us for this Christmas and hopefully many more, with whom I hope to share more stories over the coming years, make you smile, and know you will ALWAYS have friends in the Tidwells on Burnt Mountain. Also I hope to be able to pay back all of those “thoughtful” gifts and well wishes from my 50th birthday wake.

May your hearts be warmed this Christmas by the friendship and love we have for you all.

Merry Christmas

Buddy and Susan Tidwell

2002

2008-12-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

Greetings Y’all!

It’s time for another update from the Tidwells here at Burnt Mountain. It’s been a fairly quiet year here, but momentous also……… Now all of y’all with kids know that, as history is denoted as B.C. or A.D., so family life uses the designation of P.K., meaning either pre-kids or post-kids. Susan and I have gloriously made it to the post-kids stage. And this Christmas will be the first time in 23 years that we won’t have any late night assemblies to either do, or observe others attempting. So, while many of you are enjoying Christmas by being awakened at 3 in the morning, to see what the jolly ol’ boy has brought, we will roll over and think of you… uh-huh! So let us send encouraging words to all of you out there who wonder if there really is still the possibility of having hot water to take YOUR shower, or your monthly car insurance being less than the total cost of the car… yes, it will all come back to you as it once was! Now, not to overfill your cup of joy, they will come back, and bring more with them, and the feeding ritual really doesn’t change……. but to sleep in on Christmas morning? I promise to let you know in next year’s message how wonderful it was!

I’ve come back home to W.H. Bass after a two year foray, and am currently building a Museum/History Center on the Brenau College campus in Gainesville, only an hour from home. No greater joy than listening to WSB radio in the mornings and evenings, to hear of the never-ending traffic woes of the city folks. Been there, done that. My worst problem might be a chicken truck struggling to climb a hill, or one of my fellow Southerners out for a Sunday drive, and beginning it on Wednesday morning.

Susan is working at the house (take note IRS!) doing medical transcription over the internet (hence the new computer IRS!) and of course, that is ALL we use it for… I would NEVER use it for surfing or playing games!!!! Susan enjoys the “drive time” as I do, since it consists of climbing the stairs with her coffee in hand, from the kitchen to the balcony/office, and turning the heater on to keep her feet warm, since she doesn’t wear shoes to “work”, yes, we are hillbillies.

Susan’s mom, Alma, got her a new ‘puter this year to keep up with her gaming skills, and also acquired a new scooter to get around. The salesman claimed it would go 15 miles on one charge, so I think I can now sell the kids’ 4-wheeler, and we can just use Alma’s scooter to go loafering on the old logging trails. Will carry an oxygen tank too, I guess for high altitude roaming. Or we might get some of that laughing gas, so we can just sit in the drive and think we are having a lot of fun.

Melissa and Keith, with Sarah and Racheal, moved here to Ellijay after Keith got out of the Navy, and live in town after staying with us for a little while. Melissa is working in Canton, and Keith is traveling and doing repair work at industrial plants in the south. Madison and Kyle have been busy as usual, into lots of things like baseball and beauty pageants. Madison won the Miss Apple Bud pageant as part of the Apple Festival doins. She looked real pretty, and even her brother seemed to take a little pride in her winning, as he was grinning like a Cheshire cat in a tree. Now on weekends when the kids all come over, we are talking a house full, and the swing set Dad and I built for my kids is now serving the next generation of kin. It, like I, have a few bowed timbers, but hopefully will last a few more years. Kyle even started using my scroll saw some this year, and I hope to lead him along the path to satisfying poverty, as I have achieved in construction and crafts.

Carrie and Ryan were living with us at the start of the year, but have since got their place finished and moved into, out on the other side of town, and are already enjoying the joys of home ownership, cutting the grass, the furnace had to be replaced, the A/C quit working… ah yes, the joys. Now when I answer the phone and hear Carrie’s voice, I say “Hello…. What broke?” And 9 times out of 10 after a disgruntled “Dad?!”.. she gets around to what is broke. It’s nice to have job security in maintenance. Ryan is still in the concrete business, but I think would consider a change if the right job came along, say, anything that would not involve finished concrete or being out in the insufferable cold or heat. Also been there and done that. I did not suggest the craft business!

Susan and I replaced the deck on the house this year as a summer project, since I was home in the evenings for a change. We put a hot tub out on it and have enjoyed it a lot this summer, and have thoughts of trying it when it snows this winter, so if your driving by and see a bunch of steam rising off the deck, we don’t have a moonshine still going (at least not on the deck!) It’s been a wonderful year, being close to home, and while I’m home I would hope that a bunch of you would take time to leave that city traffic behind you and come up an visit us hillbillies and leave your cares behind for a spell, to come share a little piece of heaven that Mom and Dad found for us back in 1953, the year I was born (ALMOST 50 years ago). They left this for me and my two OLDER sisters, and we would love to share its beauty and fine country neighbors with you and yours.

And to you and yours, A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! May the coming year bring you tranquility, fulfillment and blessings. And may God Bless America, truly our home sweet home.

Your Friends for life,
Buddy, Susan and family.

PS: To all the other PK’rs…. ain’t it GREAT?!!!!

2001

2008-12-11T15:00:00.003-05:00

Greetings friends and kin from the Tidwells of Georgia. This distinction comes from the fact that Susan has been doing an extensive genealogy search and has found tons of kin all over the place. And as luck would have it, they are all just as poor as us. Always figured it was genetic, now I know for a fact. Also found that my fathers Dad is the originator of our pack rat syndrome, as he built his home in Lithia Springs from the burned down ruins of a huge resort hotel once built at the Lithium Springs. So we got it honest by not wanting to see lumber and nails go to waste.

I have been atravelin this past year. Been down in Hampton, Georgia and built the stage and booths for Cracker Barrel at their race at Atlanta Speedway. Still got burned rubber falling out of my hair and still got chills from the sight of the B-1 bomber that buzzed the place at the end of the Star Spangled Banner. What a show! Then got sent off to test my northern speech in Bloomington, Indiana where I built another Cracker Barrel. There I got introduced to sprint racing from a sub whose sons raced on Friday nights at a dirt track. Still got dirt from that comin’ out. Then as I got paroled from there I got sent to Raleigh/Durham, NC to finish a Waste Management administrative building and transfer station. Nothing like the early morning smell of tons of garbage to clear out your sinuses. Anthrax…kid stuff!!!

While on these jobs, Susan came up and we got to go visit Niagara Falls and Kitty Hawk on weekend trips. Always impressive what diversity we have in this country. When you see the pictures of Afghanistan, what a glorious place we live in. Susan has been working on home projects for the year so we won’t have such a tax burden this year (as she explains it to me!) She had Carrie’s wedding (more later on this) and then she has been working on this kinfolk book since. Tried hard to tie in a Kennedy or Gates into the tree, but they kept jumping out. Think our tree was a persimmon. Oh well.

Melissa and Keith are still up in Charleston with Sarah and Racheal. Melissa started a new job after spending the summer being entertained by all 4 kids. She had to go back to work for the mental health benefits. Still hope they get to come back closer to home in the future.

Madison and Kyle, our testimonial to our age and senility have been busy this year. Kyle is always in a sport of one kind or another and Madison tried her hand at a pageant again. She came in as 1st runner up in the Miss Apple Seedling pageant. She had the wave and the blown kiss down pat along with her southern sashay of her dress. Kyle has been helping me in my shop when we have time and is picking up the use of my scroll saw, much to Susan’s distress. I’ve noticed both their accents starting to develop and rival my own so I won’t feel ridiculed when the Floridians take over the hills from us.

Carrie gradiated this year from Appalachian College and started work for Fireside Log Homes in Ellijay as an administrative assistant. I’m tryin’ to get on as her assistant but she won’t share her desk. She and Ryan got hitched this year and are currently shacking with us till they get their house set up on their property on the other side of Ellijay. Ryan is a liquid floor engineer (concrete finisher) and works around Gilmer County (lucky him).

Susan’s mom Alma is still busy with her sewing and has also become a real puter gamer since her son John gave her a computer this year. At 80, she has learned a whole new sense of how to be frustrated by a machine, which could cause the Pope to swear. She isn’t on the net yet, we will work up to that as her sailors terminology increases.

Well that wraps up a brief review of what the kin and we have been up to this year. All in all was a kinda so-so year while we were all in kinda a stupor and numb after 9/11. I was in Bloomington working on a floor tile that was broken, heard the news and I left and went to my trailer and watched till late in the night and grieved. Been a hard year to smile and be positive, and I promise to be more upbeat next year. Hope all y'all have survived this year and have come out ready to make this comin year a good un. Please drop us a line by snail or e-mail, call or come and see us. I’ve still got plenty of honey do’s on the list and can used the help. The list grows exponentially you know.

To all our friends,

Merry Christmas from Buddy Susan and the rest of the known Tidwell kinfolk.

2000

2008-12-10T15:00:00.003-05:00

Christmas 2000!

Has an impressive sound to it. And it has been that here at the Tidwell clan homestead. I’ll briefly try and give you an update on the goins on with a little mountain flavor mixed in. The kinfolk in general have survived the first year of the new century pretty well and have left us all anxious to move on to even better days ahead.

Well, let’s get toit…… As fer me, finished up that fine bank I told you bout last year in May and then made a very major move. I sadly left W.H. Bass and joined up with Vision Construction where several of my partners from my past have been drawn. Was a hard decision, but when I heard they had Yankees working for them, I knew they needed my sensible southern perspective to balance things out. The president is from Nebraska and is a friend also from my past so he’s usta my shyness and lack of opinion. Being from Nebraska I ain’t zackly sure what he is….. kinda like Californians I guess, their nothin! Currently I’m doin office duty gettin the next project ready to go. Sure do like the heated inside toilet and the fact you don’t halfta tie the door closed with a coat hangar to keep the icy wind from blowing the john door off the hinges and spoilin your image with all the guys about your God givin blessins. The first have almost got me knowin which button to push to answer the phone, but not always. All in all … LOVE it here and all the folks!!!

Susan, the stable one, just decided to take a hiatus from her job and is gonna try something else after the first of the year. After working straight pretty much since we got married almost 28 years ago I guess she can take a week or two…. I mean a day or two off. She got her an Explorer just the other day and traded in her little Geo. I think the added elevation has given her a whole new perspective and she now thinks she is Somebody and can look down on others in their Geos and such. The company just got me a big Chevy truck so she hasn’t knuckled me down yet, although I have started vacuuming, ironing and doin the dishes on occasion. Sorry guys!!!

Melissa turned 21!!!! Seems like just yesterday when we brought her home and I was looking frantically everywhere for the receipt from the hospital as she screamed at the top of her tiny lungs. Susan was laid up and I thought “Surely they take returns!” But we survived as did she and I’m glad I didn’t find the receipt. She and Keith are still over in Charleston with his 2 girls, Sarah and Rachel full-time and Kyle and Madison part time. We’re hoping they might move back closer sometime in the near future so I will have more folks to embarrass with my southern talk and demeanor (what’s that?)

Carrie turned 18!!!! Now they can’t get me for browbeatin a child, as she informed us she was now an adult and pulled out a Bill of Rights I was unaware of. But now I have found the same legislation had numerous loopholes and exclusions, all tilted to her advantage. She and her betrothed Ryan, are talking about setting up housekeeping sometime in the future and she started asking me about the cost to build a “modest” house of about 1750-2000 square feet. She now feels like the disgrace of living at home can be tolerated for a little longer. Ah, the cruelties of the “real” world, even here in the hills. She’s attending college and taking accounting, so once informed of the costs of bein on your own, the abacus told the tale. Usta have one of those till we discovered fingers, toes and body parts served the same purpose… God given calculators. Course boys can count a little higher than girls.

Kyle and Madison came and stayed with us some this past year and even though Kyle is a hard headed 6 year old and now in Kindergarten and Madison a precocious 3 year old they were a joy. Kyle got his own lesson in accounting, as he lost his first tooth and found there is profit in what he first perceived as misfortune. The tooth fairy, new at this job made a crucial error of setting a precedent of paying out $5 for one tooth!!!! He should have read the handbook. Now the next worry is how many teeth are in those two sweet heads and how much will they demand for inflation over the next several years. I feel a loan request comin. Then of course the brace fairy will come later… but the tooth fairy will find out about that and whole lot more in the years to come. Little Madison, blonde, blue eyed has shown some temperament traits of her Aunt Carrie. She has perfected the crossed arm foot stomp and a look that speaks years beyond her age. And yet she has also mastered the look to melt all your resolve to make her do somethin not in her agenda. I have always been surrounded by girls and feel I have been trained like that dog of Pavlov’s. They seem to always get what they want, even when they let you think you prevailed. Mark Anthony and Adam have good company I’m afraid.

Susan’s Mom Alma has also fell prey to they wily ways of the kids. She has found that the most important factor in making a zillion clothes for the kids is not if they fit, but how many pockets and zippers can be incorporated. We sure love having her up here with us and the grandkids especially love her. I’ve found if we are out in the yard and the kids go missing (it gets quiet), they usually are going to visit Mamaw Austin. Probably to make sure she is keeping up pocket production and whether she got in any new chocolates.

So there you have it in a nutshell. Life here on the mountain goes on. We’ve lost some dear friends over the past year, make some new ones and made some reaquantinces with some we haven’t seen in awhile. They put on a new layer of asphalt last year and actually painted stripes on the road, so no excuse for y'all not comin on over to visit, or for us not loading up all our kinfolk and comin for Saturday night and Sunday dinner at youins house (an ever better idea, huh?) We’ll load up that flatbed, gas her up and be on over, so just holler ya hear?

Have a New year filled with Love and warmth and know that we Tidwells here at Burnt Mountain have left a light on for you. Y'all come!!!!!!!

Love,
Buddy, Susan, Carrie, and the four legged chillin.

1999

2008-12-09T15:00:00.008-05:00

Greetings from The Tidwells on Burnt Mountain

Welcome to another issue of “What we did, and conversely, what we should have done in retrospect”. (Big thoughts for a Georgia Tech drop out).

At present you would find me whiling away the days attempting to finish a beautiful bank (this is for the clients benefit) situated in Cartersville, GA. The Bank President, Mike, gave me the nickel tour around Cartersville when I first started the job, and the highlight of the tour was a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that resembles a farm feed depot from the outside. The screen on the front door is half missing and there’s no worry about catching your hand in the door because they are so worn from use that they never touch. The atmosphere is pure home town, like something out of a southern Norman Rockwell background. The waitress knows us by sight and now brings the teas automatically and says “What’ll-it-be-today?” She knows I want cornbread and Ron (my assistant) wants his biscuit. One item on the breakfast menu that says it all is Country ham and right below it is City ham. My waistline if you could see me would testify to my love of this Southern Phenomenon. I digress, the job will be over at the end of January and the talk is I may get to stay close to home and do another bank in the Duluth area, we’ll see.

Now, on to the doins around the kinfolk. Our family was lucky to spend one last Christmas with my mom last year and then she was on to resume her place next to Dad. Our sorrows were for ourselves and the emptiness we felt and will always feel. I speak for all our family when I say that we had the greatest teachers of how life should be lived, not just on Sundays, but every hour of every day. God just thought he had the Best Superintendent and Carpenter. How He has the whole project team…. THE BEST!!!! We laborers and apprentices will be on in time to help out.

My Susan is still working her one paying job in Ellijay at a medical office and her hundred or so non-paying jobs at home. She has been working very had at cleaning up my parents place and trying to get it ready for our kin and family to spend Christmas Eve at the parents again, as has been family tradition. It’s looking real good. Mom, forgive us for givin away all your cloth and material, but believe me, we probably clothed a whole lot of grateful people this year thanks to your collection.

Melissa and Andy have decided they still care about each other, but want to see a little more of that world we told them was out there. Andy and the kids are here in Ellijay now, with Andy working hard at the family restaurant. The kids get to come out and visit and we sure do love having them. I’m getting a camper so we can take them camping next spring. Should have some good stories for you next Christmas. Melissa is over in Charleston sharing house duties with her companion Keith and his two girls, who are cute as can be. They’ll all be down for Christmas with us we hope. Should be a regular circus around here. Wouldn’t have it any other way, it’s the spice of life….family.

Our “Special” Carrie lived up to our expectations again and was up for the Homecoming Queen this year, her Senior year. She didn’t win, and I’m afraid it might have had something to do with her escort. My Cheshire cat grin was so big and the glow of pride so obvious it caused the judges to think I was recently almost released from a funny farm and didn’t want to get me real excited by Carrie winning. They figured if she won I might bust with pride. Oh well, I didn’t quite bust. Carrie is goin to Appalachian Tech part time while she finishes High School and will continue there next year, majoring in business. She’s also working part time at Susan’s job (the paying one).

Susan’s Mom has moved up from Florida and is going to set up homekeeping in the spot I’ve cleared out behind ours. Glad to have her up to enjoy the grandkids and their antics. Hopefully her first winter back up here in the hills will be a moderate one with no major ice storms or deep snows. Maybe she’ll get used to our southern accents again after being down there in southern New York.

Hopefully this greeting finds you all ready for the Y2K with plenty of firewood, bottled water and Pop (Coke to us down here). I’ve stocked up on popcorn, peanuts and have a generator to run the TV and the Satellite dish and DVD player. The essentials for survival. I’ve asked Santa to bring me time off with pay to enjoy all these “essentials”. We’ll see!

Once again I make my annual offer to any of y’all venturing to this part of the country to come stay awhile… Susan looks like she needs help with all those non-paying jobs around here. Have gotten some surprising e-mails from some of you and I have promptly entered your e-mail address at every spam mail site I could log onto without giving a credit card number or promising to buy six adult videos over the next thirty days. No thanks are necessary, my joy to help you lonely people out.

Have a very, very merry and warm Christmas and on New years Eve night as we watch The Immortal Dick Clark, we here on Burnt Mountain will raise our bottles, toast the past and tempt the future to spend it with all of you here with us in body, or spirit.

Your friends and family here thinking of you,

Buddy, Susan, Carrie, Alex (dog person), Tigger, Maggie, Misty and Tom (felines and felons)

1998

2008-12-08T15:00:00.007-05:00

Greetings and warm wishes to all of y’all from Buddy (and wife, chillin and grand chillin) here in the South. It’s getting much too short a time from one Christmas to another, obvious since I know I just finished my last annual letter. It’s bad when you just write one letter to folks a year and you get writers block! This year you receive my greetings from the state of Mississippi, it took me awhile to figure out when spelling this state’s name, just keep doublin every other letter and if in doubt throw in a couple of more vowels. Since we Southerners are accused of draggin out our speech and addin more syllables, why not just double up a bunch of consonants in a states name and really give em sumthin to talk about. I’ve been here about a month, starting a Pilot Travel Center. Knew I was in a good part of the country when the Building Inspector came to the job, brought the building permit to me, stuck out his hand and said “HOWDY” and I replied “HOWDY HOWDY!” (this one phrase can always bring a cringe and rolling of the eyes from my teenage daughter Carrie.) But then again I still haven’t conquered the word “CO^O^OOL” she and Susan say. One other very notable item about being here in Mississippi is that a very special person who brought many, many laughs to me was from here, Mr. Jerry Clower. Jerry (The Mouth of the South) passed away the past fall. Another great loss to humanity and one of those who know how to bring a smile and warmth without stooping to vulgarity. I have given copies of some of his tapes to some of our dear northern friends and with them an understanding of southern culture. Now they can talk intelligently about coon huntin, rat killins, and Baptist dunkins (we Methodist just sprinkle, figure that’s close enough).

Susan’s now working in Ellijay and not having to drive so far, hope you all sold your stock in Goodyear before the job change. She’s still a professional paper shuffler (Medical Records Specialist) but in a smaller office. Smaller is better as I’ve always professed, in business and whatever… Her ability to be my sympathetic ear when I’ve had a bad day/week/month amazes me. For all of you who have someone like this at home, you know what I mean and for those of you that don’t. I have mean dogs surrounding my house, while I’m out of town and I’ve taught them to kill for fun and sport!

Carrie gave Susan and I a gift this year of going up the Blue Ridge Parkway and on to Washington, D.C. with us. I know how this will make most teenagers cringe and want to send her condolences, but she put on a good front as if she really enjoyed the trip. We hadn’t been on a vacation for a couple of years or more and it really was a joy for all of us. Of course every and I mean every VW Beetle that was in eyesight was pointed out on the trip with all the pros and cons of color selection and what flower was on each dash. I pointed out that marrying well would probably bring about quicker results in luxury car purchases, as a rich son-in-law might butter up the father-in-law with a pretty new pick-up. Just a thought (Not Susans!)

Our other chillin Melissa, Andy, Kyle and Madison are still down in King’s Bay at the Navel Base. Melissa is into this, that, and about a dozen other things, including college classes, cleaning houses, and all the social things submariner’s wives do together. I’ve never had that much energy, and Kyle and Madison, my four year old grandson and precious one year old granddaughter run rings around her, literally. I wish they were closer to see more of all of them. Of course having a son-in-law close by when something heavy needs moving wouldn’t hurt either.

Both my Mom and Susan’s Mom seem to be doin pretty good considering the life we kids, grandkids, and great grandkids have put them through. We’ll all be together this Christmas up here in the hills and quite a clan that will be. The fates have brought together a family and given me more than I could ever have hoped for in life.

My Friends, Partners, a name I call many people, not just because I’m bad on names, but because as I tell my co-workers, we’re all in this together. What I believe they don’t understand is that I don’t just mean in a business sense. My business is my life, trying to seize the moment, knowing second chances are far between and we really won’t pass this way again. It’s funny as you get older (so I’ve heard from my sisters) you get to understand the meaning of more clichés.

Very few of y'all got down to see us last year! We won’t make you eat chittlins or pigs feet or hog jowls, maybe some turnip greens, taters and grits with red eye gravy. But hey, I’ve got to like those stale doughnuts they brought from New York, with some cream cheese, it ain’t half bad. Well, if you can’t come, e-mail us or write and send pictures (we want to see how much gray hair y’all have got or if you’ve still got hair left at all).

Merry Christmas from the Tidwells

Buddy, Susan, Carrie and the Clan

1997

2008-12-07T15:00:00.007-05:00

And as Santa twas hurd to holler “Merry Christmas to Y'all and to Y'all a good night.”

Now that’s the way we tell it down here. The version folks read to their kids just lost somethin in the translation. Fortunately, with e-mail and all the other means of communication now available to us southerners, we are trying to straighten out these little irregularities. After returning from Flagstaff, AZ I felt I personally improved folks understandings of we country peoples ways somewhat. For example by the time I left, I know of several engineers and city officials who had a clear understanding of what geographical location yonder represented. A simple explanation that yonder was a midpoint between Here and way over yonder brought a looks of newfound enlightenment to their eyes. It gives you such a warm feeling to bring lurnin to the ignant folk. That one year I spent at Tech just keeps paying dividends.

At present I’m the ringmaster at a circus in Marietta. Under the pretense of building an Eckerds Drugs I keep thinking each day that the train’s gonna pull in with the elephants, clowns, and midgets in a tiny car and all I’ll need is a top hat (OSHA approved of course) and a megaphone to watch over all three rings. Gotta love this work, or be a little masochistic. It’s genetic I’m sure and will always hold Daddy responsible. I’m sure Daddy's already got a few folks up above worn out trying to keep up with him and his tireless energies. Probably helping Noah with his next boat and doin moonlight work refurbishing the pearly gates. As I said last year, not forgotten.

Susan’s still goin strong, wearing out cars and tires driving to work up above Blue Ridge at Fannin Regional Hospital. We started figuring, and with the wear on the car, cost of gas and the time spent driving she should be able to claim no income and we should be able to take a deduction for charitable contribution of time. Like I said, gotta love it. She’s been the church treasurer this past year, and I keep telling her that if some of our bills got mixed in with the Church’s bills and got paid, who’s to say it wasn’t divine intervention? Jimmy Baker and Tammy Faye would understand.

Carrie’s Driving!!!!!! There’s no greater entertainment than riding with Carrie driving and Mom being along. I take the approach, we’re all gonna go someday. Susan takes the longer view that it’s not gonna be today and “assists” Carrie in her driving skills. She really does quite well all and all. (This is for the benefit of our insurance agent). She’s almost as tall as me now and has developed her own set of tastes in music, clothes and interests. We’re going through the stage where every car we pass is evaluated for acceptability for us to purchase for her. Thank goodness we don’t live in some real fancy uppity neighborhood and she thinks a VW bug is “cool”. I still can’t say that word so it sounds like when the kids and moms say it. Oh well, a guy thing I guess.

Melissa and Andy, what a pair. They went out of their way this year to make us grandparents… again. We welcomed Madison Chloe to the clan (spelled with a C not a K) in August. She’s mighty precious and I see her brother Kyle as being her devout protection for life as he already has taken up pretty tight with her. Andy is still on duty on the USS Maine and travels all over. I mean under, the world. While he’s away Melissa has become quite the socialite along with the other submarine wives. Don’t know how she keeps up with all she has going on but she’s really impressed me. Must get it from Susan. Kyle is also amazing. Susan and I took him tent camping down at the waterfalls at the back of our property. He did pretty well till he woke up in the middle of the night. It was pitch dark and he informed Susan in no uncertain terms he wanted to sleep INSIDE the tent. The insulating value of the tent walls didn’t impress him in the least.

Mother is doing real well since she has folks staying with her all the time now. They keep her sugar balanced and all her tests come back with great reports, that is until one of us kids looks after her for a day. We tend to break the rules and slip a few treats into the regimen. We live by the axiom, variety is the spice of life, that and a little slice of pie and ice cream.

Susan’s Mom has a beautiful place down in Haines City Florida and seems to be enjoying the company of her neighbors with bingo and the like. Her health is like Mothers with good days and not so good. I’m beginning to appreciate that perspective more all the time. We hope to get down and see Alma as soon as I finish this job in February. Just in time for the Strawberry Festival.

This past year has seen the passing of some very special people. It doesn’t get any easier to say goodbye. Four people in particular made me stop and reflect on the great loss to humanity. Charles Kuralt, the man who hosted the CBS Sunday morning show and had such a personable approach in his show about traveling the backroads of America; Red Skelton, a man who knew what kind and gentle humor was, never at anothers expense; James Stuwart, an American treasure and great actor; and John Denver, his ballads about the possibilities of the human spirit, Love and hope. His songs live on.

This hodge podge letter I send to you our dearest friends is a small capsule to let you know we’re still here in Ellijay, and our door is always open to you and your families. You may be forced to eat some turnip greens and cornbread for supper and some grits and red eye gravy for breakfast but we won’t put on the dog every day. (For our city friends, we don’t actually put ON the dog). For our friends who spent all their money on a computer and like us can’t afford stamps, you can E-mail us or for close friends, just go to tha top of tha hill and holler out over the holler out yonder (way over yonder is long distance) We’ll bea listenen fer youins.

Merry Christmas to Y'all and to Y'all a gooooooood nite!!!!!!!!!!!

Buddy, Susan, Carrie and the Clan

1996

2008-12-06T15:00:00.005-05:00

Greetings and Salutation:

Whatever a salutation might be?! Or as we of the southern culture say “Howdy Y'all!”

Another season is upon us, one of typical organized confusion and mayhem. Where the ever constant question is “What should we get so and so? And consequently, did we already give that to so and so last year?" This brings to mind (ever thinking) the need for a new heading in the yellow pages; Christmas Consultant or maybe CPA – (Certified Present Accountant) someone to organize and simplify for the unorganized and befuddled (me!). This way the chance of making the unfathomable foopah of giving someone a Deluxe box of Quaker Oats one year and doing the same the next could be avoided. So those of you who received duplicate gifts from us this year (the lucky few) don’t feel slighted, it’s just after spending the extra on the DELUXE Quaker Oats, we didn’t have funds for the services of a much needed Christmas Consultant. Now for the annual accounting of where are they now and what have they been doing.

This past Christmas was the Tidwells’ last as a complete family. Daddy passed away the night before Valentine’s. As I told him that night, the job's done, it’s time to go to the next job. This has always been the way of we in construction. His life was a testimony to his beliefs, he always gave 110% and was always there when anybody - family, friend or stranger - needed help. I could write volumes on lessons I’ve learned from him – but my words fall woefully short of my feelings. Gone but never to be forgotten.

My mom has held up well this year; in some ways better than we kids. The non-relenting trips to dialysis and the doctors office continue but she’s hanging in there. I just hope to still know which continent I’m on when I get to Mothers stage in life.

Susan’s Mom is another one hanging tough down in Florida still – putting up with all those Northerners who take over the state this time of year. She’s built up some amount of immunity to them, as with any disease, as also we cultured southerners have to un-couth red-neck riff-raff… yup! yup! yup! I sop my biscuits with my pinkie in the air and always wipe my chin with the cuff of the opposite sleeve. Such affluence!!!

Susan’s still at Fannin Regional Hospital. She completed her schoolin’ this year and passed a test of some importance to become certified. I’d always considered her certifiable, but this makes it official I guess. She and Carrie have taken on major remodeling at the house. As you know, carpenters never work on their own homes – in the union by-laws somewhere.

Carrie is 14 going on 21 this year. Y'all with kids understand this. So we adults have to watch our P’s and Q’s. She's doing real well in school, piano is sounding great and her anticipation on being able to drive is unbearable. All in all, a good typical teenager.

Melissa, Andy (captain Nemo as we land lubbers know him) and Kyle (the little swab) are doing just great. Word is that Andy was in port just long enough that we’re probably getting another little tadpole on the way. They’re still stationed at King’s Bay near Jekyll Island and have settled in nicely. Melissa is taking college courses and Kyle is a normal terrorizing tot.

I’m presently serving my time in Flagstaff, AZ. Been here since last of October trying to get a Cracker Barrel restaurant out of the frozen and snow covered ground. But there are few places I have ever been more beautiful and full of diversity. The people are friendly and the landscape is breath taking. I’ve found something very interesting here. These people are so biased against those, and I quote “Damn Californians”. I muse at the thought of one region having adverse feelings against another geographic area. How unique! Would have never thought of such?! Of course I’m still trying to teach these backward people that “yonder” is a bonafide distance on the map and that a “holler” is just a little smaller than their “Grand Canyon” and not just what you do to the hogs to slop. They just need a little education out cheer.

I’ve procrastinated about writing this year, but did finally set my thoughts (so few and far between) to paper. If I could summarize – we’re OK – hope all of you and yours is too! And if you hear about the Jeff Foxworth guy – he stole all that from me.

Hope Christmas and the New Year bring you happiness and contentment throughout the year.

Buddy, Susan, Carrie, Melissa, Andy, Kyle, and ???

1995

2008-12-05T15:00:00.003-05:00

The Tidwell Annual Report

Seasons Greetings

Howdy. Howdy:

Another chapter of my life novel is coming quickly to a close. I swear these chapters are getting shorter or my typing is getting somewhat more proficient. I always run a copy of my lasts years letter to y'all before I begin, just to jog my memory as to what happened this year or last, a sign I am told of getting older. Yeah right!

Well lets jump right in here and let you know that I am now gainfully employed. And if any of you let out word about this before April 15th, just remember we Southerners always get even. Last March I got a call from a friend who worked at Hardin Construction at the same period I did. He had been offered a job with a young aggressive construction company named W.H. Bass, based in Norcross, to head up field services. Marty had been in touch with me over the past year but the timing wasn’t just right till last March. I had just finished some mediocre shows and just gotten a thanks but no thanks letter from a catalog company on featuring my “Chef’s Helper”. By the way, I still have about 90 wonderful wedding, house warming, or Christmas presents available to those of you familiar with my crafts. And of course you all know I’ll extend to you the “family” discount. Well, back to my new job; I’m back to my original lot in life, Commercial Construction Superintendent. I have just gotten back from building a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in Moss Point, MS. What a lovely little place to be from, if you know what I mean. I’m leaving this Sunday for Orlando, FL to start another job. Back on the road again, as Willy says.

Enough on me, let’s get on to the rug rats and the OLD Lady. Susan is still at Fannin Regional Hospital and still enjoying herself. She finally put enough miles on her car that I felt bad and got her a new car for her Christmas present. Besides it was going to be a long drive for me to Orlando to come get her when the old one broke down. She’s fallen in quite well to the Grandma position and is always ready to give advice whether it’s asked for or not.

Melissa, Andy and Kyle are in Charleston, SC right now, but should be getting a new assignment shortly. Melissa passed her GED last year with flying colors and is looking into different colleges for the future. Maybe one of our bunch can get a college education. I’ve got to start planning for retirement and who we can go mooch off. Kyle is up and running, literally. That kid can get around quicker than a jackrabbit and would have no chance at all of passing sobriety line walking test. Me and Maw are real proud of the little rug rat and really enjoy the grandparent gig of enjoying them and then sending them home.

Carrie, as I stated last year was growing like a weed; well the weed has blossomed and is now a young lady. She attends Ellijay Middle School, and we are very proud of her being on the honor roll. We just attended her first piano recital and she did real well. She also reached one of Melissa’s mile posts this year and got braces; a Tidwell trait. Then there’s the boy thing and the growth on her ear (possible a phone) which the doctor says comes with the distinction of being a teenager. Glad I never went through that stage, I got out of grade school and matured IMMEDIATELY. I can get away with saying this because all of you are as old as I am and your memories are so bad you can’t contradict me.

My parents’ health still hasn’t been the best this past year but they aren’t giving up on better times to come. We’ve been fortunate to find two ladies to stay with them, one during the day and another at night. This is mostly to keep them from going out partying every night and not getting enough rest. Just like having kids!!!!!!

Susan’s mom is still trying to live amongst all our Northern brothers and sisters who come South every winter. (Aren’t you impressed with my mellowing at age 42, I used to just call them Those Damn Yankees?) Alma’s had her health problems too but feels that quitting smoking wouldn’t help as then the Doctors would charge extra to find something else wrong. I tend to agree with her logic after having some dealings with the doctors myself this past year. Let’s just say that I can appreciate Doctors with long slender fingers and I don’t laugh nearly as hard at Ned Beatty in Deliverance. Ahum…

You know it really makes us Southerners proud to see one of our own making a good living on our Southern wisdom and colloquialisms. That Jeff Foxworthy would have made a good son-in-law, until he moved to L.A., out amongst those poor creatures who can’t claim to be Yankees or Southerners. The nice thing about we’uns on the east coast, we can take a joke and we know how to laugh at ourselves. Those yokels over there take everything so serious. And those Damn Yankees that come down South and stay, at least they show good sense when they find a great place to stay. Those folks in California… God’s shook them…… burnt up their yards……. And they still don’t have the sense God gave a Yankee!!!!!! Till they get a sense of humor though it’s just as well they stay over yonder. Some of my subs and fellow workers have noted that I’m usually upbeat and laughing around the job and trying to be in a positive, “can do” mood. It’s just that I don’t want them confusing me with someone from the fur coast. I’m proud to be over here amongst folks that realize life is much too precious a gift to waste being negative and depressed all the time. Sometimes maybe, but not all the time.

My friends, from all over these United States, this Christmas season take time to reflect on the positive things around us. The negatives seem much more prominent mostly because it takes a lot of effort to deal with them but believe me, the time it takes to stop and roll over in your mind the good aspects of your life is time well spent. Please don’t think I’m trying to philosophize, as then you might mistake me for someone from England or Europe (next years soapbox preachin), but mostly I’m trying to give myself some advice. Thanks for hangin in here with me, there’s a lot more fun comin up, just over the next hill and through the holler!!

Merry Christmas Y'all from
Buddy, Susan, Carrie and all the Animals
alias
The Tidwells

1994

2008-12-04T15:00:00.005-05:00

Christmas Greetings & Family Update

How a POOR OLD Southern Mountain Family
Survived Another Year to Send You
Another Cheap Christmas Card
and NO Presents

GREETINGS:

Another busy year survived with only minor scathing and a few surprises (which I hold for a little later in this novel). The Readers Digest, American Publisher's Clearinghouse and Georgia Lottery have failed to come through either. Hence why you are still only getting a card and letter from me and not a VCR or color TV. Even the real good store coupons are getting harder to come by. Susan's Mom sends me my best coupons from Florida where the snowbirds keep up the diligent pursuit of the elusive "bargain" at the grocery store. One thing crafters are good at is finding bargains, that and knowing about more gray area business tax deductions than a Philadelphia CPA. I believe Jimmy Hoffa was once a Crafter. One of our cohorts won the New Jersey Lottery this past year, and when asked what he was now going to do, was quoted as saying, "Well I thought I'd continue in the craft business till the lottery winnings ran out."

Enough about my Rich and Famous life style, let me update you on the rest of the clan. Let's start with the biggest news of the year (No, I haven't gone back to school to learn not to talk like a hillbilly). Actually the biggest change in our family has been in the line of structuring the family tree. Two new branches have sprung out of the old Tidwell trunk, Melissa's husband, Andy, and my brand new straight from the factory grandson, Kristopher Kyle. (Get up off the floor now).

Andy is currently based in Orlando, Florida where he is in Naval school training for submarine duty. Melissa and Kyle are staying here with us right now, but will be moving down next week as Andy has arranged an apartment for them right next to the base. Melissa just took her GED and feels she did real well on it, should hear back on it in 4 to 6 weeks (bureaucracy). Kyle was born on Oct. 5 while I was doing a 19 day show in Gatlinburg, TN. Melissa, Andy, and Kyle are all doing fine and me and Grandma are real proud of them all.

Now let's move on to our next up and coming soon to be teenager (thank God just one more to go!) Carrie had a very busy year clogging and now is taking piano, or as we say here in the South, PI…ANNO teachins. I have great hopes you may soon here usins on the radeo, Carrie playing the ivories and me and Mom on the washtub and Whisky jug. Ah to have goals, and such realistic ones too. Carrie also has settled right in to the role of Aunt. I believe she's really going to miss Kyle and Melissa when they move to Florida, as are me and Grandma (all that Quiet in the house). All in all Carrie's doing just fine and is growing like a weed; she's taller than Susan now and will be my height soon (actually I think I'm starting to bend lower with age… 41 now!)

Now about the OLD Lady. Grandma. I just love it! It's been a very busy year for her, what with the wedding, being Melissa's birthing coach, and keeping up with mine and Carrie's comings and goings. She's still working at Fannin Hospital in the newly named Health Information Management Department (what's in a name? certainly not money). Susan doesn't get to travel with me to my shows as I tell people she's at home supporting the family and I'm just out creating tax deductions. Just like her little Geo Prism with 136,000 miles, she's holding up pretty well with all the mileage and her age considered.

My parent's health has given them trouble this past year but they keep on hoping things are going to turn around for the better. Both of them are on dialysis and must go to Canton for treatment 3 times a week which my 2 sisters and I are helping them with (not a chore, payback on an unpayable debt). Poor health of anyone around you makes you appreciate the things so often taken for granted. We have become friends with many of the families at the treatment center and see great strength in both the patients and their families.

Susan's Mom down in Florida has had her troubles also but refuses to give in to it, and if it weren't for her weekly care packages of coupons for me my bargaining at the grocery store would be severely curtained as I hate to pay $2.00 for an Atlanta Sunday paper. We will miss having her here for Christmas this year, but the warm weather down there and her job are keeping her in Florida this year. I'm hoping since Melissa, Andy, and Kyle will be living close to her that may help brighten things up somewhat.

My treasured lifelong friends, I can remember when all of our friendships began (I'll have to write them down soon as I understand being a Grandad brings on loss of …. loss of … what was I saying? Oh well couldn't have been that important.) I know some of you haven't heard my voice in many years, and our only contact may be this abbreviated (but very well written and grammatically correct) Christmas letter, but I hope you know that my friendship and need for yours will continue on forever. The saying, "If ever you need a friend, call on me" is what I'm saying to you and your families. Last year I stood on my soapbox and preached, "Enjoy Life, as it tends to rush past so quickly". This year I second that chorus and add, "One of the joys in life is knowin that good friends are forever, and will always be there if you need them."

So, from our modest southern home nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains we wish all of you our lifelong friends a Happy, Merry, and warm Christmas and New Year. You've got our address (as does all my creditors) and phone number so call if you need us or just to say hello and get a few laughs hearing somebody who thinks and talks like Jedd Clampett.

Your friends,

Buddy, Susan, Carrie, Melissa, Andy, Kyle, Tigger (cat), Madison (cat), Alex (dog), Buster (dog), Julie (dog), Billie (bird), etc., etc..

1993

2008-12-03T15:00:00.006-05:00

Season's Greetings to All … Again:

Tis the season to practice my keeeeyboording skiiils again. humph! Oh well, thank God for speel check. If only they had a grammar check in these computers. Of course, they'd have to have a Southern and a Northern version; it's bad enough now when I have this thing check my spelling and it invariably questions the validity of the spelling of y'all. This leads me to believe MS-DOS originated north of the Mason-Dixon. Oh well, the little differences between usins and youins keeps life interesting.

This past year has been a menagerie of happenings, events and long held hopes coming of fruition (didn't think we Southerners knowed such words did yuns?) We of course started off the year with THE snow. We had about 16 inches here at Burnt Mountain, but of course as the years go by, I'll increase the amount in the story every year. We fared quite handily though, thanks to our wood stoves, kerosene lamps, and lots of quilts.

Not long after THE snow, I ended my stint as a construction superintendent of restaurants, and resumed my life as full time wood craftsman. During the past year, I have traveled as far north as East Tawas Michigan, a small coast town on Lake Huron and south to Jacksonville, Florida. Some shows have been character builders (similar to my Georgia Tech being whooped up on for years), and some shows tend to make you believe your craft is truly appreciated, both artistically and financially. But the joy of meeting people from all walks of life is common to all the shows I do. If the tax laws don't change in reference to travel expenses, I hope to be able to plan shows in the future to see many of you, our friends.

One other stormy night early in the year, Susan, Melissa, and I were lighting kerosene lamps during a power outage (yes, the REA does extend lines out this far), we had one of those Mr. Science experiments where you see how deaf you become and how far your hair stands up when you take a direct hit from lightening. I didn't even have time for the usual, just before you die, well NOW I repent prayer. It literally hit just above our heads and caught the house on fire at the ridge of our A-frame. We threw a ladder up to the ridge as Melissa ran into the house to get me some wet towels for me to try and beat the fire out with. As I hung on the ladder, Susan bracing it in the storm, I realized it was taking Melissa a while. After it was all over and the fire was out, Melissa told us that when she ran inside, as the house was burning, she stopped to answer the phone (priorities)! Fortunately, it was just her boyfriend and he bought her story about the house being on fire and she couldn't talk just now. Carrie was the smart one as she had gone to a slumber party that night.

Both Melissa and Carrie are doing fine and I am proud to say are both on The Honor Roll this quarter. I had to hurry and say that before the next report cards come out. Melissa will be getting her learner's permit this spring. I think Clinton should take this insurance thing a step further with National Auto Coverage, covering collisions, comprehensive, and nervous breakdowns (of the parents). We got an early taste of the future as Susan decided to let Melissa get familiar with backing up her car in the driveway. Susan was explaining the process and told Melissa to straighten up her wheels. As she started to back up the car began to turn, where Susan told Melissa to open her door and check the wheels to see if they were straight. Whereupon she opened her door, looked to the back wheels, and in all seriousness said, "They look straight to me." I look for Gary Larson to use this in one of his cartoons this coming year using cows or bears or some other form of higher intelligence.

Carrie's high point for the year was for her clogging group being invited to perform at Six Flags and Dollywood. I have these shows well documented on tape and film, so any of you Ginger Rogers fans wanting to get one before they're all gone, rush $19.95 plus $12.95 shipping and handling to ME, in care of Support a Poor Old Slow Southerner, BR549, GA.

Susan continues to work at Fannin Regional Hospital in the Health Information Management department. She is taking a correspondence course to get her credentials to become a department director. I get all excited every time a package comes in the proverbial plain brown wrapper, thinking I've won the Playboy Grand Prize, but no, it's just another correspondence lesson. Oh well.

But I guess the highlight of the year for me was being able to take the family on a camping trip across America to the Grand Canyon, and the Rockies. This year was Susan and mine's 20th anniversary, and we went on our honeymoon to Colorado. Once again, this trip is well documented, and if you hurry I can still guarantee Christmas delivery of this moving and professionally shot journal. (There seems to be something rising above my boots as I type!)

Both Melissa and Carrie now have the common interest in the opposite sex, of course I guess it would now be more socially correct to say one of the several other sexes since we have more than two to choose from today. Oh what a cruel hand time has wrought when I just can remember where I parked the car at the supermarket, but I can remember ALL the things I did when I was their age. All I can do is hope they will be more responsible, thoughtful, and moral than I was those many years ago…. Yeah right! In my dreams. Both kids have traveled with me to craft shows and I can see it's rubbing off on them, as when I ask them to hold the door for me as I carry groceries in and they ask "What does it pay?", and want to be paid in cash with no taxes taken out. I think it was those shows in Michigan that did it.

I appreciate the Christmas cards we've received from many of you and hope that this letter sheds a little light on the status of the Tidwell Clan for 1993. Once again I've maintained my record of not writing any other letters all year and saving it all up for this… you lucky devils. We here wish with all sincerity for all of you our friends, an eventful and happy new year. Time on this earth is so precious, don't let a minute slip by without living life as you want to, and not as you have to. This from a man (a boy) who turned 40 this year. Does it show?

Merry Christmas to All
And to All a Good Night

Buddy, Susan, Melissa, Carrie
Alex and Buster (Dogs)
Tiger and Madison (Cats)
Skippy and Billy (Parakeets)

1992

2008-12-02T15:30:00.001-05:00

Seasons Greetings to all,

Well, it's time once again to update you on the highs and lows of the Tidwell clan for 1992. Since I last wrote any of you there has been quite a few changes in my life over the past year (I can say this with all confidence, for I know for a fact that I have not written a single soul in the past year since I last wrote my Christmas letter).

I guess it would be best to probably start at the present and back up through the past year and kind of relate where I am today and where I have come from in the last year. This letter is being dictated on a rainy Thanksgiving Eve night as I drive back from Dothan, Alabama where I have just completed an Applebee's restaurant that I have been working on for the last three months and got a C.O. (Certificate of Occupancy) today, which means the owners can move in. I am not saying that people in Alabama are still just a little bit 'country', but most Certificates of Occupancy are written relatively eloquently and with certain legal terms to make it all just so to meet codes and what have you, but when I picked this one up at City Hall in the City of Dothan today and gazed upon it in all its elegance with the fancy script and what have you, the words just still rang of 'country' when it said "This here paper says you'uns can move into your'n house." Also one dead give a way to the area I was in was the fact that not one person in Dothan made fun of the way I spoke. Hence, I knew they'uns couldn't be all bad if they spoke just like usn's does.

Prior to my occupation as a restauranteur, this summer I spent as an artist, an artist who draws . . . unemployment benefits. Also, with the help of the rest of my family, I delved into the business of crafts and the marketing thereof. During this furlough I made two trips to the great northern area of Michigan in an effort to distribute some of my southern crafts to the underprivileged and under-educated Northerners. Upon getting there and setting up the booth and getting to meet a lot of the people up there, I found that not all of those Northerners are really that bad. There are quite a few quite amiable Northerners, which leaves me to believe that there must have been, probably pre-war times, an exodus of Southerners to the North and some of our Southern hospitality ust have rubbed off on a few of them and got bred into the society. Unfortunately, their cream of wheat is a poor substitute for good Southern grits.

Now to back up one further step and enlighten you as to how all this came about. My eight year plus association with Hardin Construction came to an end the first of May. The reason given was the economic situation of the nation and the impact on the construction industry. My sixth sense, though, tells me it might have something to do with some Yankee toes I may have stepped on in some previous letters I have written at this seasonal time of the year. During the summer as I enjoyed my tenure as an arteest, I also became a fairly proficient 'House Dad'. One of the duties which I took upon myself was the joy of grocery shopping. Just as Silas Marner would salivate with glee over his money, so I would over finding 50¢ coupons and taking them to a double-up store. I can't tell you the excitement it gives you to stand at a cash register as a girl rings up all of your gorceries on a great long cash register tape, and then as she is just about to tell you some exorbitant amount ofr your five bags of groceries, you whoop out of your back pocket (where you have had them stealthily hidden) a big wad of coupons that would choke a hog, and then the added joy of hearing that cash register ring over and over and over again as those little nickels and dimes come off of your price. I took a great sense of pride to even write down how much I beat them out of every time I went to the store. I am not sure if this affliction came over me from being amongst the Yankees in Florida, or maybe it was from working for Hardin for eight years. I am not sure (I am not bitter). Enough about me, though. Let me tell you about the real rocks of the family.

Fortunately, Susan has been steady as ever, always there to count on. She still works at Fannin Regional Hospital in the Medical Records Department, where she is a radiology transcriptionist. She really enjoys her work there and the people she works with and she has decided to embark upon furthering her career goals and going back to school to become qualified to become a Medical Records Director. I have seen some of her reports she has brought home, and I have firmly come to the conclusion that Doctors take great pride in seeing how many letters of the alphabet they can get into one word, and they always end up with an -osis or -isis at the end of it, that's all I can tell you. If they used some of the medical terminology that I see on some of Susan's papers on the 'Wheel of Fortune' someone could retire as the next Howard Hughes after just one show, if they just got one consonant, you know "Yes, we have an 'F', we have 42 'Fs' in this word!" That, and Vanna White would probably have to build up muscles and look like Arnold Schwarzenegger just to keep up with them.

Melissa, this past year, has entered the dreaded years (TEENS!!). She is solemnly 13 going on 21. I knew she had hit the teenage years when I saw the mice in a parade leaving her room complaining to each other about the noise and the mess and they just couldn't stand it any longer. Even though she is an Honor Student, her hormones and the need for constant companionship cloud any semblance of good judgement.

To compound this intolerable situation for the poor rodents, directly across the hall is the dreaded Carrie's Clogging Hall. My daughter, the clogger. I told Susan I was very proud of Carrie for her efforts in clogging, that she has stuck with it through this past year, but I have drawn the line - when she throws her leg up behind her head and starts twirling around like a windmill, that's it, no more. Where some girls have maybe a nervous habit of twirling their hair aound their finger, or maybe chewing on their fingernails, Carrie breaks into a clogging sequence without even knowing she is doing it. Carrie stomps so hard when clogging, she now requires glasses. We tried to soften the effects of clogging dementia by encouraging her to skate at the new skating rink, but she broke her arm when she found skating and clogging not compatible. The good thing about Carrie and Melissa, though, is at least I have solved the rodent problem around the house.

Well, this has been a very eventful year, and I can only hope the coming year will be just as eventful. Nothing worse than having life become dull. I can only wish to all of you, our friends, that your lives will be just as full as ours has been.. Not everything always goes right, but I have always been of the philosophy that if you don't screw up every once in a while, you haven't done anything anyway.

All of us,

Buddy, Susan, Melissa, and Carrie
Buster, Alex, and Dolly (the dogs),
Tigger and Blackie (the cats),
Skippy and Billy (the parakeets)

wish you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and very happy New Year.

P.S. If you can't think of what to get us for Christmas this year, just cut us out some coupons and send them to us. It will keep the kids and wife fed and it will give me some fun at the grocery store.

1991

2008-12-01T15:00:00.011-05:00

GREETINGS:

Thought I'd send a letter out again this year at Christmas to let all of our friends and associates know where the Tidwell clan has been and what we've been doing for the past year. Since I didn't receive any letter bombs or threatening phone calls from last year's letter which may have been a little heavy on our Northern counterparts, I figured 'what the heck!' I'd do it again.

At my last writing we were stationed in the Southern part of the hemisphere by the name of Ft. Lauderdale and Hardin Construction with its infinite wisdom decided I'd had enough sun and it was time to put me back in my place. So I was brought back to Atlanta where I have been since last January, working on the Georgian Terrace Hotel renovation, turning it into apartments and a 9-story parking deck. This project has just concluded and at this point I am just waiting to see what will develop as far as my next assignment.

Susan is now working at Fannin Regional Hospital as a transcriptionist. Some of the great benefits of that job are now we know everything about everybody's diseases in the North Georgia area. So if you can't get an appointment with the Doctor to find out what's wrong with you, just call our house after 9. it's a 1-900 number and we will be more than happy to talk to you about anything you'd like to know about diseases.

Carrie, for her part, is now a Clogger. That's the Southern version of Square Dancing in the West, or Break Dancing in the North and she has become quite proficient at it, almost to the point of annoyance. You know she has got it on the brain when we're standing in line at a restaurant waiting to be seated and she's just a-high steppin' away clogging up a storm tapping her feet and doesn't even know she's doin' it. I presume this is what you call "havin' it bad".

As for Melissa, her current occupation is Southern Bell operator designate as our home has now become Phone Central. Due to the overwhelming demand of our creditors we now have Call Waiting (yes, we're really up-town now) so that our creditors can now place their requests for financial assistance with everyone else.

Early last year the camping bug bit us again as it has in the past, and after one rainy weekend of sitting in a tent in the Smoky Mountains watching all the campers roll in and out in their nice dry motor homes, with TVs going and stoves cooking breakfast, we decided it was time to go a little farther in debt. We purchased a 23' motor home from a local family who assured us it had never been run except on leap years and then only on short trips, hence the 80,000 miles on the speedometer and we began our excursion into motor home camping. It's amazing how expensive it is to get back to nature. As a matter of fact, I could fly around the world with the whole family for what it cost us to get back to nature only 75 - 100 miles to the North in the Smokies. But all in all it has been a good experience for the family and we've all shared some fun times this past summer. The best times of course are when it is pouring down rain and you can look out the window of your nice, dry camper at the other poor tenters and empathize with them of their plight. Or the morning after a heavy rain when you see everybody lined up at the local laundry with their sleeping bags trying to dry them out. Ahh… fond memories.

And then, of course, we've added some new members to our family this past year. You've heard the saying 'there's a sucker born every minute'? Well, a friend of mine named Bobby from work has proved that true once more. He brought a small puppy to work and began telling me how it had been sitting on the side of the road and was sure to be run over on a busy 4-lane highway if he hadn't rescued it. But since he already had a dog, he would probably just have to take it to the Humane Society where, for sure, they would put it to sleep. As he cut his eyes upward and looked at me and said 'Unless, of course, you wanted to take him up to the mountains where he could run free.' Just as a used car salesman knows when the deal is done, when he's hit upon just the right approach to seal the deal, so Bobby knew that the deal was done. Hence, we gained one short German Shepherd/Heinz 57 dog by the name given him of Buster. Buster is close, but 'Chewer' or 'Terminator 3' would probably be a closer description of this animal.

And then, one more addition which has just recently become part of the Tidwell family. Here we have 'Scraps' who was found on our excursion down to the field down the road to acquire a Christmas tree (Charlie Brown would be proud of us) a small black and white fur ball lay in the middle of the gravel road on the far side of the creek and as soon as it popped up from the ground to try and run and fell over several times due to its weakness, the words came from both my daughters' mouths 'Can we keep it?' - words to be inscribed upon some monument somewhere. Maybe Christopher Columbus's statue would be appropriate. Hence we now share our abode with a part Border Collie little female puppy. Our two male dogs, Alex and Buster were overjoyed to have her become part of our family. I now only have to find the appropriate Georgia law to explain to them that their joy over having a sister is to be short-lived.

This past year in sports here in Georgia has been almost outstanding. The Braves almost pulled off the Big One, the Gilmer High School team won the football championship, and Georgia Tech only lost one important game, which we won't speak of, but the phrase I've used for years 'there's always next year' is beginning to come back to me.

I'm not saying our time in Florida amongst the "relocated Northerners" (was that a nice way of putting it?) has affected me, but I have gotten up some mornings and had a craving for a stale plain doughnut sliced in half with cream cheese on it … hmm… interesting. And now at K-mart when I see a sale table set in the middle of the aisle and someone starts to move their buggy toward it, I throw my body upon the table and scream at the top of my lungs "It's mine, it's all mine, put it on Visa!" But the doctor says this will all pass in time, now that I'm back home.

I was given a Gary Larson desk calendar last year and I've religiously turned the calendar every day to see what point of view Gary Larson has on life from his rather unique perspective. Sometimes this mere cartoon has preserved my sanity in the chaos that goes on around me at work and has given me the outlook on the "big picture" to keep from losing it.

So, to all our friends I wish you a very Merry Christmas, a profitable New Year, and the ability to stand back and see the "big picture" and remember when the bad times are upon you, this, too shall pass. Much love from the Tidwell family to yours,

Buddy, Susan, Melissa, Carrie, Buster, Alex, Scraps, Skippy and Baby (parakeets), Blackie and Tigger (cats)

1990

2008-11-30T12:30:00.016-05:00

Well hello from the Yankee safehaven of the world, Ft. Lauderdale Florida. The B. F. Tidwell klan is here on the premise of building a 13 million dollar eight story office building. Our stay should be over around the first of the year and then it's anybody's guess where we'll end up. The kids enjoyed it pretty well down here and have made some good friends at their new schools. The beach trip this summer on Sundays got to be so common place that the kids just about got burnt out on it, not so much for Mom and Dad as I almost enjoy the beach as much as the mountains.

It's been quite enlightening as to how many of the northern persuasion reside so deep in the south and basically look at those of us who speak with no accent (none that I can notice) with disdain and ask, "Where are you from?!" Exclamations are required after all Yankee quotes since they speak at least 10 decibels above what would be considered yelling in the South. I can see where Lewis Grizzard gets so much of his inspiration for stories about his northern friends. Oh well I'm sure we Southerners must have some irritating habits that bug Yankees, and I can only hope to keep doing it what ever it may be.

Susan's working at a medical office and taking tax classes at night. The classes will be complete by the time we will probably be shipped out of here, so any of y'all out there who actually made money this past year can just give her a call. I personally am trying to find some loophole so I can write off this past year as a charitable contribution to the Uncle Sam tax fund. Not even a thank you note!

We aren't real adept at keeping in touch with all of you during the year, but just know that we think of each and every one of you during the year and wish that whatever hell hole we get shipped out to by Hardin Construction that you could be close to us (especially when we're unloading the moving truck!) I'd say the Ellijay post office is taking bets as to where our next change of address is going to be for. It's been a real challenge, but I must give credit to the ability of my creditors to keep up with my movements. So if you get inspired and want to drop us a line, just send it to our Ellijay address and it along with all my bills should keep up with me.

Melissa and Carrie are shooting up like weeds to the point that Susan has to go and retrieve her clothes and accessories from the girls closet daily and the adage that possession is nine tenths of the law has become useful in the kids case. Melissa is nearing the dreaded teen years and Carrie might as well be because them staying in the same room all this time has made their attitudes very similar in may ways. Their tastes aren't real outlandish and though I'm not crazy about New Kids on The Block and Mike Hammer, they are definitely my choice over Motley Crew and a few others I've seen while broadening my horizons and watching MTV.

Well time to close, as my typing skills cause me more stress than watching a Alfred Hitchcock show. Just want you all to know that even though you might not hear from us but maybe once a year, we hold our friendship with you as something which will never be diminished by either time or distance. Hope you and all your families are doing well and that you can spend a wonderful and Merry Christmas together.

Hope to see you all soon,
The Tidwells,
Buddy & Susan
Carrie & Melissa

Happy Holidays!!!!!