My Thoughts On The Homeless in Bowling Green, Ky.

I think the older I get, I have more empathy for the homeless in our city of 80,000 in Bowling Green, Ky. But on the other hand, I have more gratitude and appreciation for what I have too in my life (my home, my family, my dog and my car among other things in my life). It makes me think how lucky I am to have the life I have had at age 62. I think about the homeless in the path of Hurricane Helene down south right now. I hope and pray that they did not get swept away into the Gulf of Mexico. There are ways of helping the homeless in Bowling Green and other towns across America without even leaving your home. You can give to the Salvation Army or Goodwill online. Or give to your local church. I am sure they have a mission to reach out to the homeless. I think two positive things that Bowling Green has going for right now is that a brand new intake center is being built with several agencies involved including law enforcement as a place they can be taken to instead of jail when picked up off the streets. They will be evaluated and then determine what the next step is for them. And the other great thing that has happened recently is that the Salvation Army has remodeled one of their older buildings across the street from their newer one where the homeless can take a shower and wash their clothes. They probably have some other things that the Salvation Army can do to help out at that point also. When you see the Homeless on the street corner holding up a sign or panhandling people for money, don't roll down the window and yell "Get a job!" I admit, I am guilty of that many times through the years. Instead of giving them money to them on the spot, give them food items, bottled water or clothing items according to the season. As far as money goes, give to your favorite charity who has a mission to help the homeless. (Disclaimer: Recognize that there are some people on the street corners posing as homeless. They are not homeless. They treat it like a job and they are scammers. I have been scammed before. That's why the experts who work with homeless or government officials say there are better ways to give to them such as giving online to your favorite charity who help the homeless directly in our community).

Reptile Brains And The Road Ragers In Our Midst

     I have to admit, road ragers make me nervous.

    Actually, I call them "Reptile Brains" because they are not thinking rational by taking high risks and driving extremely dangerously using their vehicle as a 3,000 lbs. weapon.  I have been seriously road raged a couple of times in my 47 year driving career (I have been driving since I was 15 years-old).  Both of them have happened in the last ten years of my life.  The first time that I remember was down in Nashville probably about eight or nine years ago.  My wife and I were going to eat at a restaurant in Madison, Tenn., and my son and his girlfriend were following us in his car. Apparently, I pulled in front of somebody at a red light.  But when I looked into the rearview mirror, I did not see a car coming my way.  I know is that he must have been speeding and because he was on my tail before I knew it. All of sudden, he was honking his horn, cussing me, giving me the finger and edging up to my bumper.  The red light turns green and then he swings around the side of my car and does the same thing.  I just ignored him and kept looking forward trying to stay calm. But my heart began racing and I was trying not to have a panic attack or react.  My wife, fortunately was looking down at her phone and I did not tell her what was going on. That's what I was trained to do in all my years of taking professional driver training courses in my 27 years of working in the pest management industry. Mainly, we were trained to stay calm and not react. Then the road rager pulls in front of me and slams on the breaks a couple of times.  Again, I did not react and stayed calm.  Finally, I guess when he realized that he was not going to get a reaction out of me so he decided to move on.  I was incredibly relieved but shaken up.  I didn't tell my wife about it until we arrived at the restaurant parking lot.  My son pulled in right behind us and jumped out of his car. He was concerned about me and asked if I was okay.  I told him I was but it had shaken me up and he said he understood.  It took me a little while to relax even to eat my meal. My son said that it would have done the same thing to him.

    Then last week basically the same thing happened to me again in Bowling Green.  Except this time, I was slowing down to see where a pothole was so I could report it to the city in order for it to be fixed.  I looked into the rearview mirror and there were no cars behind me.  Again, all of sudden, this particular driver in a car was on my tail, honking his horn, cussing, giving the finger, swerving and trying to go around me. In my neighborhood, drivers have a bad habit of speeding, driving 50 or 60 mph in a 30 mph speed zone.  It's scary sometimes to witness this especially when I am sitting on my front porch or walking the dog on the Greenway. Finally, I pulled off on a side road in order to get home.  If he followed me, I had a Plan B.  I would drive away from my house and start heading toward the police station or call 911 on the way there.  
Thank God, he went on.  I was shaken up again. However, I used my training by remaining calm and not reacting.  That is your best defense when being road raged.  There is a couple of other things that you can do also. (Please watch the video below that I have posted).  Thank you for reading and be safe out there!

The New "Bob Marley: One Love" Movie Is Jamming While Bringing Back Good Memories For His Fans

 Nowadays there's so much to watch on TV. Actually, there's really too much to watch in my opinion. 

We got internet streaming flat

screen TV's with built in apps that have taken the thunder out of me watching my large collection of DVD movies that I have been collecting these last several years.  We have Dish Satellite TV also.  And I am really scratching the surface on that too.  Half of the buttons on the remote, I don't even know how to operate. Lol. To be honest, I think I have gotten too lazy to get up put the DVD's in the machine lately.  It's just much easier to flip on the TV and start pushing buttons on the remote and began chipping away at the tip of the iceberg on the tons and tons shows, documentaries and movies available to watch on the internet streaming TV apps and Dish Satellite TV. 

But every now and then a new movie comes along that is being shown at our local theatre.  And usually if it's a rock music biopic, I am very interested in going to see it.  In this case with this latest biopic, it's a movie about reggae music legend "Bob Marley" which is currently being shown here in Bowling Green. The movie is called, "Bob Marley: One Love." My wife (Patty) and I went to see it last Monday and I thought it was a great movie and really enjoyed it.  And course, I always have to sit on the outside seat in in the theatre just in case I have get up to use the restroom. And we always purchase a large popcorn with butter and a large Pepsi at the concessions stand beforehand that we share together to enjoy our movie with.

I won't spoil the details of movie by talking about what happens or how the movie is portrayed.  However, the movie brought a lot of good memories back to me while watching it. It reminded me when I was in college at Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., in the early 80's and I was in the Sigma Pi Fraternity.  We played a lot of Bob Marley back in those days at the frat house especially during parties.  Also, Patty and I owned a Bob Marley greatest hits CD and we wore it out playing it over and over in the car in the 90's and 2000's. Especially when we would drive down to Pensacola Beach at the Gulf of Mexico where we go on vacation for several days at the beach.  I thought the movie was well done and I loved the music.  Patty and I have started getting back into Marley's music here at the house on the Amazon Prime Music app on my Android phone with the JBL bluetooth speaker lately I have noticed. 

One major thing about the movie I will say, Bob Marley and his band members definitely loved their "Ganja" (marijuana) down there in Jamaica. I supposed that was to be expected. He and his family and some of his bandmates were members of the Rastafari religion. The smoking of "cannabis" is part of their religious ceremonies. It is legal for their religion in Jamaica to smoke it but illegal for others on the island. If someone is caught with a small amount of marijuana is not a criminal offense but they do have to pay a fine. And if it's over a certain amount, it is considered a criminal offence. In just about every scene of the movie, Marley and his bandmates had several joints of Ganja lit up and passing it around.  The only thing that I didn't like about the movie, is that I had to go use the restroom and unfortunately I missed the scene where the Rolling Stones met Bob Marley backstage.  Just my luck, right? Lol.  Oh well, I am sure I will catch the movie again next time on a streaming internet channel app or Dish Satellite TV very soon. No doubt.

College Town At Christmas 2023: The Holiday Season Is For Dogs

    I am a dog walker and dog lover.

     And I also an observer of dogs. Especially when I'm walking my eight year-old Red Merle AKC Australian Shepherd named "Jude." on the Greenway close to my house. I pretty much walk him every morning. I think a lot and wonder about everything especially dogs. Mainly, I watch Jude walk and sniff.  I see him smiling and how happy he is when he goes for a dog walk with his human. He loves to go for walks on the Greenway. (A dog's sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 times more acute than a human's. According to Wikipedia 'For every scent receptor a human has, a dog has about 50.')  As I walk Jude in his harness and a retractable leash, I can keep a close eye on Jude and close to me.  The street that the Greenway is located next to the CSX railroad tracks and is very dangerous because vehicles tend to spend up and down the road and they do not obvisouly go the speed limit of 35 miles per hour as posted with the proper signage. It is very dangerous if a dog is not on a leash. Plus we have a leash law in the city of Bowling Green.

     However, as Jude walks, he keeps his nose close to the ground sniffing the grass and blades of long grass stems that have turned brown and dried out from the fall weather not far from the railroad tracks.  He always sniffs the dried leaves too laying on the ground and the remnants of dried out dog poop too from other dogs as well as their markings of dog pee I am sure.  I wonder what Jude is thinking and what calculations are adding up in his little doggie mind. Is he thinking about the time period that the other dog was just there? Are the dogs sending him some sort of signal or message?  Those are the things I wonder about.  Just what is Jude thinking? I wish I knew.

  I have read that dogs can communicate by other dog's poop and pee left on the ground. (Again, according to Wikipedia, "Dogs have a keen sense of smell and use their urine and feces to mark their territory and communicate with dogs. This marking behavior helps establish their presence in their environment.) Jude thinks he owns the Greenway apparently just like he thinks he's the boss of our house.  I admit, we have spoiled him rotten.  He probably owns more dog toys than any other dog in Bowling Green.  And he always gets the best vet care, dog food and doggie daycare and overnight boarding that money can buy. Remember, "The Puppy Rules!"

   Dogs have a strong sense of belonging. Especially to a human family or to "a pack" as I like to say.  Jude gets extremely excited when the Christmas season arrives.  The day after Thanksgiving, I go to the attic pulldown stairs in the hallway of our house and pull the stairs down.  Then I climb up into the attic and take down the artificial Christmas tree and decorations. He starts to run around the house huffing and puffing and begins to bark. He gets real excited! Then we play Christmas music and he gets even more excited. I made the mistake that of telling him early this year that Santa Clause was going to bring him some Christmas presents like he always does and he started looking to the top of the book shelf where we always try to hide his presents.  He kept looking and whining. Eventually, he just laid down on the floor and kept looking up at the top of the book shelf and whining into the evening.  But there were no presents to be found. This went on for several hours. Poor little fella. Now my wife and I have agreed not to bring it about the presents again until it gets closer to Christmas. 

   We treat Jude like he is our child.  Our only grown son is grown and lives in Nashville plus he is married now.  So Jude came into our lives eight years ago and filled the empty nest syndrome. This Christmas season be sure to share the Christmas spirit and joy with your pets whether you have dogs or cats or any other critter. Be grateful for them because they know too when you are happy because they can sense how you feel. They feed off your vibes and energy.  If they sense when you are happy or not. If you are are happy and feel happy and loved.  Plus they feel safe and secure in the furever home. God Bless you and Merry Christmas to all from Galen, Patty and Jude!


!

   

College Town At Christmas 2022: Staying Positive During Tough Times Like These

 I always end my Dad Rocks Podcast with these words, "Keep Working Hard, Keep Your Chin Up, Stay Positive and Stay Safe." So for this Christmas season living in our beloved college town of Bowling Green, Ky., where we are now a population of about 73,529 citizens (I understand a lot of newcomers are still moving into our area), this is my motto in order to stay positive. With the nation's economy at high inflation levels, high crime rates and tons of traffic issues across the country, keeping a positive attitude is one of the best things that we can do for ourselves especially during times like these.  Be safe out there and focus of what you do have.  Keep working hard, keep a positive attitude and everyone around you will notice it including your employer. It will rub off on them too like a chain reaction. Mainly, enjoy the season by getting into the spirit along with family and friends remembering what Christmas is all about.

    Just like with the Dad Rocks Private Facebook group, we are all about the music and that's what we focus on.  There is no "Fighting, arguing or BS."  Dealing with the internet in a proper way, is the mature, responsible thing to do.  Ignoring the bad stuff or not responding to nasty and negative people on the internet is also the mature and responsible thing to do.  A lot of people are exposed to bad stuff on internet everyday especially young people. They are often the target of child predators pretending to be a teenagers or whatever.  So I strongly advise you to use the internet in a proper way such as for shopping, keeping up with family and friends or conducting a business. I think this is a lesson that we have had all to learn through the years regarding being argumentative or fighting on the internet at one time or another.  Most of us are guilty of being key board warriors.  Like Dr. Phil says, "You wouldn't say something to somebody's face in an elevator that you would say hidden behind a keyboard would you?"  I think he has a very good point here.  So lets remember to be kind and nice to each other during this Christmas season whether face to face or on the internet.

Here's some things you can do to "Stay Positive" during this Christmas season during tough times like these:

Join a positive community or group of people on Facebook who have a common interest such as Dad Rocks where we promote good memories, Classic Rock music, humor and nostalgia. Mainly, you develop new positive friendships on the internet.

Take a stroll in Downtown Bowling Green, Ky., or in your own hometown to see the Christmas lights and eat at your favorite restaurant.

Be nice to your fellow co-workers or Associates by being friendly. Smile and say, "Hello," "Good Morning," "Have a Good Evening," "Have a Good Break" or "Good Lunch." Also, say "Thank you" or "Appreciate it."

Mainly, spend good quality time with your family members and friends by eating a good meal at home and watching Christmas movies together by the fireplace (if you have one).

Make Christmas very special for your pets such as your dog or cat. Buy them presents and share Christmas with them and really talk it up. Be sure to include them in all family activities during this time of the year.  And remember to always to give them upmost care and love that they deserve.  Remember, your best is not good enough when it comes to owning a dog or cat.  Give them your "ultimate" of everything.

Most importantly, be kind to each other with a cheerful and giving heart this Christmas season.  And remember the true reason for the Christmas season. Merry Christmas and Stay Positive!

Frank's BBQ in Bowling Green, Ky., Is "Not The Best, But Close."

Casey, Galen & Rae Rae

I dropped by Frank's BBQ at 412 Raven Street (behind Shady Ray's Pawn Shop at Gordon Avenue and Veteran's Blvd.) in Bowling Green and picked up the BBQ Family Pack for a rainy Tuesday night (Feb. 22, 2022) dinner at home with my wife, Patty. In the pic below are two hardworking ladies at the restaurant, Casey and Rae Rae, who are standing next to me. Their phone number is (270) 715-1197 and their hours are 11 a.m.-4 pm Monday thru Friday. Frank's BBQ was delicious and I highly recommend it! Plus, the staff is super friendly and nice too! Btw, Frank's slogan for the restaurant is "Not The Best, But Close" which I think is very clever!

Bowling Green, Ky., Continues To Heal From The December 11, 2021 Deadly Tornado

It only took minutes for the deadly tornado which cut a path through Bowling Green in the early morning hours of December 11, 2021 to do at least two years worth of repairs and reconstruction for homes and businesses in our beloved Southcentral town of 72,000 citizens. It sounded like a nuclear bomb colliding with a train as the tornado took havoc in my neck of the woods especially since I only lived about eight houses away from Russellville Road where a Mexican restaurant, a gym and two auto

parts stores were blown away amongst many other structures including people's homes and apartments. Two liquor stores in town were spared but one was not so lucky. Below are some pics of The Greenway when Jude, my Aussie doggie and I took a walk in the sunny 55 degrees this afternoon. The Greenway is just down the street from my house. Jude and I have walked up and down this formerly beautiful path many times through the years. At least now, it appears that The Greenway and Creason Avenue area has come a long ways especially since FEMA came through not too long ago and picked tons of debris that had blown over the railroad tracks from Russellville Road. There is hope for BG after all. BG will rebuild and continue to heal its neighborhoods and main business streets such as Russellville Road and the U.S. 31-W By-Pass.

College Town At Christmas: 2021 "Growth, Newcomers, The Deadly Tornadoes And Hope Again"

   In last year's annual "College Town At Christmas" blog I wrote about the "Five Stages Of Hope" for our college town of Bowling Green (the third largest city in Kentucky).

    It appeared that our community of 72,000 citizens was pretty much healing and doing a lot better from the recovery of the covid outbreak across the nation and the world.  Especially, in a political sense, it appeared that many of our citizens had a gained a certain level of acceptance that this is the way it was going to be from now on-virus outbreak preparedness. And it appeared that the mood in our town was that the covid outbreaks had calmed down quite a bit in 2021 and the high number of vaccinations in our community were up and coming along pretty good is the main reason that there has been a sense of calmness politically in the community where there had been some major divisions amongst friends, neighbors and coworkers.  It had also appeared that healing was taking place physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually in our community with a lot of Hope for 2021.

   And there had been some good news for 2021 just before the new year.  When 2021 arrived, it was announced the Livability magazine had selected Bowling Green as one of the Top 100 Places To Live in the United States. This award is given to to communities that offer a high quality of life at an attractive cost of living for both individuals and families. So after covid struck in 2020, in 2021 we started noticing a lot newcomers moving into town from all across the nation such as California, New York, Maryland, Texas and amongst many other places across the country.  Then of course, Bowling Green has always had a long history of manufacturing with new plants springing up more rapidly in the new industry Transpark located across town near Warren East High School as new subdivisions and apartment complexes where popping up everywhere too in town and in the county. However, some of our citizens have been worried and are still concern about the rapid growth and the effects on the community with too much traffic and the roadways not being designed correctly to handle the heavy flow of automobiles and trucks. Capitalistic hardworking business people have found Bowling Green to be a gold mine for real estate and development as we have become a basically bedroom community of Nashville since we are only 60 miles away from that major big city in the American South.  Nashville has experienced tremendous growth in the last 20 years also.  Then we also have new shopping centers and restaurants springing up too lately along with many other types of businesses and small businesses also. We also have a large and very diverse immigrant and refugee community in town.  The City of Bowling Green and the Warren County government and our schools systems have done a tremendous job to accommodate them also.  Let's just say, our college town where Western Kentucky University is located with an enrollment of 20,000 students, is booming these days in-spite of setbacks in the last two years.

   

But then two deadly tornadoes hit Bowling Green recently in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 11th, killing 17 people and 76 across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  The one big tornado basically cut a path through town starting at I-165 (formerly known as the Natcher Parkway) cutting across Whisphering Hill subdivision, Russellville Road area, Creason Avenue, Sumpter, Nashville Road at WKU, U.S. 31-W By-Pass, Maganolia Streets and the Cemetery Road and Indian Hills.  This is probably one of the worst tornadoes to ever strike Bowling Green with this much death and destruction causing millions of dollars of damage to our homes and businesses. But again, there is much Hope for Bowing Green this Christmas season and for the New Year of 2022.  Hundreds of volunteers, organizations, the City of Bowling Green, the Warren County government, FEMA, BGMU, Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation, Spectrum Cable, the National Guard, the Salvation Army, churches, volunteers from across the county, the Bowling Green Fire Department, the Bowling Green Police Department, the Warren County Sheriff's Department, the Kentucky State Police, Med Center EMT's, Warren County Coroner's Office and hundreds of others have given many hours of their professional time and dedication. And many thanks to businesses and restaurants in our college town that has donated their time and money to help the community such as Walmart, Hickory & Oak restaurant and Hughes and Coleman law firm just to name few who are helping out with some major donations and necessities.

     Needless to say, we as a college town, will help put our community back together along with the help of our local, state and federal governments in 2022. We will get it everything back to together one way or another,  I am sure.  And we hope and pray that the healing process will continue for the victim's families of the tornadoes and homeowners and business owners who have suffered losses can rebuild ASAP.  Material things can be replaced but human lives cannot.  So let's remember those Bowling Green citizens who lost their lives this Christmas season.  Light a candle and say a prayer for them and their families.  And let's continue to pray for our College Town and let's continue to be involved and let our let "Heartlight" shine through. I have lived in Bowling Green almost 34 years-now and I wouldn't want to live any other college town in the world except ours.  God Bless and Merry Christmas! Peace-Galen A. Smith Sr., Bowling Green, Ky.

College Town At Christmas 2020: The Five Stages of Hope In Bowling Green, Ky.

BOWLING GREEN, KY _ I remember the last Catholic mass I attended at my church this year was on March 7th. And I remember talking to one of my fellow parishioners about this strange "virus" getting ready to hit our college town and he was talking about the stocking up of toilet paper?  Honestly, I thought he was joking about the toilet paper. I couldn't imagine why everybody was going to need so much toilet paper.  I had some weird thoughts in my head at the time but I won't describe them in this blog entry. Lol. But I did not pay much attention to what he said about it really. All I remember that it was hard for me to believe something of this magnitude was going to take place in good ole Bowling Green as well as the State of Kentucky and the United States of America.  In my mind, killer viruses only happened in places like China and other far away foreign countries like that.

   Originally, I was in denial.  With my wife being a housewife, she would give me reports about what was happening across the country and in Washington DC with President Trump and his administration and how they were handling things with their medical task force regarding the virus.  I would get these reports when I came home from work for lunch because she had been watching TV. And sure enough, eventually, the toilet paper frenzy and shortage started happening in our community and everybody began to stock up on the toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer, wipes, cleaning products, ammo, guns, survival items and can goods among many other items. It was ridiculous and crazy but a necessity at the same time that hundreds of people were rushing to do in our community. And it was happening all across the country also!

   Then the anger hit.  Everybody went to war on Facebook and social media all over the political spectrum on the different aspects of the virus whether or not that the virus was a hoax or not which many thought it was brought into American on purpose by the global socialists and communists.  Then it became a liberal vs. conservative thing.  A Republican vs. Democrat thing.  One by one, people started being alienating and blocking friends, neighbors and family members.  The divide in America over politics got even deeper and wider over issues of having to wear masks mandated by the Kentucky governor, the quarantines, the school closings, travel restrictions, shut downs of businesses and the limitations of gathering of people among tons of other restrictions. And over the things you could do and could not do. Many citizens felt that we were becoming a socialists country over the virus was occuring in America. Not to mention the riots that were happening in the streets again in America this summer and fall over racial tensions and the rise Black Lives Matters and how many people were turned off over the fact that the NFL and NBA took a stand with BLM.

Then people began bargaining with the fact that wearing masks into public buildings was being mandated by the governor and that the Covid-19 virus was real.  We realized that there was not much we could do about it and yes, hundreds of people were dying as they said.  Also, we began to bargain with the fact that this was going to be our way of life for a while until the vaccinations began to arrive and people we're given their shots. And then maybe, things would get better eventually. We hoped.

Then the depression hit.  People who were not essential workers in society began to get depress because they were staying home all the time, not enough money to live on because of unemployment or not wanting to go back to work because they were making more money drawing unemployment rather than going back to work.  Also a lot of small businesses in the community folded and collapsed because of the virus restrictions eventually causing them to go out of business for good.  Also, lots people lost their jobs because of the virus and a lot of people ended up filing bankruptcy.  And then it was being reported that a lot people have avoided going to the doctor altogether because the lack of money or no health insurance.

And finally, acceptance.  Fortunately, I was able to avoid the depression part and jumped from the bargaining part straight into acceptance.  This is where hope comes into the picture for me. So it is my hope this Christmas Eve, that all citizens in our college town of Bowling Green, Ky., finds peace and happiness in their lives in the final stage of acceptance of the virus.  In order to survive, we have to have faith and hope this Christmas season no matter what. We have to look deep inside of ourselves. I feel very blessed that I have my faith, a job, a home, a family, a dog and my health. Mainly, we have to have hope and faith in our medical professionals and the new vaccinations and we must have hope and faith in each other and work together towards a common goal in our college town-getting back to normal in 2021!  God Bless and Merry Christmas!

Rush: Keeping It In The Family By Tony Smith, Formerly of The Indie Rock Band, "Sleeper Agent," From Bowling Green, Ky.

My son, Tony Smith, posted this (see below) on his Facebook timeline about Rush and our relationship with each other regarding the band. I thought it was a fine tribute to the late Neil Peart also.

“My dad wrote a blog about Neil Peart that I’d like to share and it got me thinking about our relationship and our relationship with Rush. 

———this’ll probably be a TL;DR———-

So, Rush has been the go-to “dad rock” band for as long as I can remember. Often they’ve been the go-to joke for overzealous rockists and squares alike. But, honestly Rush was always my “dad rock” band because it’s the first thing I can remember sharing with my dad as “ours”. I used to sneak into his office when he was at work and marvel over the artwork on his LPs and cassettes. Rush always had the best covers and eventually he played me the music behind the images. It was complicated but catchy; for every 3 minute pop-gem there was a ridiculously indulgent 10-minute-plus heady jam. Over the years, it’s something we’ve shared together exclusively. Every time a modern Rush album or live DVD came out, I’d buy my dad the discs and we’d enjoy them cranked to 11. During the Vapor Trails era we grieved for Neil Peart and the trauma that he went through with losing his family. We went to the Belcourt in 2010 and watched the Rush doc: Beyond the Lighted Stage and it was strange but also fitting to see a bunch of Dads and sons waiting in line, haha. Even a little funnier watching a bunch of grown-men (aka, 70s stoners, now family-men) cry during the sad bits about Peart. When Sleeper Agent got their first “big check” (it wasn’t that big, folks) after signing our record deal, I got my dad 2 tix so see Rush at Bridgestone for Xmas. ANYWAY, Peart was the heart and soul of Rush. He wrote the lyrics and drove the songs. The lyrics were often hammy in a New Age kinda way and his solos and drum kit were absolutely ridiculous... but damn, having Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson in this world made it fun to be a square, a rockist, a dweeb, snob, stoner etc... 😂. We lost a good one far too soon. 

PS: Rush is clearly for everybody. I bet there are Moms and sons, moms and daughters and dads and daughters who had the same experience... I’m just sharing mine. 😘”

RIP Neil Peart: Rush And The "Permanent Wave"

I’ve been thinking about the news of the death of Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, this morning. Probably like most Rush fans, I have been reminiscing about my youth and how I became a Rush fan as a teenager in the late 70’s on top of the bluffs of North Mississippi on a fishing lake where my dad had built a lake house in 1975. I attracted to early Rush hit songs such as “Working Man” and “Fly By Night” among several others that I listened to on my Hi-Fi Pioneer component stereo system at my dad’s lake house where we were known to have unsupervised notorious basement parties among our other teenage friends long before the days of the cell phone, internet and cable TV. But mainly we had a pool table in the basement that was the center of our attention.

I am honored to say that I was able to be under the same roof with Mr. Peart or “the professor” as he was also known and I witness his incredible drumming skills and tremendous performances during the album tours of “Hemispheres” in 1979 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis and twice in 1981 during the “Moving Pictures” tour-once in Memphis and once in Jackson, Miss. Also, again in Memphis during the “Signals” tour in 1982 and finally 29 years later in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena during their “Time Machine” tour.

The concert in Nashville was April 3, 2011 and on April 5, 2011, Rush was to play in Louisville. I had to go to Scottsville, Ky., to work the next day on April 4, 2011, and on my way back to Bowling Green from Scottsville, I saw Neil Peart riding his BMW motorcycle on Ky. 231 heading towards Bowling Green as he passed me in my truck. I figured he had taken U.S. 31-E north out of Nashville in order to crossover into Kentucky and then on up on I-65 to Louisville for the next show. He was known to take the backroads on his motorcycle as he went from gig to gig. The two other band members, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee flew by plane between gigs. Believe it or not, Mr. Peart looked over at me and I waved to me as he passed me.

Getting to see Mr. Peart ride his motorcycle past me on that highway was not by chance, but a synchronized magical moment in time and space that I will cherish the rest of my life. Thank you, Mr. Peart for that “permanent wave” and all your years of entertaining Rush fans all over the world.

College Town At Christmas: The Highs and Lows of 2019

    I have to admit that I have been struggling a bit lately on what to write about for this year's annual Christmas blog.  So finally it dawned on me this morning that I should write about the highs and lows of 2019. In other words, the good, the bad and the ugly

    In some ways, 2019 has been a great year for me but a lot of hard work.  My tag team partner in crime (lol) who is my wife, Patty, is a full-time housewife and takes excellent care of our home. She does the cooking, cleaning, laundry and mainly takes care of our beloved and very protective almost four year-old Australian Shepherd male dog named, "Jude." She also likes to workout at the gym, go out to eat at local restaurants, go to movies, works crossword puzzles, play computer spelling games, Facebook and watches jeopardy.  And me?  Ah, I just work all the time. (lol).  I am in my prime working years and saving for my retirement. Like they say, "Make hay while the sun is shining, right?" And that's basically all I am doing currently in my life these days. But I do still like to write some (when I get a chance), go the the gym some, ride my bicycle some, do yard work and fool around on the computer (Youtube, Blogger and Facebook) and use my iPhone for social media apps besides for work purposes  So here my list for 2019, the highs and the lows. 

The Highs:

1.) We traveled to Pensacola Beach twice again this year and stayed at our favorite hotel, Margaritaville Pensacola Beach Hotel.  We have stayed there at least eight times in the last six or seven years and always enjoy our time and money spent there.  The love the Gulf of Mexico, the view, the beach and the seafood. The only problem is that we never get to stay long enough because of the type of work I do.

2.) We were able to see the Blue Angels practice this year at the Naval Air Station at Pensacola.  Wow, what an awesome and incredible display of American's finest military jet aircraft and some of the world's best display of highly skilled pilots flying those jet aircraft! Exciting and exhillarating!

3.) Bowling Green and Southcentral is very ripe with a large amount economic growth and we are a growing community.  Apartment complexes, stores, restaurants and factories are popping up everywhere in this town and our surrounding communities. There's plenty of work here for me and our company to do and for everyone else also.  I had another successful year in my job at work. It just takes for someone to put forth a conscious effort and work hard if you want to make a decent living for yourself and your family in this college town where Western Kentucky University is located. You have to keep pushing yourself and be dedicated and committed.

4.) We had some home improvements done to our house this year that I am very proud of.  My house is the same age as me (57 years-old) but they don't build them like this anymore. It's a solid brick home and it's in good shape in a fairly decent neighborhood in Bowling Green and we want to keep it that way.

The Lows:

1.) My brother-in-law passed away in Memphis in this fall.  He had been married to my sister for almost 50 years.  He was a very intelligent and good guy and I loved him very much as my brother-in-law and friend.  He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. My wife and I attended his funeral mass at Church of Nativity in Bartlett, Tenn.

2.) My beloved alma mater of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., or affectionately known as just "Ole Miss" has had major struggles these past few years.  There's many alumni, students, friends and parents such as myself who are upset that the extreme liberal leftists professors and administrators are destroying the college's traditions and heritage such as wanting to move the Confederate statue off campus. They also got rid of the Col Reb. as the mascot and quit playing the Dixie song at football games. They got rid of the Rebel flag years ago. Mainly, the took one of my former professor's name off the journalism building as he was accused of being a racists because he supposedly posted some pictures on Facebook about some things going on the downtown square late at night.  He had given the university five million dollars for the journalism school.  Needless to say, after they removed his name from the building, he took the money back and gave it another non-profit organization in Mississippi.  I don't blame him one bit for that.  We also have a Facebook group called "Make Ole Miss Great Again." (MOMGA) where all over 6,000 of us comment and discuss all of the issues and are trying to take action to try to fight the extreme liberal leftist activities on campus that are effecting destroying our university as we used to know it.

3.) The impeachment process of President Trump. It's a bunch of liberal Democrat bullshit and lies in my opinion.  And that's all that I going to say about that.

4.) And finally as we all just saw on the world news yesterday, a second lieutenant in the Saudi Arabian military who was involved in flight training at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., shot and killed three people and wounded eight others.  This is very sad too me since Patty and I had just visited the base this past summer to see the Blue Angels practice.  Everyone was super nice and friendly and we also went inside and visited the Military Aircraft Museum and watched the IMAX movie about aircraft carriers. Security personnel only asked for was to see our driver license ID in order to get on base, other entry points and the museum. The Blue Angels practice was free along with entering the museum.  However, we did have to pay a small fee to see the IMAX movie.  Most likely after this deadly shooting, there will probably some additional security measures added.  At least I would hope.  All in all, it's a very sad and Patty and I send out prayers to the victims and the wounded and to their family and friends as well as all military personnel, base personnel and law and safety enforcement personnel. 

    For me, 2019, was not a bad year in all.  Like I said there were some highs and lows.  Everybody has highs and lows in their lives.  As we get older, we have to learn to take the good along with the bad.  We learn to work and provide for ourselves and our families.  And as human beings, we learn survival instincts in the modern world of machinery, cars, planes, chemicals, natural disasters, disastrous weather, drugs, crime and just pure evil in the world.  However, no matter how good things can get in life, people still resent other people because of race or skin color, financial envy, refugees, foreigners, atheists, gay people, religious, hypocrites, lazy people, drug addiction, alcoholism,
mental illness and homeless people. But there is hope and a bright inner light in the world.  And his name is Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins.  I am believer and I attend Catholic mass regularly.  However, I view myself as no better than any one else.  Because I believe as a Catholic, we all go to the same table for communion to partake in the body and blood of Jesus Christ whether rich or poor or black or white.  It's does not matter what your background is as long you believe and become a full fledge Catholic in communion with the church. (Note: converts like me require RCIA classes).  I may not like everyone at our church but at least I can look everyone in the eyes and know the real reason we are there together under the same roof.

    So this is my Christmas blog for 2019 "College Town At Christmas" in Bowling Green, Ky. I hope you enjoyed it.  If not, I'm sorry. But regardless, I pray for those who are suffering because of lack of shelter, food, medical care and for those who are addicted to drugs or alcohol.  And I pray for the darkness in the world.  For those people who hate our government and our president and want to destroy him.  And for those who hate Ole Miss for what it used to be and how they want to change it to a liberal cess pool, taking away everything for what it used to stand for, our traditions and heritage.  God Bless America and Merry Christmas! And Hotty Totty!

.

New Updated Version: Chaney's Dairy Barn And Bottled Milk-Sweet Tasting Milk From Southcentral Kentucky

(Note: Below is the original blog that I wrote about Chaney's Milk posted on 3/26/11. And then below that is the big news story about their new bottled milk processing facility that was aired on WBKO Television recently along with a current video at the bottom featuring the dairy and the Governor of Kentucky).

I recently tried a new homegrown product that I bought at Houchens IGA Store http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houchens_Industries the other day that's made right here in Kentucky. Well, actually, it's not made by humans. It's made by cows-it's milk! It's called, "Chaney's Milk." This stuff is absolutely delicious! I highly recommend it and you can only purchase it at Houchens IGA Stores or Houchen's Jr. Food Stores in Bowling Green, Ky., and Southcentral Kentucky.

People who live around here have been hearing a lot about Chaney's Dairy Barn http://www.chaneysdairybarn.com/ these last several years. Chaney's does a lot of advertising on the radio and television and they are have special events such as "Moovie Nights" at their dairy barn especially for children. I have eaten had their awesome ice cream several times and it's really good too. You can't beat their ice cream either.


So if you want a true sweet taste of Bowling Green and Southcentral Kentucky head on over to Houchens IGA or Jr. Food Store and grab a half gallon of Chaney's milk. This is milk is totally awesome! And if you're wanting some incredible ice cream, head on out to Chaney's Dairy Barn which about five miles south of Bowling Green on U.S. 31-W (Nashville Road) heading towards Franklin, Ky.

UPDATE: 7/6/19

(Note: Chaney's Dairy Barn on Nashville Road in Bowling Green now has their own bottled milk processing facility and their milk will be on the shelves at local groceries stores soon.  They had stopped selling on the shelves five years ago. But now they have started their operation back up since they have their own bottling processing facility. Currently, you can purchase all their milk products including ice cream at their business just outside of Bowling Green on U.S. 31-W North near Richpond and Warren South High and Jr. High Schools, heading north towards Franklin, Ky.)

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - Nearly 16 years ago Chaney's Dairy Barn opened and now those at the farm have accomplished a goal set when they opened in 2003. 

Chaney's Dairy Barn is now processing and bottling their own milk. 

The new facility has officially been up and running for about one week now and their milk can be bought in the store there at the dairy barn. 

Chaney's Dairy Barn gets their milk from Jersey cows, which they say makes their product unique. 

"And jersey milk is higher in calcium, it's higher in protein, it's higher in solids, and of course the milk is higher in butterfat so I think our product is a little unique, a little different than what most people are used to," said Carl Chaney, Owner of Chaney's Dairy Barn. 

They say they have a deal to have their milk in Houchens stores and their goal is to have their milk available in multiple stores. 

"I mean, Houchens, of course, they are just a great local partnership that we are going to have from our discussions. I think we will be able to have the milk in about 10 different stores," said Chaney. "I know we're looking at maybe the local Kroger stores, that might be a possibility."

Chaney's Dairy Barn is open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. 

Large Local Fan Turnout At Recent New Album Signing For Cage The Elephant's "Social Cues" At Mellow Matt's Records & More In Bowling Green, Ky.

   

   Cage The Elephant and I go way back in Bowling Green during their early days before their second album release in 2011, "Thank You, Happy Birthday.'

Cage The Elephant

    Since CTE is from Bowling Green and my son, Tony Smith, who is also a Bowling Green musician, songwriter and producer and who now lives in East Nashville,  he became friends with CTE band brothers, Matt and Brad Shultz, earlier in their early days of the band's beginnings and eventually "Sleeper Agent," was formed (Tony's former band) and the rest is history. And that's another story to tell in of itself one day. However, the first time I saw CTE perform was at the second annual "Starry Nights Music Festival" in Bowling Green (which is now defunct) in the October of 2010. I was blown away by the band. (see video below) In the meantime, here's a little info about that time period during CTE's history with Sleeper Agent and the Bowling Green Music Scene on their Wikipedia page. I like to call it the "Heyday of the Bowling Green Music Scene":

Sleeper Agent

   'The group's audience expanded widely throughout 2011. Although they were formed in the 2000s, the band earned the top spot in Rolling Stone's "Reader's Poll: The Best New Artist of 2011". The band Sleeper Agent, another Bowling Green music group and close friends with Cage the Elephant, came in second place. The magazine also named Thank You, Happy Birthday as the 15th best album of the year. That year, Cage the Elephant and Manchester Orchestra embarked on a co-headlining tour with Sleeper Agent as the opening band. In January 2012, the band released the album Live from The Vic in Chicago, recorded during their 2011 tour, and also toured with the Big Day Out music festival."

   Even though that is a long and interesting story especially on Sleeper Agent's part as far as I'm concerned, I will stay focused in this particular blog segment on CTE's recent new album signing for "Social Cues" at Mellow Matt's Records and More on Smallhouse Road in Bowling Green which was a grand experience for CTE local fans and the Bowling Green Music Scene from all appearances while I videotaped the event from the outside of the building and in the parking lot as well as the grass.

CTE's New Album, "Social Cues"

    Mellow Matt's is a small record store with not much space in a strip shopping mall. However, Matt and his staff somehow manage large crowd turnouts in order for fans to get autographs on records and CD's from famous bands such as CTE. It's also where Sleeper Agent had their second release album party in 2014 for "About Last Night." The crowd for Sleeper Agent was not quite as large as CTE's but they nonetheless they had a good turnout and that was Matt's number one album selling album for the year he had claimed. Actually, this was CTE''s was second new album signing at Mellow Matt's. The first one was a couple of years ago at the store for their fourth album, "Tell I'm Pretty," in which they won a Grammy for "Best Rock Album in 2015. I was not able to make it to that signing. But since I have a new HD DVC camera that my son, Tony, gave to my birthday, I decided to try it out in the parking lot at the CTE signing at Mellow Matt's. There are three little short video clips that I posted below from my Youtube Channel. They are not perfect by no means but I do believe I was able to capture a little of the magic, spirit and excitement among CTE's many local fans that were lined up waiting to get inside. And hopefully, I'll get better with the camera as time goes on. (Note: I did receive Mellow Matt's permission on the phone prior the signing in order to make these video clips). I also included one of CTE performing the song "Tiny Robots" at the Starry Nights Music Festival in 2010. Thank you and I hope you enjoy the videos!

College Town At Christmas, 2018: Looking Back At My 30 Years Of Living In Bowling Green, Ky.

    I remember years ago when I first moved to Kentucky in 1987, I used to get homesick for down South.  I missed my native city of Memphis, Tenn., and North Mississippi, the place where I spent my teenage years.  I used to miss my friends and family also.

    It's also where graduated from high school and went to college.  I was a Southern Boy and I am still am.  But things have changed tremendously back home.  To be honest, I can't keep up with it hardly anymore.  It's all becoming a blur now it seems.  Our memories do seem to slip as we get older they say.

   

Patty and I before a Christmas party in 1992

However, by fate, I met a lady through the Roman Catholic Church in Oxford, Miss., while I was college student at the time at the University of Mississippi, (Ole Miss) in the 80's. And then after we where married and our son was born, we eventually ended up in Bowling Green, Ky., home of Western Kentucky University.  WKU is where my wife went to college back in the 70's when she lived in her hometown of Russellville, Ky., which is 30 miles west of Bowling Green.  She said she had always loved Bowling Green and thought it would be a nice to live one day and to raise a family.  And indeed, Bowling Green or "BG" as it is affectionally known to us and its loyal citizens, has a been a great place for us to live, work and raise our son for these last 30 years.  Our son, Galen Jr. or "Tony" as he affectionally known to us and all of his family and friends, is a graduate of WKU and now lives and works in Nashville, which is 60 miles south of Bowling Green.

Our little family, 1988. Patty, Tony, Santa and me.

During this Christmas season, I have been reflecting a lot on my life and my life of living in Bowling Green all these years.  No, I have not made a big impact on the city by running for political office and serving as a leader making important decisions that ultimately effect its citizens or businesses in one form or fashion.  Nor have I been a major player in the Bowling Green business community making tons of money by managing a factory, a store or being a private business owner along with being a member of the local chamber of commerce.  Nor I have I been a professional such as a doctor, lawyer, a counselor and priest or a pastor by having a direct impact on its citizens and families on a personal level.  However, I have been a productive citizen, a homeowner and a taxpayer and staying out of trouble for the most part all these last 30 years of living here.  Yeah, I have ruffled a few feathers here and there regarding some of my strong letters to the editor in our local newspaper or stating my assertive opinions on the local morning AM talk radio program in the past.  But for the most part, I've had a good run in Bowling Green and I hope to have another 30 years! Being a writer, an observer of life and a sales and service professional all these years, I have met many fine people in this city and from the surrounding towns and counties alike.  Like everywhere else in the world, there's a story on every corner in Bowling Green and Southcentral Kentucky. I have found this to be extremely true.  And I don't have to look very far either.  There's a lot of interesting people who live here. I have always been like a sponge through the years, absorbing everything I can about its people, its places and its culture.  It's only natural for me to be curious and to ask questions regarding people and their lives. And it's also the way that I was trained in journalism school while I was at Ole Miss.  Basically,  to ask questions and write stories along with taking pictures. ( I like making short videos these days too).

Me, Jude, our Australian Shepherd, and Patty with Santa in 2016

    So as I reflect back on my past Christmases of living here, BG has been very good to me and my little family.  For the most part, it is a safe place to live because we have an excellent police force as well as a great county sheriff's department and a wonderful Kentucky State Police force.  Also, the WKU police force is great too. Although, we are not natives to this town, BG has been accepting of us and thousands of others who come from all over the United States and from around the world.  We have a large Bosnian community and a growing Burmese and Congo African community too.  And like most places in the South, we have a large Hispanic community too.  WKU brings in students from all over Kentucky, the South, and other parts of the US.  And the university has its fair share of international students too.  So I feel very fortunate and blessed to live in Bowling Green.  God has been good to me all these years and I have received many special blessings by living here.  We have a wonderful church which is Holy Spirit Catholic Church and I have fairly good health, a good job, a good home, a good neighborhood and most importantly, a wonderful wife and son.  So if you live in Bowling Green, be thankful this Christmas season and for what this city does for us, its citizens.  We have good streets and roads and excellent schools.  We also have a good medical community too. 

      Mainly, we are a very blessed community especially during Christmastime.  Go outside and feel the Christmas spirit in the air.  And drive downtown, and see the Christmas lights on the square or eat at one our many fine restaurants.  Eat, drink and be merry! Be cheerful and jolly also! (But don't drink and drive. Get a Uber. Or the BGPD will get you!)  Yes, we are very blessed this Christmas season in Bowling Green and I thank God for that.  Merry Christmas and God Bless!

  

"Beautiful Boy" Is A Story About "Everything"

"Close your eyes
Have no fear
The monster's gone
He's on the run and your daddy's here

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy"

"Double Fantasy" John Lennon, 1980

By Patty Smith
Bowling Green, Ky.

A book and movie review

About three years ago I read David Sheff's book, "Beautiful Boy" about his son, Nic, and his addiction to drugs and alcohol.   The book was so intense and amazing, I read it three more times.

On Facebook one day, I met David and we chatted.  His Facebook page is awesome, too, with stories about many, many parents who have been through similar episodes of alcohol and drugs with their children, though not always ending as happily as Nic's story.  (Nic is now "clean and sober" for ten years.) 

As we chatted one day, I asked David if he would please autograph my book if I sent it to him.  Instead, he sent me a signed copy of "Clean," his latest book that deals with ways and means for children and adults alike to overcome addiction.

As soon as I heard about the movie coming out, I anxiously awaited it to come to Bowling Green, Ky., my hometown.  It hit our theaters last weekend and my husband and I viewed the movie at The Great Escape 12 on Saturday afternoon.

The movie followed along much as the book, and the characters that were chosen to play David and Nic (Steve Carrell and  Timothee Chalamel ) really fit right into the bill.

Although I don't have any addicts in my immediate family, I do have some friends who are.  However, in 1989 after a very messy divorce from my first husband, three years earlier,  I turned to alcohol when the pain of losing my two daughters was too hard to bear.  Alcohol did the ease the pain WHILE I was drinking, but harsh reality finally would set in, along with guilt and shame and other negative emotions alcohol does cause afterward.

Nic Sheff was also from a divorced family, and hated when he had to travel to and from his home outside Los Angeles. (Inverness) to New York, to see his mother,  to fulfill conditions of the shared custody arrangement.  When he was growing up he and his father really had quite the bond.  When no more words would come when David would be trying to express how deep his love was, he resorted to one word "everything." So when the father and son would often say "everything" they both knew that their love was so deep and so beyond words that "everything" would let each know that depth.

Many people found this movie very hard to watch as Nic's disease progressed from marijuana to alcohol to other more serious drugs like heroin and meth.  It is hard to see him and his girlfriend in her living room with spoon filled with crystal meth and shooting it into each other veins after it was "cooked" in the spoon.  The most terrifying intense scene was when his girlfriend overdosed and he was desperately trying to bring her back to life, as he did, just as the emergency ambulance arrived.  She recovered and was taken to the a hospital for treatment.

David had remarried and his family consisted also of his wife Karen, and his son and Jasper and Daisy his daughter.  The brotherly love these children had for their older brother was evident from the start, even before his addiction began.  Wife Karen supported David throughout their marriage when David lay awake many nights wondering where Nic was and if he was alive or dead, calling hospitals to see if he had been admitted.  David often drove around looking for Nic and would sometimes find him hanging out with other addicts.  Many many attempts at rehabilitation had failed and Nic would again attempt to get clean and sober.

Finally alone in a bathroom in New York visiting his mom, in his aloneness and despair, Nic shot up one more time.  He is seen kicking out what could have been his final life on that cold bathroom floor.  But he was found in time and David was called to come to New York.  The doctor said he didn't know how Nic had survived with the amount of drugs in his body, but thankfully he did. in the final scene father and son, arms around each other, holding each other up, leave the hospital temporarily to sit outside in the sunshine and just "be together".

I had pondered over this movie and book many times. Was "Beautiful Boy" about David struggle to help his son or was it more about the addict Nic who struggled so long to get clean?  The movie is also about always having hope, never giving up on your child or your addict or alcoholic. It's about hanging in there.

In conclusion, I quote David from his latest book, "Clean," when he says,  "... most drug use is not really about the drugs...it's about LIFE."  So when my husband said after watching the movie that the movie was really not about the drugs but about the non-dying, non-failing love between a father and son.  Through this unfailing love, David didn't give up and saw his son through his final recovery.  So what is "Beautiful Boy" really about?  The love beyond compare that no one can describe....it's just "Everything."

Patty Smith and her "Beautiful Boy" and son, "Tony"

Patty Smith is retired and is a former correspondent for Western Kentucky Catholic.  She is also an avid reader, movie fan, crossword puzzle champion and Jeopardy fan.  She lives in Bowling Green with her husband, Galen, and their Australian Shepherd named "Jude."  Patty and Galen's son, "Tony" is a graphic artist, a musician, a songwriter, producer and studio sound reccording engineer who lives in Nashville.