I've had a busy, but enjoyable week-end. On Friday I ate lunch with George in Ridgeland at Sweet Peppers, and we visited for a couple of hours. Some people have trouble understanding my need for adult conversation, but this old friend from my hometown is not one of them. We had a table on their patio, which at 70* was ideal for visiting. Ain't retirement nice. Thanks, George!

Yesterday my friend Eugenie and I attended the Rankin County Democratic Executive Committee Meeting at the Library in Pearl. What a sweet, smart bunch of people! And what a thrill to be in a group where I didn't have to talk in guarded tones and could freely express my somewhat biased opinions and not worry about offending anyone. Plus, we were fed lunch, too! Now you know I enjoyed that.

Sue Livingston, one of the ladies in the meeting, gave everyone a copy of a picture she made in 2006 of Joe Biden when he visited with some other Mississippi Democrats. Pictured from left to right are Former Governors Bill Allain, Ray Mabus, Speaker of the House Billy McCoy, Vice-President Elect Biden, Former Governors Ronnie Musgrove and William Winter. I saw Mr. Musgrove and his wife Melanie today at Bon Ami, where I was eating lunch with my friends Yvonne and Cynthia. He did that politician thing of pointing at me, smiling like he'd recognized an old friend, and waving. I smiled and waved back like I, too, recognized an old friend. Hey, I learned to work a room from a pro; preachers do the same thing, you know? We used to ask Daddy, "Who was that?" and he'd say, "I don't know, but they looked like they recognized me, so I waved." Most of the time, he would actually go over and chat with them for a minute or two, but not always.

I did double choir duty this morning. In September, David divided us into 3 ensembles to sing for the early service once a month. November was my group's turn to do it. I thought it sounded unusually well-balanced and good. We got several compliments, but then anything is better than nothing, which is what the 8:00 crowd usually has, so I'm sure they really did enjoy it. We also got a superb breakfast as part of the gig, so I won't mind doing it again in Feb. and again in May.

I've got a 2 bedroom, 1 and a half bath townhouse for rent if anybody needs one, or knows someone who does.