ALLIGATOR JACKSON

Two days ago, “Rose” barely made it up my steps. Her legs buckled as she stepped onto the deck. She swung the bag she was carrying off her shoulders and it landed with a thud against the wooden deck. 
 

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Last weekend was my 59th birthday. AJ Dawg and I hit The Mothman Festival early and scrambled around Huntington a bit. We then settled in to face the evening. 
 

A dark night was facing me. It was going to…

GATOR REFLECTIONS  
“911” 

It was September 11, 2001.  I was a route sales supervisor for Mister Bee Potato Chips.  I was training a new route salesman.  I just remember  his name was Rick. We walked into Kanaha City Kroger…

Living in a valley of death, really gets me down….. 

Tonight AJ Dawg and I were sitting outside of Jimmy John’s. This muscular long black haired man with a long dark beard walked up to me.  

He said…

The sky was a beautiful light blue with streaks of amber and gray.  

When things look bad and I feel like quitting, something magical appears.  

Something in nature steps forward or beauty appears in the sky.  

…

GATOR REFLECTIONS  

They cruised 4th Avenue like it was 1988. Chairs were lined up. People stood against cars. The rain couldn’t even stop them.  

There were Camaro, Chevelles, Mustangs, old trucks, hot rods and even a couple of…

No one ever fully recovers from a death. A great loss is carried with us the rest of our lives. We do heal enough to go on with our lives, though. 
 

A woman died last week, that most people…

Betty will be buried today. Her family and friends will say goodbye out 775 in Proctorville where she spent a lot of her younger days. She will be laid to rest next to family in Miller, Ohio.  

This is…

GATOR REFLECTIONS  

Every morning AJ Dawg and I have the ritual of going to Speedway on Hal Greer. I get a Little Debbie and a drink and AJ gets a glass of ice water and ham, Vienna Saussages, or…

I was 25 when I met her. Just a young, dumb boy with a lot to learn. Over the next 34 years I would learn so much. She believed in me. She taught me to believe in myself.  

She…

The innocence of our childhood adventures and friends are embedded in our hearts forever. My elementary school days in Cumberland, Md and my friends from my White Oaks neighborhood are some of my fondest memories.  

So Friday evening…

As AJ and I were walking this morning, We ran into a guy who use to do drugs with Betty and Jana.  

I’ll call him “J”. J is a very intelligent man. I’ve enjoyed talking to him in the…