After breakfast and conversation this morning with my parents who live in Kemp, Oklahoma, I drove the 322 miles back to Monroe. It’s nearly always a five and a half hour drive, though in perfect circumstances, I have driven it in five. Beautiful weather for traveling today. I listened to several CD’s and I found several songs I could do in my Civil War and Scots-Irish school programs. I also came upon some songs that meant something to my past: “And I love you so” by Don McLean, “Landslide” by Stevie Nicks, and the one I want to focus on today in my post, “Turn Around” by Malvina Reynolds, Harry Belafonte, & Alan Greene. I heard this on a Nancy Griffith CD. I had not listened to this since my daughter was married some years ago. It was the song she and I danced to at her reception for the Father/Daughter dance, so the song brought on a flood of bathos. I realized I had not listened to this song since that night. I remember how I had tears on my face as we danced. She had a big smile and said, “Daddy, don’t cry.” Rachel’s picture (with my grandson, Mason) is below the lyrics. I found the lyrics here: http://www.nancycassidymusic.com/sleepyheads.html.

Where are you going, my little one, little one,
Where are you going, my baby, my own?
Turn around and you’re two,
turn around and you’re four,
Turn around, you’re a young girl going out of my door.
Turn around, turn around,
Turn around, you’re a young girl going out of my door.

Where are you going, my little one, little one?
Dirndls and petticoats, where have you gone?
Turn around and you’re tiny,
turn around and you’re grown,
Turn around, you’re a young wife
with babes of your own.
Turn around, turn around,
Turn around, you’re a young wife
with babes of your own.

Where are you going, my little one, little one,
Where are you going, my darling, my own?
Turn around and you’re two,
turn around and you’re four,
Turn around, you’re a young girl going out of my door.
Turn around, turn around,
Turn around, you’re a young girl going out of my door.

Yesterday, I spent the whole day in the Brookhollow Elementary School library, presenting my Civil War Program to fifth grade students. These students were so excited about the music and asked more questions related to writing than any other group of students I’ve been with. They were witty, funny, and so full of life. The school librarian, Jana Harrison, runs a top notch library. She has some students in her morning library crew so well-trained that I think they could run the library themselves! You should have seen them–diligently filing, checking out books to students, and shelving books. One has the same facial features and expressions as Sandra Bullock. I started talking of how she looked like a natural librarian, so the other students gave her a nickname—“Librarian.” Another, who brought me ice, became “Ice Girl.” Every class

After Brookhollow Elementary, I went in my Confederate uniform to my Waldenbooks signing in the mall at Lufkin. Traffic was slow, but I still had a very respectable signing. From there I drove to Ft. Worth where I spent the night.
This morning, I arrived at the Hastings bookstore in Sherman around 10:00 a.m. Sales have been brisk. In addition to my two Pelican books, I’m also signing my novel published by Booklocker, Red River Fever. Local folks are SO excited to see the photograph of the Carpenter’s Bluff Bridge on the cover. (The bridge is only a few miles from the store). When I give them my condensed summary of the book, they all laugh and say, “You’re probably writing about my relatives.” Here’s my summary that prompts this response: “This is my novel about the good-ole-boys around here and how every few years one of them goes really crazy. I call that condition, Red River Fever.”

It’s been a hard few days with almost every minute packed with activity and I’ve gotten very little sleep. However, the great experiences and the people I’ve met have been worth missing a little shut-eye. From Hastings, I’ll drive to my parents house in Kemp, Oklahoma and spend the night. I’ll return to Monroe with some great memories.

Last night, the roads I traveled from Lufkin were two-lane and winding. I saw at least a dozen deer. I always have a fear on such nights that the deer who gets the “headlight madness” will commit suicide by running into my car.  Above me the stars were piercingly bright. The thick East Texas Piney Woods from Lufkin to I-45 were dark, darker than I remembered. Each house I passed, some of them on hills in the distance, some with security lights or lighted gates that gave access to their property, reminded me of how isolated I was at that moment, and how my choice to make writing my career would likely give me many more such solitary moments.

I’ll return to Monroe with a list of new friends, some new books to read, and a longer to-d0 list. I’ll make another post on the blog tomorrow night sometime.

Today, I presented my Civil War program at the West Side Elementary School in Jacksonville, TX. What wonderful young scholars and what great teachers! We divided the school up into 4 sessions, and I performed and presented to every student in the school. There’s a great deal of interest in the Civil War here. I left the school and visited Rice Elementary in Tyler and the public library. Both of those calls were fruitless as the decision makers were not in, but I did set up a signing at the Hastings Bookstore here in Tyler, Friday, March 7, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Tonight, I’ll be with the Tyler, Texas Pulpwood Queens, who were gracious enough to ask me as a visiting author to attend their reading group. I look forward to this little soiree. I happened to time my trip at the same time as their monthly meeting, so instead of taking a hotel in Lufkin, I found one in Tyler, not far from where their meeting is. The Pulpwood Queens (of any chapter) are always a hoot, and these women are some of the brightest, most beautiful, and most interesting people I’ve ever met. The Tyler Roses (as this group style themselves) were the winners of the Pulpwood Queen club competition in Jefferson in January.

Jacksonville, which began as Gum Creek in 1847, is an interesting city. It is known as the “Tomato Capital of the World.” You can learn some interesting facts about the city and see some photos of historical Jacksonville and Cherokee County here: http://www.tomatocapital.com/gallery3.asp

Tomorrow, I’ll have a long day at Brookhollow Elementary in Lufkin, Texas, then a signing at the Hastings Bookstore there. I hope I can get some rest tonight because I slept little last night, and it looks like I won’t get any tomorrow.

Pardon the short entry, but I need to read some, write some, do some online work related to the online class I’ll be teaching soon, practice my guitar, and perhaps catch a nap before I leave for the Pulpwood Queens’ meeting. I may add some more to this post later tonight.

A Rant Against Speed Traps:  A Job I’d Hate to Have:

Wouldn’t you hate to be the officer who gives tickets at speed traps? Talk about a job that should hurt someone’s conscience! One that a person should be ashamed to admit they do.  Face it, the purpose of speed traps is to generate revenue. Think of a speeding ticket as another tax if you would. (How many ways does the government want to get our money?) Speeding tickets to most civilians don’t save lives as might be claimed (a cliche is still a cliche, especially when the government says it) but speeding (and other tickets) do complicate our lives, and create pain and discomfort.  I’m not talking about a true construction site where workers are in danger of being hurt if speed is not lessened. At such places, usually the presence of an officer or an officer’s vehicle is all it takes to control traffic speed. I’m thinking of those areas where a construction sign is just thrown up, or areas where a speed limit is suddenly or arbitrarily changed.  So much real crime in our country and instead of targeting it, we turn on our own working civilians for doing something that has nothing to do with morals or character.  Officers must know that many people they ticket do not speed on purpose, and they must know that the tickets they give are REAL hardships for many people. I think that they must not care either. Our policies effectively generate money, but speeding tickets and such to not make us better people or even make our faltering society better.  It’s rather sad I think. It must also feel degrading to an officer (who wanted to help and serve society) to be assigned such tasks. If a person can find nobility or pride in such tasks, there must be a certain amount of self-delusion working.  It is not noble. Such jobs are just plain meanness.

Not long after my children’s book about Jim Limber came out, I was interviewed by Dixie Broadcasting.com. You can hear my interview via streaming video or download it as an MP3. Just scroll down the page till you come to my name and the interview. I’ll have another interview coming up on my Stories of the Confederate South.
http://www.dixiebroadcasting.com/pelicanpages.shtml

If you like news from a Southern point of view, Dixie Broadcasting is a great station to tune in to. Evidently there are many who like the station because the stations ratings are very high!  They do program some great music and speakers that are sure to challenge your thinking.

PITTMAN BOOK NEWS:

Tomorrow, I’ll be at a school in Jacksonville, Texas. Then Friday, at a school in Lufkin. Friday night I have a signing at a Hastings Books store in Lufkin. From there I’ll make my way to Sherman, Texas for a signing at the Hastings there. I’ll spend the night with my parents and drive home Sunday.  Next Tuesday, I’m scheduled to be in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. I’ll have an extremely busy schedule in the Fort Worth area next week. Should be lots of fun, but there’s no shortage of work.

In 2005, I came across Confederate Battle Stories, a collection of short fiction that is edited by Martin Greenberg, Frank McSherry, and Charles Waugh. It was published by August House Publishers in Little Rock. Included are stories by some of America’s most famous authors, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, and others. McSherry’s introduction, “Always Outnumbered–Never Outfought” is a stirring one.

McSherry claims that the “warriors of the Confederacy” were tough opponents, and that “some of the generals who led them, men justly ranked by historians as military geniuses” have no equal in history. He says their “valor was unsurpassed, their devotion undying.”

McSherry provides an interesting anecdote that captures the pride and spirit of the Confederate soldier. He says that “Confederate Robert Toombs, a fire-eater of the Old South, was asked by a Union friend after the war if he had applied for the pardon offered by the United States government to former Confederates.

“Pardon for what?” Toombs snapped. “I have not pardoned you all yet.”

However, the stories are not sugar-coated Southern propaganda. These stories, as good fiction must, tell the truth, portraying the hard truths of the world the Southern soldiers lived in. I enjoyed the read, and if you like the Civil War, I think you will too.

With the publication of my children’s book, Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House, I realized at my signings how little people knew about the President of the Confederacy.  Jefferson Davis, a man honored  by the schools,  streets, schools, and other things named after him,  is a man that America  has yet to know.  The look on people’s faces when I tell them that Davis adopted a free child of color is priceless.

One of the best books about him is  Was Jefferson Davis Right? by the Kennedy brothers, Pelican Publishing.  This book will change the way you view history. A must read if you care anything about the Civil War (and how it changed everything about America).   Here are some endorsements of this book:

Charley Reese, nationally syndicated columnist: “Every American ought to read this brilliant new book by the Kennedy brothers.”

Thomas Fleming, editor of Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture.  “Decisively refuting all the old slanders, the authors give us back the real Davis–a patriotic soldier, a reluctant secessionist, the model of a Christian gentleman, and an inspiration to all Americans, North and South.”

At the Pulpwood Queens Festival, I met a wonderful author–Heather Bornback-Bland who wrote a rich and moving account of her life entitled God Said Yes. This is a book you must order and share with others. Heather’s story builds one’s faith in God (without being a preachy account) and it helps us really understand what human dignity, compassion, and love are all about. She is a wonderful public speaker and an excellent fund raiser, so I hope your school will think of using her. Here is a photo of Heather and myself at the Jefferson Author/Book Event:

FROM HER WEBSITE:

Heather Hornback-Bland
My Story:
I would like to share with you some of my life’s joys and pains. My hope is that in sharing my story, I can give hope to the hopeless and to those that are blessed with so much, a desire to give and be thankful.

Speaking:
I am blessed to be able to speak on a number of topics including “Being Strong,” “Trusting That God Will Provide,” “Persevering Through Pain (When You Don’t Want To),” “Life After Divorce,” “God Showed His Unconditional Love,” and many more.

Press Room:
My speaking engagements and the tremendous efforts people make to support me and my ministry make their way into the papers.

Mackenzie:
A true gift to me, my daughter Mackenzie, has an incredible story all to herself. And a page all to herself, too!

The Book:
“God Said Yes” is the title of my life story in book stores on October 1, 2007. Penguin Group is the publishing my life story. We are so excited to tell you that you can pre-order “God Said Yes” on Amazon.com.

Here is a photo of Heather and her friend Kelly that Bonnie Barnes took:

To learn more of Heather do go to her website: http://www.godsaidyes.net/

Today I took off work to prepare my taxes, and I was reminded of a very fine book I read and edited for Ronald Kennedy entitled, Reclaiming Liberty. One of the chapters had the fitting title of “Taxes and Other Ways to Steal Other People’s Money.” This book is published by Pelican Publishing and if you are unhappy with or wondering about what is wrong with the current American political world, this book will answer those questions and raise some others you haven’t thought of.

Kennedy (along with many other current writers) points out that the medieval serfs paid a tax of approximately 25-30 % of all they earned/owned.When you think of how that is roughly the equivalent of how Americans are taxed today, you realize that we are not citizens–we are serfs. We are as one writer said, “Democracy’s serfs.” Kennedy points out that Americans are taxed in a multitude of ways, some of them hidden or invisible. If you have any interest in politics at all, do yourself a favor and visit the Kennedy brothers site. Steer anyone you meet who is unhappy with the present political scene to it (Most people I know are unhappy with it). http://www.kennedytwins.com/

Here is a quote from the chapter: “Money is the mother’s milk of American politics. Politicians need money to enter or maintain themselves in office [Has our government become an oligarchy?] , to grant favors to the special interest groups that provide votes in elections, to support business ventures of the politically connected, and to support the ever enlarging bureaucracy required to maintain their political empire. Most contemporary politicians are rich compared to the average taxpayer . . . their fortunes are safe; it’s your income they desire . . . regardless of who is in power–conservative, liberal, Republican, or Democrat–under the current liberal/socialist political system,your income is always at risk” (p. 163).

The Kennedy brothers have also written other books you need to find and read:

The South Was Right! Was Jefferson Davis Right? Why Not Freedom! Myths of American Slavery, and Red Republicans and Lincoln’s Marxists. I’m sure I will have other posts about the writings of the Kennedy brothers, but hopefully this will encourage you to take a look at their work.

Oh, and remember this song by the Beatles?

Taxman
Artist(Band):The Beatles

Let me tell you how it will be,
There’s one for you, nineteen for me,
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don’t take it all,
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah yeah, I’m the Taxman.
(If you drive a car), I’ll tax the street,
(If you try to sit), I’ll tax your seat,
(If you get too cold), I’ll tax the heat,
(If you take a walk), I’ll tax your feet.
Taxman.
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Don’t ask me what I want it for
(Ah Ah! Mister Wilson!)
If you don’t want to pay some more
(Ah Ah! Mister Heath!),
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Now my advice for those who die,
Declare the pennies on your eyes,
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
And you’re working for no-one but me.

Today, I presented a program at Waskom, Texas High School. I’ve really never seen a better behaved and polite group of high school students. My program was my Scots-Irish program, with a show and tell table, but the rest of the day was spent performing mostly Scottish or Irish music. I’ve been invited back next year, so I think it went well. I’m tired, but I feel inspired and motivated because of the encouraging students and teachers I talked to today. I wore my kilt, and I know I exposed the young scholars to many facts about Scotland and Ireland they’ve never known about. It was a lucky day for me. I woke at 3:00 am, arose at 3:30 am, dressed and drove on to Waskom, 124 miles from my house.

Reading List:

I’ve received in the mail two books I must read and review soon: One is by Lisa Wingate, entitled, Talk of the Town. The other is My Soul to Keep by Melanie Wells. I’ll read them and post their reviews. They both have GREAT openings, so my gut feeling is that I will give them good reviews.

College News:

My ENG 101 class is going well at Delta. I have a conscientious group who are working hard. As we went over the class syllabus again, I focused on the comparison/contrast essay assignment. They are to compare a modern (relatively) modern book to its movie. For years I have told students to “Never judge a book by its movie.” Here are the choices I gave them, though I told them they could suggest others:

1. Man on Fire

2. Atonement

3. Love in the Time of Cholera

4. No Country for Old Men

5. All the Pretty Horses

6. The Crucible

7. Peter Pan (Allowing Hook, and Finding Neverland as movie choices)

8. In Cold Blood (allowing Infamous and Capote as movie choices)

9. The Scarlet Letter

10. Cold Mountain

11. The Kite Runner

My scholars seemed intrigued by the assignment, and I think it will do them good.

Book Tour News:

Tomorrow, I have a school program in Waskom, Texas. The rest of the weekend will be spent writing, reading, and catching up on chores (including tax preparation). Today I’m researching, memorizing songs, and preparing for my school program tomorrow. I’ll make some calls related to future signings also.

ART INSPIRING ART: Here is a poem I wrote after reading Olen Steinhauer’s novel, 36 Yalta Boulevard. A sign of a good novel is when one of its characters touches you or you identify with him. I thought about Brano Sev, and using lines of the novel I had underlined wrote this poem. This is an exercise I have students do to help them notice and remember important lines in a reading. So, most of the language of the poem that follows is Olen’s. Here is his website. I’d encourage you to take a look at his books: http://www.olensteinhauer.com/

Brano Sev . . .

We are the same age,

Both haunted by the past,

Both naive and idealistic.

Tutored by the school of necessity,

Tamed by silence,

Learning the techniques of coldness,

Tortured by interrogators

Until my mouth and heart spit blood,

But left with fewer scars than I deserve.

If you suffer enough,

The paranoia becomes real, constant,

The deja vu of moments repeated in memory,

Reliving shame, reviving fear, scarring your dreams,

Longing for the day when the past cannot touch me.

Brano, I am a man like you,

Staying in trouble, still waiting

For the Black Maria and

Heavy-booted men to break their

Way into my life.

I guess the fear never leaves.

They have done their work well.