The Sweet Potato Queens

It’s getting close to St. Paddy's day, which sets my mind to thinking ‘bout the Mal’s St. Paddy’s Day Parade and the Sweet Potato Queens. (March 19-22 this year). This is where Jill Conner Brown and the SPQ got their amazing start. Its always on the third weekend in March and transforms the town of Jackson, MS with its revelry and hilarity.

The parade, besides being a roaring great time, is a fundraiser for the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, the only hospital in MS where children “can receive world class medical care, regardless of their ability to pay”. You can purchase tats for $1 a piece, with all proceeds going to the hospital. You can get details on the website.

The SPQ have grown into a phenomenal success, with 5,768 chapters all over the country and a following of thousands. If you arent familiar with Jill and her “crewe of Queens, Wannabees and Spud Studs”. I highly suggest y’all take yourownself over to the “O-fficial website”, sweet potato queens.com and check out the fun…….really, I insist. You will be glad you did.

I’ve read 4 of Jill’s books at least three times, and they are Laugh Out Loud funny every time.

We delivered our load of wire yesterday without any more mishaps and minimal tarp-tear, All except for not being able to find a place to park for the night. We tried 4 places before we could find any room at the inn. I really hope the states use some of this stimulus money to re-open all the rest areas and truck parking that they closed down to save a few bucks.

There is no such thing as a routine in trucking. You eat, sleep, wake up and shower according to the whims of Mother Nature, the Traffic Gods and the moods of the shipping/receiving staff.

For a change, we actually got a new load within a half hour. It picks up this morning in Joliet, a suburb of Chicago, about 200 miles north of where we delivered. It’s a load of pipe and it has a stopover near Philly, then a final destination near Virginia Beach. Usually all I’m concerned about is the fact that this doesn’t need to be tarped, but I’ve never been to Virginia Beach, so I’m looking forward to being in the vicinity, maybe, perhaps, even seeing some of it. I know it will be warmer than our balmy 21 degrees here in IL this morning.

You might be wondering how I get my ideas about what to write each day on the blog. I’d like to say that I’m so over run with inspiration that it overwhelms me, but the truth is, first thing in the morning, I open a blank Word page and hope a flash of brilliance hits me between the eyes. Usually it takes a few cups of caffeine before anything comprehensible finds it way onto the page.
My biggest challenge is trying to type and write while bouncing around like a mexican jumping bean at a hat dance. (you can tell we were in Laredo last week!!)

I would like to take a moment to reminisce about my old friend, Eddie Brush. The one thing I remember most about Brushy was his ever ready smile, We lost touch over the years, but I’ve never forgotten him, and I wish I had the opportunity to thank him for all the laughs that he brought to me over the years.