If I can reiterate a title of another post on this blog: “Does Your Conscience Bother You?”

That lyric pops into my head as I venture alongside people as daily life goes on in the aftermath of the events in Charlottesville this past August weekend of the 12th. Who voted for this piece of shit person to become the next President of our great, diverse country? United States of America for God’s sake. Nobody has admitted lately that I come across that are excited to tell me they voted for Trump in last year’s election and I reckon that will remain the same.

I recall a conversation I had with my 84-year-old Grandmother in October about what kind of chances Trump had to win over Clinton wondering how any person with a daughter could vote for this man and not feel guilt. If they didn’t feel guilt then about handing over the keys to our country to a man who would grab their daughter’s pussy without their permission because he was rich or famous or whatever the fuck then they probably didn’t feel the guilt they should have this past weekend.

How many nazis and white supremacists does Trump closely know and has for some time? That’s his base, the Dumb, the Racist, and the Bigots. His initial statements after Virginia were clearly intended for his base to know he still loves and represents them. Hell, the mother of the terrorist driving the car said all she knew was her son was going to a rally about Trump. Sadly, it’s the same folks.

All I wanted to write about this week was the Willie Nelson concert, the end of summer, and the upcoming football season.

*I wrote that first part last week. Maybe this try I can write about what I wanted to.

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Just wanna first write what a badass jam Albert Collins’ “Ice Pick” is holy crap. Bluesy and downright dirty.

Football is upon us you punks! Get ready or be square man. After the Super Bowl I can at least go a month or two without it especially if the Razorbacks are competing in college basketball. Usually the NBA playoffs are entertaining but this year was shit and that was why there wasn’t an article about it.

Being a St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan runs in my family so that gets me by awhile in the summer if they are in the NL Central Divisional title hunt. They’re 4 and ½ games back at this moment in time; behind the freakin’ Cubs the leader of the division and National League in general the last three years after being laughable for so many years. I loved the heartbreak of the 2003 Cubbies where they blew the NLCS after Steven Bartman caught that foul ball like Moses Alou should have done. I’m happy for Bill Murray, a true blue Cubs fan but that’s it damnit. And damn all the bandwagon Cubbies that didn’t suffer like the rest of them.

Anyways, back to football. The dog days of summer mean that smell of fresh mowed grass on a steamy August football practice field returns. Even if you just smell fresh cut lawns this time of year it’s hard not to think of football. The Sun starts to maneuver at a different angle and the top stays off the Jeep and quality Oktoberfest beers began to come out earlier every year and you can’t help but drink them while riding the streets.

I hate writing then having to stop short of your full idea blasting onto the paper for something stupid like dinner but that’s what I did. Damnit now this is the third attempt of this article for August. Hurricane Harvey is barreling down on Texas currently and is distracting me again. “This is not a game people,” the reporter for CBS Saturday Morning advises as he stands soaking from the copious amounts of hard pounding rain and almost getting taken away by the hurricane winds while bouts of lightning light up the all too dark for 8 a.m. morning sky behind him. I hope everyone is okay down there and Harvey’s damage won’t prevent those affected from escaping with a football season this fall at least a few hours on the weekends.

I had recorded about 8 minutes of blog work while out on the lake two weeks ago, preparing for this article. With no professional, let alone waterproof, recording device, I had to use the voice memo app on my phone. I thought I had some valuable things to say or at least sound effects of shouting over the couple of jet ski’s that were rumbling a little too close to my beach spot, I had pulled my kayak up to, so I could do a little fishing and stretch the legs. Of course when I listened to the memo I recorded, it was 8 minutes of nothing.

Does it seem like it’s every week with this joker of a president? My voice memo was concerned with the impending war with North Korea as Trump was poking their little shithead leader. Guam was threatened and a draft would be imminent. That’s tapered down a bit in the last couple of weeks until NK launched another missile yesterday so here we go again.

I’m not much on the prediction machine but my blood is pumping with the excitement of the football season. The next articles will definitely hold remnants of the upcoming celebration of the great American sport. What will this season hold? Can the NFL provide an exciting round of games the next few months? Fantasy football has definitely helped the professional games on Sundays especially if you’re watching the afternoon Chargers/Broncos game with no rooting interest in who wins. Unless you bet on the game of course. In Vegas certainly, online with Bovada sports book, or with a trust worthy bookie.

College football is my favorite league for pigskin and 2017 holds another hope that Alabama will not continue to attempt in boring the Southeastern Conference. Just retire Saban! I wish you were as fun as Bear Bryant. He would’ve been a hell of a guy to cover. Here in Arkansas, the Razorbacks are on a tipping point after last season. Ruining the chance of winning 9 games by blowing 4th quarter leads in the final two contests last season, we have a coach on the hot seat or so I would believe. 7 wins ain’t gonna keep cutting it bubba. Stay positive TD, stay positive.

Saturdays will soon be riddled with bourbons and colas, the all day smell of hickory rolling out of a real BBQ smoker, and the clash of pads popping and drunken crowds yelling weird cheers and profanities. We just acquired a new sound bar for the house and the first football season with it will be wonderful waiting on the ribs and brisket to finish. Music already blows the house out and with cooler weather the windows will go up and the increased volume will provide my whole compound with wonderful sounds.

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Last month I got the chance to see Willie Nelson, his family, and some of his good friends invade the Ozarks for the traveling Outlaw Music Festival. I picked up my tickets at will call earlier in the day as the tour buses were filing in to the back parking lot. Man what I would have given to hop on the bus with Willie. I wouldn’t have went back to work I can tell you that.

With the festival starting earlier in the night to fit in 4 or 5 different acts, the pre concert dinner fit in right with happy hour at the amphitheater’s neighboring tex-mex joint. Willie is from Texas so downing a couple of grande margaritas would surely have been approved by him. And smoking that joint would definitely be approved. We took the walk from the high grown field to the amp just in time to see Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real coming onto the stage.

I found a great spot in the grass to stretch out and enjoy the music. My older cousin Hank taught me when I was in the 9th grade before I attended my first ever Phish concert that the grass seating is where the party goes on. I have found that to be true, sitting in the grass many times since then and having some damn good times I can barely remember. Lukas Nelson, Willie’s son has a tight band and are fantastic live who remind me a lot of original lineup Lynryd Skynryd or the more Southern Rock albums of the Allman Brothers. Lukas should have a successful career from here on out.

Next up was Margo Price, one of the best country acts around right now. She’s a hell of a songwriter with a kickass backing band. Her “Tennessee Song” and “Paper Cowboy” are some of the grooviest Cosmic American songs out recently. She had a condensed set of 7 songs but she killed it. After Margo, Sheryl Crow rocked the crowd who sang along. I wouldn’t seek out a Sheryl Crow concert but I can dig it. She seems like a cool lady that’s got it together.

Jason Isbell would be the last set before Willie. His “Nashville Sound” album should probably win album of the year for 2017. Quite a powerful album with some socially charged songs and he’s been one of the most acclaimed artists this year for good reason. He got to rock about 10 or so songs and ended with a nice cover of the Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post.”

Willie came on around 10 o’clock and everybody was ready for a show from the Red Headed Stranger. He kicked some ass for about 30 songs it seemed without taking a break. The smoke rolled in the air as it should for a Willie Nelson concert and people were feeling mighty nice by this time. He ran through a lot of his classics of course like “Whiskey River” and “On the Road” and played a couple of his new songs like “Delete and Fast Forward,” a song a wrote after last year’s election proclaiming “we had a chance to be brilliant but we blew it again.” Next time Willie comes to town I’m getting a backstage press pass damn it and climbing on the tour bus. But for now he blessed us with a memorable night of great music.

T.D.

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