Cypress Row,....

 

Cypress Row,... 116 S. Pine St Florence, AL., located in the former Comcast Cable office (the one with the rounded corner, has opened up and ready to serve the Shoals. Be sure to visit their Facebook page and click "like" Click here------> Facebook

We ventured over there tonight to give it a try. We were not disappointed. The pimento cheese dip with toasted bread was very good.

It was a generous amount and we had to get a to go box for it. We didn't want to get too full before our orders came.

Sandra had a salad and burger. You build your own. I almost got that but I'm a sucker for a good Philly Cheese. Both the burger and Philly were spot on. Oh and the fries were perfect.

Service was very good. Very attentive and pleasant. The atmosphere is upbeat also. The whole place was very clean. Restrooms included. Just a very good overall experience. 9.5 out of 10.

Struts On Pine,....

 

I have always liked the architecture of this building,... I guess it's the rounded corner but it's just always caught my eye. The insides have sure changed from the old Comcast days and man howdy,... it is for the better. 

Struts On Pine has taken up residents there now. An eating establishment with very good food, service and a nice atmosphere. There is an array of items on the menu that will surely fit most anyone's palate. 

We started off with a home made pimento cheese dip with home made potato chips. We both agreed it was the best we've eaten. Sandra had a BLT that comes with a fried green tomato but had it swapped out for a regular tomato. Two thumbs up from her. I had the Philly Cheese Steak with fries. First one I've had since the old Montague days and it didn't disappoint. Very, very good as were the fries. They looked to be hand cut but not sure. Everything was served hot and fast. Service was very good also. 

I know they are a new place and it takes a bit for everything to gel but the whole experience couldn't have been better. We will be back,.... 

Toilet Seats Ain't What They Used To Be,...

 

This is a simple toilet seat. A commode seat if you will,... no padding, no frills, just a simple toilet seat. 

In the past maybe 30 years I have bought 1 (one) seat for the indoor throne. One, uno, un, eins,.... one. In thirty years. Maybe 2 but I can't remember more than one. It just isn't or should I say, wasn't something that I have shopped for. Until now. 

In the past 6 months I have purchased 3, yes 3 of them. For the same commode. Why 3 you ask? Because the first 2 were total crap. Plastic hinges and poor construction.  Avoid them. The first purchase was from Lowes,... I bought a simple, cheap (hush) commode seat. The screws that attached the lid to the seat were too small for the hole,... they literally fell out. After trying to glue them back, it failed again. This was about 2 weeks after installation. 2 weeks!! When the glue also failed I went to Amazon to purchase a replacement. 

This one arrived and we were so excited,... (hush). After a couple of months the hinges started separating. In other words, the hinges were having a come apart. With that said,... we started looking at what it would take to build an outhouse. The kind with the hole cut in the wood to sit on. No seat required. This was a good option I thought since I wouldn't accidently leave the seat up again. Or so it seemed to me,.... 

Anyway we went with option number 2,... no pun intended. Introducing option number two, dos, deux, zwei,... two. 

Metal hinges,... after much researched and consulting NASA and the Army Corp of Engineers,... metal hinges are now the way to go to avoid what we went through. 

From The University of North Alabama,...

 

I hope this happens in my lifetime. UNA has long been needing its own home. The Lions have needed their den since the beginning of Lion football. Now, it is time,... time to help the university achieve its goal. The whole Shoals area and beyond can help make this happen as fans, as friends, as alumni. Show your support for UNA football by giving to the stadium fund. 

This from the university,... Bank Independent Stadium is the culmination of a vision – a vision that began almost 50 years ago when the University of North Alabama leadership believed in the institution, its students, its faculty, its staff, and, perhaps, most importantly, its community. Today, the stage is set for that vision to come to life with the transformative nature of the on-campus Bank Independent Stadium. By its very nature, a stadium brings people together to champion a common cause, and there is no question that, whether a football or baseball game, a soccer match, or a concert, Bank Independent Stadium will do just that – now and for generations to come. We welcome this historic and transformational next step as North Alabama steps into its place in history.

 Click the "Give here" link below to help UNA build it's Lion Den. 

Give here

Happy Mothers Day To These Ladies,...

 

I have always believed that the mother is the backbone of the family. She is the organizer, sympathizer, confidant, spiritual leader, disciplinarian, teacher, lover of all things children, doctor and nurse and so much more. These women pictured here are all of that and then some. Looking at what they have done and are doing is just proof that the mother truly is the backbone. Love you ladies. 

Moms,....

 

Moms,.... some good, some bad, some supportive, some not. Some try to teach you, some need to be taught themselves. Some put the children first, some take more photos of themselves and make duck lips. 

My younger sister and I had a mom that sacrificed her life for us. Not in the dying sense but in the sense she had no social life. She didn't party and leave us with whoever, she took care of us.  We were the victims of a drunken father who was abusive to her. He tried to be to me but like the mother she was, she protected us. I say father very loosely,... he was just a sperm donor.  

She was dedicated to us. She tried to teach us about being good people, about treating others right and to be a Christian. Momma tried. My younger sister learned these lessons probably a little better than I. Mom had already taught our older sister these things and she passed those teachings on to her children. Like I said, momma tried. 

We were certainly blessed to have such a loving mother. One that watched out for her baby birds. Its been 31 years since she has passed. So much has happened in that time that I wish we could share with her. She would be happy about some things, sad about others. But all in all I think she'd be pleased. Miss you mom,... 

Pet Peeves,...

 

Pet peeves,... basically it means something that grates on your nerves. It annoys you. Makes you cringe even. Pet peeves,... here is some of mine. 

Whiny business owners. Vertillos comes to mind and guess what,... they are out of business. Several times on Facebook the owner complained about one thing or another. Good food and good service wasn't enough to keep them open. I think the attitude of the owner played a key part in the closing of probably the best pizza place in the Shoals. Sad. Now there is another mom and pop store complaining about not enough people are coming in and buying from them. They even went as far as saying they are here for you, the customer. I want to say we didn't ask you to move here, set up shop and open your place in a spot that's hard to get to. We never asked you to be open the hours you are. I get it that you are frustrated with daily sales but don't air it out on Facebook. 

Now on to driving in the Shoals. It aggravates me to no end that semi's (18 wheelers) take up all three lanes on Wilson Dam Road. I thought they had to drive on the outside lane. I think I remember that from driver's ed. Just yesterday, all three lanes going South had semi's in them at the traffic light at 2nd Street. It took half way to Avalon before I could even get up to the speed limit because they were so slow and taking up all three lanes. 

Oh and speaking of Avalon Av,... the speed limit is 45 mph. It seems driving in the right lane at 35 is the thing to do. All the while the drivers in the right lane are doing 40. It amazes me that people cannot drive the speed limit. Don't get me started on blinker fluid or lack of it. 

The pages on Facebook called What's Happening Shoals, Florence, Muscle Shoals etc,.... People are constantly sharing post from these pages without doing some research. Many of the people posting on these pages don't even live here. Most have just a few friends showing. Some don't show any due to their settings. They aren't local. Several posts start with,... We are moving to Florence or the Shoals, blah, blah, blah and need a place to rent. Why are these people moving here? Go away!! Do some research on these posters, go look at their profile. Several are scammers. Especially the ones "giving" away dogs with a rehoming fee. That's how they get your information. 

In the South, we call them buggy's. Other places call them shopping carts. Whatever. Learn how to maneuver one in the store. Pretend it is the thing you drive at 35 mph in a 45 mph zone. STAY ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ISLE. PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE BECAUSE YOU CAN'T DRIVE THE BUGGY WHILE ON IT EITHER, JUST LIKE YOUR VEHICLE.  

TimesFaily Strikes Again,...

 

Well,...  most that know me knew I couldn't stay away long. What better way to reboot than to do it with one of my favorite subjects. The Times Daily news paper in Florence AL. AKA The TimesFaily. I call it that mainly because of past and present writers that either can not spell or use correct English or both. While I have never pretended to be a writer like some local bloggers, newspaper reporters and writers, sometimes it just amazes me how illiterate these people are. For what it is worth, I was a "c" student in high school English. So in my writing you will find errors too. I just don't get paid to make my mistakes. 

With that said, the TimesFaily has announced it will discontinue home delivery via the carriers. We used to call them paper boys back in the day because most of them were just that, boys. Carrying the papers in special bags with the papers logo on them. The TimesFaily will begin mail delivery April 4th. That's right, you will now get your local newspaper from you mail carrier. I feel sorry for the USPS workers with all the mail and packages they carry to have to make room for a news rag full of for lack of a better, crap. I view online and the most inportant thing in it is the obits. I check them every morning to make sure I'm not in them. The customer will have to make adjustments to their daily routine. No more morning coffee and reading the newspaper. Now it'll be later in the day for home delivery. We get our mail between 2-3 most days and now that will probably be later due to having to deliver the news. Sad. I haven't gotten the paper delivered sine the 80's when they started charging to print obituaries which I still feel should be a community service. Personally, I hope they go belly up.