With Sarah's help, I took some queenly advice!

Here's the advice, straight from H.R.H. Jill Conner Browne, THE Sweet Potato Queen, given to me on April 15, 2015, by way of a Facebook Message: Go out TODAY and buy yourself a FIVE-YEAR CALENDAR and start filling it up. Give no thought WHATSOEVER to being sick in any way. See yourself as healthy and vibrant, doing all the things you are putting in the calendar. Begin thanking God TODAY for your health and well-being. Praise Him for how wonderfully you are made and for all His magnificent Creation, of which you are an important part. All is well and all WILL BE well. xxoojill Thanks, Jill!

My friend Sarah came to my apartment yesterday with Burgerville Chicken Tenders and French Fries and the FIVE-YEAR CALENDAR, plus an added treat, the One Line A Day, A Five-Year Memory Book. Both the calendar and the book are exquisitely made so that they feel good in my hand, at my fingertips.




I'll be writing in them with my little Mama's favorite Papermate Sharpwriter #2 USA lead pencil, the one that advances the lead with a twist of its tip. Since she always wanted to have plenty on hand to use in her crossword puzzle books, I had a couple of unopened packages after she died in January, 2011. Since then, I've made my way to that section of either Freddie's or Walgreens, picked up another package and enjoyed the memory of watching her diligently complete one puzzle after the other while sitting in her recliner in front of the TV--Mama aced every single one! Now I keep a pencil atop this thick glass picture frame--that's us on July 9, 2004, taken by Lamont at the Bijou Cafe, downtown Portland. We ate breakfast there before going to the airport on the MAX and flying back to Jackson, Mississippi, after our first visit with Lamont and his brother Leland in Portland. Sweet memories.



See the tabs? There is one for each month in each of the five years. Enjoy my first entry!



I am astounded at the versatility of the memory book. You can see here how you're able to write in the year on a particular date before you record your memory! Brilliant!

ABC Wednesday – Q is for Queen

Hey, y'all, ABC Wednesday is the perfect time for you to meet Jill Conner Browne, Boss Queen of the Sweet Potato Queens. Jill's tour for her latest book, "The Sweet Potato Queen's Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit," brings her to Portland on Friday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m. Hip-hip-hooray! She'll be at Powells on West Burnside. Mama and plan to be in the great big crowd, suitably attired as true followers of the Boss Queen.

I took these photos in March, 2005, at the Mal's St. Paddy's Day Parade in Jackson, Mississippi. Boss SPQ Jill and the Sweet Potato Queens ride a vividly tacky float around a loop through the heart of downtown. As I explained in my random facts, 2005 was my second year to be an official SPQ Wannabe Wannabe, marching along behind the float, in I-never-knew-how-much-fun-marching-in-a-parade-could-be heaven!



Every few minutes loud, danceable music blares from the float, initiating a rolling floor show from the Sweet Potato Queens, therefore, this blurry but fun photo below.



Please note the water bottles you can see all around the edges of the float. That big white cooler is packed to the gills with water! Parading around in pounds of sequins, foam and fringe take it out of a gal.



I'm happy to report that I got to interview Jill in 2004 for the Jackson Free Press. Click here
to read the interview. Plus, you can read a summary about Jill here.

P. S. Believe it or not, in the mid to late '70s Mama and Jill worked together at the Sears credit department. I discovered that when I reviewed Jill's last non-fiction book, “The Sweet Potato Queens’ Wedding Planner/Divorce Guide”. In between it and this latest non-fiction one, she wrote "The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big-Ass Novel: Stuff We Didn't Actually Do, but Could Have, and May Yet." For a bit about the tour for the novel as well as the essence of Jill and the Sweet Potato Queens, please read this article in USA Today. You'll be glad that you did, I promise.