Well…Bobbie says he looks like George Clooney…and Jeanine the Owner and Stylist at Personal Image Salon says he looks like Ben Stiller!  All I can tell you is that when I looked on the floor after the "shearing," I thought I saw two dogs fighting…fur flying everywhere.
I really don't have anything in common with either George or Ben, but Bobbie says it looks like a "big boy" haircut…you know when you were little and you or your brother had a buzz cut, crew cut or flat top and you let it grow a little and parted it…that's a big boy…not the double cheeseburger Big Boy.  So "Merry Christmas," Honey…this is your first Christmas present.

I got it yesterday morning and I've already noticed a few things…1)  my forehead and the tops of my ears got sun burned yesterday…they have not been "sun kissed" in over twenty years.  2)  Jeanine was grinning the whole time she was mowing. Enjoy it, J, because since there is so little to mess with now, I think I will ask for a discount price on the next one.  She had planted the seed with Bobbie the last time they were together and she met me at the door with a book full of "modern" men's cuts…I kinda' like the "mountain man" look myself.  3)  Bobbie keeps saying, "I love your hair."  I don't think she has ever seen it this short except for pictures before I started getting "big boy" haircuts.  But, this close to Christmas, anything about me she loves is good. 4)  So today I went shopping…and I am getting stares from women…mostly older women…but, hey!  I told my mother-in-law that my new haircut looks like Frank Sinatra's toupee…remember the gray one that…well…looked like a toupee?  I knew that would give her some perspective.  5)  When I got out of the shower today and stepped on the scales…I weighed two pounds less!  Now this is two days after Thanksgiving!  Two pounds less?  C'mon…  6)  and finally, my cowboy hats don't fit anymore…so if you were trying to think about giving the guy who has everything something for Christmas…just saying.

Finished a painting this week that I really like and started a new one that I like even more…will let you see the first one next time.  I especially like the titles.
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Happy Trails, everybody.

Chad on the Linville River

OK…you know the rest of that old adage.  But this isn't about our son Chad the fisherman.  This is actually about Apple and my 10-year old MacBook!  Poor old bugger…it has served me well for 10 years now.  That said, I cannot download another Safari past Lion 10.7.5. Even my gmail account flashes a warning at the top of the page saying "Gmail no longer supports this browser." Reminds me of the old lion I once saw at the MGM Grand in Reno, Nevada where I met my sweet wife, Bobbie.  The ol' boy just laid there with his eyes closed sleeping.  "Pose for a picture? Sure, give me a couple of minutes…you seen my teeth around here anywhere?"  Safari, huh?
My old MacBook probably has more cookies than my friends at The Art Cellar in Banner Elk, NC, and I try to keep them happy, happy, happy.  I started deleting old photos that I once thought I would paint, in 2007.  I am still deleting emails that I thought I should keep…yesterday I dropped below 6000 saved messages.  Wow.  Six thousand!  
There are lots of lessons I am learning from this, but I won't go into them.  It all started after my month off.  I haven't written you all since September.  October was transition month to warmer weather and setting up studio south.  Then, I started drawing.  I always get going again after a respite by drawing. I drew 10 pieces ready for paint. I drew the pic of Chad fishing and took a photo of it with my iPhone 6…but when I plugged it into the side of my old MacBook, iPhoto didn't move.  Would not sync with my old MacBook…photos, music, and I can't open my Trash…I have to dump the trash using my iPad!
 So…Christmas is coming.  I have a very short list…MacBook whatever and I will keep it updated.  If I am here another 10 years…who knows what we may wake up to…pizza for everyone…oh, and cookies…Santa like cookies!