mmmhellooo?

Lots of strange goings on in our little corner of the universe lately. Friday morning I was leaving my dad's house around 10:30 a.m. Daddy was doing his usual thing -- pushing stuff around on the tractor and playing the part of Eddie Albert in Green Acres. When I pulled out of the driveway there was a little silver convertible mustang idling across from our driveway. The person driving the car was obviously a man, white, and fat with a large, blonde wig and sunglasses. For a moment, I could've sworn it was Betty Butterfield.

When I drove past, I looked in the rearview mirror to see what he was going to do. He very slowly eased forward and stopped again. Hmm. This was just too strange. We live in the country and with no one else around, I wasn't leaving my 83-year-old father at home by himself, even if he can still chop down 200-year-old trees without help from anyone, so I turned around. When he saw me turn around, he drove off down the road. I followed him until I could get close enough to get a plate number. After about a half a mile, he turned back around and went back towards our house. By the time I turned around again, he'd gone.

I called a friend in the sheriff's office and asked him to make a report and gave him the plate number. So far, the mystery transvestite hasn't reappeared, at least that I know of. A famous author lives across the street, so maybe it was just some weird fan trying to get a gander at him.

So that was bizarrity number one. Now for number two:

Tommy and I have been attending tourism conferences lately to learn about social networking on the web, and making it work for Shantybellum. Everyone's told us we need a Facebook group, a blog (what you're reading right now), a Twitter account and a Digg account. There are others, too, but I can only spread myself so far.

So I set up a Twitter account to let people know when things are going on, when I've made a blog post, etc. For those of you who've been living on Mars and don't know what Twitter is, it's kind of like a mini-blogging site where you post short status updates, and people who are interested in hearing from you sign on as followers of your Twitter blog.

Whenever someone decides to follow me, Twitter sends me an email to let me know about it. So far I know most of the people who follow me. But yesterday I got an email from Twitter telling me some guy named Roberto was following me on Twitter. Since I didn't know him, I looked at his profile. I figured if he was following other Natchez people, it's probably someone I've met and don't remember. So I check to see who he's following, and he's following a whole bunch of women named Elodie. Sheesh! Creeped me out. Needless to say I blocked him. But that coupled with the fat cross dresser just...I dunno. Weirded me out.

Well, that's about it, all I wanted to say. Another day in paradise. And for those of you who've never seen Betty Butterfield? Be sure to look her up. She's a Southern, drinkin', prayin', substance abusing middle-aged woman who's searching for a church to fit her pocketbook and a doctor who'll dispense the pills she wants (somethin' with a vee in it) without asking too many questions.

She's played by Chuck Knipp, a Southerner who went to Ole Miss and has done real-life stints as a nurse on a mental ward and a unitarian minister. The first time I discovered him, I played Betty Butterfield videos all day and got the best dose of endorphins I've had in a looong, looong time.

If you need a laugh, check out the mad, maudlin world of Betty Butterfield.