Ponderings by Dan Ponder

This past week, Mary Lou and I continued to work toward a bucket list goal of attending a football game at every SEC stadium.   We flew to Little Rock and drove up to Bentonville, the home of Walmart, where everyone we met seemed to have some connection to that massive company.   The game was…

The complete quote in the title above is “Where there is smoke, there is fire”.  That was certainly the case for the residents of Donalsonville this week as a warehouse setting in the middle of town and containing nearly 7,000 tons of peanuts caught fire.    The smoke settled on the town like an early…

The two 14 year old boys were stretched out on the dock at Compass Lake looking up at the stars and the moon.  The moon phase was “Waxing Crescent” or approximately 30 percent visible.  Normally that would not be on the minds of two teenage boys, but this was not an ordinary night.  It was…

The crowds were decked out in either orange or blue.  The anticipation was evident in the players’ eyes.  They were slapping each other and cheering, working hard to stay focused before the opening kick.   I could feel my muscles tighten as the start of the game got closer.  My thoughts were all over the…

How was your weekend?  A frequent question asked on Monday morning.  Despite another loss by my Auburn Tigers, it was a pretty good weekend.  Actually, it was a great weekend. I go to Auburn partially because I spent four years in college there and I still love the place.  Mary Lou and I have a…

It finally happened to me. I spent this past weekend at Compass Lake.  There was no one but me; no family, no friends, no dog.  It was so quiet that I didn’t even realize my phone was missing until I came home Sunday morning to attend church. It wasn’t in my truck, my clothes, or…

These birthdays come relentlessly now and nothing seems to slow them down.  I haven’t figured what to do with last year’s gifts before the new presents are ready to be unwrapped.  Nevertheless, I still enjoy these annual celebrations, perhaps because I don’t like the alternative and perhaps because I still have a little kid inside…

It is hard to hold back the excitement as the big day approaches.  It consumes you as you find yourself watching television, listening to the radio and talking with your friends about the same subject over and over.  Finally, when it seems that everyone has collectively reached a fever pitch, a coin is tossed, the…

It wasn’t an accident that our recent trip to Europe included countries of the former Warsaw Pact.  I have long had an interest in Eastern Europe.  The Summer after the eighth grade, I had the opportunity to travel behind the Iron Curtain with my grandparents.  Unfortunately, the trip was for the entire Summer and I…