Ponderings by Dan Ponder

I have made two visits to the state of Kentucky in the past five months.  Once was to watch Auburn play Kentucky in football.  The other was this past week when I attended the NCAA First and Second Round Regionals in Basketball. Mary Lou and I spent almost a week in Kentucky for the football…

On Saturday, I enjoyed a bowl of Peach Ice Cream at Plainsman Park, watching the Auburn Tigers Baseball Team.  I told the people sitting next to me that anytime I saw anything made with peaches I had to give it a try, given my 40 plus years of living in Georgia.   On Sunday, our…

A lot happened in 1978. The Camp David Accords were signed bringing peace between Egypt and Israel.  Women were integrated into the regular Army.  The first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, was introduced to the world.  Kentucky defeated Duke to become the National Champion in collegiate basketball. Grease and Saturday Night Live were movies everyone lined…

As a kid hanging around the peanut mill, I learned to drive old trucks that would haul peanuts in from the field.  There were often a couple of buttons on the floorboard that you would press with your foot.  One would start the engine.  The other would dim your lights.   By the time I…

By the end of any long hot Summer, I am always ready for cooler temperatures.  Fall brings some relief but can still be hot in Central Alabama.  January and February bring colder temperatures, more than usual this year.   It will be a long time before any of us forget the three inches of snow…

This is not the first time I have written my weekly article in front of an outdoor fire, though I cannot remember the last time.  As much as I love the fireplaces inside our house, there is something special about hearing the wood crackle and pop in our firepit under the stars.   We have…

When my wife and I bought our house in Auburn, we only asked for two things in the negotiations.  We wanted the sellers to leave the basketball goal and their Big Green Egg.  We could have probably done without the Green Egg, but the basketball goal has been a home run, to mix metaphors. The…

I went home on Tuesday and picked up my parents’ motor home, driving it back to Auburn the next morning.   After loading the Winnebago with essential supplies, four couples took off for Maggie Valley, North Carolina.  The occasion was the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Winter Formal, and the year was 1973. Departing on Thursday seemed…

There have been few long weekends that have equaled the one that is just ending.  Beginning Saturday, Auburn defeated Georgia 70-68 in basketball.  By Monday, Auburn was the unanimous choice as the #1 ranked basketball team in the nation.  Kudos to UGA who is much improved and to AU who found a win even as…

As usual, I am waiting for some inspiration at the last minute for a topic for this week’s column.  This morning, I stopped by Waffle House on my early morning walk.  After two miles in the cold, it started to rain.  My timing was perfect. I eat there enough that I know most of the…