AG Food Show

Jeff, before retiring, had managed a medium sized perishable food warehouse in Birmingham, Alabama. I tried full time retirement for 2 1/2 years but 2 years ago, my VP called me and ask if I would like to come back and work part time and manage this warehouse for the company again. We talked and had lunch together a couple of time and after a week, Jeff wrote up a contract and I have been back since. They have not run me off, so I guess I can work another week.

The warehouse, agsouth.com, is located in Tarrant City, an eastern suburb of Birmingham. They do a great job with our product and I was fortunate to have been a part of the sales group and went with the first perishable delivery into the warehouse too many years back to remember. Good memories.

AG has a booking or Food Show twice a year, one is July and another in January. AG rents the main auditorium in the BJCC (Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center) and the vendors are ask to rent space or booths to book product for two days. This is good exposure for us, the supplier, as the new stores and owners and market managers come to the show and we get to introduce them to some product they may now have in their current meat case sets.

Two of us set up our booth Monday and put up banners and signs about the Zeigler company. I rented power and an addtional table for the booth and make sure the computer set up worked so we were prepared to book product the next two days. We sampled smokey bratwurst and cheesy brats and then our all beef and pork jumbo franks. I had 6-12lb. boxes of product and I will tell you these customers and vendor ate us out of house and home.

My demo lady worked the samples and Jeff talked to them and booked the products they desired into AG's computer system. We booked product for 3 ad weeks in August, September, and October and have committed ads and product for those ad period with most of the larger ad groups. I had generated a copy of the booking sheets and mailed each to our salesmen so now most of the owners and market managers came to the show with these already filled out, being presold by our salesmen.

I will not go into further detail of this as it is boring, boring, boring to the casual reader. I worked 6 hours Monday setting this up, and 10 hours each day of the show, so you see I have been busy and of course, feeling some better. My energy is not at 100% yet, so I had to pace myself a little bit. Lots of water, lots of gatorade, to keep hydrated during this very hot summer here in Birmingham. It was 97 Tuesday afternoon with a heat index of 107. That is hot in any body's book!

Thursday morning a I get to sleep until 6:00am. I had been getting up at 5:00am the last 3 days and working until after 5:00pm, so I looking forward to kicking back a little today. Have a wonderful day. Jeff

Divitulitis 101

It is Jeff and he is BACK! Well...back to some degree? I have had two bouts with this little problem two times in about 5 years and what kicks it off is probably not eating like the doctor ordered.

If you don't know anything about this problem, it is small indentions or kinks in your personal plumbing that does not like anything hard to digest. I have been done in by nuts in cookies, pear peelings, peanuts where they should not be, and other? If I stay with home cooked food, less process food, I am much better off.

I will not make this one boring as it happens to all folks, any age, but hits some of us in our 50's and 60's when our digestive systems slow down a bit and we don't get as much exercise as we should. The doc said I "may" have had this all my life but I was moving too fast to have it give me any problem. But I think he is only guessing!

They ran a bunch of very personal tests back a few years ago to rule out any big time problem. It is funny how they do all this and only afterwards do they give you anything for pain. I told the doc after both attacks that the pain med was so good..."Can I have two of those to GO!" You talk about a feel good, giddy high, they have some pain med that makes Jim Beam look like Koolaid. Kidding. I know the stuff is habit forming and they give you enough for maybe 3 days and that's it and NO REFILLS.

Anyway, Jeff's plumbing is now quiet and I am working coffee back into my morning regime. I really missed my coffee as it really did not taste good for several days. Ah, but now, it taste like nectar! I fixed 12 cups this morning of Folger's french roast and Karen and I are working on our second cups as we speak.

Thanks for caring about my absence...as I missed you guys and gals too. The computer now is getting some exercise it (and I) have missed the last 10 days or so. Enjoy the day HE has given each of us,,, and can we talk....Jeff

Diviticulitis

You guys may have missed my post the last few weeks. Jeff has been a little under the weather. This tummy problem meant 3 visits to the doctor and rest and liquid diet for several days resting the internals.

I am back at maybe 90 percent but not the best yet. I promise to put some posts up after I finish with a Food Show today and tomorrow, an all day affair working for the company.

Keep the faith! I looked at the obits in the paper and did not find my name in it...yet! LOL. See ya,

Jeff

Bessemer High School Grand Reunion

Bessemer High School closed in 1970. The building was built in 1923 but it out grew the facility and so Bessemer built a new high school, Jesse Lanier High School, named after it 'living' mayor? I was fortunate enough to graduate from BHS in 1955 and we have now a "Grand Reunion" of all BHS Class about every 5 years.

Last night was a nice event and Karen and I got to meet a lot of members we had not seen in some years and years. The tables had groups of classes and we each signed the book indicating who all was there. But the fact our class of 1955 had our 50th last weekend and the fact this was the 4th of July weekend, many were on vacation.

The classes maybe 3 or 4 years on each side of our class were all friends. I had friends I remembered from 1948 and 1952 that graduated with my Aunt Barbara (Northcutt) Guyton and Uncle Jim Northcutt. I had friends with my first wife's class of 1962 and they welcomed me and Karen with big hugs and kisses. Roy Harper, my first cousin, graduated in 1958 and many of his friends he played sports with were great to see and talk to.

It was good to share family news and finding out about each other after all these years. I had made 20 personal business cards with my email on it and shared these with those that wanted to be included in a group of BHS members that I share news with from time to time.

We had announcements, recognition of a few teachers, heavy hors deorves (never an spell that) and sitting and/or dancing to the dance band and then disc jock who provided the music of the 40's and 50's and 60's that was great to dance to. Karen and I danced some but not as much as some who really will be sore today...LOL. They forget they are in their late 50's to early 80's and their 17 year old minds was writing a check the body will have a hard time cashing.

Good 4th of July each one. I took my brother a copy of the BHS Grand Reunion book last night and in putting it in his mail box about 11:00pm, the lights came on and his son Brock came out and talked to us about the reunion. Have a happy 4th everyone and drive safely....Jeff

50th Bessemer High School Reunion

It is now Thursday morning after a whirlwind weekend that this writer is having great difficulty telling you about. Why the difficulty? If you were there, you understand ! How did it happen? How did we pull this off "perfectly!". Did anything go wrong? I think not!

Everyone, everyone seemed to have a great time at all the events we put together. Some came to only part whereas others came to all. Did you not have a great time?

Two years ago the planning committee started having lunch together the first Wednesday of each month. Do you know the part that played the biggest role to me? It was us, now getting to know each other after, for most, being apart for 50 years! Culture Shock? Shock and Awe? Whatever you may call it, it was there starring us in the face.

But soon, we were friends again, knowing something of each other's lives and totally enjoying our time together. Oh, we did not start planning for maybe months, but we talked about it, discussed a lot of options but mostly talked and got to know each other.

If I start naming names, and telling who did what, I will surely fail to mention someone! Please pardon this writers 'senior moments' as total recall is not my strength.

Jeanette, Patsy, Jerry, Janet, Gladys, Nancy, Tommie, Jackie Davis, Tommy and lastly me. Please pardon me if I left someone out but, we had people behind the scenes helping us in so many ways. It is to you, the unnamed, we all say a big "thank you" for helping us do this and making it such a big success.

The 50th Anniversary Book, the music disk, the picnic last Friday, The Club on Saturday, Church together at the 1st Presbyterian in Bessemer Sunday morning, and finally lunch together at the Bright Star.

The part that amazed me or was the biggest surprise was going to Sunday School and seeing Clyce and reminding him of our Class coming that morning. "How many do you think will be here?", he asked! I told him "15 to 20, possibly two rows on the left side". Boy was I wrong! I came into the sanctuary about 10:50, and there were already 4 rows filled to overflowing. We filled almost 5 rows, 65 to 70 kids all coming to 1st Presbyterian which is Clyce, Ruth, Karen's and mine, all our home Church. Personally, we want to thank you for your presents in God's house and hope you took away something of great value.

The next was Harvey calling the Bright Star and Jimmy coming and telling us Harvey wishing he could be there. Quote "I miss being there with all of you but I miss the Bright Star more!" Thanks Harvey, we missed you too!

You know that anyone who writes this letter of any event, his or her focus is narrowed by his or her special attachment to some of you. Eddie Falkner, James Phillips, Kay Cowan, Phyllis Cowan, Karen Keith, Jane White, Betty Burnett, Clyce Hurst, and Jerry Morrow, to name a few as we were childhood friends growing up together as little kids and most beginning with Ms Shine in the first grade at Arlington School. We played together, rode bikes together, ate together, and went to SS and Church together, making those first real bonds with friends we loved. If you wrote this paragraph, the names and places would be different and feel free to share that with us.

A car full of gas filled purple and white balloons, what a hoot! Putting up the signs for the picnic were a task! I had to make the signs and park on the entrance ramps on the North and South bound side of Exit 1 on I459 to put the BHS55 signs with the arrows. Oh, and attach the purple and white balloons I had floating around in my car. The traffic on I459 blew the balloons all over the place and it was only 92 and close to 100 with the heat off the asphalt. I was sweating big time. Then driving to Brackner Park and putting up the BHS55 Picnic sign with the balloons marking the entrance. Really this was a breeze, but I wanted them up before Jeanette and Tommie and others got there and to make it an easy sign for all you guys and gals to see.

The picnic was nice with the pavilion being in the shade after 2:00pm. We all had a nice visit together and lots of new friendships renewed and new ones made. Karen and I left about 7:30 p.m. and some were just pulling chairs together to get into some big time memory sharing. THAT was the purpose and what this reunion was all about.

The Club did a great job on caring for us and our time there was wonderful. It was great to have one of Tommie Walker's children there to take pictures and to share these with us on disk. "Jerry Batson did a great job as MC!" Thanks Jerry!

I think I have talked about each of the events and if you came to all, you had a very busy weekend. I want to tell each of you how much fun it was putting together and working with all the members of the planning committee to make it happen. We are still going to meet the 1st Wednesday of each month at the Golden Corral on Lorna Road in Hoover so feel free to join us. We start about 11:00am or 11:30am and go until we get tired. Do we have some memories to share! Thanks everyone for coming!
Jeff Nutter, Jr