The Duck

Today is the Duck's birthday. As it happened, I was out moseying around (after I picked up my new reading glasses!) just as he was getting off work. Since the Susie was going to be late getting home he was on his own for dinner so he and I went to Nick's together where he regaled me w/ many stories. Let me tell you about the Duck.

He's a pretty good old boy but lands! He is a redneck born and bred. He was single and a real ladies man for awhile but that got old. He got pretty tired of the dating scene:

He often went to family reunions looking for dates, mostly finding his cousin Debra whom no one would date:



Oh he was a real ladies man alright but he was also lonely before he met the Susie and sometimes found himself in trouble, trying to drown his sorrows:



When he met his special girl and they decided to get hitched, he was determined to have a right proper wedding so they bought a book:


He spared no expense at the ritziest store in town:


Nothing but the finest for his little dumpling:


The two of them are real good to each other and have a fine time. For his birthday she made him this:

For her birthday, he gave her that but if you read the cover you can see he probably had ulterior motives -- see "possum" or as we Yankees call it, "roadkill":


Well, it wasn't long 'fore the babies started comin' and he took lots of photos of all his "pride and joys":

and

and

and

Here's a photo of them and the first little beauty queen:


Of course, with the babies for awhile there'd be no more of the finer things in life like boats:
Outdoor grills:

Riding lawnmowers:

Fancy swimming pools:

But it didn't take them long to get on their feet and become financially stable. It was the Susie's personal belief in teaching the little ones at home:


It wasn't long before they decided to renovate their house:


And since the Duck never would do without this:


the Susie insisted on the same for her home:


Her proud hubby added some of his own flavor to the remodeling project:


You have to have classy cars with such a classy home:



Still, you gotta have that quality time together so he Duck takes the kids fishing:


and he even came up with his own innovative way of measuring their catch -- he wouldn't take an illegal fish, you know:


And they all enjoy camping together:


The Duck enjoys cooking out when friends come over, which is why we never let him near the grill when he's here on the ranch:


And at Thanksgiving he insists on cooking the turkey himself:


He joins groups with his buddies because all work and no play makes him a very sad quacker:


But he's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer sometimes:


We all think it's a good thing he finally gave up deer hunting:


He tried really hard but somehow it just never worked out for him. He never did figure out why.

So today he's a year older and tonight he'll put his tooth in water:

Just like my granny did.

At Christmas there'll be the usual big celebration:



Everyone, I mean everyone has a real good time:


Sometimes him and my daddy have such a good time together they just fall asleep standing up:



And you know that Duck will put up his usual Christmas decorations:


So Duck: I know I got you good at the restaurant tonight, and you'll lay awake tonight plotting against me. But remember -- You will never get me nearly as well as I always get you -- even if Daddy does help you!! You know what we Yankees always say, don't you?

And by the way, I'm really sorry I told them you're now a Senior Citizen. I didn't realize they believed me until they gave you a Senior Citizen's Discount on your dinner. And I really didn't know they were going to advertise to the whole restaurant, "It's his birthday today!! This is his first day as a SENIOR CITIZEN!!" But I did sort of figure they'd come out clapping and singing you a song!!!!!! You will never get me that good so just feel free to wave the white flag anytime you want, dude! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Oh man ... I really crack myself up!!!!!!!! Gee. I just thought of something: You know every single person in that restaurant. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Oh me ...

Daddy and Bucky

**Friday**
No, I'm not talking about a friend named Bucky, I'm talking about the Real Deal: He got him an 8 point -- almost 9 point buck this morning. Thank heavens that's over! I'm thinkin' he'll probably keep going out because Uncle Steve hasn't gotten one yet, and Lord knows he can't go out alone in his wheelchair to hunt! Wait -- Uncle Steve has been going out in his little mini-car to hunt, not his wheelchair. Poor soul. This morning he saw two 4 points but they were too far away. Everyone else has gotten a deer -- Uncle Rex, Daddy and even my cousin's husband Sarma and it was the first time he ever went deer hunting. Now Uncle Steve needs to get him a bigun'! My daddy just hauled Bucky off, and I'm glad. It was so beautiful, and for once his big old tongue wasn't stickin' out. I took photos w/ my 35mm. and I'll post one when I get it processed. That was one big deer! Sad. When I come back from town night before last it was about 6.15 PM. I turned off Natchez Trace onto Pin Oak and there was a little bitty fawn right by the side of the road, just as plain as day. She was tiny, about 1/2 the size of Precious and I was scared she was gonna dart out across the road so I creeped by as slowly as I could. I didn't see Mama but you can bet the ranch she was watching Baby. That's why Daddy doesn't want to take a doe.

I slept all night w/ the windows open and like to smothered to death. They're still open but at least now there's a nice breeze coming through. Another hot day but then it'll turn to winter down here again: 50°and rain. I miss snow.

**Saturday**
Bucky is long gone, all that remains is his ... *gulp* ... head, I think. Gross. The rest of him is at Hay's Meat House or whatever it is. This is kinda funny: When Da was deer hunting he counted I believe he said 39 turkeys in the clearing -- boys and girls, or whatever they're called -- so he got his deer and today went out turkey hunting. Didn't see a one. *snicker* I mean, is it really necessary he murder every animal on our land? Hunting season just began, for heaven's sake! I feel bad for them ... I know, I know, it's the balance of nature and all that crap but it still breaks my heart.

So. Do y'all know about the Lips Urinal? Now this is disgusting. Get a load of it:
Yeah. Can you believe this thing? It's called the Kisses! Urinal and this hunk of porcelain can be installed in any home, where it will undoubtedly amuse both you and your guests who might fancy a tinkle. The upside: With this as their target you may finally break their disgusting habit of sprinkling on the floor. Maybe. How would you like this?

Oooh, classy. However, they're all over Europe, and they can keep 'em far's I'm concerned.
DISGUSTING

So tomorrow is the church's Thanksgiving dinner and it looks like every thing's gonna turn out just fine despite my mom stressing about it. She made the pea salad (using English peas, of course) that everyone but me loves, dressing and I'm sure something else but it just fell out my head. I made like a gallon of gravy plus Samantha's Famous Deviled Eggs. Daddy sampled everything just to make sure it was up to his high standards! He tickles me when he does that.

And you thought you had a lousy day, how would you like to be this person? Officials in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, spotted what could be a rare World War One stamp on an absentee ballot on election night. But by the time they discussed what kind of stamp it was, the envelope it came on was already locked in a ballot box. Of course, it cannot be opened once sealed so it'll be another 22 months before anyone knows if it's the infamous inverted Jenny. However, it's worth a lot less than what it once was because it's been canceled! Sad.
NO LONGER $200K

This is also ridiculous, and I've been left wondering what were they thinking? Check out the luxury laptop which also includes a built-in videocam that has "a mirror-like function ... to allow you to check your style," according to the laptop maker's Web site, Ego-Lifestyle. Yeah, I'm gonna plunk down $5K for a laptop I'm sure to replace in 18 months.

Mind you, that's the el-cheapo laptop. For the ritzy one w/ platinum and diamonds click the link:
ASININE
It's still gonna be a hunk of junk, a freaking dinosaur in 18 months!! Sheesh.

And this is a Good Thing: Barbaro's cast was removed last Friday!! He is in no way out of the woods and still suffers from laminitis in his right hind leg which occurs frequently when horses put too much weight on one leg. But Big B is definitely on the mend!! I can think of no horse more loved by the world than he.

LOTS OF LOVE

The article states, "thousands of fans worldwide who have sent cards, posters, carrots, apples, candies and flowers. 'And Barbaro is not greedy,' reports Bellwether, the school's newsmagazine. 'Of the thousands of treats sent to him, he enjoys what he can, and shares the rest with other equine patients.'"

Such a precious boy. God bless you and keep you, Barbaro. Our prayers are with you always.

Deer Season? and Other Southernisms

Call me crazy but there's just something wrong when Opening Day arrives and it's 78°. Maybe not crazy ... I'm a Yankee, I'll never become accustomed to that. Am I still a Yankee? It's hard to say ... Some of these rednecks have really rubbed off on me quite a bit like the Duck, James and his mama Miss Pauline, Mr. John L., and so on. It's a long list.

For example, the preacher at church was worried sick about the bubs. He needed more bubs and he didn't know how he was going to get to the old bubs. Of course, none of our clan knew what he was talking about until it became evident: Some of the lights in the cathedral ceiling in the sanctuary were burned out and needed to be replaced. "The light bubs!" And they all say bubs down here.

Here's another one everyone says: English peas. Guess what they are? Listen, I can whip up ham steak and red-eye gravy as good as the next person but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what English peas were. Mama finally pinned Miss Pauline down and got to the bottom of it. They're peas. Yup, canned, frozen, or fresh -- they're plain old green peas. Pardon me, English peas.

Now my grandmama was a southern woman and she like to drove us two girls crazy when we were little w/ her sayings of wisdom. Let me rephrase that: Crusty Cousin and her like to drove me crazy because I was trusting and gullible and believed ever word said to me. The following are some of our grandmama's, others are from womenfolk down here:
If you wash dishes and the front of your shirt gets wet, chances are you'll marry a drunk.
A severed head from a snapping turtle, placed in a fork of a tree facing the your house,will eliminate the chance of lightning striking your house.
Saying, "bread and butter", will mitigate the unlucky effects of two people walking on opposite sides of an object.
Hearing two screech owls means sure death.
Don't tickle an infants feet; it will make them stutter when they get old enough to talk.
If a knife drops, a man will come to visit; if a fork drops, a woman will come to visit.
If a picture falls off a wall it is a sign of death.
If a bird flies in the house a death is soon to come.
If your right hand itches, you will receive money; if the left itches, you will get a letter. If your nose itches, company is coming.
Don't go outside with a wet head or you will catch a cold. (My mom still says that to me -- in fact, she said it to me today, fresh on her mind because I've had bronchitis.)
Don't look at anything scary while you are pregnant or it will mark your baby.
If you drink coffee it will stunt your growth.
If you cross your eyes they will stay that way.
It's bad luck to walk under a ladder, or let a black cat cross your path. However,
there are two ways of stopping a run of bad luck if you walk under a ladder by accident. Cross your fingers and keep them crossed until you see a dog, or spit on your shoe and let it dry.
It's bad luck to pick up a coin if it's tails side up. Good luck comes if it's heads up.
A horseshoe, hung above the doorway, will bring good luck to a home. (I actually have one of Snickerdoodle's baby shoes above my front door. Have I been lucky? Not so much but I still like having my Palomino's shoe there.)
To predict the sex of a baby: Suspend a wedding band held by a piece of thread over the palm of the pregnant girl. If the ring swings in an oval or circular motion the baby will be a girl. If the ring swings in a straight line the baby will be a boy. (Crusty and I did that w/ her daughter and my son. We were wrong!!)
If you eat carrots you will never need glasses.

And there are more, yeah. I'll have to double check on the New Year's thing they do down here. I do know just about everyone I'm friends w/ has hog jowls, cabbage and black-eye peas on New Year's Day and they all mean something. I believe cabbage is for money in the coming year, the peas I got no clue and I don't even want to think about what dang old hog jowls could be for. All the markets have sales on hog jowls soon after Christmas and I know for a fact Mr. Griggs has 'em because he invited me to his house for dinner last year. God bless him, I love that old guy. Mr. Griggs owns the Big Star market in town. Wally World hasn't put him outta business yet!

On Sunday is the annual Thanksgiving Dinner at church. Well, Mama has to get all het up about things, everything has to be just so -- and I'm really not faulting her, but she does stress about it and that I dislike. She approached the preacher's wife Wanda about having a meeting to decide what everyone would bring on Sunday. Wanda always brings the turkey because the church purchases it, so that was taken care of. The way they do things down here is just like Wanda said, "Everyone will bring something, don't you worry about that." That's how they do it. But my mom was pretty adamant, afraid everyone would bring the same thing so everyone needed to be called and told what to bring. And, I suspect, some needed to be told to bring something otherwise they'd skip it cause you know there's some that's tighter than a bull's butt at fly time. Right off the top of my head ... Let me think. Wanda's doing the turkey, Mama's doing dressing and noodles, my baby sister Tonya is bringing steamed vegetables ... Everything has done flown out my head, I can't remember but there's a great long list! Oh! Jewell is bringing corn and Sue is making creamed potatoes. Not mashed potatoes, down here they're creamed potatoes. I said "mashed" to someone in a restaurant here while back and girl looked at me like I had a wart on the end of my nose. And what's my meager contribution? Evidently, no one at church knows how to make giblet gravy. Of all things! So of course I was volunteered to do that, and that's fine, I don't mind. I might make Samantha's Famous Gooey Butter Cake too! Woo-hoo!

I had a brainstorm on Monday. I was so intelligent and so in the zone I should have bought a lottery ticket! I had to break down and get reading glasses. Sigh. But it's nice to know exactly where my vision is at since my eyeballs haven't been looked at since I had laser surgery. My far vision is -- GASP! -- 20/10!! My eyeballs are healthy, I have no problems w/ night vision, etc. But up close I'm blind as a bat. Seriously, I can't read a dang newspaper (I really miss that)! I've been callin' my mama to look up phone numbers for me because I can't see the dang ol' phone book. Poor me. Well, I really didn't want to do this. I didn't want to do it, I wrestled w/ it, I knew I had to do it but I also knew I'd never find frames I liked. Stupid. I know. At least I can admit it. But just before I went in to the Eye Doc's office I remembered my son's glasses. He's put them in the glove compartment before we went in for his Lasik and there they'd stayed allllll this time. I grabbed them, put them in my pocket and come pert near to forgetting them! But I remembered and now my reading glasses will be in my son's gorgeous frames. Woo-hoo! They were so cute on him so they'll be great on me too. I mean, we're just about one in the same -- if they look good on him, they'll look fabulous on me. They have to be reworked just a little but they'll fit. I'm happy! I'll get them I believe on Friday. And then I'll be like Eddie Murphy in Trading Places: "I can see! It's a miracle, I can see!"

Finally:
The Redneck Word of the Day: Portuguese
"We got are limit, now portugeuse in the truck and let's git on home."

Oh me ...

I just got Precious out and back in, and soon's we get in bed she'll be looking for her two cookies (they're actually Milk Bones). I'm tired. When Daddy hunts, I wake up early. Why? Because he fires up the ATV and Precious hates it! It sort of wakes me up while she tries to gnaw through the door to get at it. She loathes the tractor, Daddy's motorcycle, anything loud. She barks and bites the tires ... Sigh! My wolf is a moron.

Later~

Lots of Changes

I guess it's just knowing when the time is to change, and not hang onto the past. I simply became bored so I can only imagine what you, my loyal readers thought. *smile*

More changes coming as time permits. The gorgeous pink, girly, sparkly tag above is courtesy of my great friend MR. May she always have a passion for creating things so uniquely Samantha!

Changes

Big changes are coming to SamDi: Beer For My Horses. Why, you ask? Because I'm borrrrrrrrrrred. Stay tuned.

Bangers and Mash

I made dinner. That's right, fellow babies, I actually went to the market, chose every single item, I paid for those items instead of using a credit card or my debit card on my parent's account and then! Yes, I actually came back and cooked my little heart out. I MADE BANGERS AND MASH -- woo-hoo! Can you believe it?? Oh calm down, get ahold of yourselves, everyone loved it! Y'all gotta trust me because there is one unequivocal truth: I know how to read! Not only that, I know how to implement what I read so I made Bangers and Mash but truly, everyone was afraid of it until I put it on the table. They didn't know what to expect which is, of course, what I'd intended. Oh man -- -- I really crack myself up!!

So did y'all see one of my favorite shows tonight? That's right, I love Survivor. I truly am a reality show fan! Jessica, who was on my last nerve on Day 1, got the axe. "It's time for you to go, Jessica." I think she got on my nerves because she reminded me so much of Rachel. Ick.

So I have a real problem here. I have horses. I love my horses, every one of them. But at times they do become problematic. Allow me to illustrate -- I think this says it all:
It's awful, and anyone who knows my Big Man can tell you he loves coffee! He just slurps it right out of whomever's mug is nearby. I did indeed teach him to drink out of my water bottle -- I carry an Evian or Dasani bottle w/ me nearly all the time -- and one day Daddy and I were down at the stable w/ the horses in their stalls, I believe waiting for the vet to come to give yearly immunizations, do Coggins tests, etc. and while we were standing there waiting I gave my Palomino a sip of my water. He really dug it so I kinda helped. He clamps his teeth on it, tips it up and slugs it down. Uh ... maybe I shouldn't have done that.

On the upside, Daddy and the Duck finally got around to working w/ the baby and now he loads like a little angel! (Most of the time.) He's not a self-loader like my Snickers but he does very well, very well! We're all very proud of him -- but then, he's our baby. Just a precious boy.

Okay, just one more that you must see and then no more I promise! Check this out: Can you believe that? Who has a red SUV called Lovey? It just kills me -- I don't know recall where I found it but I'd forgotten about it until tonight and wanted to share. Photos of the real Lovey is a couple of pages back -- under "images", no doubt.

What makes us happy in life? Stuff, of course. We love Stuff, we need Stuff, we have to have it. Live w/out Stuff? I can't -- I won't. I love Stuff. The only problem w/ Stuff is, the more Stuff you have the more room for Stuff you need. In my case it goes a little differently: The more Stuff I have, the more Stuff I have to get rid of. But sometimes that doesn't bother me. Case in point: My hated dinnerware. It's new, and it's pretty, a very unusual style in a classic white. It's just that I have no interest in it anymore and it had to be disposed of as soon as possible. The love affair between It and I ended some time ago (along w/ my flatware) so it had to be replaced. It was difficult to find items that are me but I have persevered! I have this:

They're brighter than that, but not so much that it bugs my eyeballs out first thing of a morning. But flatware has yet to speak to me. I'm leaning toward this:

However, it's not screaming SAMANTHA and it absolutely must before I'll purchase it. Meanwhile, I'm muddling through w/ the set I presently have and despise more every time I lay an eyeball on a piece.

I found these, and they're on sale!
Just tell me that's not adorable! I have to get this:

It's kinda like me -- you know, a Lone Reindeer Doormat.

I lovelovelove Crate and Barrel however there are a lot of things I thought were dumb to purchase when I make these every single year. See:


When I lived in Saint Louis I had to go to Forest Park to find pinecones but now I have more than I can count right at my back door. Don't buy them for -- what, $10 for 7 items that you find on the ground? EGAD! Sorry, but it was necessary. Pick the dang things up and get you some spray paint, honey.

I forgot to mention previously, but there has been an arrest in the hit-and-run accident of WBBJs anchor Tom Britt and his wife Martha, who died at the scene.
Ain't he neat? Tom Britt is still recovering from broken ribs and a badly broken foot, as well as a completely broken heart.
LIFE AS HE KNEW IT IS OVER
I do not know why in Sam Hell this moron didn't stop and help these people! No one wants to do time -- again -- but you sow what you reap. He was flying down that road, poor Martha shattered his windshield which is how coppers found him -- they searched for windshield replacements and found he'd had one the day of the accident -- and how sad, Tom and Martha's shoes were sitting side by side on the road. Footless, hopefully. Oh me ...

On to the CMAs, and Samantha's Picks! That way y'all can laugh at me on Tuesday. The CMAs will be broadcast live on ABC from the Gaylord Center next Monday night.
*Entertainer of the Year
* Brooks & Dunn
* Kenny Chesney
* Brad Paisley
* Rascal Flatts
* Keith Urban
*Samantha's Pick: Brooks & Dunn have won it many times over, Brad Paisley is great and has racked up some awards this year, Rascal Flatts is a trio who haven't paid that kind of dues yet and Keith Urban -- aside from me not being a Keith Urban fan -- chose a bad time to go into rehab. Again. Some could get sympathy vote but I don't think so. He's an Aussie, and we tend to rally around our own. My choice is Kenny Chesney who works hard, and plays even harder. He deserves it. And he's totally hot!
*Female Vocalist of the Year
* Sara Evans
* Faith Hill
* Martina McBride
* Carrie Underwood
* Gretchen Wilson
*Samantha's Pick: Sara was having a humongous year professionally until she quit Dancing With the Stars after filing for divorce which has been very public and very nasty. Faith has won award after award and considering the competition, I don't think she'll win this one. Carrie just came to town after winning American Idol last year so, no. Gretchen could pull this off but my money is on Martina. Both got a set of pipes not to be believed but I'm still saying Martina.
*Male Vocalist of the Year
* Dierks Bentley
* Kenny Chesney
* Alan Jackson
* Brad Paisley
* Keith Urban
*Samantha's Pick: This is a difficult one for me. Alan has won more awards than anyone else who will be showing up Monday night, and I love Alan, particularly his current Like Red On a Rose. He sings it like he feels it. Brad hasn't done as much as others this year although it's been very good for him, Keith is still in rehab again and I hope Dierks wins it. His steamy rendition of Settle For a Slowdown gives me a cheap thrill every time I hear it plus he's done great music in the past. I would like to see Dierks break into Superstar Status w/ the Kennys and Alans but I'm guessing a Kenny or Alan will take home the award.
*Horizon Award
* Miranda Lambert
* Little Big Town
* Sugarland
* Josh Turner
* Carrie Underwood
*Samantha's Pick: I don't care. Outta this bunch, I really don't care except! Josh Turner has come a long way this year, and Miranda deserves it solely for pouring a quart of kerosene and making it last clean across town in her video Kerosene. Well, not to mention the fact that she burned the house down in the first place because Dude was cheating on her, and I reallllly agree w/ that! We're definitely going w/ Miranda, yeah.
*Vocal Group of the Year
* Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas
* Little Big Town
* Lonestar
* Rascal Flatts
* Sugarland
*Samantha's Pick: Allison Krauss has two very important things going for her: She has the voice of an angel, and she has Jerry Douglas who it's said has redefined the dobro in the same way that Earl Scruggs redefined the banjo, and that's a fact. Little Big Town (sad, they lost their major label deal, suffered two divorces and the death of a spouse) and Sugarland (were a trio, now they're a duo), uh-uh, I don't either they have a chance. Rascal Flatts has really broken out of their near falsetto-ballad mold of past years into more of a country rock gig which shows they're paying attention. They could give Allison and Jerry some stiff competition due to their most successful album yet, Me and My Gang. I'm still gonna lean toward Allison and Jerry but I'm thinking Rascal could do it.
*Vocal Duo of the Year
* Big & Rich
* Brooks & Dunn
* Montgomery Gentry
* Van Zant
* The Wreckers
*Samantha's Pick: I'm gonna blow you outta the water w/ this one, but I stand by my choice. The obvious choice for me isn't this year for several reasons, among them T's poor timing to create "Cubby-Gate." True enough, no one has heard Troy's version of the events but the mere hint of impropriety surrounded by those who believe in Mom, apple pie and the American Way has probably knocked Montgomery Gentry out of the running. The Wreckers debuted this year and it's not unheard of newcomers to win but I don't think so. Big & Rich haven't ever had a #1 hit but they continue to make a big name for themselves. Brooks & Dunn are perennial favorites but I'm going w/ Van Zant. These poor guys -- health issues have kept them from touring as much as the duo would have liked in 2006, but Southern rock fans revel in the notion of having veteran stompers such as Donnie and Johnny Van Zant on the country scene.
*Single of the Year
(Award goes to artist and producer)
*Believe
Brooks & Dunn
Produced by Tony Brown/Kix Brooks/ Ronnie Dunn
Arista Nashville
*Better Life
Keith Urban
Produced by Dann Huff/Keith Urban
Capitol Records Nashville
*Jesus Take The Wheel
Carrie Underwood
Produced by Mark Bright
Arista Nashville
*Summertime
Kenny Chesney
Produced by Buddy Cannon/Kenny Chesney
BNA Records
*When I Get Where I’m Going
Brad Paisley (Featuring Dolly Parton)
Produced by Frank Rogers/Chris DuBois
Arista Nashville
*Samantha's Pick: Again I'm going to say that Brooks & Dunn are always favorites, Brad is competition, Carrie -- oh Carrie, just go home! -- Keith is in rehab again and I'm picking Kenny although I'm sure he won't win it. It's a fun song. That's why.
*Musician of the Year
Eddie Bayers – Drums
Jerry Douglas – Dobro
Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
Dann Huff – Guitar
Brent Mason – Guitar/Electric Guitar
Randy Scruggs – Guitar
*Samantha's Pick: Need I say it? Jerry Douglas!
*Album of the Year
(Award goes to artist and producer)
*Hillbilly Deluxe
Brooks & Dunn
Produced by Ronnie Dunn/Kix Brooks/Mark Wright/Tom Shapiro/Tony Brown/Bob DiPiero
Arista Nashville
*Me And My Gang
Rascal Flatts
Produced by Dann Huff/Rascal Flatts
Lyric Street Records
*Precious Memories
Alan Jackson
Produced by Keith Stegall Arista
Nashville
*The Road And The Radio
Kenny Chesney
Produced by Buddy Cannon/Kenny Chesney
BNA Records
*Time Well Wasted
Brad Paisley
Produced by Chris DuBois/Frank Rogers
Arista Nashville
*Samantha's Pick: This is the toughest category for me yet because all are fabulous albums that garnered many awards and subsequently, many, many $. There are three I enjoyed more than the others but I'm picking The Road and The Radio because it appeals to me more than the others. Also, because I've been working on this post since 8.00 PM (intermittently) and I'm wiped out. That's one way to cut my comments short!
*Music Video of the Year
*8th of November
Big & Rich
Directed by Robert Deaton/George J. Flanigen IV/Marc Oswald
*Believe
Brooks & Dunn
Directed by Robert Deaton/George J. Flanigen IV
*Jesus Take The Wheel
Carrie Underwood
Directed by Roman White
*Kerosene
Miranda Lambert
Directed by Trey Fanjoy
*When I Get Where I’m Going
Brad Paisley (Featuring Dolly Parton)
Directed by Jim Shea
*Samantha's Pick: *yawn* Brooks & Dunn, always a threat; Brad is a wildcard; Carrie, just go home! Miranda, only Trey Fanjoy could make a quart of kerosene last for miles and miles, that's why everyone loves her; Big & Rich's 8th of November will bring a tear to the strongest man's eye, so they're my vote. I hope they win it.
One last major category and I'm fixin' to make this short and sweet, okay?
*Music Event of the Year
Who will win it:
*Faith Hill Featuring Tim McGraw
Like We Never Loved At All
For obvious reasons.
Who should win it:
*Brooks & Dunn
(Guest vocals by Sheryl Crow and Vince Gill)
Building Bridges
Fabulous.

BUT, that's just my ! I crack myself up!