Bluegrass Ramble, November

Hi Folks,  For those of you who never subscribed to the newsletter, "Bluegrass Virginia" I should explain the title of this post.  In each issue of "Bluegrass Virginia" I have a column by this name.  In it I do as the title suggests, just ramble around and share my thoughts.  Most of the time they were about Bluegrass, but sometimes not, so be prepared.  I've been told by many readers that "Bluegrass Ramble" is their favorite part of the newsletter, so I can only hope that continues here with these posts.  Also, as you read "Bluegrass Ramble" you will notice there is much more I can offer you as you go along.  Click on the links provided for more information.  And now, read on.......

Right now it is 5:40AM on Thursday November 13th and I'm up and wide awake.  I'm not supposed to be, though.  It all goes back to the economy.  Whaaaat?  Yeah, let me explain.  I work for the state of Virginia, VDOT, and as our economy sours so does the tax base for national, state and local governments.  With the gas crunch people have been buying less fuel and absolutely buying fewer vehicles and these are the things VDOT receives it's operating capital from.  With less money coming in, VDOT has been making cuts everywhere it can to save money.  One of these is in the field of security.  Since 9/11 most government agencies became obsessed with security and piled on extra security forces.  Now, with the downturn in the economy VDOT has decided they were overdoing the security bit and they have made many cuts in order to save money.  We are still very secure, but we just aren't going as nuts about it as before.  I know, you're scratching your head and wondering what this has to do with my being up so early; well hang on I'm getting there.  The complex where I work had 24 hours manned security; but that is no more.  Now there are only security guards there during daylight hours.  so, I used to get up really early, like today, and drive on in to work and hang out there and wait for my work day to begin.  Now, since the gates aren't open until 7:30AM I can't go in early any more.  Problem is, I keep on waking up early.  I must re-set my internal clock, but it ain't happened yet, so I'm writing my "Bluegrass Ramble" now.

Now, on to some Bluegrass related stuff.  On Friday, tomorrow night (November 14th, 2008) Farmer's Cafe, in Blackstone, VA is having a Bluegrass band.  They'll be playing at around 7PM, but I cannot remember the name of the band.  I do know they are not local and they have never played at Farmer's before.  I could call Sweet Brenda or Calvin  www.lawsonbluegrass.com, but it's just 6AM and I don't think they would appreciate the call.  Suffice it to say that Farmer's Cafe has really good home style country cooking in a friendly atmosphere and there'll be Bluegrass music.  What else do you need to know?

So, either you enjoyed your evening at Farmer's Cafe and you are looking for more food and Bluegrass or for some reason you didn't go.  Well, let not your heart be sorry, you still have a chance to hear Bluegrass this weekend in south side Virginia.  All you have to do is drive over to Powhatan on Saturday, November 15th, 2008 to the County Seat Restaurant  www.thecountyseat.com, to hear Gary Davis and Borrowed Time www.borrowedtimebluegrass.com .  As with Farmer's, The County Seat has good home cooking and a buffet every Saturday night.  The music starts at 7:30PM, so plan to arrive by 6:30PM for dinner.  You should call, 804-598-5000 for a reservation if you want to eat in the room with the band.  It's never too late to call for a reservation.

Lastly, I wanted to welcome all of my new readers to "Bluegrass Virginia," the blog.  I hope you will take a few moments to scan through my older posts and give me some feedback about what you like and dislike about this new way of bringing you news of Bluegrass in Central Virginia.  Tell your friends about this blog and have them email me at no-not-earl@juno.com to have their email address added to my mailing list.

I've stayed here at the computer long enough and now it's time to go to work, so until next time.........

"NUFF SAID!"