Goodbye Mayberry, Hello Garden Of Good and Evil

Once again we’re packing up and moving out. My office is already losing its “at-home” feel. Book shelves are empty. Papers have disappeared. The fountain has been drained. And the old blue lava lamp burns no more. All that remains is the need to write.

Living in North Carolina has been wonderful. After all, I finally had the chance to set foot in the town where a lot of my memories live—Mt. Airy, the hometown of Andy Griffith. Mt. Airy is also the town that gave birth to the idea of Mayberry, N.C. And, of course, that’s where Gomer made his famous citizen’s arrest. It’s where Ernest T. Bass broke nearly every window in town. And it’s the place where cops did the right thing, treating people with dignity and respect. And that’s what they received in return. Yep, the world needs more officers like Sheriff Andy Taylor and his deputy, Barney Fife. But we also need more citizens like Floyd the Barber, Aunt Bee, Helen, and Thelma Lou. And wouldn’t it be wonderful if kids today were more like Opie. No pants hanging off the butt. No hats on backward. And no F-bombs in every sentence.

But, it’s time to move on. This is the weekend. This is it. We’re heading for…

Moving to a new location can be stressful. New jobs, new ways of life, and new people. However, I’ve already been in contact with several writers in the new location and they went to work lining up places to live, recommended Realtors, and clued us in on the local hot spots. So it almost feels like home already. Yep, there’s no denying it…writers are good people.

By the time you have your Sunday morning cup of coffee we’ll be following in the footsteps of these guys. I hope we make it there before midnight…