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Two Lucky Men In Baku Doing Their Thing 6585

Abil and Imad took Joey and me to dinner at a small restaurant called Otker’s, which served up some excellent kebobs. After chowing down, we hung around the place, and finally, someone noticed Imad, and we were surrounded by folks wanting to get a closer look. Then, someone recognized me, and the chaos was on. “Oh shit, what do we do now?” Abil pleaded. “Go get the guitars,” I told him. “What?”…

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Going Classical In Baku 6584

Joey and I landed in Baku, Azerbaijan, in the early afternoon and were met by Imad Samedov and a man named Abil Khan, a promoter and entrepreneur who is one of the major players in the Baku music scene. Abil Khan provided Joey and me with an all- expense trip to his country, where we’ll be playing a classical concert somewhere in town. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Scragg; you, too, Mr.…

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A Balanced Assessment Of Life 6583

Matthew Isaac Crane joined the family this morning as Robin and Farley traveled to Fayetteville yesterday to pick him up. Ashley is on her way to the mountains to attend a school for troubled girls, which hopefully will right her wayward ship. The school has medical facilities as well for both body and mind, and we’re all praying that she comes out of this ordeal a well-adjusted woman, which I…

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More To Celebrate Than A Stanley Cup Title 6582

I got a text from Johnny, who said he was in Raleigh celebrating the Hurricanes Stanley Cup victory, which made me smile. Hockey is Johnny’s favorite sport, and the Carolina Hurricanes are his favorite team, so this is a big deal with him. He sent me some pictures of Amelia and him whooping it up in the crowd. What made the pics so special was Amelia, because I remember a time when Johnny…

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Tharin 6581

The plan was set into motion as Kevin got Brie out of the house while I drove her gift to the property. Candy assisted me, and we got Brie’s ‘big boy’ into the field, where he looked about a tad confused. “You’ll be alright, Tharin; just be prepared for a squeal,” I told him. Candy then drove the truck and trailer back to the farm while I waited for Kevin and Brie to return. A few months ago,…

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Bikes And Leading By Example 6580

Blake and I went down to the Honda dealer to purchase two new Gold Wings that we’ve been hankering to ride again. We turned our other bikes in and told the salesman to put all the bells and whistles on the bikes because this would be my last one. “I’m getting to the point in my life where some things just ain’t as easy as they used to be,” I said with a wink. After doing the paperwork and such,…

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A Long Descent Into Evil 6579

I was out of town for a few days doing some promotional work, which I felt was appropriate to do, as Alex has acclimated to her new family, and the chaos in Fayetteville has subsided. Honey has kept Robin and Farley abreast about Martha’s great-great-granddaughter, who is about to give birth at any time. My assumptions made me a fool. I was about to walk into the house when Honey called to…

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Beating The Devil With Love 6578

“Frank-ly Speaking” opened to a huge box office and rave reviews from both critics and moviegoers, yet none of that was important after more horrors from Fayetteville emerged. While cleaning out Martha’s home, Honey found a pile of photos stashed in a secret compartment in a closet floor. We went through them and they were pictures of naked children in sexual poses, including two of Brittany…

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Making Something Special 6577

“Frank-ly Speaking” had its premiere in Clifford, North Carolina, because why the hell not? I know Honey graduated high school there, which apparently was enough for the town to get the first showing of the flick. There was no one from Hollywood except a rep from Warner Brothers, who is releasing the film, and no other stars outside of our circle. The audience composed almost totally of residents…

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God Bless The Children Who Couldn't Escape 6576

Johnny called to tell me that the police, along with social services, raided Martha’s house and found drugs, weapons, and child pornography inside the home. “Of course, it wasn’t Martha’s, but she’s allowed her home to be a flop house for criminals, which has come to a screeching halt. She’s agreed to go into an assisted living facility, which will end the bullshit with her kids, grandkids, and…

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Something Beautiful Emerges From An Awful Situation 6575

Before heading over to Paige and Michael’s, Blake asked me if this was a done deal. “I mean it was so quick, Elmer, and I know those girls have families,” she asked. “I asked Honey that, too, and he said it’s a complete and total disaster. The two girls’ mothers can’t take them; there’s no grandfather on either side. The boy whose OD’d parents are gone, or his father is dead and his mother’s…

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Alexandria 6574

I got a call from Johnny, who sounded harried to the point of distraction. “You okay,” I asked him? “We have a terrible situation up here, Scragg, and I hate to call you, but I don’t know where else to turn.” “What’s going on?” “Well, it’s Martha’s great-granddaughters, or whatever the fuck they are. Anyway, one of them just OD’d and is in bad shape. Her useless boyfriend OD’d and died, leaving a…

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Stand And Fight Or Dither And Die 6573

I was surfing the net when I came across an article about Rory, which made me stop and read what it was all about. Unfortunately, Rory’s opinions conflicted with those of many German politicians, and they deemed him a threat to security, so he’s been officially banned from the country. Another grim lesson from history that went unheeded. Germany made headlines a couple of years ago when people…

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Waiting While Hoping Nothing Bad Happens 6572

In the early afternoon, Elise came to the house to pick up Hannah and Riley. I wanted to say something, as did, Blake, but we decided to let it go. Elise looked weary but seemed appreciative of us not asking questions. She thanked us, and the girls left with her. Blake was seeing, and so was I; however, there wasn’t anything we could do except stir up the shit tank and let it fly, which would…

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Psychotic Dissonance 6571

We arrived back at the farm where we unpacked and then relaxed for a spell. Farley said Sabastiona and Ernest behaved but are undoubtedly glad we’re home. The girls all dozed off in the living room while Blake and I stepped outside. I decided that I wasn’t going to get into it with Rene and Jordan because I didn’t feel it was my place at this point. Blake felt the same way; however, she, like…

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Rich Yet Impoverished 6570

We took it easy today because we have to be up early tomorrow morning to catch our flight. We took a short cruise, and when we got back I called in some subs from Corleone Pizza. After picking up the subs, we went back to the house and chowed down. It was an amazing vacation that I know I’ll never forget, and I imagine it’ll stay with Hannah and Riley the rest of their lives. I was initially a…

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Louise's 6569

Ever since they arrived in Kansas, Hannah and Riley have fallen in love with breakfast food, especially poached eggs, which I showed them how to make. This morning, however, they wanted to do the cooking, so I turned the kitchen over to them, and they prepared poached eggs with avocado slices and bacon. The meal was delicious, and even Elizabeth and Amy gave their friends a thumbs up. “I’m so…