Junior Duggins and his wife Pearl have a business on the outskirts of town and like a lot of other small business owners, they are trying hard to survive during these lean economic times. Their place has two gas pumps out front. Inside to the left is a convenience store type setup, and they've recently converted the right side into a restaurant.

They hired an artist to paint the Biloxi lighthouse on the back wall, and shrimp boats on an opposite wall. In between the paintings is a draped fishing net hung with faux crabs and sea gulls. I wish them luck, because there isn't much profit in food (I know;my folks owned a cafe once.) But their food is good and I hope they make a go of it. They work so hard....

Saw a train/car collision outside of town--a woman tried to beat the train across the track. Even with the bells and whistles and red warning lights, she went right on and crossed and got slammed by a locomotive. The sheriff, highway patrol, local police, fire truck, ambulance and railroad officials showed up. Although her car looked like a crumpled beer can, the woman was not fatally injured. There was some question that she may have been texting on her phone.

This dreadful winter has seared and frozen and browned everything with unrelenting icy weather--the only green things are the pines and the azalea bushes. Bare limbed half dead trees were killed off this winter and have broken in half and fallen willy nilly everywhere. It looks so dreary and depressing. Please springtime, come and come soon!

susil