I've got the big toe blues.  Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I go under the knife tomorrow.  My right big toe joint is stiff and inflamed after several months of heavy incline work on the treadmill.  The only long term solution for an active person is surgery.  My right foot will be in a boot for about a month.  My podiatrist says I should be better than ever and will be able to do some serious hiking in three months when I travel to New Zealand.

I should be back to work on Tuesday.  Since I feel very close to our Carolina Conversations bloggers I thought I would share this personal news with you.  I have an excellent surgeon in Cary.  I volunteered for the earliest surgery tomorrow.  5:45 may sound like an early arrival time but it's a piece of cake for someone who gets up normally at 2:35A.M.  Perhaps, "normally" is not the right word to use there!

So, you won't see me kicking any field goals or...

January is a good time to plan a vacation. It can be cold and dreary month and it's good to find something to lift your spirits during the bleak mid winter.  We need vacations to break the grind and feed our souls.

What are your plans for vacation this year?

Will you vacation close to home? What NC destinations appeal to you?

How has the economy affected you family's plan to enjoy a vacation?

What family vacation would you recommend in our state?

Please feel free to offer your thoughts and ideas.

I am planning several short working vacations this year. I have the pleasure of emceeing the Celtic Adventure Weekend at Asheville’s Grove Park Inn February 6 and 7.th This festival features an Irish dancing workshop and music by Gaelic Storm and my group Lorica. I can almost feel the warm glow from the magnificent stone fireplace in the Great Hall of the Grove Park Inn. That should be an awesome weekend....

A relative is planning a solo walk across America. He sees it as an opportunity for great adventure and a chance to ponder his future. Think of all the interesting people he will meet along the way. Think of the diverse scenery. Also, consider the challenges – the aches and pains, traffic hazards and boredom during flat and lonely stretches of America’s highway snake. Plus, what do you do when it’s all over?

I’ve borrowed my relative’s idea and generated the following Carolina Conversations blog topic: Walking Across North Carolina. Personally I would love to do that. How about you? What route would you take? What do you want to see? Would you go alone or with a group or a single partner?

One way to see the state would be to travel Highway 64. You could travel from Manteo to Murphy. However, I wouldn’t want to limit myself to US 64. I think I would focus first on scenic places such as areas protected by the NC...

What did you get for Christmas this year? Any coal in the stocking? Any surprises? Please share your stories.

My wife Cindy gave me a neat 2009 calendar using a dozen of my father’s watercolors to usher in each month. I really liked the iTunes gift card she gave me. I look forward to many hours of downloading new and exciting music. The most unusual gift I received from my wife was a certificate for a facial from a therapist Lynda Loveland has been raving about for several years. I’ve never had a facial and only one massage. I’m a little nervous.

I gave a lot of books away for Christmas and it’s been fun to hear from friends who commented on the one I wrote. I appreciated the nice message this morning from mdoodle who said Blue Ridge Reunion was a “big hit” with her sister-in-law.   My sister, Miriam, gave me a great book on the most remarkable trees of Virginia. It’s a beautiful coffee table book with stunning...

My family likes to open at least one gift before Christmas. This year we chose an enticing package from our cousins, the Dellingers, who divide their time between Pensacola, Florida and Bakersville in the NC mountains. Leslie and Jack sent us a scrumptious package of cheese and fudge made by the monks of Abbey of Gethsemani. The monks are probably most famous for their homemade fruitcake but let me tell you, their cheese and fudge are fabulous as well. This gift triggered a blog idea. What about North Carolina mail order products? Which ones have you received and sent over the years? Which ones did you really like?

I am a big fan of the Moravians at Old Salem and their cookies and cakes. Every year we enjoy their cookie and sugarcake products and send them off to friends to savor as well. What about you?

And now to the sweet taste of victory. Janneholbro wins a pair of North Carolina products in the Carolina Conversations discussion about Christmas...