While my family roots are deep in eastern North Carolina, I have spent most of my life in South Carolina and a short time in Georgia. I attended (supported) the University of North Carolina. Some ask me when was I there. My pat answer is “I was there for 3 terms, Johnson’s, Kennedy’s and Nixon’s.”I love just some basic necessities of life: my Creator, my wife, my son, my friends, tomatoes, grits, okra, corn, sweet tea, lots of candy, almost all animals (most have a reason for being here and deserve compassionate care), my hammock, my basketball goal, my grapevine and North Carolina basketball and football plus whoever Duke is playing.“I would rather you dislike me for who I am, than like me for who I’m not”.