I thought for a while Monday morning that I would not be able to get my column out. That’s the day I write my column and send it up to the Advance office via Internet.

But the crazy weather caused problems galore for my phone system, particularly my Internet.

A call to Cereal Daniels got things rolling and he had Ryan Linam, one of his key repair experts on the spot at my house. Jingling, Jangling, testing and retesting wires and connections, Ryan ran down the problem and put me back in operation by mid-morning.

It is good to see young men like him develop a skill such as this. I have watched him grow from a young lad on the Little League field to the stately man he is today. I particularly remember how he was pals with Haden, my grandson.

Ryan told me he believed the phone and Internet problem was due to a short in the system probably caused by the wet, rainy weather. After getting me back in good order, he told me he was heading out to take care of probably a dozen more trouble calls with symptoms like I had. And, I know he took care of these calls just like he did mine. It is good to know we have young men developing a skillful trade like his and are standing by to keep our local phone service operating properly. Cereal can also boast of his entire technical crew, knowing he is surrounded by a talented group of service people.

I had not received a call to adjust flood losses since 2010. But I got a lot of them this past week because of such widespread flooding throughout the entire country. Regretfully, I had to refuse those calls. And one of the main reasons is the new techniques involved in writing up these losses. New and modern equipment is now used in writing up the losses.

In fact it seems they want you to be more computer efficient than field efficient.

And, it is not only in this area, but also in the areas of insurance inspections and credit reports, too. This one company from southern California contacted me about doing some fieldwork in the Mobile-Pensacola area for them. I looked into it just out of curiosity and soon discovered they did not seek my services as a qualified field inspector. No, they wanted me to be a “nerd.” What do I mean by this? Well, they stressed computer excellence over field expertise.

There is plenty of part time work out there for those of you who may feel you are qualified. But you had better be sure you are a computer whiz before applying.

Here is a dab of news from 1970.

W.C. Barrineau of Barrineau Park was named Florida’s outstanding farmer. Known by his farming reputation. He was also known as an excellent business leader.

Dutch Dietz, a former Atmore resident, received a prestigious job as a glamour model in New York. She was the great niece of Mrs. E.D. Fore of Atmore.

D.V. Johnson presided over the 1970 Escambia County Singing Convention’s big annual “Sing” in Brewton. Singing in A capella style, these singers used Shape Notes in their songs. (Etc. Fa, So, La. Etc, etc.) Their harmony was truly outstanding, especially since no accompanying musical instruments were used.

D.V. was involved in Shape Note Singing for many years. After many invitations, I went with him to a big sing in Coffee County several years ago. Groups from that county and from surrounding counties participated in the event.

He was nationally recognized for all his excellent work devoting over 30 years to this organization.

I also went to a Brewton Convention one time with Devon Wiggins. A longtime friend of mine Devon was also active, not only in Shape Note singing, but quartet singing as well.

Now we get ready for the ballgames. These bowl games will be coming at us fast and furious over the next several days. It will be interesting to see if the Southeastern Conference can overcome last year’s disappointing losses. Everyone from Maine to California will be watching our Crimson Tide take on the Big 10’s Michigan State, and hopefully gain entrance to the final championship game against either Clemson or Oklahoma.

Sunday, I read an Internet story that half the country was down on their knees pulling for an Alabama loss. The Tide and Coach Nick Saban are so envied by so many that they do not want them to continue successfully because each Tide National Title cements them further in the record books as the nation’s top college football team.

More news from years gone by next week.