This is Dispatches From Myrtle Beach, with Charles Neal and my son, Link, and I got my little special guest, Gypsy with us today. I see Gypsy. My little dog. Because me and Gypsy, we’re going be talking about birthdays and Gypsy wanted to wish you a happy birthday too, Link. Oh, well, thank you, Gypsy. Gypsy can’t hear me because it’s just in your headphones. Put the headphones on Gypsy, so I can say thank you. No, I ain’t going to do that. That’d drive her crazy. Oh. You’ve tried to put headphones on the dog before? No, not gonna start today either. Yeah, I mean, thank you for wishing me a happy birthday. Of course, we can’t do that without me wishing you a happy birthday because every June First, my birthday, is proceeded by your birthday, Dad, May 27th. That would be correct. As of the airing of this, it’s just happened. But as of the recording, we are both anticipating our actual birthday. So yeah, happy birthday on the show. Oh yeah. I got some ideas. I’ll get back to that. When’s Gypsy’s birthday? Do you even know? Maybe it’s the same– It’s in December. Oh. She’ll be 16. Human 16? Yep. Gypsy’s like old. I think that’s like 107. Good gracious. She’s still doing all right. Yeah. You’re doing all right too. Yeah. And I’m doing all right. Pretty good. Yeah, of course, every time I celebrate your birthday, I do that by celebrating my wedding anniversary. That’s correct. Which is the exact same day. But hey, I know it’s already been passed, but your wife’s birthday is before ours in a little bit before in May. So happy birthday, Christie to you too. Okay. Maybe she’s listening. I’ll tell her you said it. Okay. We have like the show wishes and then we have like normal life where you still talk to her and we still talk to each other. Yeah, we still send cards back and forth and– Yeah, we do. -try to put a little something in them and take care of each other. That’s right. This doesn’t take the place of our normal celebrations, but it kind of, it boosts it, it bolsters it. This is like an added layer for us to hang out. And like I said, I do have a birthday surprise for you that I’ve worked up, so just fair warning, if you don’t have one for me, we can pause and you can maybe go to Walmart or something. Yeah, no, I got something for you. Oh, no, I’m ready. So what’s up? What are your plans for your birthday? You got any big plans? Well, the week before my birthday we’re going to St. Augustine, Florida for four days. Oh, okay. I look forward to hearing about that. And then, you know, my birthday’s always pretty close to when Memorial Day is, so it can be a big birthday party and a big thing celebrating Memorial Day and the things that’s going on in this country and everything. Okay, you making it patriotic, I like that. It can be a big birthday party, but right now, besides going on that trip, I know my wife will probably have a little something up her sleeve for my birthday, but– Leave it to her. -we’ll just have to wait and see. See, I’ve been wanting to have a party, like where that I can DJ my own birthday party. I wanted to have like an all day floating birthday party where I’m DJing and then my friends show up whenever they want and they can bring me a record. I’ve done that in the past. I got this vinyl collecting bug. It’s becoming a problem. So that’s what I want to do, but the thing that I want to do more is be on tour. Yeah. So I’m gonna be in Chicago on my birthday. We will have just done St. Louis the night before, Nashville the night before, and then we’re gonna be in Columbus, Ohio the next day. And then there’s a little bit of a break and I fly home to see Lando graduate from eighth grade, and then, I don’t think they call it graduation, they call it like– Moving on up? Moving on up. They don’t call it that either, but I don’t know what they call it. And then I turn around the next day and I fly back to Atlanta for that show, and then to Raleigh, Washington DC and Philadelphia, and that takes us to June Ninth. So like, I’ve got to see if I can plan a belated birthday party for myself, but I really haven’t planned it. That’s what I want to do, throw a party for myself. Okay. So that’s what we’ll try to do. Well, years ago when I lived up in Goldston and I had remodeled that old house up there, I threw a party for myself for about five years in a row– That’s right. Had a pig picking and cooked barbecue chickens and had about… First year I think I had 120 people there. What? Yeah, we’re the same. We both like to throw our own parties. That’s what we have in common. But the thing about throwing your own party now, Link, and it’s wonderful about you gonna be DJing, but if you promise some good food, they will come. I see. And to me, that’s catering. If you promise good catering. And that’s one of the drawbacks of not being in the same state anymore, is that we could throw a hell of a birthday party together, dad. I mean– I’m telling you. -we’ve got do that one year. We may have to plan that one year, and probably better for you to come out here. Well, all my friends are out here. Well, hey, we can do it here one year and then the next year we’ll go out there and do– Or– Or. -we can do it here one weekend, do it there the next weekend. Yep, that’s right. And then we’ll just alternate who goes first and then we can see which group of friends. I’ve got friends back home too, so we can… You don’t have many friends out here, but we’ll work it out. That’s all right. I like that. I like that idea. I don’t love a surprise birthday party. I like to be in control. You know what I’m saying? Well, we’ve got a lot in common with that too, though. I think Nancy even brought up to me today, she knew why I acted like I do sometimes because of the way… And this was more about being impatient than being in control, but being impatient is kind of like being in control too. What were you being impatient about? We were talking about Nana. Oh. Okay. She ain’t heard anything from the doctor yet and she’s being impatient with my sister. Not me. Well, I know that Nana’s in a tough spot right now because I’m worried about her and I feel bad because I haven’t called her yet. Christie talked to her, but I haven’t talked to her yet. I just can’t believe what… No, that’s all right. I gotta tell this story. This is such a Nana story that I have to tell it. It’s time for another edition of Don’t Tell Nana. So she fell and it was what time of night? At 1:30 in the morning. 1:30 in the morning, she fell, because she stays up late, reading, watching TV. I don’t know what she was doing. And she fell, getting up, and then she couldn’t, she couldn’t get up off the floor, but instead of calling somebody to help her, she didn’t want to inconvenience anybody, so she crawled over to into the sunroom, and then she just laid on the floor until what, 7:00 AM? Called Theresa at 7:30. 7:30 in the morning. She did get some pillows out of the chair and was propped up against her recliner so she won’t just… She pulled the pillows down because she couldn’t get up and she laid there on the floor and when I talked to her, I was like, well, where are you right now? And she was like, it was the next day, and she was like, I’m in bed. I was like, you sure you don’t want to get back down there on the floor now that you’ve figured out you can sleep there? She comes up with what she wants to do and then that’s what she’s gonna do. And it’s not just that she doesn’t want to inconvenience anybody, but she wants… I don’t know, there’s a lot going on with Nana. Yeah, she didn’t want any… That’s the reason she didn’t call. She didn’t want any inconvenience, Mom. She’s tough though. Sister, yeah. Laid there on the floor and then you finally took her to the doctor and she had a broken toe and then it was a week– No, the bone was broke going up to her little toe. Okay. But she was also bleeding where she fell. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. She’s bleeding, laying there on the floor and just was like, well, I’ll get some pillows and go to sleep. She did say she slept. She told me she slept for a couple hours, she thought. Yeah. Good gosh, woman. And then a week later, turns out she’s in a lot more pain and they do more X-rays and they find out that the rod in her femur has the top of it where it goes into her hip is messed up. Just dropped down about four inches. And then the doctor said, you cannot, absolutely cannot put any weight on your leg because it’s a huge risk of it breaking, and then there’s nothing I can do. You can either be stuck, you can either use a wheelchair the rest of your life or get surgery to replace the bar in your femur. They’re gonna replace the joint that they put in and the bar and that’s the– And she’s 92 years old. 92. And they’ve certified that she’s in good enough shape to go through with this surgery, but it is not without its risks that– That’s right. -she’s willing to accept. Yep. So I know all of this from me talking to her before and her talking to Christie, but I am worried about her. So now she’s waiting on getting ready for that surgery and she either has to sit or lay down. That’s it. But there has been one good thing about this, she has not hardly been in any pain since she’s either been using this wheelchair, going to bed or sitting in that chair like she does. But she’s getting antsy. That’s been a blessing for her. She’s getting impatient. Yeah. But let me tell you this right quick. I called aunt TC. I think I called her. Yes, I called her and I said, well, how’s Mama doing? She said, well, this is how she’s doing. She’s been kind of ill at me, and I stayed with her last weekend until Sunday after lunch and Theresa come and got her, and she said, well, she’s been kind of ill and snappy at me and everything. I said, well, it’s kind of bad being the chosen one in the family. I said, I didn’t have a bit of problem all weekend sitting with her and she didn’t fuss and fight with me or anything, so it’s bad being the chosen one of the families. How did that go over? And Theresa said, yes, I understand that and have known it all my life. . I mean, she is tough and she’s a fighter and I believe that everything’s gonna be fine, but– Oh yeah. -I’m also worried about her, so I want to see her get through this. So that’s the update there. That’s the dispatch from both of us to all the Myrtle Beach out there. Yep, yeah. Okay. Just keep my mama and Link’s grandmamma in your prayers and everything. 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The chicken had some crusty seasoning on it and it was good and all the vegetables and everything in it, and they were the kind of vegetables that HelloFresh tells you about that’s good for you and makes you fit and wholesome if you eat these. And then they sent me some Thai basal chicken rolls, and we had those for lunch yesterday and they had a nice tangy sauce. It was kind of just a little spicy, but man, they were good. I thought me and Nancy was going to fight over who got the last one, but she give it to me. So you ought to try some of these Thai basal chicken spring rolls. They’re good too. So go to hellofresh.com/dispatchissweet for free dessert for life. One dessert item per box while subscription is active. That’s free dessert for life at hellofresh.com/dispatchissweet. HelloFresh, America’s number one meal kit. Can’t argue with that, Charles, Thai food is pretty good. Oh yeah. Why do you want to learn a new language? 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Yes, every year we sing to each other. Yes, we do. We sing a happy birthday song. Is that what you’re talking about? Yeah. Oh. But I thought maybe you had concocted something a little more extravagant than just a… Because I’m gonna still call you on your birthday and sing happy birthday to you, whether you’re in Chicago or everywhere. All right, I get it, I’m gonna do better. Yeah. Here’s the surprise that’s kind of… I’ve let the cat out of the bag a little bit. I’m not just singing you the normal happy birthday song. I have written you a little diddy. Oh my goodness. Yeah, now he’s acting surprised. Okay. I wrote it down. I jotted down some lyrics, I haven’t sung them out loud, so just forgive me if it’s rough around the edges. You ready? I’m ready. ♪ Daddy, it’s your birthday ♪ ♪ Another year around the sun ♪ ♪ Oh, how our world has spun ♪ Look at that podcast. ♪ You’ve turned 72, right? ♪ Right. ♪ But you’re looking spanky new ♪ He likes to get spanked. ♪ Oh, I’m telling you, 72 ♪ ♪ Oh daddy, it’s your birthday ♪ ♪ Daddy, daddy, it’s your birthday ♪ ♪ You told us that you like Viagra ♪ ♪ And you can still get erect ♪ ♪ Charles Neal Jr ♪ Now you say, that would be correct. That would be correct. ♪ If you want to wish my daddy a happy birthday, ♪ email him at ratherbeshagging53@aol.com or as he likes to say, ratherbeshagging@aol53.com. Well, it looks like my song– That would be correct. Okay. ♪ Well, it looks like my song is about done ♪ ♪ It’s about that time ♪ ♪ I’m going to see if my dad can finish out this rhyme ♪ ♪ Daddy, it’s your birthday ♪ And happy birthday to me and you too when it’s your birthday the next couple days. Happy birthday, happy birthday to you. Well, that didn’t rhyme, dad. That would be correct. I mean, when you catchphrase that would be correct only rhymes with one thing really well. So that’s, you know. Sorry, sorry about that. Well, that’s it. That’s my gift. For the man who has everything including his own podcast, he now has a custom song from his son. And now, if I have a special drawing for you for your birthday– Like a raffle? No, a drawing. I drew something on the board. I mean, a real drawing. See? Happy birthday, my wonderful son. Link. And then I’m trying to figure out, what is that in the middle? Keep it up there. That’s got Good Mythical Morning in the middle of your shirt and Dispatches From Myrtle Beach. Oh, okay. So, I’m wearing merch. Yep. Like collaboration between our podcast and my show. That’s right. So that’s me? That’s you. Okay. All right. Where’s my glasses? Hey, I thought I did pretty good. Wait a minute, hold on just a second. It’s on a whiteboard. I get the feeling… What? I’m sorry, next time I’ll see if I can put you some glasses on there. What is that in the middle? Hold that back up. I’m assuming that is– That’s a birthday cake. -a birthday cake. With candles all up over, lit up on top of it. Okay. How many candles? How old am I, do you know? 46. Are you reading that off of something? Do you know? No. Oh, good, you remember. 46. See all them layers in the cake? I made you a nice special cake with all them layers. Thank you, dad. I kind of get the feeling you wrote it on a whiteboard that like you’re gonna erase that and like use it for like a grocery list afterward. Are you gonna mail that to me? Oh, no. Hey, well, I might erase it, but the only thing I use this whiteboard for is for Dispatches From Myrtle Beach. Oh, I’ve never seen it. Yeah, we used it before. Okay, maybe I have seen it. But happy birthday to you. ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ Oh, here we go. ♪ Happy birthday, dear Link. ♪ ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ See, it’s easier when it’s not original lyrics. We both did something creative for each other. Yeah. All right. And we made plans to throw a dual party at some point in the future, so I feel good about that. That’s right. What’d your dad give you for your birthday? He did a drawing on a whiteboard for me. I’m 46. My dad did a drawing on a whiteboard. And how old is he? He’s 72 and drawing on a whiteboard. Oh my goodness. Oh gosh. We’re reaching another milestone. Do you know what number episode this is? 69. Yeah, good, you’re keeping track. Episode number 69. And does that number mean anything to you? Do you understand the lore around that number? Well, I know all about the number 69. Oh yeah? It is 68 before it and 70 after. But– Anything else? All I might be able to say to you is that in my old years and my young years, it had something to do with sex. Okay, all right. I just want to make sure that you knew what a milestone this was in our podcast. Yeah. And I mean, it gives me some ideas on how I can celebrate on my own time. Yep, me too. Yep. All right, good. That’s all I’m gonna say, because if I say something else, it may be something that incriminates me and they might kick me off this podcast. Oh, okay. Well, I don’t want you to censor yourself, dad. But just remember it is our birthday. If there’s one thing that I like to do, I do like to take full advantage of my birthday. Like, I like to say, well, this is… I like to get my way on my birthday. It can be quite annoying. Do you like to throw your weight around a little bit? Say, well, it’s my birthday, I’m not gonna do that today. I’m gonna do this today. Well, that’s kind of like what it ought to be for your birthday, but I’ve been told once in a while that beside it being my birthday, I throw my weight around, try to get what I want to anyway a lot of other days. So ain’t really that special to some people because I try to do that anyway. I love the fact that you… Does your shirt have Christmas lights on it? It’s got birthday banner, little things on it. Oh. Like where you string up for your birthday. Oh, okay. They’re little flags. Yeah, little flags. Not lights. I was confused for a little bit. Okay, I didn’t realize that you dressed in theme for our birthdays. Yeah, I dressed in theme today for our birthday. I’m at a point right now where… I mean, I’m really proud that you knew how old I was because I barely know how old I am. Like I lose track. It’s not like when you’re nine or 10 or 13 or 21. I think once you get over 40, I mean, then it’s just like, what are the big ones? Just every decade, right? 50, 60. Yep. 70. 70. 72’s got a nice ring to it. 69, that’s an important one. That one’s got a ring to it. Yeah, that’s the last year you’re gonna be in the 60s. Man, but 50. I’ve got to start thinking about what I’m gonna do for my 50th. Damn. I’m only four years away from that? That’s crazy. I mean, do you remember turning 50? Let’s see, that was probably… I’m trying to think. Yes, when I turned 50 was when I lived in my house in Goldston and that’s when I threw my big 50th birthday party when they was about 130 or 140. That was the one. Yeah. Okay then, I remember that. I was there for that. You were there. Everybody was out front. Yeah, because our 40th, Christie and I had like a dual 40th birthday party and that was a really big party. So I need to start thinking about this. I’ve got four years to plan my 50th. You got eight years to plan your 80th. I mean, do you feel 72? You don’t look it. It’s like I said, you look like a fresh little bird. Some days I feel 72, and then some days I feel pretty good. I do not feel like I’m closer to 50 than 40. I mean, that makes me feel weird. It really does. Well, hey, it’s better than the alternative. Alternative, yeah. Well, not 69. What’s the alternative? Not being 70. Being dead? Yeah. Okay. I just think it’s all about attitude, right? As long as we keep– That’s got a lot to do with it. -a youthful attitude, and you stay active– Active. -keep your brain and your body engaged, then I think that’s a good plan. I take a lot of comfort in turning 46 knowing that you’re turning 72 and you’re doing as good as you are. You’re doing really great. Yeah. I mean, I’ve started to think about it more and more, like literally taking a lot of comfort in the fact that like, you’re still able to get so much out of life and enjoy your life. I mean, you’ve got some health challenges. I mean– Oh yeah, but who don’t? When you get to my age, everybody’s got some. A form of leukemia or something, but you’re doing really great and you’re… And mentally you’re there too, dad. I guess you know that. Yeah. Sometimes I wonder, but yeah, most of the time I’m mentally there. No, I don’t worry about your brain. Because like, that’s the thing about Nana is like… I mean, she’s having all these physical problems, but like mentally, she’s sharp. She’s sharp as a tack. Yeah. Yep. And like reading, very engaged, like inquisitive, opinionated, you know? She’s very mentally active and she’s not checking out, you know? Yep. Or losing a step, really. And that makes me feel good, genetically. You know what I’m saying? Yep, that’s correct. Yeah. So I mean, it’s good to be having a birthday and it being something that you can celebrate versus like being something that’s depressive, you know? Oh yeah. That’s right. Well, got to keep going. Yeah. Well, I reckon we’ve probably had enough birthday stuff today and talked about, don’t tell Nana what we Myrtle Beach Show, can’t tell Nana what we was talking about today because it was fun having y’all all here with us today and we’ll be back next week for another one. And don’t forget to follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcast and on YouTube and while you’re at it, rate and review us on the Apple podcast, and if you’ve got a question, comment, or story you’d like to share with me, email me at ratherbeshagging53@aol.com. Said it right that time. So y’all have a great rest of the week and we can’t wait to bounce our birthday britches again next time. All right. Love you, Link. Love you too, dad.