Tupelo Calling

So the call was for me. It was Shay, from Tupelo, with a problem. I'd been there last fall, helping a lab get started, and lent my expertise to the installation of an arcane piece of Italian technology. Ever since, about once a month, I get a cry for help, with a question about some (dis)function of the equipment. Shea has a beautiful "Southern Belle" speaking voice, soft, accented, but without a drawl...her speech is like singing. She is always apologetic, always afraid of wasting my time. It is never a chore for me; for a few brief moments I am back in the Old South, with the sweet scent of the flowers and the hedges, and my day brightens.