BILL BLOG
Monday December 22, 2025
It was a short night, as the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, happened yesterday. But now I can look forward to each day getting a little longer!
It’s warming up just in time for Christmas in Nashville. 58 for the high today, and on Christmas? We’ll hit 72 for the high! No complaints from me.
THE WEEKEND
Friday morning, I had great fun writing a new song with bluegrass great Tim Stafford, about a guy’s first guitar. The song didn’t start this way, but it certainly went in a direction that I could relate to. The song is about regret; the owner of this first guitar either gave it away or sold it, and now would give anything to have it back. That happens.
When I was young, I bought a Gibson Hummingbird that I loved, but traded it in on an electric guitar, because I needed one more than I needed the Hummingbird.
And I would certainly love to have that one back. If you play music long enough, you learn not to let guitars go like that. I don’t remember what I paid for it at Delaloye’s Music Store in Troy, Missouri, but its value is probably 10 times more than I paid for it back then.
In the song, the guitar that the singer is talking about takes some solos, playing old familiar songs. I could not have been in better hands with that, as Tim has been “Guitar Player of the Year”, as well as “Songwriter of the Year” for the IBMA. (International Bluegrass Association)
It was fun making this song come to life with Tim.
GREATEST CHRISTMAS GIFT
Our daughter Heather made this wonderful post on Facebook over the weekend.
BIG NEWS! We have so enjoyed the many experiences we have had abroad, but we are on to the next adventure. This summer, we will be moving to ARIZONA! We would definitely be open to living abroad again one day, but we are very excited to experience another beautiful location filled with sunny days, hikes, great proximity to tons of beaches and national parks, and brand-new home theme parks! Not going to lie, I am mildly freaking out about spiders, rattlesnakes, and scorpions, so if anyone has all the tips, please pass them along. For now, I’m just planning on big boots and a walking stick, but….I’m looking forward to the rest!
Yep, best Christmas gift. After 3 and a half years in Germany with her husband, Casey, who is a pilot in the army, they are coming back stateside. And of course, my wife and I could not be more thrilled. We’ve seen them just once in those 3 and a half years when we made a trip over to Germany to see them.
I see quite a few trips to Arizona in my future—such great news. And the fact that my Cincinnati Reds hold their Spring Training in Arizona is just a big ole bonus.
ONE OTHER GIFT
Much smaller, but cool.
This one came in the mail from my publishing company, Billy Blue. Although I love the gift, I won't be wearing it anytime soon as the temperature will climb into the 70's this week.
THE BOOK!
This weekend, we found my wife’s first-ever book, “Subtle Frequency”, which is available for pre-orders right now, has shown up worldwide. With a simple Google search this weekend, she found it available in the UK, Spain, and India! Someone could read her book while sitting at the Taj Mahal.
And now you can find it on Amazon with no code, just type in the book name “Subtle Frequency”.
What’s the book about? Click this LINK to get that synopsis from Barnes and Noble, another place the book can be found.
We’re both excited that it’s available, with an official release date on February 3, when hard copies will be available. And we appreciate all of you who have sent notes saying you have already preordered your own copies and shared the news. Thank you!
SONG OF THE DAY
I’m choosing a Christmas song, sort of. This one is called “The Dog’s Home” and I sing this quite a bit in my shows. Written with Gerald Smith and Paul Bogart several years ago, it always makes people laugh when I sing it. And that’s a good thing.
I like to remind folks that nobody feels bad when they’re laughing, and I’m glad this song gets a few laughs.
HEALTH NOTES
A Minnesota jury awarded $65.5 million Friday to a mother of three who claimed talcum products made by Johnson & Johnson exposed her to asbestos and contributed to her developing cancer in the lining of her lungs.
A new study reports that bacteria found in the intestines of Japanese tree frogs show remarkable promise in treating colorectal cancer.
Researchers found after a study that participants who had regular sleep schedules and sufficient sleep duration had a 39% lower mortality risk than adults with irregular schedules and insufficient sleep.
HERE’S YOUR SIGN
Well, that’s a pretty compelling sales pitch.
LIGHTS OUT
How about the power outage in Frisco over the weekend? Over 130,000 homes and businesses, about a third of the city, lost their power.
And we learned that those driverless cars, Waymo, can not run without traffic lights. About 5 of them stopped dead in the middle of the road, and Waymo had to suspend operation. Who knew?
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
In Tampa, they stopped a woman carrying a Boa Constrictor snake, which she named Bartholomew, claiming it was her emotional “support snake. Uh huh. If she’d have gotten on board with it, there may have been a passenger (like me) who would have an emotional heart attack!
And then there’s this one.
I think I’ll just drive everywhere when I can.
TOP CHRISTMAS SONGS
The Tennessean Newspaper music folks listed their top Christmas songs of all time. There are a bunch of these lists, and they all have different choices so keep that in mind. Here are the Tennessean’s top 5 picks.
5…Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. (I’d never heard that one)
4…Tennessee Christmas by Amie Grant. (One of my faves)
3…Last Christmas by the group Wham! (One I had forgotten about)
2…All I Want For Christmas Is You, by Mariah Carey. That one is on most lists.
And their #1 Christmas song choice is “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” by Judy Garland.
BIG BIG COASTER
Six Flags Texas is building a record-breaking roller coaster called the “Tormenta” that will open next year. It will break six records. Tallest, fastest, and longest included.
I love roller coasters. And my daughter Heather has inherited that love. So we’d both jump on this one I’m pretty sure. Here’s a LOOK at what this ride will look and feel like. Check out how long the climb is to the top of this bad boy.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
From Dave Barry (One of my favorite all-time quotes)
“If I had to identify in one word the reason why the human race has not achieved and never achieve it’s full potential, that word would be ‘meetings.’”
TODAY
My Australian friend Angus Gill, who moved here from Australia, just bought his first-ever house, and he’s invited me to help break it in, but coming over to write a new song with him. Happy to do so. And then I’ll be taking a Christmas break from songwriting.
Have a great Monday!
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