Thankful for...

On this day of Thanksgiving my mind has traveled off and on to the things I'm thankful for... Most of the time I think we think of today as a time to spend with family, eat turkey, get stuffed, watch football and similar. Some of us feed the hungry or try to give to others. I don't know how often we do more than give lip service to the real meaning of Thanksgiving.

Of course, on most holidays any more we're just thankful to have a day off from work and an excuse to have a picnic, get gifts or enjoy a three day weekend.

I don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about Pilgrims and Indians and the discovery of our country. However, I do usually, as said in the first paragraph, spend time thinking about all that makes life special to me.

My wonderful husband, son, daughter-in-law, granddaughters, my brothers and sisters, parents, Greg's children who I have grown to love and enjoy, the beautiful home we live in, the great county, my friends, my pottery studio, the Fayette Front Page, those who help and volunteer to make it happen, I could go on and on until I bored everyone reading this if I haven't already.

I'm thankful for the freedoms we take for granted. I'm ever so thankful for all of those fighting to keep us safe, especially those who are unable to spend today with their families.

Thanks to all of your who read my blogs when I happen to write, and thanks to all who read the Fayette Front Page!

Signs of Growth

I'm sure this isn't news to anyone in the county, but changes are happening. There's all kinds of growth... new stores, ground being cleared, strip malls, and maybe a few houses here and there.

There seems to also be a proliferation of signs sprouting up.

Don't know about you, but I think the "GOT JUNK" signs are the worst offenders. They're junky. They stick 'em everywhere. And they're illegal in many, if not most, instances.

A few times I've traveled down Hwy. 92 going toward Christian City. Tons of signs advertising a new subdivision litter the edges of the road.

I've started paying attention to the signs. To my way of thinking, if a company can't follow the local rules then I'm not interested in doing business with them.

My understanding is that pretty much nothing will be done about signs that violate the ordinances unless someone calls and complains. I think about it sometimes, but generally by the time I get home I'm not thinking about the signs I saw 15 minutes or 2 hours ago.

I think about writing the company sometimes, too. It's a standing joke in my family that we'll all threaten to write a nasty-gram but we never do. However, we do follow thought when we decide not to shop somewhere. I can't tell you how many years our family boycotted Rich's simply because they were the only company that refused to work with my grandmother when my grandfather was dying and it became difficult for her to make all her payments in full. Every other company graciously worked with her. Rich's not only refused, they harassed her to the point of tears. Nope, if Rich's were still around we'd still be sharing the bad news with friends and chipping away at their customer base one-by-one...

I digressed, changed the subject, got side-tracked (which I often do!).

Back to the growing number of signs...

Nah, enough on signs.

Hummingbird Update

In my last post I said the hummingbirds were gone. I was wrong. We either have a new one or our summer bird changed her habits. During the summer one female sat on the feeder stand "branches" and guarded her stash. Now, we have a lone female who's out early in the morning, while it's still a bit nippy.

I'm wondering if she's just a bit too old to make the long trip and has decided to end her days with us.

I don't know enough about hummingbirds to know if possibly she has some babies she's watching over. I read somewhere that hummingbirds will forgo the long trip south if they're ill, too old, or they have young ones to guard over who won't be able to make the trip.

I'm not sure what our hummingbird is doing during the day. Could be that the weather is just nippy enough that she's filling up early in the morning then snuggling the rest of the day, maybe she slips out later in the day and I'm just missing her.

I understand they can hunker down, slow metabolism almost to hibernation ratio when it gets cold.

Maybe someone will read this who knows more than I and will give me some ideas.

Of course, it just could be that she's not ready to leave yet and one day soon she'll really be gone. I would think if she's planning on leaving that she'd be at the feeders all day, storing up fuel for the trip.

Hummingbirds and Fall

I love this time of year in many ways. The crisp cold of the mornings… not too cold, just enough for a sweater. Usually there are beautiful colors as the leaves change and fall. We’ve already had leaves falling off some of our trees for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, due to the drought, they’re saying we won’t have the gorgeous colors we’ve grown to expect. Maybe there will be a shortened version, according to the experts, sometime in October. If that’s the worst problem we encounter over the next months, I’ll be OK with a shortened foliage season!

What I dislike about this time of years is that my hummingbirds all pack their bags and head south. My last little bird finally gave in and left. She’d defended her ground against all the intruders who wanted a snack on their way through. She was with me all summer. At least I believe it was the same hummingbird. If it wasn’t there’s a copycat out there somewhere!

One, sometimes two, hummingbirds hang out with me all season long each year. Others come for periods of time but don’t stick around. I thing we’ve become a fuel stop as they travel to my parents place on Lake Oconee. We always have at least two at the house, more down around my studio. The ones at the studio stay in the woods and just buzz in to the feeders, eat, and then buzz back home.

The one or two that feed up near the house stick. I have a stand I picked up at Wild Birds Unlimited. It looks like a wrought iron tree and is meant to stand alone with bird feeders hanging on it or potted plants. I bought a huge flowerpot made of a material you could cut through and have the stand coming up through it. I put plants in the pot that are supposed to attract hummingbirds. I always forget to water the plants and lose the less hardy, but they work for a while!

The hummingbirds sit on the “branches” and guard their territory. I get up in the morning and always take a quick peek to see if they’re there. Yesterday, no hummingbirds. Today, no hummingbirds. I checked the feeders around the studio yesterday, it doesn’t look as though they’re in use either. As I was working in the studio yesterday I looked out the window off and on hoping that I had one that would choose to winter with us. No luck.

My mom has so many it’s impossible to count. She said she’s down to six and she thinks they are Rufus. She’s corresponding with a specialist to find out.

Last year they came up and banded some of her hummingbirds. So cool. I’ll see if I can dig up the pictures and try to include them in this. She actually held one in the palm of her hand.

What is it with these little things that attracts so many avid fans? I don’t know and don’t really care. I just like ‘em and I miss ‘em when they take off.

Fayette Volunteers

Keeping up with the Fayette Front Page puts me in constant contact with so much that is good in Fayette County. I'm continually amazed at how many are giving so much throughout the county.

Lately I've been attending some of the Board of Education meetings and have been at all of the elementary school redistricting meetings. I see the press releases sent out by the very able Melinda Berry-Dreisbach from the BOE. So many involved parents. So many teachers giving much more than their obligatory hours. Even the kids are out there volunteering!

When I get discouraged by the news I read and hear, I simply have to open my inbox. It's always chocked full of good news! Today's inbox brought news of the upcoming Memory Walk (Alzheimer's), the Fayette Samaritans, two new businesses who are partnering with local schools, the Daughters of the American Revolution's ongoing educational efforts... the list goes on and on.

I'm humbled by all the good. It makes me want to find ways to stretch myself just a little bit more so I can do just a little more. If you volunteer, if you're involved in your children's lives, if you teach a Sunday School class, if you're going to walk to support a cause, you need to pat yourself on the back!

Pathetic

Pathetic. That describes my writing habits perfectly. I haven't been keeping up with this blog. I have a good excuse (sort of) in that in writing for the Fayette Front Page, the Georgia Front Page, and doing all the videos for both, I'm completely immersed in Fayette Life and am sharing it via those mediums.

However, that's not quite good enough... I also do a fairly good job of keeping up with my Politics: Fayette County, Georgia and Beyond blog (www.jmacpolitics.blogspot.com). I've always kept up with politics, in particular local politics, and so writing for that blog comes easy.

However, that's still not good enough...

I'm going to make it my end-of-year resolution to do more writing in THIS blog. There are so many great things to write about in Fayette County, and in Georgia. Maybe this will balance the negatives I get from watching our local political leaders at work... Yin Yang, black, white...

Fayette has TALENT

Wow. I spent the weekend manning the booth for Offshoot Productions (Theatre) at the 2nd Annual Festival of Arts in Fayette County. I knew there would be art, and I knew there would be things for the kids to do, and I knew there would be some peformances. What I didn't know was how fantastic the performances would be!

We are truly overflowing with exceptional talent in this county! I've known about the talented folks who perform for Offshoot Productions and have been impressed for many years with the multi-talented writers, singers and actors.

This past weekend I learned about many of the other performers from Fayette.

We're going to see some of these kids on stage and will be listening to them on the radio at some point in the future. There were entire families chocked full of young performers (the Wade family is 'just all broke out' with talent!).

Something else I noted was the phenomenal support provided by the performer's families. Also, they had the support of the school system, numerous local non-profit theater groups and art groups.

The YMCA has been involved in promoting the arts in various ways for some time. The Endowment Committee for Cultural Arts was on-hand this weekend and has a long-term commitment to supporting the arts through scholarships and endowments.

Recently Andre DeLorenzo started up the Southside ARTS Agenda, an email newsletter that goes out weekly to inform a growing membership list about all the arts happenings.

The Fayette Art Center & Gallery, another non-profit, is doing their part to promote and support artists and craftsmen of all ages. They recently moved into the yellow building across from Publix on Hwy. 54 just outside the Peachtree City limits.

We in this county are very lucky to have all the home-grown talent I saw and heard this weekend. I know it's just the tip of the iceberg, too. These kids are very, very lucky to live in such a great county and to have such a strong support system that allows them the ability to stretch their wings and discover their talents.

There is power in the arts and there is power in Fayette County's art "scene."

They're coming to get us...

Ho ho, hee hee, ha ha... "They" have been after this beautiful little jewel for many years. They make little inroads here and there... They grab this, snipe that...

“They” are all those who want to turn our county into just another crowded suburb of Atlanta. We've been lucky for some number of years in that we've had some fairly stalwart guardians. However, there have always been some weak spots in our armour. A rezoning here, a sewer deal there, annexations everywhere.

Rather than looking at the big picture, rather than looking down the road to see the implications of a current action, exceptions have been made, and are being made by our elected officials for this developer or that friend.

Coweta (which we have zero control over) is developing right up to the edge of our borders. Peachtree City is annexing and developing the West Village. Surprise, surprise, Tyone isn't happy about it (the same Tyrone that has annexed and annexed and brought in sewer and exploded in growth over the past few years).

There's a developer wanting to put a high-density development right in the middle of the county on Ebenezer Church Road. It was turned down by the previous County Commission a few years back, but rumor has it that Herb Frady is working hard to get it passed this go around. The neighbors have gathered and they've shown up in force for the rezoning requests. It's back on the drawing board again so they'll have to gather one more time.

If you’re watching the papers, the online news media and the various city and county sites, you’re aware of all the rezoning requests. If you drive around the county you can see for-sale, signs for upcoming developments and rezoning requests everywhere.

Prior to Harold Bost, Greg Dunn, Linda Wells and Peter Pfeifer's tenure on the Fayette County Board of Commissioners there were activists who attended every County Commission meeting. They kept the citizens informed and yelled when deals were being cut or the land use plan was being corrupted. They stopped when the aforementioned Board members were elected. No need. They had excellent guardians who walked a tight line, adhering to the land use plan.

Tyrone was once a small town and almost to a person, that's the way they wanted to keep it. It ain't a sleepy town no more folks. They're growing so fast the town looks like a stuffed Christmas stocking getting ready to burst – except most of the long-time residents don’t seem to particularly like the presents in the stocking

What can we as citizens do to stop what’s baying at our doors? Go to your city council and /or county commission meetings. Look at the rezoning requests that are in the pipeline. When you see a rezoning request sign on someone’s yard, even when it’s across town or in another neighborhood, go online to see what they’re wanting to do. Don’t wait until they’re in your backyard. Once they’re in your comfort zone, it’s too late. The battle needs to be won when they’re making that first change.

There is a point in every battle that is decisive. It’s easy to see that point in time when you’re looking back studying the war. However it’s sometimes difficult to know that a particular action is so critical when you’re in the midst of the battle. We may have already passed our critical point in the battle to save the flavor of our county. There are many who are packing up and heading out already. If you plan to raise your children in this county, if you plan to live here until you die, if you want to save what’s left of the county then it doesn’t matter if the critical battle has been lost. We have to fight to save what remains. Maybe we can slow what looks to be the inevitable down. Maybe we can turn back the tide to some degree right now. No matter what, if we get involved and try we’ll make the future better.

Tour de Georgia

What an exciting event! I'll have to admit that I don't keep up with biking, don't know much about the sport (although who hasn't heard of Lance Armstrong?). However, that said, it was a lot of fun yesterday at the kick-off.

These are world-class athletes and they have a huge fan base! They are obviously completely committed to their sport and love it. They were gracious, fun and intense.

Another thing that struck me about the start was the community involvement and enthusiasm the Tour generated. I have no idea how many people were there, how many lined the streets to see the racers zoom by their spot, but there were a LOT of people milling around.

I stood next to a couple from Minnesota who were here simply to see the race. They had their bikes and probably took a nice spin after the hoopla was over.

I took over 600 photos! That's a record for me. I have quite a daunting task ahead, sorting through them to find the keepers. I took a quick look last night and haven't seen many that I'll easily give up! We also filmed the event and will have the video on the site within the week. We're going to air some clips on our TV show this Friday if we can get it edited into the show in time.

I met a 3-time Olympic athlete volunteering at one of the booths. I saw so many people I knew I'm surprised I found time to take photos. We didn't get to all the booths set up by Main Street, local vendors and various businesses and non-profits. We could hear the band, but only managed to get one shot. Quite a few showed up on their bicycles, many in full biking gear. There was food, food, food, give-away items, the Delta "airplane" flitted around and there were plenty of porta-potties. What more could you want?

If the Tour comes through again next year, grab your family & come enjoy the fun! This year Peachtree City was chosen as the starting point for the Tour. Hopefully they'll get it again next year!

Honesty & Flash Foods

Tonight we stopped at the Flash Foods station on the corner of Hwy. 54 & Jeff Davis in Fayetteville. My husband went in to pay (so we could get our 2 cents a gallon discount). He came back out, we started to drive off. We were flagged down by one of the guys who worked at the store before we could get away. Turns out Greg had dropped a $5 bill on the counter (or maybe the floor) when he was getting his change. The guy handed Greg the $5 and ran back inside.

Wow.

You know he could have pocketed that $5 and we probably never would have realized it was missing.

Seems like every time I start to get a little down in the mouth about the future, someone does something really nice and restores my optimism.

We patronize Flash Foods whenever we can, partially because they have a nice discount rewards card (you get the discount on gas, plus various special sales and more). The other reason is that the people in the stores are, as a rule, nice.

Another reason? They don't get their gas from Chavez.

Kroger, Publix

I hit any number of grocery stores any given month. I go to the DeKalb Farmers Market once a month, Wal-Mart, Kroger and Publix at various times. Each store has something the other doesn't so I have to vary. Greg (my husband) is a traditional eater, I tend to travel the extremes.

In a couple of my blogs I talked about my quest for the least expensive raw honey (Kroger).

Yesterday, I popped over to Publix to pick up a few things they carry that none of the other local stores stock. I really like Publix. It's clean, the people are friendly, they'll stock anything if you ask them.

However, I was shocked at the price difference in some items.

I buy a black tea at Wal-Mart and Kroger, same brand, common name. It's usually on sale at one of the two places for $2, regular price being $2.19. I've seen it as high as $2.39 but that's rare. It was $3.19 at Publix. A dollar difference. I've always known they were a little higher on some products, maybe a penny or two. Now all of a sudden prices have jumped. And when I say jumped, I mean sky-high jumped!

I thought that was an anomaly, but it wasn't! Maybe it's just because I buy things that aren't always mainstream items, but almost every thing I picked up ended up going back on the shelf. The were consistently close to a dollar higher on many things.

I still ended up spending $62 so I didn't walk out empty handed! But I put more things back than I bought.

I don't think I'll be going back to Publix any time soon, much as I like some of their foods. Just to end this on a positive note, I really like the selection of healthy foods at Publix, and I like the way they have them with the regular foods instead of stuck off in a section somewhere. I would imagine they sell quite a bit more that way.

Out riding around

I've always considered myself an optimist. I enjoy life. I love the life I have here in Fayette County.

That said, I'm becoming pessimistic about the future of our county. According to some of my friends, I'm late coming to that way of thinking.

Yesterday (St. Patrick's Day) Greg & I went to the first ever St. Patrick's Day parade in Tyrone. It was great and I'd call it a huge success. Lots of reason for optimism when you see all those wonderful folks coming out to watch the parade, participate in the dog contest, and enjoy all the other events planned for the day.

After the parade we rode around a little. Later in the day we met some friends to go out to dinner and that entailed driving across the county, seeing a different area.

Every time I go out anymore I see signs that we're heading slowly, hopefully very very slowly, toward being just like all those counties that so many wanted to get away from. If we're not vigilant, we're going to be there sooner than most in this county would want.

It seems if there's an empty space someone is building. In Tyrone, a developer wanted to put eight houses to an acre right in the middle of town. It was turned down by a 2 to 1 vote when it came before the City Council! The Mayor lives next to the property and would benefit, so she recused herself. It came down to Mike Smola, Gloria Furr and Grace Caldwell to decide. Smola said yes, Furr and Caldwell said no.

In the late 1990's I went through Leadership Fayette. We split into groups and each did a "report" on a town in the county. I didn't have Tyrone, but I know all those who did and I heard their report. They surveyed a fairly good sampling of people living in the town, asking them what they wanted for their home city. They all wanted growth to bypass them. They wanted deer in the backyard. They wanted restaurants in Peachtree City close enough they could get to them but not in their quiet, friendly little town.

If you haven't been to Tyrone lately you have missed an explosion. There are some on the Council who are staying true to what the residents want, and others who seem to want the town to become a big city overnight.

It's not just Tyrone though. It's all across the County. Some can't be stopped due to legal considerations; some can't be stopped because of poor past planning or poor past decisions by those in government.

There is almost an inevitability to the path a city and a county takes. Especially if decisions are made looking at the short term instead of the long term. Especially if the people living in the county don't take the time to monitor their government.

The only way to stop our county from becoming like any other county in the metro area is for those who live here to get involved and fight to protect what we have. Unfortunately, realistically, most people are "NIMBY's" (Not In My Back Yard). Until something directly affects us, until some developer wants to put 8 houses to an acre on the spread next to ours, we wear blinders.

Take a ride around the county. Look at how growth is nibbling at the edges of many areas in the county. Once an area is rezoned, the one next to it can be changed... and then the next... and the next... If you like what we have, get involved now.

Turkey on the Porch...

How many of you have ever walked up to your front porch and found a wild turkey perched on it? We have some HUGE wild turkeys that wander around our yard off and on.

Wild turkeys traverse wide swaths of territory each day and we've found they don't stick to the same routine. Last year we had a bunch of baby chicks that seem to have been hatched under a large growth of wild looking bushes in the back. Once they were out and about they certainly didn't hang around for long!

We'd see them on occasion. They started out a gaggle (is that term for geese only?) but ended up dwindling down to two. There was one who never seemed to stick with the rest of the group. He'd stray off into the bushes or lag behind pecking at whatever struck his fancy. He lasted longer than I initially thought, but one day he just wasn't there anymore.

I imagine our local fox enjoyed a nice turkey dinner whenever he could.

It's hard to get attached to turkeys, but I did hate to see the little ones disappear.

Anyway, back to the turkey in this story (no, not me!). I headed out to my studio one afternoon and saw something huge getting ready to knock on the door.... yeah, you guessed already, it was a turkey. This monster turkey stayed on the porch looking in the glass window for quite some time. He (I assume it was a he) seemed to be fascinated with his reflection.

I had to wonder what was going through that tiny little turkey brain as it peered at the window. It didn't get mad, didn't show off its huge array of feathers like they do when they're strutting or trying to be imposing (or trying to show off for the opposite sex). It didn't peck at the window (thankfully).

I hope we never lose our turkeys, our wild fox, the hummingbirds, and all the other wonderful wildlife that flits in and out of the yard. We have some chipmunks (really cute) that scamper around back near the studio. It's fun to watch them jumping around.

It seems that so much of Fayette County is being built-out. There are houses going up everywhere. So much commercial growth is happening in the cities. One of the things that makes Fayette County such a special place to live is our large open spaces, the large lot sizes and the quality of homes we build.

If we want to keep our way of life, we have to be vigilant. We have to be involved. There are too few who are involved and it concerns me at times. So many of my friends, and others I encounter, are saying they're planning to move. They think the county is on a downhill slide, that we've peaked and it's time to get out before it gets too bad.

I hope they're wrong. I plan to do what little I can to try and keep our way of life like it is. There's not much one person can do, but hey, you gotta do what you can.

Readers Beware!

I just rec'd a notice from SitePro News saying spammers and hackers and nasty types are sneaking garbage onto blogs. Here's the link to read about it: http://www.fortiguardcenter.com:80/advisory/FGA-2007-04.html

Watch what you click on blogs! When I put a link on my blog just know it'll be easy to tell it came from me.

Meteor?

Last night as I was working on the Fayette Front Page I saw a meteor. We converted a sunroom into an office so I'm surrounded by windows. About 10:15 or so I caught something bright out the window to the left of the computer. I looked up and saw a burning white ball with a tail of white streak downward.

It difficult to say exactly how big because I couldn't tell exactly how far away it was. It was pitch black outside... no way to tell distance looking out from a lighted room into the sky.

I didn't hear it hit, I didn't hear it as it plummeted to the ground. I'm "assuming" that if it were close the impact would have made some sort of sound. It was fast.

We went outside just to see if it were possible to see anything. I'd think if it hit close that someone else might have seen it. In this area we're all on minimum 5 acre lots and there are some properties that are much, much larger. There's a lot of woods.

I may never know what happened to the meteor. It could have hit in the middle of the woods somewhere, it could have disintegrated before it hit the ground... but I doubt that. It was just above tree leve when I saw it and it was a good size.

If anyone happened to see it, let me know!

Frustrating...

I've been unable to get in to blog for a while. Spent ages working through every different problem it could be... researching on the Internet... even went to so-called tech support on Blogger. Man that's a hoot. You go round and round trying everything, finally get to the point where you've exhausted every suggestion on their site so you opt to send an email. It takes you through all kinds of hoops, loops and just when you think you're actually going to get to a screen with an email on it you're right back where you started. I had to laugh when, after almost a full week I got their reply. It was the same canned message that's on their site (which I had already explained I'd tried). At the end, it said if none of that worked to send them an email.

I know they do this for free. I know they want us to try everything. I really appreciate the fact that I can have all these blogs, etc., etc. But geez, they should at least read the email once we manage to get through all the guard gates, land mines and barriers they have to keep you from being able to get to the email! Nothing frustrates me more when dealing with tech support --- they have canned responses that get sent once they see a key word.

I think I need to learn how to better communicate with tech support... I need to avoid using any phrases that trigger the canned response. I need to put the problem at the END maybe rather than the beginning? Anyone out there ever found a good way to cut through the layers that most places have set up to keep us frustrated? You know the routine... you call, they run you through the stuff on their list of things to do in response to the problem. You've already tried them all, but you go through it anyway. It doesn't work. They finally say they'll have to send the problem to the next level, do a ticket or whatever. You wait, wait, wait. You get an email finally... and it goes through all the same things you've already done.

Congratulations to Vicki Turner

Vicki was chosen as the Business Person of the Year by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce. She received the well-deserved award Saturday night.

Vicki is everywhere and she's always giving. She and husband, Tommy, have made their computer business a fantastic success.

Vicki paints wonderfully and has been known to donate one or two of her paintings to support some of her favorite charities. If you've not seen any of her paintings you need to track them down. Arts & Expression Magazine did a piece on her last year sometime, the article may be on their website. You can also check with the Fayette Art Center & Gallery in Fayetteville, I've seen her work in there at times, too.

Vicki has won every award the Chamber hands out now I think! Ambassador of the Year, the Chet Wells Award and others. She is past Chair of the Chamber Board.

She supports Fayette Senior Services and is on their Board (she may be the Chair? or she was the Chair last year, don't know when they switch out).

She is in the Metro Fayette Kiwanis and is always there when needed.

Those are just the areas I know about from my involvement in various activities where our paths cross. I have always been amazed at her energy, her graciousness, her ability to draw the line when needed, her business, her giving... the list could go on. As far as I'm concerned, they could give her the award every year.

Congratulations Vicki!

Fox in Fayette!

I bet when you saw that headline your first thought was about a female type fox . Well, sorry to disapoint, but I'm talking about the real thing. The furry kind that runs on four legs.

I headed out the garage this morning toward the studio. Came around the corner and startled a real, live fox. It went streaking across the yard -- all the way across the backyard -- into the woods.

We've been here a little over three years and that was a first! I've seen plenty of wild turkey (although they're dwindling), deer, rabbits, opposum and the ever-present pesky squirrels, but never a fox.

He (or she) was a good size fox, too. Red with lighter patches. It looked like the tail was darker, and maybe the paws, too. I wish I had my camera, although it was going so fast I don't know if I could have turned it on in time!

Now I'm going to be watching for the fox. I'm also heading on the Internet to see what I can find out about them. It probably explains the bird feathers I see at times on the ground.

Hard to believe!

It's hard to believe I haven't posted anything since before Christmas! But I have been writing and I have been busy.

The biggest news is that the Fayette Forum is now the Fayette Front Page. AND... we now have the Georgia Front Page site, too. (www.georgiafrontpage.com). AND... we're gearing up for our very first television program called, surprise, surprise, the Georgia Front Page.

If having that on my plate (our collective plates... there are a number of great folks working to make the Fayette Front Page, etc. something folks want to come back to)... if having that on my plate wasn't enough I'm working on getting audio and video onto the site. You'll be able to watch shows, interviews and other fun and /or informative bits on both Front Page sites soon.

While all that is going on, if it wasn't enough alone, I've been to the Capital to visit state legislators on issues for the Front Page, been to umpteen events, am collecting items for the upcoming Fayette Youth Protection Home auction (event is Feb. 5th), went to the Governors Inauguration, had a couple of receptions at the Fayette Art Center & Gallery for my pottery (www.Hummingbird-Hollow.com), the list goes on and on. Somewhere in there was Christmas and New Years.

Family is of utmost importance to me and I drop any and everything for a chance to spend time with them. We've spent a fairly good amount of time (never enough) together in the recent past. The older I get the more value I place on family. It's funny growing up how the world revolves around your own wants and for most, family is just something you take for granted. As we grow older, most of us begin to realize that while much that we do may have an impact on the world or the future of the world in some small, small way, the biggest thing we'll leave behind are memories in other people's minds. The best memories should be in the minds of our family.

Well, back to the grind. I have about an hour that I can put into updating the site before I'm off again!!! I'll try to be a bit more regular about the things that are going on in Fayette County. Sometimes I'm so busy putting things on the main site that I forget to tell you about all the fantastic things going on in the county.

Fayette Historical Society

Fayette County is chocked full of interesting places to visit. One that many might not have on their list of places to visit is the Fayette Historical Society. The Society can't be compared to Disney World, but it certainly is fascinating in its own way!

Recently I made my first visit to the Society, not having any idea as to what I'd find inside the aged house in Fayetteville.

I could have spent hours just flipping through the file drawers of old photos alone! People have donated photos through the years to the Society. Unfortunately, many of the photos don't have any information written on them so we'll never know who is pictured. Still, even without identifying information, the photos tell a story of days gone by.

The old newspapers are wonderful. People told of their trips, family news, who was ill, and generally shared their life in little vignettes on pages titled "Your Affairs" and similar. Today's newspapers are filled with all the horrible things that tantalize and grab attention. Yes, they printed the bad news way back when, and they editorialized quite a bit, too. But maybe because of all the personal inclusions, the way things were written, and the "homey" touches, things just didn't seem so over sensationalized.

The Society has volumes and volumes of old records. It's extremely time-consuming to try and research marriages and family history though as most of the older records were hand-written. Also, there was not any consistency in the spelling of words. It takes a lot of patience to trace a family using those old records!

There are old yearbooks, mementos from all aspects of the county's history and books by local authors. It's a small building but it houses a world of knowledge. Even if you have absolutely zero interest in the history of Fayette County, you'll have fun looking through the old papers and photos. For those who are interested in the history of the county, it's well worth a visit or two or three. Who knows, you may just find a photo of one of your relatives!

Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House

I've lived in Fayette County for umpteen years and somehow have not ever managed to find time to visit the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House! I corrected that huge oversight this past Thursday.

What a treat! I took two young home-schooled friends thinking it would be something that might make history a bit more interesting. I was right. My only mistake is I looked at it as something for them --- it turned out I enjoyed the visit at least as much, if not more, than they did!

We were lucky to visit at a time when we were the only visitors. We had a one-on-one tour led by John Lynch, official historian. Lynch is a walking encyclopedia of historical knowledge and community lore.

We started in the front "parlor" known as "The Family Room." We learned about the Holliday family and Doc Holliday's ties to Fayette County. Not only did we find out about who they were, but Lynch painted a picture of times gone by, giving us a glimpse of how it was way back when.

As it was just past Halloween, some of the costumes and articles show-cased were still hanging around. Mourning attire, photos and other bits from the past helped us to visualize how difficult life was not too long ago - and how our ideas about death and the value of life have continued to evolve.

The Dorsey and Fife history is almost as interesting as the Hollywood Holliday history! I imagine that not many know that a past Governor lived in Fayetteville! It was amazing to see the many crossties there were among the various famous families and to get a small snapshot of how Fayette Countians have played a part in the making of history in the area and in Georgia.

I had heard that Fayette County boasted some connection to Margaret Mitchell of Gone With the Wind fame. Turns out Fayette County plays a much larger part in that book than I knew. I would bet that not many in Fayette County know how Gone With the Wind, Doc Holliday and Fayetteville are connected! You'll have to go visit the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House if you want to find out more.

There is one room in the House devoted to Gone With the Wind. Costumes, photos, artifacts and history make the book come alive and give it a place in our past.

We learned about the much photographed Starrs Mill, the War Between the States, how our great county came to be and so much more than I could ever begin to capture in a short blog.

This week we're traveling over to the Historic Society. We're going to hopefully look at some of the old newspapers and try to get a different perspective on the past.

If you'd like to find out more about the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House visit their website at www.hdfhouse.com, call 770-716-5332 or send an email to manager@hdfhouse.com. We planned to spend an hour and ended up having to cut the visit short after a two-hour stay! Plan to relax, learn and have fun.

Vote

I have many frustrations with our voting system, just like many, many others. I sometimes don't like either candidate I have to choose from. I can't stand the negative attacks on candidates. If I gave it much thought I could make the list of frustrations very long!

No matter what though, I won't give up my right to vote. I will not relinquish what in realitiy is just a tiny, tiny little mark, barely noticeable for the government of my choice.

If you read history you'll see that the voices of a few became the only voices that were heard when country's fell. When the masses sit on their hands, when the masses don't make their voices heard, ideals are destroyed.

It's easy to throw up your hands in frustration, abdicate your responsibility, use any number of excuses to avoid voting. There will be a point in our future where we in America will be wondering what happened to our country. Some of us are already wondering! I think the majority of our problems are rooted in apathy. Laziness. It doesn't take much to vote. It doesn't take much to find out enough information about the candidates to make a choice, even if your choice is the lesser of two evils.

Want better choices? That takes involvement and time. Staying home in protest is not going to fix anything. You'll find your choices are worse in the next election. Get involved. Someday "get involved" is going to mean fighting for whatever is left of our democracy unless you take the time now to make your little mark. Vote.

Gingercake Road

What's going on over on Gingercake Road? I've gotten in the habit of counting For Sale signs as I drive down that road now... Last week the total had reached fifteen (15). Yep, 15 For Sale signs on the road (that includes a few of those small corner signs pointing down the side streets to houses for sale).

Is it just me or has the number of For Sale signs across the county been on the rise lately?

What goes with Fayette & the Arts?

Yesterday I attended the one-year anniversary celebration at the Fayette Art Center and Gallery in Fayetteville. It's a non-profit with a mission to highlight local arts in the county. I know that over 6,000 invitations were mailed out. The attendace was good, but it should have been great.

This county is filled, chocked to the top, with good artists in all genres. Why aren't we supporting each other? Where are the family and friends of the arts?

I have been truly impressed with what has been happening in Coweta County. They are hopping when it comes to promoting the arts. It would seem that given the make-up of this county that we would be in the lead on the arts. Instead it seems we're lagging behind Clayton, Coweta and many other counties around the metro area.

Is it because we have too many things to choose from? Do we put too much focus on sports (not that I have a problem with sports!)? Our children have a better chance of making money playing for a symphony, being an architect, writing for a paper, teaching art, or working for a museum than they would playing for the Atlanta Braves.

Art is somewhat of a solitary field so it can be hard to generate enthusiasm. We don't go to a museum and cheer for our team. Is that why people don't get behind the arts?

The arts should be supported in this county. What do we need to do to make it happen? I for one don't think it's the responsibility of the government to build us an art center or to make something happen. If we're passionate about the arts, we should be able to band together and support building a venue.

In Kennesaw a local developer took it upon himself to build the Dozier Cultural Arts Center as a FOR-profit venue. Instead of holding our hands out to the government, we should be taking our hands and using them to pull out our wallets. Yes, there are grants, and more power to anyone who has the initiative and know-how to get them. But lets get this movement going. Let's get behind those who want to build a center for the arts. ALL the arts, not just the theater or painters or potters or musicians.

Lets bring the Endowment Committee for the Cultural Arts, Society for the Fine Arts, the Fayette Art Center & Gallery, the YMCA, the various musical groups, theater groups and others together and make it happen. Let's quit dancing around the issue, get all the factions together and do it.

Jim, we want a do-over

Left: Bill Nigro, Mike Riley , Greg Dunn and Jim Steinbach.

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If ever a person existed who lived to give to others, it was Jim Steinbach. Jim didn’t just touch someone’s life, he made an impact.

If you knew Jim for very long, sooner or later you were going to get one of his famous early morning calls. He got up before the crack of dawn and probably paced waiting for the first glow of sunlight so he could call his target at a “decent” hour. Sometimes he would almost be mid-sentence before who ever he woke from a deep sleep registered what he was enthusiastically saying.

He would usually start out with some variation of “I need you to do something for me.” The “for me” always, always somehow actually meant “for someone else.” It might be a person he’d met in the grocery line who was having difficulty with a broken pipe, or a member of his church who couldn’t solve a problem, or a retired soldier who needed a visit.

Oftentimes it was for help on one of his big projects. He worked tirelessly to get Fayette Senior Services a new home. He worked selflessly to get “his” candidates elected. Those at St. Matthews Catholic Church know how he devoted so much to his faith and his church.

Most of us will never know how many people he impacted and how much we have to thank Jim Steinbach for doing.

Jim went through a lot physically over the past many years. He had a hip replacement, had a stroke, and had a myriad of lesser physical problems that would have most of us sitting in a rocking chair. In early 2005 we came within a hair’s breadth of losing him when his aorta burst. He was supposed to slow down, and he did. Instead of whirling around like Superman in super turbo speed, he slowed down to ten times the normal speed of most.

If Jim wanted something done and he thought you could help him do it, you could run, but you couldn’t hide! He was a bulldog who kept digging until he found the right person to do what HE needed done.

Jim was even bigger than his giving though. He was sharp with a keen sense of right and wrong. He kept up with the happenings of the world and was a veracious reader. He loved his computer and used it as a tool to – you guessed it – help and educate others. Phone calls from Jim in the morning, faxes in the afternoon and emails in the evening were just a matter of course. He was witty and had a great sense of humor.

Somehow, amidst all he did for others, he found time for nurturing his relationship with his wife, Ellen and their family. He was a loyal friend and knew what true friendship was all about. He golfed until his health made him slow down. He worked out at the gym and kept in good physical shape.

He was a member of the Fayette Metro Kiwanis and was always the first to volunteer to go for training, to sign up to help at an event or to head a committee.

Right now the world is out of kilter and it is going to take some time for it to begin to right itself. Jim Steinbach is no longer walking the earth in the flesh and many, many – more than can ever be counted – are going to miss those early morning phone calls, those visits and his caring.

Jim, we want a do-over. There are just too many who are going to miss you and too many things that need a proud old soldier's attention.

Just a quick note to all who will join Jim in heaven in the future: He’s already in the process of reorganizing things to make them more efficient, so just know it’s going to be better than it was before he signed on for duty with the angels.

The family is asking that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Fayette Senior Services or to Catholic Relief Services, Baltimore. Parrot Funeral Home is handling the arrangements with services and viewing to be held at St. Matthews Catholic Church, Tyrone. A family-style luncheon will be held in Jim’s honor after the service on Tuesday.

If you’re a friend and would like to do something to help, please know the church has the food situation pretty much under control through Tuesday. Help is needed with food for the after-service luncheon. If you are a member of St. Matthews please contact Lisa Shupenus, blessus5@hotmail.com, if you’d like to find out what is needed. If you are NOT a member of St. Matthews and would like to help, please email Janet Dunn, info@jmacsnippets.net or call 770-631-9630.

Photos 2, 3 & 4:

2. Jim decorating his truck for the 4th of July parade in Peachtree City.

3. Eating breakfast during a break from working at the annual Metro Kiwanis fund-raising pancake breakfast in Fayetteville.

4. Checking out the Easter bunny's basket at the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast.

Hummingbirds still here?

I still have two hummingbirds hanging out at my feeders. It seems to me that they're usually gone by now? I know they'll stay the winter if they have new babies or they're too old to make the trek back to South America or Mexico or wherever they head. I'm wondering if anyone else is still seeing any at their feeders. I had a bunch for a while, but they have moved on, probably just made a pit stop here for fuel.

Flax tip

I'm always trying to find ways to sneak good stuff into food without changing the taste or the look. Greg (my husband) is pretty good about eating almost anything I put in front of him, but he doesn't lean toward eating tofu, cous cous, or anything you'll only find in a health food store! Given a choice between Bryers ice cream and Toffutti, guess which one he'll choose?

I want to keep him around as long as I possibly can, and I hope to hang in there just as long. So, I add bran or other fiber to pancakes, only buy whole wheat, buy free range whenever possible, make sure there are plenty of fruit choices, avoid sugars and fats, etc., etc., etc.

After reading a bit about flax seed, I thought it would be a great thing to incorporate into our regular diets. So, I merrily traipsed off to the store, grabbed a container of flax seed and then tried to figure out what to do with it (my typical method of operation... impulse buy, then figure out the mechanics later).

Those pesky little seeds are not easy to hide in foods. However, I came up with one way to add them to almost anything - I mix the seeds in my pepper mill with the peppercorns. Now, anytime we use pepper, we're getting some flax seed.

Next time I'm at the store I plan to pick up another pepper mill just for the flax seed. I plan to add some to soups and other concoctions just like a spice when I'm cooking.

Anyone else have any great ideas on how to incorporate healthy things into not-so-healthy dishes?

A bit about flax seed in case you don't know about it:

Benefits of flax seed as shown in many studies include lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, it may also help lower blood triglyceride and blood pressure and may keep platelets from becoming sticky therefore reducing the risk of a heart attack. Flax seed oil may be able to heal the inner lining of the inflamed intestines, so those with Crohn's Disease and colitis might want to read up on the benefits.

It has a high content of alpha linolenic acids, which is a type of plant derived omega 3 oil. It also has lignan, a phytoestrogen or anitoxidant and it is high in fiber.

Has anyone noticed that everytime a new strip shopping mall goes in the first store to open is often a nail salon? It seems there are at least as many nail salons as there are drug stores.

How many women get their nails done at a salon? I keep mine short as I work with clay and fingernails are not condusive to smooth lines, plus they don't look very good at the end of the day!

I'm curious - does anyone know much about the business? How many do we have in the county? How many women regularly visit the salon and how many times a month do you have to go to keep your nails beautiful? I know nails are fun - I get a kick out of some of the designs and colors. When we have girls night we always "do our nails" at some time during the night. My nieces love to paint my short nails strange colors... which only lasts until they leave or I get home!

I guess I'll be looking up nail salons on the Internet when I have a few minutes just to see if there's any data on the growth and how they survive or thrive.

Scuppernongs Gone

A few weeks ago a friend and I stopped by the Fayette Art Center and Gallery in Fayetteville (it's on Fisher Ave. next to Fayetteville City Hall). We parked in the handicap area on the side as my friend has difficulty negotiating stairs (and yes, we were in her car and she has a handicap permit!). As I was helping her get out of the car I noted a gentleman sitting on the front porch of his house across the street watching us. I gave a friendly wave (being a friendly sort of person).

A few minutes later I looked up and he was walking across to talk with us. The house is one of the older houses that I love in this county. A huge porch to sit on in the evening or early mornings and it even has a few stained glass windows. I itched to get a peek at the inside, but in addition to being friendly, I try to be polite so I didn't ask for a tour!

We talked for a while about the house, the area, the history of Fayette County and other general things before I introduced myself and the gentleman introduced himself. Mr. Ed Travis is a true gracious southern gentleman.

After a bit we parted ways, but not before he invited us to come pick scuppernongs, apples and figs from his back yard. It has been many, many years since I had a scuppernong and many more since I picked them so I jumped at the chance. He told me to get Kathy (the owner of the Gallery) and get all we wanted as the scuppernongs were falling off the bushes.

After looking at all the new art in the gallery, Kathy and I walked across and picked our scuppernongs. They were truly falling off the vines! Ed had a wire running behind and through all the vines and the buckets he provided had hooks on them so we could hang them within reach while plucking the ripe fruit. After a short period I found it easier just to put the bucket under the vine and with a light touch let them fall into the bucket.

After filling our buckets we went back into the 2nd backyard and got a few apples from the trees. We also grabbed a few figs from the huge bushes or trees.

Ed and his wife came out to talk to us for a bit before leaving. They rent out some of the rooms in the house and, unless it's been rented in the last two weeks, there is a vacancy. I suppose that was my opening to weasle my way into the house for a look, but they were on their way out and I didn't want to hold them up.

People like the Travis' are not unusual in Fayette County. We are so lucky to have open hearted, giving and caring people in this county. I hope we'll somehow manage to keep the flavor of the county in years to come. How many places are left in this world where a huge assortment of fruit is grown between a jail/courthouse (the house backs up the county jail) and a main road?

The scuppernongs are long gone. I took them to a family get-together and had the pleasure of teaching my young nieces the "proper" way to eat them (squeeze the pulp into your mouth leaving the skin, push out the seeds with your toungue and discard... then enjoy; yes, I know some of you might eat the skin, but it's the pulp that's sweet and really, really good).

If you'd like to see more photos of the house, the vines and Mr. & Mrs. Travis, go to the Fayette Forum link on the sidebar, click and look for the Fayette Photo Gallery. Click on Scuppernongs Gone.

Sticking with organic

I'm not going nuts on the organic front, but I am buying organic whenever possible. If the difference in price isn't outrageous and the food looks frest, I'm opting to buy the organic.

One thing that completly surprised me is the difference in taste. Maybe when they grow things organically they shy away from hydroponics, picking too early and mass producing in dark rooms, too. All I know is that a tomato tastes like a tomato from the garden (well, duh, I guess it is from the garden ;-) and tonight I had peas that tasted like the peas I used to sneak from my neighbors yard.

I'm a native Georgian, but my father was in the Air Force. We moved when I was young and I lived in a variety of states and countries before coming back to Georgia. Our neighbors in England had a small back yard (RAF base housing) that they turned into a garden - completely. There was a huge commons area behind the housing which served as a community play ground so I guess they didn't need their postage-stamp sized backyard for playing.

I loved to sneak over, open a pod and eat the peas raw. That taste is something I haven't experienced until tonight when I had tried the organic frozen peas I picked up at Wal-Mart. Yup, Wal-Mart.

Surprisingly, Wal-Mart and Publix have the best selection of organic food I've found locally. I've been going once a month with a good friend to the Dekalb Farmers Market to pick up a good supply of the things you can't find around here unless you're willing to pay shockingly high prices.

Did you know the difference between cage free and free range eggs? Cage free just means the chickens weren't in a cage. They could be (and probably are) still de-beaked and cooped up in some tightly packed barn. Free range means they get to roam like chickens are meant to roam. They keep their beaks because they're not going to peck at each other as they're not crammed body-to-body.

I haven't found free range eggs in Fayette County (yet?). But the Dekalb Farmers Market has these fantastic HUGE Amish free range eggs that are less expensive than the cage free eggs at Public, Kroger & Wal-mart. I cracked one open the other day and it had two yolks! When is the last time you had a double-yoked egg? I'm not sure if they taste better, I add so much to my eggs (spinach, cheese, mushrooms, onions, whatever is left over from dinner...) that I have no way of comparing taste.

I'm thinking that next year I'm going to put in a garden (for the deer probably!). The people who owned our house before us had a vegetable garden in the back. They had an electric fence around it. I don't think I'll want to do that as the shock is enough to kill hummingbirds, so I'll have to investigate other ways to keep out the wildlife. After all, people have been growing food since long before the invention of electricity!

Panhandlers in FAYETTE?

Times they be a changin'! My two sisters came to visit me this weekend. On their way here they made a quick stop at Wal-Mart at the Pavilion in Fayetteville to pick up a birthday present (an espresso machine). As they got out of their vehicle they were accosted by a large (huge) red-eyed, mean talkin' man with a cute little tyke. He said he had run out of gas and needed some money, would they help.

Now my two sisters are about the most generous types on earth. Claire has given up years of Tuesday nights to feed the homeless. Her church members take turns buying the food and cooking for 200 or more that show each week. Lynda is off a similar nature.

If they had given even a tiny bit of credibility to the man's story, they would have gone into Wal-Mart, bought a gas can or two, gone and filled it up and handed it to the man.

Unfortunately, he was so obviously not legit they shook their head no and went into the store. The man had similarly approached the people in the car next to them and they had similarly said sorry, can't help.

Claire and Lynda made record time getting the present (they were bragging later about how they had, for the first time in their shopping life, not dawdled on any of the aisles looking at sales items, etc.

They zoomed out to the truck only to discover that it had been keyed. Yup, keyed. They noticed that the car next to them had also been keyed.

After a short conference, they decided it would be a good idea to report the incident to Wal-Mart, even though they did not see the man in hanging around the parking lot thinking Wal-Mart's security would keep an eye out. Nope, our stalwart and rightly thinking Wal-Mart managers called the police who responded VERY fast!

Two cars arrived; one took my sister's report, assigned a case number and went through all the appropriate steps. The others took off to try and find the panhandler. For those who may not be aware (I wasn't), it is illegal in Fayetteville (and probably all of Fayette County) to panhandle.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like they were able to locate them man and the unfortunate little girl with him.

My sisters and I discussed this off and on throughout the weekend. We worried about the little girl and we worried about others whose cars may have received the same treatment.

One thing I didn't think of until after my sisters were on their way back home is the difference in their reaction to a panhandler compared to what mine probably would have been.

Because I live in Fayette County, it would have been so out of the norm to see a panhandler I would have walked into Wal-Mart and reported it before shopping. I would have expected the police to come and try to track the man down.

My sisters live on the north side of Atlanta. They are more accustomed to seeing panhandlers and they're not used to a quick response from the police.

Yes, it's bad that we in Fayette are starting to see some of the same problems that occur in other counties and cities. However, we've still got a long way to go before we accept things like panhandlers as a normal part of life. We have the ability to stop this from becoming the status quo. However, to stop it, we're all going to have to put some effort into protecting our way of life. We can't leave it up to our elected officials, our police, to others. We ALL have to get involved and be vigilant.

Denver & the Mile High Orchestra

Traveled to Kennesaw last weekend to see Denver & the Mile High Orchestra with my son, his wife and our granddaughter, Niah. What a great night!

We had a great time with the kids, don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful family! It was Niah's first concert and she had a ball! She was clapping and dancing and laughing all night. She didn't stop moving until the band stopped playing.

We ate at a buffet before the concert - we ALL needed to keep moving to work off the extra food. Every time I eat at a buffet I say "never again" simply because I eat too much. We in America are so spoiled...

The band was fantastic. Denver is the name of the band leader. I imagine you probably thought, as I did, that Denver referred to the city. Turns out the leader wasn't born in Colorado or anywhere near - his mother just liked the name Denver. He, in turn, named his son Boston. Nope, they don't live in or near Boston. In fact, they live in Tennessee. I don't know that there are two areas that contrast more than Boston and Nashville!

The band plays a fun mix of big-band style Christian music with a bit of almost every genre tossed in. The leader, Denver, is truly a talented artist who could be famous in the "secular" world. If you ever have the opportunity to hear the band, don't hesitate!

They played at the Dozier Art Center. It's brand new, this was their first concert. The Center boasts a 600 seat auditorium (where we were) and a 300 seat black-box theater.

It's a private venture, not funded by any public money. Dozier is a developer who wanted to support the arts and felt he could make a profit doing so. It's going to be interesting to watch this venue and see how it does. It's gorgeous, huge, and it looks like they're doing things the right way.


We in Fayette County are trying to 'grow' an art center. Currently a group is working with the YMCA to build one near the center of the county. At one point I was involved in trying to raise some money for a center, it didn't pan out.

I am a huge supporter of the arts. I would love to see a nice venue for the arts in our great county. It will be interesting to see if the community is willing to support an arts venue. There seems to be a lot of support for sports in the area. I'm hoping the arts can garner at least as much support.

Over 600? September 1st Deadline looms!!!

I understand that over 600 people are now reporting problems as a result of the fiasco with Philip Services Corporation. Just a quick reminder, September 1st at 5 p.m. is the absolute deadline for reporting your symptoms to the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency. Go to www.jmacsnippets.net or www.communitytaskforce.org to get copies of the forms and more information!!!

Where there's smoke...

I've been reading through all the various health and environmental agencies responses to the problem at the Philip Services Corporation in Fairburn. I've also been out on the Internet looking up mercaptan, MOCAP, ethoprop.

All the "official" responses from the Fulton County Health Department, EPD and related agencies seem to have a similar "tone." My impression from the overall "tone" of their written and verbal responses is that they look at this as something they're being required to take seriously (political pressure? covering their behinds?) but they look at it as an "odor" problem. You can almost feel them rolling their eyes at times.

Now there are some agencies that are taking this very seriously. Kudos to the Fayette County Department of Fire & Emergency Services, Representative Virgil Fludd, the Fayette County Board of Commissioners and others who are going above and beyond! And don't take what I wrote above wrong - I'm not saying these agencies aren't responding. There is a lot of effort being put into this and lots of paperwork is being generated. But it seems that most of the effort from the state is geared toward placating citizens.

However, if they were truly taking this seriously, they would be doing the best of the best when it came to taking samples. They would have had some speed behind their actions. They would have gone and be going that extra mile to make sure people had access to proper medical testing. There would be some testing of the pets that have died under unusual circumstances. The citizens wouldn't need to be yelling and pushing to get things done. The agencies would be leading the way.

I've read about mercaptan, which is the chemical causing the odor. It seems, if I'm understanding all the technical jargon correctly, you have to be exposed to one huge amount of mercaptan to get the symptoms people are complaining about.

When you look at over 400 people with similar symptoms common sense would dictate that some other chemical must be in play. As long as the EPD and others look at this as a mercaptan (odor) problem, they take it too seriously.

I'm disappointed in the response from state agencies. To my way of thinking, if there's smoke, there's a fire of some sort. You don't wait until you see the fire to respond. You go to the source and keep looking until you find how the smoke is being generated. You don't show up with a backyard hose or water guns, you bring the fire trucks and the big hoses. (From a common sense way of looking at things, if you want the citizens to have faith that there's nothing there when you say it, you do everything in your power to prove there's nothing there. )

Continuing the fire metaphor... I could be wrong, but it seems that those who set this fire (Philip) are telling the fire fighters (EPD, etc.) they put out a small fire without a burning permit, were willing to take their punishment and now they've promised they won't do it again. Meanwhile local citizens are pointing to huge clouds of smoke and saying the problems bigger, fire's not out...

Cell phones

I won't leave the house without mine. I imagine a large percentage of you who are reading this have cell phones and they're an accepted, normal, not-to-be-lived-without part of your lives.

Dekalb County, led by Vernon Jones, has passed a law adding a $500 additional fine if you're in a car accident and using a cell phone was a contributing factor.

I know using a cell phone in a car can be distracting and it can contribute to and/or cause accidents. However, I think they're going to have a bit of difficulty in two areas.

One, how do you prove using a cell phone was a contributing factor? How much extra is it going to cost to litigate the he said-she said that could be involved? If they find a cell phone on site and the person was using it, does that automatically make it a causation factor?

Two, it's behavior. If they can say using a cell phone can result in a higher fine, what about combing your hair? fussing at your children in the backseat? eating a candy bar? changing the radio station? All of those things can cause and/or contribute to accidents. What about swatting at a bee that flies in the window? There are statistics that say bugs cause quite a few accidents.

Now Dekalb does have some factual data to back up their concern about cell phone use. A large percentage of car accidents in Dekalb (and presumably everywhere) are purported to occur as a result of cell-phone use distraction. But why not just ban the use of cell phones while driving like some areas have? Answering my own question, I would say it's unpopular to ban something that would aggravate a vast majority. It's easier to slap a fine on the tail end of those who don't use their phones "responsibly."

I think there's going to be litigation on this one. Nice as it sounds in some ways, it's not going to hold up under legal scrutiny.

Gettin' rid of toxins

When I was at the meeting this past Tuesday regarding the MOCAP release by the Phillips Service Corporation (PSC) in Fairburn I talked with the EPD rep for a short period of time. He was talking to someone else when I walked up and was explaining how they had tested the air for mercaptan.

Mercaptan is the odorant the put in non-smelling toxic agents to give them a smell. It is used because such a tiny amount can odorize a large amount. In very high concentrations it can cause problems.

However, the problem is not with the mercaptan, it's with whatever it was odorizing (in this case, ethoprop, a highly toxic insecticide that has been banned for use on certain things we ingest already!).

Back to the EPD conversation... They tested the air. I asked if they had tested the water. The answer was something along the lines of "it wasn't what we were tasked to do." They found enough problems to hit Phillips with the largest fine the EPD has ever levied but they didn't check the water? or the soil?

I understand that Fayette County took the initiative to test the water and the results are posted on www.JMacSnippets.net (Dennis Chase's report). It looks like Whitewater Creek has a few problems but not the kind of problems that it would have if MOCAP had been dumped in it.

However, I have two questions: 1) How do we know the MOCAP didn't leach through the soil into the underground aquifiers and 2) What goes with an agency that has to have a mandate to test the water and the soil?

We're on well water. I'm not sure exactly where the water comes from, whether it ties into Whitewater Creek somehow or not. I suppose I should try to find out. We have the water tested and we have a water filter to take out some of the impurities. I have a tendency to drink bottled water anyway, since we have hard water and I haven't taken the time to see if that white residue I see building up on the refrigerator dispenser is something that could build up inside my body... Hopefully someone out there who might happen to read this will know and zap an email (talk@fayetteforum.org) or leave a comment.

Continuing to think about MOCAP, our water and overall health:

I'm fairly astute when it comes to keeping up with products, health, vitamins, and research. I watch what I eat and I do my darndest to take care of myself (yes, working out more would be a great thing to do!). Since reading about MOCAP, mercaptan and all the fun things that people dump into our food supply I've increased my emphasis on detoxification.

I started taking NCD drops a few months back (gets rid of the metals and toxins in the system). I've gone back on the higher dosage as a result of what I've been reading. The company (Waiora) is coming out with a great new antioxidant, vitamin, etc. product in liquid form next month. I'm going to be getting that also. I love the idea of taking an ounce or so of liquid a day rather than downing those easy-to-forget vitamins!

The NCD Zeolite drops are easy, the liquid vitamins are going to be easy. I'm using what we call "Botox in a bottle," too. Huge difference in my skin.

I think I might up my vitamin C and other antioxidants just a bit in the meantime. I'm still working on moving to organic. I've found FROZEN organic veggies! Now we're talking... Kroger, Wal-Mart, Publix all have organic pre-packaged foods and frozen offerings. I can be lazy in the kitchen and eat right at the same time. Ah, life is good.

To learn more about MOCAP, ethoprop and mercaptan, click on the PSC Odor link under Issues on the front page of www.JMacSnippets.net. To find out more about Waiora products, wander around this site: http://www.zeolitewellness.com/Janet.

MOCAP, Ethoprop, Mercaptan...

If you haven't heard of any of the words in the title of this column you probably haven't heard about the problems with the Phillips Service Corp. (PSC) in Fairburn. Hundreds of individuals have reported problems from inhaling or other potential exposure to ethoprop (trade name MOCAP).

Mercaptan is the agent that is put in gas, insecticides and other non-odorous products to GIVE them an odor. It makes sense to put something in odorless products that can kill you.

You can read the news stories elsewhere - the subject has been reported in the news across the country (to see a list visit www.JMacSnippets.net and click on the PSC Odor link).

I've been out reading about MOCAP. I've decided I will never again eat any non-organic product. It is scary to actually see the number of toxic chemicals being used by farmers around the world.

Typically, we get upset about things when we can see, touch, hear or feel them. Most of us have no idea how our food is grown. We still have the pictures in our minds from when we were young of the farmer on his tractor in the field. The family scene of little Jimmy milking the cow while young Susie fills her basket with fresh-laid eggs.

I read a book years ago about pork, chicken and beef in the United States. A reporter traveled the country touring plants, visiting a wide assortment of agencies and farms. I doubt anyone would be able to sink their teeth into a steak after reading what we feed our cattle.

What would happen if we started looking into how our veggies are grown? The first thing to go would be the rosy picture we have from our youth about farms! Just like our beef and chicken, everything is done for expediency and dollars.

I understand the difficulty facing those who provide us with our food. How can we feed the world if we can't kill the bugs and diseases that attack our food sources? Most of us are spoiled. Given a choice between an almost-ripe red tomato that tastes like mush and an organic tomato that has some spots on it, we're going to grab the pretty red one. Especially when we compare prices.

But what price should we put on our health? After reading about MOCAP, ethoprop and even mercaptan, I've decided to see if I can afford to go organic. We'll see.

PSC Odor

Whew. I've been reading about the problem up at the Phillips plant on the Fayette County border in South Fulton and I've been emailing with a few folks. Last night I went to the meeting at Sandy Creek High School. What a mess.

The meeting wasn't a mess. Rep. Virgil Fludd did a good job getting the right people together and hosting the meeting. The mess is the situation.

My overall impression was that a lot of people are working very hard to do what they can to correct the problem but it's a disjointed effort. One agency takes some samples but not others. One government group checks the water. Another is dealing with another aspect. The most organized group appears to be the citizen's group!

It sounded like there is a joint task force being put together finally that will pull all the resources together. I should be finding out more about that Thursday.

Unfortunately, it's taken a long time to get it to happen and more and more people are complaining about illnesses. There's a lot of understandable frustration.

The forum last night really brought home to me how impotent the goverment can be as it's bogged down with so many restrictions. The representative from the EPA said a number of times that his agency could only do this or that. Why aren't they able to reach out - or maybe the question is why don't they take the initiative to reach out - to other agencies?

I'm getting into the thick of this a little late. There are some fantastic people in the Community group who have put time and sweat into getting some answers. They are organized by Connie Biemiller who is the perfect person for this arduous task!

Dennis Chase, Lois Speaker and others have joined forces to get to the bottom of this and to do what they can to get the situation corrected.

If you'd like to keep up with this problem, check out the new website at www.JMacSnippets.net. Click on the PSC Odor link on the front page under issues. If you'd like to add your comments to the website, send an email to odor@jmacsnippets.net. In the near future there will be a guest book which will give you the opportunity to add your comments directly.

Get involved! Get it fixed.

Excited!

My mom has taken over the Spirituality blog and is now updating it! She is the perfect person to share her faith and thoughts. She has such a big heart and I'm so thrilled to have her joining me in this 'venture.'

I'm getting my fingers in too many pies again! Between the Kiwanis, the Republican Party, the Fayette Forum, the soon-to-be relaunched JMacSnippets.net, the web sites I'm revamping for a number of businesses and a church, the grandkids, my pottery, my part-time job... I could go on!

Most important is my so very kind and understanding husband, Greg. His patience is astounding!

Back in the studio!

Things are getting back to "normal." My normal. Which might not be so normal to some of you . I'm back in the studio and working hard having fun. During the recent elections I closed the doors of the studio and concentrated on other areas... Now I can focus again on making things.

I'm waiting on a kiln load to cool off now. The hardest part of the entire process is waiting for the kiln to cool down to room temperature so I can open the lid and see if I did good... or not. Open the kiln too soon and the pieces can break or the glaze can craze or even crack. Not good to hear that pinging noise when you open the kiln too soon!

Rule of thumb is that the kiln needs to cool three times the length of time it took to reach the optimum temperature. So, if it took seven hours to hit the max and click off, it'll take around 21 hours or so to cool down. In this heat it's taking a bit longer. No, it's taking a lot longer!!!

Patience is not one of my strong points but the kiln is teaching me to have a bit more.

Bikes on the road

I am simply loving seeing all the bikes on the road in Fayette County! I know there are people that get impatient when they have to wait for a clear road to go around a biker, but I don't mind. I used to ride until I blew my knees out running. I miss it. There's nothing better than an early morning ride through the woods on the paths in Peachtree City. I would come up on wildlife fairly often. We'd both stop and look at each other, usually they gave it up first and would take off.

The "Share the Road" signs are great. I'd prefer to see paths all through the county, but that's a rather expensive project to undertake. Maybe someday... I imagine if the price of gas keeps going up we'll see more folks taking their bikes on short hops. Around here the preferred way of travel without a car is a golf cart though!

When I get "stuck" behind a bike I rather like the fact that I usually have to slow down. It seems like I'm always behind, always running from one place to the next. When I am forced to slow down along a country road I take the time to look at the scenery, to slow my breathing just a little and regroup.

I envy those who are able to ride. I'm not so sure I'd be as brave as some. I remember riding the back roads with my son when he was still at home. A bunch of guys in a pickup truck decided it would be fun to run us off the road. They tossed a beer can out the truck as they sped off laughing. Definitely had my heart rate on the high side! I can't understand why someone would think it was fun to run a mother and child off the road. Luckily neither of us were hurt.

I made sure we popped our bikes on the back of the car and drove into Peachtree City to ride on the paths after that. There's probably not a path in Peachtree City that I haven't been on more than... well, who knows how many times! Between my biking, running and golf cart riding I've lost count.

I've rambled enough. I have been seeing more and more riders on the roads and wanted to commend them and let them know that there is at least one person riding behind them who doesn't mind a bit.

Wednesday, June 7th, 2006 - Skeptical

I am usually a skeptical person when it comes to things I'm going to ingest. My husband would say I'm not as he sees me eating vitamins and taking herbs (self-medicating ;-). But I do my research, watch things for a while, watch people who are taking things to see if there's really any benefit and I check out the company, and so on and so on. Over the years I've tried a lot of things that flat out didn't live up to their advertisements, so I tend to be harder to convince now.

I am in a women's networking group that meets every Thursday morning. (No, I'm not changing the subject!!! I'll tie this together in a sentence or two or ten...). It's a great group of ever-changing women who have become friends. There's JoAnna Shipe who has to be the most dynamic and effervescent Mary Kay woman in the entire world! Angie McCarl, co-owner of the Peachtree City Fitness Spa. She is one of the kindest and most caring individuals I may ever know. Debbie Baus, another great woman who really knows her Internet! She's a loving mother, intelligent as they come and just an all-round good person. There are others - Linda Mackey, best person for insurance... Denise Davis, who I could sit and talk with for a lifetime. She is the absolute best reflexologist (Sole Therapy) I have ever known or heard of, plus she's the co-founder of a fantastic group, Joyful Being. Kim Pettinato, health, health, health is her forte! There are many more and I'm sorry I don't have space to list everyone... because I need to get back to my theme finally!

First Angie started talking about a product from a company named Waiora called Natural Cellular Defense. She told us various tales of improvements people she knew had taking these "zeolite" drops. My thoughts? Oh, yeah, another one of those miracle health things... I listened, but I wasn't going to get involved.

Time goes on, another person in the group tries them, starts talking about cold sores going away on their daughter. Someone else tells about a woman diagnosed with cancer who started taking the drops and her tumor shrunk before her operation (no drugs!). Then the real kicker - one of the ladies started noticing her cellulite diminishing. OK, NOW I'm listening! Story after story from people I knew and it takes the lessening of unsightly fat bubbles to make my ears perk up. (It's that old WIIFM, "what's in it for me" thing!).

Yup, I'm taking those little drops now and I'm already seeing results. Not in my cellulite (I imagine that's going to take more than a week to go away). No, I'm seeing my skin improve. I'm not just taking the drops, I'm dabbing a little on my skin to see what happens. After all, if it'll work on cold sores, cellulite and cancer, surely it'll help even out those wrinkles a little?

I'm still learning about it and I'll be posting info on here off & on so you can keep up with the results. I'll share any bits of info I hear from my other zeolite taking friends! I have seen one thing in another friend of mine - her skin is visibly improving. She's using some of the other Waiora products that are geared to anti-aging. If she keeps improving, I'm going to be smearing that stuff on, too!

Monday, May 29th, 2006 - Good Intentions

I have good intentions. I have plenty to write about. But it seems that most of my "spare" time is taken up with writing stores for the Forum, updating my various websites and going to events for the Forum and/or for the campaign and/or for iSold It on eBay. You'd be surprised at how much time it takes to keep just this website updated! I'm thankful to all of those who send the great photos and news! I'd like to see more.

Today Greg & I started the day in Peachtree City at the Memorial Day service. It was humbling. The older I get the more I appreciate the sacrifices others have made so that I can live the great life I am living.

After the PTC event we drove into Fayetteville for that Memorial Day ceremony. Both were moving and very well orchestrated. A lot of people put a lot of heart and energy into putting the events together.

Greg is retired from the military and this day has special meaning to him. He was in Vietnam (twice) and the Gulf War, has two Purple Hearts and is the Hall of Fame at Ft. Benning. He is always extra reflective on this weekend, remembering those who died in service to their country. It is politically correct to say "made the ultimate sacrifice" these days rather than be blunt and say they died. Today I head tales of some horrific deaths. They were more than sacrifices, they were truly heroic tales of soldiers throwing themselves on grenades to save their fellow soldiers and similar feats of courage.

It's hard to think of all the many thousands and thousands who have suffered and died in past wars, and the current war. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the reality of war. I would imagine that for those who've been there, it's difficult sometimes to live with the reality of what they've experienced.

I am thankful to the many, many soldiers and individuals who fought and fight to keep our country free and to bring freedom to others. I am thankful that there are men in this world like Greg who don't think twice when it comes to serving. His entire life has been given in service to others. We in America are so very, very lucky. We in Fayette County are doubly blessed. I am triply blessed to live here, to live in America and to be sharing my life with my own brave and honorable soldier.

Thursday, May 4, 2006 - Lots to catch up on!

It's been a busy few weeks jam packed with many wonderful events. Today was possibly the best. Some of you may be aware that today is designated as a National Day of Prayer. For the past 15 plus years local churches have gotten together to invite local elected officials to a breakfast.

This morning Greg and I started out day at Grace Evangelical Church on Flat Creek Road. it was truly and uplifting event! You can't help but feel good when a room full of ministers are praying for you. We met a lot of wonderful people. It is a good feeling to know that you are on so very many prayer lists!

On Tuesday the Metro Fayette Kiwanis honored the Most Improved Students from all the elementary schools in the county. There were some sharp 5th graders who had made some impressive strides during the year! What struck me was how caring and dedicated their teachers and principals were. We'll have pictures on the site in the near future.

Saturday night Carolyn Cary was honored. This super lady has had her fingers in almost every pie in the county at some point. She is phenomenal. As is our Fayette County Library staff! Ms. Christeen Snell cooked up this fabulous event to honor Carolyn. It was a huge success.

Friday night I attended the first social event for members of the Fayette Art Center and Gallery. This non-profit center is doing much to bring the arts to the forefront in the county. Kathaleen Brewer is committed to expanding our horizons and is doing a fantastic job!

I managed to get in a few days of work at iSold It in Peachtree City. That is one fun job. Every day I meet new people and learn something new about all the great things people have collected through time. That's an article that deserves its own space.

I spent some time with our cute and still cuddly granddaughter, Niah. Plus Greg and I saw our other granddaughter practice and then play in her first official soccer game. Seeing a bunch of four year olds play soccer is non-stop laughs. As long as they were kicking the ball somewhere they were happy - it didn't matter if they kicked it in the wrong direction.

After the soccer game we spent time with their family before going to our OTHER granddaughter's softball game.

I know I've forgotten something! Through it all there is a common theme - great people!

Sunday, April 23, 2006 - Busy Weekend, Lots of Great Activities in the County!

What a weekend! Despite the rain Saturday morning, many great things happened. Friday night well-known award-winning author Sue Monk Kidd graced Fayette County with her presence. And believe me, she is graceful!

Saturday morning the Fair for Families of Special Needs Children at McIntosh High School drew steady crowds. Sixteen vendors talked to attendees about the services they offered. Children took home small footballs, cups, candy and other treats. Parents and interested parties took home a wealth of information. Watch the Forum for an article and photos in the next few days.

The show went on at the Family Festival of Arts, set up under the huge covered event area at the Fayette Family YMCA, despite the morning storms. They swept gathered water out of the area and kept the performances and displays on track. Sadly due to the weather, many missed out on some wonderful performances. However, once the sun came out late Saturday people started to appear.

Theater groups, ballet dancers, singers and many other entertained. A wide assortment of booths showcased musicians, schools, art and related groups.

The Odd Couple, performed by Fayette Community Players and Theater was fantastic! They will have repeat performances next weekend. We encourage everyone to look at the April Happenings section to find out how to get your tickets early. This play is well-done, is humorous and the performers were outstanding.

Overall it was a busy weekend. Yours truly ended it with a visit to north Atlanta to see niece Naomi in a church production, then headed over for Niah's (granddaughter) third birthday party. The party is always a huge production in its own right with somewhere in the neighborhood of sixty family members and friends gathering for an outdoor cookout. Home again, home again and proud to be living in this wonderful county!

Sunday, April 9, 2006 - Attitude

Many years ago I finally figured out that it doesn't do a bit of good to dwell on the bad things in life. It doesn't change anything when you worry about something you have no control over. When bad things happen, allowing them to make you miserable doesn't make them "less bad."

Way back when, I went through a bad spell where it seemed everything that could go wrong went wrong. I was miserable. Then somehow, and I'm not even sure what triggered the lightening bolt, I realized that I got through every situation. Zap. Sooner or later I woke up one day and the negative was behind me. It dawned on me that I always got through whatever it was that happened. And, double zap, it hit me that going through it might have been a little easier if I took to heart that I would someday be looking back, if I stopped letting the situation permeate every aspect of my psyche.

I also discovered that in each bad situation I encountered I learned some valuable lesson or lessons. (In case it crossed anyone's mind, yes, I'm the type person who seems to generally learn things the hard way!)

I worked at controlling my own attitude (sometimes I still have to work at it!). I decided I could choose to wake up each morning and think about all the horrible or tiresome things I had to face, or I could take a moment to think about how lucky I was, find something good in the upcoming day to dwell on.

There are some physical afflictions that definitely cause depression. Lack of exercise and sunshine can affect moods. Luckily there are usually (not always) remedies of some sort if you look.

However, aside from the physical, I have become a firm believer that you can control your own attitude. If you always look for the bad, you're always going to find the bad. If you dwell on the nasty things life throws at you at times then you'll spiral downward emotionally and at some point, physically.

Sure, you have to deal with situations and act to make them better. Looking for the good in people and circumstances doesn't mean ignoring reality. But attitude is mine to control.

I think it is possible to decide to be happy, to see the good. I believe it's possible to make the decision to have a better outlook on life. We all learn our lessons in different ways at different times. For me generally bits and pieces sift into my brain over a period of time and one day a little light turns on and, wham, I'm there. For others they need a life coach, a mentor, a minister, or a good friend to steer them or flick then in the head. Some of us occasionally need major eye-opening occurrences to shock us into seeing things differently.

I heard some years back that only about 5% of the adult population were actually consciously working to improve themselves emotionally and/or mentally. I doubted the figure then and I doubt it now. The majority of us try in some way to improve ourselves. Some of us weren't given the tools and have to fight harder to make those improvements. Believing and having a positive attitude is a large part of winning any battle we face in life. I challenge you to challenge your own way of looking at life.

Life is good.