Getting to Know Your Friends

I know these memes are silly time-wasters, but I can't help myself. If you want to join in, copy this and substitute your own responses on your Facebook page, your blog, or an e-mail. I've answered most of these before, but here goes:

1. What time did you get up this morning? late - 7:27
2. Diamonds or pearls? neither - no great interest in gems.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Not sure. We went out to Rome Cinemas on Shorter Avenue a couple of weeks ago, but I can't, for the life of me, remember what we saw. Last night we watched a dvd of "Burn After Reading" another crazy, bloody, "comedy" by the Coen brothers.
4. What is your favorite TV show? Monk. The Closer, old movies, news, NOVA
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? oatmeal, bowl of cereal, or an Egg McMuffin.
6. What is your middle name? Terrell (my first name is Charles)
7. What food do you dislike? cocoanut (ugh!!!!), overcooked veggies
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? folk and musical theater stuff on my iPod, podcasts of NPR shows, don't often use CDs.
9. What kind of car do you drive? Toyota Rav-4 & GMC truck
10. Favorite sandwich? Mesquite turkey on toasted sourdough with all the junk I pile on ---- onion, bell pepper, lettuce, olive, assorted herbs and spices, mustard, a little mayo, no cheese except a sprinking of Parmesan -- I'm no longer allowed cheese :-(
11.What characteristic do you despise? racism, classism, IQism,
12. Favorite item of clothing? fresh air? ;-) I don't give much thought to clothes, as most anyone who knows me knows.
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? England, Ireland, Hawaii, NYC, Macon, the Pocket...
14. Favorite brand of clothing? The brand that fits and is on sale.
15. Where would you like to retire? Rome, Georgia
16.What was your most recent memorable birthday? The next one, I hope.
17. Favorite sport to watch? Baseball, high school football, kids' soccer
18. Furthest place you are sending this? the 124 countries that have visited the Limb...
19. Person you expect to send it back first? No idea.
20. When is your birthday? March 22
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? I'm scizophrenic about that. I tend to stay up late and get up early.
22. What is your shoe size? 9
23. Pets? Daisy and Miss Kitty are resting in peace. No pets, no more.
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? The Georgia Botanical Society has chosen Rome for their 2009 Spring Pilgrimage HQ, and they have chosen our school trail as one of their many field trips, and me as a co-leader of that walk. April 3, 4 & 5

http://www.gabotsoc.org/?page_id=23

25. What did you want to be when you were little? I went through a spell of designing floor plans for buildings and declared architecture my goal. Ha!
26. How are you today? A little clogged up and achy, but OK I guess..
27. What is your favorite candy? Snickers
28. What is your favorite flower? The one that surprizes you on the trail: A clump of cardinal flowers blazing in a stream, a constellation of daisies on a littered roadside, a single Indian pink at the base of a loblolly, a complex wood betony with its ferny leaves, a flock of frilly wild azalea flying through the undergrowth.
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? April 4, May 6-8, May 22.
30. What is your favorite pastime? (censored), acting, singing, curtain calls, movies, politics, reading, games with friends, walking in the woods, telling stories...
31. What are you listening to right now? Sheila's still asleep so I only hear the white noise that is the computer and unknown gentle whirring... and the keys tapping.
32. What was the last thing you ate ? Do I have to admit? We ordered take-out ribs from Shanes and ate it with a homemade salad while we watched that Coen brothers movie last night. I'm ready for my oatmeal this morning though.
33. Do you wish on stars? It's been a long time.
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? I would never settle for one. Give me the whole 64 crayon box.
35. How is the weather right now? Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!!!!!
36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? None today. Brannon and Lillian called yesterday. And I talked with Facebook friend and former student Stephen Baker about a scout project.
37. Favorite soft drink? The real 5¢ ice-flected 6 oz. bottle from the Coke box at my granddaddy's barber shop in 1955, and a package of Tom's peanuts, please.
38. Favorite restaurant? El Zarape, Shanes, China City, Shroeders, Cafe 28 in NYC, Country Gentleman, .........
39. Real hair color? brown and gray
40. What was your favorite toy as a child? a homemade coaster. No feeling like racing downhill at ten or twelve, flat on your belly, hands griping the rough guide bar, wind in your eyes, on a vehicle of your own making
41. Summer or winter? Summer
42. Hugs or kisses? yes, repeat.
43. Chocolate or Vanilla? yes, repeat.
44. Coffee or tea? good coffee with cream!
45. Do you want your friends to email you back? Sure.
46. When was the last time you cried? I've gotten misty-eyed several times in the last week. Actually cried? I'm not sure.
47. What is under your bed? a rolled-up carpet, some shoes, but no dust for a change -- we cleaned it yesterday.
48. What did you do last night? See #32
49. What are you afraid of? Disappointing those I love.
50. Salty or sweet? Yes, repeat.
51. How many keys on your key ring? too many, at least ten -- school, house, shed, car, truck...
52. How many years at your current job? 10
53. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
54. How many towns have you lived in? See this link -

http://aloneonalimb.blogspot.com/2006/02/four-meme.html

55. Do you make friends easily? yes
56. How many people will you send this to? none
57. How many will respond? no idea

Sunday Concert: The More I See You

The sheet music for "The More I See You" is one from the stack of pieces, some going back to the late 1800s, that we found in this old house when we bought it. The song is a jazz standard. Check iTunes and you will find it recorded by scores of artists from Ella and Duke to Carly Simon and Bobby Darin. When I took the stack over to Angela Flanagan McRee, she picked this one out as one of her favorites for me to work on. So here's Terrell Shaw's version (with Angela on the keyboard.)

Our Nature Study Project

Saturday will be the first public activity of our year-long project of nature study at Armuchee Elementary School. We are sponsoring a Rivers Alive! Clean-up of our little watershed. If you are in the area come join us.

Those of you who have put up with my ruminations and machinations as I worked at planning and writing up the grant proposals for the project might be interested in seeing this presentation about the project.

My daughter, Lillian, helped me put this together back in July for our Meet the Teacher night at school. Take a look:

Watching Life in the Wild: A Proposal

Watching Life in the Wild
A Nongame Watchable Wildlife Proposal

This is a slightly edited version of the proposal for a nature study project at our school that was approved for funding recently by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. I thought some of my readers might be interested in seeing more specifics about the project I've written about several times.

Introduction

Armuchee Elementary School is uniquely situated to provide for using the environment as an integrating context for learning. Our campus adjoins the 20,000+ acre Berry College Wildlife Management Area (Berry WMA). Our school sits on the northern foot of Lavender Mountain, the tallest mountain in the county, and the home to one of the northernmost remnant stands of long leaf pine. Our mountain is a wrinkle in the earth’s crust in the Ridge and Valley province of Georgia between the Great Valley and the Cumberland Plateau. The abundant sea fossils to be found in the sandstone strata exposed along the hillside banks of our little stream attest to the ancient history of this area at the bottom of a shallow sea. The abundant macro invertebrates in the stream and lush flora on its banks suggest a biologically diverse environment. Our hillside woods are old growth hardwoods with a strip of large pines, with native azaleas, pink lady’s slippers and many other wildflowers. The bottomland woods are a more tangled habitat of pine, ironwood, beech, tulip poplar, dogwood, redbud, and many shrubs, ferns, and wildflowers such as hepatica, dwarf crested iris, and trilliums. Just upstream from our campus (a five to ten minute walk) is an abandoned railroad bed dating to the 1800s and a small pond that was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. Just across Scenic Road from our side entrance is another section of the Berry WMA and the larger Armuchee Creek. All of these elements of our campus and adjoining areas make it rich with opportunities to examine, discover, appreciate, and learn principles of zoology, botany, ecology, hydrology, and other sciences.
This abundance of wildlife provides an opportunity to reinforce the Georgia Performance Standards, not only in science, but also in reading, writing, language arts, and social studies. With modest funds, we can provide a place for our students, teachers, and community to watch a wide variety of Georgia flora and fauna, and in that context improve the skills of our students in all academic areas while they gain an appreciation for the biodiversity of Northwest Georgia.

The Plan: Stage One

Our proposal is to use Watchable Wildlife funds with other grants and donations to help our students, teachers, and community learn about the biodiversity of our campus and adjacent lands as they study, plan, and construct the first stages of a network of nature stations and trails. We expect that this process can be a continuing one of study, adjustment and growth by succeeding classes over a number of years. These are the steps that we envision for the first year of this project:

• Step 1: Establish with the help of consultants from the Department of Natural Resources, Berry College, the school system, and the community, 20 to 50 stations for wildlife observation throughout the campus, and others, if allowed, on adjacent property.
• Step 2: Make improvements necessary to access the sites. This will include building a pedestrian bridge over the stream and clearing fallen trees, detritus, and unwanted vegetation from proposed paths.
• Step 3: Conduct a year-long observation of the flora and fauna at each station, noting also the geology, hydrology, and man’s disturbance of each area. Each student will be assigned to help survey, photograph, and conduct a census of one station.
• Step 4: Develop a first draft of three guide booklets to the stations, one each to emphasize the Georgia Performance Standards for third, fourth, and fifth grades.
• Step 5: Present the completed first stage to the community during a public Watching Our Wildlife Day when students will explain the results of the year-long observations at each station.

The Plan: Subsequent Stages

We anticipate that this will be a continuing project. After the initial year of study the project will likely require further development. Funds for these improvements and extensions would be the subject of future proposals. For example:
• Refine and print updated guide booklets.
• Build boardwalks over sensitive areas to allow observation of sensitive flora and fauna or to access wetland areas.
• Build platforms to provide access to observe pond, creek, steep bluff, or wetland areas.
• Build steps to allow access up and down steep areas.
• Build additional outdoor classroom areas.
• Build a sheltered study area (or possibly move a donated historic cabin or barn to the campus as a study shelter.)
• Plan, study, and construct additional trails to the CCC pond and along the old railroad cut to Armuchee Creek.
• Construct boardwalks and platforms as required for aquatic studies at the pond and creek.
• Purchase additional lab or field equipment and supplies for studying specimens (more microscopes, water testing equipment, nets, guides, etc.)

Expected Results and Benefits

At the end of the first year of this project we expect our students, parents, and community to:
• have a beautiful trail providing access for observation of a biologically diverse ecosystem,
• have increased appreciation of the array of nongame wildlife in our area,
• have a greater awareness of the need for nongame wildlife conservation to protect the flora and fauna of our area, especially unusual species such as the long-leaf pine, pink lady’s slippers, and the amphibians and crustaceans in our watershed.
And, by participating in this project, we expect our students to have opportunities to improve their academic skills using the environment as a context for learning.

Other Support

Preliminary consultation on Stage One of the project has involved many individuals including persons from Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Arrowhead Environmental Education Center, Berry College, The Armuchee/Glenwood Foundation, Coosa River Nature Center, Coosa Valley Technical College, the Georgia Botanical Society, our own staff, and our Parent-Teacher Organization. The Parent-Teacher Organization has already set aside some funds for this project. The Glenwood/Armuchee Foundation and the local Ruritan Club have helped to fund previous environmental projects at our school. Since this project incorporates watching wildlife with educational goals we are also submitting the proposal for possible partial funding under the Nongame Wildlife Educational grants, as well.

Equipment/Materials/Resources Needed: Stage One

The project will require a number of pieces of equipment, supplies, resources, and
materials to complete successfully.
Step 1:

• meter sticks / rulers / other measuring devices
• 200 surveying flags for temporarily marking trails and study plots. 19.94
• 48 4” x 4” x 4’ treated bollards (cut at 45º on one end by school volunteer) for permanently marking stations

Step 2:

• Equipment for cleaning and clearing the trail (supplied by parents and volunteers)
• Materials for building a pedestrian bridge (5’ x 15’ - built by parent volunteers or the local vocational high school)

Step 3:

• 36 sets (12 for each grade level) of elementary identification guides:

1. wildflowers
2. ferns
3. insects & spiders
4. trees & shrubs

• Six teacher sets (two for each grade level) of similar but more complete guides, including other areas as well:

1. wildflowers
2. ferns
3. stream macro invertebrates
4. insects & spiders
5. trees & shrubs
6. geology
7. fossils

• Six (two for each grade level) aquatic nets.
• Six (two for each grade level) insect nets.
• One LaMotte water quality testing kit.
• Three 3.2 MP (or better) digital cameras with 1 GB memory cards
• Three class sets of 10x hand lenses
• Three digital dissecting microscopes for examining specimens from the stream and forest
• Topographical map of the area. Geographic Information Services™ (GIS) aerial photos
• and private aerial photos (available through Berry College at no cost to school)

Step 4:

• The rough drafts can be printed by our school system printer.

Step 5:

• Printed programs, signage, and refreshments to be supplied by the school and volunteers

My New Friend

My New Friend, Russ Ringsak

Russ Ringsak is the truck driver for the Prairie Home Companion radio show. He hauls the famous prairie homeplace set from one end of the country to another and back home to Minnesota. He is also an entertaining writer and maintains a blog on the Prairie Home website. Garrison Keillor counts on Russ to do a good bit of research for him in towns they visit. He also performs triage duties on the many messages passed along to Garrison from audience members. He chooses the most critically entertaining and rushes them over to Garrison.

I happened onto Russ's blog over a month ago and wrote about it then. You may remember that Russ treated me to a pair of free tickets to the show in Columbus. What a hoot! It was a great show, we had great seats, and afterwards we got to attend the big shot reception and rub elbows with sound effects guru Fred Newman and his LaGrange relatives. After hunting around a bit we found Russ out at his beautiful red truck. We gave him a hastily gathered poke of goodies from Piggly Wiggly -- Vidalia onions, some Stiver's Best Corn Meal from right here in Rome GA, some Moon Pies, and such. And we talked for a few minutes.

If you'll listen to the entire segment 4 of the show you'll hear some folks explaining the second person plural pronoun -- with which Yankees have difficulty. I like to think maybe my letter to Russ influenced that segment.

Now Russ has written another blog post and mentions his new friend, Terrell Shaw. I am flattered.

Thanks for everything, Russ!

Happy Birthday to Me!

March 22 has rolled around again. I feel pretty good for a sixty year old. I'm a little outa shape, a little overweight, have a little high BP and a little high cholesterol -- nothing terrible so far.

But 60!

That sounds like somebody else. It can't be this kid. I still feel like the same guy, and he's not 60.

My mother has posted a bit of hyperbole about me. She and three of my sisters and other family threw me a little dinner where we devoured wonderful chicken and dumplings, two delicious salads, green grapes, and a homemade cake with ice cream. The Median Sib's husband, an accomplished songwriter from Nashville, called to sing an original composition in honor of my birth - it had allusions to my politics in it, but I was laughing so hard I missed most of it. I do remember this tidbit of internal rhyme, "...Obama's Mama..."

I cannot hold my eyes open-- I'm heade up to bed. If you want to see more about the old coot, check out last March.

Democrat of the Year

Rome News-Tribune, Sunday, April 1, 1990, page 1

Time Machine: Endorsements

 

On that same day ...

1958? Fourth Ward Safety Patrol

 The Safety Patrol at Fourth Ward Elementary School, Griffin GA, about 1958.

--------

Names according to comments below: 
Back Row L-R: Wayne Brown, Charles Cunard, Henry Mashburn, Edward Taylor, Steven Balint, Dale Nutter, Barry Cook, Barry Collier

Middle Row L-R: Unknown adult, Lynn Daniel, Marion Elder, Vicki Glow?, unknown, Sheila Howell, Chuck Brooks, Paul Stockhammer, Buddy McDermid?, unknown adult.

Front Row L-R: Terrell (Terry) Shaw, Holly Franklin, Jan Pyron, unknown, Diane Brown, Donna Weldon, unknown, unknown, Jimmy Goodroe.

The school patrol at Fourth Ward Elementary School in Griffin, Georgia. This is probably from the  1957-58 school year, my fifth grade year. I remember only one name other than my own.. Henry Mashburn (top row, third from left in the flattop)... maybe some others will come to me. My patrol location was a couple of blocks toward town where a not-very-busy side road came into the street that we are facing in this picture. There was a little mom & pop grocery there where one could get a cold coke and/or peanuts or a candy bar if one had a spare nickel or two. 

----
Here is my Facebook post on the
Griffin-Spalding County, Georgia Genealogy and History Exchange's page.
September 9, 1921

As a result of comments on this post we now know many of the names of these children. AND for many years I have remembered my second grade teacher simply as "Miss Florence"; now I know she was Florence Gresham. I was thrilled to read these comments.

---

My father, Charles C. Shaw, served the Midway - Sunnyside-Vaughn charge of Methodist churches in Spalding County from 1954-1958. We lived in the Methodist parsonage at 333 S. Ninth St on the corner of College St. I attended Fourth Ward Elementray School where my teachers were "Miss Florence" (2nd); Mrs. Giles (3rd); Miss Matilda Brown (4th) and Mrs. Anderson (5th). Our principal was Mr. Cody. I remember that there was a furnace explosion during my fourth grade year in which our custodian was injured.

Here is a picture of our Safety Patrol from about 1957. I'm the little guy on the left end of the front row. My patrol assignment was the little side street crossing on Poplar next to the tiny neighborhood store just across the street and south of the school.

Does anyone recognize any of these folks? The picture is unlabeled.

Does anyone remember the full names of our teachers (other than Miss Brown?

My maternal grandmother Ieula Ann Dick (Baird) and her siblings, including 10 year-old Irvin, all worked in a mill in Griffin in 1900 and lived with their mother, Elizabeth Ann Mask (Dick) in an apartment in downtown Griffin at the corner of Ninth St. and Broad St.

 Comments

Dale Martin Carlisle

Love this history of Griffin

Thanks for sharing

Sorry don’t know anyone

I knew Mr. Cody

Not pictured

Andrew Blake

Miss Florence Gresham

Terrell Shaw

Andrew Blake I've been trying to remember her last name for years!

Dianne H Hensley

Oh my Lord I was at Midway with you my whole entire life

I absolutely adored your father and the whole entire family. They did not come any better or nicer than your family

My family was the Harpers you know Aunt Jewel Harper played the piano and TJ led the singing

My daddy was Grady Harper and my mother was Rosa Harper. Somewhere in all my belongings I even have a picture of your family and I remember when your mother came to Midway to preach one time. You just brought back a very special memory to me

Terrell Shaw

Dianne Harper Hensley I wish I'd put this up a few weeks ago so I could have shared your kind words with my Mother. She Died August 1 at 98 years young. She lived on her own until eleven days before her death.

Dianne H Hensley

Terrell Shaw Oh Terry I wished I'd have seen it sooner also. I was very sincere when I told you that I thought the world and all of your family and so did my family think of y'all the Shaw family was just something so special. And those days at Midway were wonderful because everybody knew everybody and everybody was related basically to me because my family started that church and when it shut down a few years ago it was like a piece of my heart was broken out of me. We still have the cemetery but I can't sit in there now they sold it to some Baptist group but it's always going to be my Midway. I hope you and your family are doing well ..didn't time go by fast. It seems like we were just kids yesterday and now I've got great grandchildren.

Terrell Shaw

Only a few weeks ago Mother and were looking at a picture from Midway Bible School about 1956 or so. I'll find that picture and post it here. I'd love to see the picture you mentioned!

Dianne H Hensley

Terrell Shaw My house burned a few years ago and I lost a lot of pictures and some of them I have are melted but I knew do know I did have that picture but if you can find one from the bible school I bet you a nickel I'm right there

Alice Blake

Mrs. Jeanne Giles was a widow who later married Carl Cartledge

Terrell Shaw

Alice Blake I'm glad to know her full name. I loved Mrs. Giles. I remember that one time I had misbehaved --- I don't remember the nature of my crime -- but she gave me a note to get signed by my Mother; I took FOREVER to walk down Poplar toward South Ninth Street. I did NOT want to show that note to Mother!

Alice Blake

Terrell Shaw I never had her as a teacher, but her daughter and I were good friends and lived within walking & roller skating distance of each other.

Cathy Langford Brooks

Alice Blake and Terrell Shaw, Mrs. Giles was my third grade teacher at the “new” Crescent Elementary. She married Mr. Cartledge the year I was in her class and I had the hardest time changing her name. I had a great year with her. Enjoying this post, Terrell.

Pat Anderson Atkinson

Any one know the third one on first row from left

Brenda Oglesby Robinson

Pat Anderson Atkinson Looks like Jan Pyron McKinnon

Melissa Hammond Spence

I have heard wonderful stories about Preacher Shaw my whole life!

Jan Pyron McKinnon

I couldn’t believe this picture when it came up. I’ve never seen it and I’m in it. I can tell you about half of the names. First row: Terry Shaw (I remembered you), Holly Franklin, Jan Pyron (me), unknown, Diane Brown, Donna Weldon, unknown, unknown, Jimmy Goodroe.

Second Row: Lynn Daniel, Marion Elder, unknown, unknown, Sheila Howell, Chuck ?, Paul Stockhammer, unknown.

Third Row: Wayne Brown, Charles Cunard, Richard ?, Edward Taylor, Steven Balint, Dale Nutter, Barry Cook, Barry Collier

I was a fifth grader here and was a lieutenant that year with the school patrols. The next year I was a captain. I remember wearing the yellow slickers in the rain and the flags we had to actually stop cars! As a captain I actually had to go around to all the posts to make sure people were on duty!

My teachers were Lanell Allen in first, Florence Gresham in second, Jeanne Giles in third, Ramona Luke in fourth, Eloise McElheney in Fifth and in sixth I had John Andrews (then principal) and Sara Brantley. In fifth grade Mrs. McElheney taught us to play all those wonderful instruments that were in the auditorium ( marimbas, vibraharp, chimes). I remember getting to go on the Washington trip with the patrols in the sixth grade. It was a wonderful trip for someone who had never been out of Georgia. Thank you so much for sharing this. Wish I could remember more of the names.

Brenda Oglesby Robinson

Jan Pyron McKinnon Second row third from left looks like Vicki Glow

Brenda Oglesby Robinson

Jan Pyron McKinnon I had the same teachers you did except 4th grade I had Matilda Brown...I was in the first grade was a East Griffin...

Terrell Shaw

I loved Miss Brown even though she seemed to me ancient and kind of crabby. Herbert Leach and I used to mow her lawn. I remember she lived in a big house along the walk (Poplar?) from Fourth Ward to my house and I'd sometime stop by her porch a talk with her-- I remember she gave me a cutting of her "Airplane" plant to take home to Mother.

Brenda Oglesby Robinson

Terrell Shaw She lived with her sister

Donald J. Goodman

Far right 2nd row looks like Buddy McDermid. (Sp?)

Chuck Brooks first boy from left on 2nd row.

Brenda Oglesby Robinson

I remember Bill and Dottie Haisten's mom was a substitute teacher

Tesa Watson

I only attended Fourth Ward 3rd, 4th & 5th. Third grade teacher was Mrs Richey. Fourth grade was Miss Matilda Brown & I was not really fond of her, good teacher, but very stern. Fifth grade was Mrs Grove. Mrs, Richey’s son, Bob & Mrs. Groves’s daughter, Diane graduated with us in 1966.

I too loved playing with all those wonderful musical instruments.

Thanks for the memories.

Terrell Shaw 

Does anyone recognize the two grown-ups in the picture? I know I should know the lady at the Right with the pearls.