Gleaning Facebook: Tornado!

Stranded for hours in a dark, un-airconditioned, windowless room with 28 ten-year-olds, some terrified, others thrilled to take advantage of the anonymity of the dark to let their darker sides chime in -- lucky to have had the assistance today of two Berry College practicum students.

Comments

Terrell Shaw
It was a great storytelling opportunity until we were told to start calling parents... then I had to leave them to the Berry students while I whipped out the cell phone and called and called and called.

Jann Heaton Skeen
katelyn loved the storytelling. think she was dissapointed when they called her name to go home!

Mandy Wallace
Aiden enjoyed it - but he's a strange kid.

Deborah Lake Dawson
Hope your home did not get a tree on top of it in that storm.

Mary Nisbet Asbury
Can you believe Rome City did not cancel school????

Katie S. Kimbrough
what's up with rome city? What stories did you tell?

Betty Smith Franklin
Bless you, bless you.

Terrell Shaw
Katie, my practicum students from Berry are teaching a unit on the lead-up to the Civil War... So I told the story of Charity Stinchcomb, a seven-year-old, given by Phillip Penn-- my seven-great g'father to his daughter & son-in-law, Absolem Stinchcomb around 1790. Charity lived to be 106 and tell her sad story to the 1880 census taker. then on a lighter note I started the Cherokee story of 'Possum's Tail that I told at Chieftains a couple of weeks ago. It got interrupted tho.

-------

From Brannon Shaw:

How is everybody down there?

Terrell Shaw

Lots of trees down earlier today. Reports of tornado in Cave Spring tonight. It has passed now. Mom & I spent a few minutes under the dining room table with two unhappy cats... But the worst seems to have passed now. TV says major damage and injuries north of us in GA and in AL.

Another week, two funerals. Just now learned of Mary Doster's death (see below). Last night Sheila and I attended the visitation for my first cousin, Benny Loyd, down in Rockmart.

Benny, an older teen in my earliest memories, was my beloved Aunt Vek's son. Funerals bring us together. As sad as we are, it still felt good to be with Evelyn and her four kids. And to see my cousin Marian, Benny's sister. And David and Susan, her son and daughter. And catch up. As time has passed and later generations have multiplied and gone off to soccer and softball and proms and all the living of their own lives, it gets harder and harder to get the cousins together. That's a pity. We have already lost a bunch of us. There's been lots of water over the shoals at Porterdale since we climbed that big ol' chinaberry tree behind Mama Baird's house and threw those hard yellow berries at each other. Or ate Aunt Mary's divinity and fudge or one of those clove-flavored candy sticks they kept around the house. . Or played hopscotch on the sidewalk out front.

So you Baird cousins and families, let's make the Labor Day reunion a big one this year. And let's hear lots of stories of Benny, and Bobby, and Gail, and Jerry, and Jack, and Don, and the others who have left us.

It's always interesting to find unknown connections at visitations. Brenda Henderson who taught with me at Armuchee was there for her friend Diane, Benny's daughter.

 Comments:

Chris Frazier

I'm sorry to learn of these two deaths. Mary Doster was a friend whom I had not seen for years. I don't understand why we're here, but I know that the Leech is coming for us all.

Deborah Lake Dawson
I just lost someone yesterday. So hard to loose icons in your life.

Donald Murdock
Sorry for your loss, Terrell. Reminded me that I haven't spoken with my aunt, Gwen Murdock, in awhile. Will phone now. BTW, for all us Murdock cousins it was a huge crabapple tree in my grandma's back yard on E. 9th. Great memories.

Julia Hilburn Dent
What happened to Mary??? She was a bud and one of my good friend's aunts!!!

Wanda Mulkey Dagraedt
Sorry for your Loss.

Barbara J. Gale
So sorry about Mary. She was one of my first friends in Rome.

Gary Greene
So sorry my condolences

Rose McDonald Darby
Scary when members of one's own generation are dying. All my mom and dad's brothers and sisters are gone. We are now the grandmas and papas, the old ones. Hard for me to believe. I still feel 30.

Terrell Shaw
I'm inexperienced at this being old thing. I hope to gets lots of practice so I can eventually get it right!

Rose McDonald Darby
Jim's dad is living with us; at age 91 he is getting it right!

Terrell Shaw
Yep. I still have my 91 hr-old Mom, who is working on another book! The key, I think, is to not slow down.

Rose McDonald Darby
I agree. I hope to still be running about at an old age.

Gleaning Facebook: Moral Courage

 "Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality of those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change." 

- Robert F. Kennedy

Comments:

John Countryman
And Robert himself was one of them.

Terrell Shaw
In 1968 I had the privilege of spending a weekend working in the RFK campaign for President during the Indiana primary. Festooned in campaign hat and sash I was a part of the Welcome Committee (I was co-chair of Asbury College Young Democrats) in the Louisville airport and shook his and Ethel's hands one month to the day before his assassination.

Larry Molock
thank you for being my friend on fb

John Countryman
Ruthy and her family all campaigned for him, and I was bereft when he was shot. Just think what the world might be like today if he'd been elected (and of course he would have)!

David Promis

...yet his death has somehow made him remembered as a great person who might have otherwised faded into the background! When he was shot it was a horrid and unthinkable act. 

Presents

I should be writing about Uncle Tom today. It would be his 95th birthday if he were still with us. But others have that covered today. Thinking about him reminded me of someone else. 

And thinking of that someone made me think of one of my favorite gifts I ever had the pleasure of presenting to someone. I made it myself with great love and care for my Aunt Mary.

At that time my mother’s older unmarried sister lived with my grandmother in the little mill village, Porterdale. And she had a collection that fascinated the younger nieces and nephews. She had little china animals scampering about coffee tables and mantels in one room. Poodles and dalmations and miscellaneous cats, maybe even a skunk or raccoon -- a crowd of happy inexpensive miniatures to rival Noah’s living assortment. (If any of my siblings or cousins remember more specifically her animals I hope you will comment below. It seems like there may have been a jaguar or lion.)

 

Aunt Mary Baird Shepherd

Mrs. Matilda Brown introduced our class to papier mache in Griffin during my fourth grade year. Most of the students made foot-long brown bears or lions or giraffes. I tried to make mine very small and detailed because I thought it would be so neat to make something for Aunt Mary’s "animal" collection. My papier mache dog was about four or five inches long and was carefully painted gray with black spots. You’d have thought I’d given her a Faberge egg or a Tiffany lamp! She displayed my misshapen wrinkled “dog” as proudly as all the rest of her menagerie of miniatiure beasties.

Of course, if Aunt Mary knew we were coming that day, she would have baked my favorite -- strawberry cake. So I’m pretty sure I got a present, too. I was spoiled rotten. Christmas was never complete without Aunt Mary’s divinity and fudge.

In middle age Aunt Mary married Pierce Shepherd, a roly-poly jolly man. He and Aunt Mary continued to live in the corner house and Mama Baird moved across the strret into a smaller house that my parents owned.

 Aunt Mary with her brother, my uncle Tom Baird -- today would be his 95th birthday.

Widowed in her seventies, and her mother gone as well, Mary moved to Rockmart, another mill town, to live near her older sisters, Sis and Veek to their loved ones, Louise and Vera to the world at large.

Aunt Mary, in her old age, developed a cancer in her mouth. It required radical surgery.

After her surgery her face was horribly disfigured and it was very hard for her to talk. She went to the Methodist senior living complex Wesley Woods to attempt to recuperate. We wanted to visit her there, and we wanted to take Brannon, who was only two or three, because we felt it would be good for Aunt Mary to have a child visit her. We prepared Brannon for the visit as best we could, telling her that Aunt Mary’s face was hurt badly and that she would not be able to talk well. Brannon could not have responded better to Aunt Mary’s predicament. I believe we did the right thing. Children can be very accepting of things like that when they are prepared for it. And Aunt Mary’s eyes lit up at the sight and touch of a very loving child.

Aunt Mary never made it back to the mill village at Rockmart. She died a few weeks later surrounded by her kin.

On my last visit to Aunt Mary's house before her cancer surgery, I arrived in the Book-Mobile. As a summer job I drove it all over Polk and Floyd counties delivering best-sellers and Hardy Boys and Harlequins and Zane Greys by the box load. I persuaded my cohort to stop for just a few minutes since we were driving right by.  Mary was to have surgery in just a day or two.  While we were there Aunt Mary wanted to show me something in her bedroom.

And here is the precious gift she gave me, unawares.

I don’t remember the thing she took me in there to see. What I remember, with a catch in my throat every time, is that there on her bedroom wall was a framed 8 x 10  picture of a chubby, smiling, six-month old baby playing with a rattle: me.

The picture of yours truly that hung on Aunt Mary's wall.

Mary Baird Shepherd was a kind-hearted, humble, and loving woman. She never had children of her own, but she showered motherly love on all her nieces and nephews. We miss her still.

Gleaning Facebook: Tales at Chieftains

 Y'all come on over to Chieftains Museum at 7 and hear some storytelling this evening (Sat.).

Comments

Ruth Baird Shaw
It wil be great. I enjoyed all the story telling at Cave Springs, Especial yours. Are you telling the possum story?

Tersi Bendiburg
I wish I didn't live so far away!

Terrell Shaw
It was fun. I told the old Cherokee tale of why the 'possum's tail is bare, but I used the idea of the front porch story told to me by an animal that I used with the Playing Possum story. This time a cricket was the teller. I think it's a good story but it still needs some work.

Terrell Shaw
Gary Greene, Mary Elena Kirk, Debby Brown and Barbara Reeves also told. I really enjoyed their stories... all based on Cherokee tales.

Betty Smith Franklin
Do you know "Possum comes a knockin'? Fun participatory story/chant, but hard on the wrists if you do it 50 times in a row.

Terrell Shaw
No I don't... just what I need another 'possum story! 

Betty Smith Franklin
Look for the book via the children's section librarian. I can also xerox it for you and give a motions consultation. it is one of those roll out, roll back stories.

Gleaning Facebook: Little Bitties & the General Welfare

 

The beautiful spring weather brought crowds to Ridge Ferry Park!

This little fellow flew before I could focus good... oh, well. Cicindela sexguttata, six-spotted tiger beetle, I think.

Visit the city of Rome Trail system plans online:
ftp://ftp.romega.us/Planning/Rome-Floyd%20Trail%20Plan.pdf
Above is the Chieftains Trail section near Chieftains Museum.

It is great to see what good use is being made of this wonderful park paid for by all of us for all of us. If the Tea Party and Georgia Republican Party have their way we can kiss these kinds of things goodbye. They are closing State Parks and cutting the remaining ones to the bone. (My students will not have tour guides at Etowah Mounds next year.)
The GOP has forgotten that Ben Franklin believed in public libraries and public postal service, that Teddy Roosevelt championed public parks and public healthcare and fought robber barons and monopolies, that US Grant saved Yellowstone for all of us, Benjamin Harrison, TR, and Woodrow Wilson worked to save the Grand Canyon, Franklin and Jefferson both contributed to the Library of Congress. That Jefferson spent $15 million to expand the country to twice its size then commissioned a scientific expedition to study the new purchase. And Truman saw that the general welfare of OUR country was wrapped up in our Alllies' recovery from WWII and authorized the Marshall Plan.
There is nothing unAmerican about all of us working together for the general welfare.  
And BTW if the City of Rome commissioners have their way, the wetland across from this park will be filled in along with the duck pond, Burwell Creek will be actually destroyed and replaced by a man-made channel (ditch) farther toward Riverside, then our public land will be sold for a song to private developers, and a new strip-shopping mall will be built splitting the city's civic center/Jackson Hill area from the rest of our central park (Ridge Ferry). Grrrrrrr!!!!!! Let's stop these folks from messing up this area for our children and grandchildren!

Sun, Oostanaula, mud, bike tracks --- the concrete Riverwalk is under the mud.

Cherry blossums

Gleaning Facebook: Short Post/Forty Comments

I wrote these four sentences in praise of our president and his speech. It produced sparks from some of my conservative friends.

Friends, your President is one of the great ones of my lifetime.

I agree with every word of his inspiring speech. His conduct over the last month has been exactly what a President's should be. His vision of how our wonderful nation should approach its leadership role as the great military power of the world is practical, prudent, and inspiring.

Comments:

John Paul Schulz
I agree, Terrell. Thanks for putting it so well.

Richard Dick Sapp
Jimmy Carter cloned

I forgot Carter was not a Muslim

Barbara Helie
Sorry Terry. As far as I am concerned, our president is the worst of my lifetime. His policies, programs, philosophy and lack of leadership are destroying this country, it's values and it's status as the greatest country on earth. IMHO.

John Countryman
I concur you with you, Terrell. Someone who actually cares about the future and is spot on with his assertion that our country suffers from an "empathy deficit" is just the person we need as irrational hate for Muslims in America and increasingly hawkish fever on the part of individuals who never consider the long term ramifications of our actions get all of the attention. I'm in awe of a man who will sacrifice popularity (as if that matters) in order to do the right thing. Leadership is not just about impulsive, knee-jerk behavior, but about reflective, ethical behavior.

Richard Dick Sapp
Wake they are lost, read your Bible

Richard Dick Sapp
Your arms are too short to box with GOD

Barbara Helie
"President Barack Obama wanted to tell a hesitant America why he launched a military assault in Libya, and he wanted to describe it on his terms — limited, sensible, moral and backed by international partners with the shared goal of protecting Libyans from a ruthless despot.
Trouble is, the war he described Monday doesn't quite match the fight the United States is in.
It also doesn't line up with the conflict Obama himself had seemed to presage, when he expressly called for Moammar Gadhafi's overthrow or resignation. Obama's stated goals stop well short of that. And although Obama talked of the risks of a long war, he did not say just when or on what terms the United States would leave Libya.
Obama never directly mention the Libyan rebels seeking Gadhafi's overthrow, even though the heavy U.S.-led firepower trained on Gadhafi's forces has allowed those rebels to regain momentum and push toward Gadhafi's territory."

J. Chris Lawler
Terry, You know that you and I disagree on most political points and I was deeply troubled by your comparison of Libya actions vs Iraq. True we have spent much too much in money, lives, etc. to fight that war. But having said that GW had the guts to lead, went through the UN and Congress before attacking. May I also remind you that Saddam had defied not just one UN resolution but years and years of them.

 Obama said he couldn't wait to see mass graves (which we did find in Iraq). And these graves contained not rebels but ordinary men, women and children. And he didn't even take a lead position. He waited for France. The French yet, whose butts we have saved from having German as their official language not once but TWICE. I lay awake last night with these and other thoughts. But I can't put it all down here. Just remember that we (the US) had no part in Egypt or Tunisia and we stood by while millions of civilians died in Africa, China and other places too numerous to mention. Ask yourself-WHY LIBYA?

John Countryman
Everyone has their "truths" and then there is THE truth. Let's hope that we can find some common ground before we all destroy the planet. It will take nothing less than a radical rise in human consciousness, and a recognition that there are no longer instances of "them" and "us" but only WE. And we will only survive if that fundamental truth is acknowledged on a global scale. The motives for nearly all of our military adventures are suspect and we need to take a cold, objective look at the way our interpretations shape our reality. There is no longer any such thing as U.S. "strategic interests." All of humanity's strategic interests are in peril--this is a global issue and the clock is ticking. Bush's entry into Irag to avenge threats on his father was inexcusable. Barack is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. With the partisan politics we are living with today, people have had to twist themselves (and the facts) into a pretzel in order to make certain that he is "wrong" no matter what he does. Not just his decisions are wrong, apparently, but he, as a human being, is somehow "wrong" as well. Only a return to rationality and genuine empathy will save us from ourselves. We have met the enemy and it's staring back at us in the mirror.

Richard Dick Sapp
Obama was elected with NOOOOOO experiece, his lack of experience is front and center to the world He and Biden and co are not qualified. They are ruining America and the World. We need to cleanup or own Country and ours,first. We need support business in the USA. Every child in the USA needs to serve OUR at the age of 18.

Richard Dick Sapp
Yes, girls and boys. The biggest whiners in this country, never served, that includes Obama Are one of them,Are you willing to start today? No guts, no glory.

Lynne Crothers Williams
"The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping and actual or imminent threat to the nation." Senator Barack Obama 2007 I agree with him. Nor do I think that consulting with the UN is a replacement for consulting with Congress.

Richard Dick Sapp
We need to pray that the liberals seek Jesus Christ, not man.

John Countryman
Proud to be a liberal. Not so proud to be a man at the moment, because humanity collectively is doing a piss-poor job of being human (humane). But I don't believe anyone can claim to have an inside track to God's ear. I have tremendous faith in God, but I respectfully doubt that He'll be willing to rescue us from our own stupidity and short-sightedness much longer. On that point we agree. He didn't create this mess, we did. But don't expect Him to "fix" it for us anymore. God helps those that help themselves. No one of us single-handedly (even presidents) can destroy the country and the world. If "lack of experience" means he refuses to play politics as usual, I'll place my bets on the creative use of the "unusual." We're all in the same boat, and we sink or swim together. This didn't happen overnight. This boat has been taking on water for decades. And this time it's not an Ark.

Richard Dick Sapp
Sorry that you do not pray to God, obama is lost he stated that we all belie ve in the same god just different name no christian would make that statement

Walter Jack Gipson
Each passing day my prayers go up to Elohim. The Alpha and Omega of my faith. For there is no Other.

Craig Brewer
Amen Jack!

Terrell Shaw
Oh my! I come home today to see some very angry classmates. Take a breath folks. I am proud to stand in the calm middle ground with our President. We live in the greatest country in history. This President knows that and honors that with his unruffled determination to act responsibly regardless of the hatefulness that is tossed at him, even, I am sorry to say, by some that I know to be good folks in other respects..

Terrell Shaw
Dick, I have always thought highly of you, but I am disappointed at your judgmental words: "Sorry that you do not pray to God" ??? Seems to me, heathen that evidently I am in your eyes, that I remember the scripture kinda frowning on those who judge others.

Richard Dick Sapp
Face it you picked the wrong, guy, he is a total failure. You think like him, you are a liberal Marxist yourself. You choice a liberal life .and now it has bit you in the butt

Terrell Shaw
Now I'm a Marxist? Sheesh, Dickie, I believe you were more mature at 18 than you are now. If you can't make a grown-up argument, find another playground. (Or sober up.)

Richard Dick Sapp
Coward

Terrell Shaw
Now that's real grown-up of you.

Richard Dick Sapp
Seek counsel from your uncle

Terrell Shaw
<Grin> Have a good evening my old friend. I wish you well.

Richard Dick Sapp
You need to seek Gods guidance

J. Chris Lawler
Whoa guys!!! I think we can discuss points of view without insulting each other. @John-I agree that mankind has not been humane. I wonder what would happen in this great country of ours if there was a breakdown of order with no way to feed our families. Would we attack each other with guns, knives and machetes to save our loved ones? The vitriol and hatred I "hear" in this thread makes me wonder! I pray to God that it never comes to this, but seeing recen "gatherings" of supporters and opponents of several issues I am concerned. Sorry, I seem to have gotten off the thread but let's all try to be civil.

Terrell Shaw
"You need to seek Gods guidance" There's finally something we can agree on! This ol' sinner is well aware of his need for guidance. 

Laurie Craw
I'm proud of him too, Terrell, but I'm prouder to be your friend who wants you to outlive me, so watch your blood pressure.

Jim Cochran
Whoa! To start with, we do not need to mix politics with religion. While I strongly side with the conservatives in this discussion, my daughter strongly sides with the liberals, but we still love each other (i think) and we do not resort to calling each other names. We respectfully agree to disagree. As far as God is concerned, we all need his guidance and we should seek it daily in this messed up world. As for politics, the place to straighten out that mess is in the voting booth. And when voting, remember, there is no "free lunch".

Terrell Shaw
Thanks, Laurie... I'm taking the blamed ol' BP meds and we walked two miles last night.

Terrell Shaw
Thanks, Jim. You know I love that bunch of yours! BTW some of my friends may not know that I am part of a mixed family as well. My mother and most of my six siblings are very conservative. My eldest sister, of whom I am quite proud. was a speechwriter for the first Geo. Bush and she and her wonderful daughter are each leaders of different conservative political groups. I love and admire each of them more than I could ever express. They just happen to be wrong politically. 

Jackson Williamson
*cough* Matthew 6:5-6:6 *cough*

Duane Parsons
As a long-standing liberal who once open a time really enjoyed spirited discussions and debate with conservatives, I am saddened and troubled with the atmosphere of today’s Libertarian small Government leave me alone “branded Republicans” who cannot see any “grey area”. For some unknown (or purposely hidden) reason(s), vitriol seems to be driving every opinion about Obama and no matter what he does, he is wrong. Case is point – Newt Gingrich’s Libyan flip-flop. The liberals will read the following and agree and laugh at the video; the conservatives will ….[I cannot speak for the conservatives; they may not even follow the link.] Libya really is a “Turd Sandwich” folks. http://tinyurl.com/4cu6ooo --

Cecelia Dawson
Greetings on the first day of April, Terrell!!! I, too, agree with Sylvia about our President!!! I'm definitely NOT a fan of his BUT I AM, very definitively, a huge fan of yours!!!!!!!

Terrell Shaw
And I am a huge fan of Cecelia, as well ... even if you have gone over to the dark side! When are y'all gonna come to Rome? Are you doing any theater?

Cecelia Dawson
It's hard to get back to Rome and when we do it is only for a night or two at the most!!! I pick up Addie O from 4yr K Mon/Wed/Fri at noon and Stan works with Josh two days a week!!! Next year Addie O will be in school all day so we will have more free time!!! No theatre yet ... maybe next year!!!!!!

Gleaning Facebook: Stage Bigamy

 From Ginger McClure's Facebook:

It was so, so, so good to see you and the real wife today!!! So funny that I had just been telling my new husband about you!! Hugs to BOTH of you!

Comments:

Ginger McClure
Hugs to "both" as in you and Shelia...not both of my stage husbands!!!

Mary Nisbet Asbury
Just call her Elizabeth Taylor....on second thought, don't.

Terrell Shaw
Sheila is used to my bigamy ...and trigamy. I wonder how many stage wives I've had... I had three in Broadway Spectacular last summer and two of them were Ginger!

Mary Nisbet Asbury
Kinky.....

Ginger McClure
Well, Terrell...you cannot compete with Don this time: he is Jacob and has about 4 or 5 wives, AT ONCE!!!! Of course I am NOT his "favorite wife"...that was Rachel and she is DEAD!!! Hmmmmmmm !!!!

Terrell Shaw
It is always good to know there are mountains left to scale, frontiers remaining to explore, depths still to plumb, and roles yet to inhabit ... but I think I may be willing to allow Jacob/Don this particular record, unchallenged. One wife at a time is ambition enough for this ol' boy!