Gleaning Facebook: Laurel Falls

It tallied 18,000 steps on the Fitbit and left these two septuagenarians ready for an early evening. But the cool breezes, sourwood leaves making stained glass displays above our heads, the peaceful rushing of the falling water, made the effort more than worth it. What a lovely spot to share with my favorite companion.

Starting our Thursday NSF prep hike to Laurel Falls on the AT near Hampton TN.

At one point the trail is just a narrow ledge against a rock wall above a pool in Laurel Fork.

 

There was not a lot in bloom. The colorful bloom-like fruit of "Hearts-a-busting-with-love" here and there, and clumps of purple asters.

From Howard Smith: I have visited those falls so many times through the years...mostly when I was much younger. Thanks so much for posting this picture of the falls with your bride.

Bill Cox: Nice little hike, Mary and I have done it several times. Enjoy.

Jaki Day: 

you are just around the corner from us.

 If you get to the peaceful side of the Smokies (Townsend) let me know .Would love to see you both.

    Terrell Shaw:

    you are just around the corner from us.

 If you get to the peaceful side of the Smokies (Townsend) let me know .Would love to see you both.

    Jaki Day:

well, maybe another time . Bruce A. Dayis working and we have company coming this weekend.  

LizabethJolly:

Soooo jealous!!!! Enjoy it all my fearless mentor!!!!!!!

Howard Smith:

It's so nice of you to take your daughter hiking...wait, that's your wife...my bad.

Mike Bock: Wonderful!

Michael Burton:

Idyllic in all ways.

Gleaning Facebook: Democrat of the Year

I am so proud of my life partner, the love of my life, Sheila Matthews Shaw. During 2018 Sheila worked her heart out for her principles.

She opened our home to house for months a key staff member for the Stacey Abrams campaign in Northwest Georgia who for those months became almost a third daughter. (We still miss you Autumn Rivers, come see us!)

She volunteered uncounted hours at the Democratic headquarters helping to organize neighborhood canvassing lists and routes for Floyd and Bartow counties, keeping careful -- even tedious -- and important records of that canvassing.

She walked from door to door herself to take the progressive message of the Democratic Party and Stacey Abrams directly to the people.

During long and stressful hours she never lost her cool, was always helpful and kind and articulate and calm and organized.

She NEVER sought the limelight and, tonight, she was THE most surprised, unsuspecting person in the room when she was declared the 2018 Democrat of the Year for Floyd County and, therefore, winner of the prestigious George Pullen Award.

I love you, Sheila, and I admire you so much. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being a loving daughter-in-law to my mother. Thank you for being such a loving mother to Brannon Shaw and Lillian Shaw and a doting grandmother to Clementine (and soon Ruth!)

And thank you for loving our community, state, and nation enough to stand up and be counted even when it is your nature to avoid standing out.

Thank you for being a woman of principle.

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It was kinda neat that Ben Amis, a former Asburian like me and Sheila, presented the award. He is himself a previous winner of the Pullen award. Ruth Demeter is the chair of the Floyd County Democratic Party. 

And it was neat to have the annual Georgia Giants Awards Dinner at Cave Spring. 

Mayor Tom Lindsey, a Democratic leader himself, welcomed us and agreed that his Daddy may have been a part of the 1966 meeting I attended held in one of the shops on the side of the square occupied by the Lindseys' Cave Spring Hardware.) It was my very first official political meeting, I suppose, when at 18 I met with a group of supporters of Ellis Arnall in that year's long and confusing gubernatorial campaign. A young Jimmy Carter got his first major statewide exposure finishing a close third to Arnall and Lester Maddox in the general primary. Maddox squeaked by Arnall in the runoff. Arnall stayed in the race as a write-in and drew enough support to throw a monkey wrench into the general election and force a showdown between Republican Bo Callaway and the racist Maddox in the general assembly. The legislators chose second place finisher "Pickrick" Maddox over Bo.

I took biology that fall. We named our fetal pig "Lester".

Sheila worked at Floyd College (now Ga Highlands) with George Pullen, and we met with him and others as he planned his campaign for Congress way back when, and he loaned us computer time at his shop, after hours, way back when, to produce some projects we had going. So we are particularly touched for Sheila to have the award named for our friend Ann Pullen's husband.

Wendy Davis is an outstanding community leader here in Rome and also an important state and national leader in Democratic Party circles. We were especially pleased to share this wonderful night with her.

The keynote speaker for the Georgia Giants Dinner was Andra Gillespie. She addressed the use of symbolism in our politics during the last few years. She is author of the book Race and the Obama Administration: Substance, Symbols, and Hope. Dr. Gillespie is Associate Professor of Political Science at Emory Univ. You can sometimes catch her commentary on the Political Rewind radio show on GPB.

Ruth Demeter is president of the Floyd County Democratic Party. Ben is one of the vice chairs of the party, a Pullen Awardee himself, and presented the award to Sheila tonight.

Latonya is such a treasure, and not just for the Peach Trifle!

Phillip's Table

 Two of the dearest friends of our lives have been Philip and Mildred Greear. I sometimes describe them as Brannon and Lillian’s surrogate grandparents. B&L were lucky to have four wonderful grandparents in my folks and Sheila’s but their blood-grandparents did not live in Rome. B&L spent some quality time as kids in Mildred’s kitchen, garden, and henhouse, in Philip’s workshop and yard, and spalshing in that wonderful mountaintop swimming pool.

Back when the Reagan administration was intent on selling off major portions of our public lands, Mildred & Philip and many others organized the awkwardly named but very effective “Individuals for National Forest Outcry” (INFO). During that effort Phillip built a beautiful “Bishop’s Bench” table from wood milled from a huge longleaf pine that fell across Horseleg Creek Road from Marshall Forest. He donated the table to INFO to be raffled. WE WON the raffle. We still own and use that five foot table.

Today after buying a pair of shoes at Becky’s in Gala Shopping Center we walked down to the Salvation Army Thrift Store.

As I was wandering around the shop I noticed the table in these pictures. My mouth dropped as I examined it. I lifted the top to make it a bench. Raised the lid of the storage compartment below. Looked at the wooden pins used to secure the top and the long piano hinge. I noticed the style of the feet on the bench and table. Then I walked to where Sheila was browsing and said to her: “See that table way over there against the window? I’m nearly positive it was built by Phillip.” We walked back over. She noted that though the wood looked very similar to ours, the planks were not as thick. Also, she noted the “feet” were not quite as big. And the whole thing was much larger than ours. Still I was just sure.

Since the table had just been brought in the employees needed to wait for the manager to return from lunch to get us a price. So we waited a few minute. The very nice man agreed it was an item donated locally. I told him that I thought I knew who had built it. He said, “Well, there’s a name on it somewhere.” And there it was. Right on the rim of the table top: “P. GREEAR 85”

We would like to know for sure but we suspect this is the big table that was on the back porch of the Greear home on Mt. Alto Road.

It needs some TLC. The top needs gluing and clamping and then sanding and refinishing. The bench and the base are near perfect… well a little chipping on the base. But what a find for this sentimental old fool.

This eight-foot table will reside on our big side porch and I hope to eat some good food and enjoy some good conversation around it during whatever time I have left here. Y’all come.

There is no excuse.

Jennifer Rubin and I disagree on many national issues. She is generally conservative and I am generally liberal on social and economic issues. But on this we are in total agreement: There is no excuse for supporting this president.

I beg my friends and relatives who have so far been silent about, or even defended this president, to do some soul-searching. Words have consequences. Elections have consequences. We have seen bloody, horrifying, brutal consequences this weekend.

Is this the society we wish to leave to our children and grandchildren?

Ignorance, childishness, bullying, hatefulness, pettiness, and more and more blatant racism?

It is time for legal, ethical, peaceful but righteous anger and civic uprising.

It is time for patriots to take real, persistant, loud, demanding, non-violent action.

Our US Representative, arch-conservative Tom Graves, will be in Rome Tuesday. He needs to hear from patriotic Northwest Georgians of all stripes that we have had enough of white nationalism, racism, hatred, ignorance, and xenophobia. We have had enough of Russian attacks on our nation and of Donald Trump's cozying up with Putin, Kim, and other murderers. We may not all agree on abortion, or social security, or medicare, or what should be done about Iran or Iraq or Afghanistan, but surely we can agree that we have had enough of a racist in the White House and of foreign invasion of our most basic republican system -- our elections..

We do not hate Donald Trump the man, but we certainly hate racism and what Russians and this president together have done to the country we love.

It is time for people of faith, people of conscience, to speak out.

Our republic is in real danger. Republican government and liberty are the exception in human history not the rule. Ours is a republic, as Franklin warned us, only if we can keep it.

The Russians are already attacking our electoral system for the 2020 cycle. Americans are already sharing Russian created facebook posts daily.

People are dying.

Twenty-nine this weekend. TWENTY-NINE.

Who can deny that there is blood on this president's hands?

After more than two years,

- after the the clear crimes detailed in the Mueller report,

- after the Senate bipartisan intelligence committee report of continuing Russian scheming,

- after the white nationalism, racism, terror, and blood of Charlottesville through El Paso...

... silence is complicity.

Gleaning Facebook: Recycled Sign?

Sheila Matthews Shaw suggests this motel as a setting for Raymond Atkins's next novel. We know nothing, but do you suppose somebody lost a Scottish Inns franchise and -- with a dollar store brush, a bit of black-out paint, and a long ladder -- improvised to avoid the expense of a new sign?

Comments

Frank Norris
How about 'Tis Inn.

David Matheny
They would charge 'by the 1/2 hour".....

Terrell Shaw
Be sure to come hear some stories at Schroeder's New Deli tonight, David!

Ray Langley
Terrell Shaw so many thoughts so little time.

John Paul Schulz
that's what I always thought. Is it a luxury spot?

Terrell Shaw
We've got a great line up for Story Night, John. Y'got your story ready don't you? Can you work the Cottis Inn into it?

John Paul Schulz
It won’t fit. And it would be rated R

Susan Barnes Babb
That would be my assumption!

Deborah Shaw Lewis
It was, briefly, a Scottish Inn.

Jagdeep Singh
Haha ... I always laugh when I pass this sign, for the obvious reason.

Susan Cherones
There's an old Baskin Robbins in Atlanta called Basket Rabbit!

Anne Harbin
It was a dark and methy night...

Bill Cox
I always take 5th avenue to avoid seeing this sign, it makes too many weird images flash in my mind as to what may be transpiring in those rooms.

Quinn Scott Smith
I remember when the S & h actually fell off and you could still see the sun faded paint outline of the name...that is EXACTLY what happenned. It sat for so long w/o the S & h they just renamed it Cottis. It makes the "English/Grammar Police" skin inside me crawl.

Chad Watson
I have told people that before... ..and no one believes me lol

Gleaning Facebook: Mueller Testifies

Schiff: "Russia committed federal crimes in order to help Donald Trump?

Mueller: "When you're talking about the computer crimes charged in our case, absolutely."

Schiff: "Trump campaign officials built their strategy - their messaging strategy around those stolen documents?"

Mueller: "Uhm, generally that is true."

Schiff: "And then they lied to cover it up?"

Mueller: "Generally that is true"

 Once again the press is spending its time talking about Mueller's performance rather than his testimony. That is a gross disservice to America.

We are so calloused by the outrages of the Trump era that having sworn testimony --- by one of the most respected and heroic figures in the country --- that our president:

- lied repeatedly to the American people and to the special counsel;

- actively sought to obstruct FBI and Special Counsel investigations even directing that Mueller be fired;

- carried on business negotiations with Russia while they were invading our republican system and while he was telling the American people he had NO association with Russia;

- has called the Russian attack on our republic a "witchhunt" while Russia continues NOW to mess up our elections.

Any ONE of those things, among others, would have been a screaming headline with ANY other president. But today the headline is that a 75 year old man seemed tired, fumbled for words occationally, etc, etc, ad nauseum. It was not a show; it was testimony. The content of the testimony is the important thing not how polished the words of the speaker.

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Comments

Ray Langley

It seemed to me like he was being very careful with his answers so yes at times he needed to think through what he was saying before he said it.

Howard Smith

Yes, he wanted to be careful and cautious with his words because he was intent on speaking the truth to the best of his ability. That was in contrast to some of the Republicans on the committee that were offering unsubstantiated conspiracy theories passed to them by Sean Hannity. Mueller made three factual points that are impossible to ignore...1) Russia wanted Trump to win the presidential election and engaged in deliberate and systematic efforts to that end....2) Trump and the Trump team welcomed, encouraged and sought that help....3) Trump attempted to obstruct Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the election. Nevertheless, I admit to being discouraged by the reporting on this hearing and our future.

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From Howard Smith:

"[Mueller] wanted to be careful and cautious with his words because he was intent on speaking the truth to the best of his ability. That was in contrast to some of the Republicans on the committee that were offering unsubstantiated conspiracy theories passed to them by Sean Hannity. Mueller made three factual points that are impossible to ignore...

1) Russia wanted Trump to win the presidential election and engaged in deliberate and systematic efforts to that end....

2) Trump and the Trump team welcomed, encouraged and sought that help...

3) Trump attempted to obstruct Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the election.

Nevertheless, I admit to being discouraged by the reporting on this hearing and our future."

Gleaning Facebook: Story Night #6

TONIGHT!

For our Open Mic Story Night we have a few outstanding early registrants:

-- Here for a return engagement from LaGrange, Georgia is a wonderful storyteller, Pepper Ellis-Hagebak.

-- Stacie Scoggins Marshall will regale us with her wonderful tall-tale that wowed the Big Fibbers audience and judges last March and garnered her one of the top prizes in the competition.

-- The Grand Imagineer himself, Gary Greene a Rome storytelling treasure is ready and waiting to tell.

-- John Paul Schulz who has become a fixture in North Georgia storytelling over the last five years will tell one of his intriguing stories.

These are but four of the in-town and out-of-town storytellers who will likely regale us. Stories will start at seven and end by nine. Come order some great food and drink, make yourselves comfortable, and hear some great stories.

How about it, William S. Davies, Denise DesSoye, Mike Mount? Jane Owen Cunningham did you develop a new story during your week with Donald Davis? Natalie Jones, Leslie Rainey Shelley we'd love to hear you spin a yarn. Kanute Rarey you know your way over here. Jean Bray is thinking about it. Questing Parson, I haven't heard from you. I could name MANY others... everyone is welcome. We'll draw names till we run out of time, with maybe a little special attention to our visiting storytellers

It's an OPEN MIC! Do YOU have a story to tell. Come on.

Note: This is storytelling for grown-ups --- though family friendly. It likely will not be entertaining to young children.

Comments

Gary Greene It was a good time had by all!

Quinn Scott Smith My story (sort of...) or at least the reason I missed Storytelling Night

"Don't Go Bobcat Huntin' w/o A Reminder Alarm!"
I had Storytelling Night on my calendar on my phone and had been looking forward to it all week.....
I was contacted by a friend about 3pm asking for assistance searching for an injured, wild animal out on Veteran's Hwy/Kingston Rd. Smh & telling myself as I drove that I knew I would regret it, I still went crawling along the median & shoulder, eventually trapesing thru some grass searching for the wee one.... reminding myself that where there is a kitten/cub, there is usually a mama & I was being really stupid, but I just couldn't stand the thought of him being alone and hurt. Mind you, my friend had already pulled over thinking she was going to rescue a little kitten...but upon getting closer, said "kitten" came out of the tall grass and chased her 40 yards back to her vehicle hissing, spitting and clawing at her heels...while she was on the phone screaming with 911. Police could not find the animal after a short search so that is when I get a msg as my friend heads back to her office. My friend texts ME the pic and wants to know if I have any rescue friends that can help search. Uummmm? You DO know this is a wild cat, right? "Oh no" she says, "her friend that took the pic said it wasn't." (Your friend isn't too bright!)
I called PAWS and the police had not yet reported it. They only had one officer to cover all calls for Rome/Floyd Co. I informed them I would go attempt to visually locate the animal & promised not to get myself into a dangerous situation...then I went ahead and put food, water, towels, blankets and a carrier in my back seat (still smh.) Soooo after a good hour+ with no siting I headed to my son's home to visit as they had JUST lost a precious pet the day prior, my 1st granddog, Dixie. It wasn't until I pulled into my driveway at 7:20pm and my phone rang from a person I had MEANT to invite to Storytelling night, that I sighed deflated & exhausted "regreting" that I had missed it. Since I can no longer be mobile on my feet, I couldn't rush downtown, sprint to Schroeders and catch the last 1/2. I'll see ya'll in Nov, Lord willing & if the creek don't rise...
William S. Davies So sorry I couldn’t be there! Always enjoy the tales.

Quinn Scott Smith Here's the little wee one's pic. He's barely as tall as the blades of grass. You can see the road rash on it's head and my friend reported that it had a broken leg also...but it still managed to chase her fast enough for her to toss her purse into the brush, run for her vehicle and forget to retrieve purse until 2 hrs later.... I assume the poor thing was in shock from the injuries. A wild kit that small would not be that aggressive and most likely would act like a feral animal and run away. I hate to see anything suffer.

Terrell Shaw Wow!
Quinn Scott Smith Cute lil' booger isn't he? I GUESS he was worth missing story night....would've been more worth it if I could've found him again and gotten him to wildlife rescue...or at least out of misery if his injuries were too bad. I doubt he'll survive in the wild with a broken leg, but it's possible. If he can stay hidden from preditors and catch small rodents, he might heal w/ scar tissue...but it's doubtful...since she could see that the leg was broken, it had to have been pretty bad.
Stacie Scoggins Marshall Thank you Terrell again for the night! Every time I get around these great story tellers I feel inspired and also that I have lots to learn. What a cheery bunch of folks!
Terrell Shaw Thanks for coming and telling your tale! Hope you'll join us for our A Time To Tell gettogethers.
Terrell Shaw Mike Mount Thanks. I enjoyed your story. Y'all come back every chance you get. I want to visit SOTS again too.