Opinions

I received the following a few days ago. [Full Story »] 

I was in a meeting recently and they made the mistake of feeding us a nice lunch after the morning session. Later, when the meeting resumed, I started getting sleepy and I fought with all my strength to stay awake. I would close my eyes for a moment, not wanting the others to know I was sleeping, and then, when my head would drop, jerk up wide eyed like there was nothing wrong with me. I pinched myself, slapped myself, then got up and got a cup of coffee, which did no good at all. As soon as I was seated again my eyes closed, my head would drop and the battle to stay awake would begin all over again. I was miserable and I can sympathize with the man in the following story. [Full Story »] 

Calvin, Julie, and Josh packed up the Durango in the rain last night for the trip back to Atlanta. Trey, Jakey, and Will had their packs filled with essential toys and books slung on their backs and ready for the word from Mama to load. They left in the pouring rains from Tropical Storm Debby, but probably ran out of it before Dublin. Anyway, they arrived as safe and sound as possible after such a trip. It was wonderful to have the family all home for a weekend. It was also boisterous, rowdy, animated, and several other explicit adjectives. But Larry and I enjoyed the weekend, as well as the two-week visit with the grandchildren. [Full Story »] 

Submitted for publication by John H. Drew

The French and Indian War: Account of a British Officer, July 9, 1755

The American Indian chief looked scornfully at the soldiers on the field before him. How foolish it was to fight as they did, forming their perfect battle lines out in the open, standing shoulder to shoulder in their bright red uniforms.

The British soldiers – trained for European warfare – did not break rank, even when braves fired at them from under the safe cover of the forest. The slaughter at the Monongahela River continued for two hours. By then 1,000 of 1,459 British soldiers were killed or wounded, while only 30 of the French and Indian warriors firing at them were injured. [Full Story »] 

Dear Editor,

For several months, I have listened to rumors, gossip, half-truths, and read newspaper articles concerning my husband, the FORMER MAYOR of GRAHAM, and our son, Ryan. [Full Story »] 

I’ve stated several times over the past few months that I believe this is one of the most important election years in the history of our country. That is why I have been stressing to citizens the importance of voting, as well as, becoming an informed electorate. There is an abundant amount of information on the front pages of dailies across the country, television evening news and talk shows about the national election, but what about local candidates? [Full Story »] 

I helped my 88-year-old Mother put up corn the other day and I do believe it was the prettiest I have ever seen; 50 quarts creamed and 20-gallon bags on the cob. I thought we had enough but I was wrong. Somebody called her that night and said they had some corn ready and being one of the old school she did not want a single kernel to go to waste. So we put up more the next morning. I hope we have enough now. [Full Story »] 

“Grandma, Grandma, look. Grandpa’s got a punkin’ from the garden,” three-year-old Will shouted excitedly. “Can we have a punkin’ pie? It’s my favorite.”

I’m not sure I’ve ever made a pumpkin pie in June before, but there’s always a first time for everything, or so my wise father used to tell me, and he, too, was rather fond of punkin’ pie. [Full Story »] 

I grew up on our family farm (still in my possession and debt free) in Toombs County. I learned to plow a mule at a very early age. My first experience with plowing was “jo harrowing” corn with a mule drawn plow known as a “jo harrow.” I could hardly reach the plow handles. I remember how daddy laughed at me when I had to trot along behind the fast-walking mule to keep up. [Full Story »] 

See the numbers above? The first is the total number of registered lobbyists in the state of Georgia during 2011. The second is the total dollar amount of gifts that the 1,493 registered lobbyists gave to your state legislators in 2011 (at least that was reported). [Full Story »] 

Uncle Three Sheets, the greatest fisherman that ever lived, used to tell this story. He said he was fishing and came across a large moccasin with a huge bullfrog in its jaws. Knowing the frog was good bass bait; he reached down, grabbed the snake, pried the frog loose and threw it in the live well. Now he had to figure out how to dislodge the snake that had coiled around his arm. He pulled his bottle of Early Times from a back pocket and poured a big swig into the snake’s mouth. The snake swallowed and immediately uncoiled from around Uncle Three Sheets arm and hung loosely down. Uncle Three Sheets threw the snake up on the bank and continued fishing. He said that about thirty minutes later he felt a tug at his ankle and looked down and there was that snake again. This time the snake had two frogs in his mouth. [Full Story »] 

I struggled my way through childhood in Hazlehurst over on Gill Street in what is now a parking lot. As a matter of fact, my sister Sarah Nell likes to tell people that we grew up in a parking lot—not entirely true, but close to one even then. After hours and on weekends, we rode our bikes in the parking lots of what everyone in town called the slip factory. I’m sure it had an official name, but I can’t remember now what it was. I even worked in that factory for a while when I was older, cashed checks from there, but the factory’s real name escapes me. [Full Story »]