Comer is cool!

Our big weekend is upon us, the Comer Christmas parade, Christmas events and happenings! This weekend there are several things to enjoy, and I hope you all do get out and enjoy them. They are lovingly presented and also the local merchants are counting on foot traffic.

Thanks to local artist and entrepreneur Tina McCullough we have BlueBell Gallery's annual reception with the marvelous Marion Montgomery and his lovely daughter Maribel. There will be Music, Food, Fun! If you can, bring any non-perishable food item for their ongoing collection for the Northeast Georgia Food Bank. Above, Fall '07 Bluebell Reception

Saturday: At 10 am there will be the Madison County Reindeer Run. After the Fun Run will be the Comer Fire Department chicken barbecue. The last day of the Comer Farmer's Market for the 2008 season will be held at the spot next to Saving Grace. Go see if there is some Booger Hill Bee Company Honey and other goodies.




Also from the food and drink department, we have Mara Hallberg’s Fresh Hot Sasama Green Tea and Hot Chocolate served around noon in front of Blue Bell.

Comer Baptist will host a live nativity from 10-2 on their grounds just across from Carmine's and in the thick of it all. Seeing the nativity live is a great way for the truth of the Gospel to enter your heart.

The music will begin at 1 p.m. at the grandstand with Tommy Hall. Also, our County's kids will be singing all around – on the corner of North and Main, the Comer Chorus and Madison County High School Chorus will perform. Come on out and support our children!

The Fabulous Comer Christmas Parade will begin at 2pm – get your spots early. Comer Elementary School will have its annual Christmas Festival Saturday from 3–5 p.m. There will be games for all ages, a cakewalk, bingo and pictures with Santa Claus.

On Sunday evening, the churches will host the lighting of the town Christmas tree at 7:30 p.m. There will be refreshments and chorus singing. At dusk, Comer lights up with more children singing, hot chocolate flowing and glorious fellowship as the tree is lit.

Glass demos and Wine and Cheese Reception - glass demos after the parade and the Reception 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 5, Bendzunas Glass, 89 W. South Ave., Comer; www.bendzunasglass.com.

Get out and enjoy the opportunities to visit, have fun, and support your local kids, crafters, and merchants tomorrow!

Scenes from my brain

I subbed today in a 4th grade, they were sweet kids. A few little back talkers but they aren't that bad.

It's rainy and cold here today and I am thrilled my landlord got the heater going. The pilot light had kept sputtering out. The heat would work OK but when the room got to temp and the thermo clicked over to pilot, the light would go out. Really annoying when it happened at 2 AM and I awoke to a freezing apartment at 6 am. He was responsive and came right over, nice guy that he is. It makes a difference when I can keep the heat on consistently.

I have no clue if I am getting a call to sub tomorrow but for sure I am off for three days after that. On Wed. I am helping a friend most of the day to get everything ready so she doesn't have to cook much Thursday. She is feeling pretty sick with a sinus cold. Thursday of course is the turkey dinner and visiting with my friend and her husband and whoever else they invite over. Friday is a day I get totally off with no social or church commitments. I don't know what I want to do yet.

Bendzunas Glass always has a glass blowing demo and an open house with munchies that Friday after Thanksgiving, so I may go over and see what's up. I bought a bunch of tailings last year and I loved them. They are the little buttons of glass that come off the end of the pontle, they are only 25 cents a piece. I bought some and put them in a small, clear glass and I like to look at them. So that might be my big night out, watching glass blowing again and adding to my pontle tailings!

Saturday is always chores: I do my vacuuming, laundry, shopping and bathroom scrubbing Saturdays so I have Sundays off to get ready for the Sunday School Assembly and church. And then it's back to the grind on Monday.

We had our church Thanksgiving supper last night. You know that movie trailer they are showing on TV with Reese Witherspoon for "Four Christmases?" There's a scene with the southern lady talking to Reese in the kitchen, explaining how to make a salad and what goes into all her layers. "mayo and apple and mayo and grapes and sour cream and then mayo...the gag line is that she says Mayo every three seconds and then finishes with "My doctor told me to eat more salad." THAT IS TRUE. Salad around here consists of jello and/or mayo, sour cream and repeat. Above, fried meats

Left, the cheesy, buttery, creamy casseroles. Yum yum! The buffet table last night, fried chicken...then the section with casseroles with sour cream or cream of mushroom soup... and last, "salads" all with layers of mayo! Not one lettuce leaf, not one green thing, (oops except for green beans in...sour cream). I swear I will have a heart attack withing five years of living in GA. But of course it is all SO GOOD! The ladies around here sure can cook. Left, the salads. The white with dots are grapes with sour cream I think, or mayo, or a combo with whipped cream. The cherries are pears with mayo and cheese and cherries on top.

So that's it, nice and quiet here, the gas hissing quietly and the raindrops in the tin awnings, and the cats sleeping and me typing are the only sounds.

Have a great night!

Below, Bendzunas taking out an ornament from the oven, then shaping it, then cutting it off the pontle. Last year's open house.