Thanksgiving holiday

Happy Thanksgiving!I plan to go over shortly to a friend's house and help her make eggplant parmigiana for the first time. She plans on making two baking dishes of it to feed 16. Mamma Mia! It is an ambitious endeavor and a risky one as well...I advised her to bake a ham, but she wants to try the eggplant so I'll go over and help her out.

Tomorrow I plan to go to a friend's (an different one) and we will eat turkey, mashed potatoes, whole berry cranberry sauce, butternut squash casserole, and pecan pie. Ginger ale and OJ for drinks. Her husband is going out of town and her family isn't really nearby, so otherwise she would be alone. We will have a great time, and her screened-in large porch is perfect for lounging and watching the birds, cows, horses, and buffalo after we eat, even if it rains, as it might. It has been in the 70s lately and lovely sun, so either way, it will be a relaxing day whether it rains or not. Here are some leaves that are changing, they do not get vibrant but here they are anyway:

Happy Thanksgiving!

No pat-downs for me

I flew for the last time in 2006. As the advent of the TSA and Homeland Security began to entrench, and sink its tentacles into the American public’s civil liberties, I became very skeptical of the entire airport check-in process. I already was irritated at the plethora of paperwork needed to pass inspection, and also the lengthy delays at security zones. However, I forgave those in the interest of security, because in the long run, they are reasonable precautions. But when the shoe bomber did his thing and we were required to take off our shoes, things got way more ridiculous. After that, the requirement to put all liquids in 3oz bottles and place them in clear baggies came along, I snorted in disbelief. Still, I flew.

Then I got patted down.

Heading up to Maine for a vacation in 2006, I was randomly selected to be patted down by a TSA agent at the Atlanta airport. It wasn’t the intrusive pat-downs we see today, but it was a pat-down. A female guard snapped on white gloves, which is scary enough, and she took out the wand and passed it up and down my body. I hated that. Then she touched me on the back and the arms and legs. I HATED that. I was compliant. I was upset but kept my cool. I did remark to them that I felt it was an intrusion into my privacy and a violation of my civil liberties. The TSA agents vaulted into action. They threatened to take me aside and complete a more extensive inspection…they threatened to make me miss my plane…they threatened all sorts of things, all the while surrounding me. Another bunch of agents came out of nowhere and closed in. More threats on their side. I looked numbly at the circle around me and wondered where the land of John Adams went. I said no thank you and turned to walk into the passenger area. They did not follow.

At that moment I decided that the convenience of air travel was not worth personal violation at the hands of the government, and I never flew again. And I never will.

Fall: the local tree, the local rooster

Fall in Georgia is not as vibrant as it is in Maine, where I had been living for a long time. The leaves do not get as bright, though they are pretty. The upside is that fall lasts a lot longer than just the few weeks it does in Maine. I can enjoy the change of the season in all its glory: the cooling temperatures, the clearing skies with bright starlight, and the leaves changing. Here is a tree whose leaves have fully changed but is aided in brightness by a setting bright sun:

The local rooster. I love hearing rooster's dawn cackle. He lives next door, but "next door" is far because each property owner on the street owns a lot of land. I always try to spot him as I come to the stop sign, but when he is out on the lawn he is always so far away for a good photo. I think he is pretty, that's why I want to see him closer up. He has deep hues and is a kind of a majestic walker of his domain.

Today is a bright, pretty day. I plan to head to the library for a new slew of books, the grocery store, and then home. I want to write a lot today, and finish the details of a Christmas program I am part of. A friend gave me some jalapeno peppers from her garden and I play to use them in a veggie chili. Then tonight, read. I don't know how I keep up with my hectic life.

Men and women

Men are competitive. Women are relational. We always have heard that. We read books like 'Men are from mars, women are from Venus'. We look at our husbands (or our wives) and shake our heads.

Well, I got to laughing so hard Friday night when I watched the cooking show "Chopped." On that show, 4 contestants compete in three rounds of cooking (appetizer, entree, dessert) and successively a contestant gets chopped until one is left who wins $10,000. Last week there were two chefs from Philadelphia. In the introduction phase of the show, the female chef from Philly said "I know him. I've known him for about 6 years. He works half a block from my restaurant." The male chef said, "Between us two chefs from Philly, I want to be known as the best. I want to win. I'll beat her."

See? Relational, and competitive. LOL!

A day off

Today was a holiday from school, a "Fall Break." This three-day weekend my was completely welcome and I relished every bit of first day off. Though I needed to accomplish a BUNCH of errands, it still was a great day.

Georgia allows early voting, so I did my civic duty this morning and while waiting in the short line, happily ran into a couple of friends at the polls. While I was at Town Hall I decided to pay my excise tax even though it wasn't due for 6 weeks. Opening the door, I saw that the Tax and Tag room had been transformed into a haunted house. The lights were off and tiny twinkle-lights were the only illumination. All the walls had been covered with Halloween decorations to a very great extent and hanging from the ceiling were spiders and the like. The workers were dressed up as dead country singers, such as Dottie West and Patsy Cline. One wall even sported a sheet covered in fake dripping blood and bloody skeleton handprints. I found the whole thing tasteless and ridiculous. Aside from my belief in Halloween being a satanic holiday, the lengths they went to to transform the room was over the top. It's aggravating enough to have to pay taxes on a 17-year-old car, but to see the workers playing on my dime irked me to no end.

I bought a book of stamps at the PO because I work every day till 6:00 and can never get to the PO while it's open, except for a few hours on Saturday. If I want to send a sympathy card or thank you card I'm out of luck for up to a week. So now I'm prepared.

I got three new novels at the Library and had a pleasant conversation with the Librarian, and got groceries at the Dollar Store and also fresh goods at the regular grocery store. I plan to make granola bars and two broccoli quiches tomorrow and I'm looking forward to the homey satisfaction that cooking a good meal provides.

Another trip to the other Post Office to pick up books I'd ordered finished the rounds in town. I got Pilgrim's Progress and once home, ordered a couple more: John MacArthur's "Because the Time is Near", and Warfield's "Counterfeit Miracles". I'm looking forward to the opportunity for a little heavier reading during the next break, the week off at Thanksgiving.

A nap completed the ensemble, lol, and my day off was pretty great.

Fall color changes so far (a little bit)

Fall color changes are less striking here in Georgia than in Maine, or Rhode Island where I am originally from. But the weather is fantastic, warm and fair and no humidity with cool mornings. Another blessing is that the season lasts longer. I'll take that any time! But the colors do change, sometimes becoming vivid and in other times of drought, less so. Here are our color changes so far as of October 24:

Scuppernong bush

Fall berry

Poor birdhouse...

Foreclosures running sky-high

According to the Madison County Journal, "Thirty seven Madison County properties are being advertised in The Madison County Journal for the November foreclosure sale, up one from October, but down from 48 in September. The 11-month foreclosure advertising total for 2010 is 412. At that rate, 458 properties will be advertised for foreclosure in 2010. In 2009, 377 foreclosures were advertised in The Madison County Journal. That was up from 260 foreclosures advertised in 2008 and 150 advertised in both 2006 and 2007."

I put the foreclosure data into graph form. Please pray for those who are losing their homes...

Danielsville Fall Festival

Once again it was time for the Danielsville Fall Fest. It is the tenth anniversary year of this local and lovely festival, and I've been to three of the last four since I've lived here. That first year I attended, I felt such a warmth and small-town flavor that I immediately understood that I was now at my earthly home. I enjoy the cloggers, and the volunteer firemen serving burgers and hot dogs, I enjoy seeing the local artisans and vendors ply their wares. They work hard and make such quality products. For example, I bought more Booger Hill Bee Company honey. It is a fresh wildflower honey that is light but flavorful. I bought a lavender goat milk soap from Deena and Emily's Soaps. Their soaps are creamy and smooth. And good for the skin!

More than the vendors is the feeling at the Festival. It's small, but it is totally local. There is no neon, there is no midway, there is no faceless vendor after faceless vendors from other states plying the same items as each other. Not that there's anything wrong with Fairs like those, I enjoy them myself. But I like knowing the money I hand over goes to local folks making a living at what they are selling. I like knowing the money for the baked goods goes to the clothes pantry, and the volunteers organizing the festival are people I work with.

It creates an atmosphere that even after four years of attending, still speaks the word "home".

Here are some photos. I deliberately didn't take many of the people, but of scenes.

A clown that wasn't too scary. But I still used a telefoto lens...

Ahhh! Good eats!

There was a vendor who did these crazy things with hair. All the kids walking around with hair like this were really cute!!

Pretty jewels...ah, sorry, distracted by the glinting there for a minute...

Pickles! Lots of them! Calling Aunt Bee...These pickles looked really good though.

My friend Richard from church. He is a volunteer Fireman. I worked with Richard in the Good News Club at school last year and now I work with his wife every Wednesday night teaching kids at church. Good people.

And that was my afternoon! Thanks to all who organized this day.

Fall scenes

Fall at Tallulah Gorge, GA

Fall at Comer, GA

Fall at Lake Louise, GA

Fall at Gray ME

Fall at New Gloucester ME

Fall at New Gloucester ME

Comer town looks pretty today

I was waiting at a stop sign in Comer after having visited the Master Gardener plant sale and Farmer's Market. I'd bought 5 green peppers for $1 and a bag of homemade cookies from the Master Gardeners for $1, and of course, had visited with friends I'd seen there. The fair is in town so I had to wait for five cars to pass in order to pull out into traffic. Five cars, yes, you heard right. It was a busy day on the roads at Comer today. Here is the scene