3-22-10

Dogwoods and Jonquils in late March means that yellow tree pollen is on the way in the coming weeks. Soon Claritin will be a daily routine for allergy sufferers. Can you believe that we had snow on the ground just a few weeks ago? Mamanier always said that the biggest snowfalls in Georgia were always in the month of March. Bud Jones told me last week that soon most of the town's buzzard population will be migrating north to Hinkley, Ohio. Spring also ushers in the town's wonderful Dogwood Festival in 3 weeks. Ann Crim and all those hard working volunteers do a great job in planning and developing this terrific showcase for our city. I have a friend who is the county agent over in Monticello who plans on coming over for the running event. I'll bet my last dollar that Andy Benefield and Kenny Almon will be finishing the race a good hour before I will. The Dogwood Festival will be a good warm up to the city's Sesquicentennial. The Dogwood Festival food vendors up and down Head Avenue is a favorite part of the celebration by Presley and Callie because it gives them a chance to eat stuff that is deep fried and on a stick that has absolutely no nutritional value. I had a nice visit last Monday in my office with Judge Dan Wynn. He served us as a district attorney and as a Superior Court judge for many years. He has written a book called "D-Day Japan" about the invasion of Japan and how the Enola Gay's cargo brought World War II to an abrupt end. It is a fascinating read and Judge Wynn who served in the United States Marine Corp pulls no punches of the brutality of the Japanese. If you have a deep appreciation of our military, this is a must have book. It is available at Amazon.com. This weekend we hope to get out on the bicycle and ride. A few years ago I bought a basic two-wheeler with no gears, hand breaks, or a seat that makes you walk funny when you get off of it. It is a throw-back to the Western Flyer that mama bought from Ray Hitchcock at the Western Auto. Do you ever wish you still had the bike you had as a kid? How about the Radio Flyer wagon or that Daisy pump B. B. gun? Keith Hughes and I kept the squirrel population at bay on Stone Street and the woods around Slaughter Pen Creek with our trusty Daisys. I wish I had a dollar for every time a grown up said "careful boy, you'll put out an eye with that thang!." We sometimes would take our rodent bounty to Sis up at the hotel that faced Alewine Street. Sis compensate us for the squirrels in Royal Crown Colas and bags of Gordon's Potato Chips. Sis was an African-American woman that everybody knew. I remember her daughter reminded me of Diana Ross. Sis was always kind to everyone and it didn't matter to her if you lived in a mansion out in Old Town or in a shotgun house on Brock Street. Her hotel and cafe were micro managed by Sis and she ran a pretty tight ship. She didn't put up with any trouble. On Saturday afternoons I recall the smell of her barbecue pit filling the air in town with a heavenly hickory wood aroma. She may have been grilling squirrels, I'm not sure. Her jukebox was where I first heard Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding. Her cafe made some of the best chili I remember ever having. Mama would give me a Mason quart fruit jar and I'd go get some of Sis' magic chili to go and then mother spread it over two slices of Colonial Bread and a couple of Southern Maid weenies. Why can't you find a restaurant with a chili spread anymore? In Tallapoosa I can get some great ribs from the Bronze Star. You can get a yummy tenderloin biscuit at Owens early in the morning. George at Papous Pizza has a better pie than any chain ever delivered. George's calzones are superior to the ones I had in Rome, Italy or Rome, Georgia. A Big O burger from Burger Chick is the best homemade hamburger on Earth. The 8 mile drive to Backwoods out in Steadman is worth it because you can get as good a steak as you'll find in Atlanta. Dear hearts, I can't find a dining establishment with a chili spread the menu. Y'all help me. I wish I had Hat Roberts' or Sis' chili recipe. The other day I paid two dollars for a cup of Starbucks and it reminded me that Tallapoosa has a coffee shop that has had a "coming soon" sign out front for two years. I am looking forward to the day that I can get a latte or a cappuccino in my hometown.