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Well dear
readers here we are less than a week away from company coming. Gracing
the table will be turkey, cornbread dressing, fruit salad, squash
casserole, that green bean dish that has mushroom soup and little bitty
fried onions. It will be food, kids playing in the yard, women in the
dining room talking about what Oprah said the other day and preteen
girls giggling about cute boys at their school and how one day they will
marry one of the guys in Big Time Rush. The Dallas Cowboys and
Detroit Lions seem to always play on Thanksgiving and it doesn't matter
that both teams pretty much stink up the National Football League, we
will watch them. It seems the years are moving rapidly aren't
they? Sitting back and reflecting the other day about Thanksgiving
and how we have so much to be thankful for. I am grateful that little 2
year old Zoey Trantham is going to be fine after her near tragic
accident last August. Don't you have gratitude for the smell of bacon
and that first cup of hot coffee early in the morning? Happiness is
having my two daughters ask me a question about something from school.
Hearing the words "you're the smartest daddy in the world," even though
I'm not, zooms my spirits into orbit. I am thankful for that person at
the Piggly Wiggly or at the post office gives a kind word about the
Tallapoosa Journal. I am grateful our wonderful editor allows me this
space weekly. I can't describe the warm feeling of seeing the Tallapoosa
city limits sign after a hard week at work. I am thankful for long time
friends like Scott McClain, Bud Jones,Joe Craven,and Hershell Kirkland.
Isn't it great to have terrific neighbors? The Glaze family next door
are a blessing to us. "Can Callie and Presley come out and play?" are
words I hear every weekend from the two sweet kids next door. It is a
joy to know that my daughters love their daddy's hometown. I am grateful
for the sound of a freight train going through town in the night. We can
celebrate in our hearts that we have a city that has good leadership
and dedicated public servants and that in our town has a reputation for
friendly people. I am thankful that I knew the Honorable Thomas B.
Murphy, Ray Hitchcock, Jess Newman, Lee Roy Brooks, Ray and Sue Allen,
Gary Gray, and Pauline Rambo. I know I'm not the only one who misses
them. I am thankful that most folks I know prefer fried chicken to
chateaubriand and pinto beans to sushi and catfish to Black Sea
sturgeon. The best deviled eggs in Georgia and Alabama are at the deli
at "The Pig." Is there a more lovely sound filling the air on Sunday
morning than the chimes at the First United Methodist Church? I sure do
miss the Sunday mornings with The Gospel Jubilee with that
wonderful Southern Gospel music. I am thankful that there we have ESPN,
TVLand, Turner Classic Movies, Fox News, CNN, and TBS.
What did we do before cable or satellite? How many of you remember that
television reception in Tallapoosa was Channels 2, 5, and 11 and Channel
7 out of Mt. Cheaha? Can you recall when a household had one black and
white television set and it was in the living room? I am thankful that
Tallapoosa can boast having a 50,000 watt blowtorch Country music radio
station and that we can hear one of America's true broadcast
legends, Red Jones a member of the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame.Don't you
just love The Trade Line every morning at 10 a.m. on
WKNG? Doing radio for 36 years gave this Tallapoosa boy opportunities
like I never dreamed of. I am truly thankful for meeting some people
along the way that you may be familiar with. People that we will never
forget like Paul "Bear" Bryant, Roy Rogers, Dale Earnhardt, Shirley "Cha
Cha" Muldowney, John Force, George Blanda, Roy Acuff, Wolfgang Puck,
Ronnie Milsap, Bill Anderson, Martina McBride, Dolly Parton, Keith
Urban, Charley Pride, Charlie Rich, Barbara Mandrell, Sean Hannity,
Bruce Jenner, the Kardashians when they were kids, Alabama,
Brenda Lee, Rascal Flatts, Kristi Yamaguchi, Eddy Arnold,
George Strait, Gordie Howe, Wayne Newton, Vestal Goodman,Wendy Bagwell,
Eva Mae LeFevre, Chet Atkins, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, Don Gibson,
Bobby Bare, Kenny Rogers, Max Cleland, Vern Gosdin, Bobby Allison, Davey
Allison, Red Farmer, Mike Swims, David Pearson, Steve Cropper, Dottie
West, Mo Rocca, Tammy Wynette, Dick Clark,John Anderson, Skip Caray,
Charlie Daniels, Little Jimmy Dickens, Vince Gill, Tom T. Hall, Connie
Smith, Marty Stuart, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Hank Snow, Buffalo Bob
Smith,Anne Murray, Lash LaRue, Emo Phillips, Jock Mahoney, Gene
Watson, Ramsey Lewis, Loretta Lynn, Patty Labelle, Marshall "Grandpa"
Jones, George "Goober" Lindsey, Howard "Ernest T. Bass" Morris, Ray
Price, Eddie Floyd, Hank Williams, Jr.,Waylon Jennings, John R, Hugh
"Baby" Jarrett, Bill "Hossman" Allen, Ralph Emery, Charlie
Douglas, Jerry Clower, Robert Klein, Greg Giraldo, Bill Engvall, Ron
White, Jeff Foxworthy,Brett Butler, Mark Curry, Pablo Francisco, Mitch
Hedberg, Hank Thompson, Garth Brooks, Monica Pearson,Guy Sharp, Ken
Cook, Ken Rodriguez, Chuck Dowdle, Fred Kalil, Officer Don Kennedy,Randy
Travis, Don Williams, Jermaine Dupree, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Ric
Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Mr. Wrestling II, Ray Stevens, Danny Thomas, Mickey
Rooney, Scatman Crothers, Lee Meriwether, Adam West, John
Schneider,Billy Barty, James Brown, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Vince
Dooley, Pat Dye, Norm Van Brocklin, Kenny Chesney,Conway Twitty,Reba
McEntire, Glen Campbell, Sam Moore of Sam and Dave, Gary
Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sam Phillips, Travis Tritt, Earl
Scuggs, Johnny Cash, June Carter, Carroll O'Connor, Merle
Haggard, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr,Brett Farve, Joe Rumore, Ernie
Johnson Sr. and Ernie Johnson Jr. Keith Jackson, Larry Munson, Jerry
Glanville, George Jones, Dan Reeves, Bobby Cox, Hank Aaron,Tug
McGraw, Willie Mays, Duke Snider, Dale Murphy, Joe Torre, Sparky
Anderson, Phil Niekro and Mickey Mantle. The Mick was a hero to many of
us growing up and he was always felt uncomfortable in that role. Getting
to know him the last few years of his life is a treasure of my heart. Of
all the the things that I treasure most and am thankful for is having
the people who truly love me remind me just how blessed I am.
Rhubarb Jones is a
Tallapoosa native and a member of the faculty of Kennesaw State
University and serves as Director of Special Projects in the Office of
Development. Questions or comments may be sent via email at
rhubarbjones@aol.com or
professorrhubarb@gmail.com or by mailing them to P. O. Box 1001,
Tallapoosa, GA
30167. Previous columns can
be found at www.tallapoosa-journal.com
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