another new year

This has been the fastest 12 months of my life. We saw the tragedy of the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan back in March, the unrest and protests in the Middle East and the ouster of the dictators of Egypt and Libya. We saw the demise of the murderer of thousands of Americans on September 11, 2001 with Osama bin Laden becoming fish food courtesy of Navy Seals. We saw the passing of the dictator of North Korea to be left in the hands of his son Kim Jung Un who looks like he spends way too much time with his X-box and should be on he cast of a teen targeted reality show. We saw the Occupy movement go into American cities. What they achieved is still uncertain but I am a staunch defender of the Constitution and they had the right. I only wish the cities could have installed showers for them. We saw gas prices go up and down like a yo yo because we are are under the thumb of the yo yo that runs OPEC. We saw the rise and fall of Herman Cain. We saw the fall and rise of Newt Gingrich who taught me at West Georgia College for a couple of days. We saw the rise, fall, and now rise in the popularity of President Obama. The next 11 months are going to be interesting. 2011 saw destructive tornados rip through places like Tuscaloosa, Ringgold, and Joplin. I moved home for good this year. After living in East Cobb, County for two and a half decades it was time to move back to the only place I consider home. The commute to Kennesaw isn't too bad. I remember as a boy when our next door neighbor Arvil Kilgore worked at Lockheed and made the trip everyday to the plant in Marietta. I knew when he would be home when Bobbie would have his supper cooking and ready at 5 p.m. The commute in allows me time to plan the ad the commute back to Tallapoosa allows me to reflect on the day. In 2011 I grew as a person. It is official I new have a black belt in heart break. In 2011 I had a couple of females begin ruling my life. The feline females Bama and Baby Kate never tell me to not eat red meat or get a haircut. They never tell me to get off my duff and walk to the store instead of riding. They just want me to make sure I bring home Friskies and Fancy Feast. I would like to say that I discovered some of the best buffalo wings I ever tasted come from Los Pinos. George, Jimmy, and Linda at Papous have the greatest calzone this side of Naples, Italy or Naples. Florida. I have learned that crock pots and Lodge iron skillets are culinary blessing in the kitchen. I want to thank the woman who keep me fed like Sara Lee and Marie Callendar. I was shocked to see that Sears was closing a lot of stores. They haven't been the same since they got rid of Roebuck. Since they stopped printing a catalog what do people with outhouses do now? I look forward to seeing continued progress in our city. The new city councilmen have a lot of work ahead and I hope they know we wish them luck in the coming year. I talked with Lowell White last week and he is looking forward to the upcoming session of the state legislature. I also hope that no one else destroys Lowell's mailbox this year. I hope our local delegation gets some things done for their districts this year and that November will be a referendum on how we feel about the job they're doing. I predict that 2012 will see a continual slow rise in the economy and that the jobless rate will ease. I am optimistic that things will get better. I was programmed to think that way because I grew up in a town of cock-eyed optimists. I hope that everyone comes out to ring in the new year this evening at the 2012 edition of the Possum Drop on Head Avenue. Entertainment, food and vendors will grace out town's main street. Kudos to Danny Welch and everyone who worked so hard to make tonight a wonderful experience. Happy New Year y'all.

Rhubarb Jones is a Tallapoosa native and serves as Director of Special Projects in the Office of Development and a member of the faculty at Kennesaw State University. Comments can be emailed to rhubarbjones@aol.com or sent to P.O. Box 1001, Tallapoosa, Ga 30176