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If you are going to be
snowed and iced in, I can't think of a better place to be than
Tallapoosa. While my neighbors in Marietta couldn't get to the store and
if the store was open they were out of what was needed. Meanwhile we had
The Pig with all the essentials for what you need in life such as milk,
bread, Deen's sausage, Mayfield Extreme Moose Tracks ice cream, Golden
Flake chips, and The Pig's heavenly deviled eggs that have been praised
on these pages in past issues. Seriously dear readers the
Piggly Wiggly deli's deviled eggs remind me of the kind you'd get
at the all day singings with dinner on the ground. Is is just me or is
the fried chicken and sweet tea the best at church functions? My cabin
fever gluttony of biscuits, gravy and sausage last week aided me in
gaining 3 pounds. I stepped on the talking bathroom scales and it said
"one at a time please." I decided I had to cut way back. I would sell my
soul for a loaded baked potato from Backwoods or an enchilada, chips
and cheese
dip from
Los Pinos. I am beginning to have dreams of Papous
pepperoni pizza and
chicken fingers from Burger Chick. I must no longer see gravy as a
beverage. I will no longer see if my Zocor works by eating cheese grits
and fried you name it. I will make a diligent effort to develop a taste
for celery and carrots. I will steam my vegetables instead of getting
the Fry Daddy into operation. I will no longer buy peanut oil in the 55
gallon drum. I am not going to diet. Diets have never worked for me. I
lost 65 pounds 32 years ago and gained back all of it. I have Weight
Watchered, Nutri-Systemed, and every miracle diet published in the
National Enquirer.
I am hoping to make a life style change and drop the pounds. I would
have gained even more weight last week during the shut in time but Owens
Barbecue and Biscuits was closed for most of the week. A recent study
said for the most part Americans are happy in spite of the economy.
Women were happier than men and that people over the age of 61 are the
happiest demographic of all. What makes you happy? What are the things
in life that really and truly make you happy? Of course children and
grandchildren are tops on everybody's list. There is no greater feeling
in the world when the kids come home with great report cards or tell me
about learning something about
Mark Twain or John
F. Kennedy. Presley said recently "dad, what grade were you in
when Mark Twain died?" I told her I once dated Becky Thatcher. I get joy
out of running into life long friends like C. W. Hart and Hershell
Kirkland who always have a kind word or a funny story for me. Bud Jones
brings a smile to my face when I run into him at the post office and he
has a story about my grandmother. Happiness is the smell of that first
cup of Folgers in the morning or a crock pot of chili or
vegetable soup simmering in the kitchen. They smell like home
don't you agree? The sight of people waving as they drive by is a warm
one I get from folks in our town. In East Cobb County you rarely get an
acknowledgement from passers by. I love the fact that at the bank here
you get excellent service and don't have to show 25 forms of
identification to cash a check like in metro Atlanta. Cheryl at the
bank here is faster than the ATM machine and always has a bright smile
on her face. I get happy when I get a deal like when I go to E. D.
Lively's where you can buy anything from a well rope, laundry detergent,
and socks to a golf cart. I now get happy when I see gasoline at below
$3 dollars a gallon. An egghead economist the other day on Fox
News say that gas may get to $7 dollars a gallon in the next
couple of years. We sure hope he's wrong. I am essentially happy because
I don't hang around cynical people. Pessimism unfortunately is
overtaking optimism. Happiness is hearing Jimmy on the Trade Line airing
callers who want to trade a Remington 4-10 shot gun for a set of used
tires that will fit a
1989 Ford Ranger. Don't you just love hearing hall of fame disc
jockey Red Jones introduce a memorable hit song from
Waylon Jennings,
Tammy Wynette,
Gene Watson, George
Jones, or Randy
Travis on WKNG?
Happy thoughts come to me when the whistle blows at work and I
know I'm 52 miles from the place I love best. I've had some wonderful
opportunities to see places I read about in books like Paris, London,
Oslo, and Rome. I've seen the sunset in
Japan and seen the
sun rise at
11 a.m. some 200 miles from the Artic Circle in
Norway. I've seen the
Sunset Strip in
L.A. and the bright lights of Las Vegas and Broadway in New York City.
Of all the places that I've been, I've never been to a more wonderful
place than the town I will always call home.
Rhubarb Jones is a Tallapoosa native
and a member of the faculty at
Kennesaw State University. Comments may be sent to P.O. Box 1001,
Tallapoosa, GA 30176 or via email at
rhubarbjones@aol.com Previous columns are available at
www.tallapoosa-journal.com
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