The Search for Oriental Food

For weeks I’ve been craving Oriental food. For weeks I’ve been fighting that craving. It has been really difficult considering every time I turn on the television someone is eating Thai food or one of the chef’s on Food Network is preparing some form of Oriental Food. Therefore, last night I gave in to the craving, scrounged around until I found enough money and drove the two blocks to Ming Wah. After perusing the menu, I finally decided on the Mongolian Beef because it had that little pepper beside it indicating that it was hot and spicy and I love hot and spicy. A short wait later my to go box arrived and with much anticipation for what was to come, I headed home. The aroma was driving me nuts as I drove those short blocks to my house. Upon arrival I pulled out a plate then opened the box. First thing that struck me was the color; never in my life had I seen red food coloring in Mongolian Beef. Overlooking the odd shade of red I scooped the pork-fried rice on the plate followed by the beef mixture sans the bell peppers, then after wiping all the gravy off the egg, roll slathered it in hot mustard sauce. By now my mouth was watering and with what was left in the to go box I was assured two more meals which excited me even more. What a disappointment!! Not only was the beef not spicy but I’m not even sure it was beef and despite the wonderful aroma the taste was nothing I had ever experienced before. Really, I tried to eat it but in the end the beef went in the garbage. The egg roll, however, was delicious as was the rice but after weeks of craving this taste the entire experience was a disaster.
Not to be denied and to satiate the craving that remained, today I hit another restaurant in search of Oriental food. The first noticeable difference was the friendliness of the young person behind the counter. Instead of clipped answers and bored looks, the cashier at China Gardens was engaging, helpful and carried on a conversation while I waited. A few minutes later the to go box arrived and once again I left full of anticipation. Upon opening the container it immediately struck me that this beef not only looked like beef but there were many varied vegetables as well. In the Ming Wah box there were carrots, a few bean sprouts, onions, lots of onions, plus some other unrecognizable vegetable like substances. In the China Gardens box there was broccoli, baby corn, carrots, cucumber, celery, mushrooms and onions. Although not as spicy as I had hoped for, not too many places make food as hot as I like it, that was easily remedied. China Gardens even packaged the rice in a separate container as well as the egg rolls thereby keeping the sauce on the entrée where it should be. One other perk of sorts at China Garden, a local author, Hawk MacKinney, was dining there.
Thanksgiving being just around the corner, my plans are in the process of being made for dinner. Worked on the menu yesterday, do not do the turkey thing and as luck would have it Reid’s was having a sale on Boston butts so I made my way to their store to take a look. Having never been before I really did not know what to expect, however, noticing their ads in the Star my interest was peaked and had been planning to go anyway. What a pleasant surprise. Large, clean store; huge variety, good prices and the best part, friendly people. Well worth the extra few miles to shop.
Lastly, crime has once again visited my neighborhood. Last night (10/12), some person who didn’t have a bicycle or the money to buy cigarettes decided to help himself to both from one of my neighbors. One of the few times this neighbor has failed to lock the car but one time is all it takes. This thief rummaged thru the car, stole cigs and the bike and was on his merry way. A few weeks prior to this someone also relieved this same neighbor of a beautiful antique weathervane. Hard to believe it could be the same thief but one never knows.

UAFF and 9/11

Not since the appointment of Fire Chief Willis have I agreed with anything Augusta’s government has done. I belabor these points only to point out how lucky we as North Augustans are. Yesterday the commission appointed a virtually unknown person to serve out the term of the commissioner for District 4. I was so afraid they were going to re-appoint Richard Colclough to that position but I was also anticipating it. If the commission had re-instated Colclough, the Fire Fighter’s union in New York City was prepared to send over 300 protesters to Augusta. Wouldn’t that have been interesting? For those of you who do not remember or maybe were not or are not interested in the goings on across the river, Colclough made derogatory remarks some time back about Fire Fighters using the losses they suffered during 9/11 to garner sympathy from the public and the local government to obtain the things they needed such as raises. Not only did he disrespect Fire Fighters but he also disrespected this country saying about 9/11, “That’s gone, that’s history, get over it.” If after failing to win his seat for District 121 in the Georgia Legislature he is entertaining any idea of running again for commissioner, I think he will find that not only do the members of UAFF remember 9/11 but they also remember his statements about which he absolutely refused to make an apology.
You may have also noticed that WRDW has been profiling the mayoral candidates over this past week. Ronnie Few just cannot keep his foot out of his mouth. He glazed over the Grand Jury investigation, and once again, I must reiterate that the only reason he was not indicted was due to the statute of limitations, not as if the reason he was not indicted was because he was innocent. If anyone is interested enough, as I was, to read the Grand Jury report it can be found on Zaba Search, I think it will open some eyes. His interview was self-serving as all politicians are but his main claim to fame during his tenure as Augusta’s Fire Chief seemed to be the lowering of fire truck seats to make it easier for them to climb in the truck. I don’t know about you but that sure impressed me. Too bad we can’t run over and vote for him, but wait maybe we can, they don’t require any picture identification in Georgia do they?
Yesterday I paid my second visit to Fred’s in North Hills Shopping Center. The first time I went in was shortly after they opened just to check out the merchandize and size up the store and employees. Everyone I encountered on that trip was helpful, nice and always smiled but I expected that given that they were new and the store was new. Let me tell you folks nothing has changed. Everyone in that store is still nice, very helpful, talkative and they all smile making you feel welcome and inclined to visit again. They also have some good deals on Halloween décor.

Grocery Store Rant, Seasonal Changes and Those Good Old Boys

　
Do you suppose those people who decide the placement of items on grocery store shelves think? Is there a rhyme or reason to placement or do they sit at a conference table just figuring out ways to confuse shoppers? Or, is it just me who finds some placements totally off the wall? For example: why would espresso be in the Mexican section and not with the other coffee? Why are breadcrumbs not with other like items, breading for fish, chicken, etc., instead of sitting next to the olive oil? Why would they place Nutello with PP&J instead of with chocolate? Do I think too logically or is it a conspiracy concocted in the boardroom? Could it be that they do this in order to make shoppers go searching every aisle for these products in hopes that something else will catch their eye and a purchase will be made that was not intended? And why oh why after years of knowing where everything is do they up and change locations of items then don’t remember to change the signs pointing this out?
Speaking of change, the season has and there is evidence all over my neighborhood of people preparing their yards for winter. Trees are going dormant, the perfect time to prune therefore the limbs are piling up on curbs all over the area. Soon it will be piles or bags of leaves or pine straw dotting front yards effectively throwing away nature’s compost or mulch. Some of my neighbors are power washing their houses, doing outside painting, tearing down unsightly out buildings or reconfiguring flower beds. New decks are going up, grills are being cleaned and stored, and Halloween decorations are beginning to emerge. My neighbors are preparing for human hibernation, a respite from summer heat, cutting grass or playing hard in order to be prepared for the first signs of spring when all the work starts over again.
I heard a rumor today that there may be a new business in the works in my area. Nothing is finalized but I hear it may be a flea market, yard sale type business that hopes one day to become an antique store as well. It will start out small then the plan is to gradually rent out spaces for other people with like items then diversify . It will be fun to have yard sales in one place; real yard sales and real flea markets not that let’s see how cheap I can buy stuff from China and con someone into a purchase stuff. No traveling from house to house, no getting lost, no wasting gas and a plethora of items to choose from. If this materializes I will keep you posted as to time and date of opening.
I will end with a wish. I wish North Augusta or some enterprising person would open a real Farmer’s Market. Home grown produce, not shipped in from Florida; Homemade jams and jellies, cleared with the health inspectors of course; Homemade crafts and what ever else the creative people in our area produce. A venue for them to sell and a touch of the old times in a place to buy.
Note: The antique store/flea market never came to pass however a small farmer’s market was established in the newest up and coming area of our city, It opens Fridays when most are at work and since it is in the new ritzy part of town few regular folks bother to go. It opened mainly as a favor to the owner of a new restaurant in that area who grows his own produce. Good old boys are at it again.

Mourning Pets and Celebrating Unsung Heroes

Saturday was a sad, sad day. Francis, my friend’s dog, passed away on September 9. We had a visit the previous Wednesday as Lynn had shoulder surgery and I went by to see what if anything she might need. Poor Francis. Hearing gone, sight gone, control of his bodily functions a hit or miss situation, they only thing he had left was his sense of smell, that and the fact that he knew Lynn and Bill’s touch thus he knew they were there with him; his human parents. Seventeen years of wonderful life, being loved, loving, being spoiled rotten and spoiling back, over peacefully Saturday afternoon. We discussed his situation the day I went by. Euthanasia seemed to be in the very near future but Francis chose to go the way he wanted and when he wanted, not leaving that horrible decision up to those he loved. Francis will always be remembered by his friendly greetings, never ending curiosity, his capacity to love and his Texas bandanas. All that knew him will miss him; his human parents most of all.
Another September 11th has come and gone. There is nothing to say here that has not already been said. There were a few remembrances in the area. Firefighters saluted fallen brothers; relatives mourned again. Someone placed flowers at the base of the flagpole at North Augusta Public Safety and that flag was flown at half-mast. A rehash of events permeated the television, blame strewn across all areas of government and three presidential administrations. Suffice it to say we were all at fault. We were too complacent and I dare say too full of ourselves to think it would ever happen here or that some nations would tire of our interference. Now we know better; now we must be more vigilant.
Today it dawned on me how we take people for granted, especially those that serve us everyday. Take my mail carrier for instance. He is here everyday, a smile on his face, a job well done. He spoils us and as a result, on his days off we are incensed that our mail arrives anywhere from noon to 4:30 P.M. because he always is here by 11:30 a.m. We leave him cookies in the mailbox at Christmas; who knows if he actually eats them, I probably wouldn’t not knowing if the house they came from was clean, but even though he is paid well, cookies are little compensation for a job so well done. Then there is the city employee who rides around every month in the golf cart reading our meters. One hundred degree weather and he is still out there doing his job while we are cocooned in our air-conditioned spaces. Or those really nice folks that show up almost every Monday in my neighborhood to haul off limbs, cast off materials, recycle and trash. They never fail to smile or wave when they see you. And what about the person that sweeps the streets or the people that make sure our water pipes are working or keep our parks and roadsides so lovely? What about all those unsung heroes out there that make our everyday lives function like a well-oiled machine? Well this Lil Old Sad Lady says thanks guys for doing such great job; I appreciate every one of you.
Note: the Lil Old Sad Lady is an inside joke of sorts. One reader of my column wrote to the editor to say the picture accompanying my column made me look like a sad old lady. She responded by taking another photo of me for the column; I made a joke.

Fire Departments and Politics

Politics are strange especially when you find political influences in places that you never expected to find them. Take the Local Firefighter’s Union IAFF3357 of Richmond County as an example. The Union sponsored the political forums for the upcoming mayor’s race; that made me curious. Were they backing a certain political candidate or was it just something they did? The only way to find out was to ask; therefore, I contacted the local president Sgt. Charles Lynn Masters. Sgt. Masters was very forthcoming with his answers; however, I sensed political motivations on his part leaving me to believe that he may be obfuscating his answers. He told me the union is “heavy into politics”. The 300 men and women of Local IAFF3357 vote on which candidates they want to endorse and if they choose to endorse a certain candidate they will help in any way that they can, such as purchasing the political signs that are plastered all over the county. He also told me that in this mayor’s race they were not endorsing any particular candidate as the vote was near 50-50 on who to endorse therefore they chose to sponsor the forums. This is a good idea, he said, because it keeps the fire department in political view so that whoever wins will look favorably upon them. Sgt. Masters said that this union stood on values; truth and honesty which lead me to ask the obvious question; what about Ronnie Few? Sgt. Masters admitted that he thought Mr. Few had done a lot of good for the fire department but many members of the union did not feel that way hence no outwardly obvious support. In light of Mr. Few’s recent antics, I wonder if that opinion has changed.
Sgt. Masters and I then discussed the recent cut backs announced for the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department. He told me it was a ploy by the commission. He said that the citizens of the county would not stand for these cuts especially now, in view of the fact that the crime rate has risen so sharply in recent months. He said it is reverse psychology; make the citizens believe you are going to slash funds to public safety and they will not mind the cuts to the recreation department. He told me that the fire department is immune to budget cuts because they do not operate from the general fund, they operate from a countywide fire tax. One more obvious question arose here, one that I wished I had asked. If the department is immune to budget cuts then why all the political involvement?
We also spoke about the 49-pension plan but that is for another time and another story. Too late a piece of information came to me that I could not question him about before turning in this column. I wanted to ask him about his involvement with the now defunct Commissioner Brown and just how Mr. Brown had ended up living in his brother’s house, but that too will have to wait.
With the political involvement of Richmond County’s fire department so open, I then thought I should find out just how politically involved our own fire department may be. I spent some time with Capt. Billy Lucky asking many of the same questions I had asked Sgt. Masters with adverse results. South Carolina, as far as public safety is concerned, is a non-union state. They have what is called an “at will” approach. If one does something his boss does not approve of, one may be fired on the spot, no union to interfere. Capt. Lucky was quick to tell me this rarely occurred. They are not involved in politics there is no reason to be involved. He told me that the City Council treats them very well also the beginning salary is $39,000 and goes up every year, so they do not have to beg for money as their counterparts across the river do. Capt. Lucky said, “we stay as far away from politics as we can, politics are not our function; our function is the safety of North Augusta.” Our public safety people are full time fire, police and medical and can handle most situations until EMS arrives. A few of those brave souls came from a background in EMS therefore they are well equipped to handle emergency calls of a medical nature. What a difference a river makes.

A Sunday with Hazmat

Imagine a quiet Sunday morning with very little traffic and you’re on your way out of town. Your mind is on your trip when you look up to see a plethora of fire trucks and sheriff’s cars; all lights flashing. When you realize exactly which building they are surrounding your curiosity really kicks in; curiosity combined with a little fear. Well that is precisely what happened this past Sunday as I was on my way out of town to visit my mom. I couldn’t help myself I had to find out what was going on.
Having just turned down Walton Way headed for highway 25, I looked to my left to see all these fire trucks. Sheriff’s were cars blocking entrances and exits, Hazmat vehicles with personnel turned out in Hazmat suits walking towards the post office on the 9th street side in Augusta. They had surrounded the building. As much as my curiosity was peaked, I knew better than to approach or get in the way so I continued with my plans. However, upon my return I knew I had to find out what had happened at the main post office. I had to find out if it was a fire or a bomb or even suspicious material, therefore when I got home I started making phone calls. Thankfully, it turned out to be a training exercise in conjunction with Homeland Security. The scenario was that Anthrax had been detonated in the post office, consequently all proper authorities were notified and all proper emergency vehicles responded. Augusta’s fire stations 2, 3 & 4, Hazmat, Rescue 1, Health Department, DECON, an Aerial truck from the Reynolds Street station, FBI, Postal Police and Homeland Security were all on hand. These drills are designed not only to demonstrate what these emergency teams can do but what, if anything, they can learn. These drills also give the community a sense of what the Fire Department does as well as giving the community a sense of security.
The Fire Companies that arrive on the scene first, or first responders, are not dressed out as only the Hazmat Companies have the proper equipment to deal with certain scenarios. The first arrivals set up what they call zones. They cannot and do not go into the “hot zone” but if they do and are contaminated they cannot be taken to local hospitals for fear of contaminating the hospitals, patients or other civilians therefore they are expendable. The entrances and exits are blocked off, no one in or out unless in proper turn out gear. It was a relief to know nothing major had occurred. It was also comforting to know that even though they are across the river, they are well trained; just in case.
Then I made the decision to speak with someone here thinking our fire fighters may have also had this drill. They had not, but I did find out from Sgt. Eakins that we have nothing to worry about here. Our fire personnel train constantly, taking into account every conceivable scenario in order to protect us. In addition, I am quite sure, if by chance we needed help, those fine fire fighters across the river would lend a helping hand.
Sidebar: Did you know that now the American Red Cross requires a background check for anyone who wants to volunteer, is a current volunteer, is on the board, or is currently employed by them? This stemmed from fraud during the Katrina incident by some Red Cross workers. It is not a bad idea but they require you to do it on line thereby laying you open to the possibility of someone stealing your information such as your social security number.

Job Hunting

It has been sometime now since I was gainfully employed. A friend and I started our own specialty gift basket business but it flopped. For a while baking for friends kept money coming in but that too has tapered off. Therefore I have been doing the resume thing almost every day of the week. So much has changed. It used to be common practice among businesses to acknowledge the receipt of an application or resume or to send a short note letting you know the job had been filled by someone more qualified; but no more. It tends to make me a bit paranoid wondering if they got what I sent or just what is wrong with me that no one wants to give me a chance at a job. There are exceptions of course. The few times I have applied with the City of North Augusta, I have received very nice notes; no job interview but nice notes. Another thing businesses do now or the person who conducts the interview does, is tell you when a decision will be made and that someone will let the candidates know one way or the other. So you wait and hope and wait only to open the paper one morning to see the job advertised again.
When I was younger prospective employers were worried that a marriage may be in the future and with marriage it was a 98% probability that babies would follow, subsequently no one wanted to hire a young female. Now that I’m older, wiser, more responsible, more knowledgeable, have two degrees, very settled and I dare say smarter than the average bear, no one wants to take a chance. It makes one wonder just what they are looking for in view of the fact that on any given day one can enter a store where rudeness and just plain common courtesy seem to be a thing of the past. Today’s younger generation seem never to have learned simple phrases such as excuse me or thank you or may I help you. Instead they are so busy on cell phones they can’t take the time to wait on customers or get aggravated if you interrupt them during their personal calls or just tell you they don’t know the answer to your question leaving one to wonder why they hire people that know nothing about what they are doing. I’ve worked with the public, I know how hard it can be to be nice to some people but that doesn’t mean everyone is rude or condescending.
So a heads up to prospective employers; take a chance on someone who has experience with life, leave the young rude people alone until they learn some manners. And, what ever happened to dressing well for interviews or the work place? When did it become acceptable to have body piercing, tattoos, and wear Goth clothing to work? Am I so out of touch that the abnormal is now the normal? It used to be frowned upon to look like that in public especially in the workplace, unless, of course, you worked in a tattoo shop or were in a music group. I am truly baffled.
Remember Bob Monaco? I dropped by his place recently just to see what was on the floor for auction this week. His inventory has increased by leaps and bounds. I am constantly amazed at the items he finds. If you haven’t checked out his auction house you do not know what you are missing.
Now that summer is winding down I am going to get back out there looking for people to speak with, stories to tell you, and hopefully, more informative pieces to write. For now, however, the most exciting thing I can report is that the children in my neighborhood as in yours have started back to school. They seem happy to be going back. I know I’m happy they have gone back; the noise level is way down.
　

Drug Bust and Block Parties

At 7:00 a.m. Friday the 11th, my usually tranquil neighborhood erupted in flashing lights from the bars atop Public Safety patrol cars. Officers swarmed the domicile catty-cornered across from me. I watched, thinking someone had become ill or injured, thinking surely an ambulance was not far behind. No ambulance arrived leaving me to wonder just what was transpiring until I saw the dog; NADPS’s drug sniffing dog. Soon and to my surprise, I saw someone being led to a patrol car handcuffed behind the back. I am aware of the prevalence of drugs, but I was so disappointed that we had that in our neighborhood. Good riddance I say.
After Friday’s drug busts nostalgic thoughts began creeping into my head. Whether it was the realization of not being isolated from crime that caused the old time cravings I don‘t know, no matter the cause I began to wonder. Whatever happened to block parties, ice cream socials, cookie clubs and the like? Whatever happened to that neighborhood camaraderie that drew people together on Saturday afternoons for cookouts, sweet tea or mint juleps and good old fashioned gossip? Sure our lives are busier and more hectic but wouldn’t it be nice to sit down with your neighbors, share a few stories, break a little bread and just relax?
A block party would be a wonderful way to meet all those people you see buzzing down the street each day. Take a little time out to learn a bit more about them and they you. Not only would it be fun but the added advantage would be safety for your area. Think about it; you get to know your neighbors, they get to know you and somehow you begin to feel responsible for each other and each other’s property. Soon you’ll notice that everyone is keeping an eye out for everyone else; neighborhood watch at it’s best.
Ice cream socials were before my time however, I think they still have them in Charleston and I think they would be welcomed here. Think of these 100 degree days, then think of sitting on the veranda with a few friends and an ice cold bowl of old fashioned vanilla ice cream topped with your favorite toppings. Frilly diaphanous dresses, sunbonnets, parasols, and hand-held fans may be things of the past but the premise is the same; neighbors being neighborly.
In the 50’s and 60’s, when I was really, really young, my folks and our neighbors used to have these dinner party gatherings. Each invited guest brought a portion of a meal. The host and hostess either provided the entrée or the drinks or both and the neighbors brought side-dishes, salads and desserts. You never knew what you were going to get and sometimes it was really good. Then there were the parties where the grown-ups went from house to house for each part of the meal; drinks with appetizers at one, entrée at another and so on. What ever happened to those days?
I wonder, if we held a block party would anyone come? Is good food, music and a sociable atmosphere enough to draw people together these days? Would the neighborhood gather on someone’s porch or deck for an afternoon toddy or a bowl of ice cream? This fall, if it is permissible by the city, I plan on finding out. I’m inviting my neighbors to a block party.
Note: Unfortunately this never came to pass.

Neighborhood News and Public Safety

My next door neighbor is at it again. Sandy leads the most interesting life therefore I live mine vicariously through her. As previous articles have stated, Sandy is employed by WAGT NBC 26. WAGT, with Sandy’s help, is launching “A unique new Website that offers discounted gift certificates from quality local businesses.” Not only will this “produce guaranteed advertising results, local businesses will receive promotional exposure on two television stations (the Augusta CW).” As a consequence, we, the consumer, share in the benefits of affordable gifts certificates as well as the opportunity to browse local stores on line. This new Website, csrashopper.com, is planned for launch in September 2006 Here’s how it works: Businesses are categorized on the homepage of csrashopper.com and when a computer clicks on a local business it is directed to that local businesses ad page. This page contains as much or as little information as the business wants and provides consumers with location, links, hours, directions, contact info, etc., thereby giving us, the consumers, a chance to check out our local businesses from the comfort of our homes and, if we want we can purchase gift certificates on line. Thanks to Sandy and WAGT, Augusta is finally taking a step into the 21st Century.
During the week I get on line to read other newspaper stories in other newspapers; the AJC and Augusta Chronicle to name two. The past two weeks stories in the Chronicle have been depressing to say the least. Armed robberies, break-ins, assaults, murders, drive-by shootings, attempted and consummated rapes and child molestations have permeated the news. I’d expect this in the AJC but not here. Not here where just a few short years ago citizens were assured Augusta had no gang problems. Can you say Ostrich? After reading about all the mayhem across the river, I am so thankful that I live here in North Augusta. Yes, we have had a murder this year, highly unusual, but proximity to all the crime on the other side leaves one knowing some of it is bound to wade across the river. Our Department of Public Safety does something that they do not do over there; they are proactive whereas Richmond County is reactive. Their sheriff blames reduction in law enforcement personnel and lack of money to hire and train new deputies which is true to a point. However, the sheriff’s department has always been reactive and not proactive and Richmond County tends to cut funds to police and fire when the budget is low which seems to be a constant state of affairs for them. North Augusta not only pays our Public Safety Officers well; they treat them with respect. North Augusta Public Safety, as with all South Carolina Public Safety Law Enforcement, are trained in law enforcement as well as fire. Can you imagine what chaos would follow if Richmond County tried that?
Other articles that get my back up include the constant bickering among the commissioners, the lack of anyone being able to make a rational decision for the good of the community instead of the good of themselves and the length of time it takes to discuss the simplest thing on the agenda because so many of them love the sound of their own voices. They also think the more they talk the more their constituents will believe they actually are serving their needs. I know North Augusta is not as large as Richmond County but the basics are the same. Our fine group of government officials seem to be able to get to the actual business of government when they convene. We are so lucky to have a group of people who actually represent us, who actually have our best interest at heart and the best interest of our city. I love North Augusta. I wish our neighbors could be as lucky as we are.
A great deal has changed since this column was written. Our Public Safety Chief has moved on to greener pastures and one of the good old boys has taken his place thereby negating most of the progress made in that department. They are no longer aware of how they look or how they act when on patrol and the proactive stance has become a thing of the past. Our former Chief took pride in his appearance and expected his officers to do the same. Our new Chief, since retired, was as round as he was tall and practiced his swagger more than his job and his lack of caring showed in our officers. Gone were the days of driving through at risk neighborhoods to commune with the residents. Gone were the days of passing out “cop cards” to the children or making an effort to gain their trust. The department has become lazy reflecting its leader. He was forced upon them with threats of losing their jobs by the Mayor if they did not get on board with his appointment and the resentment showed. It took a while but the new Chief’s true colors finally surfaced and it was suggested he retire. I think he thought that he had enough information on people to secure his position forever and that he could act and do as he pleased; it finally became too much. We now have another new Chief who seems pleasant enough but I have yet to hear of any new programs he has created or raves from his officers; we shall see.

Ingredients, letters and crime

Unfortunately or fortunately, all was relatively quiet in my area after the weekend of celebrations around the area. I have new neighbors that put on their own display of fireworks on the 4th; they were quite nice. Sandy, next door, rested after her exhausting stint with Riverblast and the rest of my neighbors went back to business as usual.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Bill Adams for his letter to the editor commenting on my column ranting about the lack of specialty stores and cooking ingredients in the area. It would be a dream come true if I could open a specialty food shop as he suggested; lack of funds stops me from doing just that. At his suggestion, I intend to look into the co-op with other foodies, chefs and restaurant owners in the area. Mr. Adams is correct in that the “Augusta Market” has pastries, produce and other things of interest but as he pointed out most of the produce is imported from other states, not locally grown and it‘s the same old same old. He also may not be aware that it is against the law for a person to prepare foods in their home kitchens to sell or cater to the public. If it were not, I would already be doing that. The internet is a wonderful tool to find the ingredients I seek, however, the point is that in a metropolitan area the size of Augusta-Richmond County, one should not have to. One should not have to buy seafood from Peru or tomatoes from Israel when we live so close to Savannah and the coast of South Carolina and our area is inundated with local growers that produce wonderful tomatoes, cucumbers, corn and the like. I really do appreciate the feedback Mr. Adams took the time to give yet I believe the point of what I wrote was missed.
How many of us remember trips to the doctor when a specific time for your appointment meant you were seen at that time? Or when a physician took the time to actually speak to you as if you were human? In this day and age of mass production, greed and medical personnel that are either over-worked or just don’t care; it is disheartening when one realizes they are just a number or a means to an end. Today’s technology should mean faster results when medical test are required and in truth, the labs to have a fast turn around. However, some medical practices are either too busy or just don’t care enough to inform the patient of those results. What about physicians who change medication or dosage on a whim then can’t remember what they told a patient because they failed to write it in the chart? What about physicians who will not return phone calls when a home nurse deems a situation an emergency or is too busy to take the time to see a patient in this situation and makes the suggestion to go to the emergency room instead?
The days of house calls are gone but the days of caring should not be. Instead of worrying about people in third world countries or lining their pockets or over-booking appointments, physicians should remember the reasons they became physicians in the first place; for the betterment of mankind. There is an oath for a reason; it would behoove some physicians to remember that.
Lastly, crime has come to my neighborhood. Saturday afternoon in the broad open daylight, a male person walking through our peaceful area, helped himself to a young man’s bicycle that was sitting on his porch. Public Safety responded quickly and there were two witnesses but who knows how far he got from the scene of the crime? It saddens me especially when I think this may be just the beginning. I guess with our city’s expansion crime will also increase. We just need to keep our eyes open and phones at the ready to protect our neighborhoods.

The 4th of July

The 4th of July. Independence Day and my neighbor, Sandy Rushton is smack dab in the middle of it all. Sandy works for WAGT NBC 26. She is the events coordinator for the station and for six months, with the help of Yolanda Marshall, Riverwalk Special Events, Peggy Maddox, who is in charge of the stage schedules and the sales department at WAGT they have pulled off a spectacular 4th of July show.
The sales department spent all day Monday July 3 putting up all the signs, banners, and helping get all the vendors in place. This year, the fourth year WAGT and Sandy have done this event, there were approximately 110 vendors. Food and Craft vendors, free rides for the kids set up in two locations, four stages for entertainment; the Fort Gordon Signal Corp band along with Jazz, R & B, Rock and the Master’s City Cloggers. Displays needing the sales department’s direction included the Jelly Bean VW, the Rollover simulator from the Georgia Department of Highway Safety, Savannah River Ecology Lab, Savannah River Archeology Research group, the Augusta Southern Nationals boat display, a car and bike show and much, much more. Along with misting tents, MCG Safe vans, I. D. kits for kids, pony rides, MacDonald’s handing out free hand fans, a moonwalk and shuttle vans to move people to and fro, Sandy and her group worked tirelessly to coordinate it all. WAGT’s Production Department as well as the news crews had their hands in all of this too. The six o’clock news broadcast from the site and the production crew worked extremely hard to pull all this off without a hitch.
This year’s sponsors included MCG, KFC, Publix, Windsor Jewelers, Clear Channel and the City of Augusta. MCG was responsible for the main event, the breathtaking fireworks display put on by Melrose Pyrotechnics with Augusta’s own Craig Butler the fireworks technician. MCG was displayed in an enormous fireworks logo as a thank you for their sponsorship.
However, it wasn’t just WAGT and Augusta who lent a hand. Our own Sgt. Tim Pearson met with Sandy on numerous occasions to coordinate our side of this undertaking. From escorting the truck load of fireworks to closing off 5th Street bridge to reducing the 13th Street bridge to one lane traffic to overseeing and coordinating our Public Safety Officers in an effort to maintain a smooth safe event, Sgt. Pearson and North Augusta Public Safety did a wonderful job especially considering last year’s crowd on our side were estimated at thirty thousand.
Richmond County had approximately 46 officers on the ground at the event plus patrolling carts and cars. Augusta Fire Department’s Chief Willis and the firepersons working with him, ensured all was safe and within code. Volunteers from Fort Gordon, the Shriners, the Augusta Links and individuals such as Marlon Carpenter were also on hand to make this 4th of July celebration a smooth and memorable event.
Sandy is a self-proclaimed organizer who thrives in situations like these. We spoke at length about all the preparations, all the phone calls, meetings and cooperation she needed and received to make this all happen for us. She joked about having a cell phone in one ear and a walkie-talkie in the other on event day. We spoke of the lack of sponsors on our side of the river and hope that our side will change that next year given that we also enjoy the show and we claim part ownership of Savannah River and the 4th of July is everyone’s Independence Day. After our discussion, I came away in awe of the enormity of what my neighbor had pulled off and very pleased that she is my neighbor thereby enriching our neighborhood.

Changes call for Pride

Reading the Star for the week of June 15th filled me with a sense of pride for the city I chose to be my home. Reflecting on the reasons I picked North Augusta, it is no wonder we were in the running for such a prestigious award. My original home was a small town but nothing like North Augusta. It took me a while to get used to the friendliness of its citizens without questioning motives but I soon realized this was all genuine.
It all started with North Augusta Department of Public Safety when I chose to do my college internship with them. Never have I met such a great group of people. Then Chief William Heim was an integral part in my choice as he taught a class at Augusta State where I was enrolled. However, I never expected the welcome I received from everyone else in the department. The present Chief, Lee Wetherington has continued that tradition. Some of the people in the department have remained good friends although it has been close to ten years since my stint with them. Linda Pitcher, head dispatcher, is one of those, as is Judy Dooley, the chief’s right hand person and Ronnie Delaughter and Claude Edwards and many more. D. P. Smith, who has since taken a position as Chief in Burnettown, was my ride-along partner. He was and is a dedicated police person and made my internship enjoyable. There are so many great people down there that there is just not room to name them all but for them and the wonderful people they introduced me to, the choice to move here was easy.
Now I take such pride in my city that I generally notice all the improvements going on in my neighborhood. At the corner of Lake and Forest, I have observed those folks working to give their yard more curb appeal. Through hard work they have landscaped and built and produce a lovely yard. Iris, Daylilies, Whirling Butterflies, new shrubs, and Azaleas fill manicured beds and a new huge workshop was added to the backyard. Further up the street at the corner of Lake and Woodlawn, another metamorphosis has taken place. New pergola, new lawn, new plants, new retaining wall and a new patio have turned what I thought was a lovely yard to begin with into an even more lovely yard. It seems more homeowners are paying more attention to curb appeal in my area.
Old run down houses are being refurbished on West Avenue improving the eye appeal of that area. The entrances to our city have gone from eyesore to beautiful; so much so that some folks across the river have told me how much of a pleasure it is to drive into North Augusta each day. The grounds crew and landscapers surprise me every year with their choice of plant combinations and the meticulous grooming of the beds. The only “eye-sore” that has been mentioned is the new construction off the 13th Street Bridge, but hopefully when that is completed it won’t appear so out of place.
Off Alta Vista where the new bike and walking path overpass was constructed, new homes are being built. Large new homes, multi-storied new homes being constructed with such attention to detail one wonders what they will eventually cost prospective home owners. I’m sure the landscaping will be beautiful once finished but again one wonders why all the trees were clear cut especially in this time of rising heating and cooling cost.
The old Winn Dixie store a few blocks up the hill from me is now a Fred’s Discount Store. Down Martintown Road the old Sizzlin building is being worked on as well. I was told it was Monterey’s new building; they have out grown the one they have. It pleases me no end to see emptied buildings being put to good use.
We are growing and as we are growing my neighbors are taking more pride in their yards, the city is taking more pride in its appearance and everyone’s neighborhood benefits.

Kitchen and Food Envy

I’m a Food Network Junkie. Rarely do I miss Emeril Live or Giada’s Everyday Italian or Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa or grilling with Bobby Flay. If I can’t be home to watch them the recorder is set so not a minute is missed. I have CD’s packed with recipes, books filled with printouts of other recipes and they all go to good use. Every Christmas hours are spent in my kitchen preparing truffles, cookies, pies, cakes, and savory delights by the dozens which are packed in boxes and delivered to North Augusta Public Safety. Every night a new dish is prepared in my kitchen. But on occasion a recipe calls for something that no matter how many stores I visit I just can not find. Frustration and anger abound to think that I am going to have to go on line and order this one thing to make a dish complete. Frustration because it can’t be found in our area and anger because we live across the river from the second largest metropolitan area in the state of Georgia and there are no specialty shops for Italian items or good Mexican shops to find chilies or a decent store to buy kitchen utensils that are not the norm. One year at Christmas I had to drive from North Augusta to Fresh Market on Washington Road to buy one can of Almond Paste; that is frustrating. Our area has no real seafood market and only one market to get custom cut beef and pork but it is so far away it is hardly worth the trip and besides, you have to take out a loan just to afford great meat. The Mexican “markets” around the area have some minor things; I guess they cater to the Tex-Mex style of Mexican cuisine not the authentic and besides they pretend they can’t understand you and it’s for sure I can’t understand them even though I suspect they speak perfect English when we leave.
I rarely envy anyone anything that they have but I have to tell you I envy Atlanta with their multi-cultural food shops, their cutting edge kitchen stores, their fabulous Farmer’s Market where one can find almost any food item they have ever seen or imagined and locally grown produce. Our neighboring Farmer’s Markets are a joke. If the one down at the fairgrounds is still in operation most of the produce is shipped in from other states and that one on Augusta’s Square should call itself a boutique market not a Farmer’s Market. I also envy fabulous kitchens with four ovens and six burners that maintain temperatures and don’t have to think before they heat up and actually simmer when on simmer and not boil. I envy farmer’s sinks and Sub-Zero and Wolf and granite or marble counter tops for pastries, and great expanses of work space and water that gets hot in seconds not minutes and floors that are level and don’t squeak when you walk from sink to stove and storage for pots and pans instead of in the garage where every time you need to use them they have to be washed first. I envy Flor who makes fabulous coverings for kitchen floors and cabinets that can hold more than four items. Yes, I admit it, I have kitchen and food envy.
I want to be able to walk into a store and find baby artichokes or miniature cauliflower without having to drive twenty-five minutes there and back if there is somewhere around here that has them. I’d love to be able to find Mascarpone cheese in more than one size or other specialty cheeses that you don’t have to save up for four weeks to buy or a vegetable aisle with more that six choices of the standard fare or rice for Risotto that doesn’t take half a pay check or more than one kind of cornmeal or real grits. Or a better choice in breads; not just French or Cuban loaves, how about Italian Ciabatta bread or Foccacia or flat bread or brioche?
If I was living in NYC I’d expect to pay $19.00 or up to $25.00 for a lobster; the cost of living is higher there, but here, 100 miles from the coast, never. And why do we import Peruvian shrimp when we live so close to Florida and Savannah or the islands? Sea Bass has risen to around $21.00 a pound and there is nothing better than sea bass wrapped in proscuitto, sautéed in butter on both sides then finished in the oven. It wasn’t that long ago that proscuitto and pancetta were foreign words around here.
South Carolina and Georgia both have truck farms yet we import tomatoes from Isreal, corn from Mexico, and grits, a Southern staple, from the Northern states. As far as this area is concerned there is only one type of grits; instant. No stone ground original grits anywhere that I’ve been able to find. Two types of cornmeal, instant and medium ground, hard to do polenta with those. Masa flour? Until the influx of immigrants it was no where to be found.
Yes, I have kitchen and food envy. My mouth waters at the sight of Bobby grilling 2 inch prime porterhouses or Giada using those huge blocks of parmesean cheese, or Emeril being able to go down to Chelsea Market and find everything he wants or Ina whipping up her chocolate, white chocolate chunk cookies from huge blocks of chocolate and yes, at times even Paula Deen because she has access to that fabulous kitchen store in Savannah. If I had the means I’d open a shop for specialty foods, cheeses, wines, meats and veggies right in my neighborhood and if I could and did, I bet your neighborhood would be happy about it.
　

Francis

Events are in short supply this week. My neighbors across the street are moving. I’m not unhappy to see them go what with the yapping dog that never saw a leash and loved to make the trip across the street to relieve himself in my flowerbeds, to the little girl who never shut her mouth, I feel like throwing them a goodbye party.
The 1.5 inches of rain was a welcomed sight. I really thought I could hear my Hydrangeas and Peonies sighing in relief and seriously, I thought I heard my grass squeaking with pleasure as the water soaked into the ground.
Sandy Rushton lives next door to me. Her son was in town for a two week visit and I know she was very pleased to have him here but sad to see him leave.
Last week I mentioned my friend Lynn Reese who is Volunteer Coordinator for the Augusta Chapter of the American Red Cross. She and Bill, her husband, who is a professor at Augusta State, have a dog named Francis. Francis is seventeen years old and for most of those seventeen years he has worn a Texas State flag bandana around his neck. As you may have surmised, Lynn and Bill are from Texas. Francis is the friendliest, sweetest dog anyone could ever hope to meet. For most of his years he has also been the most energetic, however, the past months have brought troubles to Francis. His age is creeping up on him; his eyes are going; he doesn’t hear as well as he once did; he has trouble with his back legs and his kidneys are failing, yet he never gives up.
This past Monday Lynn and Bill had to go out of town to a funeral. Francis had been declining over the weekend so I volunteered to go over a few times that day to check on him. Upon my arrival the first time, I found him huddled on the bathroom floor shivering and barely acknowledging my presence. I sat with him a while; I talked, he huffed and shivered. My second visit found him exactly where I left him. Still shivering, cooler to the touch but still acknowledged my arrival. I felt sure he would die before they got home and I told him that he could not die before his mother got back. Don’t laugh; they are our children in our hearts. Lynn called me upon their return to tell me he was right where I had left him and she was really worried that this was it. The next morning it was identical to the previous day as it was when she came home at lunch to check on him. All afternoon she agonized over the decision that seemed inevitable. At the end of the day she arrived home expecting the worse or expecting to have to make that call to the vet but when she opened the door there was Francis, running around then rolling on his back, kicking his legs, smiling the whole time as if to say, “I’ve beat it again”. Needless to say, they are both thrilled as am I. Needless to say that one day he won’t beat it and needless to say he has been a great friend, child, companion, dog, buddy for seventeen years and when the time comes it is going to be really, really sad.
　
Note: Francis died two weeks after this column was written. Lynn was devastated for about three days then she got a new dog. I do not undersand this at all.　

The Snow Event

When it snows in the South or even if there is only the possibility of snow or ice, residents flock to the grocery stores. I laugh when they do this since they are purchasing canned soups and other items that must be heated and I wonder how they intend to do this is the power goes out.

It began snowing today around 4 P.M. Now it is about 8:30 and we have nearly 4 inches. Already transformers are blowing up around town which I assume is due to limbs falling from the weight of the snow onto the power lines. I've lived in the area most all of my life and snow is a really big deal. I have no idea how people in cities that get it regularly react to the possibility of snow or if they just take it in stride but here, well every thing just tends to shut down and planned events are cancelled. Our world becomes quiet, still and muffled.

My cats are tucked in the garage wondering what in the world that white stuff is out there in the yard and I imagine they would like to be inside the house but that isn't going to happen. I must remember to close the door before I have another Opossum wander in as I did the other night. He gave me quite a scare when he tried to come in the house but we soon came to an understanding and he went on his way without much fussing.

I hope the snow last through the night. I'd love to get pictures of the area especially our two beautiful 1800 homes.

Snow in the South

Hot Southern Nights

Since the Memorial Holiday weekend was approaching and I had no other plans, I decided to venture across the river. I volunteer at the American Red Cross over there so I made the trip to the Civic Center to put in some volunteer time at Hot Southern Nights. I do this mainly because the Volunteer Coordinator, Lynn Reese, is my friend and because volunteering is a good thing.
This year’s headliners were Josh Turner and Pat Green. Previous years brought the likes of Travis Tritt.
According to Amanda Bennett the planning for this event began six months ago with the help of approximately 20 Volunteers, eleven staff members and a wonderful committee (which is made up of 14 members). The money raised is used to benefit the American
Red Cross of Augusta programs and services that are provided to the community such as responding to house fires, training the community in disaster response and preparedness, sending emergency messages to our armed forces overseas, CPR, first aid and lifeguard training.
The concert was decidedly different this year. Usually it is held at Lake Olmsted Stadium however, the general manager did not want it there this year because they had spent so much money on the new field, he did not want it messed up by this worthy charitable organization; hence the Civic Center. From the get go I could tell the atmosphere was entirely different. When Hot Southern Nights is held outside, there is electricity in the air, noise abounds from laughing groups and the ambiance is relaxed and casual. This year, however, it was subdued, dark, stuffy and way, way too loud. Many of the tasks that the volunteers usually handle were taken over by civic center employees. As usual, Richmond County Sheriff’s Department provided deputies to watch out for obstreperous, over-zealous fans that may have had one too many and get a little out-of-hand plus the civic center provided their own security personnel as well. Most of them looked like halfway house ex-cons but they were there none-the-less. The turn out was not what was expected due in part to the change of location; due in part because this year it was held on a week night when most people had to get up the next day for work leaving imbibing to a minimum along with the crazy antics. VIP tickets are sold to corporations. They get the plum seating next to the stage with free food, free drinks, nice tables and they are up close and personal with the performers. This year, however, the VIP tables were on the Civic Center floor in almost total darkness with speakers blasting out any hope of conversation.
Maybe the change in venue was the cause for the change is attire as well. You’ve heard that old saying just because it is in style doesn’t mean you should wear it. Some folks should have taken heed at that saying and left those baby-doll tops at home. Usually folks are casually dressed, some in western attire, some in shorts, some in just casual slacks and shirts. This year, maybe due to the change in venue, some broke out the formal wear; the diamonds and the heels. But all in all it was a good event for a worthy cause and the lack of communication between staff members was more than made up for by Lynn and her volunteers. Maybe next year they can take it back outside on a weekend night and put the fun back in.
Closer to home, the folks on the corner across from me had a two day party with dancing girls, karaoke, a D.J. of sorts and lots and lots of loud music. I thought the James Brown Festival had come across the River.
Up the street was another more family oriented party with one of those blow up bouncy things for kids, picnic tables and good smelling food emanating from their grill. You’d have never known they were there if you hadn’t seen all the preparations going on. My side of the street was quiet and I dare say most of the rest of the neighborhood was either out of town or just relaxing on the rare day off.
A Post Script to last week’s animal adventure. My furry friends have gone. I found the possums dead in the woods and I fear the raccoons met the same fate. I suspect someone left a little poison out for them to keep them out of the chicken coop. It makes me sad.

Progress and its consequences

Progress is a foregone conclusion, unless you live where I came from. Where most of the people don’t want anything to change, almost to the point of the town dying to maintain the status quo. It’s a place where small-minded people can maintain their little power-bases in order to make themselves feel important.
Thank goodness North Augusta sees the future and goes for it. Thank goodness they are willing to change inch by inch to insure our town does not wither and die. However, for every progression there is a regression. For every bulldozed tree, new paved road, or expensive new neighborhood, there is someone or something that pays the price. For every change that comes to my neighborhood or yours, that old sociological phenomenon, NIMBY, (not in my back yard), kicks in. Not everyone will express it publicly. Most will gripe about it among their friends and neighbors, but its there, lurking in the background. This NIMBY mentality usually occurs when a new prison is being considered or a half-way house is being discussed. Those living in the immediate area want no part of that type of progress no matter that it may mean new jobs or an increase in value for their neighborhood or help some down-trodden soul. Our progress, The River Project, is different; however, I am sure there are those that have been experiencing the NIMBY phenomenon just the same.
I admit to a little of it because it is effecting my neighborhood and more personally, my backyard. With the destruction of the natural habitat of certain animals they have no where left to go so they move inland into established neighborhoods seeking shelter and food.
The last few weeks when I’d make my morning rounds checking on my plants or the progress of my garden, I’d notice a pot turned over here or a plant dug up there, but I attributed that to my playful cats. Then the flowering plants atop my nine and ten foot columns were dug up and I knew that could not be my cats. Making the rounds in the vegetable garden brought new discoveries; sweet peas nibbled, the tips of hazelnut trees bitten neatly off, and holes in the radish bed that I at first thought were cat diggings but turned out to be deer tracks. Further inspection found snippets of hydrangeas, just the oak leafs, missing. Corn stalks were pushed over as well. That problem was easily solved with Liquid Fence and if I were a deer I wouldn’t come near it either because it smells so bad it made me want to gag. The other problem, the digging, was a different story. Through diligent watching for a few nights I discovered the culprits that had been wreaking havoc in my backyard; a little family of banditos; mommy, daddy and baby raccoon. My yard and the yards of my neighbors have been invaded by wildlife that I assume came here because they were evicted from their homes.
I did the responsible thing. I called the Department of Natural Resources to ask their advice or to see if they would come trap my little family of masked marauders then release them somewhere more to their liking and mine. Not going to happen I was told. If DNR or Animal Control catches them they die. I was also advised not to feed them, not to go near them and definitely not to make pets out of them. But tell me, what is a soft-hearted animal lover to do? I can not in good conscious have them trapped and killed. This is not their fault it is the fault of progress. Am I to ignore the destruction those chattering critters do or do I leave a few bananas or a slice or two of apple out at night hoping we can co-habit without either of us suffering the consequences? My neighbors are finding evidence of my little nightly prowlers and I fear it is just a matter of time before one of them makes that phone call that I dread. Maybe before making that call someone will do the neighborly thing and figure out how to humanely move them to someplace more to their liking. I will miss them if they leave; all of them; my adorable raccoons, the graceful deer and even the horrid looking opossum that makes its nocturnal wanderings through my neighborhood. I also wonder what new species will show up next; perhaps a river cat or some other creature looking for a place to co-exist. One thing for sure, at least from my point of view, I’m looking forward to more unique critters to wander into my neighborhood.

Bob Monaco

It’s difficult for me to remember when I first met Bob Monaco. I know that it has been within the last five years but now I feel as if I’ve known him forever. He owned and ran an indoor Flea Market at the time and I had tons of stuff to dispose of. At that time he was purchasing yard sale items and buying up estates for his flea market. He still buys estates, but now he uses them in his new business. He’s one of those people that you like right off the bat; funny, frenetic, honest. Therefore, since I have decided all of Aiken County is now my neighborhood, this week’s story is about Bob.

The Monaco name has been a landmark of sorts in North Augusta for 90 years. Bob opened Monaco‘s Tropical Fish and Accessories over 30 years ago, naming his business after his grandfather Phillip Monaco. Five years ago Bob started the Flea Market business behind his tropical fish place at 727 E. Buena Vista Ave. It was the one and only indoor Flea Market around until the other one opened in the old K-Mart building. They have since gone, Bob is still here, but in 2004 he changed the nature of his business from tropical fish and flea market to auction house. He told me that back in the 70’s and 80’s there was an auction house in North Augusta but that has since closed, leaving Monaco’s Auction the one and only auction house in North Augusta.
Bob’s place auctions off “Almost all old stuff” from antique toys to pottery, glassware, railroad lanterns and other railroad memorabilia, old books, 78 LP’s, sometimes great pieces of antique furniture such as a Mahogany Barrister‘s bookcase that is now back on the market, boy scout memorabilia, war medals, dishes, you name it Bob probably has it and if he doesn’t he can probably find it. He likes to say what he does is all about fun and the fear of buying something you didn’t mean to by scratching your nose or swatting a bug just doesn’t happen in his place and if you buy something then realize you bought the wrong thing that’s ok too; he’ll fix it.
Bob Monaco’s Auction House has been an integral part of making my yard beautiful, thus improving my neighborhood. I’m an avid gardener but I just don’t go for the run-of-the-mill, buy at any nursery or garden center, yard art. Bob has supplied me with huge porch columns, picket fence panels, a small church pew, various wooden chairs, antique wagons, old metal containers and the latest thing for my secret place, an old glider with cushions. He knows my taste, he finds me things that may be just a little weird to other people, but when he sees them he thinks of me and I like that personal touch when dealing with businesses. I asked him the other day what is the strangest thing you have auctioned off and he told me he thought it had to be the two-hole seat for an outhouse and when he saw it he couldn’t pass it up. I thought it would have made a nice picture frame for not too popular members of the family but I don’t know what the people that bought did with it; neither did he.
So if you think you may like to visit the place that makes my immediate neighborhood attractive and the place I have adopted as part of my neighborhood, Bob holds his auctions every Friday night starting at 7:00 P.M. and for an even better find, try going on Tuesdays when he auctions what’s left over from Fridays or what didn’t make the cut. Bob will make you feel right at home and who knows, you might find something to improve your neighborhood too.
A while after writing this column Bob retired. He can't get the flea market out of his blood it seems because he still turns up at yard sales and trash heaps. He still has that eye for what people will purchase.

And so it began

My neighborhood is typical of most newer neighborhoods and I sometimes wonder why we call them neighborhoods when these days knowing your neighbors is pretty much a thing of the past. When I first bought my house I had two wonderful neighbors in the houses next door but they moved as people tend to do these days. The folks who moved into the house next door were on the go a lot and my attempts at being neighborly pretty much went unnoticed. Apartments make up the main housing in my area; therefore, people come and go without much ceremony especially when they leave in the dark of night. One of my apartment neighbors is Patricia; she has been in her place for a long, long time. We share a love of books plus we’re the unofficial neighborhood watch. Not much gets by us on any given day or night. Patricia is the only neighborly person that I know in my neighborhood. However, a recent event taught me that your neighborly neighbors don’t have to live in close proximity to be there when needed or to be a part of your neighborhood.

As I mentioned before my mother came to live with me shortly after I bought my place. She was ill, my brother lives states away, so the load fell totally on my two shoulders; not that I minded; not much. Fast forward five years to October 30, 2005. I woke up, got my coffee, looked in on my mother and realized right away that she’d had a stroke. Of course I called 911. Public Safety in the form of Claude Edwards and his rookie partner were the first to arrive. They could not have been more helpful or nicer. The EMT’s got here fast did their thing and took my mother away and wouldn’t you know it being the night before Halloween some enterprising young trickster had given me a couple of flat tires which Claude and his partner handled with ease. They were not just being North Augusta Public Safety Officers; they were being caring, helpful human beings; neighbors.

By now you’re probably scratching your heads and wondering what has any of this got to do with neighborhoods? On that day, October 30, 2005, my neighborhood expanded beyond my wildest expectations or even beyond anything I ever wanted. North Augusta and Aiken County became my neighborhood along with lots and lots of new neighbors. My mother went to NHC for rehabilitation; they became my helpful neighbors. In February of 2006 when she came home she brought Regina Harrell, Amy Hane, Dana Hudson, Emily Hatcher, Beverly Miller, La Toya Brown, as well as a host of others. Regina is the C. N. A. who helps my mother with her shower; funny, sweet, all in all a wonderful person. Amy was her social worker; a gem if there ever was one. Beverly is the Physical Therapist who continues to push my mother to regain her former mobility; she also is a wonderful addition to the crew. Dana is the P. T. Supervisor that visits on a bi-weekly basis to assess but she is also a truly genuine person. I’m sure most of you know Emily, I didn’t but now that I do, I wish I’d known her before all this. She is La Toya’s Supervisor. La Toya is the newest of my new neighbors but just as welcome as the rest and just a peach of a person. Sure, these people get paid to come here. They get paid to do what they do, but they don’t get paid to be so nice or so caring; that comes from the heart. All of these good people work for NHC Homecare but all of NHC Homecare are not good people. It was a little stubbornness on my part plus the luck of the draw that brought all of these wonderful new neighbors into my neighborhood and this is my way of saying thanks and welcome to the neighborhood.

A few short weeks after I wrote this column I was singing a different tune. All those people, as nice as they were, were beginning to drive me crazy. Being invaded every single day by some relative stranger and messing up my routine was, to say the least, putting me in a foul mood. I began to resent them and my mother although she could not help what happened to her. However you grin and bear it and pray for it to end as soon as possible.

Neighborhood coffee and observations

There is a lovely little neighborhood coffee shop two blocks from my house. Watching Louise with her customers got my brain churning about customer service. Since my visit to the coffee shop, I have had occasion to go to other established businesses in our fair city and I could not help but notice the difference in the friendliness and the service or lack thereof so I began to wonder what ever happened to customer service?
It hasn’t been that long ago that customer service was at the top of everyone’s list. If employees weren’t nice or argued with a customer, they were fired. Not so long ago employees would never be rude or talk to their friends on a cell phone or a landline, while trying to ring up a purchase or wait on a customer. As I was pondering this a trend emerged in my mind. Locally owned and operated places are high on service as well as being friendly, welcoming and give one a sense of “boy am I glad I came in here.” Take for instance a store of sorts that used to be in my neighborhood but due to progress was forced to move a little farther away; Glenn’s Package Shop. No matter how many or how few times you go in you are always greeted with a smile. You can sit and stay a spell or get what you came for and leave but the service never waivers. It’s the same with our local government offices. In my experience, it is always a pleasure to do business with them and Public Safety is also high on customer service. The local feed and seeds, the nurseries, especially Nurseries Caroliniana because of Peggy who knows everything there is to know about plants, Country Boy Feed and Seed’s folks make you feel right at home, the people at Park’s Pharmacy couldn’t be nicer and countless other places that I just don’t have room to mention.
Then you have our newest discount superstore. Try finding someone who works there if you have a question or can’t find something and if you are lucky enough to spot someone either they are rude or see you coming and go the other way. You can holler ‘til your throat hurts and they ignore you with few exceptions and most times checking out is a real ordeal. If the cashiers are not gossiping with each other or with the customers then they act as if they wish they were anywhere but where they are. An exception to the rule is right across the street at Lowes. Friendly, helpful, always around and never, never treat you as if you were stupid for asking a question. Of the two downtown grocery stores we have left, Publix is by far the most service oriented. The guys in the meat and seafood department are wonderful, the deli staff is amazing and checkout is always a pleasure. Next door the only bright spot in Kroger is the “vegetable man” who never fails to greet you and is very, very helpful. Which leads me to the question are all the nice people in the chain stores locals? Even though I don’t know for sure, I’m guessing they must be and I’m guessing some of them live in your neighborhood or mine.

Testing the waters...

The following was a test column of sorts. I wanted to see just how far my editor would let me go without editing. To her credit she let it run the way you will read it now.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if during the course of your employment when you did not measure up to the expectations of your employers or there were questions about the legality of your actions, it took an act of congress to remove you from your position? Instead of being fired for lack of job performance or questionable activities, wouldn’t it be nice if you received a generous severance package of say $97,000, and were kept on to consult in order to make your 40 and draw full retirement? Maybe they would need to keep you as a consultant in order to hone their illegal skills. Maybe by studying you they could avoid the same pitfalls. Maybe they could just fire you because you didn’t do the job and you were suspected of stealing. What a novel idea. Our neighbors across the river thought this was be best solution when terminating their Fire Chief; they were afraid of a law suit.
Then there is ex-commissioner Brown. He wanted his filing fee back. Is he going to give back the money he made during his stint as a commissioner? After all he was on the board illegally, shouldn’t he give it back?
There are two things politics in Augusta are guaranteed to do, continue the racial divide and be a source of amusement. It never fails to amaze me that otherwise fine, intelligent citizens would rather support a known criminal or a blatant liar or a convicted thief because of the color of his skin rather than his integrity or what he may be able to do for their city. Every single time former Fire Chief Ronnie Few has been asked on camera about his fraudulent filing of the Homestead Exemption in Columbia County, he has had a different excuse or a different reason for going there in the first place. People telling the truth usually never waiver in their stories. It should be enough that he was the subject of a thorough investigation by a grand jury for the citizens to have second thoughts about him. No charges were ever filed that is true, but the statute of limitations had something to do with that and then for their commissioners to travel to Washington D.C. to sing his praises was a joke. Allegations have been made in D.C. concerning missing equipment but none of that seems to make a difference when choosing candidates. D. C. fired him and now he is back running for office.
I can see reasons why some may want him elected. His middle name seems to be nepotism consequently one can assume the relatives are lining up for jobs, budget cuts or not. If elected Mr. Few can help himself to the general fund for his eight by ten glossies, or gifts for his nephew or seminars to teach people how to power nap. Alternatively, instead of Chicago or Hawaii, maybe the commissioners would rather travel to New Orleans on the taxpayer’s dollar and while there can donate more taxpayer money to Mr. Few’s favorite university or have gold foil letterheads printed for the famous Mr. Holmes who teaches the power nap seminars. Then he could import people from Atlanta Health Systems for another $36,000 to lecture their government employees on the benefits of staying healthy instead of utilizing the vast knowledge housed in local medical complexes. Oh and don’t forget the vast array of vendors he will now have access to if elected. It was rumored that while Mr. Few was Chief of the Fire Department he gently persuaded vendors to be generous with him if he guaranteed purchases from the county.
Some say it is a conspiracy by the Caucasian side of Richmond County. Some say that none of these criminals or accused criminals were guilty, that the charges were trumped up just to keep the Caucasians in power. But, as former Chief Few should know, where there is smoke there is usually fire.

Getting my feet wet.

The following is my first column. In other words I was getting my feet wet.

When Caroline Spencer tells you about the house she and her boyfriend, David Rutherford are renovating at 204 Meridian Avenue, her eyes light up and the excitement in her voice is infectious. They have taken on this task because she fell in love with the house and with North Augusta. Caroline and David moved to Evans to take advantage of all the new developments, the stores and the restaurants. Now they feel as if Columbia County has grown too big too fast and have found our city to be just the right spot to settle down. Caroline grew up in a small Virginia town and told me this place reminded her of home. She said the idea of being able to walk any place they wanted to go appealed to her small-town roots.
At this point they are still in the demolition stage, doing most of the work themselves in their spare time. David is in the Army, Caroline is employed at Fort Gordon, as a result they don’t have a lot of spare time but what they have done so far is impressive. Her father renovates houses in Virginia so she does have some experience but David has never done any work like this and told Caroline, “just tell me what to do.”
I stopped one morning to chat with them and to be nosey as to what they were going to do with the place thinking they had probably bought it to “flip” but I was pleasantly surprised to find that they planned to move in once the work was completed. The two of them had nothing but nice things to say about North Augusta and our growth and were pleased that we still had that small town feel. I’m a transplant myself so I was tickled that they shared my opinion of the place I fell in love with ten years ago. We spoke about the River project, our new stores and restaurants and agreed that with proper foresight, North Augusta could grow and prosper but keep the small town feel and the welcoming people. Caroline said Columbia County was just too big and too impersonal and after two years of searching found this house knowing from the minute she saw it that this was the one. It has not been without its problems; the house was infested with termites leading them to tear out all the walls, put in new headers. They then framed new walls to open up the living room, dining room and kitchen areas for a more spacious welcoming feeling. Caroline also praised our city inspectors, especially Steve Smith, saying they had been a tremendous help to her. It’s coming along, slowly, but I have a feeling that when it’s done and others see what they have accomplished many will follow suit.
Knowing that they had little time to work, I thanked her for speaking with me and was on my way but every chance I get I will ride by to see what they have accomplished. And that is just one of the good things going on in my neighborhood.

Part II Getting to the Point

So far, dear reader, you're probably wondering what the first blog has to do with the South; I'm getting to it.
In September of 2000 I purchased my home. Two weeks later due to an unforeseen illness, my mother moved it. After the probation office and I parted company she had a heart attack and a small stroke and could not be left alone. It was certainly my responsibility to care for her since her son would not lend a hand and she could not be left home alone for long periods of time therefore part time jobs were necessary to support us and allow maximum time home with her. During this period our local paper was looking for someone to write a weekly column; they picked me. My column is supposed to consist of happenings downtown however so little goes on that they occasionally turn into rants or political forums or restaurant reviews and sometimes calling for city leaders to be accountable for their actions. The latter usually gets quite a reaction from those same city leaders. Our mayor jumps on the phone to complain to the editor and to her credit she doesn't fold; I think she likes the controversy I sometimes cause. So now we're getting to it; the reason for the blog. This will be a venue for my columns, unedited for content, no bad words but truth that had to be disguised at times and to enlighten those that read it to the fact that the South has not changed all that much. From being years behind in fashion, hair, food, political views, racial views and yes, that good old boy network along with some personal happenings thrown in. If you are reading this I do hope you enjoy the view from my side of the South and I hope you'll come back to see what I write next.

The Beginning

After graduating from high school and being immediately whisked away to college, not the school of my choice I might add, I never chose a major and never quite fit in so of course I did not make it. After three quarters the writing was on the wall so back home I went. Many jobs and two marriages later it was time to try again so in 1994 I went back to school to major in journalism. In the back of my head there was this idea that I could end up on the sidelines of every Dallas Cowboy football game, camera and pad in hand, and be a sports writer. For some reason one of the requirement courses was a class having to do the the legal system and for some reason I was hooked. All of a sudden the journalism was out the window having been replaced by Criminal Justice. Criminal Justice required courses in Political Science; Constitutional Law being one of them and the light bulb lit again and I became a double major. Luckily required papers, English Lit and joining the student government let me continue to write. After four years graduation loomed and even being a bit older it never entered my mind that I would have trouble getting a job at the local law enforcement center; I forgot where I lived I suppose and I forgot about that good old boy network. It turned out that out of all the people employed at the Sheriff's office only three had college degrees and the rest felt threatened by them. Heck, the Sheriff only had a third grade education, but hey, he was popular with those good old boys. It wasn't much different across the river except they encouraged their employees to go to college and the Chief had a college degree; what wasn't different was the tight knit group that found it difficult to let strangers in. After being shut down over and over it became evident that I was not going to get a job in my field of study so I hung on to the job I had hoping something else would come along; finally it happened. Two years after graduation I got a job as a probation officer and the stress began. I tried to keep both jobs but the customers at my first job, liquor store, started showing up at the new job and it became a sticky situation; the liquor store job had to go. Fast forward two years. Too much was going on in the probation office that was not legal. They were a private probation company without much if any oversight from the judicial system therefore they cut corners, formed alliances with solicitors and judge and squeezed money out of people in every possible way they could think of. We parted company and thus begins the next chapter of this tale.