Irish Travelers (Gypsies)

South Carolina - Age of Consent Laws
The following information was taken directly from the South Carolina legislative website at http://www.scstatehouse.net/code/statmast.htm



SC CONSTITUTION SECTION 33. Age of consent. -- No unmarried woman shall legally consent to sexual intercourse who shall not have attained the age of fourteen years. (1999 Act No. 3, Section 1, eff. February 16, 1999)
Editors Note: Although the AOC in South Carolina is hard coded into the constitution, state statutes specify criminality for sexual conduct under the age of 16.

SECTION 16-15-140. Committing or attempting lewd act upon child under sixteen.

It is unlawful for a person over the age of fourteen years to willfully and lewdly commit or attempt a lewd or lascivious act upon or with the body, or its parts, of a child under the age of sixteen years, with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust or passions or sexual desires of the person or of the child.

A person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined in the discretion of the court or imprisoned not more than fifteen years, or both.
Yet, only a few miles up the road it is common practice for 13 year old girls to have babies. These same girls are then taken by their parents to the department that issues food stamps, Medicaid, monetary assistance and what ever else there is to get and no one says a word or reports to authorities that these 13 yr olds, who had to be around 12 at the time of conception, have given birth which, under any law is sexual child abuse and statutory rape. To top that, which I admit is hard to do, when these families go to these departments they drive up in new Mercedes, Cadillacs or Range Rovers dripping in diamonds, Gucci shoes and designer clothes obtained on their last shopping trip to New York. The newborns have mink coats, diamonds, designer baby clothes and yes, baby Gucci heels. After obtaining what ever assistance they can scam out of the South Carolina and U.S. government, which is ultimately paid by you and me, they drive home to multi-million dollar houses. What is wrong with this picture?
Always a week late on events these days but I wanted to comment on the Christmas parade. The band was great, the horses, as always, are one of my favorites, Santa in the ladder bucket was ingenious but I had one question; if all the fire trucks were in the parade and piled with people, what would happen if there was a fire?

Last Christmas

Better late than never I suppose, to hope that everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Most of my neighbors went away for the holiday. The few that stayed around were visited by friends and family and from the sound of things they all had a wonderful time. It was enjoyable to watch and listen to the laughter.
For the past twelve years I have spent the two weeks before Christmas baking. Last year, when I was working twelve and fourteen hour days and most weekends, I made the time to bake. Usually in June or July I will sit down and go through my recipes, old and new, and decide what will come out of my kitchen at Christmas. Not only do the recipes get chosen but I start purchasing the non-perishable ingredients over the months leading up to the baking weeks. Chocolate and some of the other ingredients are expensive so buying them over a period of time or catching things on sale helped tremendously. Unfortunately there will be no baking this year and it breaks my heart. I had made my list of recipes and products to purchase when my job ran out but I did not worry because I was sure another would come along; wrong. This year my twelve year tradition has fallen by the wayside. You are probably wondering what the big deal is. Well the big deal is that for the past twelve years all the baking I have done has gone one place; North Augusta Public Safety. No one asked me to do it, it just sort of happened one year and I have done it ever since. I do it because they put themselves on the line for us everyday with little thanks and my gifts of baked goods are a small way to say thank you for making me feel safe. I have apologized to them for not being able to do it this year and even though they do not ask for it I still feel sad about not being able to.
This time of year is geared to family. Every commercial, sappy happily ever after movie, cooking show and soap opera shows family gatherings, joyous Christmas mornings and fun parties all with smiling family and friends. What happens to the single people with limited or no family this time of year? These people sometimes go into deep depressions believing that there is no one out there that cares about them at all. The suicide rate climbs during the holidays. Take the time to let your single neighbor or someone you know who is alone, that you care about them. For all the joys this time of year brings to you take a few minutes out of your hectic life to make a difference in their lives. Who knows, you may just save someone’s life. At the very least you may make someone smile.

Found Money, Spent Money and New Parks

Every time our neighbors across the river announce job cuts for lack of money to pay salaries or they are discontinuing roadside cleanup to save money (everyone knows that by Masters the roadsides will be pristine) or they are raising rates on public transit because the smart thing to do is raise rates on those that can least afford it; I cringe. My thoughts automatically go to the deal between our two cities, you know, the one where we give them our money. True to form a few months pass and wow, they have once again found money they were not aware they had but that money is going to pay for two new pods on the county jail and the new Judicial Center. Do not worry because they will find more they always do. However it still makes me wonder why we would want to go into any partnership of any kind with a group that never knows where its money is. One example of their fabulous insight is the Reynolds Street project. They “borrowed” money from the Fire Department retirement fund to purchase the land at 5th and Reynolds because some big corporation was going to buy it and build high priced condos or some such nonsense. The land is still bare, the fire funds have not been repaid, hey, the fire department doesn’t need it or so they say, and yet, we still partner with them.
Another thing I find amusing is General Motors begging for money. In their ads for cars on television they are assuring the buying public that they have millions in finance funds. If that is true why do they need Middle America’s money to operate? Oh, right, jet fuel is expensive and heaven forbid that a corporate big wig have to fly commercial with the rest of us common folk. The television reporters keep saying how ticked off American’s are with the lack of accountability in the bailouts. If we are so ticked why are we not doing something about it?
On my way to feed the abandoned cats at the Halls I noticed signs I had not seen before pointing to Brick Pond Park. After feeding the cats I drove down to get a look and was very surprised at the work that had taken place behind the new Municipal building. I could not, however, distinguish the brick pond from the others but it did not matter; it was all so intriguing. The covered bridges, the walk ways, the joining of the Greenway were all amazing. The thing that fascinated me the most was the huge piece of ancient equipment under a shed by the road. I have no clue what is once was but I was very glad it had not been destroyed. So often progress does not leave room for the past.

llamas

Regardless of whom you voted for or whether or not you are happy or sad with the outcome of the Presidential election; aren’t you getting just a little sick of the coverage? You would think there is nothing else going on in this world except our election, little Caylee and now the suicide of some deranged Paula Abdul fan. Why are they comparing Obama’s wife to Jackie Kennedy? Why can’t she just be who she is with her own style and manner of doing things? Why would the media think that Mrs. Obama would want to parrot anyone in the first place; she strikes me as a woman who knows who she is and does not need to copy anyone. Who knows what she or Sarah Palin actually spent on clothes or who paid for them. I do agree that if taxpayer money went to dress either of them they should be ashamed of spending it in light of the economy. All I truly know is that I for one will be so glad when the present administration is gone. The bail out is just another example of filling the coffers of undeserving cronies.
Everyone is probably sick of news about Calhoun Park therefore this will be the last comment until something major happens. Christmas décor is up and I was thinking how nice it would be to use the newly refurbished park for the live Nativity; keep the tradition alive.
Everyday the news is so depressing. The pundits go on and on about the sorry state of things or how that hot shot Paulson is handing out money with no accountability while the CEO’s and other executives continue to take home millions in bonuses or throw big parties; i.e. AIG. More companies want on the band wagon so they too can get a piece of the pie; our pie. Have you ever wondered what those execs do with their bonuses? What do you do with 54 million dollars every year? There is just so much one can buy. Surely their status as rich is well documented when rich seems to be the measure of a person these days. Think about it. We sit back and let the government take our money to give to companies that do not pay their fair share of taxes just so they can replace the money they have already stolen. Meanwhile, you and I, the regular citizen, wonder each year where we are going to get the money to pay the taxes they are spending on their lavish parties. How long are we going to be apathetic? When are we going to stand up and say enough is enough?
This week I had the pleasure of meeting a gentleman from Colorado who owns and operates a Llama farm in Colorado Springs. He is also going to raise some other animal from South America but I had never heard of the animal and my mind did not retain it. I didn’t have the nerve to ask him what he did with the Llamas; I was afraid he sold them for slaughter.

General Info

People never cease to amaze me. As soon as I think my eyes and ears have seen and heard everything, they do something else. Eight years ago I purchased a 12” push broom. Over the years the handle had lost all its paint and rusted but the thing still worked well. A couple of weeks ago the cleaning mode struck and I tackled the garage because that is where the plants are over-wintered. Well it seems that I forgot to put up the broom and someone thought they needed it more than I so they removed it from my work table outside. It is such a little thing but it just goes to show you people will steal anything. Totally my fault for leaving it out but who would have thought someone would want an eight year old beat up push broom. And, if the broom was not enough to give me pause, the fact that some person went to Rosemary Hall and helped himself or herself to all of the accumulated pine straw without asking, was. It seems these days if someone wants it and someone else has it, it is ok to just go take it.
Driving down Knox Avenue this past weekend I noticed the new Kroger parking lot was packed with cars leaving me to believe the other stores would be devoid of patrons and more easily shopped. Wrong! Loyal Publix patrons were there as usual, in fact, it was a bit more crowded for that time of day than in the past. With the opening of the new Kroger, which I intend to visit after the newness wears off; do not want a repeat of the experiences of all the looky loos as when the Wal-Mart opened, I began wondering who was in charge of the monumental task of moving the inventory from one store to the other. Do the vendors pack up their products, transfer them to the new location then restock the shelves or do the Kroger employees do it or do they just mark everything down and start over? When Wal-Mart moved into its new store on Bobby Jones it was all of the above, but that was Wal-Mart and Kroger may have different protocols. Therefore when the confusion of moving calms a bit that is something I intend to look into.
The fountain is up and running in Calhoun Park and as far as I can tell the project is completed. It really is a nice transformation. The Parks Department deserves a round of applause for all of their hard work.
My best friend Laura lives in Grand Junction, Colorado. Her mother lives in North Carolina and visits once a year. This year the snow came early to the Mesa and like the true Southerners they are they had to build a snowperson because snow is still unique to them. Laura sent me photos of the attempt; it was cute about knee high and proportioned correctly, however, it had no arms, or eyes or nose or mouth and was kind of a pathetic little thing. I questioned this and was told the only access to materials was down a hundred foot or so drop so they decided not to chance it. I can’t say I blame them for not taking the risk.

Dr. Spock v Mr. Spock

How did our parents do it? How did they manage to raise neurotic free children, well almost neurotic free, without all of the self-help books? Frankly I can not see that they have done any good, but then one would assume a parent would have to read them first. When we were growing up there were rules. Children did not run around restaurants or run free in the grocery store, or whine and cry when they could not get what they wanted or make life miserable for the adults at parties or refuse a present because it was not what they wanted or just plain misbehave. If we had done any of those things we were immediately removed from the situation and spanked. Heaven forbid you spank a child in today’s atmosphere whether he or she deserves it or not. From what I hear when out, the best way to discipline these days is to ask is a sing song voice or ignore the situation or threaten with a time out. What about the rest of us who have to be in the same place with that spoiled, screaming, undisciplined little brat; do we not have rights also? When we are in a store is it mandatory that we be subjected to those high pitched screams or whining or crying with no tears just because your little darling did not get his or her way? Our parents had no books except Dr. Spock and I do not know one parent who read his book where I grew up. May be in this day and time Mr. Spock (Star Trek) would be more appropriate reading; he had a way of controlling recalcitrant subjects. But then again, parents would have to take the time to care enough to read.
The only thing left to do in Calhoun Park is get the fountain up and running again and they were working on that project Friday. They repainted the interior of the base a beautiful blue and while waiting for it to dry, they were spreading what I assume was fertilizer over the new sod. For two days piles of mulch went down to protect the newly planted garden from this unusual cold snap, hold in the moisture and generally for aesthetic appeal.
Patience failed me in my last column; I gave up on hearing from my test but as soon as I had given up hope, a letter arrived informing me of an upcoming interview. To say I am excited would be an understatement.
Politics is a volatile subject in any situation however; as the time grows closer to make up my mind I am still on the proverbial fence. I find it difficult to believe anything a candidate has to say; they say what people want to hear, so I read, I research and even with all of that undecided is my name. The point will be moot when this comes out; I just do not want another eight years like the last.

Losing the Barefoot Contessa

Semi-heavy equipment rolled and packed the soil in Calhoun Park the last few days of the week. A huge truckload of sod was brought in and the workers toiled endlessly until it was all down. They could not have chosen a better time to get it done what with Friday’s rain. The park really does look nice and I am sure as it grows in it will be beautiful. With the renovation the park would be a lovely place to hold small events; maybe even weddings.
Last week I wrote about the test for employment and mentioned it must be to separate the wheat from the chaff. Well, I must be chaff because I have heard nothing from them since the test was given and it surprises me because I felt really confident upon completion. Just goes to show; thinking you did well does not necessarily mean that you did.
You have to laugh. All summer the weather people are lamenting the fact that we have no rain in sight or that the deficit is over seven inches or preaching to us to conserve water, yet when the rain finally comes all they seem to do is complain that it may spoil the weekend festivities. Yes, they put on their concerned faces because the farmers are losing crops and food prices will rise but for heaven’s sake don’t let it rain and spoil all our plans for the end of the week. It isn’t just the weather people either. Some farmers do the same thing. They cry and moan because the rain isn’t coming but when it does they cry and moan because it has spoiled some of their plans. You’ve gotta love it!
As everyone knows by now if you have cable, all of your channels will be switched over to digital in February of 2009. Instead of making the switch all at once Comcast has opted to do it piece meal. Saturday they took HGTV and Food network off regular cable. The Barefoot Contessa finally starts a new season and poof, she’s gone. I got the boxes over a year ago but soon realized that without subscribing to On Demand there was no way to record programs while watching other programs, so I unhooked them and went back to regular cable. Now I do not remember which lines went where, they gave me no book upon installation, therefore when I tried to hook it back Saturday, I failed. Trial and error I suppose because calling them for help is like butting your head against concrete. However, I have discovered the episodes are on the internet so all is not lost.

Good Work if You Can Get It

As I sit at the computer and gaze out of my window I notice what appear to be three utility trucks at the corner but they turn out to be a local road maintenance company. There are six men standing around, one on a cell phone, looking at the street. Finally one takes out a metal detector and begins walking up and down searching for something, meanwhile the other five are still standing around. Eureka, the one seems to have found what he was looking for; the others are still standing in a huddle. A different man retrieves what appears to be a tool that will cut into the blacktop; the other five are standing around. Maybe I should apply for a job with them; it would be nice to get paid for standing around. Later, as I leave my house, the number of men has increased to eight and the number of trucks to six; however they are all just standing around. Two hours later they are still just standing around. No matter how hard I looked I could see nothing that had been accomplished. Fast forwarding to the next morning one of the trucks returns. The driver exits the vehicle, stares at the street for a few seconds, gets back in the vehicle, makes a U-turn, and ran the stop sign and leaves. Wow, good work if you can get it. Fast forward three more days. Finally I have found what it took 4 to 6 trucks and 5 to 8 men to do. A line is marked down the middle of the street by black paint and an orange cone stands at the end of it; must have been exhausting to do all that. The next day four dump trucks and a plethora of other equipment descended upon us; a short stretch of the street was resurfaced. Now it is Saturday 8:15 a.m. Two trucks arrive; one dump truck one extended cab. Seven men emerge from the trucks, all grab what appear to be shovels or brooms then all seven men stand in the middle of the road joking, laughing, and performing some sort of dance for twenty minutes or so. A road grater drives up; they all climb back in their vehicles and leave. Are we paying for that?
As is sometime the case when applying for jobs, tests are given to separate the wheat from the chaff. Tests are not one of my favorite things especially when math is involved but luckily there was no math included in the one I took. Being ever observant without being obvious and keeping the antennae up for any news or potential news, I sat quietly appearing not to be paying attention to anyone. The first thing was a guy behind me who constantly cleared his throat. I thought if he did that throughout the test someone, maybe me, was going to strangle him but as soon as the test started he stopped; it must have been nerves. As usual there were the little clicks of people who knew one another and whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear what they had been up to and what gossip was going around about their mutual “friends”. Just before starting the examiner gave us instructions, clear concise instructions and in a flashback to high school days the same questions were asked as would have been then. She told us precisely what sections to do and what sections not to do and true to form some had to ask whether they were supposed to do those sections. I guess paying attention and following instructions does not improve as some mature. I enjoyed the test. Beginning the exercises made me relax and it became fun to do. Did I do well? I do not know but I felt good about it when I left.
New plants are going in today at Calhoun Park. The irrigation pipe has been laid, hooked up and covered over. Heavy equipment is reshaping the area and shrubs are going in. It should be beautiful this spring. There are Tea Olives, Azaleas, Beauty Berry, Black-eyed Susan, Larapetalum and a few others scattered about.

More Ramblings

Last year, 2007, we attempted to start a tradition here in North Augusta. We wanted so badly to hold an annual North Augusta Department of Public Safety Appreciation Day. The 2007 event went off pretty well; plenty of food, door prizes and camaraderie, therefore the hope was for an even better event in 2008. Unfortunately that never came to be, for many reasons, but the main one was that the location closed. All this is leading to Johnny Shaw. Without his help and advice I do not think I could have pulled off that event. He worked hard helping me find people to donate food, drink and door prizes just as he worked hard making our hometown Kroger a special place to shop. He was very excited at the prospect of a new store, in fact his eyes lit up when he spoke of it to us but then someone came along who the powers that be thought could do a better job than the man who had run the store successfully for them for years. Someone younger or maybe better connected. Time and experience will tell as it always does and who knows, maybe they will see the error of their ways and Mr. Shaw will be back doing what he does so well; making customers happy while running a successful store.
Thank you Charley Britt. It seems your out-spoken opinions have stirred controversy and caused reactions in our community. That is what a good columnist should be doing instead of sticking to safe topics. As always there will be readers who will take what you write out of context, whether on purpose or of lack of knowledge, those same people who want to voice their own biased opinions will chastise you for what you write. A newspaper should, and The Star does, lend itself to points of view from all sectors. Unlike other newspapers The Star is not blatantly biased therefore it allows opinions from its columnist and its readers. Keep it up; it does not hurt to get people stirred up occasionally.
As you may have noticed Calhoun Park is undergoing renovation. Everyday I notice the amount of work that has been done and wonder what the plans for it may be. What appears to be irrigation ditches have been dug which is a good thing given the fact that we get very little rain these days. They must be in a hurry to get it done because they were even working on Saturday. When they first began it appeared as if they were pruning and reshaping the plants that were there but soon it became apparent that was not the case. It was a little disappointing that no attempt was made to salvage those plants and use them some place else; just prune them to the ground and destroy the roots. It will be nice to see color in that space assuming that is what they have planned.
Talk about sticker shock!! This week I was craving roasted chicken and fully intended to purchase one on my weekly trip to the store. Well, needless to say the purchase was not made due to the fact that whole chickens are close to $8.00. Chicken is not the only thing that skyrocketed in price as I am sure every one knows. Sometimes things go up a dollar a week until it is no longer sensible to make the purchase. Those that have get; those that don’t starve. What happens to the people who have a limited amount of income to spend on food?
We all know the law states that pedestrians have the right-of-way but don’t they have some responsibility to look after themselves and their children in a busy parking lot? Do they have the right to meander to their destinations without regard for anyone else? Are they not some what responsible for their own safety or do they have the right to walk into traffic or jam up a parking lot because they have no respect for anyone but themselves and whoever may be on the other end of the phone that may be glued to their ears?

Seven Sins and Seven Virtues

The seven deadly sins and the seven virtues. The topic of greed from the other week was the impetus for this question; how many of the seven sins and the seven virtues do I possess and was I being too hard on those people I was referring to? Lust; since lust does not always mean desires of the flesh and it could be lumped into envy, I suppose I am guilty of both of those. I envy Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, because I lust for her kitchen and her ability to purchase the best and freshest ingredients. Gluttony and greed are basically the same thing and I must admit I am guilty of those also. I can’t seem to buy enough hydrangeas. Sloth; ah ha, finally one I am not guilty of, can’t stand to sit around doing nothing. Wrath; oops, another one on my list, I do tend to go off when I see wrongs in the making. Pride; in a small way I am guilty of this one also. I am very proud when someone loves the food I prepare. Hum, guilty of six out of seven deadly sins so let’s check out the virtues. Prudence; Got that one nailed, I do nothing with out thorough preparation. Temperance; Doing well on this one also but where did I get the idea it had something to do with booze? Justice; another one on the good side, I believe in justice. Fortitude, Charity, and Hope all make my list and the last one, Faith; good I have that one also. Guilty of six deadly sins but at the same time the seven virtues are in my corner, therefore, do seven nullify six? Was I being too hard on that group of people that I mentioned before? The answer is no, I don’t think so. A person may commit sins, most do, but aren’t there degrees of sin and my belief is wanting a ton of varieties of hydrangeas is no where close to what those people have caused in this country the past few weeks and no where close to affecting the lives of so many people. What started at $700 billion ended at $850 because people wanted to tack on things they wanted not what was good for the country if in fact the bailout was. The bottom line seems to be all that anyone cares about and since, it seems, they did not do their research the wool that the financial institutions tried to pull over everyone else’s eyes, came back to choke them.
My friend who lives in Colorado got on Match.com for kicks and out of boredom. She told me to check it out and today I did. It may be I watch too many criminal television shows but I saw serial killers and pedophiles and America’s Most Wanted when I viewed the pictures some of them sent in. However, there was one that caught my eye because he looked familiar. Turns out I know him and he did not tell one fib on his profile. I thought about emailing him but $35.00 is a lot to pay for an email and besides I like the idea of people finding their partners the old fashion way; by blind luck.

Delayed Mail and the Bailout

It is just so frustrating when things do not go the way they usually go. Maybe our mail person is on vacation or maybe he has retired but either way you’d think that like police officers and fire personnel the new ones would have to learn their territory before striking out on their own. Our mail person arrives like clock work, 10 to 10:30 a.m. everyday, however, with who ever has taken over his route it is anyone’s guess when or if the mail will come. Monday was the worst; my mail went in the box at 10:00 a.m., by 3:30 P.M. still no pickup so even with gas in short supply I had to drive to the post office to deposit my mail. At 5:05 P.M. the truck showed up but I seriously do not think the person driving had any idea where they were. The mail person drove up and down the street, around the block a few times and from there I have no idea. It seems the more money they get the worse the service nowadays.
Larry King had a guest that tried to explain where the government would get the $700 billion dollars it wants to bail out failing lending institutions. He said they would borrow it from lending institutions then bail out lending institutions meanwhile paying interest and principal to lending institutions. Huh? If there are lending institutions with $700 billion dollars then they do not need a bail out therefore the ones that do can borrow from them without interference from the government and that would alleviate us, the taxpayer, from having to pay back a loan that was not necessary in the first place.

Greed Again

Greed; loosely defined as an overwhelming desire to have more of something, such as money, than is actually needed. That could also make it a verb instead of a noun. One would think that when faced with the demise of a business or paying one’s creditors, greed could and should be put aside. Normally when one is facing total obliteration one concedes some things in order to even the field as it were, but then there are some that can not control their insatiable desires or, maybe, in this case the operative word is control. I witnessed first hand what greed can do this past week. I sat on the sidelines and observed a very lucrative deal going down but then the greediness reared its ugly head destroying two years of work. Having money is a nice thing for sure, but tell me, when it comes to affecting the lives of others should greed not be put aside?
The meeting of the minds of North Augusta Tomorrow and Augusta slipped my mind. I intended to attend because I wanted to hear what fabulous plans Augusta had for North Augusta’s money. After many inquiries I admit that the plans sound feasible but I have my doubts any of them will ever come to fruition. Unlike North Augusta, Augusta’s committees, council people and others in power, can not agree on anything. Here again greed raises its ugly head; maybe not for money but for power. Another thing that bothers me is that Augusta can’t seem to balance a budget; they are always running out of money then borrowing money from other funds or just happen to find a couple of million that they forgot they had, this after laying off employees. So, if North Augusta shares money with Augusta what and who will determine that said money goes for what it is supposed to.

Spring Mornings, Deer and Haircuts

It was so pleasant outside this morning that I decided to sit on the deck with a cup of coffee. This was, of course, after I had slathered mosquito repellant over every piece of exposed skin. It does not seem to make any difference if I empty every container containing water, every possible thing they can breed in, because they are there and they find me. After a few minutes of relaxation the cats went on alert. From experience I know they hear and see things that we as humans do not hear or see so immediately my attention followed theirs. My Does were back and they brought their babies with them. The fawn spots were gone but they were babies nonetheless. I love watching them and most times they do not run from the sound of my voice; we have become used to each other. Everything was fine until one of the children decided it was ok to nibble one of my precious Hydrangeas. I spoke up a little, asked them to stop, and they did. After a few minutes of consideration they decided to go elsewhere for a morning snack. I wish I could afford to feed them; corn maybe, but not Hydrangeas or Azaleas. If I had corn they would be welcome anytime they wanted to come but as it is they have a love of those two plants plus my Hazelnut trees. I will never have a crop of nuts because of them but I really don’t care; I love having them around.
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and now AIG, hum, wonder if it would do any good to write a letter asking them to bail me out of the mess I’m going to be facing soon. One CEO of one company, despite the financial problems they claimed to have, took home $54 Million in bonuses this fiscal year. I got a Christmas bonus of $50. Quite a disparity don’t you think? They also have accountants that find every single loophole in the IRS’ forms and rarely pay any taxes; you and I are lucky if we have enough deductions that our tax bill does not break us. We pay taxes on taxes or so it seems. Income tax, sales tax, gas tax, road tax, so many more and I don’t mind paying but the law should be equal. Those in the top 1% should pay more than we do don’t you think? Do you think the presidential candidates have to pay taxes on the campaign funds they have raised? I do not know the answer to that question.
Since 2002 when I dumped my long time hair stylist I have been searching for a new one. There have been so many horrible experiences that it takes a great leap of faith on my part to trust anyone to touch my hair. After it became evident that having hair almost to my waist was a pain in the, I decided to get it cut. Without mentioning shops or names I finally decided on a local stylist. What a huge mistake! I honestly don’t believe the girl would know proper layering technique if it bit her. Needless to say I was devastated. Then one day I walked into Cost Cutters; my reasoning being it could not look much worse than it did. It was my lucky day because I found Dana Story. Not only is she exactly what I was looking for in a stylist but she is a very warm and sweet person. I hope writing this does not come back to haunt me in that she gets so busy she has no time for me. All I know is if she ever leaves I am going to be very sad; she is that good.
And finally, it seems that once again I have been misunderstood or the point of what I write has been misunderstood. I do not know how to make it any plainer unless I write on a grammar school level. Come to think of it grammar school kids are probably smarter. I have a limited amount of space in which to write and I was not being politically biased I was merely pointing out that criminals, no matter their profession, have a great chance of becoming stars in America.

Women for President

I spent time with three of the most fascinating people. They were visiting from Mississippi and I had the pleasure of meeting them. Buzz is an older gentleman, a true southern gentleman, with a background in music, gourmet food and antiques. Charlotte, his daughter, works for an overseas oil conglomerate; her husband, who did not make the trip, is a physician in Alaska. Errol, Buzz’s son, is much like his father as he is also a gentleman and loves restoring old homes. Buzz is owner of The Guest House in Natchez, he is grand Marshall of the tour of gardens, many of which he designed, and an Antique Magnate. It was as if I had known them all my life. They live in the Natchez – Lafayette area and were really lucky they suffered minimal damage from the last storm to go through. It seems they take everything in stride making something good come from something that could have been terrible. While they were here, knowing the ante-bellum homes in Mississippi and Louisiana, I had to take them to see Rosemary and Lookaway Halls. They were impressed and wished the business was still open so that they could have spent the night in one of them. Hopefully they will return when or if the halls ever open again.
One would think that with three named hurricanes in our proximity we would have gotten some rain; twelve drops here, twenty four drops there, yet not 10 miles away 2 ½ inches. Sometimes I think there is a wall and dome over our area that diverts the rain we so desperately need.
Politics are not good topics for discussion. They tend to incite anger and or heated conversations, however, when sexism is thrown in it can be an even worse topic. I will not choose sides here as to my favorite candidate for president but I will take exception to all those that seem to think women have no business holding an office as high as president or vice president. Just because Sarah Palin has five children some sexist people think she can not be a good vice president. Just because Hillary Clinton is a woman she would not make a good president, moot point now, but that was the belief. It is just disgusting and amusing that men feel so threatened by a woman in power that they must try to pick that woman apart. I must also state here that I am pretty sick of all of it. All of the media coverage ramming it all down our throats. Most of it is not relevant to the election; most of it is to stir controversy. So, let the games begin. The smear tactics have begun, the dirty politics have surfaced and I for one firmly believe that those that threw the first stone should suffer the bitterest consequences.

Villians into Heroes

The day following a three day weekend, a national holiday and the post office has a line out the door. Nothing unusual about that but you would think that after all these years they would expect to be that busy and have more than two people working the counter. Most everyone in front of me acted as if they had never mailed a package before; heck one lady expected the post office person to fill out all her address information for her. Another person could not figure out the change of address card and yet another stood for an agonizing 5 or 6 minutes trying to decide whether to put insurance on his package. To top it all off, in walk a mother and child. The child was very well behaved; the mother never shut up. She was too worried he would do something I suppose.
Animal Planet has been running the Michael Vick fiasco quite a bit lately. The way America celebrates pro athletes and political figures, Michael Vick will probably return to a life, after serving his sentence, as a sportscaster on national television or maybe play for another team. Think it can’t happen? Think again. Remember Oliver North of Iran-Contra fame? Accused of selling weapons illegally to Iran, laundering money, indicted on 16 felony counts and convicted of three. Yes, the sentence was later vacated and when the prosecution tried to appeal to the Supreme Court, they refused to hear the case. Hum, wonder why? North was also under suspicion of drug trafficking. Today he is a well know political commentator appearing on major networks, a best selling author and sometimes guest on television in dramatic series.
Then there is G. Gordon Liddy who along with E. Howard Hunt masterminded the first break-in of Watergate. He was suspected and indicted on charges of political espionage, sabotage, handling slush funds and illegal wiretapping and later convicted and sentenced to 20 years. He served 2.5 years. He is now a talk show host and political strategist. He has appeared in television shows such as Miami Vice, a best selling author and made a mint on the lecture circuit.
Liddy’s partner in crime, E. Howard Hunt, was convicted of burglary, conspiracy, and illegal wiretapping. Sentenced and served only 33 months and became a best selling author. Yet Pete Rose gambled was kicked out of his chance for the hall of fame and humiliated for the rest of his life. Where is the justice in that and which crime is more damning, betraying your country or your baseball team?
Some political figures are condemned for life for having extra-marital affairs. Koby Bryant is still a superstar athlete. Michael Jordan was under investigation for gambling yet he is still a hero to kids. And who can forget O. J. Simpson? Although Simpson did not return to a life of fame, some involved in his trial did. Mark Furman lied on the witness stand, used racial epithets, was disgraced as a police officer and some think, planted evidence and is now a crime consultant on national television and a best selling author. Only in America can a “criminal” make it big especially if they are male. Who even remembers the prosecutor’s name in the Simpson trial?
Back to political figures the infamous Karl Rove can not be overlooked. Rove was up to his dirty tricks as far back as the early 70’s and has had a connection to the Bush family since he was 19. Where is he now? Why, he is a political commentator on a national news network. I find it strange that committing crimes can bring notoriety and fame yet having an affair can condemn a person for life.
It is so sad that Palmetto House went down in flames. It was exciting to see the place come back to life after sitting idle for so long and see the smiles of the faces of the clientele. Those poor people from North Augusta Country Club must think they are jinxed in some way. After the club burned it seems a deal was struck with Palmetto House to take their employees and open the restaurant in order to entertain club members, guests and businessmen and now this. They say lightening doesn’t strike in the same place twice.

Goodbye

The culmination of almost two years work occurred this past Wednesday. Rhonda and Larry pulled out of Rosemary Hall for the final time. P. T. Cruiser in the lead; jammed packed u-haul pulling up the rear. They were headed back to Virginia from whence they came. As of this writing they had no plans to speak of. I do know that they have finally found a house to move into as they sold all their property before making the trip South in 2006. I imagine they will be spending a lot of time getting the place move-in ready and I have no doubt Rhonda will be searching for a Doberman puppy once they are settled. During their brief stay in North Augusta she lost the three she came with and I dare say it was not easy leaving them buried here. As to the fate of the two beautiful houses they left behind; that is anyone’s guess at the moment.
The beautification project has moved to the intersection of West Avenue and Clifton Avenue. I remember years back, before I decided to move here, that every entrance into North Augusta was ugly. The only almost attractive entrance was from I-20. Now, no matter which entrance one chooses, it is beautiful and welcoming. I have no idea who comes up with the combinations of plants in the medians or on the sides of the roads, but whoever does it is a genius. The combination of colors, heights and textures is eye candy and never ceases to be pleasant to gaze upon. The landscapes are always lush and weed free and compared to the attempts of our neighbors across the river, well, there is no comparison. North Augusta is just beautiful.
Contrary to some beliefs I welcome any and all comments about my column whether they are negative or positive. At least then I know that other than the people who approach me with comments, someone else is reading it. I do weigh each comment, good or bad, and if people have suggestions I listen, however, the impact of a negative comment lessens greatly when the person writing it is afraid to sign their name.
This little story is too amusing not to share. In the mail there was a letter from the IRS informing me that I was getting a stimulus check; this was Monday. Wednesday I got another letter from IRS informing me I had miscalculated my taxes and owed a whole lot more than I sent in. I couldn’t help but laugh. I guess the stimulus check is to stimulated IRS coffers; if I even receive it. It is ironic that when one is down bad stuff happens don’t you think?

Affairs in the News before Tiger

As I am sure everyone knows by now, John Edwards had an affair. When I first heard it I thought they were speaking of the physic on television. My question is this; is the fact that some politician had an affair relevant enough to be on every network television news show and in every paper? I bet that everyone knows someone who had an extramarital affair; it may even have been you but in the grand scheme of things is it or was it relevant enough to be front page news? Are there not more pressing problems in this country than whether some former presidential want to be had an affair? And speaking of wanting to be or even being president; are they not still human or are the two mutually exclusive? Yes it is morally wrong but humans are flawed; they make mistakes, they don’t always think before they act. If humans were not flawed our world would not be in the mess it is in and greed would never be a factor. I am sure there are more interesting topics CNN, Fox and the other news organizations could cover but then those topics may not be as salacious therefore would not draw such high ratings.
Last week’s column by Charlie Britt was interesting and for the most part I agree with his assessment that there is not enough supervision of college athletes or college students in general, but one must take into account that without a strong upbringing these things are bound to happen. If a child is not taught right from wrong or the basic principals of respect or work ethic, then that child will grow into a narcissistic young person and adult. Athletes are especially vulnerable. They are put on a pedestal from high school on; they are given what they want; they make more money than they have ever dreamed of and without guidance, they will falter. Yes, there are many that make the news for the antics they perform or the illegal acts they get caught doing, but for every Michael Vick there is an Emmitt Smith, a Troy Aikman, or a Joe Montana. For every Dennis Rodman there is a Shaquille O’Neal. In all honesty how can you expect a child to be thrust into the lime light, given everything he/she desires, make untold amounts of money, have no one to tell them no and not get into some kind of trouble unless they have been given the basics at home as they were growing up?
The front page article of last week’s Star concerning the lawsuit got the curiosity going. If you watch television and have ever seen an internal affairs investigation you come away thinking that every person subject to this scrutiny has the right to representation during the questioning; that peaked my curiosity. The article stated that the officer in question did not have the right to representation during questioning and the article was absolutely correct. As often as a bill has been submitted to Congress to make it illegal to question an officer without representation present, it has never passed both houses. At present there are only a handful of states that require the offering of a union representative or an attorney and if the officer requests either all questions must stop until the rep or attorney is present. If an officer refuses to answer questions then he can be suspended or fired, however, if he does answer without a rep, his answers can not be used against him in a criminal investigation. There are bills pending that include the state of South Carolina to make it illegal to continue internal affairs questioning of an officer without representation, but so far none have made it to vote.

Break and Enter

Last week my next door neighbors were robbed. This week their next door neighbors were robbed. Another B & E in broad open daylight. The burglars broke the back window in the house, climbed in and helped themselves. I was home, my next door neighbor was home; neither of us heard a thing. I did see a stranger in the neighborhood this morning and I watched him until he moseyed on up the street, but other than that, nothing. I hope these brazen thieves don’t make the mistake of breaking in on me when I am home, I would have no compunction about shooting them. Make no mistake about it, I am armed and I am pretty sure my other neighbors are armed also. My feeling is they are coming through the back of the properties after watching to make sure people leave. Rottwielers are good for people like that; so are Dobermans. The only good thing about this is the responding PSO told the victims today that there had been quite a few break-ins in our neighborhood and there has been a huge increase in police presence.
Now that I have plenty of time on my hands and am going stir crazy with nothing to do and no one to talk to, I have been visiting local businesses. I spent some time in Artistic Floral watching the owner, Kim Wolfe, construct arrangements for a funeral for a relative of our neighbors to the north. Kim also showed me pictures of other arrangements she had done for other funerals they had; a bigger than life Gucci bag in pink and a huge pink high heel shoe; seems the deceased had a thing for pink and designer clothes. Flabbergasted is the word that comes to mind and with the description I am sure it leaves no doubt as to which northern neighbors I am referring to. Kim is also very talented with real flowers. Somehow she and Donna take a pile of assorted flowers and turn them into works of art and her prices can not be beat.
Publix is reorganizing, upgrading, and bringing in new inventory every week. You need a map to navigate but I have no doubt that when they are done it will not take long to get used to the changes. I think the changes are taking a toll on the staff because it used to be in and out, no waiting in line, everyone was friendly and pleasant. The last couple of weeks everyone has seemed confused and on edge but they will probably settle down once the makeover is complete. I love the changes especially the new things that are coming in.
If you have never tried the corned beef sandwich at Firehouse Subs you have no idea what you have been missing. I buy a whole one cut in half, one half for now one half for later, but it never works out that way; I end up eating the entire thing then mentally beat myself up for it. They have another sub that is almost as good and is piled high with two or three types of meat and a ton of cheese.

Limited Lifetime Warranty

My neighbors took a trip this week. It doesn’t matter where they went, what matters is what happened while they were gone. They have no set schedule, they come and go at different times; sometimes she is gone and sometimes he is gone and sometimes they both are gone; you just never know. Unless, that is, you are watching them. I’ve lived next door for so long that I know when the house is empty even though they don’t always tell me when they are tripping. This time someone must have been watching as they loaded the car to drive away because sometime between when they left and when they returned, thieves violated their space. I am a vigilant neighbor. I always notice the new cars cruising through or the new people who walk into the area or the unnatural amount of visitors that may arrive at any given house, but this time I missed it. It makes me assume that all this occurred after midnight because this past week I have been restless; up and roaming all hours of the night. The thieves crawled over a very high solid wood privacy fence, hoisted two of my neighbor’s bicycles over the fence and made off with them. It is my opinion that these thieves watched them leave therefore the assumption being that the scumbags live in our neighborhood. This is not the first time property has been stolen from them. Fortunately it has only happened once to me but since that occurrence I keep everything under lock and key. Whether the property will ever be found is anyone’s guess but if you have ever had it happen to you, you know how violated you felt and how angry you were.
Spendable money is hard to come by, especially this day and time, therefore when you make a purchase, not matter how big or small, you want what you have purchased to last. Many products these days come with a “limited” lifetime warranty and inevitably when the product purchased fails, the cause isn’t covered by warranty. Every year I save for a watering system but have not managed to save enough yet so I have gerry rigged my own system in my back garden. I have wire tied sprinkler hoses to the top of my fences and it works pretty well but every year one or more of the hoses fails and needs replacing and every year they are more expensive. Save the receipts just in case but during the course of a year they disappear and besides if you saved every receipt where would you put them? This year I bought Craftsman. Good brand name, good product, been around forever. They have not been out but two months and already one has failed. Not only the hoses failed but the appliance gods must be angry with me also. Ice gets stuck in the chute of the refrigerator; aggravating but no biggie, sometimes the water fails to work too. The dishwasher has quit cleaning the dishes but since it is only me I can certainly hand wash. The microwave has started making weird noises; it still works but I’m expecting failure at any time and the oven, my eight year old oven bites the dust every few months now. First it was a burned out element then came the wires on the back that kept shorting out and I kept repairing. Ovens shouldn’t do that but who can afford a new one? I’m not saying a word about the things that do work; don’t want to aggravate that appliance god or wake up a sleeping imp. Hopefully my repairs will last until I get a new job and can afford to purchase new appliances.
The dog days are headed our way; temps in the 108 range are predicted but hey, if these predictions are as accurate as the rain predictions, we may have nothing to worry about.

The Final Curtain

As Old Blue Eyes would say the final curtain has fallen. We went out with a bang hosting a rehearsal buffet for seventy or so guest. My contributions to the evening were things I had been waiting to do for some time. Crepes filled with a mushroom and ham duxelle, roasted chicken and an Asiago béchamel sauce. Fresh picked figs stuffed with bleu cheese baked just until the cheese melted then drizzled with honey, our version of Italian potatoes, crostini with shaved pork tenderloin, a variety of homemade chutneys and topped with bleu cheese, fresh fruit skewers with watermelon hearts and my own layered Mexican dip. Not much was left which is always a sign that the food was good. Yes, I am going to miss preparing cuisine such as this for others. Seems I found my niche a little too late but I had so much fun doing it I can not complain.
The GHOSC group was due back this weekend. We were hoping to get a chance to view the video and listen to the audio. They were also going set up again in both houses; in Lookaway to try to explain the spike in the meter from their previous visit and in Rosemary hoping to find remnants of previous owners. Unfortunately business and family issues took precedent so the places were closed for a few days and the visit had to be postponed. I did hear from them this weekend however and they are sending a copy of the report. This should be interesting.
As I found myself with time this weekend I finally got around to visiting friends I had not seen in some time. Sunday I spent a few hours at Public Safety catching up on personal news. Any other thing I may hear when I visit is strictly off limits unless I get the go ahead to write but this time there was nothing cool to write about, no secrets overheard just old friends catching up. I was saddened to learn of the death of Tim Pearson’s wife. I did not know her but Tim has always been decent to me and I feel for him. Life has a way of slapping you in the face especially when things are going well.
My friend Laura moved to Colorado, Grand Junction to be exact, a few years back. Her husband was transferred and for some reason she wanted to go with him; that was meant to be humorous. After the move she searched long and hard for a job finally getting a position with the Griffith Centers for Children. The Mission of Griffith Centers for Children is to provide troubled children the environment and opportunities to become healthy, participating and productive members of society. With sites across Colorado, including Colorado Springs, Larkspur and Grand Junction, Griffith now specializes in providing a full continuum of therapeutic treatment and academic services for boys and girls, and families. “We are licensed and nationally accredited to serve children from birth to 21 years of age. We provide community programs such as family preservation, day treatment, education and counseling services.” Griffith Centers also provides residentially based programs such as foster care and shared family care, respite services, adoption, group homes, residential treatment (staff secure and open) and independent living services. Today we are able to provide healing and hope to thousands. Laura, along with the other employees, do wonderful work. She is working with a group of girls whose individual stories would make your hair curl and most of us would not be able to suppress the anger that arises when told of the abuses they have suffered. But trips to the dog pound, the mountains, picnics at dawn and genuine caring are bringing them around. One can only hope that as they become adults they can learn to live with what has been done to them and not continue the circle.

Spackle

An article in the Augusta Chronicle’s July 15, 2008 issue caught my eye. Many of you probably read it considering it was about our Peach Jam, the amount of revenue brought into the city and the lack of appropriate places for guests to stay while here. This is the exact issue I have been writing about off and on for a year; the lack of support by the city for locally owned businesses and especially support for the two most historic places in our city. I am frustrated by the total lack of regard the powers-that-be have for the former homes of the founders of North Augusta. I am dumbfounded as to why these same powers would rather help promote Augusta and especially send all the revenue they send across the river. We benefitted no doubt. Some people ate in our restaurants or shopped in Wally World or took in the sites of downtown with all its pay any day loan shops, but think of the revenue lost because officials fail to promote the one place four or five blocks from the action that have twenty-two lovely rooms in which to stay. The 11% accommodations tax collected for this event would go a nice distance in helping promote tourism in Aiken County but for some unknown, or maybe known, reason our city officials would rather see all this money drive across the 13th street bridge every night.
On another note I wonder daily how we as women manage to get out of the house with all we have to worry about in our personal appearances. We are all aware of the myriad of hair care products that promise shiny healthy fabulous hair, hair color that last forever, blow dryers, curling irons, flat irons and the like, but not one of those commercials tells us that none of this works if you don’t have the right hair cut or semi-healthy hair to begin with. Then there are all the teeth whitening products that do not work but goodness knows we must have brilliant white teeth in order to leave the house and step into the world. We, as women, have to worry about restless leg syndrome, where did that come from, unsightly toenails, no man will speak to you if your toenails are not pretty, underarm deodorant that allows you to wear a tight red tank top and walk the city with your arms in the air while you sniff your pits; Huh? I’m still trying to figure out where all the muscle tone went in my arms and for sure I’m not going out in a tight red sleeveless tank so everyone else can wonder about that also. Now there are heated eyelash brushes in order to separate every lash and curl them at the same time; heaven forbid we have a clump or straight lashes. Graters for our feet that catch and store the unwanted dead skin until your stomach quits churning long enough to empty it in the trash. Botox injections? Not me, give me my well-earned wrinkles, no needles in my face or any where else if I can help it. Makeup that is supposed to give you flawless skin with names like Spackle, I thought that went on walls, baked, mineral, liquid, you name it, it’s out there. Contour your face with it; get high cheek bones, hide that stuff under your neck, create shadows where there are none. But here is what I wonder; say you go to all this trouble everyday. Say you color and curl and spackle and deodorize and grate and contour and whiten and somewhere along the way you meet Mr. Right. What happens when he wakes up one morning only to see the real you lying next to him, or a co-worker drops by on an impromptu visit or your neighbor sees you first thing in the morning as you retrieve the paper? Who knows, maybe they will believe you when you tell them you are in the witness protection program and have to hide your true looks. Age happens ladies; embrace it and become more like the men; just be who you were meant to be not who the commercials tell you you ought to be.
Last but not least I finally had a chance to try out the Palmetto House for Lunch. I was impressed by the crowd, the menu and the hostess; however, some things left a little to be desired. I ordered steak medallions on lettuce with a garlic balsamic vinaigrette and horseradish ranch sauce on the side. I asked for rare but was told they could only cook medium rare which was ok. The meat was cooked perfectly, the vinaigrette was delicious, the tomatoes and cucumbers, all three pieces of each were fresh and crisp but I never saw the horseradish sauce and some of the lettuce was a bit old. All in all I enjoyed my little meal. My companion had the Panini on Foccacia however when it arrived I was not sure it was a Panini because it had no grill marks whatsoever. The Panini was accompanied by sweet potato fries which I found crisp and delicious but she was never given the choice of fries or chips. The waitress was nice and even though her section was far from full she found it difficult to check on us or refill our glasses with tea. It took a very long time to get the to go order we placed as soon as we ordered our meal. I think with time they will work out the kinks and I would love to go back to try the salmon. With those few exceptions it was a very pleasant experience and I am glad we went.

A Rose by any Other Name

Kathy Gladden, the author of numerous children’s books, was once again a guest and I looked forward to sitting down with her to hear more stories about her books and the Crawford Ranch compound. Maybe you remember the story from her last visit about the secret service guys helping her neighbor and best friend Pam, deliver a calf. Pam came with on this visit so of course I wanted some juicy gossip about her infamous neighbor and his tax paid guardians. Unfortunately their schedule and mine did not allow for a long chat so no good secret service stories this time. Kathy, however, has finished outlining her book about Mandy the Manatee and Pam has almost completed her first novel. She got her idea for the book due to her proximity and friendship with the agents next door. The premise is an Al Qaeda operative is under cover in the secret service and has been assigned to the president’s protection detail. The female lead in the book lives on the ranch next door where their paths cross and she eventually falls in love with the pseudo secret service agent. From there the twist and turns of assassination attempts, accidents on the president’s ranch and numerous fires finally peak the curiosity of our female neighbor until she finally discovers the truth about the man she loves. Every good novel has some basis in truth. Think about the ramifications of an Al Qaeda operative in this position and if it could happen.
When we first started doing events at the halls they were small and easily handled by the two of us. Eventually they became bigger and bigger until we had to find people we could depend on to help us and we did. From the first, Pam, Amanda, Chris and Rose worked each event with us without anyone having to tell them what to do or when to do it and were always professionals. Here we were down to our last three events. Pam, Amanda and Chris were still on board, still professional but had to take up the slack at the last minute because our fourth waited until a mere two hours before crunch time to let us know she was not coming to work; twice. No one believed the excuses and frankly no one cared; we all just went into another gear and took up the slack. We have had a hard time finding people who actually want to work, housekeepers, chefs, waitresses etc. Oh they love the job, just ask them; they love the money, just ask them, but they either get lazy or they bring their emotional problems to work and expect sympathy or they begin to think they are too good to wait on people or clean a room. If you need a job, as some profess they really do, then you do what you have to do to make it work, put your personal differences aside, leave your problems at home and come to work to work. You’d think that forty something year olds would have a good work ethic and would be mature enough to leave the thorns of their problems at home, but then I guess a rose by any other name is not a rose. The leaves have been stripped, the grace and the beauty gone and a rose can no longer be depended on to be a beautiful dependable flower.
Speaking of events. The very last event is this coming weekend. I am very sad. Not only am I going to lose my job but lose something I was meant to do and that is cook for and entertain people. What is sadder still is the thought of the two most historic houses in North Augusta closed and locked until or if someone decides to purchase them. Those magnificent structures sitting idle in the summer heat, the grounds unkempt, no joy, no laughter no tender loving care. Whatever are the ghosts going to do without us? And, yes, it will be sad to see Rhonda and Larry pull out of the driveway for the very last time and head back to Virginia.

Lost Friends and Helen Brach

All of this paranormal talk and ghost hunter visitation made me curious. We have been told versions of the previous owner’s demise; we do not, however, know what is true and what is truth embellished. The description of one version tickled my brain so as a result I thought I would do a little investigation. We were told of a Helen Brach like story with a male companion; Helen’s was a butler or houseman, who plied her with drugs and alcohol until that fatal day. We were told there were copious amounts of blood at the scene therefore I surmised there must be a police report. I also surmised that an ambulance was surely called and if the policy was in place in 2006 as it is now, Public Safety would also be involved. Where there is Public Safety there are reports, which are public records, so that is where my digging started and ended. No report, no mention of her on that fatal day; a dead end so-to-speak. Where to next? Archives of the Star would be the logical place for an obituary however I figured since no police report was filed there would be no attached story. Curiouser and couriouser. I have tracked the male companion; I know where he is. Too bad he could not come back for the stash of goodies he hid on the grounds. Too bad I can not speak with him but then would he tell me the truth. Helen Brach’s butler never did and she was never found. Even though suspicions grew that “the butler did it” because he purchased a small meat grinder the weekend she disappeared, that was debunked by the scientist as the grinder was too small to grind a body; seems the motor would have burned out before the job was completed. That left Richard Bailie, the con artist, the horseman who sold ringers to older rich women. Our only suspect is the companion but since no investigation took place I suppose we will never know.
Nothing makes one face his or her own mortality like having a life-long friend of the same age die. Nothing makes one want to go out and really live when one loses someone like this to a disease that makes no sense. My friend never took a drink a day in her life yet she died of non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. She had recently been placed on the transplant list but her body just gave out. She and I shared many a memorable moment from three years old until now. She and I got into our share of trouble growing up but the thing I will remember the most is how we used to giggle until we cried every single time we got together.
The children’s author from Texas will be back this week and I am looking forward to hearing more stories from “The Crawford Texas Ranch”, its guardians the Secret Service and most especially about Mandy the Manatee in the Savannah River. I will pass these stories on of course because last time they were so amusing.
The last event took place at Lookaway July 5th. 200 guests, Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts, and mother nature all came together to create a rocking and fitting farewell to that magnificent home. July 4th evening was spent on the walk out roof watching the fireworks on the Savannah; the final time for this also. We had planned on Popeye’s chicken but for some unknown reason they ran out of chicken or did not want to bother to cook it because they wanted to get out early. This is the store on Walton Way and 25 and believe me when I tell you the young woman at the window was insolent, rude and with any luck, after my scathing email to the home office, will be looking for a job this next week.

Thiefs and Ghost

A new low for human kind: I thought I’d seen or heard it all, every low thing one human can do to another and in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t rank near the top as far as the destruction one human can wrought on another but this is right up there with the lowest. At our last wedding the florist delivered the flowers but instead of finding someone to let them know or setting them up in the designated places, she left them in two boxes in the foyer. While there, she encountered a man and what appeared to be a teenaged girl, who were looking for another wedding but when told they were in the wrong place, did not leave; they just walked on in to look around. Unfortunately the only person in the main house at the time was setting up the cake and she too soon departed. Well Mr. Blue Van (loaded with pew bows) and his accomplice, after making comments on how lovely the flowers were, decided they were so lovely they would just take them along when they left. The bride’s mother rightly thought the flowers were never delivered until she noticed the containers they were to go in and thus the search began. There is no doubt in my mind that she will find out who confiscated the floral arrangements; she has been to check out wedding licenses for any Miller who was married the same weekend with the same lovely lavender colors; someone will talk, they always do.
Now for the surprise: Have you ever heard of GHOSC? Neither had I until we were contacted a couple of weeks ago asking for permission to come down and research the “sightings” and noises we and guests have encountered in The Halls. GHOSC are paranormal investigators from South Carolina with sophisticated equipment that picks up energy sources sometimes not visible to the human eye or, in our case, the source of the tinkling bells, the invisible piano player, the mischievous spirit who moves things around or the lovely lady that wanders the top floor of Rosemary Hall.
There is difference between Mark, Amy, Mike and Jeremy and the paranormal researchers you see on television; GHOSC look for scientific reasons for occurrences. They set up four infra red cameras in Lookaway, all in specific areas that have reportedly had happenings. They also used EMF Detectors, Electro Magnetic Field, that are hand held and pick up unusual sources of energy. Hand held cameras, digital cameras and audio equipment were also in use. During the evening’s recordings and explorations there were a few unexplainable instances and one that was debunked right after it happened, that is until the following day. Three of the four of them heard a little girl laughing and singing along with what sounded to be the definite growl of a dog. The camera in the attic picked up movement so off they went to explore. While in the attic something definitely moved from the outside entrance to one of the closet doors across the path of Mike who told me he felt a tingling sensation in his arms as it passed. Mark tried to get the little girl to play but all she did at the time was laugh, later on she played tricks on him by closing the door to his room whenever he left it open or when he was in the room. I had made the comment that I felt uncomfortable in Lookaway therefore when the next thing happened they thought they had found the reason. Just before dark the EMF spiked and the alarms went off in a particular chair in the gentleman’s parlor. The spike was higher on the floor so in order to rule out the paranormal they went to the basement directly under the chair and it spiked so the conclusion was electricity in the conduits had caused the spike that is until they took me over on Sunday to show me. No electrical activity, not in the parlor, not in the basement, nothing. While we were all sitting around discussing this the EMF was laying quiet on the sofa in the space between Mike and Amy. All of a sudden it went wild; it spiked and alarms sounded. When Mike spoke angrily and told whatever it was to get off the sofa, it slowed down a bit then he angrily told it to move and the alarms sounded again. It was cool to say the least. That same night there were thumps in the basement when Mark spoke to whoever was there. They have a lot of film footage to review as well as audio and digital and I for one can’t wait for the results. When I left they were at Rosemary in the room where Sandra died to see if there was any activity. No sign of the walking lady upstairs however something or someone blocked the camera in the Parson’s room for a few shots. They will be back, GHOSC, and I hope I am around for the second adventure of forensics of the paranormal.

A Billion Dollars

Can your mind wrap around a billion dollars? How about 92 billion dollars? As hard as I might try I can not grasp or visualize that much money yet we hear that the oil companies have reported profits in the billions on a quarterly basis. Next quarter will be higher because we are complacent enough to sigh and complain and not incensed enough to do something about it. Our Commander and Chief pays a visit to the folks holding the oil strings so-to-speak, glad hands, hugs, laughs and leaves then two days later oil is up $2.00 a barrel. I could not help but laugh today; for $10 I got 2.63 gallons of gas and I, like most people, can not fathom billions of dollars therefore when I go to the pump it breaks my heart to spend a good portion of my paycheck to get gas to go to my job. If I knew how to start a movement to get all the apathetic people angry enough to say enough is enough, I would.
The last two weekends have been full to say the least. Two weddings, four breakfasts and a rehearsal dinner, all toll a couple of hundred people. After the cooking is done I sometimes get to sneak in and people watch. Our last two groups have come with children; some very well behaved, some not so much. It is interesting to observe the differences in the parents. Those children who run wild and free and are into everything are generally accompanied by parents who pay no attention to them in a crowd or give them whatever they want just to get them to go away. Those children who are well mannered, respectful of others and other’s things seem to have parents who were brought up the same way and it stuck. These parents are responsible adults, the other parents seem to want to be the center of attention and often times act like children themselves. It is fun to watch the social interactions of others also. You can spot the insecure ones by the airs they put on just as you can spot the people who are at peace with themselves and just are themselves. You can certainly spot the phonies even if you don’t know them from before. Like those self righteous married men who attend alone but spend their time flirting with the single lovely bridesmaids. It is all very amusing to watch for a while but it begins to be the same old dance and it becomes boring.
This may or may not be something that I have previously mentioned but I am terrified of spiders. I will not go under my house to turn up the hot water heater because there are spiders in there. It seems a strange combination that gardening is one of my passions yet spiders inhabit almost every inch of the earth and somehow I have managed to over look them for the most part with one exception. I have these huge and I mean huge black and yellow spiders. The first year they showed up they camped out over the backyard water spigot therefore I avoided that and dragged hoses from the front. I have learned to live with them and up until this week there were four in my kitchen window. One ate one now there are three and as long as they stay outside it will be live and let live but no spider survives in my house. I love snakes, they don’t bother me at all, but spiders are another story altogether. I actually get light headed and nauseous when face to face with one even though they are an asset to the garden and I have learned to co-exist with them, I don’t have to like it.
Something exciting is happening next weekend.

Running for President

1996 NADPS Director William H. Heim on the search and capture of David Mark Hill:

“I was out of town when the shooting occurred, and didn’t get back until later that evening. There was quite an extensive search already underway, with numerous public safety officers, deputies, and SLED agents manning the perimeter of the search area to contain the suspect and more law enforcement personnel split into groups conducting searches. There was a SLED helicopter also, with infrared capabilities. Then Captain Wetherington did coordinate the search for NADPS and did a very nice job. Of course, Captain Mosely and his investigators spearheaded the criminal investigation with SLED. Lt. Pearson also did a great job as media spokesperson, having been rather recently designated by me to fill that role. As I usually do, I let the officers do their jobs, filling in any gaps when necessary and working with the county prosecutor (Barbara Morgan) and regional director of children services on both the investigative and victim support efforts.”

Rather than directly voting for the President and Vice President, in the primaries, U.S. citizens cast votes for Electoral College representatives, known as electors. While electors are theoretically free to vote for the candidate of their choice, in practice they pledge to vote for specific candidates. Thus, voters indirectly vote for Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates by voting for correspondingly pledged electors. Because all of the electors from a state will generally vote for the Presidential candidate that receives the most votes in that state, U.S. Presidential campaigns concentrate on winning the popular vote in a combination of states that choose a majority of the electors, rather than campaigning to win the most votes nationally.
Currently, the Electoral College is composed of 538 electors. Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of its Senators and Representatives in the United States Congress. Additionally, the District of Columbia is given a number of electors equal to the number held by the smallest states. U.S. territories are not represented in the Electoral College. (Wikipedia)
Therein lays the rub. Members of the Electoral College “theoretically” pledge to vote for the President and Vice President the citizens have chosen but there is nothing to stop them from voting the opposite. Unless you have had civics lessons or studied constitutional law, you or me, the average citizen probably believes that when you go to the polls and cast your vote, it counts. Theoretically it does; in reality maybe not. If a government is by definition elected by the people for the people do not the electors have the obligation to vote the way the public votes? We are a two party system which in most years leaves us with slim pickings as far as candidates are concerned. Those in the running are generally those with the most money, influence, family contacts or have access to those aforementioned things. Those in the running are not ordinary citizens like us. Those in the running are wooed by special interest groups and sometimes sell parts of their soul to the devil if-you-will in order to run and hopefully win. Something is wrong when a person spends millions to win a job that pays a paltry sum compared to what they spend. Of course the perks are there; all you have to do is look at the present administration to see that.
I wonder what would happen if an ordinary honest citizen ran for president and won.

Accommodation Disbursement

Yet another meeting to decide how to disburse the Accommodations taxes that have been collected. I must admit that this group has some unique candidates and some of the same folks from the last meeting are back but for different reasons. Olde Towne Preservation Association needs money to market the Living History Park for one year. They are requesting $8000 which is double last years’ amount. The Living History Park does bring in folks from more than 50 miles out and some of these tourist and performers do stay within North Augusta’s city limits while they are here. The Battle of Aiken is requesting $7500 for advertising and claims 77.8% of those attending are tourist from further than 50 miles. The $7500 request is three times last year’s budget. Wings and Wetlands a totally new event/venue is requesting a mere $1500 for marketing and advertising and since it is new they have no way of projecting tourist information. Environment and nature are big draws these days. The City of Wagener is back, this time wanting $1259.52 to promote its Hometown Holiday Celebration. No tourists seem to attend so I would assume the Hometown should foot that bill. Aiken’s Makin, although they were three days late in presenting their paperwork, insisted they be heard because they need $10,500 for marketing. No decision here, they were late and if it was all that important to them they should have been on time. The DuPont Planetarium located on the campus of USC Aiken, is requesting $8120 touting they had 13,989 visitors last year and need more money to market. Where were the visitors from? Maybe the campus, maybe their families. And something about anything with the name DuPont on it asking for money just does not fit. The Chittlin Strut folks are back. This time they are requesting money for brochures to place in the visitor’s centers and other strategic locations. How do they justify this? Yes, they are a big draw. Yes, they have visitors from all over the country, but even with all those people who attend their entire profit from last year’s strut was a mere $1000. There is a reason for that. The Strut people set up booths, they sell those fried delicacies in order to profit and right down the street their churches are giving them away to anyone who ask. There should be a meeting of the minds. Finally, The Jacksonville Commission is requesting $1232.94 to fund advertising for the Sweet Potato Festival. This event, they say, draws 9500 visitors each year, 200 of those are tourist from more than 50 miles out and one of the prerequisites is the majority of attendees must be from further out than 50 miles. Where have I been for the last 12 years? I did not even know there was a sweet potato festival much less a Jacksonville. Hum, maybe they do need the money.
A few weeks ago I wrote about NADPS descending on one of the residences in my neighborhood which seemed to result in one person being detained. I also sort of defended the neighbor in question. This past weekend he packed all his belongings in a U-Haul and moved. One can suppose he was going to move anyway or one can suppose he thought he ought to move now that his place is under scrutiny; one can suppose many things. There are not too many of the neighbors who stay for a long period of time. Of those that do they go about their daily routine having little to do with those that don’t. As for me, I just am in awe of some of them. I wonder how they afford what they have but never leave the house to work. New wardrobes, new cars, must be nice.