0629 best of ngm for issu

Summer means happy times and good sunshine. It means going to the beach, going to Disneyland, having fun. - Brian Wilson

5

saw grass, honeysuckle thickets and “wait-a-minute” briars (those briars that snag hold of your clothes and you have to “wait a minute” to pluck them out), coupled with chiggers, deer ticks and the occasional Cottonmouth encounter – which is a special excitement no one wants to have, just wasn’t the way we wanted to do it.

Then, one day while enjoying a leisurely afternoon tubing expedition along the tailrace below the Lake Sinclair dam, the idea came to us. “Tubing!”

Now, it wasn’t a minute after hooking that first big bass and being dragged through the lily pads dotting the Avery Pond’s shallow side to understand there was so much more to this fishing from a tube than just accessing the pond’s backside without getting snake bit or Lyme disease.

And, from honing our “Tube Fishing” craft on Avery’s Pond that summer, we branched out from there as the years passed. No pond was too small, or lake too large, or river too swift.

Now, speaking of that tailrace below the Lake Sinclair Dam, it’s here that marks the spot where “Tube Fishing” tackle – the recommended, approved and officially sanctioned gear of “Tube Fishing” – came to be.

You see, in this half-mile or so stretch of the Oconee River below the dam lurks the biggest, meanest and downright nastiest fish known to tube fisherman...the Alligator Gar. If you’re unfamiliar with this tooth-filled monster, envision an alligator with fins instead of legs.

If that isn’t scary enough, these nightmarish creatures have been known to reach lengths in excess of six feet, are wrapped in a thick armored shell and have a long boney snout filled with hundreds of razor sharp teeth. Just scary really…and did I mention they were mean?

No cane pole comes close to being sturdy or strong enough to tangle with these beasts, and they will, literally, bite through the average, run of the mill used tire tube when given the chance.

Though being expert “Tubers” – the name “Tube Fishing” outsiders began to term us – we adapted.

The basic tire tube evolved to what became known today as the River Rat tube. This advanced and highly innovative floating platform was equipped with a reinforced vinyl covering for extra durability, netting across the bottom for ample gear storage, cup holders which firmly secured one’s preferred form of hydration, plastic handles to aid with stability and maneuverability as well as a cushioned neck rest for those hard days of lunker angling.

Basic cane poles were replaced by the Zebco 33 - as it’s the best all-purpose, dependable spincast reel on the market and has been since 1953, attached to a black Shakespeare “Ugly Stick,” an indestructible fishing rod of unmatched strength and flexibility.

Tears of joy are like the summer rain drops pierced by sunbeams. - Hosea Ballou

9

and three adults. Two of the kids were only 4 years old. At 12, I was the oldest, and Mother never stopped reminding me of that fact.

The first problem was figuring out where everyone would sleep.

Now, believe me, my Mother was creative, but I began to get a little nervous when I noticed everyone had been settled into a place except for me.

Then she went to the closet and began to pull out old clothes.

Puzzled, I watched as she threw them into the bathtub. When the pile was about four inches high, she calmly spread a blanket across them, then folded a large bed sheet in the middle and spread it on top of the blanket. She left the room and minutes later returned with a pillow.

The light bulb came on over my head when she smiled and said, “Raland, this is your bed.”

I slept there every night for the next three months. It was secure – I didn’t need to worry about falling out of bed. I just wish I could sleep today like I did in that old bathtub.

That summer Daddy plowed a garden twice as big as usual.

While he was at work at the Tennessee Copper Company (the plant), Mother and I planted it. Every time we’d start planting something new, Mother would say, “Make another row for your Aunt Betty.”

I remember thinking who in the world is going to eat all this food?

What I should have been worrying about was who was going to weed and hoe all those rows of vegetables! I have fond memories of Aunt Betty’s boys, Ricky and Roger, playing in the fresh dirt as I cut the weeds.

It’s funny how it’s the little things you remember about people.

Something that stuck with me all my life was Roger’s reaction to pain. If he got a bee sting or stumped his toe, he would yell “Oy, Oy, Oy!” all the way to his mother. In all my travels in life I’ve never heard that again. It still makes me laugh.

Every time we’d start planting something new, Mother would say, “Make another row for your Aunt Betty.” I remember thinking who in the world is going to eat all this food?

August, the summer’s last messenger of misery, is a hollow actor. - Henry Rollins

13

I don’t know when we began to harvest, but I definitely remember who got stuck doing it – ME! I especially remember green beans that summer. Mother would spread a bed sheet on the front porch in front of the swing. She and Aunt Betty would string and break the beans and then toss them into the center of the sheet. As the day went on, the pile grew higher and higher. It was all I could do to keep them with a steady supply of beans. Sometime just before supper Mother announced, “That’s enough beans, Raland. We’ll take them to the cannery tomorrow.”

I looked at the bed sheet, and the pile was about two feet high and went all the way to the edges on all four sides. Now you need to know I’d never been to the cannery before. Like everything else, there’s a procedure to follow. You wash them, you place them in a large tin can, you seal the can and then you cook them in a huge container.

At first I couldn’t understand why I had to be there. Then the old man that ran the cannery approached me and said, “Son, let me show you how to seal your Mother’s cans.”

Two hundred and fifty cans later I realized exactly why Mother had brought me along. When the cans were put into the huge container to cook, I actually thought I’d be able to rest. Wrong…

I think my Mother knew every single person in the county in that cannery that day.

When someone new would come in, Mother would talk and joke with them and then she’d volunteer me to seal their cans. Those people really loved my Mother.

We did two more cycles with the beans over that summer. I couldn’t believe how each little plant could produce so many beans. But I need to confess, when Mother said to me it should be the last of the beans, I made sure.

I pulled up each plant as I picked the beans off of it. I wasn’t taking any chances she’d see new beans coming on the plants and change her mind.

When September arrived, Aunt Betty and the kids started putting all of their belongings in their car. But before they did, Patsy and I loaded their trunk and floorboard with 500 sealed tin cans of green beans and other vegetables.

Later I heard Mother tell Daddy that Aunt Betty’s brother had moved in with her. Not too long after that I heard she’d gotten remarried to a man she’d met at her church.

Like most kids, something out of sight is out of mind. I don’t remember having any contact with them again until after I’d been in the Army for almost 10 years.

I’d like to think that she and her family are living happily ever after because they gave me the best summer of my life with their visit.

14

People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy. - Anton Chekhov

In all probability, Coleeta says, So protective and territorial her Grandmother Sawyer, who was ‘But I wasn’t spoiled. My daddy knew was she about her grandmother, a recognized midwife in the area, what a hickory was, and when he sent when she heard other children, who’d been delivered by her was probably also present but me to get one, I knew to get the right Grandmother Sawyer, refer to needed the assistance of a doctor her as “Granny or Aunt Mint,” she because the delivery was difficult. hickory.’

It almost ended the life of her got mad. “She was MY granny!” mother, who spent weeks in a hosColeeta declares, the only grand-COLEETA HARPER child on that side of the family. pital in Atlanta after Coleeta’s birth.

An Internet search of Coleeta “But I wasn’t spoiled,” she maintains. “My daddy knew what Sawyer’s birthdate reveals that “I lived a special life,” she says of her a hickory was, and when he sent me to get anyone born on that date was reputed to childhood. Her father, who was a barber, one, I knew to get the right hickory.” possess the soul of an artist. “You are a took her with him everywhere he went.

This lady who’s seen a lot in her lifetime fine companion.”

From her home in the East Ellijay area, It goes on to say, “You possess a good – she’ll be 87 on August 27 – was unique she lived within walking distance of sevsense of humor and friends seek you out almost from birth. Take her name, Coleeta, eral family members, including her father’s for your calming and peaceful company.” It for example. Her daddy was reading a parents. sounds like whoever created this personalibook set in the South Pacific and stumbled Coleeta’s grandfather ran a grist mill at ty profile pegged Ira Levin, but those peoacross the name, was intrigued by it, and the river in East Ellijay. At that time there ple in Gilmer County who’ve known Coleeta was a dam where the bridge into East ended up hanging it on his new daughter Sawyer Harper would point out that she fits Ellijay is now. He also had a watch repair and only child. this same profile, down to the last detail.

Only in that little twist of a way that business in his “office.”

16

It will not always be summer; build barns. - Hesiod

recalls. “It was a busy time, and the bus station was a busy place.”

From the Western Union office, she also worked for the REA, the forerunner of today’s Amicalola Electric Membership Corporation. For 10 days each month, she accepted bill payments, receiving compensation of 10 cents per dollar based on the amount of the bill, which was a dollar and three cents. It definitely was a different era.

Individuals in the rural parts of the county, many of whom had no way to write a check or pay on-line as we would today, had the help of the rural mail carrier instead. He would accept their bills and the cash money and deliver the payments and receipts to Coleeta.

“He’d bring in a stack of stamped paid bill stubs with a rubber band around them,” Coleeta recalls. “Then he’d hand me the money.” She also notes that very few people were ever delinquent with their pay-

ments. As a part of her work for the REA, she also issued the meter bases that new customers needed to get electricity into their homes.

She worked in a lot of department stores throughout the years, managing the Dixie Dime Store for 17 years. When her twins were in school, she worked at their school, so that she was home when they were home.

“You do what you have to do,” she says, when asked how she managed to juggle everything on her plate in those earlier years. Stating that both sets of their parents helped with child care over the years, she said, “Can’t say as I’d do anything differently.”

During some of those years, Coleeta was fortunate to have her mother living with them to help in the house when Leon became disabled with heart issues. Cooking wasn’t necessarily one of those tasks

that her mother helped with, because Mrs. Sawyer’s culinary skills were measured this way: “When the smoke alarm went off, the food was ready to eat.”

Fortunately, Coleeta did know how to cook and put those skills to good use feeding her family. Everything she made was good, family members maintain, but she excelled at cakes and puddings.

“My Aunt Velma taught me to cook,” Coleeta says. “And I learned a lot from the woman who cooked at the lunch counter at the bus station.” While she could cook most anything she set her mind to, Coleeta also collected recipes and loved to experiment with them.

After several years of poor health, Leon died on June 5, 1988. For many years, they had lived in the Harper home place. That home burned in 1971, and the family spent several years in East Ellijay. In the late 1970s, they moved to a house northwest

Tears are the summer showers to the soul. - Alfred Austin

19

Coleeta Harper (left) holds one of her twin boys around 1971, with her daughter Kathi Harper Hill (center) and her parents Bill and Kate Sawyer, holding the other twin. of downtown Ellijay. It was a double house, with quarters for Coleeta and Leon and their family. Coleeta’s mother lived in the other part of the rambling structure.

You leave the roadway today, driving beneath a canopy of trees, cross a picturesque, burbling creek, and end up in a different world just a hundred yards away from civilization. As you top the little rise and round the curve, you find the sprawling ranch-style home where Coleeta has lived for more than 35 years. Colorful hanging baskets of blooms hang from the porch, and the sounds of the tumbling creek waters sets the backdrop.

Now son Jerry lives in the other side of the house, and Coleeta maintains her own quarters just feet away. The furniture is comfortable and welcoming. A multitude of pictures of children and grandchildren line the fireplace hearth.

And Coleeta has her two favorite chairs – sometimes she sits in one, sometimes in the other. But at the end of the day, she’s very much at home here in this house, just as she’s so very much at home in Gilmer County. It’s been that way since August 27, 1929, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

20

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face. - John Donne

to see me running around chasing chickens with the hose misting everywhere. I will put a box fan in the house too, to circulate the air and help keep all the animals cooler. Of course, Don Quigoatie our goat will hog the fan if he can.

I like to create tasty treats for the chickens and ducks and even the dogs. I will make doggy Popsicles and put them out for the dogs to lick.

It’s important to be careful when giving dogs frozen treats and not to give them too much ice. I understand it can cause bloat in dogs, especially big dogs. I use an ordinary ice tray and put something yummy in the center like a piece of chicken or beef for the dogs to lick their way to the center. They enjoy the cold and the treat.

The chickens like frozen treats, too. I take greens and seeds and other goodies the chickens like and place them in the center of a pie plate and add water and freeze. The chickens will peck and peck until it melts enough to get to the treats inside the frozen block.

They also like cold fruit and vegetables. I will freeze chopped greens and put them out in a pan for them. They love frozen bananas and watermelon, too.

The ducks absolutely go crazy for frozen peas. They will eat as many as you put out for them. Feeding them frozen peas is the most entertaining summer activity for me.

I make sure to go out and change their water frequently in the summer and add ice cubes to make sure it’s cold and clean. Just like in the winter I go out often and add hot water to the cold water to warm up the animals.

Goats don’t care for cold water so in the summer they prefer to drink out of the water bowl with the warmest water, so I don’t change theirs with ice cold water.

It’s important to ventilate the chicken house year round, but in the summer we take down the barriers and make sure they are getting a nice cool breeze from side to side. Our animal house has chain link walls in the summer, and then we wrap it tightly with tarps and insulation in the winter. They will have their fan blowing and all seem comfortable enough all summer long.

I don’t know if other people spend as much time making sure their farm animals have creature comforts, but I think my animals appreciate it.

For us, it’s important to keep cool, too. Working outside in the garden gets hot and we need to stay hydrated and cool off from time to time. The gardens need plenty of water so as not to wilt and dry up, and all of my flowers and plants need it too.

I make sure to wear sunscreen when outside and try to get most of my chores done in the mornings before it gets too hot. I end up hanging out with the goats while they are feeling active. In the evenings when I’m outside I make sure that I drink plenty of water, but honestly, a nice glass of iced tea and my feet up on the front porch would be a much better way to spend a summer day.

crust in.

When my heavenly garden delight arrived I couldn’t wait to dive into it!

Topped with spinach, mushrooms, green olives, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, sauce and stringy cheese, it was so delicious! And perfect for my veggie head friends.

We also ordered our first Johnny’s Stromboli. We got ours stuffed with hamburger, sausage, pepperoni, ricotta and mozzarella, served with a side of marinara sauce. Just the Stromboli is enough for two people for dinner.

Calzones and Strombolis are around $9. My veggie Deluxe pizza is $21.50 and our Robb special is about $14. Lots of fresh salads between $3 & $8 and the garlic knots are under $4. They also serve beer and wine if you are so inclined. Johnny’s also makes pizza with a low/no gluten crust.

So after eating as much of all this amazing food as we could possibly fit, we still had enough to take home for lunch and dinner the next day. There is nothing better than getting to have Johnny’s two days in a row!

Johnny’s is a comfortable, casual place with friendly staff, fair prices and great food. If you are craving a NY style pizza, this is your place to go!

We love everything about our visits to Johnny’s. And we might just see you there, since we eat at Johnny’s all the time! Two forks way up!

744 Noah Drive Suite 116 Jasper, GA 30143 706-253-0800

26

I know white clothing is supposed to enhance that summer glow, but writers don’t tan. - Diablo Cody

box along with us. I love him!

Lora: What are three things you cannot live without?

Joey: Family first, friends, music and outdoors. Sorry that’s four but necessary!

Lora: What are the top songs on your play list right now?

Joey: 1. Alice in Chains - Sludge Factory 2. Deftones - Diamond Eyes 3. Chevelle- Grab Thy Hand 4. Blind Melon - Change 5.

Alice in Chains - Would 6. DoubleDrive - Even Out. 7. DoubleDrive – Freight Train 8. Seether- 69Tea 9. Tool - Stinkfist 10. Incubus Make Yourself.

Lora: If you could open for anyone who would it be?

Joey: Probably the Deftones only because they have the absolute best live shows I’ve ever been to.

Lora: What hobbies do you have outside of music?

Joey: Hiking, biking, kayaking, and shooting are my favorites!

Lora: What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?

Joey: Take a deep breath and just imagine what you are about to do. Take a deep breath and repeat to yourself “Hell yes I got this and it’s going to be fun!” Then take the stage and play and don’t worry about if it’s not the best you can do. That will come.

Just don’t stop and always try new things!

Joey’s message to you all is this: “Our message is true and is to love one another and this time we all have together! We are a mix of hard, southern, and melodic rock that beckons the ear to listen. With our own personal style everything you hear from us live you can bank on being original and all its own.

“I am a singer who will leave it all right there on the stage in front of you! Jason my guitar player is an inspiration to write original music and to stand out alone in the crowd.

“Danny Hatchet our bass player has been with me through several musical ventures and has become a force to be reckoned with his open finger style / slap bass playing has been our backbone and Drew Dupree is such a talented drummer that it’s hard to even describe the talent behind those drums! This kid can play a million miles an hour or slow it down to a smooth jazzy flow. Not to mention he can play the strings off of a guitar as well.

“Together we compliment each other’s different styles so much that it becomes almost effortless to enjoy everything we do together. Last but not least when you leave a Creek Don’t Rise show you know that the genuine men that stand before you came there for you, and we want you to hear our messages of love and appreciation of our fans and our love of that stage!!”

Want to reach thousands of readers? Advertise in The Best of the North Georgia Mountains!

31

“Why is summer mist romantic and autumn mist just sad?” ― Dodie Smith

39

“They aren’t down there. Are you sure they aren’t in my dirty pants?”

“Yes. Maybe you left them in your sweat pants.”

I hear him in the closet looking in the pockets of his dirty pants anyway. He comes back in the bedroom and takes his sweat pants off the hook and feels around on them.

“They aren’t in here.” He glances out the window. His face brightens. “Oh! I bet I laid them on the truck along with my work gloves.”

And down he goes.

More minutes pass. I hear him come back in, then the sound of him trudging up the stairs.

“No, they weren’t there.” Shaking his head, he put his hand to his shirt pocket to retrieve his sunglasses.

Dangling from the sunglasses were the keys.

I honestly can’t say I never lose something. There are times when I misplace something for a few minutes. This morning I was getting ready to go to a doctor’s appointment and my shoes disappeared. I remembered going into the closet and getting them, but they weren’t on the dresser, floor or bed.

First thing, I asked Husband if he’d taken my shoes somewhere, because when something of mine disappears, 95 percent of the

42

time, he’s the one who has absconded with it.

But this time he said no, so I retraced my steps and remembered I’d put my dirty socks in the basket, on top of the dryer. Sure enough, there were my shoes.

If Husband had lost his shoes, we would have had to go shopping for a new pair.

Once, he lost the entire ring of keys: office, home, car, safe deposit box, etc. and his dog tags, which were attached to the ring.

He found them the next year. Apparently he’d dug a hole to plant a rosebush. Rosebush died, he dug it up, and voila’! Keys!

It’s a mystery, most things he loses, though. I mean, our house just ain’t that big. Where the heck is all that stuff? Is there a black hole just to the left of our bedroom?

I wish I knew.

Kathi Harper Hill is the author of six published books that can be purchased locally, on the Internet at www.kathi-harper-hill.blogspot.com or by contacting her at 706-276-4675.

“Some of the best memories are made in flip flops.” ― Kellie Elmore

there you want to tell us about?

Neil: Not a specific one, but I love them all. It’s great to hear from fans who enjoy my books. It makes me want to write even more.

Lora: What are three things you cannot live without?

Neil: My kids, my wife, and coffee.

Lora: What hobbies do you have outside of writing?

Neil: I’m a bit of a fitness enthusiast. I run eight miles twice a week and practice taekwondo three days a week. I’m a black belt in taekwondo and love the martial arts.

Lora: As for music what are the top songs on your play list right now?

Neil: That’s a tough question for me. I listen to almost every genre and love them all equally. Jack Johnson is up the list a bit, but he’s got Blake Shelton, Marley, Justin Timberlake, and a lot of other company on my playlist.

Lora: What advice would you give to beginners about how to step out there with their creativity and also how to bring about a higher plane of creativity?

Neil: You just have to work at your craft. It takes years to get decent at any art, and you have to persist if you are ever going to be good. When I started, I said to myself, “It takes eight years to

be a doctor, so I’m going to treat writing with the same respect.”

Get in it for the long haul. If you work hard and persist, success will find you. Also, try not to be too sensitive about your work (wish I was a lot better about that one, lol).

Lora: What inspired you to write your first book?

Neil: The book Eragon had a lot to do with inspiring me. I read how young the writer was and thought, if he can do it, so can I. Also, I love a good challenge, and writing a novel seemed to be a great way to push myself.

Lora: Do you have a specific writing style?

Neil: I would say my style has become unique over the years.

I used to write a lot more like the way some of my favorite authors write, but over time, I found my own voice. I like to write in a lot of conflict, and try to expose as many aspects of the character’s personality as I can while keeping the action going.

Lora: How did you come up with the title to each book?

Neil: It’s one of the hardest things I have to do, naming my books. Some of the names come to me easy, but I usually have to make a list and ask friends what they think. I want the title to tell the reader something about the book, and I want it to be as memorable as possible, so if they see the title once, they won’t forget it.

Lora: What books have most influenced your life most?

“Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well.” - George R.R. Martin

47

Sometime after his big meal, he would go back to his radio to hear a program of gospel quartet music. It was then Stamps Baxter, the Blackwood Brothers and The Chuck-wagon Gang that sang together at a fast, loud pace those old-time songs that we still hear today.

I learned all the words to those songs. I suppose that all of Epworth did also, for it came through loud and clear! News and this program were the only two times he listened to his radio because he would possibly run the battery down!

His favorite place to rest was on the front porch. Why not? It was cool under the shade and was screened in. Actually, it was the gathering place for all the family. This was where he did his bean stringing and pea shelling and lots of talking. He could feel to string beans but pass the chore of breaking to someone else.

From time to time, a neighbor or friend in Epworth would drop by and actually stay all afternoon. They would talk of old times, coon and rabbit hunts, out-do each other in farm tales, and talk about how the world was in a terrible mess! Many times, as a child I would sit around and take in all these conversations, never knowing enough to ask questions and find out more about how they used to live.

As a lasting memory of the front porch days, we have in the family his porch chair that nobody else was allowed to sit in because it was “Pawpaw’s chair.” Today it is still referred to as just that. It was made by hand by someone and the posts, arms and legs were round like the wood limbs from which they were cut. It has been restored through the years and finally the rockers were cut off because of decay.

But it is still “Pawpaw’s rocking chair!”

The front porch was the scene also of kinfolk coming to visit from other places. It seemed at times there were their cousins, aunts, uncles, and others. Oh, the tales they could spin! There was information shared about where ole man somebody was, where their various aunts and cousins had ended up and how many children they had by now.

These scenes were where I learned what some of my folks looked like, who they were akin to, and where they lived. Since it was hard for Pawpaw to travel, this was a great blessing to him to have his kin come and spend time with him.

And speaking of a place to rest, his game to rest was checkers.

It is hard to believe that being the work-driven man that he was that he would finally resort to playing checkers as a pass time.

The rules of the game were that you never beat him in checkers for this caused heartbreak and a stream of things that you probably did wrong in order to beat him! He was the champ! He knew this and his opponent certainly knew it.

It was a pass time for him, and he was losing his eyesight.

They cut for him a very large board and drew and painted all the

squares to fit much larger checker pieces. Through the years the squares became bigger and bigger. I have the first large board that was made for him as a lasting memory of the checker-playing days.

In about the 1950s they finally got electricity at the farm. All of the work prior to this was done by wood stoves, lamp light, batteries, etc. I can’t remember Pawpaw being too much against electricity, but I can remember him not wanting a television because it was a new invention and because he could not see it. When they bought him an electric razor, he would not use it. Then one day someone came through the house and actually saw him shaving with it. Some things were not so bad after all.

Life became so much easier for everyone with electricity and finally a telephone. And then, there came an inside bathroom, which Pawpaw did not care for a great deal. He did his shaving in his bedroom in front of the old mirror, because he had always done it that way!

He most precious story that I remember about Pawpaw happened when he was up in his 80s. I use this story as an illustration in telling how older people should still always look forward to tomorrow and to do things they can do.

Well, the story goes that most of the family was sitting around on the coveted front porch ’tending to business of the day. This

“It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility.” - Yogi Berra

51