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BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2013
What do you know...
Write about what you know: Sound advice given
to writers around the globe for as long as people
have been putting pen to paper.
Well, I suppose it is only critical if one is writ
ing for public consumption.
It makes sense, when you think about it. If
you’re going to write a regular personal opinion
column, you really hate the thought of readers
using the paper on which is printed your prose to
line their bird cage.
Of course, Don Wade actually did that once -
and sent me a picture of it. Before you get the
wrong idea, Don and I have been friends since first
grade. He claims the placement of my column in
line for a direct hit from his cockatiel was totally
unintentional. Mm-hmm, whatever...
You begin to ponder what you know about that anyone
would care to read about. You know, when one reaches a
certain age, it becomes apparent that you know a lot about
things nobody cares about, but not enough about things
they do care about.
Sometimes it isn’t a question of whether you know
much about anything that will pique the readers’ interests.
Rather the conflict arises when your opinion is not a direct
reflection of theirs. Then you’re just plain stupid, accord
ing to detractors, and they swear they’ll never read the
publication again.
Crushed, you sigh heavily, pick up the pieces of your
shattered life and move on.
The mere fact that this space is devoted to personal opin
ion rather than hard news should be a clue that the content
will be just that: personal opinion. But, oh Lordy, there are
some folks who just cannot make that distinction between
"this is what happened" and “this is what I think about it.”
Out of their lack of understanding will arise a spew of
venom splattered all over the blogs as quickly as their little
fingers can bang it out on a keyboard. Oh, and it’ll all be
hidden behind a screen name so you don’t know who they
are. That takes real fortitude.
It has been my experience that selected situations in
which I find myself lend themselves well to a written
contemplation of the topic. Whether they take a humorous
or serious tone depends on a number of factors. Breaking
one’s leg, a divorce, or going through a major life change
can be rather humorous once you get over being angry,
throwing darts at somebody’s picture — or the somebody
in question - and weeping uncontrollably at their twist of
fate.
Not long ago, a friend of mine was complain
ing about having difficulty with her personal
thermostat. Since she’s pushing that mid-centu
ry mark, it is highly likely that her temperature
control issues are the result of The Change.
She’s miserable. Her family is wearing ski par
kas in July. In the house.
“Get a hysterectomy,” I told her. “It’ 11
change your life. Best thing I ever did.”
I remember as though it were yesterday
calling my doctor’s office to ask what were my
options the morning it became obvious part of
my body was not only losing the war, it had
joined the opposition.
“How does a hysterectomy sound?” his nurse asked.
“I didn’t eat breakfast this morning,” I responded. "What
time do you want me there?”
Now that I know about, along with my mother’s thyroid
going nuts. I became something of a thyroid expert while
trying to figure out what was going on with her after she
developed thyroid disease at 89-years-old.
As I was contemplating what to write this week, I felt
certain y’all don’t want to read about my hysterectomy, my
mother’s thyroid, or the fact that this move to Virginia has
taken on a life far too reminiscent of National Lampoon’s
Vacation. (Is Mr. Fix-It related to Clark Griswold? Is ask
ing my beloved why we didn’t just rent a big enough truck
and get it moved all at once instead of making multiple
trips — and we’re still not finished — just too much to
ask?)
Finally, my daughter asked: Why don’t you write about
politics?
Okay, here goes: The country is a mess. The two major
parties are too busy trying to win the argument no mat
ter how badly their solution will further screw things
up. Abolish the IRS. Bring on the Fair Tax. Tort reform.
Term limits at every level and no salaries, retirement, or
health insurance for elected officials. Let them build their
own benefit packages. Reimburse expenses only. It’s an
opportunity to serve at the local, state, or national level,
not a career. As Forrest Gump said, “That’s all I have to
say about that.”
Helen Person is a former Winder resident residing in
Virginia. You can send comments about this column to
haperson. VA@gmail.com
Several June programs scheduled at Winder Library
Entertainment abounds at The Winder Library during the
month of June. Every Thursday during the month of June at 11
a.m. a children’s entertainer will perform. Arthur Atsma, Bill
Packard, Tom Pierce and Chad Crews will be featured doing
everything from juggling to magic.
Teens are invited to join the Beautiful Creatures Book
Club on Wednesday, June 5, at 3 p.m. The movie “Beautiful
Creatures” will be shown on Monday, June 10, at 5 p.m. A Teen
Art Workshop will be held Wednesday, June 12, at 3 p.m. The
instructor will be local artist Richard Gnann IV. Students will
learn how to draw Van Gogh Landscapes. The first five teens to
sign up will receive their art supplies for free.
Passes for June entertainment are also available. Patrons may
check out the Georgia State Park Pass, which permits entrance to
any of Georgia’s State Parks free of charge. Check out the Zoo
Atlanta Pass by watching a 15-minute short film and receive two
adult and two children’s tickets that must be used within seven
days. Passport to Puppetry from the Center for Puppetry Arts
is for free museum admissions and special show and workshop
discounts for the whole family. Movies of all types are also
available to check out with any PINES library card.
June 21 is officially the first day of summer, but the entire
month of June is celebrated at The Winder Library with free
programs and services. Find out more about the library’s entire
June schedule at www.prlib.org or call 770-867-2762. The
Winder Library is located at 189 Bellview Street.
Volunteers being
sought for
Historical Society
The Barrow County
Historical Society is seek
ing volunteers to help keep
the Barrow History Museum
open.
Located in the “Old Jail” at
74 W. Athens St., the muse
um’s current hours are Mon.-
Fri. 1-4 p.m. and Saturday
10 a.m.-l p.m. Admission is
free.
A commitment of only three
hours per month is asked of
volunteers. For more infor
mation on the museum, the
society or volunteering, go to
www.cityofwinder.com,
click on Winder History, then
on Barrow County Museum,
or call 770-307-1183.
Winder to host farmers market beginning June 1
The Winder Downtown Development end of August.
Authority is now taking vendor applications
for a local farmers market.
The market will be held in the front of the
historic train depot on Porter Street beginning
Saturday. June 1, and running throughout the
The market will be held every Saturday
morning from 8 a.m. until noon. Vendor
applications are available at the Website
www.winderdowntown.com or by calling
770-867-8808.
Making memories
My husband and I are get
ting a kick out of watching
Everybody Loves Raymond on
Netflix. Not only is the show’s
audience geared to families
with young children such as
ours, we have quite a bit in com
mon with Raymond’s
family, including hav
ing in-laws of European
descent.
Recently we watched
an episode when
the overworked and
exasperated wife of
Raymond yells at him
for not spending enough
time with the kids. She
tells him that he should
be part of their chil
dren’s childhood memo
ries and ends her lecture
by yelling, “Put those
golf clubs down and make some
damn memories!”
Moms desperately want
what’s best for our kids, but
we aren’t always able to live
up to the ideal mom who never
gets frustrated and never yells.
Sometimes I worry about the
mom that my children will
remember.
Will they remember me as
a cheerful mom who liked to
play Trouble, create scavenger
hunts and paint pictures with
them? Will they remember me
as the mom who was hopeless
in the kitchen and heated up
frozen pizza more than I care
to admit? Will they remember
a tired, grumpy mom, or worse,
a mom who kept saying, “I’ll
be there in a minute,” but really
took fifteen minutes to finish
her work on the computer.
“You’re always on the com
puter,” my son said once. Ouch.
Then I tried to think back to
my childhood. Don’t I have
good memories? I vividly
remember the bad things like
my parent’s divorce or losing
friends at school who found
buddies they thought made a
better friend than me. Where
are my good memories? My
tired brain searched. Why is it
so much easier to remember the
bad stuff?
But then I found them, smil
ing behind the murky clouds of
a normal kid’s up and down life.
I remember my mom buying
me a pet parakeet, and I named
him Bo. We kept his cage in
the corner of the sunroom, and
I tried to teach him how to say
“hello.”
Sometimes my mom would
let me bring him into the master
bedroom where we’d lay on my
parent’s king size bed to watch
T.V. together. We’d let him fly
free through the room, and he
loved to sit up on the chain of a
hanging lamp. Then we would
pat the bed, and say, “Come
here. Come here.” He would
fly down to the bed and prance
around between us.
I was never able to teach
him how to say “hello,” but
he learned to say
“come here.” He
lived for 12 years
too.
I also remem
ber my mother
tickling me on
that giant bed,
and I remem
ber listening to
her read Helen
Keller. I remem
ber the afternoon
she picked me up
from school and
handed me a copy
of “Where the Sidewalk Ends,”
which she bought just for me
because she knew I loved it.
I also remember my mom
warming my jackets by an elec
tric heater before I walked out
into the freezing Colorado snow
to catch the bus, and I remem
ber the extra special prom dress
es that she spent way too much
money on, but I appreciated that
so much.
I can remember not under
standing why my mom would
sigh so much every time I inter
rupted her (oh I understand
now!), but I also remember her
smile.
Nowadays I try to remember
not to beat myself up when my
son complains that I’m not at his
beckon call. After all, he tends
to forget that I spend several
hours with him and his brother
every morning doing school
or his self-initiated projects or
sometimes playing games.
He forgets that I often spend
the evenings outside with him
in the garden and watching him
play and that every night I lay
with him for half an hour to chat
and tell stories. He doesn’t know
that usually when I’m at my
computer I’m either planning
or recording our days together.
When he’s an adult, I’m hoping
his long-term memory will be
better than his short-term mem
ory is now. I don’t want him to
remember me as a perfect mom,
but I hope he’ll think back and
remember that I tried my best,
and I liked cooking up a lot of
fun too.
Shelli Bond Pabis is a Winder
resident and contributing col
umnist for the Barrow Journal.
Send comments about this col
umn to her at shellipabis@
gmail.com. You can also visit
her blog at www.mamaofletters.
com.
May 29, 2013 ~ Crossword Puzzle
T).
Headmaster’s
Corner
by
Steve Cummings
HONORING OUR SOLDIERS -
This past Monday, Americans
paused to honor those who have
given their lives to preserve the
freedoms that we all enjoy. I’m
glad we have an annual holiday to
remember those who have fallen in
battle so that we can live in
freedom.
One of the freedoms these
soldiers died for is the freedom of
religion. We are grateful for this
precious freedom, which allows us
to offer a Christ-centered
education to families throughout
Northeast Georgia. While we as
Americans will disagree on many
things, may we never disagree on
the fact that freedom of religion is
part of the foundation that makes
this Country the greatest on earth.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
"Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com
Across
1. “How Has the Banshee
Cried” (Thomas Moore poem)
4. Escapade
9. Brio
13. Astringent
15. Obviously surprised
16. Cartoon bear
17. Food sticker
18. Atomic number 5
19. Beat badly
20. Old Glory (3 wds)
23. Bank
24. Charge
25. Cujo’s disease
28. Creole vegetable
30. Conditions
33. And others, for short
34. Architectural projection
35. “Stupid me!”
36. Political entity in Europe
dissolved by Napoleon (3 wds)
40. “Then what?”
41. Sharp, narrow ridge found in
rugged mountains
42. Balcony section
43. Ottoman governor
44. Banquet
45. Typewriter roller
47. 20-20, e.g.
48. Donkey's harsh cry
49. Suitable for feeding into a
computer (2 wds)
57. Ashtabula’s lake
58. “No kidding”
59. “Neato!”
60. One million bytes (pi.)
61. “Tomorrow” musical
62. Chuck
63. “ on Down the Road”
64. Resident
65. Athletic supporter? (golf)
Down
1. Feed bag contents
2. Dart
3. Charlie, for one
4. Conspiratorial groups of plotters
5. Acute physical or mental pain
6. Leopard
7. Group of poems with a common epic
theme
8. Not having to pay for property use
(hyphenated)
9. High nest: Var.
10. Aerial maneuver
11. Chill
12. Pesky insects
14. “ we row along,...” lyrics
21. “Comprende?”
22. Camelot, to Arthur
25. Doctor's order
26. Agreeing (with)
27. Mount , tallest Indiana sand dune
28. Be bombastic
29. Cattle
30. Dostoyevsky novel, with ‘The”
31. Fake
32. Bishop of old TV
34. Black cat, maybe
37. Pie cuts, essentially
38. Light blue Monopoly avenue
39. Engage in make-believe
45. Reverent petition to God
46. Boy
47. Plural of “this”
48. Contradict
49. Same: Fr.
50. Length x width, for a rectangle
51. Smokes
52. Coastal raptor
53. Crosspiece between chair legs
54. Sack
55. Ditch
56. “...or !”
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