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Wednesday, December 25,2019
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 5A
Malo’s
hands
Photo courtesy of Joshua Demarest
Malo spends Christmas with her grandkids, circa 1993. From left: Josh, Ginger,Trey and Malo.
By Joshua Demarest
jdemarest@dawsonnews.com
In the Demarest household,
Christmas is a time for family.
Cousins, aunts, uncles, broth
ers, sisters, wives, husbands,
children and pets have histori
cally descended on my parents’
house in Spartanburg, South
Carolina on Christmas day.
It has always been a day
where the entire family comes
together from however spread
out across the country (and
recently, globe) we’ve gotten.
One Christmas, we had to
video chat my cousin in from
Afghanistan.
So it was with a genuinely
heavy heart that my wife and I
decided to do Christmas away
from the family this year. It has
been a hectic, stressful year full
of changing jobs, health issues,
shifting timetables, and a heavy
helping of both personal tri
umphs and defeats. And so,
Bethany and I chose to take a
holiday in New Orleans that
allowed us to disconnect from
the world and reconnect as a
family unit.
Unfortunately, that also
meant missing one of the fami
ly traditions I hold most sacred.
And that’s gotten me thinking
a lot about the traditions and
we have in our family. This
week, my cousins Ginger and
Trey will likely get too compet
itive over board games. My
mom will light up in a way she
only does when everyone is
together and happy. One ram
bunctious toddler will be laugh
ing and running around. The
little silver bell that my parents
got the first Christmas they
were married hangs, as it has
since 1979, on the highest
branch of the Christmas tree.
And oh, the food. Some of
the same recipes that have been
handed down over a century
will make their way onto the
table, and then my favorite
family tradition of all will hap
pen: the whole family will rem
inisce about Malo’s hands.
It’s usually Ginger who tells
the story, while my mom and
Aunt Anne supplement the
details from decades of watch
ing their mom perform.
First, a little clarification. Malo
is the name we affectionately
called my maternal grandmother.
My father coined the term. It’s a
combination of Ma and Lois.
Malo was the greatest cook I’ve
ever known, with the down-home
Southern cooking that calls to
mind Sundays after church and
long summer afternoons.
Malo could cook anything,
but nothing topped her biscuits.
They were from scratch, of
course, and she always made
them the same way. Even
though I was barely 11 when
she passed, I can still see her in
the kitchen performing the ritu
al. After she mixed the dough
— by hand, no KitchenAid for
her — she would flour the
counters and roll it out.
Then the magic would start.
Her hands would flutter
under the dough in a circle,
turning it over on itself and
then rolling it back out. Time
and time again, painstakingly
creating layer upon flaky layer.
Then, she’d cut the biscuits out
of the dough using the top of a
water glass. She had biscuit
cutters, of course. But her
mother had used a water glass,
and I suppose her mother
before her.
Family traditions are funny
like that.
So during this special season,
keep your family, friends and
loved ones close. Even if you
can’t be in the same room for
whatever reason, be free with
your love, your forgiveness,
your compassion, and your
laughter. Call the people you
love and remind them why
they’re special to you. And tell
a story about those who are no
longer with you.
And to my family, remember
Malo’s hands and that I love
you.
Joshua Demarest is the editor of
the Dawson County News. His col
umns will appear periodically.
Stacy Harris received a Service Award for the month of December at the
council meeting on Dec. 16. She holds the position of Customer Service-IT
Specialist/Administrative Assistant and has been a part of the City of
Dawsonville staff since December 2017. Pictured from left: Council member
Caleb Phillips, Stacy Harris, Mayor Mike Eason, Council member Stephen
Tolson and Council member Mark French.
Photo for the Dawson County News
FROM 1A
Ethics
Attorney Dana Miles to provide a legal
opinion on the definition of “residency”
for Sanvi.
During the hearing, the board read a
written statement provided by
Councilmember French, which served
as a rebuttal to the complaints filed
against him. The statement, which was
also provided to Dawson County News,
took argument with the allegations that
French directed Bolz and Miles to form
a “legal opinion,” instead claiming that
French’s email, which used the phrase
“consult with legal to draft an appropri
ate response” was intended to provide a
quick answer and correct a situation in
which a “legitimate concern of a resi
dent had been brushed aside with no
justification as to why.”
French, who is represented by local
attorney Steven Feibel, further asserted
that the City of Dawsonville had failed
to serve him a copy of the complaint
within the seven days, as required by the
Ethics Ordinances.
Ab Hayes, a lawyer retained by the
City of Dawsonville to handle this case,
offered a solution of simply resubmit
ting the complaints as they were and
serving them within the timetable.
Hayes told the ethics board that he
would consult with Feibel as to the best
path for both parties moving forward.
French also added that he believed the
entire ethics complaint is motivated by
political gamesmanship.
“I have given much thought as to the
motives of the other members of the
Council in the filing of the complaint. In
doing so, I am of the unwavering opin
ion it is based solely upon political
motives and not upon any alleged
improper action on my part. The
Council is well aware of my support for
another candidate in the recent Mayoral
election. This fact combined with the
sudden resignation of former Council
Member Jason Power due to a residency
issue is highly suspect in my mind.”
The board deliberated for roughly fif
teen minutes before coming back to
open session and delivering its verdict:
Complaints 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9 met the
criteria for moving forward and the
board will hear arguments and evidence
from both sides in Jan. 2020.
Complaints 6, 7, and 8 were dismissed
by the board.
Dawson County News will be updat
ing this story as more information
becomes available.
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