About The Madison County journal. (Hull, Ga.) 1989-current | View Entire Issue (July 9, 2025)
PAGE 4A - THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL, WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2025 Opinions ‘Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent." Henry Ward Beecher June flips from wet to heat Lard I wrote in last month’s article that I was forecasting (hoping) for a cooler summer than last year. My forecast is not off to a good start. A June that started off with abun dant rain and normal temperatures did a total about-face after mid-month and turned hot and dry. Last month was our 3rd-hottest June on record, but thankfully rainfall was pretty close to normal. After a couple of hot days, severe storms hit Madison County hard on the evening of the sev enth. Numerous trees were blown onto power lines which caused power outages for a large part of the county. A week of frequent showers and storms followed these storms and brought 3-6 inches of welcome rain across the county. But for our area, that was it. 13 of the last 15 days of the month brought temperatures in the 90s and little to no rain. Tem peratures peaked at 98 degrees on the 25th. A stagnant pat tern then set in which focused the storm pattern over the mountains down into the Atlanta metro area. The trough in the upper levels that had brought us all the rain early in the month was replaced by a massive high-pressure area that stretched from the Atlantic westward to Texas. As of this writing, it appears that this pattern of strong high pres sure is going to rule for at least the first half of July. This doesn’t mean we will have no rain or brief breaks from the heat, but it likely doesn’t mean any long stretches of rainy, cooler weather either. The current pattern is eerily similar to last summer. If not for the good rains in May and early last month, we would be back into serious drought. Now, no two summers are exactly alike so I’m not totally giv ing up on my hope for a cooler summer than last year, but it doesn’t look promising. One thing’s for sure: it was a much worse situation 100 years ago. June, 1925 was when the heat and drought really exploded over this area in that extraordi nary year. That month in Ath ens started out with 11 straight days with highs in the 90s. Then over an inch of rain fell on the 11th and the next two days were in the 80s. The break would be very brief. Every remaining day in June would be 90 or above. Three days would reach 100 or above, peaking at 102 on the 22nd. No rain fell in the last 19 days of the month. The average high in June, 1925 in Athens was 95.8. Most sections of northeast Georgia didn’t have electricity, much less air conditioning. Does anybody out there remember using “funeral home fans”? I’m not sure how we would cope to day if we had to endure such conditions but those tough ancestors of ours did it anyway. They had to; life would go on and giving up was not an option. Unfortunately for those folks, the worst was yet to come. Weather averages for June, 2025: Avg. low: 69. Avg. high: 89. Lowest: 60. Highest: 98. Mean: 79.1 (+3.0). Rainfall: 4.30” (-0.32”). 2025 rain total to June 30: 26.21” (+0.62”). By Mark Jenkins The side porch Hello, neighbors. We walk Penn Avenue at 7 a.m. Fri day morning. The Strip District is quiet, as if we are the only two people on the streets of Pittsburgh. Many shops will eventually open, as folks’ Fourth of July activities will bring them to the city throughout the day and evening. Fireworks over the Allegheny River later that evening are sure to draw a big crowd to town. For now, we have the sidewalks to ourselves, however. And, though the neigh borhood seems to slumber, there is a speck of life on a side street: the La Prima cafe. Justin, my host, my friend, my brother, tells me as we are a full block away, “Listen. Told you there would already be people there.” We sit out front for a By Travis Moak while, easing our way through our magma-hot brews. The boisterous voic es and laughs of a group of older locals provide the scene’s music. If “yinz” ever hear a Pittsburgher talk, then you will know what I mean. Eventually, an out-of-towner drives the wrong way down our little one-way street. The crowd goes wild. As sidewalk seating continues to disap pear, Justin and I give ours away. We have a big day ahead, after all. Later, we walk the wooded paths of the Beechwood Farms Nature Preserve, bird-spotting. After some careful listening and tracking by Justin, I see a Scarlet Tanager and a Hooded Warbler for the first time. Vibrant. Wild black raspberries—not blackberries as we have in the South— are on the snack menu whenever I spot them. We hear but never spy three Indigo Buntings. Returning to the house, our Independence Day continues with classic activities: tossing a Frisbee to the 80s, watching “The Goonies” and laughing at what “80s PG” used to mean, steak and pota toes, baseball. Folks, we did it all that day. The best part of our day makes us wait. Evening on the side porch is a simple affair. It faces nothing in particular, no grand view other than the neighbor, Matt’s, basement. It is not a spacious spread with creature comforts and ame nities, just a concrete base big enough for a couple Adiron- dacks and a small table. It very much has the potential to be a forgotten area. Yet, in one another’s company on my visit’s last day, it is our whole world, our friendship, our brotherhood. We talk of other people, brothers—David, Matthew, Jonathan—whom we love and think of fondly through funny stories from the past. We watch hawks (four of them!) refuse to get along with one another for over an hour across several backyards. We enjoy piano music on a low-numbered FM station, a newfound staple for the side porch on future visits. The Sun colors trees, clouds, hous es with final glowing efforts as it dips in the sinking sky. Lights return as fireflies float past, around, and among us, their cold bulbs more brilliant than the growing stream of neighborhood fireworks. Before the music dies with a twist of the knob, before yellow flashes give way to interior lights, and before we end my visit and our day together, I look at my friend, one of my brothers, as he explains, “You know, this right here is enough for me.” He continues, detailing what exactly “this right here” is to him. As he does, I think and then tell him, “I love you, brother.” A handshake as he responds in kind confirms that time together, sitting on the side porch is enough for both of us. My hope is that you sit in good company, too. Thank you for making my life better, Brother J. Mindfully yours, Travis. Investing in families, veterans and the future of Ga. Georgia is following through on its promise to support hardworking families and our nation’s heroes in its new est budget. I’m proud to highlight two key bills I support ed this session, House Bill 68 and House Bill 266, that ensure Georgia’s gratitude isn’t just spoken, but written into law. House Bill 68 is our balanced Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget, which began July 1 this year. Passing the state budget is our most important job in the General Assembly. It’s how we decide what matters most to Georgia families while making sure our tax dollars are put to good use. Keeping a balanced budget is always a priority at work and at home. When I served as Franklin County’s manag er and city manager for the cities of Royston and Sugar Hill, I made sure that every dollar going out was account ed for and we had enough money coming in to balance the budget. This precise budgeting helped me continue delivering essential services to the communities I served while cutting unnecessary areas of spending. That expe rience taught me a simple truth: you can’t print money at the local level, and you certainly can’t spend what you don’t have. I bring that same mindset to the Capitol. In the Georgia Legislature, I work with my colleagues to make smart, responsible daily decisions that keep our state fi nancially strong. Our budget invests in the core services our state de pends on, including education, public safety and econom ic development, while keeping spending in check. This year’s budget contains $37.7 billion in state funding and supports our state’s infrastructure, correctional facilities and mental health policy while also focusing on retirees, educators, first responders and many more. Our legislative body has prioritized conservative think ing in building this budget, ensuring we can still invest in our priorities without raising taxes and placing new burdens on hardworking people. As a matter of fact, we returned another Billion dollars of tax money back to the taxpayers this year! These investments mean more support for our local schools and more tools for law enforcement throughout the state as well as in Barrow, Jackson, Madison, and Clarke counties where I serve as your Senator. Wheth er it’s upgrading public safety infrastructure or creating pathways for student success, this budget delivers re sources that will have a real impact from Braselton to Comer and all around the Athens area. By Sen. Frank Ginn We’re showing gratitude to our nation’s heroes this Inde pendence Day by delivering fi nancial relief. With House Bill 266, we’ve eliminated the state income tax on military retire ment pay. That’s a big win for Georgia, especially in Northeast Georgia, where many veter ans already work in businesses across the district, invest in fel low businesses with their hard- earned pay, and serve in their communities. We want those veterans to stay in Georgia and continue to build their lives with the confidence that the state will One of my GG uncles complaints, after joining the Echol’s Artillery in 1862, was “all they give us to eat is beef meat and flower bread!” At first, I did not under stand that but later realized that he grew up eating ham and cornbread. On the Stevens farm, the number one food-producing livestock was a hog. Perhaps everyone has heard the old adage, “We use every part of the pig except the squeal!” It was true. I was advised not to pub lish my article regarding the process of dispatch ing and processing hogs. My editors thought it a bit harsh for the modern sensi tive reader. I did not see the problem but I did take their advice. As I mentioned ear lier, when it comes to pork products, there are a lot of parts; too many to mention. That’s when I decided to focus on what is historical ly the most important part of our swine brethren from the animal kingdom. Most people don’t think much about lard today. However, women should since it is the main ingredient in all makeup products. I bet you gals did not realize you were putting pig fat on your face. The other consideration of the importance of lard is it’s historical value. You see, in much earlier times, the lard from the pig was the most valuable part. This was surprising to me but it is true. Lard had and today still has multiple uses. On a side note, if you are familiar with the term “larder” you think of it as a cache or repository for storing things. In order to preserve and protect meat, people would coat it in lard or store it in vases with a lard seal. Lard was also used in most machine lubricants. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind for me is frying food. Fried catfish are exponentially better when fried in lard. In colonial times, pigs were fed a different diet than the corn-fed swine we know today. Contemporary shoppers are looking for lean pork in todays meat de partment. In earlier times, the fatter the hog the better. The objective was to produce more lard, which pound for pound was more valuable than pork chops or ham. I also learned recently that all lard is not the same. Rendered animal fat is all different whether it is goose fat, tallow from beef or butter fat from cows milk. There is also a big difference in the lard that comes from the pig. “Leaf Lard” is the best due to its consis tency and low odor and taste. This comes from around the kidneys. The next higher quality is from the back of the hog and the least desirable is from around the small intestines. I can remember as a child people storing things in five-gallon silver cans. My uncle collected and saved silver dollars back in the 1950s when they were com mon and available for $1.00 each. He had several lard cans full of them stored in the vault of his business. Sadly, there was a robbery and all his silver dollars were stolen. A lard can lull of silver dollars would be pretty valuable today. The point being, everybody used to use a lot of lard which typically came in five- gallon cans. That’s a lot of lard. However, it is probably not any greater in vol ume than the gallons of vegetable oil and containers of vegetable shortening that are sold commercially and we see on the shelves today. Chefs know that the flakiest pastry crusts come from the use of high-quality leaf lard rather than the more easily obtainable shortening substitutes. Lard fell out of favor in recent years since it is very high in saturated fats and cholesterol. However, lard has no trans fats, which are supposed to be bad for you. My favorite memory of lard was the container that sat on the top of our stove at home when I was growing up. It was a small container that looked much like a flower or a coffee canister. However, under the lid was a second section that had very small holes. This was a strainer. This is where all the bacon grease got poured every day. All the dark chunks were filtered out and this was emptied regularly. What was in the lower part was that wonderlul stuff that you fried eggs in or was regularly spooned into green beans and just about every other vegetable dish we ate. Green beans always taste better when they look shiny! This stuff tastes really good and for all you vegans out there, if you don’t eat it, you jus’ ain’t got no idea what you missin’. By Charlie Snelling support them. This bill also helps bring more veterans and their fami lies to our state, which is good for business and our grow ing communities. Lastly, this legislation offers a new tax incentive for those who donate to law enforcement foundations. These organizations support officer training, equipment upgrades, mental health services, and family assistance programs. This legislation and our state budget endorse our veterans and first responders. Georgia backs the blue, supports our veterans, and is leading by example. As always, it’s an honor to serve the people of the 47th Senate District. As the legislative interim continues, I’ll keep listening to your concerns, working hard on your be half, and doing my part to keep Georgia the best place to live, work and raise a family. Sen. Frank Ginn represents the 47th Senate District, which includes Madison County and portions of Barrow, Clarke, and Jackson County. He can be reached at (404) 656-4700 or by email at Frank.Ginn@senate.ga.gov. The Madison County Journal Danielsville, Madison County Georgia 30633 Merged with The Danielsville Monitor and The Comer News, January 2006 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. MIKE BUFFINGTON, Go-publisher SCOTT BUFFINGTON Go-publisher CALEB ROLLINS Editor Subscriptions: $45/year —$40/seniors POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: THE MADISON COUNTY JOURNAL PO Box 908 Jefferson, Ga. 30549 The Official Legal Organ of Madison County, Georgia-Periodicals postage paid at Danielsville, Georgia 30633 (USPS 011-097: ISSN 1074987X)
