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)
