Georgia Mountain Laurel Dec 19

December 19

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Merry Christmas

from all of us at the Georgia Mountain Laurel magazine.

As I write to you Christmas is a little over a month away and I have not made a list or checked it twice. I am a last minute shopper.

I love the holidays. The time with family, the food, the giving and the lights and music. Celebrating the birth of Jesus and the hope He brings.

We are thankful for you and as we look toward our seventeenth year we want to say thank you to our advertisers, many who have been with us from that first issue. The rich history, natural beauty, exceptional art community and amazing people are what makes our job so easy.

So we wish you a safe, happy and blessed holiday and a Happy New Year!

Tracy December 2019 • Volume Sixteen • Issue Twelve Publisher/Editor - Tracy McCoy Assistant Editor - D’Anna Coleman Art Director - Dianne VanderHorst Graphic Designer - Lucas McCoy Office Manager/ Account Executive - Cindi Freeman Account Executive - Melynda Hensley Photographer/Writer - Peter McIntosh Contributing Writers: Beck Peterson, Mark Holloway, Steve Jarrard, MD, John Shivers, Susan Brewer, Emory Jones, Pastor John Hutcheson, Jan Timms, Lorie Thompson, Liz Alley, Emory Jones, Karla Jacobs

Georgia Mountain Laurel Mailing: PO Box 2218, Clayton, Georgia 30525 Office: 2511 Highway 441, Mountain City, Georgia 30562 706-782-1600 • www.gmlaurel.com Copyright 2019 by Rabun’s Laurel Inc. All rights reserved. The Georgia Mountain Laurel Magazine is published twelve times per year. Reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publishers and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to GML magazine’s right to edit. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs and drawings. Every effort has been made to assure that all information presented in this issue is accurate, and neither Laurel magazine or any of its staff is responsible for omissions or information that has been misrepresented to the magazine. The Georgia Mountain Laurel maintains a Christian focus throughout their magazine. Rabun’s Laurel, Inc. reserves the right to refuse content or advertising for any reason without explanation.

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In This Issue Yesterdays 12 18

Appalachian Christmas Memories Rabun Co. Historical Society - Parker Ranch

Arts & Entertainment 20 24 26

North Georgia Arts Guild Book Review - John Shivers’ Christmas Novels Art at the Governor’s Mansion

A Taste 30 34

Bon Appetit The Family Table

Faith in Christ 38 39 40 43 44

Life is a Blessing Rabun United Christmas Fund R4G - Pastor John Hutcheson Dillard United Methodist - Come to the Stable Grandma’s Prayer Journal

Mountain Life 46 48 50

By the Way Of These Mountains Skiing Sky Valley

Affairs to Remember 52 54 56 30

Mountain Happenings Event Calendar Paws 4 Life Foxfire Traditional Christmas Appalachian Craft Brew, Stew & Que

Outdoors 58

Adventure Out

Mountain Homes 64 68 70

Poss Realty Featured Home Harry Norman REALTORS® Featured Home Lulu & Tully Mercantile

Health & Wellness 72 74

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Live Healthy & Be Well Free Indeed

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Appalachian Christmas Memories

by Tracy McCoy

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far cry from today’s overindulgence was the Christmas of yesteryear. Mountain living was tough back in the day.

Money was scarce, travel a luxury and children a plenty!

My grandparents raised twelve and lived 10+ miles from town.

My grandpa found work where he could and they raised most of what they ate, like many other families here. It was truly a time when a stick of candy and an orange were exciting. I imagine they woke under the weight of multiple quilts and able to see their breath. Scampered to the living room to huddle by the heater. If there was anything under the tree it might have been a little sack with some fruit, nuts and peppermint stick candy.

I can almost smell the breakfast cooking on the stove and see my Granny Speed patting out her biscuits and frying up fresh

bacon or ham. Oh those simple times, how precious they were.

Christmas was celebrated for what it is, the birth of Christ.

Mary Jane McCoy shared this memory “Momma would let us girls pick a dress out of the Sears & Roebuck catalog and she’d make us one that looked just like it. She could look at a picture and make it. My aunt and uncle didn’t have any children so they would send bolts of material for her to use. She’d make a cake and that was about it. There wasn’t much money for more than that.” Her husband Jim added “My mother would make a cake, that was special for Christmas. Dad would drag a tree down from the woods and we’d pop popcorn and string it with holly berries to put on it. We didn’t get toys that I can ever remember. I would

L to R: Front - Mary Elizabeth Law, Marilyn Belew, Beverly Mason, Back - Jack Smith, Jane Thomason, Peggy Thrasher

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take a wooden spool and a stick with string and make a tractor, that was what we played with. We’d get a piece of fruit or candy if we were lucky.”

Today parents spend an average of $300 - $500 per child for Christmas. According to the US Census Bureau the average annual income for families in 1950 was $3,300. A family of ten would have went broke buying gifts, sadly many people overextend themselves during the holiday gift buying season. Imagine a child who said to you, “I didn’t get anything for Christmas, an orange and a stick of candy.”

Your heart would break. For families in the southern Appalachians this reality was far from sad, it was normal. It was just how life was.

“How was your Christmas” wasn’t about what you got but about the special meal or that cake. It was about seeing extended family, playing with your cousins and seeing your grandparents. If you got an outfit and one toy you were mighty lucky!

Traditions were abundant. In the book A Foxfire Christmas, “Ma” Clyde Pleasants English talked of cutting paper chains of angels and children to decorate the tree. She said her mother would go out with the children and gather holly for the mantle. Her daughter Peggy Pleasants Thrasher demonstrated this technique recently at our gathering at the Rabun County Senior Center. Her husband Albert has crafted many of the old fashioned toys that were mentioned in the book compiled from Foxfire interviews. Mrs. English also spoke of her father John V. Arrendale dusting the bottom of his boots with ash from the stove and leaving boot prints for his children to find on Christmas morning. Leona Carver explained that oranges and candy were not something they had all year so it was reasonable to think that Santa Claus had brought them. I recommend A Foxfire Christmas as a family treasure on your bookshelf. It is available at www.foxfire.org.

Mary Elizabeth Law remembers how much her daddy, Bob Vickers loved Christmas. He bought gifts for his grandchildren like BB Guns and Cap Pistols. One year he had Sam Jones make Tom and Keith a wagon. “Daddy could never wait, he would end up giving it to them before Christmas.” M.E.’s father in law, Grandpa Law loved firecrackers at Christmas. Jack Smith agreed that his father D.L. Smith loved them as well. The group of Seniors that gather with me to share their tales of old remembered the annual Christmas Parade and in 1957, the Rabun County High School Band played as the community gathered. They remembered seeing the firetruck and of course Santa Claus was the star of the parade.

Many remember in later years (60s and 70s) the huge candle that was erected above the main red light in Clayton where Savannah Street and Main Street cross. It signified the kick off of the Christmas season. Dianne Lovell VanderHorst remembers her mom, Mary Lovell, taking them to town to see it. Another favorite Christmas memory for many was going to Lovells 5 & 10 or later Harpers 5 & 10. If you ever visited this Clayton icon your first memory is of the aroma of fresh popcorn and that first sweet sip of a Coke or Cherry Icee. The toy department was in the back left hand corner of the store. I remember it well.

Jane Thomason, also of Lakemont remembers getting her first doll at the age of twelve and Jack Smith remembers a pocket knife when he was eight. Twins Marilyn Balew and Beverly Mason lost their father the day after Christmas when they were only twelve years old. They remember that last holiday with their father being a good Christmas. Their father made sure they both had a doll and an outfit that year.

Both agree Christmas was never the same after that.

After most homes had power in the late 60s seeing homes decorated with lights was an enjoyable tradition. Families or church groups went caroling around their communities to spread Christmas cheer. Many local churches began outreaches many of them continuing today. In the late 60s Wolf Creek Church started delivering bags with fruit and candy in them to residents at the local nursing home and still do so today. Food boxes are delivered to the elderly and shut ins by many local churches and groups. Rabun United Christmas Fund is one such group that uses donations to help with monthly bills for local families in need so that funds are freed up for holiday spending. The charitable heart of

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Appalachian Christmas Memories continued... the people in the mountains is nothing new. Giving is always better than receiving, a fact well known among families here. Another important charity doing good for local children is Richard’s Kids. Providing for hundreds of children each year with clothing, shoes, a coat and a toy. If you are interested in giving to either group’s efforts please see the info at the end of the article.

Recently the following story surfaced on social media.

It’s author appears to be Matt Miles. The story has been shared all across the internet. I felt it could easily be a local story and so much like many I’ve heard. Well worth sharing with you. ____________________________ It was Christmas Eve 1942. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn’t been enough money to buy me the rifle that I’d wanted for Christmas.

We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Daddy wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.

After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Daddy to get down the old Bible.

I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn’t in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Daddy didn’t get the Bible instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn’t figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn’t worry about it long though I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.

Soon he came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. “Come on, Matt,” he said. “Bundle up good, it’s cold out tonight.” I was really upset then. Not only wasn’t I getting the rifle for Christmas, now he was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We’d already done all the chores, and I couldn’t think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew he was not very patient at one dragging one’s feet when he’d told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my coat. Mommy gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn’t know what..

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled.

Whatever it was we were going to do wasn’t going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Daddy was already up on the

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seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn’t happy. When I was on, Daddy pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed.

“I think we’ll put on the high sideboards,” he said. “Here, help me.” The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.

Then Daddy went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I’d spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. I asked, “what are you doing?” You been by the Widow Jensen’s lately?” he asked. Mrs.Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I’d been by, but so what?

Yeah,” I said, “Why?” “I rode by just today,” he said. “Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They’re out of wood, Matt.” That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, he called a halt to our loading then we went to the smoke house and he took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand.

“What’s in the little sack?” I asked. Shoes, they’re out of shoes.

Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a little candy.”

We rode the two miles to Mrs.Jensen’s pretty much in silence. I

tried to think through what Daddy was doing. We didn’t have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn’t have any money, so why was he buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this?

Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn’t have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, “Who is it?” “Lucas Miles, Ma’am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?”

Mrs.Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Mrs.Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.

“We brought you a few things, Ma’am,” Daddy said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then he handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at my Daddy like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn’t come out.

“We brought a load of wood too, Ma’am,” he said. Then turned to me and said, “Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let’s get that fire up to size and heat this place up.” I wasn’t the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn’t speak.

My heart swelled within me and a joy that I’d never known before filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone’s spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Daddy handed them each a piece of candy and Mrs.Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn’t crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us.

“God bless you,” she said. “I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us.”

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I’d never thought of my Daddy in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Daddy had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Mommy and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.

Daddy insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down Widow Jensen’s face again when we stood up to leave. My Daddy took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn’t want us to go. I could see that they missed their Daddy and I was glad that I still had mine.

At the door he turned to Widow Jensen and said, “The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We’ll be by to get you about eleven. It’ll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn’t been little for quite a spell.” I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.

Mrs.Jensen nodded and said, “Thank you, Brother Miles. I don’t have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will.”

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn’t even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Daddy turned to me and said, “Matt, I want you to know something.

Your Mother and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn’t have quite enough.

Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your Mom and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand.”

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Daddy had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. He had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Mrs. Jensen’s face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, Whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside of my Daddy that night. He had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life. ___________________________ This Christmas make it a priority to share the love. Teach your children about helping others and how good it feels to give of their time and resources. Remember that it’s about so much more than gifts. Take time to consider the true meaning of Christmas.

That first Christmas the gift of Jesus given to the world is all the gift you will truly ever need.

RUCF, P.O. Box 90, Clayton, GA 30525 Richard’s Kids 47 Deer Trail Road, Clayton, GA 30525.

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RABUN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Parker Ranch - Where Memories Are Made

by Beck Peterson

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estled behind large age-old trees bordering Highway 76 West and just a few steps inside the Clayton City limits lies the entrance to the historic Parker Ranch. Over a hundred years ago, what we now call the Parker Ranch, began as a mountain retreat for a wealthy Atlanta family.

Although ownership has changed over time, the building’s appearance inside and out is virtually unchanged.

The Parker Ranch was born from the mountain lodge completed in 1907 for Charles Veazey LeCraw, son and oldest child of an Indiana farmer. Charles was born in 1857 and at fourteen became the head of the household when his father died. A year later his mother would pass as well. He fought to keep himself and his four siblings together. He was successful in convincing the county authorities that his siblings should remain in their home and be raised by him. While Charles continued farming, he educated his siblings, as well as, teaching children in the county school for a small salary.

After his siblings were raised, he left farming and began selling school books to schools. During this time, he met his future wife Daisy Stockard.

Later he became employed by State Life insurance company which resulted in him moving to Atlanta in 1901. He became very successful and enjoyed great wealth. He owned one of the largest homes in Inman Park, one of the first suburbs of Atlanta, where he and Daisy raised their seven children.

Still having that farming itch, he purchased a 300-acre spread for farming and a future summer home. The acreage was a mile from the center of Clayton. Later his land holdings would reach 900 acres. In 1907 the LeCraw’s summer home was completed. They named their mountain retreat Hillcrest. The eight-bedroom ranch style house was reminiscent of those he had seen in Texas. It was situated on a knoll at the end of a short lane off route 76 West. The sprawling shingled single-story home had expansive covered porches across the front and back. Inside a large central living area featured a massive floor to ceiling stone fire place and oak paneled walls. Windows throughout were extra-large to maximize air circulation. A kitchen and a large dining area were built in a separate building off the back porch.

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On land behind the kitchen/dining hall, two small duplex cottages were built. It is speculated they were for the household help that the family brought with them from Atlanta. Located down the hill behind the cottages, Charles built a large cement swimming pool. Today the pool is overgrown with vegetation, but the cement walls are still standing.

Charles LeCraw had created a fabulous mountain retreat that was enjoyed by his family and friends for over forty years. The family’s social events at Hillcrest were often reported in the society section of the Atlanta newspaper.

Charles V. LeCraw passed away April, 1942 at the age of eighty-four.

In the late 1940s, Bob and Eula Parker bought the property. They renamed it the Parker Ranch and began renting tourist rooms with home-cooked meals. When Bob and Eula divorced, Eula took ownership and management of the Parker Ranch. Over time, Eula also rented the two cottages and camper hookups. She lived into her 90s and eventually could no longer maintain her tourist room business. She advertised the Parker Ranch for sale and described the property as ten bedrooms, six bathrooms, large living room, 30 seat dining room, basement, city water, two cottages, and swimming pool. It was sold to a realtor and in December, 1999, Jane Schnell purchased the property. The building had been neglected for so long that it was in shambles. Even though she was advised not to purchase the property, she saw its value and potential. She did extensive renovations and by December 2000 they were completed. She began a bed and breakfast under the name of the Hillcrest Inn which she continued into 2003.

In 2002 Becky Hoover and Paula Jones visited the Hillcrest Inn. Intrigued with the inn, Becky set her heart on owning it and having her own B&B. In 2012 Becky and Paula rented and eventually bought the inn from Thomas Hicks and opened their B&B as the Parker Ranch Tourist Homes.

They have continued Jane Schnell’s vision for the property and have expanded the opportunities for more ways to enjoy the Parker Ranch. They recently built the “Gatehouse”, a separate structure that is used for workshops, musical performances and community gatherings. They continue to explore Parker Ranch’s history and to preserve its historic essence.

We are blessed by all the persons who have participated in preserving a part of Rabun County’s history. Given the rich heritage of Hillcrest/Parker Ranch, we can expect that memories will continue to be made now and in the future.

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From the

North Georgia Arts Guild

By Susan Brewer

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elodie Cowart has been fortunate. She enjoyed a twenty-five career as an OBGYN nurse, a supervisor, and a birthing class instructor, and says that this time spent bringing lives into the world marked the beginning of her development as an artist. Here’s how she describes it – “My artistic journey really began when I decided I was going to be a nurse. Nursing was very spiritual for me—I felt that it was a spiritual journey—and I knew the first time I saw a baby born that I wanted to participate in that kind of nursing.

This was in Savannah at the Telfair Women’s Center which is part of the Warren A. Candler Hospital—that’s where I graduated in 1963, and by 1965 I was in labor and delivery.

After I became the head nurse there, I began teaching three classes at night for soon-to-be parents. Most women then were fearful and didn’t know what to expect during delivery which is one of the reasons I got involved in childbirth education. Women and men weren’t getting the knowledge and support they needed.”

She and her husband, Matt, have two children, daughter, Leslie, and son, David. She puts on a warm, loving smile as she describes Matt, “I tell people I married a beach bum.” He was born and raised on Tybee Island, and they were lucky to raise their family on neighboring Wilmington Island. They spent a lot of time on their boat, navigating

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around the Savannah River and Wausau Sound. In this magical place they water skied, picnicked, and searched for shells, living the vacation dream simply by walking out their front door.

After their children got jobs and married, Melodie and Matt left the coast and lived in Greenville, S.C. while building their house here on Persimmon. Once they moved in, she took a class in watercolors at the Artful Barn in Clarkesville, and more classes at the art center at Tallulah Falls. “When I got involved with the art center in Tallulah Falls, I really opened up,” Melodie said. She transitioned to stained glass. She made several large, lovely pieces that hang in her home, and now she focuses on fabric beading. Matt helps Melodie by making frames. She pointed out two platters he recently turned. “He just pulls the soul and the spirit right out of the wood, and the backs of both are just as pretty as the front.”

Sometimes the fabric she uses is vibrant and strong; at other times it is soft and gentle. The results are works that are delicate, serene, and beautiful, This, of course, is a fair description of the nature of women. Melodie has worked for ten years with a group of women on her own spiritual journey, a path similar to those Native American Indians are known for. In addition to spirits and ancestors, it involves the elements. Melodie very clearly says this practice isn’t related to religion at all. Rather, it is based on freedom to pursue these ancient ideas that are so unusual in today’s modern world. Melodie and her friends enjoy themselves. They discover, they share, and they grow in strength and love. She has found stillness, peace, solitude, contentedness and grace that enlivens and deepens her connection to her life – and the world.

This way of seeing is as important as her focus, the beads. Her work is guided by feeling and intuition. She has no plan when she starts and is free to change what she’s doing. “Oh, it could change in a flash, or if I need a punch – something to really rev it up – I might go with something you would least expect. And, no, I don’t draw a pattern onto the fabric to follow – I just bead. See here. You can enhance the depth of the beading by overlaying if you feel that. And you have to be very careful with your knots and your tie offs. Some of the beads are six or eight on a strand. Sometimes I string ten on one line. It depends on how far and where you want to take it, and where you want to end up.” To see for yourself, in person, visit Soque Artworks on the Square in Clarkesville.

Susan Brewer has been writing articles featuring North Georgia Arts Guild members since April 2017. Email your comments/questions to her at sbrewer991@gmail.com

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Read a Couple of Christmas Movies

by Tracy McCoy

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hen long-time Georgia Mountain Laurel writer and book author, John Shivers, published his first Christmas-themed novel in 2018, it was meant to be a one-time thing. He did it to satisfy a faithful reader who kept telling him, “You should write a Christmas book.”

“He didn’t just suggest a book with a feel-good Christmas plot,” John says, “He insisted!

So to get him off my back, in 2018, I wrote ‘Three Gifts for Christmas,’ and considered it all a done deal.” John even named one of the minor characters in the book for this inspiring reader.

Reaction to the story about young, widowed mother Rebekka Austin, who must relocate with her pre-school age daughter and re-establish herself just before Christmas, struck a chord with readers. John says he lost count of the number of people who reached out to say the book should be made into a Hallmark Christmas Movie. “I was overwhelmed with the positive response.” And with every good review came the question, “What are you writing for next year?”

Suddenly John found himself working on “Weaving a Family for Christmas,” which was the 2019 book in what has become the “Christmas Collector Series.” What’s more, he already has the 2020 book, “Embracing Moonshine for Christmas,” in synopsis form, and will begin writing early next year.

“Christmas books seem to sell best if they come out in July,” he says. “Readers seem to have more time then, and it gives them a chance to think about buying the book for special people on their gift lists.” John considers the books as ideal teacher or secret pal remembrances, stocking stuffers, or even as a special treat for the buyer. With a purchase price of only $15.00, the books make very affordable gifts.

Christmas is about family and faith in the baby, who would become the Savior. Rebekka Austin, who feels she’s been kicked to the curb by circumstances beyond her making, finds both of these elements when she must move to fictional Cedar Mountain, Georgia in order to survive.

In “Weaving a Family for Christmas,” set in fictional Saratoga Springs, Mississippi, Suzanne Phillips has to lose her family in order to find a different family and her true calling in life. She rediscovers her faith and her Christmas spirit, literally hours before the most meaningful Christmas of her life begins.

The yet-to-be-written “Embracing Moonshine for Christmas,” is set primarily in real life Atlanta, Georgia. It’s close to Christmas and Margie Crawford, whose husband is running for the state’s highest office, must weigh the cost of acknowledging her redneck past if she reunites with her long-lost family.

John currently has a total of seventeen books in print. Book number eighteen is in the editor’s hands, and he’s currently writing on book number nineteen, a continuation of the “Slop Bucket Mystery Series.”

The two Christmas titles, as well as any of John’s other books, are available by contacting him at jswriter@bellsouth.net or by calling 770-548-2834. A free catalog of all his titles is also available.

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Also Released in 2019 In Service It’s 1905 and Amanda Baldwin is an upstairs maid in the home of worldwide banking tycoon Habersham Caine. She’s classified as “in service,” meaning she spends her days bowing and saying “Ma’am” and “Sir,” while cleaning the formal rooms inside Pemotoma, the Caine’s New York mansion. She’s not a slave, although her feelings of imprisonment grow larger as her employers, who are related to the British Royal Family, constantly remind her of her position in life.

But Amanda has a second life. She has recently met Jesus and asked Him into her heart. Amanda has come to understand that God has a call and a claim on her time and talents, just as Mr. and Mrs. Caine have a similar claim. How she can serve both masters, when it’s made abundantly clear that her Jesus isn’t welcome at Pemotoma?

For Sale or Not Houses in Crabapple Cove, Georgia are selling faster than the breakfast hotcakes at the Eat & Greet. It’s all real estate broker Mags Gordon can do to keep up the pace, and then it gets more complicated. But isn’t that always how it works? When the latest in a series dead bodies turns itself up right at Mags’ feet, the game plan changes big time. It also calls into action the unofficial, unsanctioned, unlicensed private investigative firm of Gordon & Pickett. Solving crime, when your assistance isn’t wanted, and resolving house-hunters’ dreams at the same time makes for some long days and frayed relationships. Before peace reigns again in the best place on earth to peddle real estate, Mags and Carole must unmask west coast organized crime thugs, deal with a vindictive ex-mother-in-law and her stooge, a sheriff with tunnel vision, and some of the most quirky warm bodies ever to walk through a real estate office door. As Mags says, “I’m getting too old for this!”

The River Rolls On June Bug McRainey has spent the majority of her life in the Mississippi Delta, on the banks of the river that Mark Twain made famous, and that she has claimed for herself. During those early years when the aftermath of the Depression threatened to steal Stonewall, the family plantation, she did what had to be done to ensure her family’s continued ownership. The ends justified the means, she told herself. Much later in life, after she’s encountered Jesus in a most unlikely manner, she struggles with both the truth and the fall-out of so many of those actions. But just because she’s been forgiven, doesn’t erase the damage she caused. As death nears, she’s desperate to find the strength to make amends.

December 2019 - 25

RABUN COUNTY ART & PHOTOGRAPHY GRACES THE GOVERNOR’S MANSION

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abun County is well represented in Atlanta, Georgia. Regional artist Libby Matthews and photographers, Peter McIntosh and Michele Crawford made a trip to Atlanta, meeting with the First Lady of Georgia, Marty Kemp. The three former Laurel cover artists were among nine northeast Georgia artists who presented Mrs. Kemp with their works to be hung in the grand ballroom of the Governor’s mansion.

The Persimmon Barn and Wolffork Autumn Pastoral photos by Peter McIntosh, the framed print of Minnehaha Falls by Michele Crawford and the Trillium Forest painting

by Libby Mathews are beautiful additions to the home of our Governor and First Lady.

Proud is an understatement!

If you know these talented individuals you are not surprised at such recognition and would celebrate their success. Peter is known for his incredible nature photography and his column Adventure Out is enjoyed by thousands of our readers each month.

Libby is synonymous with fine art and her studio is located 6 miles west of Clayton behind Timpson Creek Gallery near Lake Burton. Libby offers painting workshops and some private lessons. Her work is incredibly beautiful.

Michele is very talented behind the camera and is equally so when framing her images and those of her clients. She and her artist husband Broderick Crawford are the owners of Crawford Art Gallery in downtown Clayton.

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December 2019 - 27

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Bon Appétit - Happy Holiday Dinner

by Scarlett Cook

opefully by now you have had a chance to recover from stuffing yourself at Thanksgiving because it is now time to start thinking about the next big meal. This can be a meal that is held anytime during the Christmas season, as families today are so far flung, that everyone can’t be at their parents, grandparents or Aunt Sue’s house for it. So cook what you can ahead and enjoy the season – it is on its way!

H

Merry Christmas to you and yours and best wishes for a great 2020.

Spice Sugar Glazed Ham Serves 10 – 12 This makes your house smell wonderful!

1 10- 12 Pound fully cooked spiral sliced ham 2/3 Cup jellied cranberry sauce 3 Tablespoons honey 1 Cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 1 Teaspoon cinnamon 3/4 Teaspoon ground ginger 3/4 Teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg Preheat oven to 325˚.

Using kitchen twine tie ham so that it won’t separate while cooking.

Lightly score the top of the outside of the ham.

Place ham on a rack in an aluminum foil lined, shallow roasting pan.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove ham from oven – Don’t turn the oven off!

Whisk together the cranberry sauce and the honey and brush the ham with the glaze.

Stir together the sugar and the spices and press into glaze on ham.

Bake ham for another 1 hour; cover with foil if ham gets too brown.

Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving and remove twine.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sage Dressing Serves 6 – 8 2 Pounds fresh Brussels Sprouts 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1/2 Cup pistachios or pecans 1/3 Cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves 2 Teaspoons lemon zest 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 Teaspoon salt 1/2 Teaspoon black pepper 1/3 Cup olive oil Preheat oven to 425˚.

Remove any discolored leaves from the sprouts and trim the

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stem ends. Cut each sprout in half.

Toss the sprouts and 1 tablespoon of olive oil together and spread the sprouts in a single layer on a foil lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a food processor place nuts, sage leaves, lemon zest and juice and salt and pepper.

Process until mixture is smooth; scrape sides and with processor running slowly add the 1/3 cup of olive and process until mixture is smooth once again.

When the Brussels sprouts are done, remove from oven and toss with sage mixture and serve at once.

Cheesy Corn Casserole Serves 8 – 10 2 Tablespoons butter 1/2 Cup chopped onion 2 Garlic cloves, minced 8 Ounces Sharp Cheddar cheese shredded – See Note 2 Cans whole kernel corn, drained 1 Can cream-style corn 8 Ounces sour cream 1 Small jar diced pimientos, drained 1/2 Cup self rising cornmeal mix 1/2 Teaspoon each salt and pepper 2 Large eggs, lightly beaten

onion and garlic. Saute 3 minutes or until tender.

Stir together the onion mixture, 1 1/2 cups cheese, whole kernel corn and cream style corn, sour cream, pimientos, cornmeal mix, salt and pepper and eggs.

Mix well.

Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake 50 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving or can be served at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease an 11” X 7” baking dish.

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat; add

NOTE - Shredded cheese from a block not pre-shredded as this doesn’t melt as well in this casserole.

Pears with Bleu Cheese Salad Serves 8 1/4 Cup olive oil 2 Tablespoons white Balsamic vinegar 2 Teaspoons honey 1/4 Teaspoon each salt and pepper 1/2 Red onion minced 6 Cups salad greens 1/2 Cup crumbled bleu cheese 1/2 Cup toasted, chopped walnuts 2 Ripe pears, thinly sliced Whisk oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper and onion together.

Divide salad greens onto 8 salad plates.

Top with cheese, walnuts and pears.

When ready to serve drizzle dressing over salad.

Eggnog Cream Pie Serves 8 1 Purchased graham cracker pie crust 2 Cups cold eggnog 1/2 Cup milk 1/4 Cup granulated sugar 3 Tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 Teaspoon nutmeg Dash of salt 4 Egg yolks 3 Tablespoons bourbon or whiskey 1 Cup heavy whipping cream 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract Whisk together eggnog, milk, granulated sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, salt, egg yolks and bourbon (or whiskey) in a heavy

saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Continue cooking and whisking until mixture is thickened.

Place pan in ice water and whisk until custard is cool.

Pour custard into pie shell.

Beat whipping cream until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spread over pie and chill overnight after covering loosely.

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A Taste

of the Mountains

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December 2019 - 33

The Family Table

By Lorie Thompson

W

hen the calendar rolls around to December, it brings conflicting feelings; excitement for an upcoming month of celebrations, and a little panic to manage “getting it all done.” I have to check myself and remember the “reason for the season” and keep my priorities in order.

Growing up, I recall hearing, “Christmas time is coming” with the implied threat of “you better be good.” Hey, we even sing about it. I equated good behavior with the quality of gifts that I would receive. In truth, my parents loved me and gave me presents, regardless of my behavior. Just as God, our Father loves us, regardless of how undeserving we are. He provides us with the gift of salvation and the promise of eternity in His presence. We can’t earn salvation with good behavior. It is a gift.

Christmas tree hunting with my Daddy is a favorite memory.

I had never heard of anyone buying a Christmas Tree until I was a grown woman. My Daddy took us to a remote area of Rabun, and we walked and talked and sang Christmas carols. When he was tired, we cut the next evergreen tree he saw, regardless of shape or fullness. My Mama would give a big sigh when we came dragging in the usual, misshapen tree. I recall one tree, in particular, that was upside down.

The top was bigger than the bottom. Mama gave a big sigh and set out to decorate it. With many lights and lots of shiny tinsel and presents stacked high underneath, it was beautiful! That tree is still a great memory for me. I can still see it in my mind.

The McKay and Ramey family parties were the second weekend of December, and it was so much fun to be at my grandparent’s homes with my cousins. My parents hosted Christmas Eve, and there was always a feast. Even as a grown woman, Santa came to see me at my Mother’s home.

On Christmas morning, there was a stocking under the tree with my name on it.

I lost my Mom in December, so there is a touch of sadness mid-month for me, but I think of her in Heaven and know that she has her new body. I see photographs of her as a gorgeous 30-year-old and know that is what she looks like now, and I can’t wait to see her again one day.

Our family still makes a large Christmas Eve dinner and then a Christmas Day breakfast. So, supper on Christmas night is generally something simple and easy to prepare.

Your family may do the opposite, and you may want an easy supper for Christmas Eve. Let me share a rich and decadent holiday meal that, with a little prep work ahead of time, you can prepare in 30 minutes or less.

I am starting with a festive cranberry and jalapeño dip that you need to try. This is all over the internet, and it is so good! Supper will be a Persimmon and Kale Salad, followed by an ultra-rich Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo.

To make the cranberry jalapeño dip, chop a 12 ounce bag of cranberries. I used an old fashioned “kraut cutter.”

Add in 1/4 cup green onions, 1-2 fresh jalapeño peppers (seeded), 2 Tbsp. cilantro. Chop all the ingredients. Add 1 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, and 1/8 tsp. salt. Mix and store overnight in the refrigerator. Drain off the liquid before you serve. Layer over 16 ounces of softened and whipped cream cheese. Serve with crackers.

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For the Shrimp Fettuccine, cook 1 pound of fettuccine following package directions. This can be done a day ahead and store the drained pasta in a ziplock bag. (reserve 2-3 cups of the cooking liquid, separate from the pasta). In a large, heavy pan, melt 8 ounces of good quality butter. Add 3-4 minced, garlic cloves (approx. 2 Tbsp), a pinch of salt, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and 2 Tsp of dried parsley.

Sautee’ over low heat for 2-3 minutes allowing the garlic to infuse the butter with flavor. Increase heat to medium. Add 1 pound of medium-sized, peeled, and deveined shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 2 minutes on each side and remove the shrimp from the pan, leaving the butter and garlic in the pan. Add 2 cups of heavy cream and 2 cups of grated parmesan cheese. (I used 5 oz of shaved, 5 oz of grated and 3-4 ounces of the dry, green bottle parmesan.) Cook over low heat until sauce is just starting to bubble and thicken.

Add 1/2 tsp of grated nutmeg.

Re-heat the pasta if you made it a day ahead in the reserved cooking water. Add the pasta to the thickened sauce and add pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. Toss in reserved shrimp and serve. continued on page 36

Lorie Thompson is a REALTOR at Poss Realty in Clayton, Georgia. Her expertise in her industry is second only to her culinary talents. Lorie is a dynamo in the kitchen. Honestly if she prepares it, it will likely be the best you’ve ever had!

Lorie and her husband, Anthony (Peanut), make their home in the Persimmon Community. She is the proud mother of Joe Thompson and Kendall Thompson.

December 2019 - 35

The Family Table The Kale and Persimmon Salad is a result of an invitation from Leckie Stack to enjoy persimmons from the Stack Farm, here in Rabun. Leckie gifted me with these beautiful fruits and several pages of recipes that she enjoys. Persimmons are new to me, and I am excited to be trying them out in different recipes. The first recipe on my list to try was a Kale and Persimmon Salad. Prepare the dressing and chop the ingredients ahead of time and simply toss it all together when you are ready to serve your meal.

To prepare, wash, and dry the kale.

Strip the leaves from the stems and chop into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle the kale very lightly with coarse salt and gently toss with your hands. This will help tenderize the kale. Wash and chop the persimmons. According to Leckie, unlike wild persimmons, the Fuyu variety is good to eat anytime after they start turning orange. In the first stage, they are crisp like an apple right on through the mellow and soft stage.

I chose moderately ripe fruit that was sweet but not mushy.

The dressing is an altered version of my pear dressing that I wrote about last month. I changed it up using Country Dijon Mustard, a whole pear and olive oil, instead of the vegetable oil, since the kale has a stronger flavor. For the dressing, in a blender or food processor, add 1-2 cloves of garlic, a pinch of salt, 2 Tsp of Country Dijon Mustard, a whole pear, washed and quartered, 1 Tsp of sugar, 1/3 cup of pear vinegar (or any fruit flavor). Blend until the consistency is smooth. Add 1/2 cup of good olive oil in very slowly, allowing the dressing to emulsify as you add the oil. Toss into the kale with your choice of cheese such as Gorgonzola, Goat Cheese or Gruyere.

Toasted pecans or walnuts are great, too.

I hope you will enjoy these recipes with your family. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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December 2019 - 37

Life is a Blessing

Life is a Blessing

The Simpleton and the Savior

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icture the setting, the lighting is dim, the stench of the animals is strong, the night air is cool. With wide eyes he had watched the baby be born, only he didn’t know what was happening. He had lived behind the stable for years, always hiding from the guests at the inn. The innkeeper offered him food and an occasional nights rest in exchange for cleaning up after the animals. This night was a strange one, on this night there were guests staying in the stable because there was no room in the inn.

He had heard the man with the kind face begging for a place for he and his wife and he had heard the exasperation in the innkeepers voice when he offered the stable. The town was full because of the census and would be busy for days until all were counted. He would be left to sleep outdoors.

He looked up and admired the brightest star he had ever seen hanging lower than usual and casting more light than any other. This was an odd night, something was strangely exciting and his skin tingled as he looked back at the couple with the baby. The look they shared as they sat close admiring the infant made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

He strained to get a look at the baby wrapped in rags as they laid him in the feed trough. The animals gathered around and lay down in the hay nearby.

The man walked out behind the barn and began to speak to the heavens, he walked back and forth as tears streamed down his face. The man seemed to be happy although he couldn’t hear the words he spoke. He had never heard any

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words, he only understood with his eyes, not his ears. He had also never spoken a word, not a single word. He had been called the simpleton around the village, jeered at by many and ignored by most. But tonight he knew in his heart that he was in a special place and he sat waiting for a chance to get a closer look.

The woman lay down in the hay and closed her eyes, he felt drawn to the stable, he wanted to see this child born under the brightest star. He made his way through the darkness to the edge of the stable and leaned in. The child lay with his eyes open quiet and content. The simpleton reached out and touched the small hand of the baby ever so gently. The woman stirred as the man made his way back into the stable to check on his new family. The simpleton moved quickly and silently away and back into the darkness where he sank to the ground. Tears flowed freely from his eyes as he bowed his head and for the first time in his life he spoke. Ever so quietly while looking to the heavens studying the star he whispered.... my Savior has come.

His life was changed forever... when he met Jesus.

Merry Christmas to you and yours, Tracy McCoy, another life changed.

(The account of a witness to the birth of Christ is fictional and not mentioned in the Bible, while some may say it could not have happened others might agree it could have, at any rate it is shared to convey that Jesus has been changing lives since his birth.)

Rabun United Christmas Fund

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he United Community Bank is honored to serve as the Treasurer and collecting agency for the 2019 Rabun United Christmas Fund (RUCF). For over 40 years generous individuals, businesses, church groups, schools and civic groups have donated to this fund to make Christmas better for the less fortunate in our community. This year, the goal of the Rabun United Christmas Fund is to make the holiday season brighter for our community by raising enough money to assist qualified Rabun County families with the payment of a utility bill. Please reflect on the giving spirit of the upcoming holiday season and make a donation that will truly make a difference in the lives of your neighbors.

Monetary donations may be dropped off at United Community Bank: 516 Highway 441S in Clayton, GA or mail donations to: Rabun United Christmas Fund P.O. Box 90 Clayton, GA 30525

December 2019 - 39

The Challenge of Christmas

By John Hutcheson Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church

W

hat do you see as the biggest challenge this Christmas? Are your finances such that you are not going to be able to do for your loved ones what you would like to or are used to doing? Did you lose a loved one around Christmas making this a difficult time of year? Perhaps you lost a loved one this past year, and this is your first Christmas without that loved one. Are you experiencing family relationships in turmoil and, thus, the family gathering will be awkward or downright difficult? Perhaps you will be separated from your family this Christmas for the first time, and the thought of missing them and all the family traditions will be hard.

We live in a consumeristic culture driven by the almighty dollar. With all the commercialism and legends that go along with Christmas, it can be a real challenge for God’s people to not lose sight of the true reason we celebrate Christmas.

On top of that, we live in an increasingly God-hating, Christ-rejecting world that has as its goal the annihilation of Christianity. And if they can’t totally annihilate it, they try to make those who believe the God of the Bible and who seek to live by His guidelines look totally ridiculous and paint them as being on the “wrong side” of history.

Unless God’s people are intentional and proactive in saturating their hearts and minds with His truth, particularly as it relates to Christmas, they will likely succumb to any number of the above-mentioned challenges or others.

They will go through this Christmas season discouraged, hopeless, hurting, and unfulfilled. Or, at the very least, they will pass through the season and into the New Year with their focus on many good things such as wonderful family gatherings, delicious food (possibly, okay probably,

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in excess), giving and receiving gifts, but all the while largely missing the most important focus: Christ and why He came.

No doubt, most professing Christians can tell you Jesus is the most important focus of Christmas – at least, He is supposed to be. Likewise, most could also tell you Jesus came to set us free from sin by paying the penalty for our sin through His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection. We know that truth in our head, but does it saturate our heart during the Christmas season in particular, so that the way we think, speak, and act reflect that glorious truth?

There is nothing wrong with families getting together at Christmas. It’s a wonderful time. But the gift of family, relationships, and meaningful time together is designed by God to point to the ultimate relationship – our relationship with Him! At the end of life, all the relationships, time spent with family and friends are all pointless if we do not have a relationship with Him through repentance of sin and faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Our great times with family this Christmas should cause us to desire and pursue intimate time with our Savior and our Father through the Spirit.

Delicious food is another delightful staple at Christmas, and some will intentionally eat little to nothing before a big Christmas meal with all the fixings with the family. Again, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying good-tasting food. Our taste buds are a gift from our Marvelous Creator precisely so we could enjoy such savory delights. But the hunger pangs and the utter delight of such wonderful tastes to satisfy those pangs serve a greater purpose – namely to cause us to hunger and thirst for Christ, the all-satisfying, and ultimate delight of our needy souls.

Giving and receiving gifts is a long-standing tradition at Christmas time. To the degree that they are given out of true love and received with humble gratitude, gifts can be a wonderful expression of the ultimate Christmas gift – Jesus: God taking on human flesh as a baby in Bethlehem, living in perfect obedience to God’s law, voluntarily laying down His life in our place through an agonizing death on a cross, and triumphantly rising from the dead conquering sin and death.

He did all of this so we could have our sin forgiven, become His children, have purpose and meaning in this life, have hope and peace during life’s uncertainties, and ultimately, spend eternity with Him. That is the purpose of Christmas.

This is why Christ came.

Please don’t miss that very important truth. Yes, acknowledge that truth, but more importantly, accept it so that you live the reality of it. Enjoy time with family and friends. Eat lots of good food. Give and receive gifts. But please don’t forget these wonderful things point to Jesus, the ultimate Gift/Giver, the One Who alone can forgive, rescue and satisfy. This is the ultimate challenge of Christmas. If you miss that point, then you’d better really enjoy your family time, the food, and gifts because the ultimate purpose and gift of Christmas will not be reality for you.

The Reason for the Season Merry Christmas

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God’s Love – The Heart of Christmas

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e have created so many traditions and ways to celebrate Christmas!

Elves, reindeer, Santa, tinsel, candy canes, gingerbread houses, and bright colored packages are magical with or without snow. Wreaths, fruit cake, lights flashing red and green, silver bells, Feliz Navidad and White Christmas, - all evoke wonderful memories. Each of these ways of celebrating Christmas are good, but ring hollow and soon fade with the season when we overlook the Heart of Christmas.

an open house for the community to COME TO THE STABLE to share in GOD’s LOVE THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS.

The small church of Dillard United Methodist offers our community an experience to celebrate Christmas in an inspiring and lasting way. Each year Dillard United Methodist Church hosts

This year the Come To The Stable Open House will be Sunday afternoon December 15 at 2:00pm to 6:00pm with a community congregational sing of everyone’s favorite Christmas Carols at 3:00pm. Over 200 nativities from many different countries will be displayed throughout the church. Crafts for children, activities for every age, and fellowship and refreshments will make it a very special way to share and celebrate in a lasting way as we remember God’s love as the real Heart of Christmas.

December 2019 - 43

Grandma’s Prayer Journal - Hooligans

by Karla Jacobs

Sunday, December 20, 1976 – Midnight After church turned out tonight, we went to Ron and Becky Snuggs for coffee and cake and the majority of the church turned up there. Becky is the Home Economist for White Co. and I was embarrassed with the way the grandchildren & nieces & nephews acted. They are used to going to informal parties at my house or other relatives and they seemed to go wild. I had to scold them several times to keep them from breaking something. All of this really left me up tight, so I decided to get up and eat and write down my thoughts. I need to help teach the children the difference in a formal party and a family party. This will have to be done with tact to be able to reach them. I’ve always loved them so much I didn’t see their faults.

Please God, help me be the kind of grandmother who can help them learn this lesson. Bless all the children at church and help me be the right kind of influence on them. We thank you for each member at Bethel. Please, Lord, help us socialize together more. Help us to work together for the good of the church. I know this will strengthen the fellowship of the church. Please help me Lord, to worship You in celebrating Christmas more this year than ever before. Amen. – Claudine Cantrell

I

have no idea whether I was one of the little hooligans who mortified Granny Cantrell so much that night she recorded it in her journal. Since this happened on a Sunday night, my guess would be I was not, but I have a sneaking suspicion of who was there and what they were doing.

I have the world’s best cousins, and I love them fiercely. There are eighteen of us, and we were a loud and rambunctious bunch back then. Still are. Granny’s house was tiny, just three little bedrooms, a den, a dining room/gathering room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. They enclosed the back porch later so there would be more room for people to sleep when we were there for a visit.

When all seven kids and eighteen grandkids were home, the place was bursting at the seams, but that didn’t stop us from running through the house screaming and laughing. I can’t tell you how many times I, alone, got in trouble for running into the house and slamming the screen door behind me.

Not a one of us could remember to close it quietly.

During the day, the grownups chased us outside where we managed to find all kinds of trouble it would be best not to talk about. At night or when the weather was bad, we were banished to the bedrooms.

It was one of these nights that we discovered there was

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a secret passageway between the closet in the middle bedroom and the closet in the back bedroom. The boys, who had been put in the middle bedroom to play, found it. If you crawled to the back right of Granny’s closet and climbed up some boxes, there was an opening that was big enough for a kid to crawl through and get in the back bedroom closet.

The girls were playing in the back bedroom, and the boys scared the bejesus out of us that night. Of course, we all spent the rest of the night crawling back and forth between the rooms.

My guess would be it was this type of behavior that had Granny all bent out of shape. Crawling through closets and looking for secret passageways in other people’s homes is not considered polite behavior, and neither is running through the house and slamming the front door. At a minimum, we would have looked under all the beds to see if there was anything interesting there. Most likely the grandchildren were running and wrestling and in danger of knocking stuff over.

We were wild, and Granny loved us for our wildness, not in spite of it. It’s funny now that she was embarrassed by our behavior, but it’s sweet that she was dedicated to teaching us to be better.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)

December 2019 - 45

By the Way - My new truck’s radio is making waves

by Emory Jones

I

’ve never been at the top of my class. But then again, I’ve never been at the bottom. Unless, of course, you count math.

But I don’t think Albert Einstein could operate the radio in my new truck. My old truck’s radio was simple. You just turned the knob, and the radio came on.

When you turned that knob the other way, it went off—a thing of simplestic beauty.

But my new truck’s radio is knobless. I suppose that should have been a red flag, but the salesman assured me I would love going knobless. Well, bless his little technology unchallenged heart, he was wrong. After two weeks of trying to get the new radio to act right, I decided to ask for help from the smartest man I know—my neighbor, Chuck.

Chuck’s a retired pilot who, rumor has it, once made an emergency landing on Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht. That and a couple of other incidents earned him his nickname of Chuck Jagermeister.

Anyway, ole Chuck agreed to come over and look the situation over.

“What’s the problem?” he asked, eyeing my radio with a pilot’s eye.

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“I can’t turn it on,” I said. There’s no knob. Plus, I think it’s defective.”

“First of all, it’s not a radio,” said Chuck. “It’s an infotainment unit.”

“Well, whatever it is, I just want to listen to the Swap Shop on WRWH in Cleveland—1350 on the dial.”

“You have to touch the “home” icon for that,” he said.

When I did, the screen lit up like I’d hit the jackpot at Six Flags.

I was halfway out the door when Chuck pulled me back in.

“It’s important not to panic around these new infotainment units,” he said. “Just pick the choice you want and touch the corresponding icon.”

Of the dozen or so options offered, the only ones that made any sense were “Source,” “Settings,” and “My Music.”

“I’ll take “Source” for $500,” I said.

“Do you want me to help turn your radio on or not?”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay. Touch “Source” then.”

“Which one?” I asked. “The “Source” icon at the top of the screen or the “Source” icon on the line below it?”

Chuck sighed. “Always touch “Source” on the top first.

Everybody knows that.”

When I did, another screen popped up, offering several more possibilities for me to “touch.”

“Listen,” I said. “I just want to dial in WRWH. Swap Shop comes on in 10 minutes.”

“FM or AM?” “I’ll take AM for $100.”

Chuck sighed again. I could see he was getting stressed, so I reached over to touch the AM icon. However, I inadvertently contacted “settings” instead, which was the next icon to the left.

“You touched the wrong one,” said Chuck sternly. “On an airplane, that would empty the right fuel tank.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, attempting to touch AM again. This time I inadvertently hit the icon to its right, which was “My Music.”

“Do you want to hear music?” Chuck asked.

“Just what they play on WRWH,” I said. “I love that snappy little Swap Shop jingle.”

Chuck shook his head. “I’m talking about your music—the music on your iPhone.”

“What’s an iPhone?”

At that point, Chuck just got out and walked over to his house.

I thought he might come back, but he didn’t.

It’s been a month now, and I still can’t get Swap Shop. And some British lady named Sara keeps telling me to make a u-turn as soon as possible. That gets old, even with the nice accent.

I’d give anything to have my old knob back.

December 2019 - 47

Of These Mountains

Christmas Treasures

I

by Kendall R. Rumsey

got my love of all things Christmas from my mother and my grandmother. They decorated every inch of their homes with glitter and shine, from my early years they included me in the holiday decorating, and I have kept those traditions through many incarnations throughout my adult life.

When I was about eight-years old, my entire family was gathered at my grandmother’s for Thanksgiving dinner. My parents, brother, aunt, uncle and cousin Melissa were all there with my grandfather and grandmother. As we sat eating the feast that had been prepared, I burst out an unfiltered comment…..”I know what we can do, let’s all decide what we want when ma-ma and gramps die.”

To say there was a stunned silence would be an understatement, but my grandmother being the perfect southern hostess, never missed a beat, “well tell me what you want Ken,” she asked. My response was automatic and emphatic, I want your Christmas decorations.

When my grandparents passed, sure enough I got the Christmas decorations. Every ball, nativity, bauble and candy cane, they were all mine.

When it came time to “clean out” my parents’ home after they passed, there was no discussion, everyone stayed away from the Christmas decorations because they all knew they would be coming home with me.

My aunt passed along some of her most prized ornaments, a group of small mercury balls she and my Uncle Larry got the year they were married. There was a note included with the balls, I read it each year when I open them up to place them on a small tree.

As the people who were the biggest influences in my life have passed on, sometimes Christmas is hard. The memories of my youth flood my heart and I miss them more during this time of year than any other, but those old Christmas decorations bring me closer to them.

My home is filled with the old ornaments of those I loved.

My mom and dad did a lot of traveling when they retired

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and she bought an ornament from everywhere they went, today those ornaments make up a garland at the entry to my home.

My Aunts ornaments decorate their own small tree and my grandmother’s nativity sits front and center in my entryway, and the handmade stocking she created for me the year I was born hangs from my mantle.

Most of those old ornaments have lost much of their glitter and shine through the years, just looking at them, to the outside eye, they don’t mean anything, but for me, they are priceless.

As I uncrate the boxes, I handle each one with care, many bringing back special memories from times gone by, a time when a simple glittery ball could fill the heart of a child with the Spirit of Christmas.

Now, like my mother and grandmother, my house is filled with Christmas, each year I add to my collection, and mix the old with the new, like memories that I gather over the years.

While we all rush around trying to find the perfect gift for our loved ones, sometimes Christmas gets overwhelming, but the memories I enjoy just being surrounded by these special decorations is the best gift I can receive.

One day it will be time for my niece and nephew to go through all the stuff I have accumulated through my life. They will find things that are trash and they will hopefully find things they consider a treasure.

The Christmas ornaments may fit into either category, but I hope they find something there that will remind them of the love I have for them and take it, and someday, when they are putting up their own Christmas decorations look back on a special ornament and be reminded of me and get a warm place in their hearts, just like the sense of peace I get each year when I uncrate the boxes and hang each ornament with love.

Kendall Rumsey is a resident of Clayton, Ga. He is owner of the lifestyle brand Of These Mountains and author of the blog, Notes from a Southern Kitchen. www.ofthesemountains.com www.notesfromasouthernkitchen.com

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Skiing Sky Valley

by Liz Alley

Photo by Scott Poss

W

inters in Rabun County can be cold but when I was a teenager in the 1980s, it was even colder. Like most kids, I longed for snow days. I woke every morning during the school year to the sound of Apple Savage, our local radio announcer, calling out the happenings from our fair county.

When snow had fallen during the night, I could count on his voice echoing throughout our home announcing “no school today, no school today!” His voice held a cheery chant that would have me and my siblings dancing a jig. I’d be thinking that, surly, Apple would play my favorite song “I’m The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA” on a day like today, a snow day. As mama fixed our breakfast, the only thing to do was wait for the snow plows to get the roads ready because I was going to Sky Valley to ski.

Sky Valley, although in the corner of Rabun County, Georgia, has the North Carolina state line as its northern border. In the 1960s, a group of investors purchased a 2,500-acre cattle ranch and developed Sky Valley Resort. Sky Valley didn’t exist as a community until the 1970s, so it was in

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it’s prime in the 1980s when I was a teenager. The heart of the property boasted a beautiful lodge made from huge rocks and timbered beams. In my mind, it was magical. My heart would race from the moment I entered the property and saw the lodge nestled at the base of the ski slope that glistened under the blue sky of a cold winter day.

There was an obstacle to overcome concerning Sky Valley and that was I didn’t own any snow skis. My parents, bless them, allowed me to rent skis so I could learn.

I was not the most athletic of teenagers, I was a good cheerleader and that pretty much summed up my athletic abilities. Still, for whatever reason, I was good at skiing and I loved it. I loved the click of the boots snapping into their bindings. I loved the swishing sound that came from my skis on the snow and the graceful “S” pattern I could make on a smooth stretch. I loved the feel of the wind on my face and the peaceful feeling of me and the mountain. I loved wearing my Bonnie Bell lip smacker on a lanyard around my neck. I loved going to school with lift tickets dangling from my jacket in a proud announcement that I had indeed been skiing. I loved when all my friends and I said “ooshie” and the tourists wondered what we were talking about.

(Ooshie: a mountain word meaning it’s cold as rip!) I loved skiing and it mattered not that I learned on a mixture of ice

and snow which was typical with manmade conditions and our often-wintery mixes.

The huge rock fireplace in the restaurant of the lodge was a great spot to warm up and have a cup of cocoa. As I got older, I graduated to the bar upstairs where my friends and I would order Shirley Temples in an effort to look older than we were. I’m pretty sure my hankering for Maraschino cherries and seeing how many I could cram in my mouth at once, was a dead giveaway to my age.

Although the rental skis at Sky Valley were as good as any, I longed for my own. It seemed too extravagant to ask for such a gift and my parents had their reasons for not purchasing them. With five children there was a graveyard of forgotten hobbies and abandoned musical instruments at our house.

I’m sure they were waiting to see if my love for snow skiing would actually stick.

Ski Scaly, a smaller ski resort, was just three and half miles up the road from Sky Valley. One season, I worked there as a cashier ringing up ski rentals. Gene Head, the owner, had a personality as big as Scaly Mountain and a cowboy hat to match. In reference to my being a cheerleader, he would yell across the lodge “Hey Pom Pom, how’s it going?” He never called me by my name but he let me ski for free and I adored him for that.

I was a junior in high school on Christmas 1982. Under the tree was a beautifully wrapped package from April Leigh’s, the boutique up town where my friends and I loved to buy our clothes. My mom had wonderful taste and I was sure I’d get some pretty outfits for Christmas. I was appreciative but still, I longed for skis.

On Christmas morning, I woke to the murmur of voices and the smell of breakfast from the kitchen. Some of my fondest memories are when my parents were cooking together.

I can see the coffee percolating on the counter, mom’s hands in the yellow mixing bowl making biscuits and dad manning the frying pan like a champ. Mom, Dad and I ate breakfast and then I sat in the floor by the tree to open my gifts. There was no bustle and harried ripping of paper like Christmases past, as I was the only one left at home now, being the youngest of the five. In the box from April Leigh’s was a beautiful sweater that my sister Lynn and I would fight over for years to come. Other packages contained a pair of leather boots and a bottle of Youth Dew perfume. Last but not least was my dad bringing in a pair of snow skis and boots that he propped against the sofa in front of me.

I could not believe my eyes. I jumped for joy and clapped my hands. I can remember in exact detail what they looked like. They were beautiful. They, along with my memories of Sky Valley, remain my favorite Christmas gift.

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Mountain Happenings STEPHENS COUNTY December 6th Christmas Fest & Lighting of the Tree Downtown Toccoa Info: 706.898.5777 December 7th, 14th “Christmas at the Inn” Traveler’s Rest Historic Site, Toccoa Info: 706.356.4362 www.gastateparks.org/travelersrest The Ritz Theater Toccoa Info: www.ritztheatretoccoa.com December 5th, 20th, 27th Christmas Movies at the Ritz December 7th Night at the Ritz: Wilson Fairchild, Country Christmas Show December 12th Southern Gospel Music: The Troy Burns Family December 16th Open Mic Monday January 3rd The Malpass Brothers January 31st Mario the Maker Magician HABERSHAM COUNTY November 28th - January 1st Christmas Lights Spectacular Cornelia City Park, Cornelia Info: 706.778.4654 December 5th - 8th, 13th - 16th “AMAHL and the Night Visitors” Habersham Community Theater Clarkesville Info: 706-839-1315 www.habershamtheater.org December 6th Grinch Movie Night Downtown Cornelia Info: 706.778.8585 December 12th - 14th Christmas in Cornelia Cornelia City Park, Cornelia Info: 706.778.8585 December 14th Downtown Clarkesville Christmas Downtown Clarkesville Info: 706.754.2220 Grant Street Music Room Clarkesville Info: 706.754.3541 grantstreetmusicroom.com December 21st Ralph Roddenberry and Donna Hopkins

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December 31st Steve Bryson Band

Hardman Farm Historic Site Sautee Nacoochee Info: 706.878.1077

WHITE COUNTY

December 7th Emory Jones Book Signing

November 29th Annual Lighting of the Village Downtown Helen Info: 706.878.2181 November 29th - 30th Mistletoe Market Helen Arts & Heritage Center Helen Info: 706.878.3933, helenarts.org November 30th - December 1st December 7th - 8th 12th Annual Christkindlmarkt Downtown Marketplatz Helen Info: 706.878.1908 December 7th Christmas in the Mountains Celebration and Lighted Parade Cleveland Info: 706.865.5356 December 14th Helen’s 50th Celebration Christmas Parade Helen Info: 706.878.2181 December 31st Dropping of the Edelweiss Helen Festhalle Helen Info: 706.878.1908 Unicoi State Park & Lodge Helen Info: 706.878.3985 November 13th - December 7th Festival of Trees Info: 706-878-2201

December 6th - 7th, 13th - 14th December 20th - 21st A Victorian Christmas in Nacoochee RABUN COUNTY November 29th Christmas in Downtown Clayton Info: 706.212.0241 November 29th - 30th Holiday Shopping Expo & Festival of Trees Rabun County Civic Center Clayton Info: 706.782.5271 December 7th Christmas Parade and Centennial Birthday Party Downtown Clayton Info: 706.212.0241 December 12th - 15th “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some)” North Georgia Community Players Dillard Playhouse Dillard Info: 706.212.2500 ngcommunityplayers.com Northeast Georgia Food Bank Clayton Info: 706.212.0241 December 7th Holiday Farmers’ Market December 9th Junior Chef After School

December 14th Breakfast with Santa

December 14th Santa at the Food Bank

SNCA Sautee Nacoochee Info: 706.878.3300 www.snca.org

Tallulah Gorge State Park Tallulah Falls Info: 706.754.7981

December 5th - 8th Willy Wonka, Jr. play December 13th - 14th Murder Mystery Dinner Theater December 15th Cannon Classical Music Series Ciyadh Wells December 28th January 25th Community Contra Dance January 18th Caroline Aiken in Concert

December 7th Christmas at the Gorge December 12th Full Moon Suspension Bridge Hike TOWNS COUNTY November 29th - December 1st Holiday Arts & Crafts Show Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa Young Harris Info: 800.201.3205

December 6th, 13th “Let it Snow” & “Season of Light” Planetarium Shows Young Harris College Young Harris Info: 706.379.5130 December 21st Winter Soltice Celebration Crane Creek Vineyards Young Harris Info: 706.379.1236 Mountain Home Music Theatre Hiawassee Info: 706.896.3624 December 7th Roy Perrin (Elvis) Live December 14th - Christmas Show Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds Hiawassee Info: 706.896.4191 georgiamountainfairgrounds.com November 28th - 30th and each weekend through December Mountain Country Christmas November 30th Lee Greenwood & T. Graham Brown

December 6th - 7th Blairsville Holiday Stop & Shop Union County Civic Center Blairsville Info: 770-789-2044

December 6th Sarah Morgan Concert

December 7th 2019 Holly Jolly Christmas Breakfast with Santa Union County Community Center Blairsville Info: 706.745.5789

December 21st Contra & Square Dance

December 5th Andrew Peterson BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD

Peacock Performing Arts Center Hayesville Info: 828.389.2787 thepeacocknc.org

December 10th Steven Curtis Chapman

December 7th Kris Kringle Mountain Market Union County Farmers’ Market Blairsville Info: 706.439.6043 December 7th Christmas on the Square & Parade Downtown Blairsville Info: 706.347.3503 December 14th Christmas Tree Lighting Vogel State Park, Blairsville Info: 706.745.2628 Paradise Hills Resort and Spa Blairsville Info: 706.745.7483 November 29th - Sip and Shop

December 14th Little River Band

December 14th Open House and Cookie Contest

UNION COUNTY

CLAY COUNTY, NC December 14th Clay Co. Progress Christmas Parade Hayesville Info: 828.389.3704

December 1st - 31st Tour of Trees Union County Community Center Blairsville Info: 706.745.5789 December 5th and the first Thursday of the month Shop Late Thursday Downtown Blairsville Info: 706.754.5789

John C. Campbell Folk School Brasstown Info: 828.837.2775 November 30th - Fireside Sale

December 13th Brasstown Ringers Holiday Concert

December 7th Main Stage featuring The Joe Alterman Jazz Trio December 14th Lisa Rock: A Carpenter’s Christmas January 18th The Sock Hops MACON COUNTY, NC November 30th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony Kelsey-Hutchinson Park Highlands Info: 828.526.5841 November 30th, December 7th Winter Wonderland Nights Downtown Franklin Info: 828.524.2516 December 1st Franklin’s Annual Christmas Parade Downtown Franklin Info: 828.524.2516 December 7th Highlands Olde Mountain Christmas Parade Downtown Highlands Info: 828.526.5841

Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts Franklin Info: 866.273.4615; 828.524.1598 GreatMountainMusic.com

December 13th Leann Rimes - You and Me Christmas Tour December 19th SMPCA’s Singing Christmas Card December 21st Scott Thompson Christmas Back Home Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center Franklin Info: 828.349.1945 December 1st - Cowee Christmas December 21st SEBA Jam Highlands Performing Arts Center Highlands Info: 828.526.9047 November 29th Maureen McGovern “Christmas Concert” December 6th GAOS: The Prado Museum December 12th Highlands Cashiers Players Holiday Reading December 14th National Theatre Live: Small Island

December 2019 - 53

C

ome join us on Christmas Eve for our annual Walkin’ Paws Christmas Eve Event. We try to get all the dogs, cats, pups, and kittens out and played with, loved on and pretty much tuckered out so the staff can have a quick day on Christmas. Every year we have friends and family join us for a wonderful day of giving back. We start at 9am and end at pm. Come stop in for a few minutes or spend the entire day.

We have homemade cocoa for everyone to enjoy. If you are able and willing to walk dogs, we have plenty that enjoy the outdoors and exercise, if you just want to sit and rub a belly, that’s welcome as well. If we have pups at the time we will have a play room available so the kids can roll around and play with them.

Christmas is a time to give back and what better gift than your time and love to an animal that wants nothing more.

Paws for Life is located at 261 Boen Creek Road Tiger, GA 30576.

This page is sponsored by Edward Jones - Ara Joyce

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December 2019 - 55

Foxfire Holds Traditional Christmas Event Saturday, December 14, 2019

by Penny Marshall

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hen was the last time you munched on a cookie made in a wood-fired oven, or listened to Christmas carols sung in a cozy log chapel?

On Saturday, December 14, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm, you and your family and friends can do just that as Foxfire is hosting an old fashioned Southern Appalachian Christmas Event. A Foxfire Christmas will feature a number of demonstrations and activities that will have you yearning for the Christmases of old.

Come see the Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center transformed into a Christmas wonderland, including candle-lit trails, decorated log cabins, singing carolers, and freshly baked Christmas cookies. Experience traditional weaving demonstrations by Village Weaver, Sharon Grist, story-telling inside the 200 year old Savannah cabin, a cooking demonstration on a cast iron wood stove, ornament and doll making workshop for children of all ages , complete with hot cider and holiday treats!

This wonderful community event will be fun and educational for all, giving visitors a taste of how the region’s pioneer ancestors celebrated the Christmas season in our beautiful Southern Appalachian mountains.

Come and celebrate our unique cultural heritage as it is brought to life under the towering trees in the breath-taking Appalachian Village.

Marvel at the 23 magnificent log structures and the rare artifacts on display. If you haven’t experienced Foxfire, now is the perfect time to enjoy something very special.

This event is Foxfire’s gift to you and your family. Bundle up and come celebrate A Foxfire Christmas—the most unique and authentic Christmas Heritage event in Rabun County.

For directions and information, please go to www.foxfire.org or contact the Foxfire Office Staff in Mountain City, Ga. At 706 746-5828.

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Franklin, North Carolina

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Adventure Out

North Georgia Tech Photo Class Field Trip Coleman River Trail - Denton Branch Falls

by Peter McIntosh

E

very fall I have the distinct honor of giving a talk about backcountry photography to the students at North Georgia Technical College.

The students then go out in the field to test a few of the tips and tricks I shared. All the photos in this article are by these talented students. Great job to all of you.

Top photo: Brooke Ames - Denton Branch Falls Bottom photo: NGTC Photography Class

Our destinations for this trip are The Coleman River Trail, the Tallulah River Road and Denton Branch Falls. The Coleman River Trail, about 1 mile in length, is located on the Tallulah River Road, at a bridge where the road turns from asphalt to gravel. The trail ascends a bit steeply at first but soon levels out high above the stream on your left.

After a few minutes you’ll come to a small cascade and just past this bit of whitewater, look for a side trail on the left leading out to a large rock that protrudes out over the water offering nice views both upstream and downstream.

Continuing along, the trail again ascends, a little less steeply this time. You’ll pass a well worn camping area (this is a good wading spot) as the trail now becomes almost level. As the trail begins to ascend once again you’ll come to some footbridges, some with railings, others without. Be careful here. After climbing some primitive steps, the trial becomes more level and there’s a great swimming/wading pool on the left. (Only polar bears swim this time of year.)

There will be a small camping area with a fire ring near the trail’s terminus. After stepping over a big rock in the middle of the trail, that’s about it. It looks like the trail goes on a bit further but that’s just some Rhododendron cleared away by trout fishermen. One mile in, one mile out, now up the road to visit a beautiful a waterfall.

From the confluence of the Tallulah and Coleman Rivers, we head up the Tallulah River Road (a single track road with turnouts) crossing back and forth over the river. This is one of the most beautiful drives in the north Georgia mountains. Take your time, pull over and get out of your car. Take it all in, there’s many a spot overlooking noisy rapids rushing into deep clear pools. And please slow down if you’re passing a fisherman or someone out for a walk, nobody likes breathing dust. After passing a couple of forest service campgrounds you’ll come to a magical

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hamlet called Tate City. Tate City is a small community located in a serene valley surrounded by high mountain peaks. People do live here so drive slowly and be respectful.

Near the far end of Tate City and across from a green plastic street sign on the left that reads, “River Run,” turn right on a small dirt road. You can drive the 2/10 mile until the road dead ends at Denton Branch or pull over and walk up the (not maintained, sometimes very muddy) road. The trail, less than a half mile in length, begins at the stream, crossing a few stepping stones just upstream from where the old road crossed, and ascending gently past some well worn berms.

The trail first leads away from the creek and then turns back towards it, slowly ascending. You’ll come to a small waterfall but this isn’t it. Take a break, enjoy it and then continue on.

The pathway comes to an end with the Denton Branch Falls visible through the Rhododendrons. Cross over the creek and carefully make your way to an open area offering a spectacular close up view of this small but lovely cascade.

Stanley Eli - Student with Instructor Jim Loring ‘Tis the season and I hope my poem is pleasin’: On this trip I thought it would be prudent, To share the work of some talented students.

You can follow in their tracks, it’s a trip you’ll be liking, Merry Christmas to all and to all Happy Hiking!

Maggie Mayfield - Coleman River

Maggie Mayfield - Leaves Hannah Jones - Denton Branch Falls

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Eric Mcgill - Tallulah River

Tripp Walker - Coleman River

Sidney Heath - Denton Branch Falls

Carrie Wild - Leaf

Brent Foster - Forest Getting there: From Clayton go 8 miles on Hwy 76W to Persimmon Road, then 4.1 miles to the Tallulah River Road on left. It’s 1.5 miles to Coleman River trailhead on right. From Coleman River go 4.8 miles to old road on right leading to Denton Branch Falls. If you cross a small bridge and go into the deep forest, you’ve gone just a bit too far.

Hannah Wakefield - Denton Branch Falls

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December 2019 - 63

Antiquity, Soul and Solitude Near Lake Burton

by John Shivers

H

ave you ever dreamed of owning a real honest-togoodness log cabin? You know, not one of those factory-fabricated models everybody else has, but something more like what the mountain folk lived in years ago? Those structures are a rapidly vanishing breed, you know.

When the pressures of everyday rat-race living get to you, do you ever long to retreat off the grid and get back to nature? But yet, at the same time, you’re hesitant to get too primitive? There is something to be said for creature comfort and convenience!

Does the prospect of sitting on your screened porch listening to the sounds of nature, and walking beside a burbling mountain stream wending its way among the rocks and other barriers, absolutely feed your weary soul and make you yearn for more?

Then you’re definitely long overdue to see the property at 6581 Plum Orchard Road outside Clayton, and close to Lake Burton. It checks all of the aforementioned boxes, and delivers so much more besides.

Down a private gravel road, this hidden mountain cove is far enough off the beaten path, that breathtakingly beautiful whitetail deer, wild hogs, the occasional ambling black bear and turkeys with fans displayed, strutting their stuff, are some of your nearest neighbors. What’s more, because of the protective covenants, these natural neighbors will be there as long as you are. Over-development is prohibited and enhancement of the pristine nature of the community is the mantra.

These 105± acres sit just beneath the Blue Ridge Divide, and the water sources are clean and unpolluted. Bull Branch

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meanders through the center of the cove, and joins Plum Creek near the center of the property. Tumbling trout waters bordered by open meadows create a natural paradise for those fortunate enough to inhabit this unspoiled tract, nestled deep in this peaceful mountain valley. Talk about picturesque!

Welcome to the wild side of the mountains, in the shadow of the big mountains, where the Appalachian Trail runs the ridgeline just above the property. This wilderness setting will scream “buy me!” to every hiker. If your dream is to escape the everyday and find a place where every day is a dream, then this acreage in Rabun County is what you’re seeking.

And it gets better. Built into a hillside on the property is a gorgeous original cabin that has been rebuilt from the foundation up. It’s an authentic mountain home, and from

first glimpse, this old and proud assemblage of logs and chinking and patina of antiquity beckons you to come closer. Come in, it seems to whisper.

Imagine what it must have been like a century ago, to live and raise a family in such a setting.

While it’s only one room, there’s the requisite rebuilt stone fireplace, a functional kitchen area, and a bed. Proud mountain pioneers would have felt most fortunate. But in a concession to modern demands, a complete bathroom with shower was added during the renovation. And if you really insist, high speed internet, telephone and underground utilities are available.

This is the ultimate property for a family retreat. It offers multiple recreational opportunities and peace and quiet. So enjoy the cabin, use it as a base of operations, while you build your dream retreat. Then you can make the cozy, one-room dwelling your guest house, or you can keep it for yourself, for when you really want to “get-away.” And all the while, you’ll know you’ve helped to preserve a piece of old Rabun County History.

Contact Poss Realty agent Lorie Thompson at 706-490-1820 to view MLS #8671907, or at the Poss Realty office number 706-782-2121.

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Services for your Home & Property

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Matthew Pileski

IRT-1848D-A

Financial Advisor

20 Oak Crescent Cir Clayton, GA 30525 706-782-7936

www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC

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The Wind Blows Toward “WOW!”

by John Shivers

Y

ou’ll know you’ve arrived at 3051 Rice Cabin Overlook Road in Helen, Georgia when you see the graceful windmill that harkens from an earlier era. Whether you’re driving up from Highway 75 north of the fabled Alpine village, or coming in by air to set down on your own helipad, the windmill marks the spot. It gives you an idea of how the wind is blowing, because when you’re at “Bison Ranch” in White County, the wind is always blowing in the right direction.

Regardless of how you arrive, however, it will be next to impossible to resist saying, “WOW!” ,as you survey this secluded family compound that sits on 14.86± acres on Tray Mountain. An added plus that’s included in the deal, are the spectacular distant views centered on the famed Mount Yonah. In fact, you’ll probably say, “Wow!”, several times before you’ve fully experienced this home that’s so unique, the term “one-of-a-kind” doesn’t begin to do it justice!

Spread among three dwellings, this complex features a total of 15 bedrooms, 13 full bathrooms, and one partial bath, three kitchens and seven fireplaces. Though it’s been used as a private residence since it was built in 2008, the property accommodates large crowds without sacrificing guest privacy and comfort. It would also make a fabulous corporate retreat center or wedding venue.

The main house that crowns the property is a rustic Adirondack, A-Frame surrounded by pristine manicured lawns. Many expansive windows overlook the views both near and far, and allow living to happen indoors and out. Adding to the livability

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factor is the expansive covered pavilion next to the house, where yet another remarkable view is there for the enjoyment.

The lodge, which is of raised design that caters to the view and allows the basement level to enjoy maximum light, contains six bedrooms, six and one-half baths, a dining room that seats 12 or more, family room, great room, office/library, a separate living room, recreation room, theater/media room, and an inlaw suite or apartment. The master suite with its own fireplace and spa-like bath is on the main level.

The lodge kitchen is open to the great room, easily adjacent to the dining areas. Stainless steel appliances include double ovens, range, refrigerator, and built-in microwave. Custom cabinetry and solid-surface countertops, a walk-in pantry, icemaker line, garbage disposal, and a laundry room nearby all add to that Wow! factor.

A second, more traditional log cabin has six bedrooms and four baths, and Bison View Lodge, the third complex, includes three bedrooms and three baths. With ample space where 20 or more guests may dine in comfort, supported by a chef’s kitchen and a Margaritaville-style full bar, this space is truly multi-functional without sacrificing comfort or convenience.

Throughout the three buildings, architectural elements that include logs, rough-sawn siding, stone and wood siding contribute to the rustic lodge feeling. Add to that recycled and distressed tin that’s been utilized for ceilings and other decorative uses, and twisted bare laurel branches throughout along with other reclaimed materials, all contribute to that overwhelming urge to say, “Wow!” This gently sloping and heavily wooded tract in the Tray Mountain Subdivision backs up to National Forest lands which further ensures the beauty of the site and the privacy factor, just 15 minutes from the center of Helen with all its shopping, dining, arts and activities. White County schools offer a quality education, and access into the major metropolitan areas is an easy task. But who would want to go back to town, when you can retreat at Bison Ranch?

For an opportunity to experience the WOW! factor firsthand, contact Agent Julie Barnett at Harry Norman, REALTORS® Luxury Lake and Mountain at 404-697-3860 or at the office, 706-212-0228.

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elcome to Lulu & Tully Mercantile! We are so excited and hope you are too. After a two-month long renovation, we have transformed our downtown space into a magical haven at the center of a bustling mountain town, steeped in tradition and full of rich history.

Our new look, with an open floor plan and plenty of tables to display our gorgeous goods, hint at an earlier time in small town America, where your shopping experience was a treasure hunt with surprises at every turn.

rdinary most extrao e th o ls a re things a e them.

The simple wise can se e th ly n o d hemist things, an lho, The Alc ~Paulo Coe

Immerse yourself in old time charm as you step through the 8-foothigh double doors and browse our unique and varied merchandise. Let your eyes roam the floor to ceiling gallery walls featuring superb art of North Georgia’s most alluring landscapes and panoramas.

Here you will be able to find the perfect gift, accessory or furnishing for your home as you explore the aisles, check the shelves and peek under the tables.

I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. ~Vincent van Gogh Shop owner Rabun Martin has spent the last two decades building her interior design business, retail shop and art studio and is now ready to take a bold new step into the future of her business. This newly revamped space reflects Rabun’s extension of herself as an artist where she can showcase her art as well as host workshops.

Long roughhewn display tables and worktables mounted on wheels for functionality, allow Rabun the luxury to rotate her displays or better accommodate students. These tables were designed by Rabun and brought to fruition by her husband, Ashley, in his woodworking factory located in Rabun Gap, Georgia.

An unexpected surprise at the back of the store is the Mercantile Studio, with worktables and stools, where classes in painting and crafting will be offered.

Rabun believes everyone has a creative side and she looks forward to providing workshops giving others a place to gather, inspire, support and create together. She loves introducing the students in her art classes to their artistic spirits so they can make beautiful art of their own.

In addition to her art classes, the many and varied studio sessions will include, but not be limited to - floral design, soap and candle making, basket weaving, knitting, pottery classes and jewelry making. A complete working kitchen will supplement the studio offering classes in cooking and baking. She will also schedule private workshops for your ‘girls night out’ or special event. Just let us know what you’re looking for and hope to get out of it.

By visiting her shop, it is Rabun’s hope that her customers will find new inspiration and ideas for bringing added beauty and comfort into their homes. In a world of mass-produced items, it’s refreshing to be able to walk into a shop and find beauty in unconventional and sometimes offbeat recycled materials.

Rabun loves to find unusual and discarded pieces and breathe new life into them. She works tirelessly to charm her patrons with one of a kind treasures for them to fall in love with. From stylish essentials to the perfectly imperfect, you’re sure to find something to put a smile on your face.

“Your home should be filled with things you love! Conversation pieces of your life! Create a space that inspires you, makes you happy, and are functional for your needs. If you don’t like it, you should not live with it!” ~Rabun Martin

Life isn’t about finding yourself.

Life is about creating yourself. ~George Bernard Shaw

Live Healthy and Be Well!

“Christmas disease – AKA Hemophilia B”

by Stephen Jarrard, MD, FACS

I

can’t always match the theme of the monthly editions, but this month I wanted to do something related to the holidays, which can be hard when writing about different medical topics.

But there is such a thing as Christmas disease, and it has nothing to do with gift shopping or eggnog addiction. However, the name seems appropriate, and it is an interesting topic in a medical and historical sense. This condition has had an impact on the royal families of Europe over the centuries.

The disease is named after a British man named Stephen Christmas; the first person described with the condition.

Coincidentally, this “description” appeared in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal in 1952.

Christmas disease is better known as Hemophilia type B. There are three types of this condition, A, B, and C. All are bleeding disorders caused by genetic mutations which bring about a deficiency of clotting factors. In the case of type A (Classic Hemophilia) – it is Factor VIII (8). Type C (Rosenthal Syndrome) results from low levels of Factor XI (11). Christmas disease, Type B, results from a deficiency in clotting Factor IX (9).

The gene that controls the production of this factor is located on the X chromosome. As males (XY) only have one X chromosome, they are almost always the ones affected by the actual disease. Females (XX) with two X chromosomes are almost always only “carriers” of the condition, as the gene on the other X chromosome usually can produce enough to be sufficient. However, these females who are carriers can pass along the trait to their sons, who have a very good chance of having the disease.

The disease is passed through the female line of a family. By the laws of genetics, fathers who have the mutation cannot pass to their sons, but all their daughters will be carriers. Mothers who are carriers will have sons with a 50% chance of having the disease, and their daughters will each have a 50% chance of also being carriers. Women can only get the disease if both parents carry the mutation, which is very rare. In the situation of an affected family who inter-marries and thus magnifies the genetic defect, it will present itself much more often than the general population. Thus, the Royal connection to this and other genetic diseases, which leads to a “weakening” of the family bloodline over time.

So, if you have Christmas disease, you are almost always a male with a mother who is a carrier, and you will have a serious blood clotting disorder which will lead to bleeding episodes.

You are born with it, but it may not show up until later in life.

At that point, blood testing will determine that you are missing

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Factor IX which is an important part of the clotting cascade, and thus your blood will not clot properly. Severe cases may show up in early childhood, such as excessive bleeding after circumcision or from cuts and scratches. Other cases will present later in childhood – heavy bruising or bleeding with tooth extractions or any surgical procedures.

As Christmas disease results from a genetic malformation – there is no cure. Treatment involves regular injections of Factor IX, or transfusions before a surgical procedure. These individuals must be very careful to avoid wounds and the normal lacerations and such that we all experience with mild inconvenience. These wounds could be serious or even fatal to one afflicted. However, using caution and regular treatment from healthcare providers, one can be expected to lead a fairly normal life in most cases. With knowledge and treatments known today, the prognosis is much better than Stephen Christmas was given during this month in 1952.

During this special time of the year, we are reminded where all credit is due, to the Great Physician who is ultimately in charge of all things. Your healthcare providers do all they can to help you with health and wellness, but your health is ultimately up to Him, who will help you if you help yourself, so we are told in the Scriptures. Merry CHRISTmas to you and your families, and best wishes for a happy and prosperous new year!

We really do enjoy hearing from you with any questions, concerns, or ideas for future columns and/or health and wellness related issues for the Georgia Mountain Laurel.

Please send an email to rabundoctor@gmail.com, or call us at 706-782-3572, and we will be sure to consider your input. This and previous articles can be found on the web at www.rabundoctor.com in an archived format. If you use Twitter, then follow us for health tips and wellness advice @rabundoctor, and on Facebook see the page rabundoctor.

Until next month, live healthy and be well!

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Free Indeed!

New Men’s Treatment Facility Opens in Rabun

Joel Winchester, Joel Nix, Ashley York, Dan Crane

F

reedom Ministries Lighthouse has opened a residential and outpatient men’s treatment facility. Addiction nearly claimed the life of Freedom Ministries founder Joel Winchester. That is the reason he is so dedicated to help others who struggle with addiction. Joel and his wife Aleta, his daughter Ashley and her husband Johnny York and Dan Crane are the core of the ministry.

Each having found freedom through Christ Jesus and the tools necessary to live a clean and sober life.

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The ministry is Christ centered and teaches men how to live a new life free of the bondage of addiction. The treatment plan includes church services, meetings, counseling and job and life skills training. Currently they have seven beds available but when construction is complete they will have the ability to house 14 men. Ashley serves as Case Manager and is in training to be a certified addiction counselor. She shared this with us “It is so awesome to see God put these lives back together and heal the entire family.” Dan Crane moved home to Rabun County to work with Freedom Ministries Lighthouse after serving as a counselor for years at another facility in middle Georgia.

Dan is the Director of the facility and also offers counseling.

Aleta Winchester, Johnny York and Greg Gibson each work as volunteers in the ministry.

Freedom Ministries Lighthouse also offers a fellowship service open to the public on Saturday evenings at 6 PM on their property located at 7247 old 441 South Lakemont, GA 30552. Jeanna Owens hosts a bible class for children at that same time making it convenient for parents. The service includes preaching, singing and testimonies. This organization has a men’s and women’s jail ministry as well sending people in to minister to addicts that are incarcerated.

The residential program is a 9 to 12 month stay either full time in house or outpatient for residents who can manage staying in their home. Random drug screening is done and meetings are required. Lives are truly being changed, in fact recently Freedom Ministries Lighthouse had their first graduation. A young man who felt hopeless has walked into a new life, with hope and a future. His relationship with Christ and the tools he has learned will keep him on the right path. If you or someone you know is in need of help please call for more information 478.230.4036.

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