Georgia Mountain Laurel January 20

January 2020 - 1

Happy New Year Friends!

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t is a brand new year and we are still doing what we love and that is to share the mountains with you. The people, places and things that make our home one of the most incredible places on God’s green earth! Month after month our writers find new and exciting stories to share with you. This is YOUR magazine, it is a reflection of your businesses, your home, your heart!

This year is a new start for each one of us. It’s not about resolutions it is about finding happiness, spreading joy, being kind and making your life and the lives of those around you better. I mean it, it’s time to take action! All of those plans, goals, dreams, quit talking about it and make it happen.

This issue is our first of 2020 and it has all of the same articles and info that we stuff in one each month, but there is hope woven into each page. There were prayers spoken for each and every person who picks this issue up. I don’t know who’s going to be reading this but God does and right this very minute I am taking a minute to pray that 2020 is your year! That God will bless you and keep you safe. Thank you for another year of GML!

Tracy

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

January 2020 • Volume Seventeen • Issue One Georgia Mountain Laurel Mailing: PO Box 2218, Clayton, Georgia 30525 Office: 2511 Highway 441, Mountain City, Georgia 30562 706-782-1600 • www.gmlaurel.com

Contributing Writers: Mark Holloway, Steve Jarrard, MD, John Shivers, Emory Jones, Gabe Southards, Jan Timms, Lorie Thompson, Jennifer Marcellino, Noel Shuman, Holly Beth Anderson, Emory Jones, Dick Cinquina, Rebecca Cooper

Copyright 2020 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 Arts & Entertainment 32

Cover Artist - Jim Kane

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The Art of Weather - Dylan Smith

Mountain History 18

Surviving Winter in the Mountains

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Rabun County Historical Society

Faith in Christ 24

I Pray for You, My Friend

26

River Garden

27

R4G - Head of Tennessee Baptist Church

Health & Wellness 30

Live Healthy & Be Well

32

New Year, New You

34

Clayton Health and Fitness

Life & Leisure 36

Lovin’ the Journey

38

By The Way

40

Search for Jimmy Hoffa

A Taste 42

Bon Appetit

46

The Family Table

Affairs to Remember 48

F.A.I.T.H Sweetheart Ball 2020

49

Winterfest

Outdoors 50

Adventure Out

52

Paws 4 Life

Mountain Homes

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54

Harry Norman REALTORS® Featured Home

58

Poss Realty Featured Home

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Jim Kane – Wolverine Fan at Heart

by Tracy McCoy

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ou could call Jim Kane a lot of things, great dad, good friend, amazing photographer, nice guy… you get the idea. When I told Jim that I was from The Great Lakes state, I learned that Jim is a huge Ohio State fan, a true Buckeye! His expression said it all, but as tactfully as possible he said, “Oh, well I am from Ohio and did you see where we just whipped the pants off of Michigan?” Oh, no I thought, another darn Buckeye fan! They are fierce and passionate people who are so intimidated by the navy and gold “M”.

Since football was not the topic of our interview, I quickly turned the conversation to his camera and his incredible ability to see things others miss. I asked Jim when his interest in photography began and he told me that as a boy, he would take his dad’s old Polaroid and look through the viewfinder and pretend to take photos of the pictures on his Star Wars cards. Later he started saving his money to purchase disposable cameras. Like most photographers his camera selection evolved with each one being a better tool to capture the images he envisioned. “I see pictures in so many things.

I think it’s a family thing. It started with Dad always taking pictures and both of my sisters are also very creative and incredible photographers.” Jim told me. He bought his first “good camera” in the late 90s after his daughter was born, a point and shoot. Jim was still living in Ohio at this point, bless his heart (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

Jim was a young man with dreams of being in the Army as a military policeman, but when a young man becomes a father, he puts his children first and Jim found himself instead working to support his new family. In 2013 he, now a single dad, began looking for a new start for himself and his son Tony who was 11 at the time. He had friends in Georgia and some family in South Carolina and so he came south to visit, liked the warmth that is found here and made the move. After nearly 3 years in Young Harris he found himself across the mountain

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in Rabun Gap where he now lives and is raising his son.

Jim’s daughter, Cynthia remained in Ohio and they stay in close contact. He says he hopes to be able to see her more this summer with another Ohio road trip. He has found so many incredible photographic opportunities in the mountains and finds himself taking pictures almost every day. “The views and the scenery never get old. Not even a little bit, its so beautiful here.” Jim said.

When I asked Jim what his dream camera is, this was his response, “A really high end camera is nice, but almost like hunting a deer with a machine gun, its almost not even fair. Instead of a dream camera I think I would rather have a collection of incredible lenses.” He currently shoots with a Canon T6I and loves it. He adds new lenses when he can and this set-up works well for him!

“Catching the moment is key and life can happen pretty fast and opportunities present themselves sometimes in an instant.” he added, “I always have a camera with me, even if it’s my phone which can take some pretty amazing photos.”

While Jim would love to make a living with his photography someday, he is enjoying learning everyday and gaining knowledge through experience. He truly enjoys night photography and talked of some neat tricks like photo stacking for long range photography. Jim likes bringing very small things like a tiny spider in web into an image where we can see the details that would otherwise go unnoticed! A good day is one spent out exploring and taking pictures with his son Tony ,who also is a whiz behind the lens. “He is probably better than I am and at his age I am excited about what that might mean for him.” he said.

All of Jim’s photos tell a story, in fact one of his images was selected by Gurushots.com to be featured in a show in Tel-Aviv, Israel. The show is titled ‘Our Amazing Planet’ and I am proud his photo was chosen. “If I can make a person feel something from a picture I took then that is a successful shot.” I asked where he would like to travel with his camera and his response surprised me, “China and Sicily would be incredible. There are some breath taking images I’ve seen of China and it would be a dream come true to have the chance to see and photograph that country.”

We ended our visit much the same way we started it, “You know that Ohio State has the most wins in college football, right?” he asked. Perhaps Jim, but did you know their quarterback, Justin Fields is from Georgia. No wonder Ohio State is doing so well.

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Rabun County’s Dylan Smith is Living His Dream

by Tracy McCoy

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t is not a surprise to anyone who knows Dylan Smith that he is the total package. Intelligent, handsome, kind and destined for success! This young man is one we are fond of at the Laurel, he is “one of ours”. Dylan was a recipient of the Georgia Mountain Laurel scholarship when he was a senior at Rabun County High School. Dylan aspired to study Meteorology and become a weatherman. We knew he would do well and we were pleased to award him a little to help him along the way. A few years have passed and he is now living his dream as the meteorologist on the morning show on News West 9 in Midland, Texas. How, you may ask, did this Georgia boy end up in West Texas? Well I got the scoop and am happy to share my recent visit with Dylan.

While home for the holidays Dylan came for a visit. Walking through my door with a broad smile offering a hug we took a seat and started at the beginning. My first question was simply, “Why weather?” Dylan told me of being a kid that was scared to death of a storm. His parents, Mark and Amanda Smith of Clayton would work to calm their young son down when the weather turned nasty. His fear turned to fascination on April 27th of 2011 when an EF3 tornado with winds of 150+ mph crossed Lake Burton and Germany mountain headed for Mountain City, Georgia. Dylan remembers standing on his porch, able to see the silhouette of the storm as it traveled. His interest in weather never waned after that experience. The morning light exposed the destruction left along the storms path and Dylan knew then what his career would be.

To study meteorology Dylan would have to leave Georgia. There was not a school in Georgia that offered a degree in his chosen field. He applied and was accepted into the University of South Alabama in Mobile. What could be better to study the earth’s atmosphere at the beach!

Upon completing his curriculum, the second hardest offered at USA, it was time to find a job. While looking and sending applications across the country, Dylan came back to Rabun County and to the job he always loved, Mama G’s Italian Restaurant. A call came for an interview in Oregon and while they liked what they saw, they didn’t feel that Dylan’s southern drawl would work for them. When the interview came in Midland Texas, they snatched him right up and put him on the morning show where he delivers the weather 5 days a week! That doesn’t happen but they appreciated his personality, saw how talented he is and how passionate about weather. “I like taking something so complex and making it something that the public can understand and to have the ability to warn them when need be.” Dylan said.

Dylan’s coverage area is all of West Texas and southeast New Mexico, from the lower Rockies to the Big Bend. Weather happens here; it changes quickly and can get severe in minutes. Since working for News West 9 Dylan has forecasted and reported on 370+ severe thunderstorms and 70 tornado warnings. Hail is a very common occurrence and ha-boobs (dust storms) happen often. There is always wind in west Texas! Dylan explained that weather in Midland is the polar opposite of weather in our neck of the woods. One thing that Rabun County does have in common with the Midland/Odessa area is their love for high school football! The area is where the movie Friday Night Lights was filmed, the birthplace of actor Woody Harrelson and home to the Bush family. It is oil country!

When he isn’t forecasting the weather, Dylan enjoys sleeping in, hiking in the mountains, hanging with friends and admiring the desert’s night sky. He does miss home and would love to one day land a job closer to home. Greenville/Spartanburg would be ideal, maybe even his dream come true, move over Chris Justus. Atlanta’s market might also be nice for this young, already accomplished meteorologist. Wherever Dylan ends up the winner will be the viewers who watch and trust him and the company he works for. I know his parents are extremely proud of Dylan and so are we.

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Finding Art

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Surviving Winter in the Mountains

by Tracy McCoy

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ith central heating systems, propane and natural gas heaters, and geothermal options, it is unthinkable to modern man the lengths families went to for heat in the 30s and 40s even 50s and 60s. Many warmed their blankets in front of the fire before bedtime. Albert Thrasher, said his mother placed coals in a skillet and ”ironed” the flannel sheets to warm them. “My mother made quilts and we slept under the weight of many during cold nights.” Peggy Pleasants Thrasher shared, remembering her mother Clyde Arrendale Pleasants stitching quilts from scrap fabric. I have an old tattered quilt that was hand stitched by my grandmother, Samantha Moore Speed using my Papa (Joe) Speed’s old flannel shirts. Even with holes worn in it, it is our favorite blanket. All agreed that with five quilts on the bed it made it almost impossible to turn over and many remember in the dead of winter you could see your breath in your bedroom. Large families with limited room put three or more children in a bed and that body heat was a lifesaver!

Snowstorms were a common occurrence and just as exciting for the kids as they are today. Weather history shows that the average temperature was colder and precipitation was more common. Jack Smith’s father, DJ Smith, remembered during extreme cold he and his parents all slept on cots in the living room by the fireplace to stay warm and snow still blew in under the roof. Some structures housed generations of family members and were run down with holes in walls or had no insulation which made it quite a challenge to heat. Many homes did not have wood heaters. If homes had heat it was by a fire in the fireplace or perhaps by the kitchen wood stove.

When chores were done, kids bundled up in layers and layers of clothing and did the same thing today’s children do. They built snowmen and they had snowball fights. They lay in the snow making angels and when they thought their cheeks (both kinds) were about to freeze off, they trekked in to warm by the fire. Hot chocolate didn’t come from handy little packets in a box it was made using cocoa, milk and sugar in a pot on the stove and was very much a treat! They did get out of school because back in the 30s and 40s many children walked to school and teachers came from far and wide. Snow days were celebrated much like they are now.

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Work was another story, people did whatever it took to get there.

From November 1959 through March of 1960 Rabun County saw around 45 inches of snow! That’s a lot of snow for this part of the world. Snow that had been plowed covered the parking meters in downtown Clayton and the folks at Tate City (a community west of Clayton, off of Persimmon Road) were stranded either in the valley or out of it. Snow literally drifted from the side of the mountain down to the Tallulah River and you couldn’t even see the road. It would snow a few inches and then the surface would melt and freeze a layer over top and in a couple days it would snow again. This pattern continued all winter leading to the large accumulation. That year, snow remained in places on the north side of the mountains into May according to Jack. It was a long, cold and damp winter. Rabun County, like many others, just had one road scraper. The County Ordinary, Mr. Bob Vickers, called in help from surrounding counties to aid the folks at Tate City and other areas where the snow was crippling.

Jack Smith’s wife Lillian worked for the telephone company and he said, “I’d put chains on the tires of my ol’ 1950 Ford and take her to work, she didn’t miss a day!” Beverly Mason’s husband Lewis Mason was a supervisor at a local factory and had an employee who lived two counties over and never missed a day, yet some others who lived two miles from the plant would call in to say they couldn’t get there.

Most people back in the day had to get there somehow because missing a paycheck was detrimental to their family’s survival.

Twins Marilyn and Beverly Mitchell were born in September and there was a big killing frost. They were offspring #10 and #11. Mr. Mitchell, their daddy, told Doc Dover “When they start coming two at a time, it’s time to quit.” They said that Doctor Dover wanted to name them, in fact he chose names for many of the children he delivered. Growing up, Beverly remembers sledding when it snowed. “We’d take the car hood of an old 1950 Chevy to the Rabun County Golf Course and sled down the hill. Some of the rich kids had sleds with runners, but they couldn’t use them on the golf course so they’d put them up and sled with us!” The sisters remember their mother making snow cream using snow, milk, sugar and vanilla.

Most all families had gardens. Canning and preserving food for the winter months was common practice. That way you always knew you had something to eat. Popcorn balls made with sorghum syrup

was a treat they remember having. No matter the season the kitchen of a mountain home was always the warmest place. Mothers typically cooked three meals a day and the cook stove whether wood or gas was usually still warm. The smell of biscuits smothered in sawmill gravy brings back sweet memories. Schools were heated with wood or coal.

Liquefied petroleum (LP gas) didn’t show up in the mountains till the 50s and there were homes that didn’t have electricity until the 60s or later.

Families survived from day to day. Life was not easy in the rural south much less the mountains but families and neighbors took care of each other. People worked hard and made do. While making do was sometimes a struggle it was a good life and many memories were made. This winter be thankful for a warm house, gather your family together and make ice cream from the snow or make popcorn balls.

Stay safe and enjoy any snow that comes… make memories.

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Rabun County in the Civil War: The Story of a House Conflicted

by Dick Cinquina for the Rabun County Historical Society

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Rabun County slaveholder who voted against Georgia’s secession from the Union...but then didn’t. A rebellion against Georgia’s government by disaffected Confederate soldiers and Union sympathizers.

300 Rabun County men who fought for the Confederacy, including one at Appomattox with Robert E. Lee at the surrender in 1865.

These facts would seem to illustrate a conflicted attitude of Rabun County men and women toward the Civil War. There was, indeed, pro-Union sympathy and resistance to the Confederate cause, but at the same time, Rabun County soldiers were dying for the Confederacy.

This story begins in 1852 when Rabun County was thought to be on the cusp of dramatic change. Construction began that year on the Blue Ridge Railroad that was to run from Charleston through Rabun Gap and then to Cincinnati. Locals hoped this railroad would usher in a new era of prosperity and development. By 1859 the line between Anderson and Walhalla, SC, had been opened and several tunnels near the Chattooga River were nearing completion, but with the growing likelihood of war, all further construction was halted, leaving small-scale, subsistence farming as the main economic activity in Rabun County.

Like most mountain counties, Rabun’s topography prevented the formation of large farms, thus eliminating the need for any significant amount of slave labor. By 1861, only 248 slaves were owned by 60 Rabun families or an average of four per family. This stands in stark

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contrast to the vast slave populations on the sprawling cotton plantations farther south.

One of Rabun’s s l av e h o l d e r s was “Colonel” Samuel Beck, who moved to the county in 1822 and led a company of volunteers to fight in Florida’s Seminole Wars during the 1830s. A prominent landowner and holder of 19 slaves, Beck was elected, along with Horace Cannon, to represent Rabun County at the secession convention in Milledgeville in 1861. Concerned about the impact of war and consistent with Rabun’s pro-Union sentiment, both men initially joined other mountain counties in voting against secession. But pressure from firebrands proved irresistible. Beck and Cannon eventually voted for secession. The final vote was 160 to 130 for secession, with the majority of the pro-secessionist vote coming from counties south of line running from Augusta to Atlanta. Following the convention, Cannon enlisted in the Confederate army and served as a sergeant for the duration.

Eric Foner’s 1989 book, The South’s Inner Civil War, quotes a Rabun County resident who claimed: “I canvassed the county in 1860-61 myself, and I know that there were not exceeding 20 men in this county who were in favor of secession.”

That may be true but loyalty to Georgia caused 300 Rabun men between 18 and 45 to serve in the Confederate army by early 1862. Approximately twothirds of these men served in Company E, 24th Georgia Infantry, which fought in the bloody engagements at Gettysburg, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor under the command of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The rest of the Rabun County soldiers were assigned to Company F, 52nd Georgia Infantry Regiment, known as the Beauregard Braves, which served in North Carolina, Virginia and Vicksburg, Mississippi. Samuel Beck’s son served in this unit and surrendered at the war’s conclusion in April 1865 at Greensboro, N.C.

The Civil War did not touch Rabun County in terms of battles and bloodshed. However, 210 of the Rabun County men who served in the army were married, leaving their wives and children in near-destitute conditions. According to historical accounts, there was no coffee, no sugar and no salt. Coffee substitutes were made from parched corn and rye, and dirt from smokehouse floors was boiled to extract salt. By 1863 Georgia appropriated money for the relief of soldiers’ families. Rabun County was allocated $10,000 for destitute families. However, checks payable to families were backed by Confederate scrip, which was worthless by the end of the war.

Dissatisfaction with the war started as early as 1862 in the Georgia and North Carolina mountains due to a series of conscription acts that blatantly discriminated against the poor and non- slaveholding farmers. During the latter part of that year, Rabun County became a refuge for deserters from Confederate ranks and Union sympathizers, who organized a rebellion against the state government. These men were outlawed, with the rabid secessionist governor, Joseph E. Brown, dispatching infantry and cavalry to quell the rebellion in short order.

In April 1865 Rabun County soldier Jacob Hunter of the 24th Georgia Infantry Regiment was present at Appomattox when Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant to end the war. Hunter was fortunate to live for the duration of the war but 120 Rabun men did not. Nearly one- third of those conscripted in 1861-62 were either killed in action or died of disease, the greatest killer on both sides of the conflict. Many others were wounded and permanently disabled.

There are 173 marked Confederate gravesites in Rabun County, including those of two black soldiers. Three Union soldiers, who most likely deserted, also are buried here.

combined with the war’s economic impact, left Rabun County in a state of depression for the ensuing 40 years. The county’s difficulties were accentuated by the decision in 1859 to halt construction of the Blue Ridge Railroad. Prosperity did not begin to return until the turn of the twentieth century with the coming of the Tallulah Falls Railroad and its eventual extension northward to Rabun County. A huge toll was exacted from a county conflicted over the Civil War. For more information about Rabun County history and hundreds of old photographs, please visit our website at www.rabunistory.org.

The Rabun County Historical Society is open on Monday and Friday at 81 N. Church Street in Clayton. For more information please call 706-782-5292 or email us at rabuncountyhistory@gmail.com.

Rabun County was occupied by Union troops after the war. The military government insisted upon strict adherence to the law, particularly as regarded corn whiskey.

This marked the beginning of the long and sometimes violent relationship between moonshiners and government law enforcers.

The Rabun County Historical Society holds several original loyalty oath documents that the defeated Confederate soldiers were required to sign for their peaceful return to civilian life. In addition to requiring the signers to defend and support the Constitution of the United States, the loyalty oath signed by Rabun County resident James Ellerd on September 13, 1865 reads: “I will abide by and faithfully support all laws and proclamations which have been made during the existing Rebellion with reference to the emancipation of slaves.” The Historical Society also holds a document dated January 1, 1896 from the Executive Department of the State of Georgia listing the names of nine disabled soldiers in Rabun County who were paid $50 pensions for the year ended October 26, 1895.

The war-related deaths and disabilities of so many men,

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I Pray For You, My Friend

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by Rebecca Cooper

don’t go to church every Sunday. I don’t have scripture memorized. I’m not on a schedule to be a greeter, a snack table watcher, or a Wednesday night youth group meal provider. I’m not the girl you’ll find in the nursery, or the girl singing in the choir.

But I pray for you.

With the dirty hands of a Christian woman who doesn’t really keep track of sermons with perfectly drawn notes or cute drawings in a trendy Bible— With the dirty hands of a Christian woman who doesn’t have the lines of important hymns committed to memory or a name tag to find on Sunday mornings— I pray for you.

With a soul that was washed in the water in third grade, and a gritty, forgiving heart— I pray for you.

On my skinned and scarred knees and in the dead of night. My forehead against my cool sheets. My lips moving quietly.

My heart beating to a rhythm that He created.

Or in my quiet car on the way to work.

My rusty voice lifts up your name. Or your momma’s name. Or your cousin.

My thumb rubs over the steering wheel as I beg for God to cover your hurts.

I pray for you with a humble whisper before a God that still considers me His. I pray for you even when I don’t really feel like they are the right words.

I beg God to cover you in strength.

I pray for your babies.

I ask that He heal your broken heart, your cancer, or your cracked spirit.

I call out to Him to fill you up with grace, or compassion, or empathy for others, or for that light I used to see in your eyes.

I talk to Him about you. I ask Him to refill your cup. I ask Him to help you find your self-worth again, and I ask Him to shine down so hard on you that the path before you is clear and brighter than the sun.

And when there are no words, no real way to communicate the unimaginable, I pray the one prayer that He taught us.

And it’s for you.

I talk to God like maybe he’s my good friend from forever ago, and maybe that’s not how you’re really supposed to talk to the Almighty. He loves me anyway. I talk to God like He knows every single corner of my soul, and I talk to God like He maybe already knows what I’m going to say in the first place. I talk to God with my imperfect, rambling sentences that I am sure don’t make

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sense to anyone else, but Him. And I talk to God about you.

Where a girl goes to learn to speak to her Father about the world’s hurts, I have no idea. Where a girl should sign up for Prayer School, I’m just not quite sure.

But what I’m here to tell you is that I—a girl who’s mostly vulnerable, and a whole bunch of unsure most of the time?

I’m here to tell you that even when I pray for you?

He listens.

He always listens.

Rebecca Cooper-Thumann is an English teacher in a sleepy town in the midwest. She has published four novels and is currently working on a fifth. She has a precious fouryear-old son, she loves nachos and Jesus, and she tries to live her life every day rooted in courage and joy. You may find her writing on her website www.thebeckeffect.com or on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @rebeccacooperauthor. I found this article on a website Rebecca shares her writing with titled, Her View From Home (www.herviewfromhome. com). I loved it and requested to share it with you and she was gracious enough to agree.

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Make This The Year of the Little Things

by Pastor Gabe Southards – Head of Tennessee Baptist Church

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hen a new year approaches, we often reflect upon the previous year, and have high hopes for the upcoming one. We make new year’s resolutions, vowing to make changes to our lives that we think will make us happier, healthier, and perhaps more hopeful.

We take the “hindsight is 20/20” approach, believing that what we have learned the last 365 days of our life will serve to guide better decisions for the next 365 days. What happens, most often, is that we find that those new decisions don’t quite work out, and we end up either revising our resolution or quitting it altogether. Because of this, we feel worse about ourselves than we did before we made the change, realizing that even with effort, we failed. So, instead of setting ourselves up for possible disappointment, maybe we ought to take a different approach to the upcoming year than we have in the past.

If I were to reflect upon my life year over year, I would certainly find that I have failed many times in many aspects. And, if I were to examine those failures, I would probably find that the root cause of my failures are not failures so much in the “big” things, but in the “little” things.

When I say “big” things, I’m talking about things like being a good husband or father, paying the bills, going to church, etc.

I’m reminded of a verse of scripture in Song of Solomon 2:15, where it says that, “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”. In vine-growing countries, foxes have been known to steal grapes from the vines, and their bite of the vine has been known to kill the vine. So, this verse is basically saying to us that little things, “little foxes”, can cause big damage! And, because of the impact that those little things can make, we had better take care of them before they do!

In the context of the scripture, it is saying that unless we take or catch these little foxes, then we won’t be able to enjoy the fulness of the vineyard.

I believe God wants us to enjoy the life he has given us, but I also believe that God wants us to completely surrender our lives to Him. God has a perfect plan for every individual, and that plan will not be fully realized in our life unless we surrender. The problem, I believe, with surrender is the little things! And, those little things cause us to hold back some of what God wants, and he can’t use us that way. He wants to occupy every room in your house, not just the ones you want him to.

Here are a few things, when we have little of, tend to cause big damage in our lives…

Little Faith - Heb 11:6, But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

I think the reason that many of us have so little faith, is because we don’t use the opportunities and tools God has provided for us to increase our faith. God uses primarily three things to increase our faith. He uses storms (trials), the scriptures, and suffering. And just think, Jesus said that if our faith was the size of a mustard seed,

we could move mountains! So, tell me how little our faith can be sometimes!

We should take advantage of every opportunity we have to increase our faith in God. Little Love - Joh 13:34-35, A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

This love includes our love for God, for those who need God, and for one another.

Little Thanks - Rom 1:21, … when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful…

When’s the last time you just thanked God for the air that you breathe, the food you eat, the clothes on your back, the shoes on your feet, the money in your pocket, etc, etc, etc.

Unthankfulness will hinder your work for God, your witness for God, and your worship to God. Those are some BIG things, so let’s be thankful!

In Genesis 31, Rachel stole her father’s images (little gods) – teraphim, and when he came looking for them, and she hid them under the chair and sat on them. Sometimes we like to sit on what God’s looking for in our lives; those little things that seem so important to us, (almost like little gods to us), that we’re willing to hide them from God. If we would just surrender all to him, even the little things, we’d be more committed, more compassionate, and more Christ-like!

Henry Dyer said, “God is great in great things, but very great in little things.” Make this the year of the little things, and let God turn your little things into great things!

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Live Healthy and Be Well!

“Is there a secret to a long life?”

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by Stephen Jarrard, MD, FACS

am often asked about all this healthy eating, exercise, sacrifice, doing without, getting regular checkups, running, etc. we constantly hear we must do – does it really pay off and help us live longer? If we have to do all this, which admittedly requires some discipline and sacrifice, it should at least pay off with a longer lifespan…right? So, this month, we will look at the results of practicing health and wellness and their effects on your life. Just remember that true health and wellness is not a diet, an exercise program, or doing without favorite foods for a while, it represents a LIFESTYLE (style of life).

If you have a vintage car that you take good care of, keep clean, use the right fuel and oil, do good preventive maintenance frequently (as needed), drive it often but are not overly hard on it, and have it serviced by a good mechanic from time to time – it will run well for a long time and provide you much satisfaction as well as being here for all the rest of us to enjoy. Your body is a machine which has been “wonderfully and fearfully made” according to the Bible. Treat it as such!

We all know of certain people or cases that can be used as exceptions to the general findings. Such as “…my granddaddy drank, smoke, dipped, and ate what he wanted, had a great life and lived to be 99 years old.” Or on the other hand, we may have heard about someone young and seemingly healthy who was very fit, disciplined, conscientious, ran marathons, taught Sunday School, and passed away tragically of a heart attack in their early 40’s.

So, you must realize that the following statements speak in general terms about most people and the average trends in society, such as the average lifespan in the U.S. being 78.24 years (2010 census).

Health and wellness are more than just the absence of illness or disease, but true wellness speaks of health in our physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions. One may be fit and exercise but have so many issues in their life

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that they are never really and truly “well.” We should all remind ourselves that there are three dimensions to health and wellness, and we must work to develop, maintain, and improve all these dimensions in order to be truly well and healthy.

Evidence based studies indicate that your longevity is based on two main factors – genetics and lifestyle choices. There are other minor factors, such as economic status, access to health care, and crime rates – but genetics and lifestyle are the two that seem to have the most influence.

You can do very little about the genetic code handed down from your parents, and this seems to contribute about 25 to 30 percent toward your “lifespan.” However, your lifestyle choices, which you can change and control, seem to have the most dominant influence on the amount of days you will spend on this earth. This is the part of the equation you can change.

Some recent studies show that even modest physical activity can increase your lifespan by 4 or 5 years. Also, making healthy choices such as eating right to limit sugar, fat and cholesterol, stopping smoking or vaping if you do, controlling your blood pressure, being safe at work and play, and getting regular health checkups will also contribute to more years. And, these are only physical factors! Don’t forget the roles of limiting and avoiding stress, staying on good terms with people, keeping a positive outlook, and maintaining a good balance in your spiritual life. These are wellness factors you CAN influence and possibly contribute to a longer lifespan.

On an interesting note, there are certain areas in the world that have become to be known as “Blue Zones.” These five areas have been found to be places where people live longer and have lower rates of chronic disease. The five areas are Sardinia (Italy), Okinawa (Japan), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Icaria (Greece), and Loma Linda, California (Seventh Day Adventists). In these areas, while not necessarily “communes,” people often live fairly isolated and have a common (not so random) gene pool. Some concepts found in these areas are listed below, and perhaps we could learn a few things from these areas of the world…

There are five areas called “Blue Zones” where people live measurably longer lives, often into their 100s.

• Family – put ahead of other concerns • Less smoking • Semi-vegetarianism – much of the food consumed is derived from plants • Constant moderate physical activity – an inseparable part of life • Social engagement – people of all ages are socially active and integrated into their communities • Legumes – commonly consumed What if you do all the above and are “called home” at a younger age than you wanted? Well, I submit that it was not in vain. If you keep yourself healthy and practice behaviors that lead to true wellness, you will have lived life to the fullest, been happier, enjoyed your life, felt better, and been able to contribute more to your family and community. It is certainly true that “It is not the amount of days in your life that matters, but the amount of life in your days!” So, keep at it. Don’t give up. Remember that mental and spiritual health complements physical wellness, think young, be positive, and always hope for the best – and however many days you have, you will have had a good and healthy life!

Benefits of Regular Physical Activity • Reduces the risk of dying prematurely • Reduces the risk of dying from heart disease • Reduces the risk of stroke • Reduces the risk of developing diabetes • Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure • Helps reduce blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure • Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer • Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety • Helps control weight • Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints • Helps older adults become stronger and better able to move about without falling • Promotes psychological well-being

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!

January 2020 - 31

New Year, New You

by Holly Beth

A

s the holiday season comes to an end, we say a bittersweet goodbye to 2019 and start anew in 2020.

Now is our chance to focus on our goals, be it with the hopeful motivations of New Year’s resolutions, or just an ever-present desire to better oneself. (When your birthday falls on January 1st, like mine, it’s a double whammy – a new age AND a new year!) To usher in 2020, I have decided to share my list of beauty and skin care tips with you: SMILE - While living in France, an aesthetician told me that Americans tend to have more wrinkles from our numerous facial expressions, like smiling too much. Mark Twain had the right idea, “Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.”

AGING - “Anti-aging” and “age-appropriate” are terms that I try to avoid. Wear what makes you happy, even if it’s blue toenail polish and blue mascara. Nothing stops the aging process, so we might as well age happily and gracefully.

USE AN EYE CREAM - Your eyes are the windows to your soul. Your beauty regimen should always include an eye cream, eye serum or combination of both. While living in Spain, a friend’s mother told me to always use eye cream because the eye area is the most delicate skin on your body.

Use your ring finger and start on the outside going in when applying your cream.

CLEANSE - In Ecuador, I was taught to avoid using soap on my face as it strips away natural oils. Always use a cleansing oil or gentle cleanser.

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TRY DRY OILS - While living in France, I learned about dry oil. It is a botanical oil that is quickly absorbed into the skin without leaving a heavy residue, so it works for both oily and dry skins, and even for hair.

EXUDE CONFIDENCE Find your inner confidence and harness it. Nothing is more beautiful than a woman who is confident and strong.

BREATHE AND WEAR PERFUME - Breathe deep and with purpose. Take the time to see the beauty in everything. And wear perfume, preferably one without chemicals like my favorite flourish roll on calming perfume.

“Long after one has forgotten what a woman wore, the memory of her perfume lingers,” Christian Dior MOISTURIZE YOUR NECK, HANDS and ELBOWS - We often overlook these areas. We tend to focus on our face and forget our neck – that’s why I developed Face and Neck Elixir. Oh, and our poor hands, elbows and knees are often neglected – so pamper them, too.

DRINK WATER - As our largest organ, skin needs only to get its water from the inside out. Skin care products should never have water in their ingredients list. HollyBeth Organics products do not contain fillers or water - only effective, organic ingredients.

HollyBeth Organics is a USDA Organic Certified small batch company based in Clayton, GA. Our skincare products are for everyone. From dry to oily, young to mature, sensitive or acne-prone, we can help you find the perfect solution for your skin’s needs. www.HollyBethOrganics.com 706.490.1059 – 54 N Church St – Clayton, GA.

January 2020 - 33

New Year – Reach Those Goals with the Pros at Clayton Health & Fitness

W

ithout a doubt, your fitness success is directly correlated to how often you workout and the intensity of your efforts. Your nutrition also plays a major role in reaching your goals. In everyday life, each of us requires different methods of motivation to reach the goals we set. If you have set fitness goals, regardless of how small or big they may be, hopefully you are taking proactive steps toward achieving those goals. You may be the

type of person who is self-motivated and find it’s rarely a problem for you to go to the gym, workout when you’re tired, or eat the proper foods on a regular basis.

However, those who find motivation more difficult need outside sources to motivate them. There are many of us who need an experienced fitness professional assisting you in a fitness routine or checking your current workout to gauge how effective the exercises and overall plan may be in relation to reaching your goals. Someone to train you in proper form and help you determine how far and how fast to go. Improper exercise can lead to injuries.

A personal trainer is a fitness professional and may provide the motivation you need to make 2020 your year! A personal trainer can also take your workouts to another level if you feel stalled or are bored with your regemine. Psychologically, human beings react and push themselves in different ways when it is known that someone is watching them. If that someone happens to be a fitness professional, the workouts will always be more intense than anything you will do on your own.

Clayton Health and Fitness’ personal trainers have been educated to help develop and implement exercise programs that are safe, powerful, beneficial, and appropriate for each particular client. Trainers conduct health-history interviews, determine current fitness levels, and lifestyle factors. With this information the personal trainer can safely design a program to help the client set real, attainable goals.

All the while keeping your training excit-

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ing, challenging and fun!

CHF trainers will teach proper exercise methods and progressions. Each piece of information taught has a purpose: to reach your fitness goals. Yes, the personal trainer will be with the client through the teaching and learning process. Eventually, the client will achieve the self-efficacy to feel empowered enough to stick with an exercise and diet lifestyle to stay in great shape.

You can trust that these pros have the knowledge to teach and instruct great ways to get into killer shape in the new year. You will be pushed to your limits, but each workout will bring you closer to the body and the healthy lifestyle you want and need. Take the guess-work out of working out! Get a plan and method from a personal trainer and enjoy your fitness success.

The personal training staff at Clayton Health and Fitness are Mark Villanti (Training Director), and Certified Personal Trainers Nadine Bramblett and Yanet Slinkard. This team of professionals offer incredible options whether you are striving to reach a goal, need to recover from surgery or increase mobility, improve balance and gain strength.

Their clients range from 18 – 81 and they are excited and ready to meet you!

Classes are also available at Clayton Health and Fitness to accompany your training. Give them a call today to set up a consultation and see how they can help you, 706-212-0001 or stop in at 69 Seed Tick Road in Clayton, Georgia.

January 2020 - 35

Lovin’ the Journey - Big ideas

by Mark Holloway

I

’m not sure what Shaquille O’Neal’s life goals were when he was a kid. Maybe he was like most kids and didn’t think much about success or achievements when he was real young. But he’s reaching his current goal. He wakes up each day with the same plan...to be a nice guy.

That’s saying a lot for a larger-than-life man who’s lacked for nothing for many many years.

I got to personally ask him why he cares so deeply about people. I’ll unpack the story of how we got to meet this NBA legend, sit as close to him as the length of his size 24 shoe for nearly an hour, and then get to visit with him one-on-one for a while.

When I was a teenager, my Airborne Ranger officer dad would occasionally ask me, “Mark, what makes you tick?” He’d give me time to ponder the question. I would get to put the same question to Mr. O’Neal.

Shaq was introduced by his business partner, Adam Roseman who’s the brainchild of Steady.com. The room was electric and charged with anticipation waiting for Shaq to come on stage. The invitation-only event was graced by a small and intimate crowd of very special people...those who use the Steady.com app and snagged free VIP tickets to attend. Shaquille was as comfortable on the stage as he’d ever been on a basketball court.

“There are a lot of rich, spoiled brats like me. I’ve never written a resume or filled out a job application. I don’t know what it’s like. I’ve never experienced the pressure and hardships many of you face.” Shaq said.

“But my mom was a gig worker.” He added. “I watched her work hard to take care of us. She’s a Christian and she taught me to be kind and respectful.”

We were all gathered in the State Farm Arena Club Room next door to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium to hear first hand about this new and innovative approach to putting more money in the pockets of motivated and hard working folks.

In about a year’s time, Adam Roseman has built a platform which now sports more than a million subscribers who can access all types of side work using the free app.

I sat next to a woman who uses Steady and she gleefully told me how quickly the app connects you with so many other apps. She’s even had Steady put money in her account not long after downloading it. And she just as quickly picked up side work using the app.

“I’m severely ADHD. The app has to be very simple. More than three clicks and you lose me. So this business idea really make sense to me. Click. Find. Work.”

Shaq explains.

Adam greeted all of us with some sobering and frighting numbers.

You may want to sit down.

Nearly half of all working Americans have more than one job. In 1999, less than ten percent of us had a ‘side hustle’. That’s a phrase I first heard from my son, Garrett. The average steady.com person has 3.1 jobs.

Wait for it.

In ten years, Adams says, “90% of administrative jobs will be gone, and 88% of workers whose jobs will be replaced by robots don’t even know it.”

Food service jobs will vanish too, he says. “60-90% of those type jobs will go away.”

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But for those who are smart, they’ll get busy building a robust income from multiple sources.

All the news isn’t doomsday.

Mr. Roseman: “Because of bad habits leading to poor health, and an aging population, there will be huge growth in health care and information/audio/visual technology.”

He and Shaq say the key will be folks getting connected to opportunities*. And when someone trying to live on minimum wage earns just $300 more, their health improves. Wow. There were other amazing people on the panel too, like Catch founder Kristen Anderson, a young woman who’s company is a technology startup. “We combine savings, investment, and insurance for those without access to employer benefits.”

Shaq remembers the day he showed up at his mom’s job and told her she didn’t have to work there anymore. He hired her and bought her a home.

I asked Shaq what makes him tick? He told me, “Before you succeed you must learn to fail. I like failing. Then I learn to adjust. I never think I know it all. You’ve got to: Work. Adjust.

Then go out and win.” Adam says it like this, “Earn more to earn smarter.”

How long are you going to do this, Shaq? “Forever,” he told me. I believe him.

As this new year unfolds, explore the outdoors, prosper like never before, and give Shaq, Adam and their Steady app a look.

Brilliant.

See you on the trail.

Joining the panel was Dr. Paulo Narcisco of the AARP foundation. Older folks quite often get replaced by younger cheap labor. He encourages the gray hair crowd to ‘remember your soft skills’ which the younger generation hasn’t fully developed yet.

*We were so impressed with this concept, we called our daughter (who lives and works in Atlanta) to tell her about our time with Adam and Shaq. She immediately downloaded the app and started making money in her new side hustle.

My wife Carol and our son Garrett were invited to attend as media guests. Carol put the question to Adam, “What about rural communities, like our mountains...how does your app make sense to us?”

Adam was measured in his response, “We are still so new at this. As we grow our platform in bigger cities, we also are exploring how to be relevant in smaller towns.”

Mark and his wife, Carol, are the owners of Fresh Start, a company dedicated to stewarding the property and homes of their clients. They aspire to be your eyes, ears and hands while you are away, and your resource for anything you need, whether you are a full or part time resident of the area.

Mark can be reached by calling 706.490.7060.

Picking up side work like delivering food or walking dogs or managing someone’s books and many other options are revenue streams accessible via steady.com.

Truthfully, I never would have known about Steady had Adam not wisely pitched Shaq on his idea...and Shaq not had a heart for real people. This business partnership then led to the Laurel magazine invite to Atlanta. Shaq is passionate about teamwork. He told us, “Adam is my Kobe.”

Very cool.

After the panel discussion with some national experts on job growth, I got to visit with Shaq. He’s as funny and real as you see on tv.

I really wanted to dig a little deeper and find out why this mega NBA star athlete wasn’t somewhere else goofing off on his own private island?

He looks you in the eye. His answer is compelling. This new business venture is the way ahead for many. “There is no one place folks can go...until now,” Shaq says with passion.

I’m not real big on the idea government can do a better job at much of anything. This Steady thing should make bureaucrats nervous who run the goverment employment and unemployment system.

As a matter of fact, as this thing takes off, it could prove to be a big savings to all of us tax payers. More people will be making more money.

January 2020 - 37

By The Way

Buying a pig a present is harder than you’d think

L

by Emory Jones

ast Christmas, I was determined to get my pet pig, Cunningham, something special.

Maybe I just wanted to make up for the year before’s gag gift, which was a pack of batteries with a note attached saying, “Toys not included.” You’d think pigs would have a sense of humor, but they don’t.

To make matters worse, my wife wasn’t thrilled with her gift either, which was a box of those high-end, BUG-A-SALT flyswatters that were all the rage back then. Go figure. This was unfortunate since the weight-loss book from the year before hadn’t been a huge hit either. So, naturally, I went all out this season with a gift certificate for a flu shot AND a pair of waterproof socks. Top that newlyweds!

Still, holiday shopping is always challenging for me. I think it is for other people, too. Last week I saw a family out Christmas shopping. They were pushing and shoving and yelling, “Get me this!” I want that!” “Buy that one!”

Their children were even worse.

Anyway, I wanted to get Cunningham a present that would make his little pig eyes sparkle. Now, if you want to buy your dog or cat a gift, the world is your oyster. I mean, just look around. But—and this is sad— it’s slim pickings when it comes to pig presents.

So, I finally decided to just give up and give Cunningham a fifteen- dollar gift certificate to his favorite store—the feed mill on Cleveland’s Cemetery Street. That way, he could pick out his own present, and there’d be no skin off my back if he didn’t like it.

Since pigs don’t pay much attention to calendars, the next morning, I wished him “Merry Christmas” a week early and presented him the gift certificate. Then we headed for town.

Cunningham’s little pig’s feet were dancing when we arrived at the feed mill. Before I even got parked good, he rooted the door open and raced inside with what looked to me like hybrid vigor. (That’s a pig term if you weren’t raised on a farm.) He was halfway down the pet food aisle when I arrived.

As it turns out, this was one of those days when the mayor, who apparently works part-time at the feed mill, happened to be there.

“Is that your pig?” he asked, inadvertently using his mayoral voice.

“Yes. He’s Christmas shopping for himself. He has a gift certificate.”

“A what?”

“A gift certificate. For fifteen dollars. I didn’t want to go whole hog.”

“Pigs aren’t allowed in here. He needs to leave.”

“There’s nothing posted.”

Before the mayor could refute that, Cunningham ran up with a three CD set of “Sing Along with Swine” Christmas songs he’d found on a bottom shelf next to the cracked corn.

It was a gift I wouldn’t have thought of in a million years! “Is that what you want?” I asked.

Cunningham grunted yes and hopped up on the counter with his gift certificate.

The total came to $14.95, so the mayor gave Cunningham a nickel back to swallow.

The song collection was actually pretty good, featuring hogs singing hits like “Have Yourself a Muddy little Christmas,” Hamming it up for the Holidays,” and “Grandma got run over in a pig sty.”

I’ve had that last one running through my head for a week now.

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January 2020 - 39

Search for Jimmy Hoffa’s Body

by Noel Shumann

“S

on, if you don’t get that gun from your mother right now, she is going to jail!”

After my Dad died, Mom came to the lake every year for the summer. On a hundred acres, our mobile home was planted on a hill and Mom finally had her “home with a view.”

I always tried to visit her when she traveled to the lake because I didn’t like the idea of her being by herself, nine hours away from any family or support if she needed help.

On one such visit, I drove up the quarter of a mile, gravel driveway and to my surprise, I stumbled upon about 50 FBI agents in their traditional FBI baseball cap and jacket uniform. They had three or four dogs on the property and every FBI agent (human and nonhuman) was searching for something. As I pulled up to the mobile home on a hill, there was mom with a gun in her hand berating the head of the FBI agent, using the gun as her pointer.

As she looked at me, she said, “get these interlopers off my property.” With her gun flingining every which way, the head agent came to my car to define who was in control and what needed to be done before they took action.

He showed me the search warrant and said, “you better get that gun from your mother before I put her in jail.”

I quickly declared that he was talking to a 75 year old woman and that she does not belong in jail. As I went up onto the front door deck, I realized that mom had my old track starting pistol with no hole in the barrel and it only shot blanks. I tried to explain to her that she could not shoot anyone with that pistol, but she simply replied with, “well, he doesn’t know that.” She shoved the gun at me, and I swiftly gave it to the head agent while questioning why they were there in the first place.

They had a search warrant for the property, and they were looking for Jimmy Hoffa’s body. Knowing the Jimmy Hoffa had been dead for 15 years, I questioned the validity of their search. They only responded with a generic statement of, “your federal government in action.” Mom reluctantly

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let them in, and the search warrant went well until they reached her double drawer dresser in her bedroom. She quickly moved through three agents that were about to open her drawers and barricaded herself against the dresser with her arms spread wide. She forcibly said, “JIMMY HOFFA’S BODY IS NOT IN MY DRESSER!” Mom was spitting fire that the agents were laughing and rolling their eyes at her. Pretty soon everyone was laughing except Mom, and that put the stand off to a close.

After my 75 year old mother’s declaration, the agents responded that they still had a job to do. The comment and resulting laugh seemed to lighten what had been a stressful situation. While she wasn’t happy, the FBI agents were able to uneventfully complete the search of the mobile home.

The next part of the search was to be completed under the trailer which had an off-grade area to store lawn furniture.

Mom perceived herself as quite the victim in this situation, and she quickly took advantage of her plight by putting agents to work, moving her outside lawn furniture onto the porch. This included dusting the dirt and grime that had collected over the season. While searching under the trailer, the agents handed out a gas can for our lawn mower. Since she was already putting the agents to work, she also ordered me to go ahead and fill up the gas can for future use of the mower. I suggested that I could do that after the search, as I was eager to assist in finding Jimmy Hoffa’s body, but she would have nothing of it.

When Mom gives out orders, you respond quickly. When I got back with the gas, two agents were standing by the mower with orders to not allow me to pour the gas into the mower. Apparently, my mother had already divulged my lack of mechanical ability to our FBI visitors because the agents stated that if I touch the mower it would not work all summer.

The FBI cordoned off the property with 20-foot spans of flags and tape and searched every inch of that 100 acres to no avail. After they left, everything calmed down. With the day’s events, Mom had plenty to talk about with her sisters and friends. She was always adding stories to my collection, and this one was one at the top of my list. She lived to the age of 104 and was very active until the last year. In that last year, while I was trying to wake her out of a coma, she finally blinked and moved her finger to come close. In that profound moment she said, “let’s get the hell out of here and get a beer!” She died that same night.

January 2020 - 41

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Bon Appetit - We Made It; It’s 2020

by Scarlett Cook

W

e survived the holidays, but now we need to survive winter. And I am sure that maybe you ate a little too much. (Or have you convinced yourself that your clothes shrank while in the closet?) No public shaming here; you know who you are. These recipes make a wonderful dinner or a hearty lunch. And the best part is that they are filling but not high in calories so enjoy and stay warm.

Tomato & Zucchini Soup 2 Servings – but can be easily doubled for more servings 2 Small zucchini, chopped into 1/2” pieces 1/4 Cup chopped red onion 1 1/2 Teaspoons olive oil 1/8 Teaspoon salt 1 Cup spicy V8 juice 1 Tomato, peeled, chopped into 1/2” pieces with seeds removed 1/4 Teaspoon black pepper 1/4 Teaspoon dried basil 2 Tablespoons reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese 2 Tablespoons crumbled cooked bacon

In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook onion and carrots in butter for 2 minutes.

Stir in broth, potatoes salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add broccoli and cook 3 – 7 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir rice and chicken into potato mixture and bring to a simmer.

In a small bowl combine flour and half and half and stir until mixture is smooth.

Gradually add to soup; bring to a boil and cook and stir for 5 minutes.

In a large skillet saute the zucchini and onion in oil until softened.

Sprinkle with salt and add the juice, tomato, pepper and basil.

Cook until heated through.

Divide into 2 bowls and sprinkle with cheese and bacon.

Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup 8 Servings 2/3 Cup uncooked wild rice 2/3 Cup chopped onion 2/3 Cup chopped carrots 2 Tablespoons butter 6 Cups reduced fat chicken broth 2 Medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2“pieces Teaspoon salt Teaspoon pepper 1 Cup chopped frozen broccoli 3 Cups shredded cooked chicken 1/2 Cup plain flour 1 Cup fat free half and half

Crock Pot Hearty Beef Stew 6 Servings 1 28-Ounce can crushed tomatoes, undrained 3 Tablespoons instant mashed potato flakes 2 Tablespoons dried basil 1 Tablespoon sugar 1 1/2 Pounds red potatoes, cut into 1” cubes 3 Medium carrots, cut into slices 1 Medium onion, chopped 1/2 Cup chopped celery 1 1/2 Pounds boneless chuck roast cut into 1” pieces 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil In a bowl combine the tomatoes, potato flakes, basil, sugar salt and pepper; let stand 15 minutes.

Put potatoes, carrots, onion and celery in a 5 quart crock pot.

In a large skillet, over medium heat brown the meat in the oil.

Drain meat and place in the crock pot.

Pour tomato mixture over meat.

Cook rice according to package directions.

Cover and cook on high for 5 – 6 hours or until meat is tender.

January 2020 - 43

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January 2020 - 45

The Family Table Happy New Year!

by Lorie Thompson This is a reprint of the Family Table article from January 2017. The Collard Green recipe and my Mama’s White Soup Beans are two of my most requested recipes. I recently cooked Collard Greens for a family wedding and had a number of people ask how to prepare them so, here you go! Try these out for your New Year celebration. Cook up some luck for your family in the year!

N

ew Year’s Day brings big and loud excitement to my home! We ring in the new year with a bang (literally)! We shoot skeet in the empty pasture just down the creek from our house. We invite all the family and set up two skeet throwers and we make a joyful noise!

There are some really good shooters in our family: my husband Peanut and both of my children Joe and Kendall are wonderful shots, as are many of my nephews and cousins. Hit or miss, it does not matter. We have a wonderful time making noise and being together. We leave the fields and head back up the creek to our house for a traditional Southern New Year’s feast of greens, beans, cornbread and pork.

There are a lot of different ideas of what the traditional New Year’s Day foods represent, but at our house we believe the greens represent the “greenbacks”, the peas (or beans) represent the pennies, the cornbread represents the gold and the pork represents your luck for the next year. There is an old saying I have heard my entire life: “Eat poor on New Year’s Day and eat fat the rest of the year”. After the Christmas gift spending spree, eating poor on New Year’s sounds like a really good idea!

When my kids were younger, telling them that the greens represented their money for the upcoming year might have been why they both love greens so much! Tee-hee.

So, let me share some of my favorite New Year’s fare with you!

Collard greens are king at our house! All of our family loves them. They take a little time to prepare, but you can double the batch and freeze the leftovers for another meal. They get better each time you re-heat them.

The key to really great greens is in the prep work. Begin with 2 large bundles of collard greens. I strip the leaves off of the tough stem. Place the leaves into a large bowl of cold water and wash the greens. If they are very dirty, you may need to wash them 2-3 times. Keep rinsing until there is no residue of sand in the bottom of the bowl. Drain the greens and give them a rough chop. Do not cut them too small.

Rough chop a large onion and sauté in a large pot with 3 – 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt and

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1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper to onions. When onions are soft add 3 cloves of minced garlic. Cook for 2 – 3 more minutes and begin adding the chopped greens a handful at a time. Allow each batch to wilt down before adding the next batch. When all of the collards have been added to the pot, add 2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 Tablespoons of hot sauce if you like it. Slice a round of Kielbasa Sausage on the diagonal and add to the collards. Cover collards completely with chicken broth and allow them to simmer on low heat, for 1 1/2 – 2 hours until greens are silky in appearance and liquid is reduced. If I am cooking a really large pot of collards, I will pre-cook the sausages on my smoker. It makes it even better!

I have family who say these are the only greens they will eat. They really are that good!

White soup beans with pork ribs are another winter family favorite. We do have black eye peas on New Year’s Day for traditions sake, but we also have white soup beans with pork. They are very simple to make. Rinse and “look over” 1 pound of white beans. I have never found anything in the beans but I have had people tell me they have found small rocks in them. Place beans in crock pot along with 6 cups of cold water, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, 3 – 4 boneless pork pieces. I use boneless country style ribs. You can use pork ribs with bones in them, but make certain all of the bones are removed before serving. I add 2 dried cayenne pepper pods. I grow these and dry them in the summer for my cooking, but you can use a little crushed red or black pepper. Cook in crock-pot on high heat for 6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours. If you are in a hurry, these are perfect to cook in a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot. The beans will get better each time they are re-heated.

A perfect accompaniment to the collard greens and soup beans are oven-roasted sweet potatoes. Pre-heat oven to 400˚. Peel 3 – 4 large sweet potatoes with a vegetable peeler. Cut into uniform wedges, keeping the size as consistent as possible.

Place wedges in a bowl and drizzle with 2 – 3 Tablespoons of olive oil and toss. Spread wedges on a baking sheet and season with a sprinkle of kosher salt, crushed red pepper and dried sage. Roast at 400˚ for approximately 25 minutes or until they are tender. Remove potatoes from oven and turn wedges over.

Season the back side of wedges with a small sprinkle of salt, red pepper and sage. Return to oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle hot sweet potatoes with 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar and toss. Use Truvia Brown Sugar for a no-guilt treat. Serve warm.

These dishes are budget-friendly and will taste wonderful alongside a pone of homemade cornbread on New Year’s Day or on a cold January evening.

Happy New Year’s to you and those that you love! Make 2017 the year to build on your old family traditions or to start new ones that will enrich your life! May God bless you and keep you in His hand!

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.

January 2020 - 47

A Sweetheart Deal: Rescued from Abuse FAITH Helps and Heals

by John Shivers

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argaret a n d Eleanor* are two Rabun County women who have a deep and abiding belief in FAITH -- “Fight Against Abuse in the Home.” Both these ladies are alumni of the sorority of abuse victims, who have been helped locally since 1993.

and didn’t actually live at the shelter facility, she’s quick to point out that she received the same services, the same attention as a woman living inside the shelter. This included counseling to help her get started in a new direction, and counseling for her children as well.

In addition to emergency shelter, the agency and its staff deliver a multitude of services to help their clients remain safe and go forward, free from fear. Both Margaret and Eleanor are quick to testify to the many and varied ways the FAITH staff met each of them where they were.

FAITH holds a number of different fund-raising events annually, but their biggest is the Sweetheart Ball coming up on February 8th.

Now in its 21st year, the ball is always sold-out early. If you haven’t gotten your tickets, you’d better hurry. And if you’d like to donate something for their highly-popular auction, give the folks at FAITH a shout-out. Margaret and Eleanor understand that they were able to begin their new lives because of the funds raised by the ball.

“FAITH is a blessing for sure.” Eleanor goes on to say that her child’s transformation has given her the most peace. “Leaving was hard, but my son’s true personality is shining through.” He no longer worries about things that should never trouble a child.

Margaret echoes those sentiments. She and her seven year-old twins are finally feeling safe and confident, after more than a dozen years of abuse, suffered at the hands of one of the county’s “good ol’ boys.”

“I left him several times, but it was simpler to go back than to continue fighting what felt like an up-hill, un-winnable battle.”

Her husband would call, text or show up wherever she was, unannounced and uninvited. She told herself it made better sense to reconcile. He promised that things would change. They finally did. A gun entered the picture, and Margaret reached out to the Rabun County Sheriff’s Department, who referred her to FAITH. “It was the right thing to do,” she says from the luxury of hindsight.

“But that doesn’t make it easy.” Through FAITH, Margaret was assisted and supported when she went before a judge to obtain a TPO. This legal order of protection barred her husband from any contact with her or her children, and she had to have him arrested three times for violating that order. Because of FAITH’s many avenues of financial and in-kind support, Margaret also got assistance with her attorney’s fees.

“I never dreamed there was so much help out there,” she says.

“The people at FAITH are just very connected with the people they serve.” And while Margaret was able to move in with family

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“FAITH gave me confidence.” Now she has a job, and is making a new start. She finally has peace of mind.

Funds for the various services that both Margaret and Eleanor received come from many different sources. The State of Georgia and special grants provide part, as do the FAITH thrift stores proceeds. But it’s the local community that makes the difference, keeping the books balanced against an ever-growing need.

Eleanor, who was pregnant when she came to the shelter spent seven months living there with her young son. The abuse that started as verbal and emotional had escalated to physical, so she called the Hot Line, and was connected to FAITH. “I didn’t know anything about them,” she says. She’d left behind practically everything she owned, but those needs were met.

“They made me feel super welcome, and they’re really nice.” The staff, she says, was totally non-judgmental; much less so than she was about herself. Her advocate was even with her at the hospital when the baby was born.

Eleanor and her two children are now in a home of their own, thanks to assistance from the staff in getting her qualified. She’s gotten a promotion on her job, and FAITH even helped her get a car, so that she can get to work and get the children to their appointments.

Eleanor’s refusal to recognize the abuse in her life initially cost her a relationship with a teenage child who left home. They’re now reconciled, and Eleanor vows that her younger children will be raised to have self-worth and recognize abuse when they see it.

If you’re in an abusive situation, the Crisis line 706-782-1003 or 1-888-782-1338 is manned around the clock. To speak with someone at FAITH about supporting their mission, call 706-7821003, or check out their web site www.faith-inc.org/en-us/. *Not their real names

WINTERFEST Arts and Coach Tour 2020 White County’s Winter Art Festival

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ark your calendar to attend the WinterFest Arts and Coach Tour, President’s Day Weekend, in the beautiful Northeast Georgia Mountains.

The two day festival will be Saturday, February 15 from 10am - 5pm and Sunday, February 16 from 10am - 4pm.

WinterFest presents over 145 regional artists displaying and selling their work at three different locations: Unicoi State Park & Lodge, Sautee Nacoochee Center, and Helen Arts and Heritage Center. Potters, painters, jewelers, fused glass artists, fiber artists are just some of the artists and craftsmen who will be on hand to share their work with you. Art demonstrations, hands on workshops, and live music ensure that there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Admission to WinterFest is free at all venues with free parking at the Sautee Nacoochee Center and at Unicoi State Park & Lodge. Or, buy a ticket to ride the shuttle to each location for the entire length of the festival. Hop on/Hop Off Coach Service is offered on both days, connecting the three venues. Hop-On and see the sights of Unicoi State Park, the City of Helen, and the Sautee Nacoochee Historic District.

Hop-Off and experience the 145 artists and craftsmen demonstrating and selling unique art representing the North Georgia Appalachian Foothills. Plus, with your ticket, you will be eligible to win raffle prizes offered at each different event venue.

WinterFest was recognized as a Top Twenty Event by the Southeast Tourism Society with over 11,000 people attending each year. Vendors and visitors alike declare it a huge success.

For more information contact the Sautee Nacoochee Art Center at 706-878-3300 or visit winterfestartstour.org

January 2020 - 49

Adventure Out

Warwoman Dell to Martin’s Creek Falls

by Peter McIntosh

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ast fall, I had the honor of being the cover artist for the October issue of the Georgia Mountain Laurel. It was an autumnal photo of a waterfall.

Along with the very appreciated compliments, many readers asked what waterfall was it and how do they get to it.

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The waterfall is one of my favorites, as is the trail that gets you there. So on our first adventure of the new year we’re going to take a pleasant hike, about two miles each way, along the Bartram Trail from Warwoman Dell to Martin’s Creek Falls. Warwoman Dell is a beautiful picnic area just outside of Clayton. For our hike, we park in the first parking area and the Bartram Trail, blazed with yellow 2 X 6 markers, is just up the road on the right.

There’s a small stream there, Becky Branch, and you can see the remnants of an old fish hatchery. After ascending couple of short switchbacks, the trail opens onto Warwoman Road. There’s a historical marker there honoring our trail’s namesake, naturalist William Bartram. After carefully crossing the road, you’ll see a blaze leading into the woods. You could go that way but what I recommend is going a little down hill and picking up another trail, paralleling the Bartram, on the other side of the creek. This is so you don’t cross over the small viewing bridge at Becky Branch Falls until the end of you hike. Ascending this trail, the waterfall comes into view and soon you’ll turn back sharply right on the Bartram Trail, away from the noisy stream.

The trail now runs along the mountainside above Warwoman Road. There was a fire here sometime back so this section of the trail offers nice winter views. After crossing and old logging road, the trail now gently descends.

After crossing another road, this one well maintained by the forest service, the trail leads you into some dense Rhododendron, along a stream, across a small bridge, across another small stream visa stepping stones and away from Warwoman Road. After going into and out of several lovely forest coves, the trail joins an old roadbed running alongside Martin’s Creek.

There’s a stunning rock gorge here with the stream coursing noisily through it. Enjoy this gorge from a safe distance please. Just upstream from the gorge is a nice little waterfall and an open camping area on the other side to the creek. The trail enters another open camping area, with a bridge crossing Martin’s Creek. But before crossing the bridge, look around, you’ll be returning to this spot from a different direction.

After crossing the stream and ascending a little more steeply, you’ll see the creek scenically stair stepping down on your left.

You’ll then come to a “T” shaped viewing platform at the base of Martin’s Creek Falls. This is a beautiful cascade, and as I said before, one of my favorites. Now departing the waterfall you can continue along the Bartram Trail, descending along the other side of the creek which will return you to the open camping area where you crossed Martin’s Creek. This is one of the few times I’ll ask you not to follow the blazes. If you start heading uphill away from the stream, you’re going to wrong way.

Pick up the blazes leading downstream, and you’re now on your way back the way you came with a little stop off at Becky Branch Falls. This cascade is a nice reward, very near the end of your hike.

After a well deserved rest at the waterfall, continue across the bridge and descend on the other side of the creek down to Warwoman Road and back to Warwoman Dell. There you’ll find plenty of picnic tables if you want to have a post adventure feast. Happy New Year and Happy hiking!

Getting there: From US 441 in Clayton, travel 2.4 miles east on Warwoman Road, look for the “Warwoman Dell Picnic Area” sign and turn sharply right onto a gravel road.

Trail Notes: You certainly don’t need a guidebook for this trip but if you’re interested in exploring the Bartram Trail, I highly recommend the spiral bound “Bartram Trail” by John Ray and Malcolm Skove.

And now for another poem: What better way, to start the new year, Than a visit to a waterfall, flowing cold and clear.

Don’t let winter stop you, get out and get going, And maybe if you’re lucky, you can hike while it’s snowing.

To see more of Peter’s photos or if you have a question or comment: www.mcintoshmountains.com

January 2020 - 51

Keeping the Paws of Rabun Clean

by Jennifer T. Marcellino, CEO

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ho steps into harms’ way daily to comfort an animal that has learned not to trust humans? Who scrapes and cleans the living quarters of animals that are suffering from malnutrition and wounds from inhumane treatment? Who sits with a fearful animal that has been neglected or abused to try to get them to trust humans again? Who feeds and waters over 100 animals daily? Who bathes, de-ticks, vaccinates and dresses wounds of the abandoned animals in our county? The staff at Rabun County Paws 4 Life, Inc. which includes the Rabun County Animal Control Officers and the Shelter Staff.

As the CEO of the Board of Rabun Paws 4 Life, Inc, I wanted to start the year off with a tribute to those that work hard every day to care for and bring joy to the lives of the animals and people that we serve. These wonderful humans LOVE and NURTURE animals of all shapes and sizes, of all types of personalities… the most beautiful in the world and those with scars from abuse.

They work day in and day out…and oftentimes until the wee hours of the morning to care for these animals.

The staff get to know these animals… they love these animals. When they are transferred or adopted, it is a joyous occasion but bittersweet. They are hopeful that all will work out well… that the family and the animal will bond. The happiness that comes with watching an animal go to a loving home is so heartwarming. When we lose an animal, whether it comes to us with a life-threatening disease, is born with defects, or not safe to be in the community, the staff grieves the loss, just as they would their own pet.

These special people that do this work are just that… SPECIAL PEOPLE!!! They give their all to their jobs… their backbreaking, heartbreaking jobs… because of their love for animals. They are there for the community and the animals of our community. They are the real heroes in our effort to help this community… they are the unsung heroes… they deserve recognition!

I want to thank them for helping this community be great… through their hard work and dedication! When you see them, think of the work they do.. they do it for the animals and for ALL of the citizens of this community. Give them a pat on the back!

Looking forward to a WONDERFUL 2020! May God bless you all!

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Experience “The Manor Born on Burton”

by John Shivers

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f you ask your GPS for driving directions to 2293 Dicks Creek Road, Clarkesville, GA, you’ll find yourself directed to a waterfront parcel overlooking Lake Burton. But that’s where the magic of technology ends and you discover yourself at what’s been called the crossroads of sunrise and sunset, transported back in time to a rustic elegance reminiscent of stately country manors and suggestions of European design.

Here, with the magnificent panorama that’s yours for no extra cost when Burton is an extension of your back lawn, you’ll experience the elegance and grandeur of the north Georgia mountains and a pristine lake-scape that changes hourly with the light. Upon first glance, this Craftsman style lodge causes the breath to catch in your chest. It’s like the detail, the majesty, and the luxury of this custom-designed dwelling goes on forever. Your eyes can’t take it all in, and you’re mesmerized. This home is definitely in a league all its own.

Whether you approach by water, disembarking at the custom boathouse that echoes the architecture of the stone and timber manor house, or by vehicle via Highway 197 onto Moccasin Creek Road, Dick’s Creek Road, to the black stone gate anchored in stone posts topped with lamps, you’ll be blown away. The attention paid to the even the most minute of design elements is guaranteed to grab your attention. Custom stone retaining walls, curving stone walkways and gentle, graduated steps deliver you to the front door, to the gazebo on the lake front, and to other points around the 3.23± acre tract.

Visitors arriving by car alight under the porte-cochere, where a welcoming red door, harkens back to old world style and bids

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them enter the luxurious two-story, oversize living room.

From the two white-faced fireplaces, one at each end of the room, to the soaring second level dormers that flood the room with natural mountain light, if first impressions count for anything, in this case, they’re definitely going to count for everything. Dark, richly-stained Judges paneling, exquisite stone and hardwood floors, and furniture-style bookcases and curio cabinets complement the rich elegance of the room.

Three sets of oversize French doors with oversize transoms access the main level decks that become a natural extension of the living room. In all, there are six fireplaces in the manor, along with separate attached guest quarters and ample covered and open parking.

Whether you have a large family, or simply want room to entertain friends and business associates, within the walls of this 7,980 square foot unique home, you’ll find the space you need, and the privacy you crave. Six generous sized bedrooms, six bathrooms of spa quality, and two powder rooms extend the livability of this European castle on Rabun County soil. Notable is the master suite, with his and her ensuite facilities, extensive closet space, a fireplace and access to the deck.

But it takes more than living space and a place to lay heads to make a house a home. The kitchen in this home is definitely oversized, and furnished with dark, custom cabinetry that mimics the Judges paneling and cabinetry in the living room, dining room and den. Top drawer stainless steel appliances, solid surface counter tops, generous work space and more than the average amount of storage space equip this kitchen for the serious chef. An attached screened porch overlooking the lake makes outdoor dining both convenient and pleasant.

Harry Norman, REALTORSÂŽ Luxury Lake and Mountain Agent Evelyn Heald represents this magnificent manor, GMLS #8695979. Contact Evelyn at (cell) 404-372-5698 or (office) 706-212-0228 for more information and to view this property.

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January 2020 - 57

Cottage Living Nestled High on a Hill

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estled high on a hill in Kingwood Golf Club & Resort, this spacious, architect-designed home provides both charm and privacy. Sited side-ways on a half-acre wooded lot, one must drive onto the driveway to appreciate its garden setting.

Straight from the pages of Cottages Living, the entry level features one hundred year old heart pine floors. The large master suite is topped with crown molding and includes

his and hers walk-in closets and a spa-like bathroom with a walk-in shower. The open floor plan of the main living area consists of a living room with vaulted ceiling, library wall and a marble, wood burning fireplace. The spacious dining room also features lovely crown molding. The kitchen is a cook’s delight with upgraded appliances, custom cabinetry, and granite countertops. It also includes special features such as a hidden stool (for the height impaired) and an ingenuous pantry. There is a handy breakfast nook as part of this well planned kitchen. A quaint powder room completes the interior of the main floor.

Both decks of the house are full length and maintenance free, having been built of Trex, and the lower has a hot tub. The main floor is at leaf level, and spring and summer give one the impression of living in a tree house complete with birds as neighbors. Then in autumn the trees provide all the beauty of the changing leaves. Imagine enjoying dinner al fresco with such a backdrop! But even in winter, when the leaves are gone and the trees have lost their leafy color, the deck is a pleasure with a mountain view that is the reward for cooler temperatures and bare limbs.

The lower level of this unusual home provides the owner with a generous, workable office space, two good-sized guest rooms with spacious closets, a guest bath, wine cellar and a bonus room. This

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room features cabinetry, workspace, and a fireplace, and can be used as a studio or media room. Having concrete on all sides, it has the advantage of providing a safe place during inclement weather. This floor also provides 500 square feet of storage space and a workshop. Both levels of the home are maintained by a whole-house, built-in vacuum system.

Completeing the home is a two-car garage with a potting bench and garden shed.

After viewing the interior of the home, one should enjoy the gardens. With its variety of shrubs and flowers, the terraced front of the lot is obvious from the street and is served by an underground watering system. That portion of the yard, however, extends back to a dry creek bed not visible without traversing the lot.

Then a turn and a gate leads to yet another fenced garden with space for play for either puppy or children or for adults to enjoy a quiet commune with nature.

Poss Realty, agent Larry Jarrett represents this cottage, GMLS# 8648295. For more information, contact Larry Jarrett at 706.982.2265.

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