Toombs County Magazine Fall/Winter 2022

Toombs COUNTY MAGAZINE

Heart of Courage

Matthew Villegas finally embraces normal teenage life after years of battling a lifethreatening heart condition

Artistic Frame of Mind

Ruthie McKenzie reconnects with her creative side

Recollections of the Past

Dianne Dees’s love for history leads her to a massive home restoration project

Caring for Our Own

The Urban Revitalization Group offers safe, affordable housing to local families

Perfect for Grazing

“It’s an honor to serve you and your families.” –the McDade Family

Emergencies Dial 9-1-1 Community Contacts Community Contacts

CITY OF VIDALIA

POLICE 912-537-4123

Emergencies Dial 9-1-1

TOOMBS COUNTY

POLICE

CITY OF LYONS

FIRE 912-537-4388 CITY HALL 912-537-7661

PUBLIC WORKS 912-537-4566

SOLID WASTE/RECYCLING 912-538-1714

RECREATION 912-537-7913 recdept@vidaliaga.gov

CITY OF VIDALIA Police 912-537-4123 Fire 912-537-4388 City Hall 912-537-7661 Public Works 912-537-4566 Solid Waste/Recycling 912-538-1714 Recreation 912-537-7913 recdept@vidaliaga.gov

VIDALIA CITY SCHOOLS

VIDALIA BOARD OF EDUCATION 912-537-3088

Vidalia City Schools

Vidalia Board of Education 912-537-3088

JD DICKERSON PRIMARY 912-537-3421

JD Dickerson Primary 912-537-3421

SALLY D MEADOWS

ELEMENTARY 912-537-4755

Sally D Meadows Elementary 912-537-4755

JR Trippe Middle School 912-537-3813

JR TRIPPE MIDDLE SCHOOL 912-537-3813

VIDALIA HIGH SCHOOL 912-537-7931

Vidalia High School 912-537-7931

Hospital Meadows Health 912-535-5555

HOSPITAL Meadows Health 912-535-5555

912-537-4123 FIRE 912-537-4388 CITY HALL 912-537-7661

PUBLIC WORKS 912-537-4566

SOLID WASTE LANDFILL 912-537-9966

CEDAR CROSSING 912-594-8100

GIBSON/AIMWELL 912-526-4216

TOMLIN 912-526-4218

JOHNSON CORNER 912-565-0810

PONDEROSA 912-526-0474

NORMANTOWN 912-537-4047

Toombs County Police 912-537-4123 Fire 912-537-4388 City Hall 912-537-7661 Public Works 912-537-4566 Solid Waste Landfill 912-537-9966 Cedar Crossing 912-594-8100 Gibson/Aimwell 912-526-4216 Tomlin 912-526-4218 Johnson Corner 912-565-0810 Ponderosa 912-526-0474 Normantown 912-537-4047 Resmondo 912-293-5881

RESMONDO 912-293-5881

PHONE SERVICE

Phone Service Att 800-288-2020

ATT 800-288-2020

POLICE

912-526-3638 FIRE 912-537-4388

PUBLIC WORKS 912-526-3626

CITY OF LYONS Police 912-526-3638 Fire 912-537-4388 Public Works 912-526-3626 Recreation 912-526-3084 lyonsrec@lyonsga.org

RECREATION 912-526-3084 lyonsrec@lyonsga.org

BUSINESS & TOURISM

TOOMBS/MONTGOMERY CHAMBER 912-537-4123

Business & Tourism

Toombs/Montgomery Chamber 912-537-4123

DOWNTOWN VIDALIA DVA MAIN STREET 912-537-8033 dvamainstreet@vidaliaga.gov LYONS MAIN STREET 912-526-6445

Downtown Vidalia DVA Main Street 912-537-8033 dvamainstreet@vidaliaga.gov Lyons Main Street 912-526-6445

POWER COMPANIES

GEORGIA POWER- CITY 1-888-660-5890 ALTAMAHA ELECTRIC - RURAL 912-526-8181

GAS COMPANIES

Power Companies Georgia Power- City 1-888-660-5890 Altamaha Electric - Rural 912-526-8181 Gas Companies Patriot Gas Co 912-537-1943

PATRIOT GAS CO 912-537-1943

Conger LP Gas Inc 912-537-8722

CONGER LP GAS INC 912-537-8722 FERRELLGAS 912-537-3032

Ferrellgas 912-537-3032 Pacific Pride 912-537-3303

PACIFIC PRIDE 912-537-3303

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

ROBERT TOOMBS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 912-526-8938

Vidalia Heritage Academy 912-537-6679

CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU 912-538-8687 abritton@vidaliaga.gov

Convention & Visitors Bureau 912-538-8687 abritton@vidaliaga.gov

TOOMBS COUNTY SCHOOLS

BOARD OF EDUCATION 912-526-3141 LYONS PRIMARY 912-526-8391

Toombs County Schools Board of Education 912-526-3141 Lyons Primary 912-526-8391

TOOMBS CENTRAL ELEMENTARY 912-565-7781

Toombs Central Elementary 912-565-7781

LYONS UPPER ELEMENTARY 912-526-5816

Lyons Upper Elementary 912-526-5816

Toombs County Middle School 912-537-3813

Toombs County High School 912-526-4286

TOOMBS COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL 912-537-3813 TOOMBS COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL 912-526-4286

LIBRARY

Library

Ohoopee Regional Vidalia- Toombs 912-537-9283

VIDALIA HERITAGE ACADEMY 912-537-6679

OHOOPEE REGIONAL VIDALIATOOMBS 912-537-9283

If you’re looking for auto repair in Lyons, Georgia, you’ve found us. Here at Gordy Enterprises Inc., we work hard to earn your trust and loyalty. We know how important it is to find a car service you can rely on, so your satisfaction is our top priority each and every day.

Our professional automotive service offers years of combined expertise from our well-trained technicians. Our auto repair professionals are skilled and have a can-do attitude, which sets us apart from others and saves you time, money, and frustration. When it comes to auto repair, we are totally confident that Gordy Enterprises Inc. is the best option in town!

ARTISTIC FRAME OF MIND

Ruthie McKenzie brightens the world with her colorful paintings and a hidden talent for art she recently discovered. 36

SONG IN THE STILLNESS

Clint Jarriel talks of being a game warden and his new favorite pastime–crafting turkey calls. 48

RECOLLECTIONS OF THE PAST

Dianne Dees’s historical home renovation was a labor of love that honors memories of the past. 60

HEART OF COURAGE

Against the odds, Matthew Villegas rose from the shadow of death to reclaim his teenage life. 72

KEEPING

THE FAMILY FARM ALIVE

Moses Pecan continues the tradition of over 200 years of farming in Montgomery County. 82

CARING FOR OUR OWN

A local group of veterans offers new living options to homeowners through an urban revitalization plan. 92

A CHANCE TO THRIVE

Abby Lindsay’s pregnancy took an uncertain turn until a miracle surgery offered new hope for her son’s future. 100

WORKING

THE LAND

Tommy Rollins employs hard work, perseverance and good character to keep his business successful. 128

LAST WORDS

Love what you are doing and embrace the daily challenges.

Azure Rountree shares some of her family’s favorite comfort foods.

OR CURTAINS: WHICH IS BETTER? Choosing window treatments that fit your style and budget.

About the Cover

It seemed like Matthew Villegas could never catch a break. Throughout childhood he struggled with a heart condition that always left him wondering if he would make it to adulthood. Even after a heart transplant, he faced an additional surgery to give his new heart a chance to work. Finally, his family’s prayers paid off as he embraced a new, “normal” life of a teenager.

projects with perspective

The “kitchen sink project” was born four years ago when I noticed a crack had developed in the bottom of my sink. I took it as a sign because for five years before that I had been dreaming of a kitchen renovation, but there was always somewhere else we needed to spend the money. As the crack grew larger, the project became inevitable. We dubbed it the “kitchen sink project” because we realized we couldn’t replace the solid surface sink without having to replace the whole countertop. And why replace the countertop if we were eventually going to replace the cabinets? And no new cabinets were going in without first replacing the 90s tile floor. It was like pulling a loose thread on a sweater.

So the planning began. We asked experts how to make it work, we drew sketches and sketches and sketches, we subscribed to home renovation accounts, and we sifted through piles of reclaimed timber we had stored in a spider laden shipping container. As time passed, the crack got larger, a leak sprouted, and the day came that we finally said “let’s do this.”

That was 9 months ago, and we are still waiting on countertops, tile and some appliances. I joke that I could have had a baby by now.

There are days when I just stare at the space imagining family gatherings and celebrations...one day, I think. There are days when I simply refuse to cook in the makeshift kitchen we made in our utility room as my kids sigh and say, “pizza, again?” But there are also days when I am really excited about what is to come.

It hasn’t been easy, but I have nothing to complain about. I’m getting a new kitchen. That is when the perspective changes. Wow, I am so blessed, and look at what I’ve learned about patience and building and using a chop saw. Tommie and I have spent many great Saturdays working together. It’s been 9 months of growth for sure, and as we take on another huge renovation project in downtown Lyons, I realize maybe the kitchen sink project was just preparation for bigger things.

We have a lot of stories in this issue about people veering off their traditional path to try something new and learning about growth in the process. Ruthie McKenzie (p. 24) and Clint Jarriel (p. 36) both discovered their creative gifts just by taking time to invest in a hobby. Dianne Dees’s love for history led her to a restoration project that proves even fallen things can regain new life (p. 48), and Leo Peeples is leading a group that is giving people a chance to be independent (p. 82).

Sometimes we feel caught in a web of waiting, hoping, dreaming that never seems to come to fruition. But I am learning that those are the times we grow and sharpen and discover new adventures. Often, if we just change our perspective, we gain a whole new outlook on life and even become a blessing to others. Eventually, a crack in the kitchen sink will lead somewhere, but it’s the growing in between that really matters.

keeping the stories alive,

Stephanie Williams Executive Editor

To discover more that Toombs County has to offer, see our business index on page 127!

To share a story, send a note, or just get information: toombscountymagazine@gmail.com • (912) 293-0063

Follow us on:

For more stories, visit us at www.toombscountymagazine.com

PUBLISHER

Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Stephanie Williams

CREATIVE | DESIGN

Elizabeth Beasley

Stephanie Williams

ASSISTANT MANAGER

Nikki Anderson

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND MEDIA RELATIONS

Madison Beverly

SALES

Dottie Hicks

Randall Montague Daphne Walker

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Renée Martin

Ann Owens Azure Rountree

Teri R. Williams

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ruth English

Evan Riekhof, EZ-E Photography

Daphne Walker

PROOFING

Megan Morris

COVER PHOTO

Ruth English

Toombs County Magazine© is published bi-annually by Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC

148 Williams Avenue • Lyons, GA 30436 (912) 526-4195

All rights reserved. Copies or reproduction of this publication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without expressed written authorization from the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein. Advertising is subject to omission, errors, and other changes without notice.

A team working for you

Quality women’s healthcare where relationships matter

whether experiencing the joy of a first birth, confiding in a doctor about the drudgeries of menopause, or taking precautionary steps to prevent disease, OBGYN services are an important part of every woman’s healthcare. Because choosing an OBGYN is so personal in nature, it’s important to make sure that choice provides the options, hands on experience, and accessibility that fit each person’s lifestyle. That’s why the Women’s Center at Memorial Health Meadows Hospital focuses on a treatment approach that offers full access to women’s healthcare and employs cutting edge technology and services.

“We used to refer to just the office as the Memorial Health Meadows Women’s Center, but now that name also includes the birthing center and gynecological services at the hospital,” said Dr. Susanna Meredith, MD, FACOG. “Everything is under one umbrella with three physicians, three nurse practitioners and two midwives.”

By streamlining the Memorial Health Meadows Women’s Center to include all aspects of care from yearly exams that take place in the office to birthing and procedures that take place at the hospital, patients receive improved communication, greater service options and access to the best healthcare.

“We have a great team approach,” said Dr. Meredith. “Our nurse practitioners are all excellent and very experienced in women’s health. We are fortunate to have them. We also have two ultrasonographers in the office, which is pretty unique. This creates a lot of flexibility. The nurse practitioners can be at the office, while us doctors go back and forth supervising, seeing patients and helping with deliveries. So, the patient always gets the best care in a timely fashion, and everything runs smoother.”

Having midwives available is another important part of the Memorial Health Meadows Women’s Center’s approach to healthcare. The two certified nurse midwives on staff are available around the clock offering a more holistic approach to birthing. With a recent national push by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to reduce the number of patient C-sections, midwives are becoming more prominent. “They can perform a vaginal delivery on their own, and they do a lot of things that we don’t,” said Dr. Meredith, “like manipulating the baby’s position, special birthing positions and using balls to help with labor.” They are also an added benefit to the team effort. “Like the nurse practitioners, the midwives can assess someone who

comes into the hospital while, say, the doctors are in surgery. Then they report back to us. It is definitely a team effort, and it allows patients to have more personalized care. They don’t have to wait, they get immediate face-to-face attention, and we doctors still know everything that is going on.”

The Memorial Health Meadows Women’s Center also offers many services for women who aren’t planning for a pregnancy, but want to be proactive about their health. Colposcopy procedure for an abnormal pap smear, endometrial biopsies and cervical biopsies can be performed right in the office. They offer a variety of modern and effective birth control options, too. If a patient requires surgery, they are transitioned to the hospital side of the Women’s Center where the same doctors use state of the art technology to perform the procedure. “We want to be the first choice for OBGYN care, so we are focused on offering quality options and treating each patient on a personal level,” said Dr. Meredith. “Everyone at the Memorial Health Meadows Women’s Center is hands-on and caring.”

One of the latest additions to the hospital is the use of robotic surgery. While it may sound like something from a science fiction movie, it

Memorial Health Meadows Women’s Center staff includes, front left to right, Christy Brocato, ARNP, CNM, Dr. Stanley Morgan, MD, FACOG, Angel Gilreath, CNM; back left to right, Dr. Susanna Meredith, MD, FACOG, Katie Collins, NP, Ashley Adams, NP, Dr. Ashlee Nicole Tillery, MD, and Taylor Andre, NP

Exceptional care for moms and newborns closer

Why do so many mothers trust Meadows Hospital to guide their precious babies into the world?

Maybe it’s our experienced nurses and certified obstetric caregivers. It could be the spacious private suites and hotel-like amenities of our beautiful women’s center. Or our expanded newborn nursery with state-of-the-art equipment for both healthy babies and infants born with special needs.

Whether you’re a first-time mom or are welcoming another addition to your family, our women’s center will be a special place for you and your little one.

Scan the QR code to learn more.

to home.

One Meadows Parkway | Vidalia, GA 30474 MemorialHealthMeadows.com

actually allows doctors to perform many types of complex procedures with more precision, flexibility and control than is possible with conventional techniques. Like laparoscopy, it is used for minimally invasive surgeries that only require small ports of entry rather than large incisions. However, it allows for a more advanced surgery comparable to an open procedure. “It’s been compared to putting your head and hands in the patient’s abdomen without making a big incision,” said Dr. Meredith. “You are looking at everything in 3D, and you can kind of get around things easier.”

As if a small incision wasn’t reason enough, the robotic surgery also has the added bonus of a quicker healing time. “The recovery is what I’ve really been amazed about. I’ve actually had patients that had pretty detailed surgery, but because of the small incision, went home the same day and with very minimal pain.”

Dr. Ashlee Nicole Tillery of the Women’s Center learned how to use the robotic technology during her residency. Dr. Meredith spent the past year completing her training. Learning the new technique was both “stressful and exciting,” admits Dr. Meredith, but in the end she says, “I’ve been operating for 17 years, this is just a new modality–just a different way of doing the same thing.”

One of the best parts of working at the Memorial Health Meadows Women’s Center is celebrating new births. “This year is projected to be a big year for us,” said Dr. Meredith. In August, there were 94 births, which was a record during Dr. Meredith’s 13 years at the hospital. Even with large numbers of deliveries, the focus is always on quality. “We want all of our patients to have a great experience here. We take care of a lot of high risk patients because the high risk facilities are so far away. But we do a really good job taking care of them.”

In 2021, the hospital and the Memorial Health Meadows Women’s Center came under the guidance of HCA Healthcare, and Dr. Meredith is quick to point out the benefits. “My responsibility is to my patients. I decide what form of care is best for them, but we also work as a team here. If I feel like the patient needs the input of someone different like an GYN oncologist or a maternal fetal medicine doctor, I know exactly who to call. We have doctors on call 24/7, a local OR that’s readily accessible, and access to the best technology. We offer a safe, quality environment where relationships are still important.”

And relationships are important, especially if you are having a baby or dealing with women’s health issues, or if you are from the same small town. “I’m really proud of what we have created at the Memorial Health Meadows Women’s Center. I like to remind people that I see my patients at church, the grocery store and the soccer field. These are my friends and neighbors. I’m going to make extra sure they get the safest and best care possible.”

Meet the Staff

DOCTORS

Stanley C. Morgan, MD, FACOG Obstetrics and Gynecology

Ashlee Nicole Tillery, MD Obstetrics and Gynecology

Susanna M Meredith, MD, FACOG Obstetrics and Gynecology

NURSE PRACTITIONERS

Ashley Adams, NP

Katie Collins, NP

Taylor Andre, NP

MIDWIVES

Angel Gilreath, CNM

Christy Brocato, ARNP, CNM

For more information about Memorial Health Meadows Women’s Center contact us at 101 Harris Industrial Blvd, Unit C Vidalia, GA 30474 912-537-1014

We love smiles.

southern comfort

The best southern dishes are simple and delicious. Toombs County native and cookbook author Azure Rountree shares some of her family’s favorite comfort foods that you’ll definitely want to add to your recipe collection.

SAVORY

CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE

This hearty classic is easy to make and a family crowd pleaser–the cream cheese adds the goodness!

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/4 cup Onion (finely diced)

1½ pounds Ground Beef

2 (8-ounce) cans Tomato Sauce

1 teaspoon Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Salt Pepper (to taste)

1½ cups uncooked Elbow Macaroni Noodles

1 cup Sour Cream

3 ounces Cream Cheese (softened)

1¼ cup Mild Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray, then set aside.

2 In a large heavy pot and over medium heat, add olive oil. Once hot, saute onion for 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, then drain in a colander. Place meat back in the pan along with the tomato sauce, sugar, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and pepper. Stir together and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

3 Bring a 3 quart pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package directions, then drain and pour the noodles into the bottom of the baking

dish. Top noodles with the meat sauce, making sure to cover all of the noodles.

4 Combine the sour cream and cream cheese together, then drop dollops of the mixture on top of the meat sauce and spread to coat. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered on the 3rd (middle) rack for 20 minutes.

CHICKEN, VEGETABLE & ORZO SOUP

Give classic chicken soup an upgrade with this flavorful dish that Azure calls “Anna’s Pearl Soup” because the orzo reminds her daughter of pearls.

Ingredients

1 Bone-in Split Chicken Breast Salt & Pepper (to season)

Olive Oil

1 (48-ounce) container Chicken Broth

1/2 cup diced Onion

1/2 cup diced Carrots

2/3 cup fresh Green Beans (cut into 1 inch sections)

1 teaspoon bottled Minced Garlic

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

1/2 cup uncooked Orzo Fresh Parsley (for garnish) Crackers (for serving)

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2 Place chicken breast in a rimmed pan. Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and rub in seasonings making sure to coat the breast. Bake on the 3rd (middle) rack for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely, then shred 1½ cups of the chicken and set aside.

3 In a large heavy pot, add chicken broth, onion, carrots, green beans, minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and shredded chicken, then turn to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover with a lid and reduce heat to simmer for 45 minutes.

4 Once vegetables are tender, add the orzo, cover with lid and cook an additional 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with crackers.

www.altamaha.bank

www.altamaha.bank

Assmall businessowners, Kelly and Keith wereready todiversify their portfolio.Withfourdecades of experience, AltamahaBankand Trust supported their newestendeavorofpurchasingthe local Larry's Giant SubsRestaurant. After all,weare committed toseeing our customers reach their fullpotential.We're local peoplewho wanttosee our community prosper.

Assmall businessowners, Kelly and Keith wereready todiversify their portfolio.Withfourdecades of experience, AltamahaBankand Trust supported their newestendeavorofpurchasingthe local Larry's Giant SubsRestaurant. After all,weare committed toseeing our customers reach their fullpotential.We're local peoplewho wanttosee our community prosper.

Let's thrivetogether.

Let's thrivetogether.

PicturedLefttoRight:Brian Frost,BranchManager and VicePresident, Larry's Giant SubsownersKelly Martin awsonand Keith awson

EGG IN A HOLE BREAKFAST BAGELS

A breakfast dish that’s good any time of day

Ingredients

3 Fresh Bagels (halved)

5 Tablespoons Margarine (melted)

5 slices Cheddar Cheese (cut into smaller squares)

6 slices Canadian Bacon

6 Eggs

Salt & Pepper (to season)

Fresh Parsley (for garnish) Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray an 11x17 inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2 Dip both sides of the halved bagel in the melted margarine, then place flat side down on the pan. Add cheese squares around the center of the hole in each bagel, then place a slice of the Canadian bacon over each hole. With fingers, carefully press down on the bacon until the center tears, making room for the egg. Crack an egg and drop it over the hole in the bacon, then repeat with the remaining bagels. Season with salt and pepper, then add fresh chopped parsley if desired.

2 Bake uncovered on the middle rack for 18 to 20 minutes or until the eggs are done.

SWEET

GLAZED COOKIES & CREAM BUNDT CAKE

Make this delicious twist on a bundt cake your go-to potluck dessert

Ingredients crust:

1 (16-ounce) box White Cake Mix

1 (5-ounce) package Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix

1 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Warm Water

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

4 large Eggs

15 Oreo’s (crushed)

Vegetable Shortening (for greasing)

2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar

2 ½ Tablespoons Milk

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan with vegetable shortening, then add the all-purpose flour and toss to coat the pan.

2 In a large mixing bowl and with an electric mixer, beat together cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, sour cream, warm water, vegetable oil and eggs. Beat until completely combined, then fold in crushed Oreos. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the middle rack for 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

3 Remove from the oven and let the cake cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then turn over and remove from pan onto a cake plate. Let cool completely.

4 Stir together the powdered sugar and milk until combined. Drizzle the glaze over the cake, let it set, and serve.

LEMON CHESS PIE

A simple and refreshing treat

Ingredients

2 frozen Regular Pie Crusts (thawed)

4 Tablespoons Margarine (melted & cooled)

1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar

4 large Eggs (beaten)

1 Tablespoon Self-Rising Yellow Cornmeal

1 Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour

1/4 cup Whole Milk

1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice

1 ½ teaspoons Lemon Zest 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2 In a large mixing bowl, stir together the melted margarine, sugar and eggs until combined. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir together, then pour the mixture into 2 thawed uncooked pie crusts. Bake on the middle rack for around 45 minutes or until the center of the pies are set.

3 Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Serve at room temperature alongside whipped cream or ice cream.

Azure Rountree is the wife and mother to four beautiful children. She is a business owner, Autism & Women’s Health Advocate and Public Speaker. She has published two cookbooks, “Family Favorites”, which was published in 2013 and “Kid Friendly Recipes”, which was published in 2015. Her recipes are featured on the Pottery Barn Blog Website and are in ten publications throughout Southeast Georgia. Her famous, “Derby Hat Cake Pops”, have been shared by Southern Living, and she has even been approached by Shark Tank about her business. Azure has a love for cooking and sharing recipes, which is why she is our newest contributor for the Toombs County Magazine.

Blinds or curtains: which is better?

Light control, insulation, privacy, décor and budget can all help determine the best window treatment for your home.

Blinds and curtains each come with specific benefits and drawbacks. Here we compare the two–blinds vs. curtains–with six key differences to help you decide which window treatment will be a winner in your home.

Cost can matter Blinds, which feature movable slats, usually require less material and time to manufacture. They also take less time to install meaning their overall cost can be kept to a minimum. Plastic blinds are less expensive than wood and high-quality vinyl, but are not recommended if appearance is important.

Curtains are usually slightly pricier per window because they require more material and time to make and install. However, the addition of curtains to a room adds a soft touch and leaves plenty of room for making a statement with color and design – something not possible with blinds. Curtain costs can be reduced by choosing materials like polyester over silk.

light will enter. Curtains can virtually block all light depending on the material used and the curtain lining. This makes them especially functional in bedrooms and family rooms, in which total darkness may be preferred for sleeping or movie viewing.

Both curtains and blinds can effectively control light filtration.

Light

Control

The slats on blinds, whether vertical or horizontal, can control light by either changing the angle that the light enters or lifting the blinds altogether. Even when blinds are fully closed, their slatted design means some

Keeping it Clean The slick, hard surface of blinds makes dusting with a microfiber cloth a breeze. To remove dust, close the slats and wipe from top to bottom. For stubborn dirt, wiping with a mixture of 25% white vinegar and 75% water. Curtains can be cleaned by vacuuming from top to bottom with a dust brush attachment. Use the same vinegar and water treatment for stains or try a storebought stain remover solution. Some curtains can be machine-washed and air dried to remove stains, but this is not recommend for more ornate curtains.

Made to Last

High-quality, wellmaintained blinds can keep their looks for up to 15 years or more. Blinds’ synthetic material, whether plastic, aluminum, vinyl or polymer coated wood makes them resistant to discoloration and staining. Their rigidity also makes them less prone to everyday wear and tear. Fabric curtains, are more prone to tearing, staining and mold, meaning they may need replacement within a decade. With curtains often being used as a design statement, after a decade, it may be time to update them anyway!

Energy Efficiency

Both curtains and blinds can add insulating power to your windows and help maintain heat exchange resulting in lower energy bills. But curtains have the upper hand when it comes to savings because they don’t have slats that allow heat loss. Curtains have been proven to reduce heat loss by up to 37% during chilly months, while blinds check in at only 14%. Thicker curtains and blinds have even more insulating power and honeycomb blinds offer the best efficiency for blinds.

What happens when weather turns warmer? On the one hand, blinds beat curtains in energy efficiency because they leak more heat from a room. They also decrease indoor heat gain more efficiently in the summer, by around 45%, which can lower air conditioning bills. Curtains leak less heat, reducing indoor heat gain by only 33% in the summer. On the other hand, curtains with solid black out panels can keep out light at peak times of day reducing heat gain from entering a room.

Sound Barrier

Both curtains and blinds aid in sound absorption to keep out neighborhood noises. But curtains, especially those made of heavyweight, tightly woven fabrics like velvet or velour, perform better than blinds because they’re thicker and lack slats through which sound enters.

If you need a boost of confidence when making your design decisions, don’t worry. You can find a design expert that will walk you through the decision making process right here in Toombs County. Cindy Reddick at Accessorize It Designs offers interior decor for residential and commercial applications specializing in window treatment and fabric applications. To discuss your window treatment options visit Accessorize It! at Seasons Design Center.

Endless Design Possibilities

Curtains offer a wider variety of materials, textures, styles, colors, patterns, and levels of transparency, from geometric-inspired cotton curtains to sheer silk curtains. They work well in rooms with classic interior design styles, be it French country, midcentury modern, or full glam. Blinds tend to come in a narrower range of materials and styles and only in solid colors; this minimalism makes them better suited for the modern look of the Scandinavian, industrial, and coastal interior styles.

If you can’t decide which way to go, you can always combine blinds with curtains for a beautiful solutions with maximum lighting control.

Impressive Design for your

“Mary and her team took our vision and created an atmosphere of warmth and beauty. She took on this challenging project with such passion and insight with the end result being absolutely breathtaking.”

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MMary’s M Squared Design Firm, owned and operated by Mary Edmonds, has been creating residential, commercial and hospitality settings for over 30 years. As an accomplished interior designer, she works with all budgets to provide a dream setting for each client. In addition to design services, Mary’s retail store in historic downtown Vidalia, offers a wide variety of specialty items including home goods, themed accessories (Go Dawgs), and fine collectibles.

Mary’s newest in-store addition is a bridal registry. The staff is excited to celebrate with local couples during their special time. If

you are interested in starting your own registry, we would love to see you downtown at Mary’s. Our registry makes picking items and purchasing gifts a quick and easy task. We can have your selection picked and wrapped so it is shower or wedding ready!

We look forward to helping you and your family with all of your home and design needs! Appointments with Mary are recommeded but our friendly staff is at the store Tuesday-Friday, 10 AM - 5:30 PM and Saturday, 10 AM - 3 PM. Or give us a call at 912-537-4653. For design tips and store updates, follow us on Facebook.

Artistic Frame of Mind

during Covid-19, the word “quarantine” took on new meaning. When Governor Kemp announced the closure of all public schools in Georgia in March 2020, Ruthie McKenzie was a Special Education teacher at Toombs County High School. No one could have imagined that March 13 would be the last day spent in the classroom with students at TCHS that school year. By March 25, 2020, Lionel Laurent reported on Bloomberg.com, “Around one-third of the world’s population is now in lockdown.” In the long weeks that followed, Ruthie’s life took a new path from “mother of an artist” to an artist in her own right. Today, Ruthie’s artwork is sold in art and antique stores across the southeast, with online sales to customers from Maryland to California.

Quarantine for Ruthie’s youngest daughter, Nancy, meant that instead of rushing back to school on crutches following knee surgery from a sports injury, she could now recover at home. All that extra time at home also meant that the UGA interior design student could enjoy painting again, a talent she’d discovered as a child. When Ruthie saw her daughter’s finished work, she was determined to get it framed.

During the long days of the COVID-19 lock down, Ruthie McKenzie turned to art for comfort and unveiled a hidden talent.

Even in quarantine, stores in small towns like ours moved quickly to reopen with boxes of masks and bottles of sanitizer by their doors, making the search for a frame more possible. Nevertheless, finding the perfect frame was no small matter, as a frame could potentially inspire or distract from the artwork. Ruthie often purchased the frame first and later paired it with a well-suited painting. She hit all the little thrift stores in about a fifty-mile radius in her search until she found the frame that best fit Nancy’s artwork. In a sense, frames inspired Ruthie first.

As the days turned into weeks, mother and daughter enjoyed time at the family table painting together. Ruthie had no formal training beyond an art class in middle school, but her appreciation for art began early. “I still remember the hours I spent studying the works of the Old Masters in my mother’s big coffeetable book,” said Ruthie. Over the years, she and her husband, Greg, acquired a beautiful collection of pieces from various artists.

Eventually, quarantine ended and Nancy returned to her classes at UGA, and Ruthie to TCHS. Ruthie’s artistic journey might have also ended with quarantine

had it not been for the encouragement of her family and close friends to keep at it. And when she returned to school, she found encouragement and guidance from Meredith Brodnax, the art teacher at Toombs County High School (TCHS) whose room was just across the hall from Ruthie. “I had not been painting for long, but I was eager to learn,” she said. “Every few days, I would take something to her. I’d ask, ‘What’s the problem here?’ Or, ‘How do I do this or do that?’ She was so gracious and encouraging.”

One day, when Ruthie was especially frustrated with an issue with her painting, she said, “I asked Meredith, ‘Should I even keep trying?’ Meredith said, ‘As long as you're not trying to paint a masterpiece every time you paint, and you enjoy it, you should definitely keep after it.’” Painting the imperfect was the best path to learning. Those simple words removed the pressure Ruthie had begun to feel to produce something perfect and simply enjoy the process.

Throughout her life, Ruthie had proven her willingness to continue to learn and face new challenges. Her first degree was actually in dietetics. After two years as a dietitian, she and her husband had their first child, Greg, Jr. Ruthie completely changed career paths as she learned all things construction and worked as her husband’s office manager at Greg McKenzie Builders. Two years later, their daughter Rena was born. Another two years passed, and their youngest daughter, Nancy, completed their family. Once again, Ruthie navigated a career change and worked as a real estate agent at Tom Peterson Realtors, her father’s business.

When their son, Greg, Jr., left for college, Ruthie took a position at TCHS as a special ed co-teacher which involved assisting students with special needs with testing, reading, and writing in traditional classrooms. In addition, she helped provide the students with a support system.

“I taught everything from algebra 1 to environmental science, and 9th grade lit to British lit,” said Ruthie. By 2019, she had also obtained her master’s in teaching. As

LEFT During the COVID-19 quarantine, Ruthie began painting with her daughter Nancy as a way to pass the time. Her colorful pieces evolved through encouragement from friends and family and an appreciation of art that began when she was young.

Ruthie's works of art can be found at home décor boutiques and galleries all over Georgia.

construction demands exploded, she went back to work with her husband after five years of teaching.

In November 2020, Ruthie made a bold move. “Gina Lane, Benji Frost, and Harola Taylor had just opened The Red Wagon,” an art and antique market in Lyons. “I rented a small booth for my paintings there and named it ‘Rubbish.’” The paintings quickly sold, and Ruthie rented a larger booth.

One day, when Ruthie stopped by The Red Wagon to check on her booth, she discovered that someone had purchased nearly all of her paintings. “I found out later that it was Joe Amoto, an antique dealer from Savannah. had purchased most of my paintings to resell in his upscale art and antique shop, 7th Heaven, on Mechanics Avenue in downtown Savannah,” she said. “Since I have no formal training and consider myself an amateur, my prices are very reasonable, so he was buying them to resell in his own shop.”

But it was more than the reasonable price that brought Mr. Amoto back for more of Ruthie’s artwork. “He continued to buy from me and even made requests. Finally, I asked him one day, ‘What is it that you like about my paintings?’ He said, ‘They just have a pure, happy feel about them.’” It was everything she could ever have hoped to achieve.

Ruthie works in a loose style with a large brush using mainly acrylic and gouache paints. She defines her style as more of a colorist, more “abstract versus realistic. I want my work to give an impression rather than an exact representation,” said Ruthie. “If someone wants an exact depiction, they can easily take a photograph. I like for there to be a degree of interpretation.”

Ruthie’s subject matters often include landscapes, florals, still life, and with some figures. One of her more recent paintings came from a photograph someone posted on Instagram of a line of young boys from Toombs County families lined up at a “Slushi Truck” on the beach in Daytona, Florida, this past summer.

A few of the artists in whom Ruthie finds inspiration on Instagram are Joseph Gyurcsak, Teddi Parker, Valérie Pirlot, and James Richards. Visiting art galleries also a favorite pastime, as well as a way to find potential new markets for her own work. “I’ll just load up my car with paintings,” said Ruthie. “I’ll walk into a gallery with them and ask if it’s something they like. It’s as simple as that.”

In addition to her booth “Rubbish” at The Red Wagon (Lyons), Ruthie’s work is available at Lee Ann Cowart Interiors (Thomson, Ga.), Turner’s Antiques (Marshallville, Ga.), Ann Reynold’s Sunshine Village Gallery (Watkinsville, Ga.), Paula Horne’s Savannah Home Consignment (Statesboro), WestEnd Collective (Augusta), and Heather Davis’s General Store (Vidalia). She has also collaborated on projects with architect/ painter Daly Smith at his studio in Macon. A couple of her more recent projects were commissions for paintings of the Bryant and O’Conner office building on Jackson

LEFT Ruthie works in a loose style with a large brush for an abstract, impressionistic result. While her subject matters often include landscapes, florals and still life, she will produce paintings based off of a photograph.

BELOW Ruthie with her family (from left to right): Rena, Greg, Nancy, daughter-in-law Julia, and Greg, Jr.

ABOVE Ruthie and her husband Greg with their two daughters Rena and Nancy.

Street (Vidalia) and a large painting of the fountain at the Grand Magnolia House wedding venue in Marshallville, Georgia.

Although sales in galleries and markets are certainly fulfilling for an artist, the continual support and encouragement of family and close friends gives Ruthie her most important validation. “My greatest supporters have been my husband, Greg, my children, Greg, Jr. and his wife Julia, my

daughters Rena and Nancy, my parents, inlaws, siblings, aunts, and cousins…”

I looked up from my notebook. She paused briefly, and smiled realizing I couldn’t name them all in this article although she would have loved to have done so. The importance of family in her life was evident, as was friendship. Her neighbor, Lachele Yancey, was another whose support and encouragement she greatly valued.

“Lachele has been painting for years, and was one of the first to encourage me. She still gives me advice when I need it.” The two friends paint together

when they can and solve the world’s problems as only close friends can do.

Of course, Ruthie still finds inspiration in beautiful, unique frames. “Troy Reddick at the Frame Gallery in Vidalia has been a great help to me,” said Ruthie. “He cuts all of my boards and assists me with the frames.”

Some things changed during the days of quarantine that may never be the same again. (Closed water fountains and plexiglass at check-out counters to name a few). But in a sense, quarantine was a forced sabbatical. All of a sudden, there was family time. Lots of family time. Okay, so maybe a little too much family time. But had it not been for Governor Kemp’s order for school closures and the period of quarantine that followed, Ruthie might never have discovered her artistic talent

as a painter.

According to merriam-webster.com, the etymology of quarantine comes from the French word for “a forty-day period.” It’s not a huge leap to connect a forty-day period to the story of Noah and the flood in Genesis 7:16b-17 (NIV). It says, “…Then the Lord shut him in. 17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth” (emphasis mine). The Hebrew word for “shut him in” is Strongs H5462: sāgar. One of the meanings given for this Hebrew word is “quarantine.”* God shut Noah and his family in the ark to save them and give the world a restart. Sometimes, the walls that shut us in are not so much a prison as a place of protection. And, as with Ruthie McKenzie, the time to recognize a gift for which she had yet to discover.

Find Ruthie on Instagram: @ruthiemckenzie 91 and @ruthie_and_rubbish

Song in the Stillness

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY ROSE COLORED LENS

Even though he had a degree in criminal justice and was also a certified police officer, the temporary work with Buster gave him time to wait. It had been six months since the last call. So when his cell phone rang, Clint answered quickly.

“Are you ready to go to work?” the caller asked.

“Yes, sir.” He had no idea who the caller was. “I’m working pretty hard right now,” he added, sweat pouring down his face.

“No, I’m talking about with DNR.” The call for which he had waited all these months had finally come. The caller was Ralph Shepherd, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Academy Director at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth.

“Yes, sir,” Clint answered. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” He meant it with everything in him. A job as a game warden had been his goal for as long as he could remember.

Most young people are still deciding what career to pursue well into college. Not Clint. He was in kindergarten when he first proclaimed to his parents that he wanted to be a game warden. It was instinctive, an innate trait, to be with nature. At times, he wondered if the family stories of Creek ancestry on his mother’s side had something to do with the way the woods called to him. Even so, it was his father Calvin who helped shape his sense of respect for nature and honor for the law that protected and preserved it. The time he took to fish and hunt with his son taught him more than words ever could.

In his teens, Clint

became friends with John Barnard, who served as a game warden in Toombs County for many years. Coincidentally, the two families attended the same church. John was upfront with his protégé. The competition for the position of game warden would be tough. Even so, he mentored him on how to prepare for the path he was determined to pursue. Most who go into the field start with a degree in wildlife management or criminal justice. After graduating from Toombs County High School in 1997, Clint chose to pursue the latter. While still in college, he found out from John that a hiring freeze had been enacted on hiring game wardens. And it didn’t look as if it would lift anytime soon.

Clint graduated with his degree in criminal justice in 2001. In 2002, he married his wife, Robin. With a family now and no knowing of when the hiring freeze would end, he applied for a position with the East Central Georgia Drug Task Force. “At the time, it was located in Swainsboro,” said Clint. “I was honest with them. In the first interview, I said, ‘I want this

Clint Jarriel swung the bush axe, again and again, slashing the limbs from overgrowth along the roadside. While he worked with Buster Akins, who owned a professional tree service, Clint’s job was simply to clear brush along the road for EMC.

job because I need some law enforcement experience, and I need to get my life rolling. But I can’t sign a two-year contract,” which was required for the position. “I said, ‘My life goal has been to be a game warden. So, if DNR lifts the freeze and wants to hire me tomorrow, I have to be free to go.’ They said, ‘We will work with that.”

In 2003, Clint attended the police academy at Armstrong State College in Savannah, Georgia, for ten weeks of training. While there, DNR called. Although it was not a job offer, as he’d hoped, it was an invitation to take the two preliminary exams required before the hiring process could proceed. “You could only miss three days during the police academy training, and I missed two to go to Atlanta for these exams.” Both tests were arduous. The first was a psychological test, and the second was a physical agility test. Clint passed both.

Anyone who thinks a game warden’s job is a free ticket to carry a gun, hunt, and fish all year round is quite mistaken. Much of the work of a game warden is actually in the community. “The hiring process is

As a game warden, “your words are your greatest defense. Not your gun,” said Clint.

such that they can eliminate anyone who doesn’t have the right disposition for the job,” said Clint. “They don’t want someone out there with a ‘gun blazing’ attitude. A lot of times, you’re by yourself. If you don’t know how to use your words to deescalate a potentially dangerous situation, you could get yourself in more trouble than you could get yourself out of. Your words are your greatest defense. Not your gun.”

Months went by without a word from DNR. After six months with the Drug Task Force, Clint went to his supervisor. “They needed someone on the team who would stay, and I wasn’t staying.” I told him, ‘They’re going to hire me. I feel like it will be soon. And I know you need to train someone to take my place.’” Because he’d been honest with the supervisor from the start, Clint was released from his contract without penalty.

He had worked with Buster Akins off and on while in school. “Buster Akins said he would always give me a job because I didn't shy away from the work,” Clint smiled. When he set the bush ax aside, he felt a rush of gratification. The call had come, and he was ready. He’d been ready since he was five years old.

Clint began his career as a game warden on the first of December. In January 2005, he underwent eighteen weeks of training at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, Georgia. The following May 2005, Clint was assigned to Glynn and Camden counties. Then, in March 2006, less than a year later, DNR called. “The game warden position in Tattnall County had come available. I always say that taking this position was coming home,” said Clint. He and his family live only fourteen miles from where he was born and raised in Toombs County.

He began work as the game warden in Tattnall County in April 2006. “There’s six of us in this work section that covers Tattnall, Toombs, Evans, Treutlen, Montgomery, and Appling counties,” said Clint. His work section is in region four, which

encompasses thirty-six counties. “The hiring process is designed to find people who can handle the work without anybody telling you where to go daily. We only have a work schedule that tells us when we’re off. The rest of the time, we understand that we are on the job. I have to keep a schedule that is most effective for the job in the community and outdoors.” There is no typical workday, which is one of the

many reasons for the stringent hiring process. “

A game warden’s job also comes with the responsibility and maintenance of all types of equipment. “Some days, you might use your boat or your four-wheeler,” said Clint. “Other days, you’re in your truck all day. Some days patrolling the woods means being already in place at 5:00 a.m. before trespassers arrive. And

you might not get home until midnight because you’ve gotten complaints about night hunters.”

Although negotiation and communication skills are used to deescalate stressful situations, sometimes words won’t cut it. Last November, Clint attempted to approach a man illegally shooting ducks. “I was in my truck, and he was on a four-wheeler. He tried to outrun me, which makes for a very dangerous situation.” And, yes. Clint made the arrest.

“The job isn’t about getting up and putting on a gun belt to go after the bad guys every day. But that is a part of it. And anyone who thinks they want to do this kind of work should know that upfront. We usually work alone, and just about everyone we confront is armed.”

When Clint is not in the woods or patrolling the waters, he’s serving the community. That service may involve teaching a hunter safety

Clint crafts wing bone turkey calls using three bones from the underside of a turkey wing. The calls are not only beautiful works of art, but they also can be “played” almost like a musical instrument.

course, speaking with an FFA club, or talking to a school about our collective responsibility to protect nature's resources for now and future generations. This work is vitally important for education and building relationships of trust. And yet, if it

was only about community service, Clint could have chosen a social or civil service path instead. Ultimately, the call is to serve the land and its resources. It’s not a relationship that can be taught from a textbook. It’s innate, a part of his being, which may

Clint traveled to St. Augustine to learn how to hone a turkey quill to use as a “pen” for scribing on the calls and their packaging. The art of calligraphy was something he had to practice in order to perfect.

In addition to the calls, Clint enjoys whittling. “I’ve always enjoyed making things. I make toys for kids. I whittle roosters.”

explain why Clint was so sure of his path even at the young age of five.

God and nature guided his heart, and the instruction and support he received from his father, and his friend John, guided his path. “My dad was a railroad man,” said Clint. “After work,

he would be making things in his shop. He was always good at fixing stuff. There were things he made in his shop that he could have patented. There was no ‘can’t’ with him. My dad always found a way to make things work. I know he has influenced the way I see how to do things and make them work.”

His friend, John, not only helped guide him through the process of becoming a game warden, but he also spent time with Clint hunting and shared his own experiences. When John took him on his first turkey hunt, Clint was eighteen. From that time on, he was hooked. As he learned more about the intelligent bird, Clint discovered wild turkeys can “fly up to 55 mph in short bursts.…they have three-times better vision than humans. They can also see in color, and their eyesight covers 270 degrees” (worldanimalprotection.us). “Wildlife sees a man and thinks he’s a stump,” he said. “But to turkeys, every stump is a man. They run and then try to figure

it out later. They’re very elusive, which makes hunting them a good challenge.”

After a couple of turkey hunts with John, Clint purchased a Primos power crystal turkey call he found on sale at Walmart for $1. “I told John, ‘I want to get where I can call a turkey to me off a limb.’ Most anybody can call one when he is already down on the ground. But you've done something in the turkey hunting world if you can call one off the limb when he is gobbling early in the morning.” Whenever he met a turkey hunter, he listened, hoping to learn their secrets. After hearing more than one person mention a particular type of turkey call, he asked John, “What’s this wing bone call I hear turkey hunters talking about?”

John explained that the call was made from three bones taken from the underside of a turkey wing and glued together. “You have to play it,” he said. Now, music was something Clint understood. He heard it in the trees and over the waters. He felt as if he could hear the sound of nature in his

Clint with daughters Autumn and Kamdyn and wife Robin.

head. He had several flutes and played a little guitar. For Clint, music was emulating the sounds of nature. With John’s help, he made his first wing bone turkey call. Then, he made several more as he learned from his mistakes. This was what made him such a good teacher, this hunger to learn.

And then Clint met Mark Sharp in Evans County. “I'd been building this crude-looking thing trying to make it sound like I wanted. I could tell that his wing bone call was shorter than mine. Mark said, ‘I don’t know why I’m doing this, but I’m going to show you how to make these calls.’” Clint understood this was no small thing. It was actually a great honor. “Old-time turkey hunters don’t like to pass on their knowledge to the young guys,” Clint explained. “They don’t want the woods full of hunters. But this guy, for some reason, decided to teach me, and I was grateful to learn from him.”

The instruction was just what Clint needed to begin his own creative journey with the wing bone turkey calls. With the knowledge he gained from Mark Sharp, he continued experimenting until he had perfected his technique. “I learned which bone to file and the perfect length to get the best sound.”

According to midwestoutdoors.com, “The wingbone is the oldest turkey call man has used. The NWTF [National Wild Turkey Federation] says it’s the original turkey call used by American Indians to put turkey dinners over the fire. Their Winchester Museum houses the oldest known wingbone call dating back 4,000 years.”

By 2015, Clint began adding beautiful colors and a feather–which he taught himself to draw–to his wing bone turkey call. He also added a scripture reference, which he expounds on in a handwritten message that accompanies each call. Even the style of writing in his message and on the turkey call tells a story. “I was going

through the Living History Museum in St. Augustine, and there was a guy there writing with a Turkey quill. His writing was so beautiful,” said Clint. “I thought, ‘I want to do that.’ But I didn’t want to bother him while he was working.”

The following week, he called the museum and was given the man’s contact information. “When I called him, he said he would teach me to cut the quill to make a pen and use it to write with if I’d come to his house in St. Augustine.” So, Clint went down to the man’s house and learned his skill. But to write the calligraphy style lettering with the quill, he said, “That was something I just had to practice myself. So, I wrote notes to my wife every night until I learned how to make the letters.”

On each wing bone turkey call, Clint writes Psalms 46:10. The first part of the verse reads, “Be still and know that I am God….” “I know two things for sure: To hear God, you have to be still and quiet. And to harvest turkeys, you have to do the same,” the accompanying message reads.

Being still is one of the most challenging disciplines of life. As a game warden, Clint’s ability to communicate, connect with the community, and sometimes negotiate in stressful situations does not depend on his speaking skills but on his discipline as a listener. Many can stand on a platform and impress people with their knowledge. But the words that carry actual authority and influence come from what is heard in the stillness. Nature has taught Clint to listen. And if we are still enough, we just might hear the sound of nature for ourselves and the Creator’s song it sings.

Clint often scribes Psalm 46:10 on the turkey calls, which speaks of the importance of both remaining still to hear God’s voice, and practically, to hunt turkeys. Clint’s quest for stillness is born out of his faith and love of hunting. He crafts each call with an artist’s love and passion for his work that supersedes making a large profit.

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Recollections of the Past

In January 2020, Dianne Dees took the inheritance she received from her parents and purchased an old house in Cedar Crossing. For forty years or so, the house had been trashed by one renter after another. Some said it was too far gone to save. A couple of folks went so far as to suggest that putting a match to it would be a mercy. And yet, hidden beneath years of decay and decline, Dianne saw what once had been. From old courthouse records, she found the 1903 house had originally been given a Tattnall County address. In 1905, Cedar Crossing became a part of the newly established Toombs County. On social media, Dianne announced her intent to redeem the old house with a picture of its fallen estate. “Not because of what it looks like now,” she wrote, “but because of what it looks like in my memory.”

The community of Cedar Crossing had been home for Dianne her entire life. “When I was a kid,” said Dianne, “we would walk from our house about a half mile down the road to my parent’s store at least once a day.” This was the early 60s when the store was H.J. Fowlers Grocery. Before her parents took it over, it was run by her grandfather and was called B.F. Miller’s Grocery. “There were always men sitting in front of the store talking and gossiping.” On her way to the store, Dianne passed the old house. “Every time I walked by, I’d see the two old ladies that lived there sitting on the porch. Most times, other ladies would be there visiting with them.” She smiled, a distant look in her eyes. “I would love to hear one of their conversations now.”

Dianne recalled details of the exterior of the house as if it was only yesterday when she’d last passed it by. “Most times, someone was sitting on the bottom level, and there was always a beautiful fern in a concrete planter on each side on the top level. The porch went across the front and down the right-hand side. There was a white picket fence across the front and a carriage house in back. I thought it was the prettiest house I had ever seen.”

Although she had never been inside, Dianne had visited with her grandmother, Trudy Miller,

or “Ma Miller”, as all knew her. “Children didn’t go inside. Our area had no television, so we played outside all day. You certainly didn’t sit around with adults when they were talking, either.”

As the new owner of a house with nearly 120 years of history, Dianne wanted to know more. “When I was a kid,” she said, “this is what I wanted to do. I have always loved history. Old things spoke to me.” She valued conversations with older people. “I always wanted to preserve something from the past. The people who lived here are gone, but the

Dianne Dees took on a massive renovation when she chose to honor history and preserve the past.

house still speaks of that time. Even the old trees in the yard witnessed lives and events that I wish I could hear.”

Dianne researched newspaper archives with Cedar Crossing news and historical documents at Ladson Genealogical Library while also talking with older folks in the area. She learned that the sisters, Pennye Parker Edenfield and Ethyl Parker, received the house from their father, E.F. Edenfield, and owned it jointly.

From Jerry Dees, who lived most of his life in the house across the road, she learned, “Ms. Ethyl’s son Frankie died in the home after what he thought was a diabetic coma. As a kid, I had heard this story too,” said Dianne. “He also said a Dr. Odom lived

in the house before Ms. Pennye and Ms. Ethyl.”

Dianne contacted Harry Edenfield, a grandson of Ms. Pennye Parker Edenfield. “He had many fond memories of the house and of spending summers there with his grandmother. His grandfather, Ms. Pennye’s husband, was Clayton Edenfield. They had one son, Clayton Gibbs Edenfield, who was his father.” She also learned that the sister’s parents were Missouria Odom and Edward Franklin Parker.

Dianne returned to the Ladson Genealogical Library, where she finally made a connection. “The sisters were Dr. Odom’s nieces.” Still, she had no proof that Dr. Odom or any doctor, for

that matter, had ever lived in the old house. Except for the story the house told. As she began to clean out the old house, an exam room, medicine cabinets, and an outside entrance was clearly distinguishable.

According to archives from the Lyons Progress, Dianne learned that there were four doctors in Cedar Crossing in the early 1900s: Dr. Gray, Dr. Jim Hall, Dr. J. C. Collins, and Dr. Odom. And if that wasn’t enough, there was a Dr. Mobley that “lived up the river.” “In those days, doctors couldn’t make a living just practicing medicine,” said Dianne.

Payments were commonly made in eggs, chickens, and fresh vegetables. “Dr. Odom owned a lot of land and

farmed.” In the August 8, 1913 edition of the Lyons Progress, in a section entitled “Cedar Crossing News,” Dianne read, “Dr. D. P. Odom is a good farmer as well as a good doctor. He has 60 acres in cotton, as fine as you ever looked at, 75 acres in corn, velvet beans, and pinders,” she read. “His wife, Leola Mann Odom, died in 1934, and Dr. D. Odom died in 1938. They didn’t have any children.”

For Dianne, renovating the old house preserved a bit of her community’s history. When she

ABOVE Dianne took great care to restore the old 300 pound porcelain tub that had sat on the front porch for "a long time."

RIGHT Quilting is a talent Dianne learned from her grandmother. One of the additions to the old house was a sewing room where Dianne creates beautiful new pieces from old remnants that might typically be discarded. Recycling history is a theme that can be felt throughout the lovely home.

stepped inside the old house for the first time, she had a lot of emotions, but sweet nostalgia was not one of them. The task ahead would require a strong stomach and some serious help. To begin, she said, “I called my granddaughter Bessie Coleman and my Aunt Lena.”

While the world was masking up for Covid, Dianne and her family were masking up to shovel everything from household trash to discarded clothes and piles of dog poop from the old house. “The trash was literally up to our waists in every room. We

went in with shovels, pitchforks, and construction trash bags.”

From old tax records, Dianne ascertained that the back of the house was added on in 1948. “It was completely rotten, and the porches were too dangerous to walk on. The floor in the only bathroom had rotted through to the ground.” The kitchen contained an old greasy stove and a worn-out refrigerator with contents that could be used for biological warfare.

The yard was in as bad a shape as the house itself. It was difficult

to imagine the negligent mindset that led to the unsanitary condition beneath the house. “It appeared that someone had just tossed the trash under the house. I guess the pile in the backyard had gotten too tall to dump any more trash there,” said Dianne with a roll of her eyes. “My husband and stepson, James,” owners of AAA Rentals, “brought some of their large machines and loaded the mounds of trash from the back yard. I rented a dumpster and filled it several times with household trash.”

This old house had been

disregarded. Its worth forgotten. But there was something I was missing here. Why was restoring it so important to Dianne? As I sat in the shade of the newly renovated side porch where the two sisters had once spent afternoons with neighbors and listened to Dianne describe the work she’d done, the answer to that question came through another completely unrelated to the house. “What year did you graduate?” I asked. It was a question I commonly asked to help me put the outline of events in perspective. I assumed she went to Lyons High School (as it was known at the time) since she’d already said she had lived in Cedar Crossing her entire life.

“I didn’t,” said Dianne. She smiled at my confusion. “I didn’t graduate,” she clarified. “You couldn’t go to school back then if you were pregnant or married. I was both. Pregnant and married at thirteen.”

This was in 1971. In the years that followed, Dianne kept house and raised three children. “My mom and dad opened the store at 6:00 in the morning and closed it at 11:00 at night, seven days a week, so I was on my own.”

When Dianne turned thirty, she got her GED. “Somehow, I passed it without studying,” she said. “I guess I’d learned enough from the school of hard knocks to figure out what I needed to know,” her eyes crinkled into a smile. With her GED, she went to work as a clerk at Georgia State Prison. “I almost quit after the first day. You go in, and they lock you in. I thought, ‘How can I get out of this?’ But by the second day, you couldn’t run me off. I loved my work.”

Over the next ten years, she worked at Telfair State Prison while taking courses at Brewton-Parker College. In 1997, she had completed her degree in Psychology. Within three years of earning her psychology degree, she was promoted to the chief counselor at Montgomery State Prison.

A few years later, she earned a degree in Biblical Theology. “It was a college program that was offered every

two years to inmates and one staff member,” said Dianne.

No question, she had had a tough start. But Dianne was no longer a fourteen-year-old mother and wife. When she divorced in 2000, she moved forward. Dianne took hold of every life lesson and grew from it. Nothing was wasted. At the same time, she had the courage to let go of what could not be restored. Knowing the difference was the key.

In 2007, Dianne married Louie Dees and moved into the big house he had built for his family in the 70s. His house sits right on Highway 56. From

the back porch of her renovated old home, Dianne pointed to the beautiful brick home built by her husband. She smiled. Both lands joined with the purchase of the old house.

In 2015, Dianne retired as Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment at Telfair State Prison. The years following her retirement were not as she imagined, as she dealt with arthritis and other health issues. When she bought the old house, Dianne had undergone nine surgeries, including three back surgeries. Even so, she had no lack of grit and determination.

“My labor was cheaper than

ABOVE Dianne visits with friends during her open house in November. The Cedar Crossing community turned out to see the labor of love that honored the history of the area. Many there had helped in some way during the restoration process.

TOP Dianne's aunts, Lena and Patsy, helped paint and remove trash during the two years it took to complete the project.

anyone else’s,” she laughed. Dianne stripped the walls and ceilings herself. “I removed the ceiling tiles that had been installed to lower the ceiling to eight feet instead of the original 10-foot ceiling and removed the old insulation that had become home to many decades of rats and squirrels.” With the walls stripped down to the original wood boards, she went room by room, removing layer after layer to uncover as much of the original design as possible.

“Three of the four fireplaces had been boarded up,” said Diane. “One had been filled in with concrete for a wood heater pipe. I opened them all up, bought antique mantels I found on Facebook Marketplace, and put electric logs in each one.” One of the most impressive restorations was the porcelain tub she reinstalled in one of the bathrooms. “It had sat on the front porch for a long time.”

Moving the 300-pound tub into

the bathroom was no small feat. But restoring it was a challenge all of its own. “I called a guy that restores them, and he said he was booked up for years,” said Dianne. “He said, ‘I’ll tell you how to do it.’” It took about ten applications of the cleaner he suggested. But when it was done, it looked like new.

Restoring the old house during the height of Covid-19 was no small venture. Thankfully, Dianne had family to lend a hand. With Bessie and Lena, the trash inside was removed. Dianne’s husband, Louie, and stepson, James, cleared the rubbish in the yards and under the house. “My aunts Lena and Patsy helped paint, and my cousin Sammy Miller moved the grass. Terry Davis, my brother-in-law, fixed the top of my chimney. My son, Stephen Foskey, and grandson, Tory Lamb, put heavy furniture and cabinets in place. There have been many others, and I am grateful for them all,” she said.

But there was only so much Dianne and her family could do on their own. “I went through six different crews during the renovation,” she said. “Some would work good for a while, but then, it either got too hard for them, or they’d find an easier job. This was all done during Covid-19, while the government paid people not to work. And some crews had to cut back, or they’d have to pay back the money they got during the shut-down.”

In addition, prices “sky-rocketed. It was costing me about a third more for everything,” said Dianne. “Plumbers, electricians, insulators, and contractors all had to be booked months in advance. Then, whatever they needed had to be ordered at least four months in advance.”

When all was said in done, the 1903 house had new windows, new roof, an HVAC unit and ventilation, two new bathrooms, a full kitchen, foam insulation, new plumbing, and new septic system. Dianne also made a few additions: a laundry room, a sewing room, and a walk-in closet.

“Many a night, I sat in the bare rooms in the dark and wondered about the people who lived in the house,” said Dianne. “It has been an almost twoyear journey, and as you may can tell, somewhere along the line, I fell in love with the house.” She smiled. After the Open House event on November 12, for the Cedar Crossing community and other visitors to look at the finished work, Dianne and her husband moved from the big house across the field into their “new home.” It just made sense, she explained. “As my husband and I have gotten older, we didn’t want the expense and labor of keeping up that big house. So, we decided to make this our home,” she smiled.

In the sewing room lay remnants of fabric for her next quilt, an art she learned from her grandmother. “She always had a quit on the frame she was working on,” said Dianne. Every piece had once been a part of something whole. Instead of discarding what could no longer be of use, pieces of different colors, shapes, and designs were brought together to make something new.

From the screened-in porch, I could just make out what was left of H.J. Fowler’s country store on the corner. With a ceiling fan overhead, the porch is ready for another generation to share their stories.

ABOVE H.J. Fowler's Store belonged to Dianne's parents. She has memories of walking by her current home (seen in the background) on her way to her parent's store when she was a child.

RIGHT Dianne remembers the old house having a picket fence and beautiful porch, so these were things she wanted to keep intact.

Ironically, Dianne said, her eyes laughing, “I was born on a porch. Grandma said Mama went into labor and was out on the porch waiting for somebody to come by and help her. She had me before anybody could get there.”

In restoring this old house, Dianne preserved her own stories while also honoring the history of Cedar Crossing. With a vision for the future, she remembered the beauty before the neglect. Dianne was no longer the young girl who became a wife and mother at thirteen. She had earned two degrees and made a difference with her life as a counselor for the incarcerated.

It takes wisdom and real character to know which bridges to build and which to burn. To choose to walk away from things and people over which we have no control and yet hold to the people and the places we love. “In preserving this place, I remembered the little girl walking the road to her parent's store on the corner, visiting Ms. Pennye and Ms. Ethel with her grandmother,”

said Dianne. “I pray they would be proud of the house and feel I did the old girl justice.” Never was justice so beautifully served.

(Dianne and Louie Dees together have six children, thirteen grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.)

Heart of Courage

Help Wanted signs were everywhere. Micah Williams, CEO of Georgia Pine Straw, wondered how much longer the Covid-19 pandemic could be blamed for the lack of people to employ. He’d heard it said that the future of American businesses may soon depend on the employer’s willingness to understand the thought process and needs of “Generation Z” and the upcoming “Generation Alpha.” Determined to do more than passively understand and accommodate whatever mindset had resulted from the culture of the day, he answered an email from Paige Williamson, Director of Family Connections, asking for volunteers for a mentor program at Toombs County High School. It was his sign. His opportunity to be a voice, an influence, and to make a difference. In January 2022, Micah became a mentor to TCHS student Matthew Villegas.

Whatever he expected, Matthew was not it. His failing grades had gotten him kicked out of Georgia Cyber Academy, but not for any reason Micah might had imagined. Matthew had just started back to school in person after a seven-year interruption. But any academic encouragement Micah’s young protégé might have needed was not due to a lack of mental acuity or inattentiveness to his studies. It was just that it was a little difficult to stay engaged with online classes while risking cardiac arrest because he made his bed that morning.

Matthew had lived nearly every day of his life in the shadow of death. Born on March 8, 2004, he was three days old when a pediatrician detected a heart murmur. An x-ray at the hospital revealed that his heart was enlarged. He was immediately transported to Savannah, where his parents, Julie (Strickland) and Art (Villegas), learned that their son had mitral valve stenosis.

“Mitral valve stenosis,” according to mayoclinic.org, “… is a narrowing of the valve between the two left heart chambers. The narrowed valve reduces or blocks blood flow into the heart's main pumping chamber.” Doctors in Savannah attempted to widen the valve for blood flow with

Against all odds Matthew Villegas arose from living in the shadow of death to living a normal teenage life with friendships and community.

meds, but the meds were unsuccessful. Matthew was flown to the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Egleston Hospital and underwent his first surgery, an angioplasty, to open his arteries. He was six days old.

When Matthew turned three, he had his first open heart surgery to replace his mitral valve with an artificial one. During the surgery, doctors discovered that he also had aortic stenosis. Aortic stenosis means, “The valve between the lower left heart chamber and the body's main artery (aorta) is narrowed and doesn't open fully. This reduces or blocks blood flow from the heart to the aorta and to the rest of the body” (mayoclinic.org).

Once home from the surgery, he began crying incessantly. Julie knew something was wrong. “At first, I thought he might be coming down with a cold, but I went ahead and took him to the doctor.” Her instincts were not only those of a mother but also the training of an LPN. (Julie has worked “off and on” with the Georgia State Prison systems since 2011). “The doctor in Savannah thought fluid was building up in his pericardial sac, so they put Matthew on Lasix. When that didn’t help, he was put on a plane for Egleston and immediately taken into surgery.”

The fluid was actually blood. “He’d been on coumadin, and his blood got too thin,” said Julie. “It was seeping through the stitches into the pericardial sac.” The pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart, had almost ruptured. Had it done so, it would have meant certain

BELOW In 2022, Micah Williams became a mentor to Matthew. One of Matthew's favorite pastimes is playing his father's guitar.

OPPOSITE Matthew and his mother Julie hold a plaque that commemorates the life of Matthew's father Art Villegas who was a wellknown local police officer. BELOW Matthew spent so much time dealing with the side effects of his illness that he was unable to attend school in person after 5th grade. At age fourteen he understood fully well that he might not make it to eighteen.

death. Julie’s quick thinking saved her son’s life.

Matthew was eight years old when his parents divorced. Even so, both did everything they could to secure him with their love and support. Even though he was Art and Julie’s only child together, he was loved and supported of six older half-brothers and sisters.

Simple things like going to school and playing with friends soon became impossible. Matthew remembered the playground and making up “stories that were all nonsense” with his best friend, Jerry. His mother’s memories of that time are conversely, more distressful. Due to being on blood thinners, he had severe nosebleeds, which caused vomiting. Twice, Matthew was rushed to Savannah to cauterize the inside of his nose, which was the only way to stop the bleeding. “Most days, I’d get a call by 11:00 or 11:30 because of either a nosebleed, vomiting, or shortness of breath,” said Julie. By 5th grade, homeschooling was his only option.

Matthew was ten years old when he had his second open heart surgery to replace his aortal valve with an artificial valve. During the surgery, doctors diagnosed him with pulmonary hypertension. According to cdc.gov, “Pulmonary hypertension happens when the pressure in the blood vessels leading from the heart to the lungs is too high.” Following the surgery, he also developed pneumonia and remained in the hospital for another month.

At fourteen, Matthew went through his third open heart surgery. This time, it was to replace the mitral valve. Once again, he developed pneumonia. “He was put on an antibiotic for pneumonia but developed vancomycin toxicity, which caused his kidneys to begin shutting down,” said Julie. This time, he was in the hospital for two months.

Two months later, Matthew returned to Egleston for a heart cath. “That’s when the doctor at the transplant unit at Egleston told us that he wasn’t a good candidate for a new heart,” said Julie. “Matthew’s pulmonary hypertension was so bad that it would overwork a new heart and tear it up within hours.” Even at fourteen, Matthew understood the prognosis was a death sentence. “He cried and cried. “We were devastated. Doctors said he probably wouldn’t make it to his eighteenth birthday. He was short of breath because blood was backing up in his heart. He was basically in congestive heart failure on the right side all the time.”

The threat of losing Matthew hung over the entire family. Around Thanksgiving 2020, Matthews’s father was diagnosed with Covid. Art Villegas had served in law enforcement since 2000, most of that time with the Lyons Police Department. Tragically, on January 10, 2021, his father passed away due to complications from Covid. He was only fifty-nine years old at the time. “That was my absolute lowest,” said Matthew.

As he struggled with depression, his mother and stepfather, Joaquin Quintero (Joe), did everything they could to encourage him. All the while, Matthew’s condition continued to decline. His only recourse was prayer. Not one prayer, but with continual prayers, he turned his weakened heart to

Heaven. Although his father was not physically with him anymore, Matthew realized, “He was watching over me. Knowing that really helped me.” The revelation of Hebrews 12:1 proved pivotal. A “great cloud of witnesses” surrounded Matthew, and his father's voice was among them.

All the while, doctors in Savannah continued to update Egleston with the results of Matthew’s echocardiograms. Then one day, Julie got a call. “Egleston wanted us to bring Matthew in for a consult. The transplant unit had a new surgeon named Dr. Shaw. They did C.T. scans, and after this new surgeon

looked at everything, he brought us back into his office, and said Matthew had been approved for a heart transplant.”

For the first time, Matthew and his family had real hope. Even so, his pulmonary hypertension diagnosis meant that there were still great risks. “But Dr. Shaw was so confident that it would work. He had done this procedure at other hospitals, but not at Egleston. Matthew would be his first.”

On June 6, 2021, they received the call: They had a heart. Matthew was rushed to Egleston and readied for surgery. “He was just about to be

LEFT Matthew now attends school, has a "friend group," and enjoys taking guitar lessons from his teacher, Noah Bullard.

sedated when Dr. Shaw called off the surgery,” said Julie. “He had found something wrong with the new heart. And with all Matthew’s complications, he said that if it were his child, he would not put this heart in his chest.” With heaviness, Julie agreed and Matthew returned home.

The second call came on June 25, and the following morning, Matthew received a new heart. The transplant surgery was a success, and he was put into a medically-induced coma to allow his body time to heal. By nightfall, Matthew was having seizures. “His blood pressure also dropped so low that the bottom number was in the 20s,” said Julie.

“My new heart was not cooperating with my lungs, and my lungs were trying to kill my new heart,” said Matthew. It was spoken with composure, as if he were an old man rather than a teenage boy.

“Dr. Shaw said Matthew would need to be put on an ECMO machine,” said Julie. “His pulmonary hypertension was working overtime and had already caused damage to the new heart. Without the ECMO, the doctor said Matthew would be dead by morning,” said Julie. ECMO is an acronym for “extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.” According to hopkinsmedicine.org, “ECMO is a form of life support for people with life-threatening illness or injury that affects the function of their heart or lungs” and “…does the jobs of the heart and lungs temporarily – allowing them to ‘rest.’”

Before reopening Matthew’s chest for the ECMO, the surgeon joined Julie, Joe, and Pastor Ricky Wilson in prayer. Within three days, the left side of Matthew’s heart had recovered almost 100%. A third time, his chest

Matthew may never know the name of the person whose decision to become an organ donor saved his life, but he is forever grateful.

was opened to remove the ECMO and attach an RVAD, which would give needed assistance to the right ventricle. Two weeks later, his chest was reopened for the fourth and final time since the transplant and the RVAD was removed.

For two and half weeks, Matthew remained in a medically-induced coma. “It was the longest time in our lives,” said his step-father, Joe. “Julie never left his side. I drove back and forth from Lyons to Atlanta Monday through Thursday to work and stayed through the weekends. (Joe owns J. & J. Lawn Care and Handyman Service). “I thought I was strong because I work outside. Matthew may be timid, but he is stronger than me. He’s the strongest person I know.”

Once again, Matthew developed pneumonia following surgery. Then, when the drain tube was removed, air got into his lungs, and a tube was inserted to get the air pocket out. All the complications and procedures kept Matthew at Egleston from June to August. Once released from the hospital, he spent a final two weeks in the Ronald McDonald House.

Since the transplant, Matthew’s pulmonary hypertension has continued to improve. “He no longer

has to take medication for it,” smiled Julie. Of course, he’s still closely monitored and his anti-rejection meds are always taken precisely on time. Every six months to a year, biopsies are taken to ensure there is no necrosis, signaling the death of body tissue. If that happens, they’ll change up his meds.

According to organdonor.gov, 105,886 men, women, and children are on the national transplant waiting list. “17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant.” This past year, a 95-year-old man became “the oldest donor in U.S. History” (lifegift. org). You’re never too old to make a difference. Matthew may never know the name of the person whose decision to become an organ donor saved his life, but he is grateful.

These days, Matthew is simply adjusting to normal life. “I actually have a ‘friend group’ now,” he said, then turned reflective. “I never thought it would be possible. I have friends that come over and just hang out.” The chance to have friends. That was all for which he had ever hoped.

Matthew caught up to grade level quickly. He’s set to graduate on time this spring (2022). When asked about his favorite subjects, he didn’t

hesitate. “Mr. Corley’s audio and visual class and guitar with Mr. Bullard.” The guitar Matthew plays was his father's. Learning to play helps him feel his father’s spirit. There’s no doubt Art Villegas is proud of his son. After graduation, Matthew may pursue a degree in video and game development or perhaps a writing degree. There’s no rush. He now has time to decide.

In an article on theatlantic.com entitled, “Gen Z’ Only Exists in Your Head” by former staff writer Joe Pinsker, he writes, “We’re so busy dramatizing the symbolic differences between generations that we miss the real harms of being alienated from one another.” Matthew and his mentor, Micah, who also so happens to be my (amazing) son, are doing their part to ensure the generations stay connected.

With prayer, Matthew persisted and found strength to endure. With his father’s guitar, he remembered his father’s voice and found comfort in his ever present love. With a new heart, the shadow of death lifted and he discovered friendship and community again. In a time when the culture of the day hands out “victim” buttons to any and all, Matthew Villegas wears only a badge of courage.

FARM TO

TABLE

The fertile soil and climate of Southeast Georgia has long been known for producing excellent food crops. Now it also provides an ideal setting for olive trees. Terra Dolce Farms is proud to offer fresh, healthy Georgia Grown olive oil that makes every dish spectacular.

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER & LILLIAN BURTON

Keeping the family farm alive

With cutting-edge technology, Moses Pecan carries on the tradition of over two hundred years of family farming in Montgomery County.

As I walked through Dead River Cemetery, the sun was dropping behind the longleaf pines and hardwood trees. Many of the surnames on the headstones were familiar names of families in Toombs and Montgomery counties. A few interments were

veterans of the Civil War. Three were known to have fought in the Revolutionary War. The ghosts whispered their stories in my ear. Figuratively speaking, of course, but the names and dates etched in stone were enough to send my imagination into overdrive. Two weeks later, the

memory of that walk through Dead River Cemetery came rushing back to me when Arren Moses said that his family had been on the land for over two hundred years. I realized I’d likely walked among his ancestors that day. Dead River Cemetery was only two miles from Moses Pecan.

Arren and Taylor Moses with their son Thomas.

As I followed names and dates across time on findagrave.com, I discovered a book entitled, “Three Calhoun Men from Old Montgomery County 1812-1938: Journeys Through South Georgia History” by Leila Annette Calhoun Deasy, Ph.D. The book not only contained information and personal stories about Arren’s ancestors, but confirmation that W. H. Ryals, one of the three Revolutionary War veterans buried in Dead River Cemetery, was in fact a relation.

W. H. Ryals came to Montgomery County from North Carolina. In 1808, he purchased a 200-acre tract of land from a Batt Wyche. Ryals married Edith Childs (1755-1863). Their daughter, Winnifred (1786-1863), married a Scotsman named Angus Calhoun (1782-1836). And their daughter, Mary Ann Calhoun (1815-1887), was the one who first joined the Calhoun and the Moses family with her marriage to Arren Moses (1815-1845).

The present Arren Moses of Moses Pecan is the third to carry this name. Interestingly, the spelling is of Scottish origin. The first Arren Moses came to Montgomery County with his mother in the early 1800s to work in

“We’ve had a little land, and we’ve had a lot,” said Arren. “Every generation just did whatever it took to make a living and still be here on this land.”

turpentine and farm the land. The amount of land the Moses family owned fluctuated from one generation to the next, according to the challenges and changes of the times. “We’ve had a little land, and we’ve had a lot,” said Arren. “Every generation just did whatever it took to make a living and still be here on this land. We’ve grown everything from soybeans to pine trees.”

In the 1950s, Arren’s grandfather, Edward Moses, started Moses Grass. Today, Arren and his father, Lloyd Moses, continue the business. Father and son “work hand in hand with the public and private entities such as Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), as well as other industrial and commercial contractors to complete projects that meet or exceed industry standards…” Moses Grass also

As the deer population increases, farmers are faced with finding ways to protect their crops. According to Taylor Moses, placing a small amount of Irish soap in a mesh bag is a great deer deterrent for their young pecan trees.

The cleaning facility Arren built not only serves his own farm but also provides services to other growers in the area. The Moseses use an advanced automated sorting and drying system for processing the nuts.

provides “a variety of erosion control solutions such as; sediment control, vegetation installation or mitigation, and fabriform installation…,” according to their website.

While in college at Georgia Southern University, Arren and a friend began growing vegetables. In 2007, a year before he graduated from college, Arren and his father rented fifteen acres of one-hundred-year-old pecan trees and planted thirty more acres of their own. “I had friends on the north end of the county that were pecan growers that I’d helped out from time to time. I thought I’d try my hand at it and see if I was any good at it.” Through hard work and the knowledge he gained from other pecan grower friends, he learned quickly. “John and Charlie Robison from Robison Farms in Ailey really mentored me in those early years.”

Pecan trees are the only nut tree native to North America. Although Georgia is the leading U.S. producer of pecans today, this species of hickory was actually native to the Mississippi Valley. “The trees migrated with the native Indians over several thousands of years,” said Arren. “Pecan trees were first propagated for commercial sale in the late 1800s, and varieties were developed.” Today, Moses Pecan harvests fifteen different varieties of pecan trees.

As with all things farming, harvesting pecans comes with significant challenges, not the least of which is predators, particularly squirrels, crows, and wild hogs. “The crows will pull the nut out of shuck as soon as it opens,” said Arren. “As soon as the shucks open, we have to shake the trees and get the nuts picked up that same day if possible. The hogs will take over if the nuts are left on the ground overnight.”

But the greatest threat for pecan growers is pecan scab, a disease that turns the shells black, which restricts the sun from getting through so the nuts can develop. The only recourse is to take a preventative approach with a fungicide spray. The trees are sprayed every fourteen days during the growing season, from May to August.

And, of course, deer. If you live anywhere in this area, you know there’s no lack of deer. “When you’re planting

young trees,” said Arren, “deer are a major problem. Left alone, the deer will eat the new growth out of the top of the small tree, and it will kill it.”

“The first year, we take Irish soap and cut it in eighths, which is placed in a mesh bag,” said Arren’s wife, Taylor. “The bag is tied to the trunk of the young tree. “I don’t know if it’s the smell, but they don’t like it, and they’ll leave the trees alone.”

In 2014, Arren built a cleaning

In addition to the pecan farm, Arren and his father Lloyd Moses operate Moses Grass–a business Arren's grandfather started in the 1950s. One day, Arren's son Thomas may continue the family farm tradition.

facility to facilitate his growing pecan operation. “Since we have neighbors that also have pecan trees, we went ahead and built a facility large enough to serve other customers, too,” he said.

By 2017, Taylor had taken over as full-time manager of the plant.

In 2019, Arren and Taylor added a WECO Automated Sorting System. “It uses size, shape, color, and infrared to sort good from bad pecans,” said Taylor. A WECO Automated Drying System was also installed in 2020. “This machine uses moisture meters to automate dryers and fans.” In 2021, Arren and Taylor added a WECO Foreign Material Sorter to their operation, which sorts out rocks and other foreign materials before the drying begins.

Pecans arrive at the facility on peanut wagons and go through an initial cleaning process. “An electronic eye sorts out most of the trash before the pecans are sent to the drying bins,” said Arren. “The dryers switch on and off automatically and bring down the moisture in the pecans to the proper level.”

Final grading involves another electronic eye that sorts and loads the pecans into ‘super-sacks’ that hold 2,200 pounds of pecans for shipping. “Buyers purchase the pecans by placing bids,” said Taylor. “Most pecans go to shelling plants in Texas and New Mexico. Some go to local shell plants in Georgia. And some are put in containers bound for China.”

Moses Pecan serves about twenty-three growers from

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Montgomery, Toombs, Tattnall, and Appling counties. Some have as many as eight hundred acres and others as few as twenty.

With automated drying, moisture monitoring, and two sets of electronic sorting, Moses Pecan may be the most advanced sorting and cleaning pecan plant south of the Mississippi. While there are many pecan cleaning plants with an electronic sorter on the dry side, Arren and Taylor are unaware of another with this particular electronic sorting machine on the wet side anywhere in the United States.

In addition to custom cleaning, marketing, and exporting, Moses Pecan offers help with establishing management plans for new pecan orchards to ensure trees are productive, as well as assistance with layout design, tree planting, and irrigation. Services also include custom shaking and harvesting for trees of bearing age. A new addition to the Moses Pecan is a website retail store.

If history has taught us anything, it is this: To forge a future in any business, it will take both old wisdom and new knowledge. With cutting-edge technology, Moses Pecan carries on the tradition of over two hundred years of family farming in Montgomery County. And as Arren and Taylor build a connection between generations, they do so in hopes that no matter where their son, Thomas, might one day go, the land itself will show him the way home again. With new and innovative ideas and the work ethic taught by those before them, the Moses family tree will continue to grow taller, and its roots secure for generations to come.

For more information: visit mosespecan.com

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URBAN REVITALIZATION

Caring for Our Own

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS

Unfortunately, the current status of our economy has made home ownership impossible for many. “Young families go to work and pay rent and do their best to get by,” said Leo Peeples. “They can work hard but still not have the resources to qualify for a loan as a first-time homeowner.” In fact, “Seventy percent of all extremely low-income families are severely cost-burdened, paying more than half their income on rent,” according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). In 2020, Leo, Rodney Williams, and James McLendon established a 501c3 nonprofit called Urban Revitalization Group (URG) to do something to change these odds for some of the most deserving families in Vidalia while, at the same time, revitalizing rundown neighborhoods of blight in the city.

Leo Peeples, James McLendon, and Mayor Doug Roper stood together on the corner of 5th street. Pointing to the row of newly constructed homes, Leo said all six were already occupied, and a family has already been approved for a seventh house still in construction. He explained that these families might never have qualified as first-time homeowners, and not for any fault of their own. Each new homeowner was either a disabled veteran, a former resident of the Refuge, or a hardworking citizen in the community with a stable income who just needed the opportunity this community-minded group was willing to give them.

Every day people drove past, shaking their heads. The row of abandoned houses was filled with trash and overgrown with weeds. They were not only an eyesore but a facade for criminal activity. These areas of “blight” were one of the first things Leo Peeples noted when he returned to Vidalia after being away for many years. His family lived in the Flossie Hayes area, and he went to school at J.D. Dickerson. When he was in the third grade, his family moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. After graduating from high school, Leo attended college at the University of Tennessee. After obtaining a degree in criminal justice, he joined the army. He served in the military police for almost ten years. In his last year, Leo served as Dick Cheney’s driver while the Secretary of Defense, at the time, was at Fort Carson in Colorado.

After suffering a traumatic head injury (TBI), he was honorably discharged in 1999 and returned to Ft. Lauderdale. Leo worked in different areas of security, including American Airlines and the Broward County School Board. During that time, he became involved in building projects with the school. “It allowed me to see what was going on in the community,” said Leo. “I got involved in real estate and started buying and flipping houses.”

Every town has a collective soul, and each person has a part in making it a safe and healthy community.

After a successful career in real estate, he decided to retire. “I have always loved small-town life,” said Leo. “I spent my summers as a child visiting my grandparents and other relatives in Alston. I had always planned to return to Vidalia.” When he returned to his childhood home in 2014, Leo reconnected with his cousin, James McLendon.

James grew up in Tarrytown. “My father, Raymond Lewis McLendon, was the first black electrician in Montgomery County,” he said with pride. James joined the army in 1974 and served six tours in Germany and one in Korea. He was honorably discharged in 1990 after suffering a lower spine injury during a military maneuver. After his discharge, he and his wife, Virginia Grace (Williams) McLendon, lived in Fort Lewis, Washington, for forty-four years. Twelve years ago, they returned to this area.

When the two men reconnected, Leo shared his vision for the community and the property he hoped to transform. “I’d been approached by some folks who knew about my work in real estate in Ft. Lauderdale. They asked if I could help do something about this area.” It was no small request, and Leo knew it would take a concerted effort to make an impact.

“This organization and their work are a true blessing, and not just for the appearance of our community. These beautiful homes are literally changing lives.”

Patricia Dixon, Executive Director of United Way of Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties

James McLendon, Leo Peeples and Rodney Williams (not pictured) established Urban Revitalization Group in 2020.

RE-BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP

The previously existing homes on 5th Street were abandoned and falling apart when the Urban Revitalization Group stepped forward to rebuild them for families in need. Their goal is to improve safety and revitalize areas that have been neglected while offering new affordable housing opportunities to people who need a helping hand with first time home ownership. There will be seven houses on 5th Street, but fourteen additional properties are already being planned. As the concept of revitalization takes root, it will expand into new neighborhoods.

Betty Dell Williams, Executive Director at The Refuge Domestic Violence Shelter

Together, Leo, James, and Rodney Williams, also a disabled veteran, formed the Urban Revitalization Group (URG). Their first course of action was to connect with the city and its leaders. “We contacted Jimmy Kirby, the Assistant City Marshal, who oversees the City of Vidalia's dilapidated housing program, and the Mayor,” said Leo, turning to Mayor Roper.

“Leo served on the advisory board at the high school. We had brainstormed on different needs in the community on many occasions,” said Mayor Roper. “We have a lot of properties that are dilapidated and rundown that need to be revitalized. Some of these properties had been condemned and abandoned for ten and more years. Take this one city block.” He turned to the neat row of homes. “One block can lead to another, and you’ve changed a

neighborhood. This is important to us. We want the city to be attractive for folks who want to live here.

“Their work serves a dual purpose,” said Mayor Roper. “These homes revitalize the area and give folks a chance at first-time home ownership, which is a great win. We are grateful for the vision of the Urban Revitalization Group. Working together, we can take care of some of the issues that we’ve got in the community.”

Urban Revitalization is about opportunity with accountability. The application process is open to veterans with an honorable discharge, women from The Refuge Domestic Violence Shelter, as well as those in the community who has proven themselves “of good character, strong work ethic, and who have had a stable, consistent income over a certain period of time.”

“Housing is a major obstacle for victims of domestic violence when trying to start over. The Urban Revitalization Group gives these women an opportunity to own a nice home at a very affordable price.”

The Urban Revitalization Group has partnered with city leaders like Mayor Doug Roper and Assistant City Marshal Jimmy Kirby (not pictured) to help make the project successful.

“We partner with some of the local banks,” said Leo, “and have funding from anonymous private investors who believe this is a good concept for our community. This makes it possible for URG to hold the loan for the first two years. During these two years, we help new homeowners go through the Lexington law financial program. Then, we continue to work with them so that at

the end of two years, they can apply for an FHA loan as a first-time home-buyer. From then on, the loan is their responsibility. So not only does the homeowner have credit, but also home equity versus years of rent with nothing to show for it.”

The homes built by URG have two to three bedrooms. “We can get these houses built at a lower rate, so potential

The houses built by URG have two to three bedrooms. ““We can get these houses built at a lower rate, so potential homeowners don’t have to put any money down. We want this to be affordable,” said Leo Peeples.

homeowners don’t have to put any money down. We want this to be affordable. Sometimes people move out of the community they are in thinking they will better themselves, and then the electricity bill comes, and it's $300 a month. That’s not affordable for many hard-working people,” said Leo. “We build these homes, so the light bill stays under $100. That’s affordable housing.” According to the NLIHC, “Research shows that increasing access to affordable housing is the most cost-effective strategy for reducing childhood poverty and increasing economic mobility in the United States.”

With fourteen additional properties, new homes will continue to change the landscape and revitalize many communities in Vidalia over the next several years. After the first of the year, the group will begin work on the Broadstreet Boulevard property behind Handy Andy in Vidalia. “It will be named Raymond Turner Complex in honor of his long service in the community as Mayor pro-tempore,” said James.

There are divine answers for every need. All it takes is someone to care. These three men in URG all served our country. All three were injured in their service. The compassion that drives these men to action is noteworthy and speaks of their honor. They believe in the power of the team. They believe that by working together as a coalition of agencies and individuals, we can care for our own. And by caring for our families, our community is made strong.

“The

Paige Williamson, Director of Toombs County Family Connection

During

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER

her sixteenth

week of pregnancy, Abby was excited to learn she was having a boy. Four weeks later, when she returned for the anatomy screening, she came prepared for the hour-long sonogram. But Abby was not prepared for what she would learn that day. As the technician checked the vertebrae for alignment and to confirm that the skin covered the spine, she detected a knot on the baby’s lower back. As soon as the sonogram was over, the doctor came in. The knot suggested that her son might have a congenital defect known as spina bifida.

From that moment, time seemed to stop, and yet, at the same time, Abby’s entire world was spinning out of control. She

was twenty-one years old, and this was her first pregnancy. She was a single expectant mother. But Abby had a strong family to support her. Whatever she had to face, she would not be alone.

According to the doctor, there was a chance that the knot detected on the sonogram was simply a cyst that could be drained. To establish a diagnosis and recourse of action, Abby was sent to a specialist in Savannah where she had an amniocentesis. A few days later, the results confirmed that it was myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida.

The Specialist gave Abby three options: She could have an abortion, which she immediately rejected. The baby could have postsurgery, which had been the only option for babies born with spina bifida for many years. Post-surgery meant that shortly after birth, the baby would undergo surgery to close the opening in the spine to protect the spinal cord. The third option was something called fetal surgery. “I had no idea what this was,” said Abby.

Fetal surgery for spina bifida means, “An incision, just large enough to repair the defect, is made in the mother’s abdomen and uterus. This is much like a cesarean section but the fetus remains in the womb. The neural tube and other layers of the back are surgically closed by the neurosurgeon” (fetus. ucsfmedicalcenter.org). Put simply, the mother’s womb is opened, and the baby’s spine is exposed to close the opening surgically. Then, the womb is closed again for the baby to heal inside his mother.

The benefits were huge. “Because spinal cord damage is progressive during gestation,” prenatal repair of myelomeningocele may prevent further damage,” according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Also, the longer the gestation with the opening in the spine, the greater the chance

of developing conditions such as hydrocephalus (water on the brain). As a result, “Many patients require shunts (85 percent), and 45 percent of shunts develop complications within one year. Her doctor made it clear that she had only until her twenty-fourth week to do the surgery. Almost two weeks had already passed to see the Specialist in Savannah and get the results from

the amniocentesis. Abby was given the names of three hospitals qualified to perform the surgery. Of the three, Vanderbilt Children's Maternal Fetal Center in Nashville, Tennessee, was closest. As soon as Vanderbilt called with an appointment, Abby and her mother and father, Tina and Keith Lindsey, and Bentley’s father Cory McCoy, packed up and made the eight-

hour drive for an evaluation and consultation. (At the time, Abby’s mother was a Deputy Clerk at the Toombs County Probate Court. Today, she serves as Toombs County Probate Judge).

Vanderbilt put Abby through a long list of tests, including an MRI to determine the measurement of the lesion, which was at L3 and L4. When all was said and done, Abby met with a group of doctors in fetal surgery at Vanderbilt. “They gave me the benefits and the risks. The chance that either or both of us might not make it off the table was real,” said Abby.

Ultimately, Abby was approved as a candidate. Now, it was up to Abby. Only she could make that final decision. “I was experiencing every emotion possible,” she said. “I was scared. I was angry. And I was scared again.”

While the rest of the world rocked on with life as usual, Abby had to make what might be a life-and-death decision for her and her unborn son. Back home, her sister, brother, nieces, and nephews were planning Halloween parties. Thanksgiving was right around the corner. If she said yes, she would have to stay in Nashville after the fetal surgery until it was time for the baby to be born – or reborn.

“They had what they called a ‘hospitality house’ near the hospital with one bedroom/one bath apartments for rent to people who were ill and their families,” said Abby. “I had to stay there to be close to the hospital and to my doctors in case something went "wrong”, as in going into premature labor and hemorrhaging. And that was a very real possibility.

They returned home to Lyons. With only a few days to decide, she and her family prayed together. One thing kept coming back to her. Doctors at Vanderbilt determined that fetal surgery would give her son an 80% higher chance of not developing hydrocephalus. Even though it was ultimately Abby’s decision, it came down to this one thing: Abby would choose what was best for her son no matter what it cost her. And with that realization, Abby understood what it meant to be a mother.

On September 13, 2016, the neurosurgeon, Dr. John Willons, III, and his team at Vanderbilt performed fetal surgery on Bentley “Nash.” (Abby and her son’s father, Cory, agreed on the middle name to honor the events of his birth.) The lesion was repaired. The surgery was deemed a success.

Abby’s mother stayed by her side for thirteen days in the hospital. Finally, Abby was released and returned to her apartment at the hospitality house. As her body worked to heal from the fetal surgery, the pain was excruciating. Because she was required to have round the clock care, her grandmother, Earldine Sanders, stayed with her through October. Going to the bathroom was the only thing Abby was allowed to do on her own.

Twice a week, a shuttle bus from the hospital picked her up for sonograms, which was her only outing. Abby’s

In 2016, Abby spent all the fall holidays in a hospital far from home in order to give her son a better chance at life.

ABOVE Today, Bentley is thriving, healthy and full of energy like any normal six-year-old. BELOW Doctors don't yet know the extent of Bentley's physical ability, but he has no problem getting around in his wheelchair.

mother and father, Tina and Keith Lindsey, made the eight-hour drive to Nashville every weekend. And even though her brother, Eric, sister Kayla, and others came when they could, Abby was homesick. “I was so exhausted and felt depressed. I had two nephews and one niece at the time, and I missed them terribly.”

That November, Abby’s mother took medical leave the month of November to take over her care. “My doctor, Dr. Kelly Bennett, gave me amazing support,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without her. Every week, she would say, ‘You’re a week stronger, Abby.”

A C-section was initially scheduled at thirtyseven weeks. But at thirty-weeks, while Abby was getting ready to go to the hospital for a scheduled sonogram, she passed out. Abby was hospitalized when it was discovered that she was losing amniotic fluid. Finally, after three weeks in the hospital, the OBGYN decided to go ahead with the C-section. Abby had made it to thirty-five weeks and two days. Bentley Nash McCoy was born – again on November 30, 2016. His loud cry assured all those present, which included his father and grandmother, there was nothing to be concerned about with this boy’s lungs. Her son was perfect at four pounds eight ounces and seventeen and a half inches long.

On December 3, Abby’s doctor signed her hospital release papers. When she walked into the nursery, her heart nearly stopped. Two doctors were standing on either side of his bed. When they saw her, they gave her a big smile. “One of them asked me, ‘Did you just get released?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Sign this. Your son is ready to go home with you.’”

Today, Bentley attends kindergarten at Lyons Primary School. He will turn six this November. “Bentley is very smart,” smiled Abby. “He knows his ABCs and can count to one hundred. He’s right on track in school.” As he grows older, time will tell the extent of his paralysis and physical abilities. He’s been through several different types of braces, and has no problem getting around in his wheelchair or walker. He continues to receive physical and occupational therapy weekly.

On June 6, 2020, Abby married Cody Hattaway. Bentley now has a little sister named Annistyn. She just turned two. Bentley’s time is shared with his father and stepmother, Destiny. (He also has an older half-brother, Liam, and half-sister Hannah).

After Bentley was born, the doctor asked, “Would you do it again?”

Abby never hesitated. “I said, ‘Yes! A million times, yes!’ Today, my son is happy. He’s smart. He’s healthy. They checked him every three months that first year and found no sign of hydrocephalus. Fetal surgery gave him that chance and more.”

Perhaps one day, Abby’s son will want to know more about his mother’s sacrifice and the price she paid for him to heal inside her womb. Whether or not Bentley ever understands the medical narrative of the scar on his back, every possibility in his future is a testament to a mother’s love for her child. It has been said that a mother’s love can heal any wound. Abby’s love for her son shines a whole new light on the healing power of a that special kind of love.

Working the Land

“Cars and trucks fly down our dirt road,” I said, “like it’s a shortcut or a cut-through to Highway 1.” I looked down, then glanced up again at Tommy Rollins with a sheepish smile. This was supposed to be about him, not my dirt road issues. But then, he was the county commissioner for my district.

“Don’t you and Clint live right across the road from his mama’s old house?” asked Tommy. He seemed genuinely concerned.

I nodded. Of course, Tommy would know every inch of his district. This was his home. Always had been. He’d farmed and worked in timber here since he was a young boy. “My youngest daughter Ruth and her husband Mason live there now. And my grandson, Daniel.” I smiled. “I was just wondering if we could get a sign on the road. ‘Children at play?’ ‘Grandson Crossing?’”

“I’ll make some calls and check into it.” Tommy flipped open a small, red pocket notebook and made himself a note. Notebooks like these were carefully marked with a start and ending date and filed in his office from as far back as 1997, when Tommy started T.A.R. Land and Timber. He was meticulous with all his paperwork and record-keeping. It was a trait he learned from his mother.

There were many crooks and turns in Tommy’s story, but each event proved further that the plumbline in his heart was straight as an arrow. Born on December 1, 1953, in the Aiken-McArthur Hospital in Lyons, Georgia, Tommy’s first bed was a dresser drawer his mother cleaned out for a makeshift bassinet. It had only been a few years since electricity made it that far out to her family’s “one-horse farm.”

Tommy’s mother ran the old Carlos Alexander store on Highway 1, while his father, W.T. (William Thomas), sharecropped the Alexander land. “When the store closed for the day, work continued on the farm. I remember mama stringing tobacco at night,” said Tommy.

His father grew the usual row crops: corn, cotton, tobacco, and peanuts. “We even grew Vidalia Onions,” said Ms. Eula Mae, Tommy’s mother. “But they were still Toombs County Onions back then.” She smiled. “Pinky McRae and I held onto that name for our onions as long as we could.”

The following year was a “drought disaster,” a term Ms. Eula Mae had never heard spoken until 1954. “Most everything but cotton dried up in the fields,” she said. “We made over two bales per acre.”

Tommy and his three siblings, Randy (1957), Ronnie (1958), and Angela (1960), all helped in the fields before they were old enough for school. “We were taught early on to manage time, responsibilities and resources,” said Tommy.

Farming was hard work. In those days, skipping school did not mean sitting at home watching video games and tick-tock videos. No one ever had to tell the Rollins children that education was a privilege, not a right. Ms. Eula Mae did not just talk religion. She established Biblical principles in her home through example. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) was not a cliché, but a truth by which she lived.

The privilege of education brought opportunity for Tommy. With encouragement and coaching from Mr. James Braziel, the

Hard work, perseverance and good character are the tools every worker needs for success. And, Tommy Rollins has these in his tool box.

advisor for the FFA (Future Farmers of America) program at Toombs, Tommy participated in livestock shows. Eventually Tommy was elected Vice-President of the state of Georgia FFA program. He traveled all over Georgia, speaking at various events and livestock shows.

Recognizing her son’s natural gift for speaking, Ms. Eula Mae somehow came up with the money to pay for him to be tutored in town by Ms. Sarah Layne in speech giving. “Ms. Layne was the wife of an attorney in town named Al Layne. She was sweet, but she really cracked the whip. She tutored me in speechgiving techniques, posture, and pronunciation,” said Tommy.

Due to his comportment, the American Legion also nominated him to interview for the Georgia Boys State event. “Georgia Boys State is a comprehensive one-week course in state and local government and is a program of the American Legion Department of Georgia” (www.dogboysstate.org). Unfortunately, the

interview was in Atlanta and on the same weekend as the National FFA Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. The bus that had transported the students and faculty to Missouri would never make it back in time for Tommy to be the 8:00 a.m. interview. When Mr. J. E. Dunn, the FFA State Officer Advisor, heard about the conflict, he decided to do something about it.

“The Georgia State Director of Vocational Education and three other officials in the state department were flying back to Atlanta Saturday afternoon,” said Tommy. “Mr. Dunn told the State Director about my situation, and they got me a ticket on their flight back.” It was an incredible experience for the young son of a sharecropper in rural Georgia. Tommy did the interview and was selected from our area to participate in the week-long “mock state government” in Atlanta.

Tommy graduated in 1971 from Toombs Central High School and was accepted into ABAC (Abraham

Tommy with his mother Eula Mae and sister Angela.

When Tommy was in college, he started working for his neighbor Bob Cato, but when Mr. Cato didn't need him on weekends, he cruised timber for his forestry advisor at ABAC. The experience of working in both the farming and forestry sides of agriculture helped him navigate a career in the timber industry that would ultimately lead to him owning his own business.

Baldwin Agricultural College). The school was close enough for him to come home and work the farm on the weekends, which was important. Tuition and school costs had to be paid, and there was no Hope Scholarship available at the time. But just before classes began, Tommy was called home. His father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

Instead of college, Tommy returned to the fields. It took all four of the Rollins children and the help of good neighbors to get in the crop. In January 1972, they moved into their newly built house. As sharecroppers, they had their own tractors and equipment and leased farmland. But the house was the first property they had ever owned. “My mother would never have talked Daddy into taking on that kind of debt to buy land and build a house on it if she’d known what was coming,” said Tommy. But, of course, hindsight is always 20/20.

In the spring, he put in a smaller crop. Still, when it came time to harvest, Tommy drove back and forth to Atlanta daily to sell the produce his siblings had gathered the day before. Then, on September 19, 1972, only thirteen months after his diagnosis, W.T. Rollins died. Ms. Eula Mae was now a thirty-five-year-old widow with four children. Yet, even then, she was as determined as ever that all four would fulfill their promise to their father to further their education. Thankfully, opportunity for work came from a neighbor, Mr. Bob Cato.

Mr. Cato first came to Toombs County with his uncle in 1949 or 50. “They came down here from South Carolina and ran a portable sawmill for people who wanted their wood cut. That’s the way they used to do it,” said Tommy.

Mr. Cato was larger than life. A John Wayne of a man. He was also a true-life hero. Bob Cato was a veteran of WWII and was awarded the purple heart for his service. Over time, he bought land, cut the timber on it, and

eventually cleared it for farming. “In the seventies and early eighties, Mr. Cato was probably one of the biggest watermelon farmers in our area,” said Tommy.

Even with the loss of his father, the corn still had to be harvested. “Mr. Cato had a combine and was picking our corn for us. But the guy driving his corn truck had a problem with alcohol and kept laying out of work. So, Mr. Cato asked if I could drive the truck. I said, ‘Yes, sir. I can drive anything with wheels on it.’” When it was time to gather soybeans, Tommy kept right on working.

But he had promised his father that he would go to college, and Tommy would do whatever it took to fulfill that promise. “I talked to Mr. Cato, and he said I could still work weekends. So, I went to ABAC the following quarter and scheduled all my classes from Monday to Thursday, so I could be home by Thursday evening and work,” said Tommy. With the money he made, he paid for his college and helped put his siblings through school.

In October 1972, Ms. Eula Mae

started working for Mr. Cato. She kept books and office work in perfect order, which enabled Mr. Cato to expand his business enterprises. In addition to farming and timber, he had a sand mining operation, land clearing services, a pond building business, and a mobile home park. Work often kept Ms. Eula Mae at the office from 6:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night. During onion and watermelon seasons, she didn’t leave until midnight. “It was my responsibility,” she said, “and so I did it,” she added. At over 80 years old, she still insists, “What’s fifteen or twenty more minutes? Just get the job done.”

Back in college, Tommy talked with his forestry advisor, Mr. Vernon Yow. “He was the head of the forestry department. Mr. Yow really helped me through my days at ABAC. When Mr. Cato didn’t need me at home on the weekends, I’d help Mr. Yow cruise timber and keep tally for him,” said Tommy.

He kept his promise to his father and graduated with an Associate of Science in Forestry at ABAC. When

Tommy returned home, he went to work with Mr. Cato full-time on the farm. “Mr. Cato came to the fields one day and said, ‘Look, Tommy, I need you to help me in the timber business. Do you mind doing that?’ I said, ‘No sir. I’ll do whatever work you want me to do.’ Mr. Cato had several thousand acres of farmland. So now, I was assisting him in managing the farm and the timber business.”

Tommy was still young. He felt his promise to his father deserved more than an associate's degree. So, he talked to Mr. Cato, and he agreed that Tommy should take the time to further his education. “Mr. Cato helped me get a mobile home and put it in a park in Athens. I took twenty-one hours every quarter, which was the most they would let me take. It was brutal, but I graduated from UGA in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy and a minor in Ag Economics.” That same year, he married Becky, a hometown girl he first saw on the steps at the AikenMcArthur Doctors’ Offices in Lyons. (Tommy and Becky have one daughter, Betsy. Like her father, she attended Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College and then went to Valdosta State, where she earned a Master’s in Criminal Justice.)

For twenty years, Tommy managed Mr. Cato’s timber business. Mr. Cato had carefully planned ahead and had a legal contract drawn up with a buy/sell agreement at a set price for Tommy upon his death. Tommy certainly never intended to start his own company. But, as Robert Burns put it, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

When Mr. Cato died in 1997, his heirs fired Tommy and his mother, cleaned out the offices and sold all the equipment. Even though the contract was binding, the legal process took time, and Tommy couldn’t sit around and wait. So, he moved his office into his old bedroom at his mother’s house and started his own company, T.A.R. Land and Timber. (T.A.R., I learned, was not a reference to the sticky brown liquid that flows from pine wood but an acronym for Tommy Allen Rollins.)

Tommy had a great business relationship with the mills and was known by all as a man of character. It took seven months for the dust to settle, but when all was said and done, the contract was honored, and Tommy purchased the office and surrounding tract of land that had been Cato Enterprises. Additionally, the bank agreed to give Tommy a substantial loan to purchase Mr. Cato’s other properties in the area from his heirs, which he ultimately paid off.

In addition to purchasing timber from landowners, T.A.R. Land and Timber also assist in site prep and replanting for the well-being of the land and for generations to come. The land is more than an economic asset for Tommy. It’s home. The people matter to him, which is why he served on the Lyons City Council for twelve years and the Toombs County Developmental Authority for the past ten years, with three of those as chairman. In 2021, the city of Lyons honored him with the Lyons Citizen of the Year award. This past November, he was re-elected as County Commissioner for District 4.

Tommy learned to give 100% from both of his parents. When he lost his father, he could have been angry and bitter. Instead, he was grateful for the instruction and leadership of men like Mr. Braziel, Mr. Cato, and Mr. Yow. When everything for which he’d worked seemed lost, he started over with only his character to show for himself. And when he needed a loan, character was the most important qualification, even for the bank. (Even though it probably takes a little more these days for a loan, character still matters most.)

There are two surefire tests of character that always tell the truth of the heart. The first is hardship, and the second is prosperity. One is as revealing as the other. Tommy proved faithful in both. With little or with much, his choice to walk a righteous path was the same. And Toombs County is better for it. Whether or not he can help with a sign for my dirt road, I feel better knowing my name is in the little red book in his front shirt pocket.

Vidalia Main Street

SHOP LOCAL. EAT LOCAL. SPEND LOCAL. YOUR COMMUNITY WILL THANK YOU.

We’re Better Together

by Tonya Green Parker

Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” That’s exactly the attitude the Downtown Vidalia Association has!

Being a part of DVA is so much more than just a “membership;” it is an opportunity to join a group of business owners who are passionate about making our small town a great place to live! We offer so many opportunities to get involved in the community and help to improve our area.The mindset of community rather than competition strengthens all of us, as we work together for the good of our home.

Enjoy the networking events we plan, such as our monthly Coffee Before Hours and frequent 5:05 with DVA events, where you can make connections and friendships with fellow community members. Also, look for opportunities to volunteer! We always have things going on, and it is the volunteers who drive our group.

We may have a new look, but our mission is the same: planned economic development, historic preservation, and promotional efforts to help to develop and promote growth and bring prosperity to our community and participation of its members.

2022 Board of Directors

PRESIDENT

Rhonda Jones, Dermatology Associates

VICE PRESIDENT

Valerie McLendon, Altamaha Bank & Trust

TREASURER

Amy Murray, City of Vidalia

SECRETARY

Julie Palmer, Palmer & Associates Insurors

Wendi Cason, Community Hospice

Terri Humphrey, Peppy’s Cindy Reddick, Accessorize It! Designs Eric Smith, GA Power

EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORS

Doug Roper, Mayor

Nick Overstreet, City Manager

Bob Dixon, City Council Liaison

Jennifer Evans, City Council/DDA Liaison

Wendell Dixon, County Commissioner

Alexa Britton, Convention & Visitors Bureau

Ann Owens, Great Vidalia Chamber

Keep Up With Local Events!

www.vidaliaga.gov/dva

Downtown Vidalia Association

Scarecrows Round Downtown

Downtown Spooktacular

Patriot Walk Food Truck Festival These ladies

Rooted in Every Layer of Business!

Become part of the Greater Vidalia® Chamber

A Growing Event: GVC Business Expo

This fun, yearly event highlights businesses in our area

The Business Expo is a unique event to our community where member businesses set up booths to showcase their business and give the community a sample of what they have to offer. The goal is for businesses to make new connections and strengthen existing relationships with customers. This year’s event was held on Thursday, October 13th at the Vidalia Community Center with 80 vendors in attendance. These businesses offered product samples, promotional giveaways, coupons for returning to their business at a later date, and raffle prizes. Business vendors got face to face interaction with over 400 potential customers. The event has grown every year and we look forward to seeing how it impacts our businesses growth in the months to come. The Expo was Presented by Paul Thigpen Automotive Group with Gold Sponsors, Community Hospice and Mann’s Performance.

GVC Summit provides the tools your business needs to grow

Help your talent grow their professional development

Talent development is a continuous, intentional, long-term effort to create a culture of learning and constructive attitudes, to build workforce potential, and to equip employees with the tangible and intangible abilities to deal with future

challenges so they will positively influence your business success in the future.

Consider… As many as 71% of Millennials expect to leave their jobs in the next two years because they’re unhappy with how their leadership skills are being developed. 59% of Millennials, 44% of Gen Xers and 41% of baby boomers say opportunities to learn and grow are extremely important to them in applying for a job. 87% of Millennials rate “professional or career growth and development opportunities” as important to them in a job (69% of non-Millennials agree). This information positions the Summit to be the workforce and talent education and development event of the region. In September, former UGA and pro football player, Rennie Curran of Game Changers Coaching, and,

Dr. Melissa Furman of Career Potential spoke on the different generations in our workforce today, how each plays an important role, and how to use each member to make the best team. This annual event is offered to develop your talent with opportunities to invest and grow their professional development. Take your business to the next level by sending your team to the Summit! The Summit was Presented by Chick-fil-A of Vidalia with Gold Sponsors; DOT Foods, Merrill Lynch-The Varzi Group, and Taylor Insurance Services.

Ribbon Cuttings July-October

Legislative Luncheon

Thursday, January 5, 2023

Annual Meeting

Friday, February 3, 2023

ConnectHER

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Why Join the Greater Vidalia® Chamber?

Our mission is to prepare, develop, and promote our businesses and community for economic growth. The Greater Vidalia® Chamber (GVC) is the strongest and largest business /leadership organization in our community. Simply put: We’re in business to help business. If you want to start a business, grow a business, take part in leadership development or advocacy programs, the Greater Vidalia® Chamber is for you! Perks of Chamber Membership include:

SizeUP® Business Analytics Tool

Promotion via Website, Email, Newsletter, Social Media, and Online Community Calendar Listing in GVC Business Directory

Members-only Business Referrals

Ribbon Cuttings, Open House, and Groundbreaking Events

“Grow with Us” Luncheons

Shopping Locally Promotions with Community Bucks Program

Discounted Workers’ Compensation and Health Insurance Premiums

And So Much More!

For more information, please contact Dana Brown via email at danab@greatervidaliachamber.com or directly by phone at 912.537.4466.

To stay updated on what your Chamber is doing, visit www.greatervidaliachamber.com and sign up for our email newsletters!

It’s the Season to Shop Local

What are Community Bucks?

Community Bucks are checks that can be spent at over 70 chamber member businesses. There is no fee to purchase a gift check.

For a complete list of accepting businesses, go to www.greatervidaliachamber. com, click on Member Directory and search for “Community Bucks Participants.”

Why Buy Community Bucks?

The Chamber provides this as a service to our members and to encourage residents to buy local.

McIntyre’s

Walker Pharmacy The Marketplace in Ailey

Foamworks Auto Spa Gordy Enterprises

Restor Metabolics

January’s Boholic Boutique

Exciting things in downtown Lyons!

Lyons Main Street is excited to share our new park, 304 Society Garden, with the community. The name comes from the first three digits of everyone’s zip codes in these parts and all of society is welcome. We hope everyone takes advantage of this relaxing area to meet up with family and friends or to hang by yourself. Our new office is well under way and we hope to move in soon. The bricks from the windows have been removed and glass has been installed as well as a complete makeover inside. The new building will house the museum and Visitor Center as well as the Lyons Main Street Office. Visit our website www. lyonsmainstreet.com to find a list of businesses, community calendar, walking map, and other useful information.

Happening in your hometown!

SEGSBD Scholarship Pageant

February 19, 2023

Tales from the Altamaha April 20-29, 2023

Super Kids Soap Box Derby Race April 28, 2023

Run What You Brung April 28, 2023 Soap Box Derby April 29, 2023

Rally Races

Jan 14 & 15, 2023, April 1 & 2, 2023

The Derby is back for another exciting year

The Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby is a great family event. Teams build their derby cars and race down Derby Hill at Partin Park for a chance to win $1000 and race in Akron, OH at the International Soap Box Derby. There are three divisions; Stock, Super Stock, and Master’s. Rally Races are run throughout the year so racers can earn points and earn a chance to compete in Akron.

On the Friday before the race, mentally and physically challenged kids are invited to participate in the Super Kids Race. Specially designed twoseat cars are wrapped with super hero images. A seasoned driver is paired with a Super Kid and they race down Derby Hill.

All new stories and a chance to participate!

Tales from the Altamaha is revving up for a new show! Our committee is working hard to produce a new set of ‘Tales’ for your enjoyment. Tales from the Altamaha offers opportunities to get involved as an actor, prop master, musician, set designer, costume curator, and ticket taker.

We are collecting stories about being a kid long, long ago through the Interview an Octogenarian Contest. The contest is open to grades K-12. The goal is to interview someone around 80 years of age and gather their stories about growing up in Toombs. The winner receives $100 and their tale will be part of the next year’s play.

High School students who participate in Tales from the Altamaha during those four years are eligible for a $1000 scholarship towards higher education. Three students were awarded scholarships last year.

On Friday night, Run What You Brung competitors build their own gravity powered vehicle and race for fun! Everyone is encouraged to participate in this event.

The SEGSBD Scholarship Pageant will be held at STC. $2350 in scholarships are awarded each year to our winners. The Queen’s Court can be found at different functions around the community giving back and raising awareness throughout the year.

2022 Rally Masters World Championship Cash Driggers

HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

Real Squeal | Downtown Lyons & Partin Park

This two day annual event is the perfect blend of good food, good music and family fun. Local amateurs brought their best to the plate Friday evening for the amateur competition, live music and fireworks. Saturday the heat was on as pitmasters competed in the professional competition.

HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

Food Truck Festival | Downtown Vidalia

Downtown Viidalia’s first Food Truck Festival was a great success bringing out a large crowd eager to taste a variety of treats from different food vendors. If you missed it, follow the Downtown Vidalia Association for future festiivals to come!

Photos by Evan Riekhof/EZ-E Photography

Spooktacular | Downtown Vidalia

photo by | EVAN RIEKHOF, EZ-E PHOTOGRAPHY

Scenes of Toombs Co.

As the days get shorter and filled with pumpkin lattes, our minds turn to the months of hibernation that lie ahead. At times, there wll be bone-chilling days of gloominess, in which we will need to remind ourselves that winter is a season of recovery and preparation that builds character and brings comfort. There will be other days of sheer joy when we welcome the warmth of a firepit, football celebrations, and the treasure of home and family. As Thomas Wentworth Higginson wrote, “How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year!” So, winter we are ready for you in

Toombs County!

S. MIXON

photo by | ED WONN

photo by | JOE CLARONI

photo by | DIANNE

photo by | JOE CLARONI

photo by | ED WONN

photo by | DIANNE S. MIXON

photo by | EVAN RIEKHOF, EZ-E PHOTOGRAPHY

index of advertisers

A Health Revival 110

AAA Roofing, Inc...................................................................... 58

Abednego Primary Care ......................................................... 33

Accessorize It Designs ............................................................ 55

Acute Care Clinnic 33

Agape Care Group .................................................................. 34

Allergy and Asthma Clinic ...................................................... 33

Alston Saw Shop..................................................................... 115

Altamaha Bank & Trust 13

Arlene’s Fine Jewelry ............................................................... 69

Barberitos .................................................................................. 81

Big Al’s Country Market ......................................................... 46

Brewton-Parker College 15

Brown’s Jewelry ........................................................................ 80

Brown Realty............................................................................. 19

Brown Insurance Group ......................................................... 19

Bryant O’Connor, LLP Attorneys at Law 91 Chapman Healthcare Pharmacy ............................................ 59

Chick-fil-A.................................................... Inside Front Cover

Community Hospice .............................................. Back Cover

Dale’s Hair Care Center 114

Dental Center of Vidalia ........................................................... 1

Dermatology Associates ......................................................... 35 Dixon O’Neal Agency ............................................................. 98

Doodlebugs 114 DOT Foods ............................................................................... 99

Downtown Bistro & Catering ............................................. 115

Elements ..................................................................................... 70

General Store 30474 88 Georgia Eye Institute ............................................................... 81 Georgia First ............................................................................. 57

Georgia Properties .................................................................. 67

Gilbert Jones & Associates 46

Glow Salon ................................................................................ 79

Gordy Enterprises ..................................................................... 3

Greater Georgia Insurance .................................................... 32

Greg McKenzie Builders 58

Handy Andy ............................................................................... 58

Ingley Roper Moore, LLC ....................................................... 57

J&B’s Rare 2 Welldone ........................................................... 114

K E Butler & Company Jewelers 59

Lasseter Tractor Company ................................................... 109

Lovins Realty ............................................................................... 2

McIntyre’s Lfestyle Store for Children .............................. 115

Mclain, Calhoun, McCullough, Clark & Co., PC 110

Madonna H. Paradice, PC ....................................................... 71

Meadows Park Health & Rehabilitation ............................ 110

Memorial Health Meadows Hospital ..................................... 9

Memory Lane Catering & Cakes 88 Mixon Pecan Company ........................................................... 98

Mobley’s Well and Pump Service ........................................ 108 Moses Pecan Company ......................................................... 111

New Image Salon and Spa 70

Nine Columns Bed & Breakfast .......................................... 115

Ohoopee Land and Timber, LLC ........................................... 90

One World Solar ...................................................................... 90

Oxley Dental of Vidalia 5

Oxley Park Health & Rehabilitation ..................................... 69

Palmer Furniture .................................................................... 115

Peoples Bank ............................................................................. 71

Peppy’s 115

Phillips Pharmacy ...................................................................... 46 Red Stag Tavern ......................................................................... 34

Regenerative Medicine Associates, LLC .............................. 47

Reidsville Veterinary Clinic 80

Rivers Air Conditioning & Heating ....................................... 89 Salter Shook Attorneys at Law ............................................. 98

Solace Hospice ......................................................................... 89 Spa On First 109

Stacie Avery, CPA, PC .............................................................. 90

State Farm Insurance/Kailey Dees...................................... 108

TAR Land and Timber ........................................................... 111

Terra Dolce Farms 68

The Gatherng Place ............................................................... 114

The Tillery Firm PC .................................... Inside Back Cover

Thriftway .................................................................................... 80

Tots 2 Teens 23

Vidalia Federal Savings ............................................................. 17

Vidalia Gymnastics Cheer and Dance ............................... 114

Vidalia Honey Company ......................................................... 99

Vidalia Pediatric Clinic 22

Vidalia Small Engine Service ................................................. 108

Wiggins Family Practice ........................................................ 114

Wood Family Dentistry .......................................................... 11

Woody Folsom Automotive Group 91

Zaxby’s .......................................................................................... 7

Finding your Place

Love what you are doing...every single day.

I should be retiring in a few weeks, at the end of the year and right after I turn 60. I was going to stay home and be there for my girls when they needed a babysitter. I was going to bake cookies and bread and play games on the floor with the boys and make the most amazing memories (insert a screeching hault). Well, that was the plan anyway until I really started thinking about it…

Our investments are being sucked dry by this recession at the same break-neck speed that my skin is losing its elasticity. Food prices are ridiculous, and I recently saw someone commenting on the price of a dozen eggs costing $6.00 because they were “cage free”. He and I both agree that we will take the cheap eggs from the criminal chickens that have been in jail because nobody’s got the money to spend on happy and free eggs. Never in my lifetime will I pay .50 each for a bum nut. Nope.

Besides investment loss and the cost of living going through the roof, I need to be ever mindful of our impending sunset years (who came up with that God-awful term??) and ensuring, as best as possible, that we are putting away money so that our children will never have to bear the responsibility of having to take care of us financially or physically. I mean, they probably owe it to us, but I have no desire to live with my children and have them be responsible for my day-to-day care. Truthfully, there is only one that would probably do it if it came down to it, and there have been rumblings that they will only take one of us, if necessary. Sorry, Karl, you’re headed for the nursing home.

Call me crazy, and I may have regrets later, but I feel like as long as I can earn money, I should. I do not do sitting at home gracefully and never have. I had spurts and a few stay-at-home seasons that did not serve me well; I spent too much time in my jammies and in the pantry, skipped a few showers, and lacked drive and discipline. It was nothing like I had envisioned…it was, very simply, pure

hell, and I don’t know why I thought that just because I am older now, it would be any different.

I’m not retiring in the foreseeable future, and I have reconciled with my soul and my psyche that my children and grandchildren are much better served by me working. While there are definitely days that I wish I was accessible when my daughters need a babysitter because the babies are sick and my girls can’t miss work–my heart becomes extra heavy and I may even go in the bathroom and shed a tear or two because “no, I can’t” is not a happy place for me–I know this: if GrAnnie ain’t happy, nobody is happy, and this GrAnnie loves and needs her job.

Money aside, I’ll say it again…I. LOVE.MY.JOB! I am the Director of Community Development for the Greater Vidalia® Chamber and the Toombs County Development Authority and, for me, this position checks all my boxes. I am a bit of a community enthusiast and, proudly, Karl and I have put our money where our mouth is. We have invested in property, we have built businesses, and we are involved in the betterment of where we live. This position has afforded me an opportunity to do everything I am passionate about on a deeper level than I ever could have imagined or done on my own. I am currently involved in housing, homelessness, building an entrepreneurship ecosystem, the soon to be “Center” project downtown Vidalia, and our Public Policy Council which encompasses our Legislative Luncheon and our new State of the Community Series. It’s a lot and sometimes I struggle juggling it all because my older brain doesn’t fire off as quickly as it used to, but trust me when I say that this is my jam and my happy place. I have found my special purpose, and I don’t mean like Steve Martin’s “special purpose” in The Jerk. If you know, you know.

It’s not just the title or responsibilities that I totally dig, but it’s the people I work with that make it all worth it. In

most normal office environments, we are set up for failure. We are 5 women that work together in an office with no men. We are two in their late 20’s, one 50-yearold, I am almost 60, and one is older than me, and I’ll just leave it at that. At times, we have some serious generational diversities, and we have had to make a conscious effort to work on understanding each other and to be patient. Most days, we are on completely different pages and find ourselves looking through 3 sets of glasses. It can be challenging and hard, but I would fight to the death for all of them because we are a force to be reckoned with and I could not be prouder to have them as teammates. I’ve also got some pretty amazing job perks that everyone else does not have, such as 1) they have embraced my tardiness because they know I can’t get up in the morning; 2) I don’t play “dress up” well and most of my days are definitely “dress down” days; 3) we have have cried and laughed hysterically together through the craziest and saddest of life events; 4) we have weathered some real successes and some horrible failures; and, probably my favorite perk; 5) we have a #1 and #2 bathroom because…no men!!

So, no, I will not likely be that woman for many years…that cookie-making, retired-stay-at-home, crafting, cleanup-after-puking-babies, quintessential and stereo-typical grandmother after all. But one day, after we are long gone, my girls will take my grandchildren on a ride around their community and say “Your GrAnnie and Papa did that. They wanted to leave something special for you and they DID!” And Karl and I shall smile from the Heavens while we argue over whose idea it was to do what and who put in the most work. Some things never change, but my desire to leave a legacy for my family and my community shall remain the same…always and forever. This, for me, is more than enough; I have finally found, in my sunset years, that I am enough, and it feels really, really good.

Ann Owens is a writer, creative genius, entrepreneur, mother, and wife who enjoys pondering what makes the world click

At Community Hospice

loved one will receive the best possible care in a calm, compassionate environment by the area’s leading hospice provider. Our staff is professionally trained to provide not only physical and emotional comfort, but also spiritual and social care for the patient, family and significant others. Quality of life is our goal and we offer the finest, full-family care program available in Vidalia and 14 surrounding counties.