See ELECTIONS

RECOLLECTIONS AND REFLECTIONS The Musical Fruit

Well I have been rummaging around for days in that dark and mysterious void between my ears known as The Skull for an opinion column idea and things kept popping up and falling aside or as the 18th century English philosopher Dr. Samuel Johnson said of his pal Goldsmith “his mind is a fertile but thin soil where ideas sprout and bloom but quickly wither and die”. That’s what Ol’ Sammy said.

I thought about writing something about politicians but decided at last to take the higher ground and pen a bit of prose on beans.

I bet plenty of you’uns in your youth heard the lyrical phrases regarding legumes that included the lively “beans beans the musical fruit” or “beans beans good for your heart”. Yes, admit it, you know the rest of these ditties regardless of your level of so-called sophistication.

Hark! There is nobility in beans. This summer I grew a little vegetable garden. Green beans were among its produce. The bean plants produced a bounty of the slender green things. Sharon and I ate green beans and red ‘taters (also from the garden) for weeks. It was food of the gods. Lawd! We ate better than Harry and Meghan!

Every time I plucked the green beans and brought them in the house and piled them up I was reminded of the times when I was a kid and watched my grandmother Mozelle and some of her womenfolk friends who would take a big pile of green beans and heap them on a table and commence to snap and string them and throw the snapped and strung beans in a pot all the while discussing the doin’s of the day and sharing ideas on how to cure the ills of the world.

I have an idea too. Why not take a truckload of green beans to Washington and Raleigh and also to a certain local city council meeting place and dump them out and have the so-called lawmakers/developer rubber stampers sit around on stools and snap and string beans while they decide the fate of us lower be- Alan Hodge Banner-News Editor ings. Maybe from green beans a wave of common sense would emerge with hair blowing fresh in the wind like the painting The Birth of Venus by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli.

Beans are a work of genius because they are so versatile. Take a weenie and chop it up and throw it in some beans... the result? The Beenie Weenie that has fueled many a working day. Take some pinto beans and a chunk of cornpone and some slaw and some chopped up onion and you have a feast fit for a king. Take some navy beans and you have fuel for a fleet. Don’t forget black eyed peas for a song of the south.

Beans are noble but need a bit of help to bring out their full flavor. I am a fan of Texas Pete. Other bean add-ons of note include chow-chow and ketchup. Maybe you have others that turn you on. Condiments that is.

Fall is fast approaching. My green bean patch is but a pleasant memory. But if I am still kicking next spring new seeds will be gently pressed into the red soil and I will watch for their first thrusting from the dirt, follow their inch by inch progress upward, eagerly await the arrival of the jade colored pods, and when they are ready for harvest think back to a vision of women in cotton print dresses and aprons gathered… in a circle of wisdom.

Buying your Corvette - twice

By Tony Marciano

COVID has changed a lot in our lives. For example, in 2020, my wife and I didn’t go anywhere on vacation.

Weddings, which are great celebrations, had to be very limited. Some couples arranged to “celebrate” their marriage this past summer when some of the COVID restrictions were lifted. Funerals were very difficult. Limiting the number of people who could attend significantly affected those who were grieving. There were no friends or family to comfort them or tell great stories about the deceased.

There were also a lot of traditions that were canceled including county fairs and Labor Day celebrations. These were activities I looked forward to attending every year.

One of my favorite activities to attend is the Auto Show every Spring and Fall held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Due to COVID, it understandably had to be canceled. I was hoping it would be held this past Spring but again, it could not gather. I was thrilled that it was held a few weeks ago. Being a gear head, it’s an annual tradition for me. In fact, its one of the first vacation requests I make each year to ensure it is on the calendar.

I love seeing the classic cars from my years of growing up and even before that era. It always amazes me as I look at the before and after photos of cars that have been restored. I remember one car that was so bad, it should have been destined for the car crusher. It had a lot of rust and holes in the sheet metal. Yet someone took the time to cut out the rust and replace it with patch panels and make a piece of art disguised as a classic car.

I love to walk around and talk to the other gear heads.

One year I was walking along the back stretch of the Speedway when a friend of mine stopped me. He was almost speechless. When I got him to calm down, he told me he had found his car. I replied we all have cars we’d love to own. He said, “No. I found the Corvette I used to own. It’s for sale. Let me show you.”

He took me over to the spot where his former Corvette was parked. I asked him how he was sure this was his former car. He replied that he had checked the VIN and it was his car. It was beat up and in fair condition, but it was his former Corvette.

The story is that he had saved his money and purchased the Corvette new. He had taken meticulous care of it. A few years later he got married. Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t last. When he was away on a business trip, his wife at the time sold the car. Now years later, he found it.

He asked me if he should buy it back. I told him yes. “You can buy any Corvette, but you were this car’s original owner.” He agreed. He sacrificed to buy it when it was new and now he had to buy it back a second time after it has been grossly mistreated.

Just like my friend had to buy his car back, the creator of the universe had to “buy us back” by sending Jesus to die on the cross. It was through his death that we are purchased a second time.

I’ll be back in two weeks. Until then, live well my friend.

Tony Marciano

ELECTIONS

From Page 1

Town of Stanley Commissioner Ward 02- Cathy Kirkland.

Town of Stanley Commissioner Ward 05- Chad Jones, Caroline Reid.

Dates to Remember

October 4, 2021 Mail-out absentee voting begins for the 2021 Municipal Election (if ballots available) October 8, 2021 (5:00 pm) Last day to register to vote for the November 2, 2021 Municipal Election October 14, 2021 One-stop absentee voting (early voting) begins for the 2021 Municipal Election October 26, 2021 (5:00 pm) Last day to apply for an absentee ballot for the 2021 Municipal Election October 30, 2021 One-stop absentee voting (early voting) ends for the 2021 Municipal Election November 1, 2021 (5:00 pm) Last day to apply for an absentee ballot for voters who expect to be unable to vote on Election Day due to sickness or physical disability November 2, 2021 (5:00 pm) Deadline for receipt of mail-out absentee ballots November 2, 2021 Municipal Election Day (polls open at 6:30 am and close at 7:30 pm) November 5, 2021 (10:00 am) Sample handto-eye recount November 5, 2021 (5:00 pm) Deadline for mail-out absentee ballots postmarked on November 2, 2021 November 9, 2021 (11:00 am) Canvass of the 2021 Municipal Election.

Early Voting Schedule

Gaston County Board of Elections Office 410 West Franklin Boulevard, Suite 30 Gastonia, NC 28052 Thursday, October 14, 2021 8:30

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What are the requirements for registering to vote in Gaston County? You must be a United States citizen. You must be 18 years old. If you are 17 but will be 18 before the next election, you can register to vote within 60 days of the election. If there is a primary, you can register within 60 days of the primary provided you will be 18 before the general election. You must be a resident of Gaston County, North Carolina, for 30 days before the election in which you intend to vote. You must not vote in any other county or state after submitting a voter registration application in Gaston County. If registered elsewhere, you understand that you are canceling that registration upon becoming registered to vote in Gaston County. You have not been convicted of a felony, or if convicted of a felony, you have completed your sentence, including any probation or parole. (Citizenship

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