Chamblee54

Last year, PG heard a lot of fuss about the middle name of Barack Hussein Obama. This led to a post on the subject of Presidential middle names. That post is still getting google hits, and PG appreciates any traffic he can get.
While researching this feature, PG noticed that many of the early presidents did not have middle names. Apparently, before the American Revolution, middle names were seldom given. For some reason the custom caught on during the 19th century. When America started to draft men for World War I, the draft papers included a space for the middle name.
One possible reason for middle names was population density and increased family size. Many people began to have the same first name ( or Christian name) and last name ( Surname). Middle names were a way to distinguish between Jimmy Bob Jones and Jimmy Joe Jones. There was possibly a bit of status involved in having more than one name.
Women have long used the maiden name as a middle name after marriage. Girls were often not given middle names for this reason. The hyphenated Maiden-Married name is a fairly recent custom (Which this author hopes is a fad that will go away).
While middle names were originally a decoration, many are now used as a primary identification. PG is referred to as a diminutive of his middle name, which can be confusing when authorities insist on using his first name. The middle name is also a handy alternative for someone who gets tired of the name they are called by. There is also this thought…”I think parents give kids middle names so the kids will know when they are really p****d at them.” For some reason, people on trial for spectacular felonies are always referred to by all three names.

They called it BYOM…bring your own machete. The plan was to meet at the bridge over the tracks on Piedmont Road, just north of the park. Next, go down to the proposed beltway path and clear out enough weeds to make a hike the next week feasible.
PG got to Ansley Mall a bit before 10, and found what looked like a shaded parking spot. The sidewalks were full of people leaving the end of the Peachtree Road Race. PG hung out by the bridge, and waited for hikers. Finally, a few minutes before giving up, Angel showed up.
Angel was the organizer of the hike. A few weeks ago, Creative Loafing called him one of the happiest people in Atlanta. ( PG proceeds to waste 15 minutes trying to find a link to the article). Angel said that others were late because of the Road Race.
PG asked Angel if what they were doing was legal. Angel said he thought so, and the police were probably busy with the Road Race. Within a few minutes the other four choppers had arrived. PG said that someone needs to be first, and started down the hill to the tracks.
PG had brought some loppers, and very quickly found them to be useless. He had a small pair of hand clippers that he used. Clearing weeds from those tracks with hand clippers was like draining a swimming pool with a coffee mug. For a while he was pulling up masses of kudzu with his hands, and had someone else cut them with a machete.
This process very quickly resembled work. Even though it was mild ( by Atlanta July standards), PG was soon light headed and covered in sweat. After a while, one person got out a small saw, and gave PG his machete. Swinging a machete was also a workout, and PG despaired of making much of a dent in the greenery. It was the plant kingdom against the animal kingdom, and the plants were winning.
The good news was, with six people hacking at the underbrush, a surprising amount of progress was made. Before long, the troops reached the Montgomery Ferry Bridge, which was the turnaround. PG went ahead to get some graffiti pictures, and came back to the sweltering choppers. The return trip went much faster than the trip out, even with cutting back the kudzu growth from the previous hour.
At the Piedmont bridge, one person had to leave. The rest went down the rail bed the other way towards Piedmont Park. There is a bit of acreage that is being added onto the park. A new road has been built to provide access to a parking deck. There is a lot of silt fences and bulldozers at the moment, but before too much longer this will be another green space for the city.
One of the cutters is involved in a project with big trees. There was a tulip poplar nearby that he wanted to measure. It was 11 feet around at the base. The remaining hikers walked back on a dirt road. While Piedmont Park is reputed to be air conditioned, the dirt road beside it was hot. When the kudzu killers were back on Piedmont Road, they took “after” pictures of the rail bed. A man from LA fitness came by and gave them 7 day passes. PG wonders if that includes parking at the Spring Street facility.

Towards the end of the visit, PG gained a renewed appreciation for shade. There is a reason why the event PG and Uzi went to was called “Summerfest”. The rain was over and the sun was out. Walking back to the car was becoming uncomfortable.
The artist market had been on a closed off Virginia Avenue. The booths were side by side, the Inman Middle School down to Moes and Joes. The Church across from the school had a banner that read “Plan your ceremony with us”, and was illustrated by three different couples.
Inman Middle School had been an elementary school once. On the day PG started first grade, a first grader at Inman was killed in traffic. PG’s grandmother was living nearby, on Virginia Avenue, at the time.
The booths were full of merchandise, and the road was full of people. The diversity was appreciated, but the volume of humanity combined with the June heat to drain PG’s energy. By the time our explorers reached North Highland, they were ready to get back to civilization. A decision was made to turn at the High Episcopal church and walk down Los Angeles Avenue. ( PG is amused at the concept of a High Episcopal Church, but thinks it is a good idea.)
A few blocks down Los Angeles Avenue, and PG realized he did not know where the street was going. Not to worry, in a minute they came to a barricade, and Orme Park was on the right. PG remembered parking across from Orme Park, and found his car within minutes. It was a Piccadilly Sunday afternoon now.

Today is Confederate Memorial Day. It is an ancient question…how to honor the soldiers from the side that lost. They were just as valiant as the Union Soldiers. Considering the shortages of the Confederate Armies, the Rebels may have been just a bit braver.
The issue of Federalism is a defining conflict of the American experience. What powers do we give the Federal Government, and what powers do we cede to the States? The Confederacy is the product of this conflict. The Confederate States were a collection of individual states, with separate armies. This is one reason why the war turned out the way it did.
This is not a defense for slavery. The “Peculiar institution” was a moral horror. The after effects of slavery affect us today. Any remembrance of the Confederacy should know that. This does not make the men who fought any less brave.
It is tough to see the War Between the States through the modern eye. It was a different time, before many of the modern conveniences that are now considered necessities. Many say that the United States were divided from the start, and the fact the union lasted as long as it did was remarkable. When a conflict becomes us against them, the “causes” become unimportant.
The War was a horror, with no pain medicine, and little that could be done for the wounded. It took the south many, many years to recover. The healing continues in many ways today. Remembering the sacrifices made by our ancestors helps.

RD59—know why bears wash their fur in tide?
RD59—cause it’s too cold out tide
RD59—no charge for that one
Steve—A mortician was working late one night.
Steve—He examined the body of Mr. Schwartz, about to be cremated, and made a startling discovery. Schwartz had the largest private part he had ever seen!
Steve—So, he removed it, stuffed it into his briefcase, and took it home.
Steve—‘I have to show you something you won’t believe,’ he said to his wife, opening his briefcase.
Steve—‘My God!’ the wife exclaimed, ‘Schwartz is dead”
Steve— i left out a line
Steve—so much for me telling jokes
PG—this woman at the country club discovered a hole in the mens locker room wall which allowed them to see the men taking a shower
PG—she showed it to her friend….look at this , he is not my husband
PG—her friend looked at it, and said, mercy, that is not my husband either
PG—a third lady came up, took a look, and said, he is not even a member of the country club
PG—whose next?
Steve—A middle-aged couple had two beautiful daughters but always talked about having a son. They decided to try one last time for the son they always wanted.
Steve—The wife got pregnant and delivered a healthy baby boy. The joyful father rushed to the nursery to see his new son. He was horrified at the ugliest child he had ever seen.
Steve—He told his wife, ‘There’s no way I can be the father of this baby. Look at the two beautiful daughters I fathered! Have you been fooling around behind my back
Steve—The wife smiled sweetly and replied, ‘Not this time!’
Steve—A married man was having an affair with his secretary.
Steve—One day they went her place and made love all afternoon. Exhausted, they fell asleep and woke up at 8 PM.
Steve—The man hurriedly dressed and told his lover to take his shoes outside and rub them in the grass and dirt.
Steve—He put on his shoes and drove home.
Steve—‘Where have you been?’ his wife demanded.
Steve—‘I can’t lie to you,’ he replied, ‘I’m having an affair with my secretary. We had sex all afternoon.’
Steve—‘You lying bastard! You’ve been playing golf!’
PG—This kid had a gift. Once, he said a neighbor was going to have a car crash, and he did. Another time, the kid said his brother would break his leg, and he did.
PG—The man was very concerned, then, when the kid said his father would die that day. The man went to work, and worried about what his kid had said, and came home a wreck.
PG—His wife said, I don’t want to hear about it, the milkman dropped dead in the front yard this morning
Stalk—ha ha
PG—you can tuna guitar but you can’t tuna fish

There is something tasteful about taking pictures in cemeteries The residents don’t get that much company, and probably appreciate the attention. Nobody has to stand still to pose. The stonecutters of generations gone by have not chiseled their letters for nothing. .
The other day, PG went for his afternoon walk. Finding a neighborhood destination that he has not seen a thousand times already is a chore. He walked down Dresden, behind the Plaza Fiesta, and briefly…very briefly…considered walking around PDK and coming back home on New Peachtree. This might not be as outlandish as it seems, and might make an athletic outing sometime. .
This day, PG went to a little Asian shopping center. It is on the site of the original El Toro restaurant, and a rather tacky motel. The sign said there were spaces for rent in the back, and PG went in back to look at them. When he got there, he saw a cemetery.
.
There is a little white church on Dresden Drive. It is used by a hispanic congregation now, with the words ” Jesu Christo es el Senor” painted on the front. PG has driven by this building several thousand times, and never thought that there was a cemetery in the back. .
The graveyard is well maintained. The airport is directly behind it, so the views are not that great. The deceased seemed to rest in peace, if you don’t consider the noise from the jets.

PG suspects that the nanwrimo word count is not going much further. The month has two more days. He fully intends to get something up on the blog for two more days, and maybe, just maybe, take monday off. Sooner or later, he is going to miss a day.
There were signs advertising a neighborhood yard sale today. Then it rained, more like a drizzle really, but still wet stuff was coming out of the sky. PG went for a walk, and found no merchandise in any front yards.
On the tv set, tech is playing georgia in athens. The stadium is athens is called “between the hedges”. There are big, well maintained, hedges on both sides of the field. The hedges are a plant known as privet. Privet is a force of nature, like fire. Used and controlled, it can do nice things. However, it needs constant attention. When it is no longer useful, it does not go away easily. Privet is a bargain with the devil.
In addition to nanowrimo, this is also the month of nablopomo. PG has indeed posted something every day this month. Sometimes it was worthwhile, sometimes it was a space filler.
Today PG is going to change the routine a bit. Before, he wrote the text first, then picked out the pictures. Throughout the month, PG has gone down the list of folders with pictures, and tried to get as much variety as possible . Today, the pictures are graffiti from the train tunnel behind the waffle house.
There is a train tunnel that goes under Peachtree Industrial. It is between the waffle house and the wal mart. Thousands of cars drive over it every day that don’t know it is there. There used to be a big Frito Lay plant on Peachtree Industrial, where the Lowe’s is now. The trains that brought supplies to this plant went through this tunnel.
The graffiti performers have found the tunnel in recent years. Neither Lowe’s nor Walmart will admit to selling the spraypaint.

I was in a hostel, in Brunswick GA. Before dinner, everyone had to say something they were thankful for. I was ready to eat. When it was my turn, I said “I would like to thank all of you at this meeting who keep their comments down to a short sentence.”
Muskrat has suggested that people say five things they are grateful for. That sounds fair enough.

I am grateful for good health, at least below the neck. I have had a few close calls over the years,but somehow made it to 54.
I am grateful for the ability to think. Some things I believe, some I don’t. I try not to be a sheep.
I am grateful that America is going to have a change in leadership at the top. I am not optimistic that much will change, at least not right away. Nonetheless, the fact that we can have this change through a peaceful election instead of a bloody revolution says good things about America.
I am grateful for the advances in technology that allow me to share this gratitude with the world. I am also glad that the world has the freedom to ignore this if they choose.
I am grateful for the fine lady in Acworth Georgia who invited me to a thanksgiving day dinner at her home. I enjoyed the company of good people, and ate too much. This is a good way to spend thanksgiving.
I am grateful for the six basic colors. This allows me to make this post in a rainbow.