The Dolittle Family

I remember my father telling me of a man who worked for the Cobb County Rabies Control, aka Dog Catchers that could talk to dogs. If a wild dog was hiding and alluding authorities this man could go out in the brush, bushes, and trees where the dog was hiding and talk him into coming on in – give himself up, so to speak.

I suppose now he would be called the Dog Whisperer.

Or several years ago he would probably be nicknamed Doctor Dolittle.

Across the street the family talks to animals…. Well, that is nothing special, I suppose everybody talks to their pet, I know I do. But when they talk to their animals they expect a response of some kind.

A couple of weeks ago I heard the 17 year son holler for their dog to come back. He said something like, “You get yourself back here!!
You better come back before I count to three.
One… two…… “

He didn’t finish counting, I think he realized that either he or the dog did not know the next number.

A few months ago up at Allatoona Lake the father saw that somebody was about to drown a bunch of baby kittens in a box. He rescued them and brought them home.

That is the good thing he did. He should have kept on his good roll and carry them to the Cobb County Humane Society Animal Shelter.

Instead, he let them out and let them wander away…now, they are all grown and all over the neighborhood. Two of them stayed with them.

This morning I saw the father bent over a white cat and shout, “How many times have I told you not to cross the street?”

Evidently, the cat was thinking and had not came up with a figure when the father shouted again, “How many times damn it!!”

I was curious myself what the cat was going to say, but I had things to do, I couldn’t wait around to hear it.

Sumac Presb Church, Crandall, Murray County, Ga

I haven’t posted a cemetery in a long time (they are more work).

Sumac Presbyterian Church Cemetery is in Crandall, Murray County, Georgia, is northwest of Dalton, and almost directly north of Chatsworth, Georgia, on Hwy 225. The church and the cemetery is just several miles south of the Tennessee state line.

I have been to this cemetery a number of times. The place has a lot of relatives on my mother’s side of the family.

It is on a high hill or ridge and has a magnificent view of farms and the country side.




Addie Ridley Davis was my grandmother’s sister.



Ruby Ridley Dickson was my grandmother’s sister.




Walter Ridley was a challenged person. After their parents died my grandmother and her siblings took care of Walt. I remember him well. He always wore overalls. He is in Ruby and Babe Dickson’s plot.



James “Jim” Petty was my grandfather’s brother. He married Lillie Henry. Four of his children and their wives are also in the family plot.




Georgia Petty King was my grandfather’s cousin. My grandfather also had a daughter named Georgia.


Sarah Arrowood is the wife of Andrew Jackson Bookout.




Andrew Jackson Bookout is the son of my ancestor Jesse Bookout.




I am not related to the Arthur family, I just thought their marker was unique.




Clarence Bookout is Andrew Jackson Bookout’s son.





As mentioned above Jesse Bookout is my ancestor. He had an older stone or marker and the above replaced it. It is said he came to this area before 1832, which was before the white man was allowed and worked for Chief Vann, which was also forbidden – for a white man to be employed by and Indian.




Nova Bookout was married twice. One of her marriages was to V.C. Davis. V.C. Davis was also married to Addie Ridley, mentioned above.



Lizzy Lackey was married to a distant cousins, Elijah W. Petty.



Maggie was first the wife to T.J. Lackey and secondly to my ancestor’s brother William D. Petty. It appears to be something of a soap opera before TV going was going on.




Elijah Petty, son of William D. Petty, mentioned above.




Here is another Georgia Petty marker. Wait! I am confused.



J.N. Petty. A mystery.




W.D. Petty was my great grandfather’s brother. He was born in North Carolina, grew up in Fannin County, and moved to Murray County.



Andrew Pullen was a ancestor’s brother.



John Pullen is Andrew Pullen’s brother. Interesting, there is a marker by the parking lot at the beginning of the Cemetery down the road at Calvary Baptist Church – the marker thanks John for his donation for care of the cemetery.




Clarence Ridley is a distant cousin. I thought both markers are vital.




Luke and Sally Dunn were the parents of Clarence (above).



Thomas Jefferson Ridley and Maryetta Pullen are my ancestors. They are the parents of my grandmother; my mother’s mother’s parents.



William M. Ridley is another mystery.

I left out about a dozen pictures of stones hard to read, spouses, etc.

Willow's Goes to the Doctor

Yesterday was Willow’s annual doctor’s visit.

At the vet’s office everything is efficient. I was to bring in a fresh turd for them look at to see if it had whatever a turd would have in it – worms? Also, they have a floor level big scale about 3’ by 4’ I would guess. Weighing Willow was my job.

While we were waiting in the dog waiting room (there is also a cat waiting room on the other side of the service counter island) three other people came in with their dogs. Each dog had to check each other rear-end. I think it is partly a social thing and partly a scientific thing – no telling what the sniffing dog finds out about the dog he has his nose at his or her butt.

While I was sitting in the waiting room a lady was sitting and her huge dog was also there. She said the dog weighed 103 pounds. He and Willow property introduced each other by rear end smelling. The lady said she and huge unusual dog visited people under hospice care to entertain them…. I wonder how she entertain them, tell them her dog has the jaws of death and did they want a boring death or a little excitement as they die?

Seriously, everybody loves dogs, I think that is a noble act, to put a wagging tail in a doomed person’s life for a short time.



Which reminds me of a cat of death at a Marietta nursing home. There was a story about it on the TV news and the paper. The cat apparently has full run of a nursing home and goes where it wants all over the premises. One nurse noticed that it always picked someone on their death bed and lie at their feet and leave just an hour or so before the Grim Reaper comes. When they notice the cat has taken up with someone new it is time to call their family – it won’t be long. Someone said the cat is a blessing, it prepares the family.

Speaking of cats that have freedom of a establishment: A cat lazily shy shay or sauntered in between the four or five dogs and went and stood by the full length window and looked out. The other dogs did not seem to notice the cat but Willow had the appearance of huffing steam out of both nostrils. I felt like I needed a good grip on her leash..

The cat belongs there. Why. I guess she is conversation-piece. The other two or three times we have been at this vet the cat was asleep on the counter. It is a big fluffy cat that is very relaxed. The first time I was standing at the counter checking out and I noticed it and thought it was a big stuffed play-cat and almost picked it up to see it better when it looked up at me when I reached for it. I would have probably been clawed to death if I didn’t see those live eyes.


Also while sitting in the waiting room two females came in with a large breed of dog. The dog I hardly noticed, but the two women I did. They were both text-book beautiful. One looked very much like the proper dyed blond cheerleader and the other looker looked very much like the dyed blond cheer leader mother. They both smiled the entire time – they went straight to the scale, weighed their dog, then left… but not before bending over and petting Willow and have their dog say a few words to Willow. I think they would like to teach their dog to smile like a human.

We were called in. I gave the lady my turd sample all securely wrapped in sandwich sacks.

A technician came in and drew blood. Then shortly after the doctor came in and looked Willow over and gave her two shots – a rabies shot and I think a booster shot. Willow remained very quiet as he pawed her (pawed her – get it?) but I could tell by holding her neck and torso she was trembling like a super charged motor that was about to explode with too much pressure building.

Willow weighed 46 pounds. The doctor suggested she lose a few pounds to be in the low 40s. He said she would be in a healthier shape if you could run your fingers along her sides and count her ribs… he said now there is a cushion of fat there.

He said other than that, all the tests and poo-poo samples proved she is in great shape.

Then he said he used to have a dog. He went on to say he and his wife has cats but he wants a dog again. He said he was thinking about rescuing a Lab – what did I think?

A vet asking me my opinion about what did I think about a Lab?

When I was checking out with the receptionist and getting Willow's medicine and paying and all I thought I wonder what her expression would be if I asked for Willow's "sample stool" back.

On the way home I thought of pulling in Wendy’s or McDonald’s and getting Willow a $1 hamburger and me a spicy chicken sandwich… for her as an award and for me as payment for carrying her to the doctor. But the little goody two-shoes with wings on my left shoulder said, “Remember, the doctor said she needs to lose weight – and I don’t think your ribs can be counted either.”

Then the little guy with horns and a pitchfork on my other shoulder said, “Boston Market now has BBQ chicken sandwiches – you saw the ad and were just thinking about them the other day….”

And I said, “But Boston Market doesn’t have hamburgers for Willow!”

And the little guy with the horns rammed his pitchfork into my shoulder and said, “Wendy’s is almost next door you idiot!”

Then I thought of the cost.

I went home and had a Chicken of the Sea Tuna sandwich and the little guy with horns on my right shoulder said, “Bah!”

Willow had a Chewey bone as an award.

Glover Machine Works and Frank Hunter

Above is a Vanishing Georgia Project picture of the working men at Glover Machinery in Marietta, Georgia, about 1920. Click on to make larger.

Also above is the picture of my grandfather Frank Paris Hunter, taken about 1900 - he was born in 1879. Frank P. Hunter worked at Glover Machinery for many years, which would probably include the years before and after 1920.

So, do you think Frank is in the picture with the workers? I think probably so. Which one?

Looking at each man one at a time, I think he is the dark headed man on the far right that is right behind two men - I think that man has about the same features as Frank Hunter. Remember there are roughly 20 years between each picture.

While we are on the subject of my grandfather and Glover Machinery I want to mention what a great hospitalization plan they had. If you worked there and you or any member of your family was sick, you call the company doctor and he would make a house call family and check on the ailing person. And when he left he did not leave a bill. He was on Glover's payroll. But finding a phone to call the doctor may be another ordeal.

Frank and Minnie Hunter had eight sons and a daughter. The sons played hard - I think the company doctor probably got to know the family well.

a MAD MONSTER

Another History Channel Page a Day Calendar:

On this day* in 1814 Percy Bysshe Shelly fled to France with his lover Mary Wollstoncraft Godwin. Percy was married to Harriet Westbrook, who killed herself in 1816.

Percy Shelly and Mary married after his wife committed suicide and spent a couple of years running from creditors.

While they lived in Geneva, Mary Shelly wrote the masterpiece Frankenstein.

Above and below are some pages out of MAD comic book #8 of Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder’s interpretation of that story. The top is the cover for that issue done by Kurtzman and below are several pages of the story by Elder- but not the whole story….click on them and look at the details.

Scientific Fishing

I think from a marketing point of view, we have been profiled, cataloged, grouped, characterized, labeled, and predicted. Analysts know our next move. If, while in a store, I have a sudden urge to urinate and make my way to the men’s rest room, as the other day, a man was probably near by, and put a check by “going to rr at 3:15” and said to himself, “Just as we predicted! Are we good or what?”

On the 16th of July Anna and I dropped by Home Depot to buy a Ryobi weed eater I had my eye on for a while now. We had a $10 coupon. At the checkout we discovered the coupon did not start until the following day so we left without purchasing the weed eater.

The next day we went and reclaimed the Ryobi weed eater. While there a young man approached us and asked us if we ever considered having our kitchen cabinets replaced. “Why, yes, as a matter of fact, we have.” I am sure he already knew that. He lined up for a representative to come to our house and show us the options we had.

We walked around a corner and a young lady appeared from no-where and asked if we ever considered a Home Depot credit card. Nope… don’t need another credit card we said. She said something to the effect that if we signed up for a credit card we would get $30 off that weedeater. We more or less said, “$30?” And they probably already knew our next question would be “And can we also use our $10 coupon?”

She lady said, “Of course!”

They reeled us in.

OK For Guns in the Hospital Waiting Room

Friday I was sitting in a waiting area of the admissions area at the hospital. I noticed a man at the counter talking to the receptionist. He was a stout red headed guy. He had two guns, one on each hip. I suppose legally it is ok to carry a gun, or guns, if they are not concealed. This guy was a two-gun Pete.

It is OK, as in OK Corral, now to carry guns in public places.

This guy looked like the type who was a bully in school years ago and loves to intimidate. He can do a lot of intimidating with two guns on his sides.

Then I thought, what if someone else, with two guns, equal as intimidating came in the waiting room. Then someone high-strung with two bigger guns came in, and he held the door opened for a wobbling drunk, that was spinning a six-shooter on his finger.

Then I saw a volunteer push a sick looking man slumped over in a wheelchair by. The sickly old man looked as if he was detached from reality. What if he suddenly, without warning, the sick old man let out a blood curdling scream?

Then…

Good Morning Mr. Sun!

Many mornings when Willow and I run and/or walk we pass by a track field on the campus of Addison Elementary school. The track looks like a regular paved track – not wide enough for a car, but wide enough to have four lines for four competitors to run. I don’t think it is a regulation size track – the tracks I know of are 4 times around make a mile and this one on the inner row ten times around and on the outer row it is nine times around make a mile.

What I am getting at is that in within the circumference of the track is a fairly large area of “nothing much” It is partly grass, and partly not grass, but I suppose the maintenance people are still trying to get grass to grow in the bare spots.

Lately, just about every time we go by the track in the morning, there is a lady standing facing the east. She is dark skin. I suppose she is far eastern and that is a religious thing she does, welcome the sun in the morning. She almost stands at attention as she looks over my head and the trees behind me.

In the parking lot, near the track is always a small little car – which I correctly assumed is the car she came in. One morning I was running a little late, and I saw her get into the little car and drive away.

A couple of days ago I noticed something I thought was different and interesting. I heard loud rock music coming from someplace. Then I figured out it was coming from her car – one of the doors was opened. Inside was somebody, I think a teenager, not worshiping the sun, but maybe worshiping rock music – Interesting.

The next day she came alone again.

Gasp! James Brown Hot Sauce

A few days ago I acquired a 5 oz bottle of James Brown Hot Sauce from a bbq joint. On the label below the title it said, "Made from West African scotch bonnet peppers giving it a hot sauce with soul." (with soul in red).

It has soul alright. An evil soul.

I was warned only a "drop will do you".

That evening we had Talipia. I usually put hot sauce or red pepper on the talipia I eat so I gave the James Brown Hot Sauce a try. I am pretty sure I shook the bottle first... that is something I normally do on things like this.

Instead of a drop, I put about 6 or 8 drops, evenly dispersed on the white fish. It just barely had a spicy taste to it. I tasted hotter.

Today, for lunch I had a hot dog. I placed the wiener in a bun like it lying in a coffin, then dressed it up with condiments.

Then, I remembered the James Brown Hot Sauce. Because the last time I tried the sauce and only got a slight spicy taste, I decided to douse the top of the dog pretty good. I left a steady unbroken trail from one end of the other.

I started eating. About 35% through the dog it hit me. My mouth and lips felt they were on fire. My eyes watered. I huffed and puffed to heave the scorching from my mouth. I drank a Diet Coke and topped it off with lot of water. For some reason my body commanded my right hand to flap up and down.

Man!!!

Then, I scraped off the dressing and re-dressed it, and letting just a couple drops do me.

It was still hot, but not as hot as a few minutes ago.

Whew!

I felt like Wile E. Coyote just after he had one of his gaming tricks to backfire on him.

Willow just watched me with the amusement of an innocent bystander. I think she was probably thinking, "That is what you get for not offering me part of that hotdog!"

View From the Balcony

click on any picture to make it larger than it deserves.


Not too long ago I talked about our hotel we stayed at in the French Quarters of New Orleans on our last trip there. I mumbled something about showing you the view from our balcony as soon as I found the pictures.

I didn’t find the pictures but I found the negatives while scanning.

As I mentioned across the street from us was a bar where Rocky had his first legal drink. I forgot about the dog always in the doorway – the dog adds a certain laid back charm to the place.

Remember the movie KING CREOLE with Elvis? It opened with a person pushing a pushcart shouting “Crawfish!! Crawfish!!” That scene would fit very well down this street.

From our balcony looking north.



Here from street level you can see our balcony. It is above another bar, which is across the street from the one we went to. There was something about the bar that our room was above that made me not want to go in. When we arrived a gang of men with ball bats, short wood planks stood outside and jeered trying to get the occupants to come out. Later I noticed one person inside that had the built of a male, but with some sort of ballet outfit or something on.



The front of our classy ghostly hotel.





Our hotel’s courtyard fountain.





As you can tell, we don’t get out often.

War On Poverty bill signed this date 1964

According to the History Channel’s Page A Day Calendar on this date in 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson initiated his war on poverty by signing the War On Poverty bill. It was an idea that President Kennedy first introduced, but LBJ carried it out.

Now, get this: When the bill was signed Congress allocated $947,000, which funded various education, employment, and substance abuse programs.

Can you imagine just how for $947,000 will go to help create jobs and educate people about the dangers of drug after it is filtered through a bunch of appointed positions (the politicians’ kin and business partner’s kin) and advisors & consultants (chief income of retired military officers)?

I would not be surprised if the $947,000 ran out within the hour.

Movies Watched Recently

Our most recent rent-a-movie through the mail movies:

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE was a unique way to tell a story. It was a musical, kind of, all the songs sung were Beatles songs… and a lot of sentences referred to Beatles Songs or Beatles history or facts. For example in someone apartment a girl shows up and someone asks how she got in and someone else said, “She came in through the bathroom window”. The basic story line was that a Brit came to the United States to study in an ivy league college and find his father. At the college he makes friend with a typical rich kid who has a sister he falls for and they, it seemed on a whim, moved to New York City with no visible means of support. From then on it reminded me much of the musical HAIR, with Beatles music. A good deal of the movie deals with the kids protesting Vietnam in NYC. Needless to say, it had a good beat.

BEE MOVIE with Jerry Seinfield was well, a bee movie. It gave little bees human personalities and let them have a mama at home instead of the real mother, which was the queen bee. Jerry Seinfield’s voice was used with the main character, who in a way, thought like Jerry Seinfield, with a show about nothing. I liked what the bees did as far as telling some true bee habits, but other than that, it was amusing until I fell asleep.

DARWIN AWARDS, THE with Joseph Fiennes and Winona Ryder was at the beginning about the same DARWIN AWARDS that is forwarded to you… where real people were accidentally killed doing stupid things, therefore, their dumb genes have been eliminated from the gene pool thus making the human race smarter. Then, a romance sparkles and we more or less forget the title and follow their off again and on again romance – what does that have to do with DARWIN AWARDS?

JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB, THE is a movie about a group of women who created a small literally club who’s seemingly only purpose was to read and discuss Jane Austen books. A man was invited to join also, which was to add a little spice to the formula. Each woman had their own personal story or tragedy and the man was rich, for a young man, he invented some kind of soft ware that caught on. It was nice, it was also what one would call a “Chick Flick.”

LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA with Benjamin Bratt was a movie that took place in Columbia probably before 1900. Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order) was a gentleman doctor who dressed the part. He seemed to always wear a tall hat, which looked ridicules on the tall lean Benjamin Bratt. It would be like a tall woman wearing elevated shoes. As the movie is named, it is time of the Cholera epidemic but was rarely part of the plot. I thought it was pretty good.

NO RESERVATIONS with Catherine Zeta-Jones is about two top chefs having a romance…. Again, one of those on-again, off-again romances. I guess it would be boring if it was just a no fuss, no shouting, no screaming, no mix-ups or misunderstanding. I thought it was a little too formulated.

camp Ground Meeting

This week the Campground at Roswell and Sewell Mill Roads is having their annual campground meeting. Different preachers from different churches are invited to preach throughout the week.

Above is the Arbor where the preaching is done. This picture was taken by my mother-in-law in 1958. We carried her two years ago and I can't see that it has changed. I think someplace on the Arbor is a plaque of some kind that states it was erected before 1900, I forgot the exact year. And it has been going strong since, and as far as I know, without any structural change.

On the same grounds near the Arbor are cabins owned by old Marietta families that it is there tradition to come and spend the week for the preaching and fellowship, and I suppose to rough it. Back in the old days, the campground was considered far away, and that is why you camp, instead of going back and forth each day.

There is also a small school house that my mother attended as a girl. Each year the students hold a reunion... and each year the number of people attending shrink. But death is not always the reason someone didn't make it...sometimes, they just forgot - it is not always easy keeping up with dates when you are in your 80s.