Larry & Joe

Larry Bradford and Joe L Jenkins Sr, April 2015, at Mayes Ward Funeral Home, during visitation of Anna's mother Marie. Larry and Joe know each other from childhood living in the same neighborhood. I have known Larry since we the 9th grade and for the next three years it was one anarchist-style- Marx Brothers-laugh, one after another for the rest of high school. Although I and Joe did not formerly introduced ourselves to each other until just a few years ago we had the same friends in the same small town of Marietta. It is strange, we just didn't. I suppose we went through our years zigging and zagging avoiding each other and not realizing it. We met at the dog park after our hair turned gray.

Talented

We are in the Town Center area fairly often. Often enough to look forward seeing a certain entertainer on the street almost on every trip. The guy spins a sign that says something like “PUPPIES FOF SALE!” He can spin his sign, throw it up and catch it in unique ways; sometimes dances with it, and other attention getters. Today he was gracefully dancing around handling that “PUPPIES FOR SALE” sign like it was a sword. His fancy moves would impress The Three Musketeers.

The ice Storm of Ice Storms

Another ice/snow memory that bubbles to the surface of my brain from time to time that I would prefer it didn't, is one time when I was a timekeeper/Date Collection clerk at the Atlanta Postal Office in the Federal Annex on Spring and Forsyth Streets, right next door to old Rich's. A big snow storm came in essentially paralyzing Atlanta. But the mail must get through. The time keepers had to be there to see that those that came in get paid. I put a blanket in the car in case I got stuck or something and dodged stranded cars all the way to Atlanta. My reporting time was midnight. Then, it took about 10 clerks per shift to run the time timekeepers office, but more in the daytime, so there were 35 timekeeper positions. We were time timekeepers for about 5000 postal employees. When I reported to work there was only one guy , his name is Salmen, was there on the evening tour, doing the work of 10 men. I jumped in and started helping. I was the only one that showed up for my shift. Salmen stayed and helped me. We worked all night long hard, without breaks, lunch, or anything. The morning shift only one person could make it in. So, Salmen and I stayed and helped him. No other clerks showed up for two days. Three of us worked doing our jobs at a high paced level for over two days without sleep or breaks, so that people would be paid right. Did anybody get any kind of recognition or monetarily awards for our dedication? Of course they did. REM, the Department Head of Finance got public recognition from the District Manager and also because of people under him saved the day he got a quality step increase, which would be a bonus when his retirement was figured. Not bad, for a person, who said he couldn't get out of his driveway to come to work. By the way, almost 20 years later when I was a window clerk in Marietta a lady I was waiting on proudly told me her father was retired from the Postal Service. When she told me her dad was REM I told her what I thought of us doing all the hard work and he got the monetarily award for our work. She looked stunned and probably avoid coming to my window on her next visits.

Isaac & Adeline St. John Wright

Anna's great great grandparents on her father's mother's side. Adeline was the daughter of James St. John (1756-1850) and Elizabeth Boomer (1757- 1850s). Isaac was the son of Isaac S. Wright and Charity Catherine Fox. Adaline and Isaac were married 19 Apr 1855, West Virginia. But I think at the time it was Virginia. West Virginia did not form itself until 1861. They has 12 children, 5 daughters and 7 sons. Isaac served in the Confederate Army. They are buried in Enon Cemetery, just north of Woodstock, Georgia.

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! MAD 18's ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Script by editor Harvey Kurtzman; Art by Jack Davis; click on page you are reading to enlarge it so it will or won't make more sense.

Here Lies Baby Fox

I have mentioned several times that there is a baby fox and a baby deer in our neighborhood. I was not worried about the deer, deer have a good reputation. When you think of a young deer you think of Bambi, cute and lovable. But foxes have had bad press. They have a reputation of being sly, and well, carnivorous. Meat eaters without mercy. The baby fox in our neighbor hood was afraid of its own shadow. It think he probably got departed from his mother at a young age. He walked around our neighborhood in the wide open, not sure what step to take next and always looking around. Our neighbors across the street has a little concrete cylinder shape bridge at the front of their driveway. I saw the baby fox several times go into the long dark round hole under the driveway. I think it felt safe there. Apparently the neighbor saw it go into the hole too, it was long until slats of wood were nailed into the ground blocking his passage underneath. Another neighbor yesterday or the day before saw the baby fox lying on the side of the road dead. He made a cross for the scared-no-more animal.

LET'S LISTEN

We are reading the book by Celeste Headlee LETS TALK. Ms Headlee is an announcer on NPR. I have heard her do the news, interviews and reviews. LETS TALK is saying everybody need to improve their talking ability for everybody’s sake. Not only do you say things that your listener can comprehend, the listener must also learn to his or her part of the equation, and that is to listen. She said billions of dollars are lost annually because of a lack of communications. She gives several examples of two way conversations of her own that could have went better. She refers to a lot of statistics. One statistic said if you are average about 50% of your Facebook friend are not friends at all. Another fact that the mere presence of a cell-phone is change the conversation. Before the cell phone was present it was a lively conversation and then when a cell-phone became present the conversation died. I think before Celeste Headlee wrote LETS TALK she was on the air near here at a NPR radio station in Atlanta. She used to bring her two dogs to Sweat Mountain Dog Park. I had the pleasure of TALKING to her once (my claim to fame).

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

Adeline Bagley, Roswell Mill Worker

Adeline Bagley is one of Anna’s relatives that I have mentioned before. She is a quirk in the cruelty of war . She was one of the Roswell Mill Workers Women. When Sherman and his soldiers invaded this area they came upon the Roswell Mill who was manufacturing items for the Confederate Army. Sherman had them arrested for treason and sent to be mill workers in Chicago. At the time of her arrest and sent north she was married to Pvt J Buice. They had children. When Adeline returned J. Buice had married again and had children by his new wife. Sad story.