Marie's Birthday Luncheon at the Front Porch in Kennesaw

Not only was it Marie's birthday but also Margaret's.  We are glad she was part of it.

We carried Marie and Margaret and their Sunday School Class to a Birthday Luncheon.  We were impressed with the way the restaurant was decorated.. 

Marie

Margaret and Marie (Margaret's birthday too)

Dot

Birthday Girls

Bobbie and Ruth

Ruth, Bobbie, Margaret, and Dot

Muriel and Ruth 

Kenny McMahan, Cousin-in-law

Liz Crain McMahan, first cousin.  I saw her brother Bobby at Johnboy's Restaurant the day before.

THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG:

Cobb County Courthouse and Blackjack Mountain

These were taken yesterday from the 7P parking deck level at the Witcher Street Building, part of the Kennestone Hospital complex in Marietta.

The courthouse is probably almost a mile away and Blackjack Mountain is over two miles away.  

On the mountain ridge see the rise on the right the little light spot?  The little light spot is a huge water tank.  Around the tank and the little dead dirt roads near it at the time, now mostly apartments  and subdivisions in the 1950s and 60s was well known as a "parking" area... if you get my drift... like a "cheap date"... get it?

If you didn't yet get it let me put it this way:  If a Marietta native in their 50s was very good at tracing their roots they might find out they were conceived on top of that mountain.

A Live ORB in a CRYPT

About 1977 my friend Sam Carsley (1941-2013) went on a mission with our new cameras, he bought a Nikon and I bought at Minolta 201.  We went to Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.  Our targets were the stain glass windows in Crypts.  We both grew up reading the comicbook TALES FROM THE CRYPT and were still fans  - so it fitted  right in.  The stained glass windows of course is aimed inward.  Just like church, the outside light illuminates giving a beautiful picture to the resident inside.  But since the residents in each crypt are dead it is argumentative if anyone  will actually see the stain glass art.  So, wanting to make sure those beautiful stained glass windows was not a waste of somebody's money we tried to help them out.  Above is an example of what we took.

When I took this picture I did not see the shapeless mass of light.  Only after it was developed was it plainly something odd.

I jokingly put it on facebook suggesting it might be a ghost.

A facebook friend, Jim Lamer wrote: That is called an Orb and it is a spirit.

Well, Hoot!

On This Date Aug 6,....

Lucille Ball was born.   HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY!!   The funniest lady, as far as skits go, that has ever been in show business.....so far.

Note - Looking for a good example of skits by Lucy was an interesting hunt:  First I googled Lucille Ball and all the images were show business glamour shots.  However, googling I LOVE LUCY displayed lots and lot of action shots to pick from.

She died in 1989.

Bell Reunion 2007

I just posted some pictures of the Bell Reunion September 2007 on my flickr account.

Just click on the link below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chicken-fat/sets/72157634944550305/

Book Report of Jules Verne's MYSTERIOUS ISLAND

You know generally that Classics are good.  Why would  classics be good?   (picture me swatting your head with a rolled up Classic Comicbook and saying) Because they withstood the test of time, that is their definition (and another swat).

And if you have an electronic reading device they are good for another reason:   Classic books are mostly free.   I just finished reading MYSTERIOUS ISLAND by Jules Verne.

I thought it was a very good read.  The book starts out in Richmond, Virginia, during the Civil War.  Richmond was under siege by the Yankees.

One night five men that were not really involved in the war, one was a captured Yankee officer, who was an engineer; his man servant;  a war correspondent; a student studying biology; and a  sailor, not the military kind, but  the merchant marine kind; and the engineer's dog Top were fooling around with a hot air balloon that was inflated, with hot air and somehow they got loose and the balloon was caught in a hurricane and carried them  out of the country to the south seas and tossed them on a uncharted Island, which was probably about two or three times bigger than Manhattan.

They had nothing but the clothes on their backs to survive.  With the engineer's knowledge they were very resourceful and  innovative in making their island very comfortable.  Think of Robinson Crusoe and all he did.

The five men were a teem with no conflicts within them..  Which I think would be highly unusual.

I thought it was interesting that the makeup of the men was much like the makeup of the captured men in the book, also by Jules Verne, 20,000 THOUSANDS LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA...  In each book you had a very highly intelligent educated person, his man servant, and a sea man.

Speaking of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, the MYSTERIOUS ISLAND book is intertwined with its story and Captain Nemo also.

In the beginning I had trouble keeping up with all the people   I had no problem with Top the Dog, but the others, wore several hats with names... such as the engineer was a Captain in the Army;   sometimes  his rank was used, sometimes his occupation of engineer was used, and sometimes his name was used.  Each person had the same, which made about 20 names/nicknames and occupations to keep up with.

The man servant was black.  And you can tell by the writings the Jules Verne reserved all the manual labor for him, like cleaning and cooking and lifting heavy things, and one time when they slept in a cave he slept outside, he said he preferred it.    It was racism without saying so.  Although, to give credit, when they voted on something or had a discussion about something, the servant's vote and opinion was valued as much as every one else..

They spent three years on the island.  They all agreed they would be very happy to spend the rest of their lives there.  No women in their lives?   I think there were no women in 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA either

These novels  by the same person with no women reminds me of  Tubby in the LITTLE LULU comics.    Tubby  belonged to a club that had painted crudely on their club house:  NO GIRLS ALLOWED! 

Speaking of LITTLE LULU, that was a classic.

Willow Speaks

Hello Bob!

My master (master?  Yeah, right!) told me you asked about me last night at the Woodstock Jamboree.  He said something about you saying something about I haven't been on Chicken-Fat lately.

I wandered off the blog but popped up on the Master's facebook.

Well, here I am back!  I didn't know I would be missed.

My master may have told you that I may have Cushings Disease.  I have no idea what it is.  It means some kind some kind of cyst or tumor could be in my head and it is pressing the buttons to control distribution, such as sugars and all that.  Now, they have determined that my urine is diluted, therefore it is not dumping the toxins.   I say as long as I have a good smelly bone to gnaw on, who cares?  They will run tests tomorrow to determine just what I have. 

The master (give me a break) is taking me for an all day visit at the vet tomorrow.  Tonight I can't have anything  after 8:30 and fast for 12 hours, then they will run the tests.  I need to stash a few chipmunks in the bushes for in the morning when I go out to pee.

Arf!

Willow

Woodstock Bluegrass Jamboree August 2013

Yesterday evening was the monthly Woodstock Jamboree at the Woodstock Community Church.  We were treated with the Old Mill Road Band and the Jot' Em Down Boys.


The Old Mill Road Band was a non-pretentious band who didn't take themselves too seriously that made good music, and the same goes for the home band, the Jot'Em Down Boys.

Speaking of the Jot'Em Down Boys, their violin player, Danny just earned his Master's Degree, there was a big UGA cake in the lobby to celebrate.

The Old Mill Road Band

The Jot'Em Down Boys

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! TALES FROM THE CRYPT, Coming Attractions

Art by Jack Kamen

Art by Jack Kamen

LARRY MILLER

I received an email from Larry's wife Milly Miller.  Here is a portion of it:

Thank you for re-posting Larry’s fund raising letter so frequently. I wanted to let you know that we have been blessed to receive the maximum matching amount of $10,000. This gives us $20,000 with the matching funds and we believe it should be enough to pay for his prescription drugs as long as my insurance is as good as it is now. That’s a big question with the state of our current health care issues but we have reason to rejoice right now and thank everyone for their help.  PS: he is doing AWESOME. All of his bronchoscopy’s have shown, no infection, no rejection. That is the best you can get. His blood work continues to be very good also. Can’t wait to see everyone again, minus the oxygen tanks.

This has been posted many times. Everyday when I had a new post this one slides down more out of view. When it slides off the page it is time to repost. Hi!

Have you ever faced a life-threatening illness for which there is no treatment or cure?
Have you ever become overwhelmed by the costs of your illness?

Have you ever had to rely on your family and friends to make a life-saving difference on your behalf?

Larry faced these conditions all at once. Larry was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, Emphysema, and Pulmonary Hypertension. There are no treatments for these diseases and there was no hope for him without a lung transplant.

Larry was evaluated and approved for a bi-lateral lung transplant at Emory University Hospital in April.

On May 14th Larry received the call from Emory saying they had lungs for him. His transplant was performed on the 15th with excellent results. Due to the generosity of the donor’s family, he received a very healthy set of young lungs (to use the surgeon’s words). Larry is recovering exceedingly well and was released to go home on the 31st of May. He is gaining strength each day by following his drug regimen very carefully and by following a vigorous program of Pulmonary Rehabilitation. 

His recovery is great news, but with it comes enormous annual costs for post-transplant treatments and medications. I have known Larry and been his friend since the 5th grade (1953) so I offered to head up his fundraising committee. We are working to help Larry raise money to cover some of these costs. Fortunately, Larry qualified for a matched account in the Georgia Transplant Foundation’s (GTF) Fundraising Program, GTF will match every dollar we raise up to a maximum of $10,000, and then they will hold the money and administer the distribution for Larry’s medication expenses.

We need Your Support to reach the $10,000 Goal! Please consider making a donation to help us raise the funds Larry will need to buy post-transplant medications which will support the maintenance of his transplant.

How to Donate:
Checks/money orders should be made payable to Georgia Transplant Foundation with Larry’s name in the memo section of your check. Please mail checks/money orders to Georgia Transplant Foundation, Attention: Transplant Fundraising Program, 500 Sugar Mill Road, Suite 107-A, Atlanta GA 30350. An envelope is enclosed for your convenience. Thank you for supporting this life-saving campaign.

The Georgia Transplant Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides financial, educational, and emotional assistance to Georgia’s transplant community, is assisting us in our fundraising efforts. If you have questions or want further verification, please see the Georgia Transplant Foundation website at www.gatransplant.org or email TFP@gatransplant.org.

If you have already made a donation, please accept our thanks.

Sincerely,
Paul Roper
Committee Chairman

The Case of the Foot X-Ray

We stopped by the Marietta Museum of History yesterday.   It was just a stop-by to see what was new, or what was new that was  old or what was old that was new or ???

We saw the curator Amy in action.   A lady was there donating some stuff to the museum.  I heard her say her family lived on Bells Ferry Road.  One of the things she donated was a Civil Defense Helmet.  She had some other stuff too she was handing Amy one at a time and said she had some more in the car.     She also said she had a plow shear that she doesn't have any more.

The museum has a section all about the courthouses of the past.  There are some pictures of the previous courthouses.

 They had a picture of Judge Manning.  I remember once when I was on Jury Duty I  noticed during the long boring proceedings the Judge decided to steal a few winks, but when he nodded  he woke himself up. 

Every time I go to the Marietta Museum of History something I see brings back memories.  This time it was the old court room in the Old Court House.  I was either early junior high school or grammar school and was on the Perry Mason kick.  I read all the books I could get a hold of by Earl Stanley Garner.

And, being a boy, fanaticizing about everything, I imagined myself growing up to be sharp lawyer, just like Perry Mason, out fighting for justice.  Being the compulsive person I was, I decided to visit a real trial at the court house.  I think my daddy probably told me when the next trial would be.  I  went and got a fairly decent up close seat, being one of the  early ones there.

A black lady  accused a black man of raping her behind the Lemon Street School House one night.   The whole court proceeding was a mockery of justice in the south.  The Assistant D.A. and the Defense Attorney, would talk to the jury and the judge in a dignified manner, but then turn around and talk down to the black lady... they even put things in child-like terms so they thought she might understand.   And sadly to say, the black lady fighting for justice and the black man fighting for his freedom was a funny show for the jurors, bailiffs .   judge, and all other white people there that howled with laughter with all the "jive talk".

Shame.

Remember this thing below?  As a child who when at the Square (almost every day) certain places I would drop by.  Like at Fletcher Jewelers to check out their latest window display with moving parts, Schillings Hardware to stand on the big scale to weight at the entrance in front of the knives under glass display.  Also a shoe store that would x-ray your feet to see how your shoe was fitting - you could actually see your foot bones, like toe bones, etc.  It was at a shoe store on the East Park Square but I forgot if it was Murray's, Coggins, or what. 

Note:  I originally named this post  "THE CASE OF THE DISAPPOINTED BOY" because I was talking about Earl Stanley's Perry Mason books which always had a title, like 'THE CASE OF THE SQUEAKY DOOR"    ... they always started out THE CASE OF then ended an adjective and a noun.    But after looking at the title with my 3rd eye, I decided some might think I was disappointed in the museum which is not correct.  So! 

This Date In History, August 2nd.

Dead Man's Hand got its name on this date, August 2, 1876, in Nuttal & Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, because that was the hand Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot dead.

Tooting One's Own Horn

I usually take a dim view when I hear (or read)  somebody tooting their own horn, with  an exception.  The exception is me.

Yesterday, I received the below email from Erin Hunt, which I must admit made me feel good and my head swelled up with an inflated ego.  Here is what Ervin had to say:

Hi. I stumbled across your blog, Chicken Fat the other day and I just wanted to say thank you. Phillip Hunt was my grandfather and I never really got a chance to know him before he passed away back in 2007. I never even met his parents. I've heard stories about Hunt's Economy Ice Cream and what we all call "Bubba's house", but I've never been able to do any more than look at the outside of the buildings. I've become very interested in my family history lately and reading through some of your blog posts had provided me with little bits of information about people I love but never knew. I'm extremely grateful for that. Thank you so much.

Erin

No, Thank you Erin for making my day.

AFFORDABLE FRIEND

An ex-coworker of mine quit the Postal Service and started his own business about fifteen years ago.   I talked to his mother-in-law about a year ago and she said his business was doing just fine. The name of his business is AFFORDABLE KITCHEN CABINETS. 

Since then I have seen other businesses with the name AFFORABLE in the name, such as AFFORDABLE PLUMBING, AFFORDABLE LANDSCAPING, and AFFORDABLE this and that, I don't remember them all.

Now, I am thinking of starting my own business and why not use AFFORDABLE in the name?  I think I am going to call my business AFFORDABLE FRIEND.

One time when taking a computer course the instructor told me the night before at the Holiday Inn Lounge he got drunk and had as many good friends as money could buy.   I repeat:  "as money could buy".

I think I am friendly enough, in a quiet way, I smile when I speak a lot of the time, what could you ask more from a good sincere friend.   I can talk about a lot of stuff like historical events, family history,  old times "when things were black and white" (as my son said one time when he was young), and heck, even sports.

I know nothing what so ever about sports. I just never got it into my head to give a hoot about organized sports.   But I learned that people hear what they want to hear from you.  One time I walked into a country store in Union County and the owner's son started right off talking about names I never heard of and sporting events I wasn't even sure of what sport.  Then, I heard the name Vince Dooley then it all made sense.  I was wearing a ball cap with the big G in front.  He was talking about the Georgia Bulldogs and football... and what Vince Dooley was going to do about some guy.  I used cliché'  expressions, like, "Vince can see the whole picture and the tiny details that we can't".  He agreed with me, said he never looked at it like that before.  And some of the  players he mentioned I would smile and nod knowingly  and would say something like "there is a lot that most people don't know about that." 

I'm glad he didn't corner and demand more information on my connections with the University of Georgia.  I would have to confess the only connection I had  that my son went there and I was a big fan of the MAD cartoonist Jack Davis who drew excellent UGA DAWG cartoons for the UGA Booster Club.

I have all I need to start my AFFORDABLE FRIEND Business.  The only thing I don't have which might be an asset is glowing white teeth.

Which brings up another point, if I get a facelift and maybe get rid of my pot belly maybe I can be a TROPHY FRIEND which  I'm sure then I can demand more money.... then, if it comes to that I might not can legally use the word AFFORDABLE - Then what?