Independence Day

Celebratory floral display at our parting breakfast buffet.  CWAC 2009 could not have been more fun.

Currently The Birth of Black America: The First African Americans and the Pursuit of Freedom at Jamestown By Tim Hashaw see related

2 Days That Ruined Your Healthcare

Tonight ABC will broadcast an infomercial addressing the President's plan on healthcare.  I'll be chiming in and commiserating with friends at Cindy's blog.  Before hand though I just want to recommend a good book and give a little example.

Dr Waters wrote 2 Days That Ruined Your Healthcare last year before the election in order to address the political candidates' positions on healthcare.  It is an easy-to-read, well-documented presentation of the state of affairs of medicine and health insurance.  I highly recommend it.

In the afterward he aptly recommends that we get in sync with the laws of nature. He's referring to the genius of inventors who solve problems successfully.  Dr Waters wishes that our legislators would take into account the laws of human nature when proposing solutions.  In short, nowadays because the patient is so far removed from the dollars associated with the medical care he's receiving, there is little or no accountability in the transaction.

My supporting example comes from a family story.  Here's the link to my grandfather's association with the *discovery* of penicillin.  And in case you dont have time to read the entire newspaper article or overlook what I'm talking about, here are the few sentences.  Please dont take this out of context.

The father said, "I have used it many times before, and it worked." I asked him why he didn’t give it to his children this time. "Because I have hospital insurance," he replied.

It appears that since the parent didnt have to pay for visit (medical evaluation) that's the main reason he decided to take his children to the hospital.  I'm suggesting that even in the 1920s, people tended to (over)use care even when it might not have been medically necessary.  Human nature...

There are a plethora of articles commenting on healthcare reform. They're some especially good ones over at The American Spectator (Betsy McCaughey & JT Young) and John Goodman's heathcare blog.  Take the time to inform yourself and tailor your actions to suit your family's situation.  In other words, take responsibility and take control.

That's the secret to understanding ABC's infomercial.

PS  Dont trust the rhetoric in political pitches.  Hillary Clinton's actual written proposal did not match what she proposed to Congress in 1993 (pg 63)

Currently TWO DAYS That Ruined Your Health Care By William Carter Waters see related

Pine Log Mountain Trail

Early on Saturday (well, 9amish) we set out for our hike.  The challenge for this weekend's jaunt was the weather.  My favorite meteorologist forecasted a high of 97 degrees, with the thermometer hitting 93 by 11 o'clock.  So, even though we were walking through a shady forest, it was hot, humid, and buggy.

Pine Log Mountain at 2260 feet is the second highest *peak* in Cherokee County and is shared by neighboring Bartow County.  There used to be a well-known town at the site where we were walking, but all we saw was an abandoned quarry.  There was no obvious sign of the former Indian village mentioned in some of the descriptions.

The trail features a 4.5 mile compacted soil path crossing seven rustic footbridges over Pine Log Creek. From two overlooks, hikers can view Pine Log Mountain - one of the highest elevations in Bartow County's Appalachian foothills - and the site of the Pine Log Cherokee Indian Village. The trail system includes two loops east and west and is rated moderate to difficult with rugged terrain. The eastern loop takes hikers by an early CCC quarry pond for picturesque views. Pine Log Creek Trail is open daylight to dusk to hikers only - no motorized vehicles, horses or bicycles. Hunting and fishing is strictly prohibited. As with any trail system, please do not disturb, cut or remove the natural habitat and do not litter.

We finished in *record* time beating the 3 hours suggested by the webpage by forty minutes.  Both of us agreed that we'd like to return to this trail.  Here's a link to the map.

You can see the 7 *rustic* footbridges in my Facebook photo album.

Currently 50 Hikes in the North Georgia Mountains: Walks, Hikes and Backpacking Trips from Lookout Mountain to the Blue Ridge to the Chattooga River By Johnny Molloy see related

Sitton Gulch Hike

Gulch = a deep, narrow ravine, especially one marking the course of a stream or torrent.  

Lately my Saturdays have been spent day-hiking and I've chalked up a few miles, while trying to maintain some semblance of fitness.  This past weekend's trail tested my endurance. But I'm intrigued enough by the challenge to set my sight on walking Sitton Gulch again.... maybe even soon.

The short story is I walked 8.5 miles in about four hours time.  I think I needed a slower pace than that established by the 28 yr old ranger.  Thankfully, there were two other 50+ yr old women in the small group of eight.  We kept up until the last leg - that is, the last 600 of the 1200 stairs to be climbed out of the canyon.  In my stupor, I lost my walking stick.  Other than that, I'm tickled with the accomplishment.

Here's the description of the hike clipped from the State Park's website:

I failed to include in my calculations the two miles of the Waterfall Trail when I was mentally gearing up for this hike.  I read that the Overlook starting point is at 1800 feet above sea level and that the bottom is at 900, but there's nothing like walking each and every step of the way to help you learn how to read a topographical map. 

This visit was my third to Cloudland Canyon this Spring.  The first was on a whim and I was fortunate enough to hook up with a Wildflower Hike that day.  A few weeks later I returned with a friend, and we walked the West Rim Trail, 5 miles long.  Plus the Waterfall Trail (2 miles). 

I've taken a few pictures along the way and have a couple of Facebook albums to document my miles.  Look at mine, if you get a chance, but dont miss these at the Southern Hiker's website.

Next week's plans?   I think I'll ride a bike.... on a flat, paved trail.  

The Help

Skeeter, the main character/narrator of The Help, currently on the NYTimes Bestseller list for Hardcover Fiction, is older than I am.  She had finished college by the early 1960s and I was just 3-5 yrs old.  I guess that accounts for the difference in perspectives on race relations and segregation in the South.

We had help in my family, too.  Six children born in six and one half years warrants help.  And, I remember them all so well - Nina, Mary Frances, Catherine, and Delores.  Mary Frances stands out the most because she was my Abilene, the *mammy* for one of the families featured in this touching characterization of the intertwined lives of Mississippi blacks and whites.

Author Kathryn Stockett currently lives in my home town of Atlanta and leaves the reader with much to contemplate.  I especially appreciate her afterward in which she quoted Howell Raines's Pulitzer Prize-winning article, "Grady's Gift":

There is no trickier subject for a writer from the South than that of affection between a black person and a white one in the unequal world of segregation.

Some parts of the story are very trite, overly dramatic, and despicable.  I dogeared the book hoping to remember lots of things to talk about in my review.  The whites are not ones with whom I would have ever circulated.  The maids tend to have more admirable characteristics.  However, I deplore the fact that race relations drives the story because I think these types of situations continue to exist throughout the world, despite the US Civil Rights movement and legislation to combat discrimination. 

Allow me to leave you with The Rules;  that is, the seven cardinal commands for working as a maid, taught to 14 yr old Minny by her mother before she sent her out to her first family.

1)  Keep your nose out of your White Lady's problems.
2)  Dont ever let your White Lady catch you sitting on her toilet.
3)  Use a different spoon for tasting when cooking for your White Family.
4)  Keep your utensils and dinner plate in a separate cupboard.
5)  Eat in the kitchen (not at the same table as your White Family.) 
6)  Dont spank your White Lady's children.
7)  No sass-mouthing.

Those didnt apply in our home.

Addendum:

It is interesting to note that the first black performer to win an Academy Award was Hattie McDaniel, for her role as *Mammy* in the 1939 film, Gone With The Wind.  She's my favorite character in that movie.  Hattie would have been 114 years old this past Wednesday, June 10th.

This book, Mammy:  A Century of Race, Gender, and Southern Memory, sounds interesting.

Currently The Help By Kathryn Stockett see related