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

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)

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.

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.  

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 dog-eared 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.

FWIW - 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.

Added 6/3/2010: Walter William's fine article explanation of *discrimination* and how the Civil Rights Act may not have accomplished justice.

http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/wew/articles/10/TheRightToDiscriminate.htm

National Trails Day celebrations abounded on Saturday and there were a plethora of day hikes to be explored.  I chose Panola Mountain because for three reasons:  1) it was closest to home, but still an hour away, 2) I'd never been there before, and 3) a guide was leading us through the restricted preservation area.

Panola Mountain is the GA State Park closest to the Department of Natural Resources and quickly seems to be coming the model state park.  There are more activities listed on the web page than most others and I'm planning to go back and take advantage of at least two - the bike trail and the another foot hike to the top of the mountain.  This time we just walked around it

Additionally, nearby is Arabia Mountain.  I need to go there, too, so that I can cross it off *the list* found in 60 Hikes Within 60 miles of Atlanta.

Most of my pictures are in an album on Facebook - flora, fauna, and merriweather

Here's a link to a pretty thistle.

Saturday's day hike was short - only two hours - but it was a delightful meander through one of the many trails (16) in the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area.  This photo shows the beginning of being enveloped in green, also described by blogging buddy, Cindy.  Aside from the beautiful vistas along the river, we encountered scads of poke salat, a gaggle of geese, and a scarlet tanager. 

I grew up on the river and played in and around it as a youngster.  In addition to canoeing, tubing, and wading, I watched the water rise up our backyard and into the house - on three separate occasions - all about ten years apart.  The last was 1990 and was the worst, buckling hardwood floors like I never could have imagined.

Water, rivers, creeks, dams play an important role in family life. 

Which one is in your neck of the woods?

This past Saturday was a cloudy day with a strong chance for rain, but DD#4 and I ignored the weatherman and set out for a long explore in the woods.  After parking and checking in at the Lake Allatoona Visitor's Center, we picked up a few maps and started our hike.

Here's a bridge on the Laurel Ridge Trail, a moderate-to-strenuous, one-mile walk through some beautiful woods. 

I highly recommend this short trail for the abundance of mountain laurel and the 32 signs identifying the wide variety of flora and fauna growing on the ridge, which overlooks the Etowah River Valley.  I believe the white bell-like flowers below are the moutain laurel blossom before it opens up.

At the end of Laurel Ridge, we picked up the Cooper Furnace Trail (one mile-easy)  which follows the route of a 19th century mining railroad, and ends at the site of the restored furnace.   We investigated the nearby picnic areas for future family gatherings and headed back to the car.

This last photo shows the vista from the top of these trails down to the river bed.  In the lower center of the photo, you can catch of glimpse of the furnace, which I highlighted in my Memorial Day entry, with the Etowah River in the distance.

I think I've figured out why I so much enjoy these types of day-hikes..... not only am I exercising my body and building muscle, but I'm also stretching my mind and learning the history and science of my world (aka neck of the woods).

PS  Here's a link to part two of Saturday's adventure.

PPS - Thankfully, the rain held off until late in the day, when we were finally at home, after five o'clock.

Cooper's Furnace, Cartersville (aka Cassville/Etowah) GA was destroyed 145 years ago this month - May 22nd to be exact and I was there on May 23rd, Saturday, viewing the remains.  In 1864, Sherman was on his March to the Sea, burning every thing in site, especially this valuable furnace from the Etowah Iron Works.  This piece of history is a mere 20-minute drive from my home.

While Confederate soldiers may not be the ones that most are remembering today, I am.  Because they fought for precious principles that continue to be eroded by Big Government.  I am also highlighting my nephew today.  He's serving US in Iraq.

Whom are you remembering today?

Slaves Picking and Ginning Cotton                                             by George Beattie
4 x 7 feet wall mural                                                                      1956

This mural is one of eight original paintings that were commissioned to create a visual timeline of agriculture in Georgia.  The series was commissioned around 1956 for the newly constructed Department of Agriculture Building and were painted by an artist acquaintance of mine, George Beattie, 1919 - 1925.  He was the executive director of the Georgia Council for the Arts from 1967 to 1975.  But I know of him because he lived next door to my godmother and used to paint in her basement.

On my next ramble through downtown Atlanta, I plan to make a point of viewing these murals.  At the moment some are upset with the depiction of slavery in the painting.  Others think it would be a major oversight to omit slavery's contribution to agricultural affairs in Georgia.  Here's a link to a recent AJC article.

The whole idea of murals and history reminds me of Thomas Hart Benson whose work I saw when I was in Kansas City a couple of years ago.  Their Nelson-Atkins Museum  houses the largest collection of his work.  Furthermore, the WWI museum there is replete with historical paintings and should not be missed.

Painting has always had historical purposes.  That fact alone trumps much of the melange produced these days.  And it makes supporting the public display of these murals all the more important.