Thanks and Happy New Year!

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to those of you who read this “pathetic” blog. I greatly appreciate the encouragement from so many of you when I see you out and about here in town. I also appreciate all of you who take the time to not only read, but to respond. Even those of you who disagree with me. Heck…ESPECIALLY those of you who disagree with me. That’s what makes things interesting.

Anyway, not that anyone cares, but in the coming year I hope to write about more diverse topics, like I did earlier this year as well as have some regular entries by several other people including some of the regulars who post comments here. I really would like to cover a broader array of people and events from the River Region, so if you have any ideas you’d like to share with me about how we can broaden and improve our little place in the blogosphere just let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

Just FYI…
Since the inception of this blog back in April, there have been a little more than 40,000 page views with readers hailing from Arkansas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Washington, Texas, California, Tennessee and of course, good ol’ Alabama among others. Thanks to all of you for making this so much fun! Please keep reading and responding!

Hope 2010 holds many blessings in store for all of you!

1

GOOD NEWS!!!

Luke 2

 1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
 2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
 3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
 5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
 6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
 7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
 8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
 15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
 16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
 17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
 18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
 19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

0

Newspaper Links on the Latest Wetumpka City Council Meeting

Today’s Wetumpka Herald has an excellent account of the latest Wetumpka City Council meeting and how the council eliminated Christmas bonuses for city employees this year. Click here to read David Goodwin’s story.

The Montgomery Advertiser also has a story today on the meeting that focuses on the controversy surrounding the laying of sod at the new ballpark and whether or not Carter Sod Farms can be paid for all of the sod that was laid. Click the link below for that story.

Council Eliminates Christmas Bonuses

Wetumpka Council Discusses How to Resolve Sod Issue

16

Should Redland Incorporate?

Since some of the comments on my last entry on the latest Wetumpka city council meeting brought up the possibility of the Redland Community incorporating, I thought it might be interesting to see what some of you think. So, what do you think?

Should Redland remain as it is now, an unincorporated community? Should they seek to become a city? Should they be annexed into the city of Wetumpka? What are the benefits/liabilities of any of these choices?

I don’t suppose I really have an opinion yet. Maybe I can form one based on some of your input, provided there is any input. The last Redland resident to comment here said this was a “pathetic blog” which may mean nobody who cares even reads it. I hope I’m wrong.

2

If You Want to Lose Weight and Get Fit, This is a Must Read!


Jeanne Dulaney, Founder 
Ignite! LLC
…Life Adventures for Women

I thought I might hijack my running buddy’s blog today to talk about some running things. You see, Thad is a typical runner… “Just Do It.” Grab a pair of shoes, hit the road and run a triathlon. Easy, right? Fun? Of course! Go ahead, get out there…
Well, for lots of us, not so much…
When I started running at age 48, it was a deliberate decision on my part that I would MAKE it work. I had a lot of weight to lose and not a lot of time for exercise and walking wasn’t going to do it. I needed something with a higher calorie burn, and I figured I’d try one more time to become a runner.
You see, I’d tried many times before, always with the same results – try it 2 or 3 times and fail. This time it was different. I was in Wetumpka for the weekend to buy a house (the one I live in now), and it was the day to try. The odd thing was, it was also the day to figure out the secret. I did it. Stayed the course. Kept running.
Five years later, I’m still running. Running 5k’s, 10k’s, half marathons, and now I’m signed up for a marathon. What’s more, I’ve become a running coach, sharing what I learned the hard way with Wetumpka (and Montgomery, Prattville, Millbrook and Elmore) women who want to run.
Lots of women talk to me about running. And a lot of them say “I can’t run.” And then add:
“I don’t enjoy it.” Usually from women who’ve tried keeping up with a spouse or running friend who thinks it’s “just do it.” Try running with a group of NON-runners and succeeding together. And laughing together. And talking your way through till you CAN run a 5k.
“It hurts my (pick one) feet, knees, hips, low back.” Uh huh – it can, if you don’t know the secrets to running pain- and injury-free. Most of you just need someone to show you how (yes, there are real problems. Most people don’t have one that prevents them from learning to run).
“I can’t even run a mile.” Yep. And you’re not a teenage boy who can just pick up any old sport and do it. There’s a right way and a wrong way to start. And to try and run a mile on the first day is definitely a wrong way!
“I can’t breathe when I run.” I know what you’re doing. Been there, done that. Now, I know a better way to start running and keep breathing.
“I (bike, do the elliptical machine, swim), but I just can’t run.” Did you try and swim ¼ mile the first day you jumped in the water? Of course not! Lance Armstrong called his first marathon “the hardest physical thing I’ve ever done.” He learned that you can’t just transfer from one sport to another and expect to perform at the same level.
“I don’t know how.” Well, yes, and that’s why I’m teaching running. Most of us don’t know how to start.
I’m starting another class next week. Monday, 6:30 PM. Rumbling Waters Health Club. Downtown Wetumpka. Come LEARN to run with me! You won’t regret it.
For more information, go to Ignite! Life Adventures for Women
0

Did Someone Watch Zombieland Before Work?

I was just listening to the radio as I was getting ready for work. The news person mentioned that one of the DC snipers was put to death last night. John Allen Muhammad was executed by lethal injection last night in Virginia while relatives of the victims looked on. Here is the last line of the story…

“Prison officials say they’ll hold the body for a few days to make sure he is dead.”

What?

I’m no doctor. In fact, I haven’t even stayed at a Holiday Inn Express since 1997. But with modern medical technology isn’t there a better way to tell if someone is actually dead or not than holding them for a few days to make sure? What is the guy going to do, stand up and say, “HAHA! GOTCHA!”

Then what do you do if he is not dead? Does the whole double-jeopardy thing apply to this situation? If he somehow wakes up do we get to execute him again or does someone say, “Darn. We need to be sure to up the dosage of potassium chloride next time we do this.”

Maybe I’m just an uneducated bumpkin, but it seems to me that prison personnel should be able to tell if someone is dead or not. As usual, I could be wrong. Some of you medical folks fill me in on this. Please.

2

What Happened to Halloween?

In actuality, evil may be a bit of an overstatement. I don’t suppose I’ve run into anyone who thinks that Halloween is completely evil and that those who trick-or-treat or attend a Halloween party are engaging in some sort of sugar-induced Satan worshiping. What I have seen in the years since I last trick-or-treated, somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty years or so ago, is a dramatic increase in the number of families who don’t take part in any Halloween festivities at all. I’ve heard several explanations from these families, some in person and some that I may have seen on the news or read about in the paper, as to why this is the case. Though there are many, they all seem to share a common theme that goes back to that particular family’s religious beliefs.

Make no mistake, if that is your conviction then you are doing the right thing by standing firm in that conviction. In a society where conviction of any sort seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur, that is a refreshing change. So, kudos to you! My question is simply this: What has changed so much over the years that has made Halloween taboo for so many?

As a child, Halloween was a day I looked forward to with great anticipation every year. I started the process of choosing a costume several weeks, if not months, in advance! I remember being Superman(I loved that cape), some sort of monster with a green head, a mummy, a vampire, and a cowboy among many others. The churches I grew up in, in which my old-school, conservative, traditional, Bible preaching, teaching, and believing father was the pastor, even had Halloween parties for the children of the church. The kids(and lots of the adults) would dress up in the costume of their choice and there would be games, a costume contest, and lots of goodies. In one church, our Samford University educated minister of music and youth actually had the youth group sponsor a haunted house to help raise money! It was SCARY! Granted, this was 1979 and maybe he just hadn’t yet been enlightened yet.

Out of all of my friends that I grew up with and spent many a Halloween trolling for candy and seeing who could put together the scariest costume, I can’t think of a single one who became a devil worshiper or joined a cult. I’m not saying that it hasn’t happened. I’m just saying I don’t know about it if it has.

As I said before, if that’s your conviction then I think that’s great and you will get no argument from me telling me that you are wrong. I am just curious to hear from some of you who might feel differently than me about Halloween. Maybe you can fill me in on something I’ve missed. I don’t want to wake up one day and find that I’ve shaved my head and joined the Moonies because I celebrated Halloween. Help me out.

4

The Sound

I love roller coasters. Let me rephrase that…I love roller coasters except for the initial climb up the first big hill. Heights and I have never gotten along terribly well which I suppose might make it odd that I love roller coasters so much. Nevertheless, several years ago Gigi and I spent a few days in Tampa and with Tampa being home to Busch Gardens, we decided it would be fun to spend the day there.

Among many great rides and roller coasters there, they have a coaster called Montu. It is one of the tallest, longest inverted coasters in the world and we couldn’t wait to ride it. You can see in the picture above that it seats four passengers in each row. Your feet dangle in mid-air and your arms and upper body are largely immobilized due to the “thing” that comes down over your head and torso to keep you from flying off into the giraffe habitat or something. I always say these types of coasters, when I am strapped in, make me feel like a Tyrannosaurus Rex because the only part of my arms that can actually move are my wrists, thus giving me the feeling that I have really short arms, much like a T-Rex did. This will come into play in a moment.
We stood in line and when it came our turn to board, we found ourselves riding with two young men who appeared to be in their early to mid-twenties. The two of them boarded first, followed by Gigi, and then me. Remember that Gigi is seated between me and one of the young men. This will also figure into the story in a moment.
The ride starts and we make our way up the dreaded first hill. As we near the top, my acrophobia begins to give way to excitement. We finally top it and begin our descent into incredible thrills as we make our way through seven “insane inversions” as they are referred to on the Busch Gardens website. On just about any coaster there will be much screaming and gnashing of teeth. This ride certainly fit the bill. Gigi and I were yelling with excitement as were the two young men we were sharing this ride with.
That’s when I heard it. The sound. A sound which still haunts me to this day. Somewhere around insane inversion number three the guy sitting next to Gigi, in the middle of a scream of pure, unadulterated joy, made a sound that can’t be written with mere letters on a keyboard. The best way I can describe it is that it is akin to the noise you’d make if you ran through a cloud of gnats and sucked about 10 of them down your throat. A sort of half-choking, half-trying to expel something from your esophagus sound. It’s unmistakable and one of the last places from which you want to hear that sound emanate is the guy sitting next to your wife on the Montu. Trust me on this one.
Before you get ahead of me, it wasn’t the dreaded sound of regurgitation, thankfully. However, for someone like me, it might as well have been. Gigi would say after the ride was over that she saw it as it virtually weightlessly floated in front of her face toward me. I would not be so lucky. The “it” being referred to here was, for lack of a better term, a hunk of saliva. A gravity defying, slow moving projectile made of, well, spit. This projectile which harmlessly floated across Gigi would find a temporary home just below my left eye.
If you’ve ever been spit upon, either accidentally or on purpose, even if it’s only a tiny drop during an innocent conversation, you know that the brain immediately signals the hand to remove the offending foreign DNA sample as quickly as possible. My brain sent this signal out posthaste and my hand sprang into action. It was at that point that I realized that my tiny, little T-Rex arms could not reach my face. In fact, no combination of neck-stretching, hand/wrist distorting movements could remove this vileness from my cheek. I can only tell you that the the first two or three insane inversions on the Montu were exciting. The rest of them turned out to be quite disgusting as best I remember.
I spent the better part of three minutes, which is 7 hours in spit years, on a roller coaster with a stranger’s expectoration hitching a ride on my face. In my world, sinks rank only slightly higher than toilets in the hierarchy of the various fixtures found in public restrooms. I can’t even begin to imagine what takes place in and around a sink in the average public restroom. But as I disembarked from Montu and practically sprinted for the nearest bathroom, that sink was an oasis of anti-bacterial soap and hot water as I buried my face in it.

If I’ve been on a coaster of that sort since that fateful day, I don’t remember it. I’ve heard that sometimes our mind blocks out particularly difficult or distressing things that may have occurred in our past. Maybe that explains my uncertainty. I can tell you this much, though: If I ever do have occasion to ride such a coaster again, it will not be without a hazmat suit. What listing would those be under on Ebay?

1

Great Concert This Week in Wetumpka!!!

If you have been paying attention, you probably noticed the countdown clock over on the right side of this page. If you are a fan of Christian music, or just good music in general, you’re going to want to make sure and be at the Wetumpka Performing Arts Center this Sunday night at 7:30.

The Robbie Seay Band, Bethany Dillon, and Caleb will be in concert right here in Wetumpka, bringing their nationwide Songs of Hope Tour to our fair city! For us to have a concert of this magnitude right here at home is huge!

If you are a Christian music fan, you’re probably familiar with RSB and Bethany Dillon. You may not have heard of Caleb yet but I guarantee you that you will soon! Caleb consists of Caleb and Will Chapman who happen to be the sons of one of Christian music’s icons, Steven Curtis Chapman. I promise you that you won’t want to miss this opportunity to see these incredibly talented artists.

Tickets are only $10.00 and you can buy them at Bridgeway Wireless on Main Street in Wetumpka or by calling Trey Caton at 334-514-8739. Better get them now as there aren’t many left!

Go here for more information: Songs of Hope Tour

0

Don Whorton, 1944 – 2009

I don’t specifically recall the first time I met Don Whorton. I was in my late teens and had already become very interested in all things political. I’m sure I listened to Rush Limbaugh frequently and I was a registered Republican. Don’s future(at the time)son-in-law, Ricky Roberts, and I would occasionally talk politics and Don never missed an opportunity to take a little jab at me for being a Republican. In fact, I’m certain that from the time he figured out that I was a Republican, he never called me by my name again. For the last twenty years or so he referred to me exclusively as George. As in George H.W. Bush, the Republican president at the time I met Don. I can’t begin to count the number of times he said to me, “One day I’m gonna’ take you to Washington and show you what it’s all about!” This was, of course, before he ran for and was elected to the Elmore County Commission as a Republican.

Don was never one to shy away from politics. Unlike many politicians, though, I believe that Don sought public office because he genuinely wanted to make life better for those he served. I think he succeeded. There were times when it was a bumpy ride but that is to be expected in politics. Good times or tough, he conducted himself, both personally and professionally, in a manner that all public servants should. In a way that his constituents could be proud of. He never came across as self-important or arrogant. He came across as a regular guy who cared about the issues that the citizens of Elmore County faced and wanted to help them deal with those issues. He came across that way because that is what he was, a regular guy. A humble dairy farmer with a servant’s heart. We should all aspire to reach such lofty heights by way of humility. It wasn’t always easy on him and his family, but he always persevered and did what he believed to be the right thing.

Don passed away this morning after a long illness and my prayers and thoughts are with his family, who are among my dearest friends. To Janice, Carol, and Beth, I would say simply this: Take comfort in the fact that your husband and father was a good, upright man and Elmore County is a better place because he chose to live, serve, and raise his family here. I am proud not only to have called him my commissioner, but my friend as well. He will be greatly missed.

2

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑