On the beaten path

The last time I was here, (last fall?) the weather was divine. Today? Not so much. Foggy and chilly and rainy. Rained all the way up from home.
Still, I donned my hiking clothes and struck out a few hours ago. My old "waterproof" Patagonia jacket covered me up well, but is drying next to my room heater, along with my soaked socks and soaked pants. I told my husband he married a crazy woman. But he knew that going in.
"On the Beaten Path" is also the name of a new book I bought today, about the Appalachian Trail, naturally. It's by a '97 thru-hiker named Robert Alden Rubin.
The AT approach trail is quite close to where I'm staying. Yet, some parts of it today more closely resembled a stream.
Also close by: the Len Foote Hike Inn where I've also stayed. It's a pretty easy trail of about 5 miles; and you're supposed to honor your reservation, regardless of the weather. Yet some guys who struck out turned up this afternoon back at the Amicalola Visitors Center. Said they wanted a refund because of the weather. I wanted to tell them: Dudes, first of all, wear something other than blue jeans.

Running away from home

Tomorrow I'm running away from home for a few days.
The first stop is here.
If you see Michael around town, be nice to him. He has cat-sitting duty for the next few days. (Or, likely, Bisquick will be sitting on him.)
Cheers.

Check out Bell's Blog

John Bell ("the Rev. Dr." to be exact) until fairly recently was a pastor of a church here. Now he lives in Denver. He recently started a blog and I must say I like it. A lot. Many blogs seem to be mere extensions of people's status updates from Facebook or Twitter. It's all about them. But John seems to balance news of the day/theological issues/news of himself well. ...
I especially commend the one about Bonhoeffer and the one about "The Shack."
Enjoy.

Rural medical practice pays off

Just read a good story on a few doctors who practice medicine in and around Panguitch, Utah.
The conditions they treat can vary somewhat, due to the tourist influx; but I applaud them for what they're doing. Too many places in the U.S. have a doctor shortage, whereas other cities (namely the metros) have a glut.
Read the whole thing here.

Morons march on Washington State

From the Onion, which is always good for a good laugh

Keillor: Sex, youth and the long view

From the Oct. 20 column on Salon.com, Garrison Keillor waxes philosophic about the advantage of hanging out with young people. Even in a recession, they don't seem to have a care in the world. Bless their hearts.
Enjoy.

SELF names healthiest places for women

SELF, a national women’s well-being magazine, announces Burlington, Vt., as the nation’s healthiest city in the 10th annual Healthiest Places For Women survey. The results will be in the November issue.
Analyzing the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, SELF’s examination is the most comprehensive of its kind. Distinguished for its broad scope of research criteria, more than 8,000 bits of data were evaluated to determine each city’s level of healthy living.
SELF polled experts to find out which factors most affect a woman’s ability to live her healthiest. Then a list was compiled of 50 criteria, including rates of diseases such as cancer and depression; factors that affect access to health care: the number of doctors per capita and the percentage of each area’s population covered by insurance; environmental and community measures: air quality, crime rates and unemployment statistics; and habits such as exercise, diet and smoking.
To read it all, click here.

Pricing out the kids

Great (yet depressing) column by Bob Herbert of the Times.
I mean, come on, $800,000 for season tickets for a family of four?
It's true, building new schools and hospitals isn't as sexy as flashy new stadiums. But in the long run, they're far more valuable.

Eat and drink pink: Breast cancer awareness

It's breast cancer awareness month, and this blogger from Health magazine offers tips on prevention. Am thinking of this topic this morning because a) I have a friend who just had a biopsy and b) some other friends are riding in the Tour de Pink today in Atlanta. Go, Team Lukestrong!

'I wouldn't mind doing it again but my body would disagree'

Love this line from Furman Bisher's last column. He retired the other day from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, after 59 years. Imagine that kind of a run. I can't, and certainly not in the business he was in. (Which happens to be the same one I'm in.)
He covered it all, and then some.
As he closed: Selah.

Khalil Gibran poem: Timeless

" ... But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love;
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though the quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together;
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow."
-- Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese-American artist, poet and writer (1883-1931)

My mother read this aloud at an engagement party for us in 2003. Quite moving, don't you think?
After she read it, Michael said: "Yeah, but can she still move in with me?"
Not sure why this is on my mind today; but it is.

Lowder story gets louder

A compelling story about one Bobby Lowder of nearby Auburn, Ala. A longtime trustee of Auburn, Lowder's former bank (formerly named Colonial) took one of the biggest nosedives of the year.
And, like many things in the Deep South, this story is tangled up with sports.

Tour de Pink raises money for breast cancer

My friend Kay Denes and team members from Columbus are riding next weekend in an event called the Tour de Pink in Atlanta. It's a bike ride of varying mileage to raise awareness of breast cancer, especially among young women.
Their team is called "Lukestrong," because they represent St. Luke United Methodist Church.
Consider a donation and click here.

Bra man on a mission

This is such a cool story. Of course you might think he's a weirdo (and he's aware people would say that sort of thing); but if you see a need, you fill it.
So to speak.
Good going, bra man!

Clearing up the Death Panels

You gotta love the Onion. Or maybe you don't. But
this is pretty hilarious.

Three Americans share Nobel

Three Americans--two women and a man--share the Nobel Prize in Medicine this year.
Interestingly, one of the women trained under the other at Yale.
Read the story here.

Last course for Gourmet

Sad times. Gourmet magazine, in print for about 70 years, is going the way of the Edsel. Declining ad sales are to blame. We at the newspaper know that pain; and it's ironic that I'm sharing this news on a newspaper-owned blog.
Such are the times.
Otherwise, hope you're having a great Monday.

God bless our animals

"If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men."
-- St. Francis of Assisi

These photos are from our annual Blessing of the Animals service at church. Our "God-dog" (in photo with us) is Glory. Glory belongs to our priest Doug and his wife Kaye.

Rest In Peace, Jan Conner

Chances are you've never heard of this woman. But you may know of her daughter, Jill Conner Browne (in photo), aka The Sweet Potato Queen. Jill and sister Judy wrote this hilarious obit on the occasion of their mother's recent death. A fan of well-written obits, I daresay this one doesn't disappoint.
Jill Conner Browne was in our area about 18 months ago for a booksigning, in what turned out to be the Coldest Day of the Year.

Rick Bragg still shoutin'

Came home from dinner with friends to do a little research, because Rick Bragg's name came up in conversation. I'd "lost track" of him after his resignation some six years ago from the New York Times.
Here's one of the latest somethings I found on him. Story says he's teaching at the University of Alabama.
"All Over But the Shoutin'" is one of my favorite books, ever.