YMCA Fall Festival: Liberty County YMCA’s 4th annual Fall Festival was supposed to take place Oct. 25, but bad weather forced rescheduling it to tomorrow from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Events will take place adjacent to the Liberty County Armed Services property at 201 Mary Lou Drive in Hinesville. There will be hayrides, a climbing wall, children’s rides and a costume contest for children, adults and pets. For more information, call 368-9622.
Also, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. tomorrow, the Fleming Fire Department will have barbecue dinners available.
First Saturday at Pojo’s: What started as a chilly morning turned into a great, sunny day. Hundreds of people stopped to shop all the bargains. Five of us set up to sell our stuff. Several people stopped by my table and introduced themselves and told me how much they enjoy my column. Paschal and Judy Brewer stopped by to pick up the plant pots that Jim Wolfe and Sarge Martin donated. I could not believe Paschal’s wife, Judy. I thought Paschal had gotten remarried. She has lost 60 pounds and looks great. I also met Barbara Frankenthaler’s mother and sister. Just talking with people and learning about what makes them tick is part of the fun at a flea market. My baskets, 10 cents each, displayed in two wading pools were a hit. Mom got rid of some of her big items and now we are already busy going through more stuff. Polly and Al host this yard sale every first Saturday of each month. It’s a great way to share your no longer needed items with others and to bond with your friends.
God’s palette: Ride around Liberty County during November and notice all the colors on the roadside and in people’s yards. The dogwoods are turning red, Virginia creeper is turning red, maples are turning red and yellow, the wild grape vines are turning yellow, and anyone with cassia trees are starting to get a big treat. I know of two other cassias in Lake George — besides mine — that are beginning to bloom. What an awesome sight. My collards are looking good and I’m going to plant carrots. I’ve always had good luck with them. The red castor beans in my garden are producing lots of seeds and my garlic plants are about six inches high. I’m starting to plant Virginia creeper in pots and trellis them. They make a beautiful vine and then turn a brilliant red in winter. The sassafras trees are also beginning to turn. But sadly, the redbuds, Confederate roses, empress trees and oak leaf hydrangeas shed all their leaves. I managed to get my pear tree, two loropetalums, two sesbanias, a redbud and oak leaf hydrangeas pruned back and all my swamp daisies cut. Now I’ve got lots of pinecones and sticks to rake and burn. I still need straw for my beds if anyone has some to donate. There are some dainty flowers blooming along Highway 17 that I need to rescue. I gathered a five-gallon bucket of purple basil seed pods and I’m still gathering cypress vine and wild morning glory seeds. The loropetalum actually has seed “nuts,” which I also gathered. I’m still searching the Internet to identify those stinky mushrooms, which continue to spring up in my yard. I successfully transplanted a partridgeberry vine into a pot, so I will do more of them.
Public kept in the dark: One article appeared in the Coastal Courier on Oct. 19, and another appeared in the Savannah Morning News on Oct. 24, telling the public heating bill assistance is available. Both articles clearly stated “beginning Nov. 3, community action agencies will administer all available funds under state contracts, and the homebound and elderly (65 and older) may apply.” Both articles listed toll-free numbers, but there was no mention of contacting Brunswick, which is what I was told to do when I first called. I was given a toll-free number and told I could call after 8:30 a.m. Luckily, I had two private numbers to Brunswick, having gone through this fiasco last year. I called both numbers and left messages. When I didn’t get a return call after a half hour, I called a number I had for Atlanta.
These people running our senior center in Hinesville are definitely not helpful in this situation. They just want you to leave. About an hour later, I began to get phone calls. This was only after my phone call to Atlanta. I observed the lady in the lobby of the senior center calling her friends to tell them about this free help with electric and gas bills. I didn’t think she should be doing that. She made five calls while I sat there. I don’t know how many more she made after I left.
No telling how many seniors in Liberty County qualify for this assistance that never get it, because of a lack of information. I asked the people in charge why they didn’t give the 866 Brunswick number to the Coastal Courier and why they didn’t let people know they had to call in advance of Nov. 3. I was told “it was not their responsibility.” The next time information comes out of Atlanta, I will get the right information published for the public.
Also, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. tomorrow, the Fleming Fire Department will have barbecue dinners available.
First Saturday at Pojo’s: What started as a chilly morning turned into a great, sunny day. Hundreds of people stopped to shop all the bargains. Five of us set up to sell our stuff. Several people stopped by my table and introduced themselves and told me how much they enjoy my column. Paschal and Judy Brewer stopped by to pick up the plant pots that Jim Wolfe and Sarge Martin donated. I could not believe Paschal’s wife, Judy. I thought Paschal had gotten remarried. She has lost 60 pounds and looks great. I also met Barbara Frankenthaler’s mother and sister. Just talking with people and learning about what makes them tick is part of the fun at a flea market. My baskets, 10 cents each, displayed in two wading pools were a hit. Mom got rid of some of her big items and now we are already busy going through more stuff. Polly and Al host this yard sale every first Saturday of each month. It’s a great way to share your no longer needed items with others and to bond with your friends.
God’s palette: Ride around Liberty County during November and notice all the colors on the roadside and in people’s yards. The dogwoods are turning red, Virginia creeper is turning red, maples are turning red and yellow, the wild grape vines are turning yellow, and anyone with cassia trees are starting to get a big treat. I know of two other cassias in Lake George — besides mine — that are beginning to bloom. What an awesome sight. My collards are looking good and I’m going to plant carrots. I’ve always had good luck with them. The red castor beans in my garden are producing lots of seeds and my garlic plants are about six inches high. I’m starting to plant Virginia creeper in pots and trellis them. They make a beautiful vine and then turn a brilliant red in winter. The sassafras trees are also beginning to turn. But sadly, the redbuds, Confederate roses, empress trees and oak leaf hydrangeas shed all their leaves. I managed to get my pear tree, two loropetalums, two sesbanias, a redbud and oak leaf hydrangeas pruned back and all my swamp daisies cut. Now I’ve got lots of pinecones and sticks to rake and burn. I still need straw for my beds if anyone has some to donate. There are some dainty flowers blooming along Highway 17 that I need to rescue. I gathered a five-gallon bucket of purple basil seed pods and I’m still gathering cypress vine and wild morning glory seeds. The loropetalum actually has seed “nuts,” which I also gathered. I’m still searching the Internet to identify those stinky mushrooms, which continue to spring up in my yard. I successfully transplanted a partridgeberry vine into a pot, so I will do more of them.
Public kept in the dark: One article appeared in the Coastal Courier on Oct. 19, and another appeared in the Savannah Morning News on Oct. 24, telling the public heating bill assistance is available. Both articles clearly stated “beginning Nov. 3, community action agencies will administer all available funds under state contracts, and the homebound and elderly (65 and older) may apply.” Both articles listed toll-free numbers, but there was no mention of contacting Brunswick, which is what I was told to do when I first called. I was given a toll-free number and told I could call after 8:30 a.m. Luckily, I had two private numbers to Brunswick, having gone through this fiasco last year. I called both numbers and left messages. When I didn’t get a return call after a half hour, I called a number I had for Atlanta.
These people running our senior center in Hinesville are definitely not helpful in this situation. They just want you to leave. About an hour later, I began to get phone calls. This was only after my phone call to Atlanta. I observed the lady in the lobby of the senior center calling her friends to tell them about this free help with electric and gas bills. I didn’t think she should be doing that. She made five calls while I sat there. I don’t know how many more she made after I left.
No telling how many seniors in Liberty County qualify for this assistance that never get it, because of a lack of information. I asked the people in charge why they didn’t give the 866 Brunswick number to the Coastal Courier and why they didn’t let people know they had to call in advance of Nov. 3. I was told “it was not their responsibility.” The next time information comes out of Atlanta, I will get the right information published for the public.