Free-For-All Friday 3/27/15

Feel free to use this post to ask questions and make comments about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.

158 thoughts on “Free-For-All Friday 3/27/15”


  2. This weekend at DHHS, our local dance company, Decatur City Dance, presents Let’s Tap! Love Broadway? Tap Dancing? This is your show! Kids are welcome. Shows are this Saturday, March 28 at 6:00 and Sunday, March 29 at 2:00. Tickets are $15.00 at the door. Credit cards accepted!

  4. Big Kroger has become too big to be Big Kroger… or even Mega Kroger. It is now Giga Kroger.

      1. Two separate zip codes – one for the organic, the other for the hormone stew variety – 75 or 80 feet apart.

        1. Nitpicking here, but the Kroger brand milk is rBST free (it is not organic though)

      2. There is a small cooler in the front of the store with milk in it. At least there was last time I was in the Mega Kroger.

    2. I’m just gonna ride my bike through the doors and do my shopping. This Kroger has bike lanes in the aisles, right? The Kroger in Sugar Hill has HOV lanes, but they are barely used.

    3. Often when I visit other parts of the country I wish we had better grocery options. When I was in Texas, there’s HEB, and in NY there’s Wegmans. Both were just solid stores that don’t do loyalty cards, have really wide selections and (to me this matters) generally pleasant stores. Kroger games things with the loyalty cards, and the people working there often seem just generally sullen. Publix is better (no loyalty cards, generally nicer employees) but still not nearly as nice as a typical Wegman’s.

      1. “Kroger games things with the loyalty cards”

        How so? I have come to find the loyalty cards useful. Just this week I was notified of a product recall by Kroger, thanks to my info being linked to the card. Had purchased the product the day before and probably would have had it for lunch if not for the notification. I also like the coupons I get in the mail that are targeted at what I actually buy.

      2. “people working there often seem just generally sullen”

        Have to disagree on this point. I find most of the employees at the Big Kroger are more friendly than most of the stores we shop in (with TJ’s being the exception).

        And I have also appreciated their great attitude during this very challenging construction period. They have been dealing with an ever changing store layout, all the while continuing to say “hello” or ask me if I needed help. Kuddos to that staff, in my opinion.

      4. The employees at Kosher Kroger in Toco Hills are more pleasant and helpful than those in any Publix I have ever shopped at.

      1. “Is this that Kroger Street Market everyone keeps talking about?”

        And can you get some of those dumplings made by that fella Gus?

        1. You win. My hat is off. Genuine, uncontrollable belly laugh for that one! But you have to admit you had a pretty good setup with “Kroger Street Market.”

          1. Yep, the perfect set-up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have tried a joke based on a missed apostrophe. 🙂

  6. I am curious about why more mention has not been made of the Atlanta annexation plan that is currently in play in the General Assembly. According to the maps posted on this and other sites, the recommended annexation for Atlanta goes through Druid Hills and on to Medlock, including almost everything on the north side of North Decatur. But the biggest change I saw was the inclusion of the North Decatur/Scott/Church triangle in the Atlanta plan. That area was a key to Decatur’s ability to expand, because spaces like the old Ford dealership could potentially be condemned for a new school.

    If the area described is indeed a critical piece of the Decatur puzzle, why has there been no clear objection by the City of Decatur to the Atlanta plan? Once that space is gone, it’s not coming back.

    2. “why has there been no clear objection by the City of Decatur”

      Because we need a new mayor. The only thing Baskett has really fought for was the tree ordinance, and that was only b/c he was upset that a neighbor removed some trees on his/her yard. And that was despite the fact that 80% of CoD residents opposed said tree ordinance.

      1. +1
        Time for some real leadership!

        Need to move beyond ‘small town’ feel good elections or we will get swallowed up by the cities around us

        1. “Need to move beyond ‘small town’ feel good elections or we will get swallowed up by the cities around us”

          Hmm…this would actually be more of a problem for unincorporated DeKalb. Decatur can’t be “swallowed up” by annexation.

      2. Generally in agreement that the city has lost its leadership mojo since Bill Floyd stepped down, but try not to use phrases like “And that was despite the fact that 80% of CoD residents opposed said tree ordinance.” without any evidence to back it up. There were a TON of CoD residents pushing for the tree ordinance before the opposition formed. Just cause they weren’t at the meetings you attended doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

        1. I believe DawgFan is referring to the online poll, which, if I remember correctly, had about an 80% “no” response rate.

    3. Complete mis-handling of the annexation issue by our city leaders. We need commercial, getting more residential. We need more tax revenue, we get more kids in over-crowded schools. Not good.

      1. Decatur City Manager Peggy Merriss followed up with us regarding the commercial and residential breakdown of the proposed annexation area presented by Rep. Karla Drenner to the Georgia Legislature on Monday, which includes pieces of Annexation Areas B and C from the Master Plan and the addition of residential neighborhood of Decatur Terrace. Here it is —

        66% Commercial
        28% Residential
        6% Exempt

        1. Apartment complexes count as Commercial, so the numbers aren’t really as good as they seem.

      1. HB 586, introduced by Pat Gardner, is the Atlanta annexation bill. It’s currently listed as a House “second reader.” Does this mean it is out of contention? I thought annexation bills didn’t have make the crossover deadline and could be voted on as local legislation.

        I admit I find it very confusing and would appreciate clarification.

      2. I think you said it hadn’t been introduced in the legislature. It is HB 586, introduced by Rep. Pat Gardner in a meeting of the Atlanta Delegation, but neither that Delegation nor the DeKalb Delegation supported it.

  10. Anyone know of a good place for brunch on Sundays in the Decatur area that takes reservations? (not Easter Sunday)

      1. They do take reservations for brunch. And the chicken and biscuits will make you cry from happiness. Come back and thank me next week.

        1. Another vote for the chicken and biscuits at No. 246. And another vote for the coffee. And another for the cocktails. And another for their back patio.

          1. The bar at 246 is probably my favorite to sit and have a meal at out of all the bars in Decatur. I prefer the food at Cakes and Ale, but the bar isn’t as comfortable.

            1. That’s the kind of place I never thought of as a place to sit at a bar and eat at (too upscale for me 🙂 But now maybe I will have to check it out.

              One of my criteria for a good bar is that dining at the bar is OK, and not an unpleasant or uncomfortable experience!

              1. “That’s the kind of place I never thought of as a place to sit at a bar and eat at (too upscale for me ”

                I used to think like that too. Now my wife and I prefer to sit at the bar at most places (Iberian Pig is another one for sure). The nice thing about bars at places like 246 is that it’s usually easier to get seats because most people are just waiting for a table and not hanging out.

    4. Not a restaurant reservation, but Fox Bros. BBQ is taking orders for whole smoked Sunday hams through April 1. Skip the restaurant, pick up a smoked whole ham at Fox Bros., return with ham to your residence or any location outside the public eye, unwrap ham on stable, level surface (table, large book propped on knees as you refine in bed or sit on couch), commence rending large chunks and strips of ham with bare hands, greedily stuff them into your mouth, wipe mouth with shirt or bedsheet when necessary, continue rending and mouth-stuffing process until forced to gnaw bits of ham still stubbornly clinging to bone. Wipe mouth with shirt or bedsheet. Take nap. Happy Easter.

    5. Could you be more clear in what you’re looking for? Do you want one of those predominantly white brunch places, predominantly black, or perhaps you enjoy one frequented by many colors, races, and ethnicities? The latter is my preference but recent news reports have implied that Decatur doesn’t really have any of those.

      1. Your comment reminds me of the all time best commercial in the history of commercials– Red House Furniture “for black people, and white people” — we’ve watched it so many times on youtube and I actually visited the store because of it!

  12. I’d like people’s opinions on this. I’m routinely shocked by the bold behavior I witness from dog walkers in my neighborhood. My street does not have sidewalks so people will stand at the curb and use extended leashes to let their dogs roam around my yard (all the way up to my house) and “do their business.” Almost always the owner will then walk across my lawn to clean up. Occasionally I will see a dog, along with their owner just strolling across the middle of my lawn in hopes that the dog will relieve itself. Like I said, usually the owner cleans up, but this is impossible if a dog is sick, has diarrhea, etc. I have young kids who enjoy playing in this yard. Any advice? Am I just being a curmudgeon? I don’t want to be the guy who yells at people to get off his lawn, but I’m getting close.

    1. Fence it, live with it, or complain about it. Those are your choices, because otherwise you’re fighting a losing battle

    2. Yup – you’re being a curmudgeon. What else would you have the dogs do – relieve themselves in the street? As long as the owners clean up after their dogs, I’m not sure I see a problem.

      1. “What else would you have the dogs do – relieve themselves in the street?” Sure. Or preferably relieve themselves on their owner’s lawn.

        1. Not everyone with a dog has a lawn.

          As a person who must walk her dog in public in order to allow it to relieve itself, I will say that I endeavor to honor those signs people put out asking people not to let their dogs relieve themselves on those lawns, but you cannot stop a pooping dog from pooping. It just doesn’t work.

          1. “you cannot stop a pooping dog from pooping. It just doesn’t work.” — True. But you can control where the dog is to start with. And you also get a feel for your individual animal and a general idea of when the spirit is likely to move them. Letting the dog move a few steps onto the outer fringe of someone’s yard, especially if there is no sidewalk and no “beauty strip” between sidewalk and street, is one thing. But letting the dog roam all over said yard is completely rude IMO. Dog feces potentially contains a wide variety of health hazards and even if picked up immediately can still leave traces. Why would anyone feel entitled to force that on their neighbor?

            1. Agreed. Walking dogs on 20-ft. leads which allow them into the middle of private yards is completely rude and totally under the control of every pet owner. If the dogs knew this would make someone unhappy, they wouldn’t do it. Unbelievable when certain humans don’t have that understanding.

              1. Agreeing with your agreement. I am really surprised at the responses. I walk my dog but never let him go up into someone’s yard. He does occasionally go in the strip alongside the street but never more than maybe a foot. Letting your dog up into the yard is beyond rude. You don’t have to let them go on the street, but stick to the curb and public right-of-way.

                A long dog leash is not a license to trespass on private property.

              2. Long leads are a bad idea for many, many, many reasons. (Which is why I walk mine on a 4-foot lead.)

                Allowing your dog to roam well up into a private lawn is rude. And I think the OP would be well within his rights to ask the someone who’s letting their dog do that to cease the practice and move along.

                On the other hand, I think getting upset with someone walking their dog along the street at the property’s edge (when there are no sidewalks) and properly removing its waste is not ok.

        2. Based on this comment, I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you don’t have a dog. While I understand (and when I had a street-level yard, shared) your frustration, a dog’s gonna poop when (and where) a dog’s gonna poop. You can try and steer him toward better places, but in my experience they prefer to, shall we say, plant the flag in unmarked territory.

          I agree with brian and keith. Based on my experience, the only thing you can really push for is for people to pick it up after it happens. And I was only able to confront people about that when I caught them failing to do so (which is hard). So don’t view those folks in your yard as interlopers so much as folks with the temerity to try and be responsible.

          1. Nice “if you don’t have a dog you shouldn’t have an opinion.”

            I think what was voiced was the notion that people shouldn’t treat others lawns as their own. I didn’t hear a problem with using the street edge of the lawn. I heard (and read) a completely reasonable suggestion that you respect others desires of how a large part of their lawn might be used.

            A couple of weeks ago, a dog pooped in the pine straw between a curving sidewalk and our front porch pretty far from the street. I think its great that the guy then come up to my front porch to pick it up. But, it just seemed a little unnecessary and I was surprised to look out my window and see him there.

            The fact is, not everyone thinks your kids are adorable, and not everyone thinks your dog is totes awesome sauce. We can still get along however if we keep that in mind and respect that.

          2. “A dog’s gonna poop where a dog’s gonna poop” – this sounds as though the owner has no control over the dog. You should more accurately say “a dog’s gonna poop wherever the owner gives the dog access to roam”. With a long retractable leash, the dog has plenty of options – including in the middle of my lawn.

    3. What do the dog walkers say when you ask them to please not use your front yard as a public park?

        1. If it’s one person, you have a chance, but your post makes it sounds like it’s a regular occurrence with many offenders. That’s why I suggested it’s a losing battle.

        2. 1. wait until inconsiderate dog owner trespasses to remove the poo
          2. turn on the sprinklers

          problem solved

          1. Sprinkler idea good if you are the manicured lawn types and there’s no water shortage. My dad had a less manicured approach and used his deer hunting rifle to shoot squirrels and raccoons in our yard. Dog owners avoided our property. No fence or sign needed. Not advocating for this at all. It was probably illegal even then.

    4. I am a dog owner and do not think you are being a curmudgeon. I would not allow my dog to go past the first couple of feet of your yard. I think a dog owner who let the leash out past that is being disrespectful.

      For me personally, I try and respect the “no doggie dooty” signs some people put in the front of their yards. That might help to send a message.

    5. I am a dog owner and I think it is completely outrageous that anyone would let their dog in your yard. Your yard is your yard not someone’s dog bathroom. Even if you are cleaning it up , it is still someone’s private property.This is just common courtesy.

      1. + 1. I have a dog and I completely agree. Be respectful of everyone else’s property.

        While I’m at it, I’ll add that my bagged up limbs and leaves left on my curb for pick-up (ultimately shredded for mulch) should not be used by dog owners to deposit their plastic bagged up piles of dog crap. Carry it home to your own trash or find a real city trash can on your route to deposit it.

        1. The worst is when it rains on trash day afternoon and you wind up with one or more bags of dog poop sitting in an inch of water in the bottom of your big rolling trash can. (Sanitation crew almost always leave it sitting with the lid off after they empty it.)

          True story: One afternoon I glanced out front window to see man standing on sidewalk letting his dog poop in my yard and walking away. I ran out the front door with a handful of grocery bags saying, “Excuse me, please don’t leave that there. You probably ran out of bags, here, please have these.”

          Dog walker taken completely off guard, reluctantly came back and accepted bag. While he was cleaning up, I stepped indoors to grab a sweater in preparation to bring trash & recycle bins in from the curb. Came back out just in time to see man toss bagged dog poop into my empty trash can. I hurried down the steps and called him back again: “Please don’t leave that there. The City will only take trash that’s in approved garbage bags. If you leave it, I will have to fish it out and dispose of it myself.”

          Dog walker: “Huh? Oh, I don’t live in Decatur and I didn’t know about that,” and started walking away again.

          Me: “Well, you’re in Decatur now. I really don’t want to have to deal with your dog’s poop. Please take it with you.”

          Dog walker grudgingly retrieved bagged poop from my trash can and went on his way. Shook my head, secure in the knowledge the dog walker had a new tale to tell about that b!tchy woman on Blank St.

          He wasn’t the first or the last to commit that transgression while I lived there. Quite possible he was the source of anonymous gifts I would find in the yard from time to time after that. But on that day, I felt pretty good about standing up for all of us who try to live a polite and respectful life.

      2. +1

        I said it upthread, but wanted to add here as well. I am also a dog owner. Are the people defending this understanding Decatur dad is talking about dogs going several feet *into* his yard. This is not pooping along the road and then cleaning it up. These are people letting their dogs roam on 20-foot leads into his yard. That’s nuts. He’s not being a curmudgeon.

        1. The retractable leash: the pet equivalent to children being allowed to run free in restaurants. Discuss.

          1. Yes, big time. Especially obnoxious on paved pathways in parks. Having biked through Piedmont Park many, many times, I can’t tell you how many times I had to come to a full stop behind someone who allowed their dog to stretch the leash across the entire pathway such that no one could cross it.

          2. Interesting that the people I know who allow their dogs on 20-ft retractable leashes also allow their offspring to run amok in restaurants (and other public places). When it’s suggested that perhaps Rover and/or Junior might injure themselves or someone else if allowed to continue, they usually reply, with an almost bovine placidity, that everything will be fine “because nothing’s happened yet!”

            I’m physically incapable of giving that response the eyeroll it deserves. I certainly don’t want anything to happen to their dogs/kids, but I do have to suppress the urge to pimpslap them upside the back of their heads.

            1. Again with the hitting! I believe GA is a mutual combat state, you can always formally challenge the offending party to consent to mutual combat. (Yes, this is something I have thought about from time to time.)

              1. Oh, keep your hair on–if I were really contemplating hitting someone, I wouldn’t talk about it first.

          3. +100000

            People who use retractable leashes as stated above are the world’s laziest dog owners. It also seems to apply to people who feel guilty that their dogs are cooped up all day so they feel a “roaming” leash gives the animal more freedom. All you are doing is confusing the poor animal since there is no leash consistency and ticking off everyone on the sidewalk.

            Walk your dog longer or dog park. Also, Jabula for the leash pullers.

            You’re welcome.

          4. OH yeah, don’t even get me started on retractable leashes! As a dog owner, biker, and a runner, these make me insane. They should be banned. You cannot control your dog on a retractable leash. It is unnerving as heck to be running down a sidewalk and see a dog on a retractable leash, the owner clueless as I approach (mind you, at a much quicker pace than they are walking), and not know whether they are going to reign their dog in, let the dog lunge at me as I pass, or trip me with the leash as the last moment as I get closer. I’ve taken to jumping out onto the street to run past them when possible to avoid dogs on leashes all together when I run.

            Plus, you never know how a dog is going to act toward a biker or runner (and I am a dog lover who rarely feels intimidated by a dog), and I’ve learned just to steer clear because there are so many clueless dog owners out there.

      3. I totally agree. I just found someone with three dogs in my yard. One was actually walking across plantings and sitting on small boxwood. When I asked them to remove their dogs from my yard, I didn’t not even get an apology. I was not rude either, just neutral. I have a dog and have had up to five.

        As to the statement from the poster above, inquiring as to where she is supposed to let her dog pee, well, perhaps she should have thought of that before she got a dog or chose her housing. Just because you have a pet and no where to tend it, that does not give you the right to trespass.

    6. Sooooooooooo, I might be one of the people Decatur Dad is referring to. At least it’s plausible that I am. I definitely don’t walk through the middle of people’s lawns, but I’ve certainly walked a few feet over “the line”. First, let me say that I’m not proud of this. Nor am I proud that my dog is a pain in the a** when it comes to his bathroom habits. Believe me, I wish it wasn’t so. My dog’s particular habits waste time, are highly annoying, and as seen in this discussion, apparently cause great distress to a number of our neighbors.

      I won’t try to justify our actions. Just know that if there was an alternative, if my dog wasn’t a neurotic, anxious, melodramatic, stubborn, pattern-obsessed animal, I would use it. If I walk a few feet on to your lawn, it’s because my lunatic dog has decided that this spot is literally the only spot he will take a dump on across the entire street. I’m also sorry this particular spot on your lawn seems to have some sort of biochemical insanity hold on my dog. I don’t know what it is. Does your cat lounge about there? Do you spray it with scent of meat? I truly wish I knew.

      Lastly, I promise that I will ALWAYS clean up after my mutt, diarrhea be damned. I will always clean that sh*t up, literally.

      On behalf of pain in a** dog owners across Decatur, please accept my apology, both for past transgressions, and the likely future ones.

      1. lol, apology accepted! I just wish that dog owners would encourage their dogs to poop on their own property (if outdoor space exists) or to find a place in the neighborhood for their dogs to relieve themselves (i.e. some woods, patch of ivy, etc) instead of on their neighbor’s lawns. Like I said, my little kids play on this (already-struggling) grass, and while the vast majority of dog owners do clean up, there are often missed pieces of nastiness left over. I shouldn’t have to tell my kids not to play on the 3 feet of grass closest to the curb because that’s where every neighborhood dog takes a dump.

    7. I say small picket fence it to avoid the annoyance it causes you (I would.) Voting fence simply because I think those signs of a dog squatting and pooping basically at your front door is a gross/absurd way to greet your friends and dinner guests to your home. And yes, I always clean up after my dog.

      My biggest frustration over the past several years (saw it just last week), has been dogs running loose in the cemetery, where you don’t have a visual on where they are peeing and pooping. I walk my dog in the cemetery, but if they banned it, I would totally be fine with that. There’s a freaking dog park within walking distance, there absolutely NO REASON to let your dog loose there, whether you think you have voice control over them or not.

      1. I thought dogs weren’t allowed in the cemetery, though I have a friend who says she takes her dog there. Are leashed dogs allowed?

        I have an insane, barky, jumpy terrier and I keep him snubbed up, but good, when we walk. I would never let him off leash anywhere but a dog park or a fenced yard, but I’d like to walk with him through the cemetery if it’s allowed.

  14. “Fence it, live with it, or complain about it. Those are your choices, because otherwise you’re fighting a losing battle”

    I’m afraid I agree. This is just one of those social changes (not too different from kids in fancy restaurants) that can’t be resisted. In the neighborhood I grew up in, not far from here, nobody walked dogs because dogs lived in backyards. Times have changed.

    1. Maybe you’re right. It’s just plain weird though to glance outside in the morning and see strangers standing around in the middle of my yard.

      1. I have heard of things that can be safely sprayed on a lawn to make them less attractive to dogs and other animals. No experience with them personally, and maybe more hassle than you’re willing to endure.

        1. my husband once witness a dog owner not picking up after their dog in our front yard, so he grabbed his bike and followed the walker, found the home and later delivered the poo package in the mailbox in a less than tightly tied baggy. I do not know if this was terribly effective, but it made my husband feel better about it.

        2. But you shouldn’t have to spray your lawns with something to keep leashed dogs out. Leashed dogs should be kept out by their owners.

      2. People in New Mexico have all sorts of recipes for what to sprinkle on your lawn to keep the coyotes and other varmints out. Most involved chiles. Might work with dogs. But a warning sign should be posted since these recipes are probably more than just deterrents but also physical irritants.

        1. There are some commercially available spray-on products that are citrus-based because, supposedly, dogs don’t like the smell of citrus.

  16. Having some fun with this topic today, aren’t we?

    I’ll add my springtime plea to neighbors with dogs to please clean up animals’ malodorous feces in your yards so that it does not pollute our waterways.

    Oh, and flipping bagged poop onto the street is in poor taste.

  18. Does anyone else feel like the shops in the Oakhurst Village shopping center are a lost opportunity? Every time I pass the Dollar Store and whatever’s currently in the other storefront, I think, Jeez it would be nice to have a co-op grocery store there. And forgot about the Hop N Stop. The question is, what can residents do about it?

    1. Buy the property. Wait for the current leases to lapse (or wait for a tenant default and evict) and then you are free to seek whatever tenant(s) your heart desires.

    2. What’s wrong wit the Hop N Stop? I go there all the time and it is always full of people. And for that matter, there’s also nothing wrong wit the Family Dollar. I bought some index cards there recently.

    3. I appreciate the Family Dollar. It’s easy to stop in when your child needs X for school tomorrow or you forgot a can of tomatoes at the grocery store.

      1. We’re in the Family Dollar at least a couple times per week and find it very convenient. However, that place has only been there a short time and already seems ancient beyond its years. It has aged more quickly than a meth addict.

    4. As a resident, I am going to keep smiling as I walk to buy paper towels, milk, laundry detergent, supplies for book reports, Advil, and maybe even a Coke.

    5. I am still suffering the loss of big lots and family dollar… will need to check out Dollar General for index cards or some other last minute thing needed for school project… 🙂

      1. I have discovered from bitter experience, that the surest bet at 11 PM for supplies for school project due the next day is Walgreens at the corner of N. Decatur and N. DeKalb. Don’t get me started….

    7. For some of us who have lived here a long time, the Hop & Shop holds a dear place for us. The Big H (which had food older than me), Jupiter Coffee, Mojo and H&S were the only things up there. Turner’s Produce was mostly for old men playing cards. UJ was an abandoned gas station. Hop & Shop was the only way to get milk or bread close by. It saved me many times. So lay off the Hop & Shop.

      1. You were around before Margie’s? I remember Big H but the produce stand was gone by the time I came. And I think Jupiter had already become Joe.

          1. Could be, could be. And now I can’t remember which came first, the real estate office or the video store?

            1. Before Cinema Shack, I think the corner space was Superman Tattoo. But well before that, I seem to recall that the right side of Mojo Pizza (as you look at it) was a video store too. And the left side was some kind of sandwich place called Smileys or something like that. Steinbeck’s was a barber.

        2. Yes, it started out as Joe and became Jupiter. And yep. Here before Margie’s!

          I always called the coffee shop Jupiter Joe’s because both signage was inside. Then it was a video store. And Sugar Moon was a police station.

          I don’t remember the Karvana space being a real estate office. Crystal Dolphin was in the One Step at A Time Space and there was a realty office in the Oakhurst Market space for a bit

  20. Hate to go so off topic, but can anyone recommend movers for a few heavy/large pieces less than 5 miles? Two Men and A Truck get varying reviews that make for entertaining reading.

    1. It’s impossible to be off-topic in the Free-for-all thread.

      I’ve used Pair of Guys Movers on a few occasions and have always been satisfied.

      1. Yeah, intellectually I know that, but it seemed pretty poop-centric for a while. Thanks for the recommendation.

  22. A little while ago there was a great stout/porter discussion, and I’d like to try some of the beers that were recommended. Are there any recommendations on local stores to pick some of these up in bottle form, or should I be looking at bars/pubs and growler stores to find them on draft?

    1. I can provide a general answer, which is that growler shops will have stuff that’s harder to find in bottles or isn’t bottled at all. Otherwise, locally, Decatur Package has a good selection and the store on Scott has a good selection of single bottles that you can mix and match. But if you don’t mind more of a trip, Hop City, Tower in Buckhead, and Greens all have extensive selections, and Hop City also has a growler shop in the same store.

    2. You should head to Ale Yeah at 906 W College Ave. They sell growlers as well as a large selection of individual bottles.

    3. I second the Ale Yeah suggestion, best beer store in town, and one of the best in the Metro.
      Just stay away from the Double IPA’s and the sours….those are mine.

      2. I should have mentioned Ale Yeah too. Sometimes I forget they’re not just a growler store.

    4. You should go to Taps Craft Beers. They have 40 taps compared to Ale Yeah’s 6, and they also sell bottles/can of the stuff you can’t find most places.

  24. Please stop into Kavarna in Oakhurst on Wednesday night, April 1st, from 6:30 to 7:30 to support five amazing flutists from DHS who are raising money to study flute in Itlay this summer at the Orfeo Music Festival. Hear some beautiful flute music, enjoy a cup of coffee, and don’t forget to participate in the raffle.

    http://www.gofundme.com/flutesgotoitaly

  26. I recently received a letter stating that I had two unpaid parking tickets within the City of Decatur. One from ’06 and one from ’08. Neither Pretty Wife nor myself remember receiving a citation. (Well, PW may remember, but she’s not admitting it if she does. She’s pretty and sneaky.) With both tickets the original fine was $15. Now with ‘late fees’ they are double that. $60 in total for these two tickets written when W was still in office.
    I’ve received several letters at this point and ignored each. They’re not even coming from Decatur City. The letters are coming from some collection agency type office in Illinois or Kansas or some other far away midwestern land.
    Having watched the recent John Oliver Last Week Tonight, I’m wary of these petty crime coffer builders for municipal budgets. Anyone else seen anything familiar? Should I just stop by city hall and square away?

    1. My understanding is that if the bills are from a collection agency, the money will no longer go to COD (you probably cannot pay them at City Hall anymore), since the debt was bought by the collection agency.

    2. As much as it sucks, I’d say pay the $60. If you don’t pay and they put black marks on your credit report, it’ll take a lot more than $60 of your time to dispute and resolve.

      1. Agree with Scott: I’d pay the $60 unless you are certain these tickets aren’t yours. But first I’d make sure they haven’t reported this to the credit agencies and get it in writing that they will not do so. Normally, delinquent debt stays on a report 7 years from the point it was 180 days past due. But unpaid parking tickets aren’t reported to the the credit bureaus until a collection agency acquires them and can’t collect, and I’m not sure how that timing works. They are probably hoping to use the threat of dinging your credit as leverage.

    3. Before you pay up, make sure it’s really you or PW who got the citations. There are lots of unscrupulous collection agencies that purchase debts to collect and then just try to pin it on anyone – someone with the same name, at the same old address, etc.

      We stopped getting our landline listed because we got so many calls from debt collectors trying to collect debts incurred by lots of different people with husband’s same (very common) first and last name. At first, I tried to politely tell them they had the wrong person, but they weren’t interested – just kept trying to insist that my husband owed whatever money it was based only on the name. They didn’t have our address, never sent a letter, couldn’t provide any identifying info on husband except for the name. In some cases, they were trying to collect debts my husband would have incurred in childhood if it had been him.

      If you Google it, you will find that this happens all over the place. Basically, these companies just try to intimidate/harass people into giving them money and make no real effort to make sure they are collecting from the correct parties.

      In another situation I know of, a person had her car repossessed and then, years later, had a collection agency calling claiming that she still had to make payments to them even though she didn’t have the car.

      TL/DR = If you’ve been getting phone calls or non-certified mail with no backup information other than names, it may be a scam.

    4. Check out Clark Howard’s website – i searched “debt collectors.” From the website: “If your debt is outside the statute of limitations, you are not required to pay up. However, you should honor your obligations when you’re financially able to do so. The statute of limitations is 3 to 4 years on many debts in most states (Georgia is “6 years – written contract, etc). Yet a negative mark resulting from a delinquent account can hang out on your credit for up to 7 years.”

  28. All, I am looking for your recommendation for either a contractor or a design/build firm for a home renovation just north of Decatur. Our project includes expanding the kitchen by taking down some walls and creating a more efficient use of our chopped up space. Taking down some walls might require some additional design work outside of just the kitchen. We are not going to expand the existing envelope of the house.

    Can you please help me, DecaturMetro community?

    Thanks!

    1. We’re doing something similar with a rehab just over the city line in Kirkwood. We used Robert Koch as our architect and are just now getting three bids from contractors. We’ve asked Levelcraft, 4M, and Stryant to give proposals.

      I can tell you that I tried several times to contact Sullivan Homes. First they said they would get back to me, then didn’t respond at all after I tagged them again, so I quit trying. To me that’s a good indication of what they’ll be like to work with. I also reached out to Struby and although they got back to me right away and would be happy to take on the project, they are so busy they couldn’t start until next year!! Good for them, bad for us. Maybe a consideration for you depending on your time line.

      Renewal was another one who got right back to us, but they only do design/build so we weren’t a good fit for them since we had already started with another architect. In your case, I would look into them as well.

      One other thought for you…drive around and look at all the signs in front of rehabbing homes then check out the website of those folks. We got a good feel from a number of their sites if they might be right for us.

    2. Struby Construction. I know a few people who have used him, and they are all as happy as I am with his work. He is local too – lives in Oakhurst.

      1. Yes, they came highly recommended to us as well but they had no openings for our kind of job until early next year.

      2. I agree on Struby, and I wish he were available sooner. We may just go on his list and get the remodel done next year.

        I have dealt with him a few times, first for work on my home and again as an expert witness, and I can speak very highly of Neil’s work and his integrity.

        We may wait.

  30. I’m looking for business that can help me reseed my lawn. You know, some industrious person or business with a tiller that can come by and do the prep, throw down the seed and I’ll take care of the watering. I don’t want some big fancy landscaping job, just someone to help me convert dirt to grass. And it doesn’t have to be the nicest lawn on the block.

    1. Is your lawn fescue? If so, you need to wait until fall or you are throwing your money away.

      I used Turfmasters Lawn Care to re-seed and they did a good job. I use them for periodic treatments and annual re-seeding too.

      1. “Is your lawn fescue? If so, you need to wait until fall or you are throwing your money away.” Ugh i really hope not.

    2. Currently, it’s not really anything. Just dirt. Was considering centipede grass, aka Florida grass. I just want something hearty and basically maintenance free aside from mowing.

  34. It seems like every new build or teardown/rebuild in Decatur includes a detached garage with a dwelling above it. I’m wondering how these are used. Are they all legal for use as rentals if the owners choose?

    1. They are legal for rentals and were enabled as a means of addressing two issues: a) creating market-provided affordable or, at least, entry-level housing at the neighborhood level; b) making single family homes more affordable (or allowing for aging in place for current residents) through rental income that can help subsidize a mortgage.

  36. For all of you who have sung the praises of Aldi time and again, not a single one of you could warn a first-time shopper she would need a quarter to use a shopping cart?!

    1. My last visit I was blessed by a “pay it forward” quarter and continued with the nicety when I parked my cart. What’s the nearest location to you?

      1. The nearest Aldi is on Memorial Drive just west of Columbia Dr. It’s one of their smaller configurations. There is a larger one in Chamblee,

        1. We like our magnetic appeal. I still gravitate westward to haunts in downtown. Miss you STG.

    2. Wow, didn’t know this. Do you get the quarter back when you return the cart?

    3. You get the quarter back. All in all, I think it’s a dandy system as it relieves me of having to be aggravated with fellow shoppers who are too busy, important, and/or lazy to put their carts where they belong. But, sophisticated lady that I am, I had never seen this before and was completely flummoxed. (And had to roll my eyes at the cashier inside who rolled her eyes when I went in to seek tech support, and rolled her eyes again when I returned 45 seconds later to exchange two dimes and nickel for a quarter.)

      Is this a thing now? (It should be.)

      1. It’s always been a thing at Aldi. I always keep my Aldi quarter in my ashtray so I’m never without.

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