Decatur Square, Decatur GA (pic submitted by Kathy)

Tomorrow’s News Today reports…

Raleigh, North Carolina-based Golden Corral is coming to an outparcel of North DeKalb Mall. I’d love to say that after all this time that Costco, too , is opening, but alas, their plans remain tabled for the time being. Golden Corral will open in a portion of the parking lot directly behind the current free-standing Chick-fil-A and former Checkers restaurant, nearest to Macy’s. At times, the space has been used to stage a traveling amusement park.

But one buffet chain doesn’t a revival make.  However, TNT also notes that N. DeKalb Mall has also recently seen a Marshall’s and a Zaxby’s move in.  Additionally, there’s talk that a larger Chick-fil-A will soon be built nearby.  And as you just read above, according to TNT, the Costco plan isn’t totally dead, just “tabled” for the time being.

If the stars align, could North DeKalb Mall be poised for a comeback?

We tend to associate “summer reading” with “light reading,” but it doesn’t have to be so.  One of the lovely things about going away on vacation is the inevitable downtime that occurs without all the distractions of home.  This provides opportunities to engage in concentrated reading.  It may seem strange to look forward to reading while on holiday, but I have many pleasant memories of particular books linked to special places.  I’m not alone.  Roger Ebert, in his memoir, Life Itself (2011), wrote of his love of revisiting quiet cafés in various European cities in which to read.  Here’s what I’ve been up to the last couple of weeks:

Short Stories
Blasphemy, by Sherman Alexie (10/2/12) – Short story collections make for great vacation reading when you have a half hour here and there.  Blasphemy contains 31 stories; about half were previously published and the rest are new.  Alexie is one of my favorite authors — I even like his poetry! — and he writes great first person narratives.

Cover to Cover
The Heart Broke In, by James Meek (10/2/12) – and the heart of my summer reading.  Meek tends to introduce his characters in a snarky manner and telegraphs plot developments 100 pages ahead.  These turn out to be quibbles: he writes about the complex realities of relationships rather well and is extremely generous with giving secondary characters fully rounded personalities.
Cold Quiet Country, by Clayton Lindemuth (11/13/12) – I rarely read murder mystery type books, but it’s good to stretch sometimes.  This is three-quarters of a very good book by a first-time novelist.  Set in 1970s Wyoming, a young man leaves an orphanage and seeks work, falls in love with the farmer’s daughter, and the farmer ends up murdered.  A great set-up, but someone should have told Lindemuth to curb his excesses.

Almost Finished
How We Decide, by Johah Leher (2009) – A customer ordered this a year or so ago and I thought it looked interesting, so I ordered a copy for myself.  It reads like a Malcolm Gladwell book if Gladwell was a brain surgeon.
In a Glass Grimmly, by Adam Gidwitz (9/27/12) – This kids’ chapter book is a follow-up to the superb A Tale Dark and Grimm, and maybe even better.

Never Will Finish
The Devil’s Causeway: The True Story of America’s First Prisoners of War in the Philippines, and the Heroic Expedition Sent to Their Rescue, by Matthew Westfall (11/18/12) – I never read military history.  An inconsequential (but still!!!) error in the third paragraph, a prologue that belongs toward the end, and some 50 eye-glazing names mentioned in the first chapter reminded me why I never read military history.

Read any really good books this summer?

This Week

Iris and Roy Johansen, authors of Close Your Eyes, Thursday, July 19th, 7pm, Eagle Eye Bookshop, free.

Benjamin Busch, author of Dust to Dust: A Memoir, Saturday, July 21st, 1pm, A Cappella Books, free.

Stephen L. Carter, author of The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln: A Novel, Monday, July 23rd, Decatur Library, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free.

Agnes Scott College has a new logo!  “What’s up with” it?

Luckily, ASC has a webpage that answers just that question.

Thanks to Steve for the link!

ZOUTF hungry!  ZOUTF want foood!!

Task #3 for Decatur’s Zoning Ordinance Update Task Force is a two-parter – as they say in casual circles of folks who discuss zoning codes.

First off, community gardens.

Though “the city has a long-standing policy of allowing community gardens”, as evidenced by the many that have sprouted up (or “taken root”) around our neighborhood, Decatur doesn’t currently define community gardens “nor list them as an allowable use in any zoning district”.  That means orgs like The Wylde Center (formerly known as the Oakhurst Community Garden) is technically not allowed in Decatur.

Thus, ZOUTF – in response to Decatur Strategic Plan Task 12C, is recommending adding a definition for “community garden” to the ordinance and allowing them in all districts, as well as adding a definition for “Market Garden” to allow them in industrial, mixed use and commercial districts.

Then there are the animals.

Though not listed as a task in the Strategic Plan, ZOUTF wants to “collect input from residents on the issue of animals used for food production in R60 & R85 zoning districts.”

Currently, if you want to raise livestock on your Decatur property, you’ll need to consolidate more than a minimum of 2 acres of land, with 5,000 sq ft for each animal.  That’s livin’! Small animals, such as rabbits, guinea pigs and fowl can be kept as long as certain conditions are met.  Pigs and hogs currently as illegal as smoking in Atlanta parks. (No word on bison.)

So ZOUTF asks you these questions three…

1. “Should we modify the existing regulations to encourage ownership of animals used for food production?”
2. ‘Which animals would you like to see allowed on R60 and R85 properties?”
3. “Under what conditions would you support modifying the existing regulations?”