Free-For-All Friday 8/17/12
Decatur Metro | August 17, 2012Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
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Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
Any recommendations for a good and reasonable car body shop that will work on Toyotas?
decatur paint & body shop is excellent!
795 Glendale Road Scottdale, GA 30021
(404) 294-4500
Mike at Decatur paint and body worked on two of my cars with excellent results and at a good price
Not in Decatur, but Dent Wizard on Peachtree Industrial is great.
5717 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard Chamblee, GA 30341
(770) 936-3070
I had a good experience with Prestige on Dekalb Industrial. Insurance paid for it so not sure how reasonable their rates were compared to others. http://www.prestigecollisionllc.com/
Prestige took care of us as well. Happy with the results. Seemed fairly priced.
There’s a Toyota specialist on Clairmont almost at the end where it hits Peachtree Industrial. Can’t recall the name but they’ve been in business a long time and people always say good things about ‘em.
We have been super happy with Maple Street Collision in Avondale Estates. Excellent body and paint work on my 1992 Toyota Camry! I am very picky yet was very pleased with the work and the customer service.
Figured some of you fellow DM readers would be interested in these interactive precinct maps I made of the T-SPLOST results in DeKalb County.
Oops, here’s the direct link:
http://www.wmhartnett.com/2012/08/15/dekalb-county-precinct-level-t-splost-referendum-results-with-an-interactive-bonus-fun-time-party-map/
Very odd numbers for the Medlock and Scott precincts:
Scott 130 votes, 2003 registered, 6% turnout
Medlock 1460 votes, 1858 registered, 79% turnout
These precincts are adjacent! Your numbers match what the SOS has. Wonder what’s up!
Noticed that and agree it seems odd. I’ll keep an eye on the data at the DeKalb County elections site for any updates.
Actually, just found this note on the DeKalb elections site: “Because the Medlock Elem Precinct and the Scott Precinct were combined at one location, Scott Results are recorded under the Medlock Elem Precinct with the exception of 2 votes.” Same deal for a couple other combined precincts. I’ll try to adjust accordingly.
Is there a diagram of the sidewalk/street improvements that are eventually going to happen in Oakhurst Village to see?
I would think Hugh Saxon would have one or can tell you where there it is.
Here you go http://www.decaturga.com/index.aspx?page=359
Thanks Cheryl!
To parents who cycle with their families: Please wear a helmet.
+1…..everyone should wear a helmet at all times, especially for intown bicycling.
Under 18 (May be lower – I didn’t do detailed research), helmet required by law. Older, just makes good sense. I did see a violation under the age limit a few days ago.
Everyone should wear a helmet.
Drove behind 2 kids riding to fave this morning on mead. One, with no helmet, was darting to the middle of the road against oncoming traffic while showing off his no-handed riding. The other hadn’t bothered to buckle his helmet. I believe in evolution and survival of the fittest, but would rather not see it applied here. Please make sure to wear helmets… And wear them correctly.
Yes! Everyone should wear a helmet . All the time. Everyone.
…according to a recent study of head injuries in Arizona by the Arizona Department of Health Services. The study found the primary causes of death for closed head injuries were firearms (44%), motor vehicles (21%) and falling (20%).
The motor vehicle causes of death were further broken down as follows:
» 38% pedestrians
» 34% motorcyclists
» 24% motor vehicle occupants
» 4% bicyclists
http://www.m-bike.org/blog/2009/05/25/motorist-helmets/
I can’t tell whether you are being sarcastic or you misread that website.
When in doubt, assume bemused sarcasm that is used to point out the absurdity of the post being answered. Requiring helmet use for all adult cyclists is an ignorant knee jerk response that ignores the relative risks incurred by other activities and the actual protective abilities of a bicycle helmet which is designed to protect users only for a 12mph fall to the ground.
Go stand by a brick wall. Now bash your skull into it at 12 mph. Bet you wish you had a helmet on.
Wear a helmet, never did never will , it is my head any your idea / law
According to the information on the Bicycle Suitability Map, helmets are required by law for riders under 16 years of age. For everyone 16 and older, it’s a personal decision, IMO rightly so. Being way past the age of caring what a helmet might signal about my personal style or even what it might do to ruin my hairdo on a given day, I am also acutely aware that my body ain’t what it used to be in terms of reflexes, the ability to bounce, and the ability to bounce back after any kind of injury. So I have done a bit of research to guide myself in making a purely data-driven decision about whether or not a bike helmet makes me safer. My bicycling is for fun and brief errands around town, avoiding busy roads with heavy and/or fast vehicular traffic. Based on information I found, I’m not wearing a helmet any more.
To be clear, I’m not trying to discourage anybody else from wearing a helmet — just saying there’s a case to be made for not wearing one, based on a range of issues.
For anyone interested, two websites I found most informative and interesting were these:
http://www.cyclehelmets.org/0.html
http://bicycleuniverse.info/eqp/helmets-nyt.html
http://bicyclesafe.com/helmets.html
You’re crazy. Wear a helmet.
Whatever.
As long as you have incredibly good insurance and/or unlimited assets, I say it’s your choice, and do as you wish. If you have a million dollar lifetime cap, the cost of a brain injury you get will easily surpass that amount, and that means that the rest of us will end up paying for your decision.
Helmet-less cyclists are soylent green!
Tastes great once you remove all the ground in gravel.
Oh, I dunno– a little crunch for texture is never a bad thing.
Depending on where I’m walking, I’m at statistically higher risk of sustaining a traumatic brain injury as a pedestrian than as a cyclist. The oft-cited claim that “cycle helmets prevent 85% of head injuries and 88% of brain injuries” is based on a single small study which, since initial publication, has been widely shown to bear little relevance to the real world. Even the authors revised those original claims downward. Meanwhile, the proportion of bike accidents that involve head injury is very small; the vast majority of those head injuries are minor; and there is some evidence that wearing a helmet could turn a minor head injury into a fatal or disabling one. (Most head injuries resulting in death or permanent intellectual impairment result from rotational forces, against which bike helmets offer no protection. Some trauma docs have seen evidence that helmets can convert linear forces into rotational forces. Victim goes home with a wheelchair instead of an ice pack.) It’s far less likely that you’ll wind up paying extra healthcare freight for me if I ride my bicycle a lot and stay active, even if I don’t wear a helmet, than if I become sedentary and overweight, at vastly increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart problems, chronic back pain, etc.
A small sample of the kind of data that has led me to this decision…
Source: The Consumer Product Safety Commission, statistics on cyclists requiring treatment in US hospitals 1991-2000.
The proportions of head injuries did not change over the period despite helmet use in the USA increasing from 18% of cyclists in 1991 to 50% in 2000.
However, cycle use during the period fell by 21%.
Thus those who continued to cycle were 40% more likely to suffer head injury by 2001 than in 1991.
So, what you’re saying is I have to wear a helmet everytime I go out walking? That’s just crazy talk.
That’s really interesting. Should do a post about that. I bet we could get Streetsblog to pick it up at least.
Maybe she’ll wear this helmet:
http://vimeo.com/43038579#
You can “whatever” all you want, but I’ve had friends who have sustained serious injuries with helmets. If they didn’t have on a helmet they would have been dead.
Throw all the statistics and research you want at me, and I’ll still tell you to wear a helmet.
Be safe. Wear a helmet.
I’m glad your friends survived their accidents. I think everyone who feels safer and more confident wearing a helmet should wear one.
You can throw all the anecdotes and received wisdom you want at me, I’ll still decide on the basis of the most solid data and valid analyses I can find, with particular weight given to sources that do not have a vested interest in selling more helmets. At the moment, it seems that a helmet might protect me from a minor head injury, but also might just crack its shell and create extra drama without actually having protected me from anything. More worrisome, it also might cause an otherwise minor injury to become a life-threatening or disabling one. I’ll take my chances.
“The principal protection mechanism in a cycle helmet is the polystyrene foam, or styrofoam, that covers the head. When this receives a direct impact force, the styrofoam is intended to compress and in this way spread and reduce the force that is passed onto the skull, thus reducing linear acceleration of the brain… However, it is common for helmets to break without the polystyrene foam compressing at all… http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1209.html
“Minor head injuries are usually as a result of linear acceleration of the skull by impact with another object. Cycle helmets may produce benefit by reducing and spreading this force…
More serious injuries, on the other hand, are often as a result of angular or rotational acceleration, which leads to diffuse axonal injury (DAI) and subdural haematoma (SDH). These are the most common brain injuries sustained by road crash victims that result in death or chronic intellectual disablement… Cycle helmets are not designed to mitigate rotational injuries, and research has not shown them to be effective in doing so… To the contrary, some doctors have expressed concern that cycle helmets might make some injuries worse by converting direct (linear) forces to rotational ones. These injuries will normally form a very small proportion of the injuries suffered by cyclists, but they are likely to form a large proportion of the injuries with serious long-term consequences. In this way helmets may be harmful in a crash, but this harm may not be detected by small-scale research studies… http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1039.html
I’m sorry you live in a world of conspiracies – “The helmet manufacturers just want me to believe I need one.”
Do you have a school bus buried underground in your backyard with canned food as well?
I seriously can’t believe that you are arguing about helmet usage. What’s worse is that you are likely passing along the same skepticism to children or people around you.
Please take into account that if a motorist accidentally hits you – or you accidentally hit a motorist – and God forbid something tragic happens – that the accident will impact your family AND the motorist and his/her family for a lifetime.
“Do you have a school bus buried underground in your backyard with canned food as well?”
FYI: A little ugly for my taste Bulldog.
DM: Apologies if that remark was offensive. May I ask why some of the other comments, namely “I’ll see you at Shepherd” or the references to impending brain injuries are not too ugly?
It really bothers me that someone would suggest that riding a bike without a helmet is safer than riding with a helmet.
If the helmet statistics were as unreliable as suggested, then why do professional cyclists wear helmets?
“If the helmet statistics were as unreliable as suggested, then why do professional cyclists wear helmets?” — They are required to wear them by the Union Cycliste Internationale. Also, modern helmets reduce aerodynamic drag.
I’ve looked and looked for compelling data indicating the only responsible course of action is to wear a helmet when cycling. Everything I’ve found so far traces back to the same small study, widely acknowledged to be problematic for extrapolating to real world. And some of what I’ve found advocating helmet use is/was disseminated by parties with a vested interest in getting more people to buy more helmets. Not conspiracies — marketing. I’m not skeptical, I’m disbelieving. Just because something makes sense on a superficial, intuitive level doesn’t mean it’s true, especially when some evidence exists to the contrary. I’m waiting for actual data that indicates a helmet will make me safer.
Meanwhile (again), anyone who prefers to use a helmet should wear one. But since you have such a strong opinion about my choices, I’ll add this: If you or anyone else chooses for your child to wear a helmet, PLEASE make sure it fits properly and that the child understands the importance of adjusting it and fastening it properly EVERY TIME she or he wears it. I see little kids riding around with helmets sliding over their eyes, slipping sideways, and/or not even buckled, and I think those kids would be a lot safer without those helmets distracting them and impeding their vision. One of the main arguments against mandatory helmet laws is that focusing so much attention on helmets — and the presumed margin of safety they provide — detracts attention and energy from factors that HAVE been demonstrated to increase safety among cyclists of all ages: cycling skills, attentiveness and awareness of surroundings, and knowledge of the rules of the road.
Isn’t it more likely that the studies ARE clear and compelling but that you didn’t understand them because all the chemicals and preservatives in the canned soup that you eat in your buried school bus have affected your ability to reason?!?
[Hey, if you can't keep the ugly comments out, the least you can do is make fun of them, right?]
Not to start any big argument, and I’ll definitely state that you’re more than within your right to elect not to wear a helmet. It is true that motorists appear to give a wider berth to cyclists not wearing a helmet. Moreover, individual cyclists do appear to do some risk compensation, engaging in more risky behaviors with than without helmets. These are factors that are difficult to control for in epidemiological studies.
But, mch of the argument on these web sites depends on fairly deliberate misreading or misunderstanding of the evidence. In particular, studies that rely on time series analysis looking at the effect of helmet laws have significant problems. That is, there is good evidence to support that mandatory helmet laws do, unfortunately, have the effect of discouraging cycling.
Unfortunately, this creates problems for interpreting data that looks at the effect of mandating helmet on injuries. Individuals that are less likely to be discouraged, are in fact, those cycling more than those who will be discouraged by the law. Thus, dropping the discouraged cyclists, leaves more people cycling longer times and distances, who already have a higher rate of accidents. Thus, before and after the law is introduced, the population of cyclists are no longer the same.
The way around this is to use what are called ‘case control studies’. Here, the evidence is that head and facial injuries are substantially reduced with helmets, while there appears to be no benefit (or harm) for helmets in preventing neck injuries.
Thompson RS, Rivara FP, Thompson DC (May 1989). “A case-control study of the effectiveness of bicycle safety helmets”. N. Engl. J. Med. 320 (21): 1361–7
Keatinge, Richard; Robert S. Thompson (14 May 2006). “Re: Objective observation of helmet use is essential”. British Medical Journal 332 (7543): 722–5.
In many cases, including on the web sites you cite, the arguments against helmets includes the potential costs of discouraging people from cycling. That is, there are real health benefits, and mandating helmets means that fewer people enjoy the benefit. This is true and a valid policy question. It is less clear how to factor this into an individual decision to wear or not wear a helmet.
Furthermore, the arguments often suggest that helmets are not the only source of cycling safety. This assuredly is true and even the sternest advocates for helmets would not disagree. Good bike handling skills, good situational awareness, and a healthy dose of caution will likely be better than a helmet alone, but hopefully we can agree that the choice isn’t between one or the other.
toml: Thanks for your concern. My return advice: When you see me without one, only wag your finger for 5 seconds or less, so as not to tear any ligaments.
I’ll visit you at Shepherd.
I would wave, not wag.
The original poster in this segment pleaded to “parents who cycle with their families.” I think the point is well taken that children are more likely to wear their helmets if they see their parents making it part of the regular cycling routine. People do not fully develop their risk assessment skills until they’re about 25, so children must be made to wear helmets by law. Parents can set a good example by wearing helmets too.
FYI, cut and pasted from CSD eblast. In the spirit of Decatur 101 and CSD 101, there’s now Decatur High School 101:
DHS 101 for Families New to DHS
When: This Saturday, 8/18/12, 8:30 AM to Noon
Location: Meet in the Cafeteria (enter from the side door)
Who Should Attend: Parents/Guardians of Students New to DHS (9th Grade and Others)
(students are welcome, too, but sessions are geared more toward parents)
Hosted by: DHS School Leadership Team
Your opportunity to learn about academics, extra-curricular activities, and the life of a 21st Century high schooler.We’ll meet in the cafeteria and break up into small groups for sessions led by students, parents, teachers, and counselors. We hope to answer questions you didn’t even know you had on topics like:
• Electronic Resources – Website, e-Blast, e-Board
• Academic Progression – Graduation Requirements, Course Selection, IB
• Academic Support/Tutoring Information
• How Best to Support your High School Student
• Get on Board with DHS – Points of Contact for Questions and Concerns,
Most Important Rules and Why
• Time Management and Organizational Tips for High Schoolers
• Getting Involved – Extracurricular Activities/Learning Connections
We went. It was very painless, well organized, packed with useful information. Thanks so much for the DHS personnel, families, and students who organized and worked. Thanks to the sponsors who supplied coffee and food.
Excellent use of a Saturday morning even if I was not thrilled to get up and go!
Sure you guys have noticed the mural being painted on Rocky Ford under the train tracks (opposite he Kirkwood logo). Finally got a good look at it, and it says “Never Give Up.” Anyone know what that is referring to? I am assuming something more specific than just general cheerleading for humanity.
it’s part of this year’s Living Walls Conference.
http://livingwallsconference.com/
I believe that is a Living Walls mural. Creative Loafing has a list of all the Living Walls pieces that are going to appear in the next week or so:
http://clatl.com/atlanta/living-walls-2012-art-guide/Content?oid=6120226
There was a women’s urban art get-together last weekend. Probably related to that.
This is a little more than a women’s “get together” … It’s part of the Living Walls Conference. This year it’sdedicated to female artists but in the past has attracted internationlly known and respected street artists who’ve contributed murals on (legal) public and private places around town.
clatl.com/atlanta/living-walls-reconnects-atlantans-with-their-city-one-wall-at-a-time/
I’m looking forward to seeing this year’s contributions by bike and foot over the weekend!
Are we sure it’s not a public art Rickroll? Might be worth taking a close look for “gonna” and “you”…
OMG– now I have that song in my head! GAHHH! Way to plant an earworm, Mags. Thanks a LOT!
I just wanted to say that I am really glad school is back in session. I love seeing al the kids and parents on bikes, scooters, and walking to school. The normally vibrant Oakhurst Village was so dead this summer it was depressing.
Also, a shout out for the new water fountain in Harmony Park for adults kids and dogs.
Beltline CEO fired this morning. Might be worth it’s own thread.
Sad story about a young woman killed by her rescue dogs in Decatur / DeKalb. Does anyone know where this occurred or anything else about it?
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/police-canine-rescuer-killed-1500889.html
This is just the worst kind of news. Very sad.
Incredibly sad, not the least for the usual rush to judgment these stories often bring. I feel so bad for her parents!
That is a heartbreaking story in so many ways. Was that in the City of? Does anyone know if she came to any of our dog parks?
Thanks for last week’s recommendation of Matthew Morgan at Oakhurst Electric. He was very nice, did a great job and his prices were VERY reasonable.
Need new tires for both cars, any local recommendations?
kauffman tire on church street…they hooked us up last summer and their prices were waaaaaay better than other local tires places.
+1 on Kauffman Tire.
Kauffman Tire on Church.
What’s the place on Dekalb Industrial that says it has a Zen Garden? Sounds peaceful.
The zen garden is at NTB, and I would discourage anyone from going there. The guys are nice, but it always takes a lot longer than they say it will. And the restroom is disgusting.
I went to Kauffman at lunch today. Highly recommend them.
NTB = crooks. They prey on the stupid/lazy consumer.
Should have taken a leak in the zen garden. Talk about peecful.
Another thumbs-up for Kauffman. Good prices, well run store, and they will repair any tire they sell at no charge.
I think this gets said on a semi-regular basis but I’d like to encourage everyone with sidewalks in front of your house to do two things: 1) make sure that vegetation is cleared from the sidewalk and is trimmed high enough that people that pass under it when walking, and 2) when placing your trash can and recycling out, please do not put it on the sidewalk.
This is partly prompted by seeing a person in a wheelchair have to go out into the street to avoid a stretch of sidewalk that was blocked by trash cans and bins.
I know that many of our sidewalks are not in great shape but while we can’t just run out and fix the concrete, we can at least keep our plants in check.
Or move to a ‘hood with misguided neighbors who shot down the most recent attempt to add sidewalks!
That’s what you get fer livin’ in the high-falutin’ part of Decatur.
There’s little distinction between highfalutin’ areas and the rest of Decatur anymore. There’s high falutin’ houses and high-falutin’ people but they could be located anywhere in Decatur. The sidewalk-phobic folks are definitely an anomaly but I”m not sure I’d call them high falutin’!
Can only speak for my street, but in 13 years have never seen anybody leave their trash or recycling on the sidewalk, it’s always placed between the sidewalk and the street to await collection. Every single week, however, both the city sanitation crew and the recycling collection crew toss nearly all of the empty trash cans and bins into the middle of the sidewalk.
There are three houses in particular that I see them do this on a regular basis, and since i’ve noticed it there, i’ve started looking for and see it occasionally at other houses. One is on Candler, a particularly terrible place to make people go around the bins. But you are also correct that collection will often also thrown the bins on the sidewalks.
Well, that’s thoughtless. Maybe a polite note in their mailbox is in order. (People who don’t use the sidewalk themselves can be amazingly oblivious to the nuisance they are creating by obstructing it.)
What about people that park their (often only present) car in the driveway, just pulling in enough to get their car off the street? The sidewalk is 100% blocked. All the time.
I know it is related to the pitch of their driveway and a baby, but still…
Anchovy paste? Where do you purchase that?
Any supermarket. I’ve bought it at the Kroger.
Yeah, I eat it. I also eat brains, durian, and chitlins. Hold your nose.
Zombie?!?
YDFM or Buford Highway Farmer’s Market? Star Provisions probably has it also, albeit at a much higher price (and if they don’t, I’ll bet they could tell you where to go).
I’ve found it at both the Dekalb Farmers Market and at Whole Foods. I think it’s with the spices at the DeKalb Farmers Market and with the canned fish/clams/etc. at Whole Foods.
Anyone know a good local place to get glasses and contacts that, ideally, is not super expensive?
I had tried to go to Walmart, but twice I’ve had an appointment and waited for a half hour only to be told that the doctor – OD – wasn’t even there and some other non-sense excuse.
So many places when you get glasses there are so many ad on’s – special lenses, coatings, etc. and so they wind up super expensive. I hate it.
For the glasses, get an exam for the prescription and buy online at Zenni! [If you can ignore the people who are going to call me an irresponsible, China-supporting a-hole for even suggesting this!]
Awesome J_T! My wife lost her new progressive glasses a couple of weeks ago and I was grousing about the cost. Now, she’s ordered 2 pairs for half the price of the one pair from Zenni! Great tip and I can shut off my grousing before I get in even more trouble.
I bought 7 pairs on Zenni for no apparent reason other than it cost me $70 for all of ‘em!
Go to Decatur Eye Care in Oakhurst for the exam. If the glasses or prices there aren’t a good fit for you, you should be able to get your Rx “to-go.” When I saw him last year, Dr. Brillante had no problem giving me all the info I needed to get my Rx filled elsewhere (Warby Parker for glasses; can’t stand contacts anymore). Can’t say the same for the Eye Physicians and Surgeons place on Scott – I met with a lot of resistance when I asked for my Rx and an accurate PD measurement – thus the visit to Dr. Brillante.
believe it or not, the target near perimeter mall has a fabulous eye center. we had great customer service there, and they have lots of choices in frames.
I second that Target — worth the drive to go to the optical center. I switched after years of paying outrageous prices (with horrible customer service) at another place (not in Decatur). You also can buy frames, with your insurance, and send to $39 Dollar Glasses or Zenni and get the lenses put in. The good thing about this discount places is that you don’t have to pay for all the extras — usually anti-scratch, anti-glare, etc is included in the price. And they’re fast.
It has been a while since I visited Steinbeck’s. Does anybody know what they have for oysters these days?
Don’t know, I can never make it past the Chinese Breakfast!
I’m not positive but I don’t think they are even regularly on the menu anymore.
No one goes to Steinbeck’s anymore. . . It’s too crowded.
They are not regularly on the menu, but the last time I saw them (a month ago?) I had them and they were very good.
I’ve also had oysters af few times at Harbor Bar (or whatever it’s called) and they were good but their shucker needs to be more careful and take a bit more pride in what (s)he puts on the plate ‘cuz I’m filtering too much shell out through my teeth!!
Funny, I had the same experience at my first (and likely last) visit. I can’t see myself going there over Six Feet Under ever.
You really shouldn’t eat oysters In August. If you get any oysters in Aug there were prob frozen in March.
Good rule of thumb is any of the R months. But even early Sept is iffy.
What’s up with El Toro on Scott Blvd? There’s a “Restaurant for Lease” sign in the parking lot and an “El Toro Is Open” banner on the roof. Lease negotiation problems?
A friendly reminder to dog owners to please clean up after your pets and when you do clean up DO NOT leave the bag of poop in my recycling bin.
On an almost related note, can somebody explain to me the mentality of people who get upset about dogs crapping on their property, even though you pick it up? Or worse, the folks who freak out when a dog PEES in their yard?
Just the other day a girl was walking her dog past my house and I happened to walk out just as the dog started peeing on our grass. The girl immediately started apologizing and tried to drag the poor dog away. I told her that it wasn’t a big deal and had to practically beg her not to cry. Apparently a neighbor down the street had cursed and screamed at her for the same thing. So seriously, WTF is wrong with some people. And when is Andisheh gonna fix this problem?
Obviously you have not noticed that dog urine kills some grasses. And unfortunately not all owners are responsible. Like this morning when I walked out to find a nice pile of pooh next to the newspaper.
+1
People at times can be careless. Urine will kill grass and other plantings as well.
If dogs run free, then what must be
Must be, and that is all
True love can make a blade of grass
Stand up straight and tall
In harmony with the cosmic sea
True love needs no company
It can cure the soul, it can make it whole
If dogs run free
- Bob Dylan (1970)
… and pooh is a chubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff.
-Winnie The Pooh song (Sherman Brothers, 1966)
(Oh my goodness! How’d I manage that? Enjoy! :0)
Come on! It is careless not to clean up your dog’s poop, but to let them pee in the grass? How do you keep wild animals from peeing in your urine free yard?
There’s a hawk for that.
My point was about dog poop, I could care less where dogs pee.
However I find it amusing that J_T thinks it is his right to have dogs pee on anyone’s property. Next time I’m walking back from the village in Oakhurst can I just pee in any yard I want or is this right only reserved for dogs?
Ludicrous post is ludicrous.
We have 3 dogs and a quarter acre of grass that won’t stop growing. Folks, you are welcome to let your dogs pee on it when you pass by. For those concerned about me returning the favor, feel free to yell and scream at me as soon as Stanley raises his leg near your manicured yard. I promise not to laugh*.
*Not really. That would be a really stupid promise that I could never keep.
We have a number of varieties of boxwood, some of which find dog urine so toxic they wither and die. They are slow-growth, so dog urine really hurts the shape when you are actually training the boxwood to a certain shape.
And once it’s been peed on by one doggie, every other doggie who happens by has to add its two cents’ worth. As a dog owner (who’s between dogs at the moment), I get the absurdity of dragging a dog away while it’s trying to answer the call. As the frustrated proprietor of a front yard, I get the frustration of planting something and fertilizing and mulching it, only to have it wither under the constant urinary assault of passing (otherwise sweet and adorable) doggies.
Like most stuff, it’s not all one thing or the other.
Good thing for you and Nellie that our high falutin’ dogs don’t make it down to the ‘Khurt often then!
Just to be clear, I’m not talking about any fancy gardening or flowers, I’m talking about plain old grass. And only the plain old grass that immediately abuts the sidewalk or street. I get that it would be rude to allow my dog to romp through someone’s landscaped property or pee on fancy bushes. But if someone yells at me because of a sprinkling on their lawn, it’s going to be hard for me to do anything but shake my head.
Anyway, I’m glad I brought this up because I didn’t realize it was such a sore subject. Also, because it explains why half my neighbors give me such weird, scary looks. It’s not me, it’s just the dogs peeing on their grass!
That was me. I did not curse, nor did I scream. She and her dog were several feet up on my driveway as I was about to turn in. As I waited to pull in, right in front of me she let her dog pee in a pot of flowers in my driveway. I rolled down my window and told her that I thought it was inappropriate to let her dog urinate in my pot of flowers.
Now I know why those flowers weren’t doing well.
I have no idea if we are talking about the same incident and animal. That would clearly be different than just peeing on a lawn. I would apologize if I accidentally allowed my dog to pee on a potted flower. I would not apologize if it peed on a lawn. Sliding scale, I guess.
Did you use the word “inappropriate” with the child? Because that probably made her feel shamed when she just thought she was doing something normal (taking the dog out to pee). Do you think maybe a smile and a short conversation about dog urine and flower health would have been more “appropriate?” I appreciate the effort it takes to maintain property but it seems like front yard horticulturists more often than not have an “us against them” attitude toward neighborhood kids. A little civility goes a long way.
She was a young woman, not a child.
I have a yard and I have a dog. My dog will NOT pee or poop while on a leash (his choice, not mine), so I’ve never had to deal with irate homeowners.
But seriously–dogs pee in yards. Always have and always will. People shouldn’t let their dogs roam freely around a yard, but the first couple of feet are fair game. I just can’t even imagine the mindset of someone freaking out about this. Community is more important than a fancy lawn; dogs are a major part of Decatur’s community, so let them pee where they will.
Poo, on the other hand, should ALWAYS be disposed of either in a public receptacle or in the dog owner’s. Anyone caught doing otherwise should be forced by the authorities to eat the poop in the town square.
D’accord, 100%!
Doesn’t the county (or city) own the first five feet back from the street anyway?
The width varies, but the Right-of-Way generally does extend some distance from the curb.
Caroline Herring will be performing for free at Decatur CD Saturday night at 6:00 prior to her Eddie’s Attic gig. Very family friendly stuff.
We received in our mailbox today a letter addressed to “Parents of Levi Roland.” It’s from the Student Ambassador Program in Spokane, Washington.
Obviously, the address is wrong, so I want to get it to the right people. Is anyone familiar with that name?
Anyone know of someone that would be willing to come into my Decatur home once a week to iron??
May I drop my stuff off if you have a taker??
Ironing is definitely on the decline. I’m glad I learned as a kid but I don’t find it necessary much anymore other than touch ups and iron on patches. My daughter loves it and is always begging for more to do. If she were older, I’d put her name forward.
Possible bomb at The Temple. My six year old self remembers my mother trying to explain why someone would blow up a church.
Really? Where did you hear that? Not on ajc.com yet. Meanwhile, bomb threats to movie theaters. Sigh. Too many sick minds.
It’s like you expect AJC.com to have current news (BTW, still not there 9:30 PM)? It was on at least 2 TV stations. Cleared by 6:30 PM.
And, not a word in this morning’s AJC print edition.
Did anyone hear gunfire on W Ponce and/or Pinetree last Saturday morning? I heard someone was arrested. Anyone?
we heard it also, several times. sounded like it came from Pinetree. A neighbor, that backs up to where the noise was coming from, reported that that it was a young adult son (25 yo) of someone on Pinetree that was drunk from night before. Lots of people were out running, biking, and walking at that time of morning on the weekend, so we are lucky no one was hurt. Also heard that police took drunk son away.
Not sure whether this is permitted on FFAF, but I am seeking an adoptive home for a 14 wk old short-haired black kitten that has set up camp in my carport. We’ve managed to get his brother and sister adopted, but he’s the last one. I’ve gotten both him and his mother neutered/spayed and all initial vaccinations. He just needs a home! He’s probably the sweetest kitten I’ve ever encountered….very loving and vocal. You can see pics here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151176028327673.493911.709197672&type=1&l=3fe6f2b1f7
I need help. My wife keeps asking me, “hey, what’s that building there going to be?” (referring to the unusually tall one being erected next to Lotus Chiropractic, across from Decatur High). And I keep answering, “I don’t know” to which she says “I wonder what it’s going to be. It’s so tall” to which say, “yes. It is tall indeed.” Then a few days later she says, “hey, what’s that building there going to…”
Does anyone know what that building there’s going to be, the one that’s so tall? Thank you very much.
Multi story outhouse.
This topic comes up almost every FFAF. I keep telling DM that he needs to start out every FFAF with an explanation of this building. You can either search all the previous FFAF (not too hard to do) or take my condensed version which is “It’s an architectural firm’s office and is way too tall according to some and doesn’t fit into the Decatur style and blocks the cottage behind it but that’s legal because the area is zoned commercial and some think it looks like a beach condo and many think that property owners have the right to do what they want with their property because this is a free country and the government already dictates too much to us like bike helmets which some of us think provide a Darwinian way to weed out the foolish but others think the research does not support a mandate for adults to wear them.”
LOL! Outta breath reading this one, but +1.
Now for a rant of my own (and totally not related to anything you’ve said, AHID): It’s not like this project just sprang up overnight, or that our town is some megametropolis, either– where’ve people been that they’ve not seent it? And yes, it’s ugly, but it’s also not finished. Maybe it won’t be ugly when it’s done, maybe it will. But it ain’t goin’ away, so people, if you truly hate it, speak to the City Ordinance folks about changing the regulations, but for heaven’s sakes, stop braying about it, ’cause you’re a little late to the party.
Ha! I think AHID may have had more coffee today than even me!
And Cuba, would you also kindly forward your message to Good Growth DeKalb? Thanks!
AHID, very funny. But like I’m gonna search previous FFAFs for an answer. Please. Like I even click on one of every five of them.
It’s Lightroom’s (not a lightbox or lighthouse!) live/work/place space, and once you get over the initial shock of coming across it, it looks like it’ll turn out to be pretty dang cool! I looooove the rooftop terrace!
Peripatetian sussed out the design ( 7/13 FFAF), so here you go, appleshauce man! :0)
http://www.lightroom.tv/projects/architecture_residential/lightroom2/lightroom2.html
Hey, Deanne came out to work at the DHS Garden on Saturday, along with another DM reader and his son. Thanks for all your help. It was great meeting y’all.
Thanks, Diane. My son and I had a great time, and we look forward to doing it again. It was a pleasure meeting you.
I also got to meet Deanne, who is as awesome in person as she is on DM. It’s people like Deanne that make Decatur the best place to live in Georgia.
P.S. My son was highly amused at the lady who yelled, “Token!” and gave his dad a big hug. It was a fun start to a great day.
Ha! He is so going to call you Token at the most inopportune times now!
Yeah, most likely. He’ll add it to his repertoire of other “announcements,” such as “wow, Dad, you’re FORTY-SIX!” and “hey Dad, I can’t wait to get my BB gun!”
I didn’t even think to ask you your screen name, TR, I was so busy trying to get the lawn mower started. Hope y’all got a piece of the banana crunch cake we had. And some okra.
I guess it’s better that he call you “Token” than “Republican” ’round these here Subaru-ridden parts!
Saturday was SO excellent!!! Meeting dear Token AND Diane ROCKED!!! And I’ll tell you right now that young Token could easily take the #1 Decatur Kid award! He was into the project the entire time and super nice like just his Dad! (Maybe me rattling off some of my favorite things about Token’s online self distracted him from honing in on the name part– or he’ll recall the full Decatur’s Token Republican, and it’ll spark interesting discussions! :0)
We’ve absolutely got to make community bonding while community gardening a DM thing! It’s amazing how many weeds you can pull while enjoying hours of great conversation! And I got to see Token get all feisty with someone! LOVED THAT! :0) Diane walked me through some good tips afterward, and I can’t wait to learn more from her. A really nice contingent of regular garden volunteers too. I sincerely hope DHS appreciates just how special the garden and its people are– kinda magical, really. Looking forward to Diane posting the next work day notice on here! :0)
AHID- That was soooo Shoshanna from Girls! REVOLT against your comma!
And thanks to AMB and my ability to remember all things I shouldn’t, and nothing I should, every time I see that structure, I’m going to think “what an interesting looking multi-story outhouse.”
I wonder if it will be found out that it was actually Emory officials who had been advising Atlanta Public Schools on how to up their rankings through lies and deception.
Interesting parallel. One is private sector; the other is public sector.