Free-For-All Friday 2/21/14
Decatur Metro | February 21, 2014Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
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I’m first! Totally distracted by 2 bunnies in my yard. What do they eat? I think they might be feasting on some daffodils peeking through.
That is charming. In 15 years I never saw a bunny rabbit around my yard in Oakhurst, although just about everything else passed through. I believe they typically enjoy most any kind of tender green stuff. After an adventurous day getting chased around by Mr. MacGregor, they are happy to get tucked in with chamomile tea.
Radishes. They always seem to be after Mr. MacGregor’s radishes.
Ahhhh, but these are East Lake bunnies. Look what 7 city blocks change. In Oakhurst, I had the most Godzilla sized possum living in the alley that cast a shadow on my window at night convincing me he was breaking in. I’ll take the bad little bunnies.
Those Oakhurst possums are scary, indeed. Large and intrepid.
Never saw any raccoons, either, which surprised me so near the creek (and with so many hen houses about).
you’re semi-lucky. once I accidentally disturbed a rabbit warren while mowing the tall grass in my old lawn. The momma abandoned five or six very very small (not even really mobile) babies and it’s just the luck that the hole they were in was deep enough that I didn’t get ‘em with the mower.
We ended up taking them to Noah’s Ark down in Henry County. I guess it worked out?
Well, if you have a vegetable garden, watch out…bunnies ate my entire fall garden–Swiss chard, lettuce, and cabbage….
Mine too. They ate my brussel sprouts & collards down to the roots. I like seeing them, but come on; never seen a rodent eat collards.
But the rabbits themselves are delicious, even moreso after having fed on your veggies. Sounds like it is time for some urban livestock harvesting.
“You like lettuce? Swiss chard is worse!”
I am looking for a place in Decatur to host an open house type of office party to celebrate my law firm’s 5 year anniversary. I plan for about 100 people, coming and going. I would prefer a place that serves beer, wine and light food. I would appreciate this group’s recommendations!
The solarium in Oakhurst
+1 and if you, or someone in your group, is a resident than I think you can get a discount if your date is available and reservation is made less than 6 weeks in advance. Might have details wrong, but it’s something like that.
50% discount is available to residents of 30030 zip code who book less than 60 days in advance. The person signing the contract and making the payment has to reside in 30030. If that person is also a senior citizen (65 or older), then the discount is 75%.
Wow, that is incredibly discounted!
That is your Community Center of South Decatur hard at work trying to keep the Solarium in good repair and operating order (which requires a lot of money, which is earned by means of the event rental business), and at the same time, keep it available to the community. It would be lovely to just have it there for whoever wants to use it, but the money has to come from somewhere. At the same time, renting it at near-market rates has effectively shut out a lot of neighbors from using it for their private events. The senior discount is a way of saluting those senior neighbors, who built the human neighborhood and kept it going for decades, and make the Solarium somewhat more accessible to them.
there are also discounts for nonprofit rentals, and I don’t think the nonprofits have to wait to be w/in 60 days of desired date.
True. We used it for just such a nonprofit event several years ago. Great to work with, can bring in any food and alcohol from the “outside” which was a great cost savings. Not being stuck with some preferred site vendor, we could use the catering company of our choice. Sometimes takes a while to hear back, but that is because the staff are either a part time or all volunteer – I cannot recall which. Highly recommended.
Awesome. Thanks! As a side issue, I am looking to hire for a short-term position an individual over the age of 65 who lives in the 30030 zipcode.
The back room at Parker’s on Ponce! Great price. Great food. Great service.
Parker’s is a great choice if they can accommodate the numbers you’re talking about. Pretty sure that 100 at any given time would be too many, but it’d be worth talking to them to check. If you tell JT that you know this J_T, he might even cut you a deal. [Full disclosure: I am not affiliated with Parker's and am not related to either of the owners, shared initials notwithstanding. I just love their food and their location and Mrs. J_T thinks that their bacon wrapped, blue cheese stuffed dates with mint balsamic reduction is one of the best foods ever made.]
Twain’s might be more flexible on the size, especially with the “coming-and-going”, and that would definitely fit the “beer, wine and light food” requirement.
How much money do you want to spend? Rent out the old courthouse and have Badda Bing cater it if money is no obstacle!
Oh, and am I invited?!?
depending on time of year, I would check Wahoo, think they have a tent thing for events out back and a private dining room for medium size events. nice setting, great food.
Yes! I was going to recommend Wahoo myself. They have a lovely outdoor space and a covered/light-filled sort of greenhouse space as well. Both are really terrific. And the food is excellent. Enjoy and congratulations!
I recommend Wahoo as well. I’ve hosted several events there in the past few years. Prices were reasonable and they were great to work with.
Our ice machine in the fridge suddenly stopped working. We have done some trouble shooting but can’t figure out what is going on. Does anyone have a recommendation for someone who does these types of repairs well? We considered Sears but the rate was too high. Thanks!
Call Mark Houck Appliance Repair (404) 292-7558. He repaired our ice maker a few months ago and has done some other appliance work for us as well. Very reliable, nice person.
+1
And he comes when he says he will.
Here are two references we have used in the past:
1. Lanny Adams Appliance Repair. (404) 762-9611. They are prompt, clear, and just an all-around joy to deal with. I’d use them MUCH more if I didn’t have a handy guy in my life!
2. Mark White from White’s Appliance Repair 404.468.2208 just fixed our dryer. I can’t say enough good things about him. He was quick and affordable!! !
Thanks y’all!
Looks like a place called “Butter & Cream” (or something like that) is opening up in the former Taste spot. Anyone got the inside scoop?
I suspect the Dairy Queen’s closing just got a little less painful (and a whole lot more expensive)
If it turns out to be an ice cream place, I apologize retroactively for the pun.
So every hack in the world highlights their bad puns by saying “No Pun Intended”, and you have to apologize when it’s actually not intended?
I follow terrible puns with “pun intended” because I want to make it crystal clear that I willingly put my worth and credibility on the line, all to reinforce some insignificant point. That’s no small sacrifice, and deserves recognition.
If that’s the name, I’d guess it would be a place selling baked goods.
I saw the sign the other day and your post reminded me to snoop around:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Butter-and-Cream/425398160890004?fref=ts
Seems your pun was accurate, even if it wasn’t intended.
Hi, I’m searching for a Christian church in Decatur for my family to attend. I am actually very open to different denominations. What we’d like is a growing, inclusive congregation with lots of kids. Progressive & lots of public service. I know they exist here, but they’re surprisingly hard to root out on the internet if you don’t have prior knowledge of them! TIA!
Oakhurst Presbyterian
Decatur First United Methodist. Lots of kids & programs; including out-reach
@Leslie:
Eastside Church (in Oakhurst, next to Family Dollar) totally fits that bill. I’ve been attending since late 2011/early 2012 and have been very pleased. They’re a progressive United Methodist congregation with emphasis on service (Hagar’s house dinners, a justice ministry, goats for a Haitian community, etc.) and there are lots of families with kids.
Services at 9:30 and 11:00.
http://eastsideatl.org/
North Decatur United Methodist
Decatur Presbyterian
Looks like my original post is still stuck in moderation, so I will try again. Church of the Epiphany is really great. Sounds like just what you’re looking for. Good luck in your search.
I agree. Try Church of the Epiphany on Ponce de Leon at East Lake. Very inclusive.
I agree. Try Church of the Epiphany on Ponce de Leon at East Lake.
Sister Louisa’s on Edgewood and Boulevard.
Pious Ping Pong!
There are several churches in Decatur that meet your criteria. The most racially diverse is probably Oakhurst Presbyterian, the church with the most gay and lesbian families involved is likely to be Oakhurst Baptist, the churches with large youth groups tend to be the “tall steeple” downtown churches (First United Methodist and First Baptist, in particular). So, it depends. First Baptist got kicked out of the Southern Baptist Convention for calling a woman as pastor, yet she is fairly conservative, theologically. It’s just not possible to give a simple answer. Enjoy the opportunity to visit several places of worship and see what feels right to you. I like the folks at all the churches I named and some I didn’t–First Christian Church (Disciples, not UCC) comes to mind, as well as North Decatur Presbyterian.
Saw a coyote trotting on Willow at Scott Boulevard this morning. Keep your pets inside overnight!
I saw one with an ACME rocket on its back. Keep an eye on your small birds too.
I have Sam the sheepdog’s sister if we need her to punch the click for some quality coyote herding
Excellent – will it please come eat the dang rabbits referenced in the opening posts. They seem to have grown more voracious over the last couple of years.
Hold your horses, Mr. McGregor. Do what my father did in his mellow retirement, just plant extra for the bunnies. (Probably not feasible in this competitive urban environment; they’d just telegraph all their relations to come on and share in the bounty.)
Call off your old tired ethics.
Great reference!
so I googled it. Learn something new every day.
I met Margo St. James in the late 70’s. Nice woman.
Don’t forget to drop by the Decatur Arbor Day Festival tree display next to The Marlay- you can enjoy a beer off a root ball table top – it’s a must see – especially at night!
Does anyone know of someone they can recommend to build deck stairs? Thanks for the help!
Can anyone recommend a moving company. It’s just a local move.
Last year we used Hewes Family Movers. http://hewesfamilymovers.com/index.html
I highly, highly recommend them. Moved all of our stuff on time with considerable care & under-budget. Moved from Avondale to Decatur.
Looking for a recommendation for a ENT in or near Decatur. My ear has been clogged for over a week and OTC remedies are not doing the trick.
Can anyone recommend a moving company. It’s just a local move.
I assume you mean with wax. I used to have to visit a doctor once or twice a year for that problem, then I discovered a little plastic tool called the Ototek Loop. Your ear may be too clogged for that at this point, but it might help in the future. They usually have it in stock at the Walgreens in Oak Grove. I’ll post a link but it might be in moderation for a bit.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/ototek-loop-ear-wax-removal-tool/ID=prod359743-product
the loop end of a small bobby pin works, too.
a bobby pen is a ghetto Ototek—my mother used them on me throughout my childhood.
eh, what’s that you said?
oh, no, no, no—didn’t damage my hearing at all.
We were also allowed to play with dry cleaning bags.
yard darts
Too poor to have yard darts. We hurled magnolia burrs at each other. And our swimming pool had diving boards (and the occasional water moccasin).
We didn’t have car seats or seat belts. We slid across the bench backseats of cool old Chevys and fords from the ’60s
We’d get piled in the way-back of giant station wagons, 10 at a time. Better yet, in the beds of pickup trucks. There were no shields over the electrical outlets. We were told once to leave the mouse trap behind the refrigerator alone, then allowed to discover what happened if we didn’t.
Psychotherapy was not available in my day. Truly dangerous.
Hillbilly! We called them lawn darts…
heh, and you probably “mowed you lawn”, yes?
in my neighborhood we “cut the grass”
+1
Ear wax? Are we that burned out on the fun topics like racism, snow days, annexation and trees?
Hmm…now that I think about it, it IS a better topic than any of those others.
Cheers to all and have a great weekend. I’m outta.
I like the ototek thingy because it has a guard on it that prevents you from sticking it too far into your ear. Though I guess the length of a small bobby pin would prevent that too.
Can anyone explain the “freaky baby art” (my 11 yo daughter’s description) several floors up on the stairwell of the county courthouse parking deck?
It is at the SW corner facing west. You can see it several floors up when driving or walking on Commerce.
If you like R&B or have any interest in Southern culture or pop music or the civil rights era or the music industry, you will want to see “Respect Yourself.” If all of those fascinate you (as they do me), then you’ll be beside yourself. It’s a documentary about Stax Records but it’s really about much, much, much more, just like the label was. There was a screening at the Plaza tonight and if you missed it, you can still catch them in Athens tomorrow night. You don’t miss your water ’til the well runs dry. Get moving.
What a treat it was to meet William Bell, too. His “Private Number” with Judy Clay is one of my favorite jams.
Did you see the review in the NY Times this week of “I’ll Take You There” by Greg Kot? It’s the story of the Staples, and it’s on my short list now.
And I think a lot of DM regulars would love The Bitter Southerner website.
In midst of another PC meltdown, so missed that review but will loop back to it. Thanks.
Tickled to know you were there. Wondered if that might be the case (favorite DM regular or two in attendance), it had that feel. Maybe we need some kind of secret insignia to wear at times like that!
I was the guy who asked the silly question about Ollie and the Nightingales. And I haven’t seeen 20 Feet yet either.
I was sitting several rows behind you, so still don’t know what you look like!
Then I was sitting a little to the right of you. I’m the one who asked about the 2007 release date of the movie and whether it was available on DVD. I’ve now ordered a copy of the film from Amazon, as well as a DVD of the Stax/Volt review in Denmark – part of that amazing 1967 European tour. Can’t wait to see it!
What a treat to meet William Bell and get him to sign my book!!
About ten minutes into the film I realized I had seen it on WPBA fairly recently. It was great to see it on a big screen, and to have it played pretty loud. And how neat is it when a film audience cheers and applauds?
The Denmark show is the shiznits.
I wish Bell had been a little more garrulous about his current project. He’s written songs with some interesting folk like Bhi Bhiman and Larry Campbell, and they are negotiating with a fairly big name producer (no, not T-Bone Burnett). He recently did a Ramble at Levon Helm’s barn that I hear was killer.
I was a little disappointed, too. The question I really wanted to ask him was whether he was surprised as I was that the audience was very close to 100% white. As I’ve pondered the whole story more (heard Gordon on Bob Edwards a few weeks ago & then read the BS piece, haven’t read the book yet), the more I see there are stories within the story, some of which remain untold. Guess that’s the era in a nutshell.
The film skirts around a few issues that I hope are addressed in the book. Like were there any good guys on the business side or were they all villains?
Yes. It seems a lot more complicated than that. I mean, Jerry Wexler was a villain but then again, is that like calling a coyote a villain? I’d like to hear more about Al Bell’s decision to bring in the NY guys. Did he realize what he was doing, the effect their involvement would have on the culture at Stax? How much did those guys contribute to Isaac Hayes, et al just losing their heads and getting so caught up in the bling lifestyle that they wound up losing everything that mattered before? Anyhow, was it everybody, or mainly Isaac and he cut such a blinding figure that he eclipsed everybody and everything else?
How Estelle Axton managed to not be bitter is a source of wonder to me. I smile every time I think about how she made a dance party on the sidewalk for the kids in the afternoons. The way they forced her out makes me want to throw dirty water on somebody. It also makes me think again of what a poisonous act it was to assassinate Dr. King. Evil begets evil.
Well damn. I would have been there if I had known about it. And I can’t make it out to Athens tonight. Bummer. FM Fats falling down on the job and not posting this info on facebook!
You need to subscribe to The Bitter Southerner.
I just did. I had “liked” their facebook page but don’t seem to get their updates that way. Oh well. I signed up through the regular site for email alerts so I don’t miss something like this again!
If you subscribe through the website, you’ll get a weekly note with a link to that week’s story.
What did you think of “20 Feet from Stardom”? (if you saw it). I was somewhat disappointed. Sounded like a can’t miss, but I thought it was kind of boring.
I haven’t seen it.
We really liked “Twenty Feet”.
DPD sent out a notice of a suspicious person following a woman on Erie at 2PM yesterday. She was smart enough to go to a church. Description matched Emory rape sketch. Watch out ladies and watch out for this guy!
DM, not to turn this site into a DPD outlet, but I think this latest incident should be highlighted with a new post. This kind of crime is on a whole different level than burglaries and car break ins.
RE: Apple product security breech …
Can someone direct me to installing a patch for IPhone, iPad, Macbook? I’m not seeing anything being pushed out via settings nor app updates.
iOS 7.0.6 update to fix the SSL connection verification appeared this morning when plugged in and on wifi.