Free-For-All Friday 8/14/15
Decatur Metro | August 14, 2015 | 7:04 amFeel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local topics not yet discussed here over the past week.
Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local topics not yet discussed here over the past week.
At Home in Decatur
Smith
SCrews
J_T
Chris Billingsley
Chris Billingsley
Smith
Momster
At Home in Decatur
Macarolina
Christy
Momster
Has anyone ever had any success getting the AJC to stop delivering its Sunday coupon edition?
I feel like I’ve tried everything.
Great question! I hate that thing. It’s a waste for everyone for the AJC to deliver it to my household.
Cancel the paper altogether. Who reads markings on dead trees anymore?
G Buck, I don’t and never have subscribed to the AJC. I nonetheless receive that irritating Sunday coupon edition.
Pest control recommendations? The ants are back….
Decatur Pest Control
John at Bulldog Pest Control, (770) 466-4156.
+1
Do It Yourself Pest Control on Chamblee Tucker Rd. Professional grade chemicals for the masses.
Ants would be nice. We have those creepy long-legged centipede-looking thingies. Horrifying!!!
Advice on the leggy creepy bugs- don’t squish them. Our house calls them Juicy Bugs for a (more horrifying) reason.
Terro baits. Put them by ant trails, inside and out. You’ll probably see more ants at first, as the bait attracts them, but don’t worry about it. They will be gone next day.
+1
Terro products are very effective. My car was infested with little black ants a couple years ago, and a few drops of Terro bait placed in strategic locations took care of them almost overnight.
16 hours 26 minutes left to get your advance tickets – midnight tonight is the deadline…plenty left and you can pick up tomorrow at front gate. Advance tickets are $ 10 – day of is $ 20
https://www.freshtix.com/events/decatur-bbq-blues–bluegrass-festival
Folks who are getting house renovations: Consider hosting an open house when its all done. While you were in your rental far away picking cabinet knobs online, we endured 6AM truck deliveries and Saturday morning hammering, the heady stench of the curbside port-a-john, fast food wrappers and roofing nails on the street, etc. A few cold ones and some chips, and a quick tour to see what all the fuss was about, would be nice.
Of course, anyone who is doing a reno in Decatur now has already lived through a ton of construction themselves.
the renovation noise is almost constant… And I work out of my house so I can hear the noise all day long…
We lived in the house through our renovation which had the benefit for our neighbors of preventing the contractors coming too early in the morning or staying too late in the afternoon. But even if you have to leave your home during an extended renovation you could ask your contractor not to be noisy before x time or after y time out of consideration for your neighbors…
Around me it seems tear down/ new construction is more likely to be noisy early in the morning and late in the evening than renovations. I figure developers might not be that concerned about irritating the neighbors as those of us who have to live in the neighborhood post construction…
Is everyone else aware that Solstice, on the corner of E. Howard and N. Candler, is planning to paint over the mural on that wall?
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solstice-decatur-community-mural#/story
It’s important to make clear that Solstice is not the antagonist in the story. As I understand it, the owner of the building announced plans to paint over the mural with a solid color and Solstice stepped up, essentially saying “can we replace the mural with another one if we all agree on what it will be?”
At least that’s how it was explained to me.
“can we replace the mural with another one if we all agree on what it will be?”
Sounds like the perfect recipe for terrible art.
I don’t think it’s intending to be art. I think it’s intending to be commerce.
Then that would be a sign, not a mural.
It just so happens that there is an agenda item for the next meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission that reads: “Request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for installation of business signage for “Solstice” at 302 E. Howard Avenue in the Old Decatur Local Historic District.”
These meetings are open to the public and the public always has a chance to comment. The meeting is Tues. at 6.30pm. Check the city website for more details. See you there?
I guess that depends on how pedantic you want to be. The design at the link wouldn’t trigger our city sign ordinance so, from the city’s perspective, it would be a mural and not a sign.
The fine folks at the OED describe a mural as “a painting or other work of art executed directly on a wall” which, given this one’s commercially supportive message makes it sound to me like a commercial mural.
Now it looks like, from a preservation standpoint, it does qualify as signage. So there’s that.
All of which, admittedly, has nothing to do with if it’s any good.
Art designed by committee, nothing could possibly go wrong.
I fear that screaming (mostly) white wall will be inviting to graffiti artists far and wide. For the most part, you don’t see graffiti artists paint all over existing “artistic” murals (out of respect for a fellow artist?) But, IMHO, that wall will look like a community bulletin board and invite some to add to it…
Seems like the owners of Solstice were actually behind this all along, as their gofundme made it appear.
I’m glad they are keeping the mural.
Kristen Mercado Yoga
11 mins
Dear Friends of Solstice and Decatur Community,
After much thought and consideration, we (the owners of Solstice) along with our landlord, Bruce Cohen, have decided to keep the Living Walls Mural at the corner of W. Candler Street and E. Howard Avenue in tact. We have heard from so many of you who are deeply connected to this artwork, and we want you to know you have been heard and your voices matter.
Thank you for your continued support of our new studio and all the other small businesses in Decatur. We couldn’t do it without you.
Kristen Mercado Yoga and Kristen Cayes Moore
Do you have a picture of the existing mural so people can see how great it is? I love driving by there. the new one they want is an atrocity. If what Scott says is correct, can’t they just petition to keep the existing one? But a solid color would be better than a billboard.
It’s up to the owner. Because the mural’s on someone’s property, it’s ultimately at their discretion what to do with it. Now that Solstice is in there, it looks like the building owner is cleaning up the former vets office too, so they’re probably just focused on releasing. Pretty sure it’s either blank wall or this. Gotta assume there’ll be no shortage of opinions on which is better.
It’s gorgeous.
Won’t let me paste a photo into my comment, but here is one: http:[email protected] /6710261201/
When Obama left the rec center after his speech in February 2013 (?), he drove right past it (I know because my kids were on the corner waving to him). I thought it was so cool that he would see that mural and know what an awesome place Decatur is!
Because Obama’s opinion of Decatur is so important.
I think tiptoe’s point was: regardless of your political opinions, it’s pretty cool to have a sitting president visit your town and see the neat things about it.
Posted on the Solstice FB page just now:
Dear Friends of Solstice and Decatur Community,
After much thought and consideration, we (the owners of Solstice) along with our landlord, Bruce Cohen, have decided to keep the Living Walls Mural at the corner of W. Candler Street and E. Howard Avenue in tact. We have heard from so many of you who are deeply connected to this artwork, and we want you to know you have been heard and your voices matter.
Thank you for your continued support of our new studio and all the other small businesses in Decatur. We couldn’t do it without you.
Happy they’re keeping it. That’s my favorite LW mural.
BIG thanks to these business owners for being good neighbors, and taking into account the community’s attachment to this wonderful mural. Such consideration is rare nowadays!
SAVE THE DATE!
You are invited to Cub Scout Pack 175’s Annual Ice Cream Social on Sunday, August 16 at 3:00 PM at Glennwood Elementary School. Bring your family to enjoy join the fun and learn all about what Cub Scouting has to offer boys (Grade 1-5) and their families.
For additional information about the pack, visit http://www.pack175decatur.com or email [email protected] .
I need the ductwork in my house cleaned. Recommendations for companies to use or avoid would be greatly appreciated.
No recommendation, just a caveat from our own experience that clean ducts amplify the sound of the air going through them. Now we have to put up with the additional noise every time the blower cycles on. Apparently this is less of a problem with flexible ductwork than with the rigid ductwork we have.
Selling plots in the Decatur Cemetery: many, many years ago, my grandfather purchased 8 plots in the Decatur Cemetery. We are not going to need all of them and want to go ahead and sell 2 of the plots. They would be 2 adjacent plots. I have tried calling the cemetery and just this morning sent an email to the Public Works department. Do any of you have experience with this process? Better yet, do any of you wish to purchase 2 plots? I figure that they will be in high demand & have no idea how much they are worth. Thanks!
” I have tried calling the cemetery ”
Did you talk to them?
Never an answer or returned call. When we buried my father last month, the funeral home guy said the best way to get in touch with the cemetery is to go there and ride around until you find a grounds maintenance guy to call someone on the radio to meet you at the building. Not very efficient.
I don’t understand what the problem is. There are usually two people in the office plus the grounds crew and my experience is that they are responsive. That said, the best they’ll do is list your plots as available, but keep in mind that there is plenty of space open there unlike, say, Oakland, where the only way to get a plot is to buy one from a current owner.
Hey, Steve. Thanks for clarifying this. I’ve long wondered just how much space remained available there. Do you have any idea what city-offered plots go for at retail?
They just increased the price, but I don’t know what it is.
Kathy, go to the cemetery office located just inside the gates from the Church Street entrance and met with one of the caretakers. We purchased plots last year and the caretakers are very helpful. You will need to sell your plot at the current rate they are selling other plots. Your plots will be offered as options when people are looking for plots to purchase
The recent conversation re: ticket cost for running the stop sign at N. Druid Hills and Clairmont came to mind yesterday when I got the latest issue of Car and Driver. Excerpts from Aaron Robinson’s very disturbing column:
“…in California, where a typical $100 fine pencils out to $490…Among the add-ons: a fee to aid people with traumatic brain injuries, a fund to help victims of violent crimes, and a toll for the protection of state wildlife.”
“For one thing, the higher the fees, the more people simply don’t pay. Michigan reports a collection fee of only around 50 percent.”
“In Los Angeles, as in many cities with poor public transport, losing a license can be an express train to joblessness and poverty.”
I’m curious about the 1-story house being built on 5th Avenue right across street from FAVE. For one, I am so thrilled to see a different style–looks mid-century– and a single story home at that. I’m guessing it is a owner-inspired build, but it sure would be nice to see some “smaller” houses in Decatur.
Agree with you completely. Interestingly, the home both before and after construction belongs to Eric Rawlings who as an architect designs most of Arlene Dean’s projects.
Hey everyone,
I just moved and have some moving-related giveaways if you are interested:
— About 15 cardboard boxes from Mark the Mover (17 x 13 x 13). They are flattened and in great shape.
— Loads of packing paper, clean and unspoiled, in two garbage bags
— A used Tassimo coffee machine with about 20 pods.
— Who knows what else??
Leave word here or get my email from DM…. thanks!
-Russ
You might want to look into joining FreeCycle for this and later things. https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/freecycledecatur/files
Did anyone take you up on the Tassimo yet? If not cross it off your list
It’s yours if you want it…
I do! Can you be around the library / post office / Glenlake tomorrow? Any time at all is fine
Text me at (404) 913-1271 to let me know a good place for you.
Hi Russ,
If the boxes are still available, I can use four of them for an off-to-college freshman.
Bruce text or call 404-309-1222
i can take the remaining boxes. Text to 404-323-1901
A huge thank you to swillard for recommending Pinckard and Morgan Cleaners a few Free-For-All Friday’s ago. Curtis Turner and his team over there on Zonolite Rd. are fantastic. I took in my Grandfather’s WWII uniforms, which had been stored in a cardboard box in a basement. The uniforms were not in great shape; they had moth and mold damage and just smelled musty. Anyway, the end results are great. I was worried about causing further damage, but they were able to spruce them right up. Curtis hand-washed a lot of the items, including a duffel bag, and my Grandfather’s service hat and cap, and thankfully checked the uniform pockets because he found a train ticket from 1945 as well as some pins, which he placed in a small envelope. After the cleaning process, they folded and boxed everything up in a sturdy keepsake box. I picked the box up about a week ago, but it was only yesterday that I noticed the following message on the receipt, “Thank you for allowing us this honor!!” I highly recommend them. Overall, this was just a level of customer service that I don’t think I’ve experienced before. Thank you swillard and Pinckard and Morgan!
Yay! Glad it worked out for you! 🙂
I was driving around Cabbagetown last week and appreciated seeing a lot of mural-type wall art (graffiti?) on every available space. Some of it was rather mundane, but other sections were fantastic and very interesting to look at. A model photoshoot was going on in front of one mural, and I am wondering what those photos were going to show beyond the model. My grandson loved seeing the gigantic murals and wants to do wall-size art too (8 years old). I hope Banksey visits Atlanta someday – or are there already Banksey paintings in Atlanta area that I don’t know about? I saw one of his paintings on a wall in China Town in SF a few years ago that they say is worth $300,000. They have put plexiglass over the painting to help preserve it for as long as possible. Go look at Cabbagetown art when you get a chance, the potential for Decatur area public art is obvious.
My Decatur Metro is broken! : ( I can read current stuff by clicking through the links on Facebook, but if I try to load the website directly, the most recent article I see is the August 10 post about the Chevron Station. Anyone else having this problem, or is it something at my end?
The site was misbehaving something terrible last week (earlier this week?) and DM worked and worked on it. Has been fine the past few days but I noticed a hiccup or two this afternoon. (Sometimes when I click on a comment on the right under “Recent Comments” it will take me to the right thread but to an earlier version of it where that comment doesn’t even appear. Then I have to refresh that page. This is the same thing that was happening before, at least for me.)
Clear your browser cache.
Thanks, Steve! That worked! Embarrassingly, I had to Google how to do what turned out to be a, ahem, VERY technologically advanced operation. Heh.
I’ve been having the same problem. Now I’ll have to Google, too! 🙂
Question about peaches: how did it come to pass that the only decent peaches we have access to come from Pearson farms? Did Pearson buy up every healthy, well-tended orchard in the state? I’ve been eating Georgia peaches for a long, long time and this seems to me to be a recent–and somewhat peculiar–development. I would like to understand it.
You may have that right. One Saturday at the Decatur Farmer”s Market, another vendor had fantastic peaches. The next Wednesday, when I asked if they had more, I was told that “Pearson took all our peaches”. I didn’t really understand but maybe Pearson did buy out all the good peaches..
I am already mourning peach season at the Decatur Farmer’s Market. I don’t even bother buying grocery store peaches anymore, I’m always so disappointed. Even the Pearson peaches at the grocery store don’t seem as good as when you buy them from local markets.
The Watsonia peaches from Monetta, SC were good too (at the Decatur Farmers Market). But the Lane peaches from stores seemed to go mealy or bruised and bitter really fast. That was all I could find today. We are at the end of peach season, and Watsonia was sold out when I got there today.
It was a Lane peach that deeply disappointed me at breakfast this morning. Mealy on the outside, mushy in the middle, lacking in flavor. And it wasn’t the first time. But that’s all I’ve seen at the grocery stores and for various reasons haven’t managed to hit n’hood farmers markets.
So, hoping somebody in the know will explain how it can be that “Pearson took all our peaches” — is Pearson a grower? A distributor that manages to only buy the best fruit?
Side note: enjoyed a mind-bendingly scrumptious peach cobbler at Ration & Dram last week and inquired about the peaches. Sure enough, they were Pearson. The server commented that some South Carolina peaches had also been very good this year and I think (but can’t be positive) he referred to Watsonia.
“…a Lane peach that deeply disappointed me…”
That’s the best phrase I’ve read all week. Positively poignant.
Your taste is impeccable and the compliment gratefully received.
Lane and Pearson are big packing houses in Fort Valley. They have thousand plus acres in peach orchards. I speculate there has been some consolidation in that business.
I still don’t understand how it is that Pearson fruit is consistently superior to Lane. This is something I’ve noticed over several seasons, not just now. It’s especially puzzling given that they’re both packing product from what used to be an array of independent growers. It’s not like the trees know the peaches are going out under different labels now.
The difference may have something to do with how they are stored, such as the temperature and humidity. Going on this hypothesis, I googled ‘storing peaches mealy’ and found this reference which seems to confirm my suspicions. http://blog-yard-garden-news.extension.umn.edu/2011/08/the-ultimate-in-disappointment-mealy.html. Mealy peaches occur when they are stored at 38 to 51 degrees F. They need to be stored at lower temperatures. This may be something that happens in the grocery store, or before delivery. But I suspect that the Pearson and Watsonia fruit is kept in colder storage than the Lane fruit.
Interesting, thank you.
That is really interesting. I actually have had great Georgia peaches from Publix this year, not sure if they are Lane or Pearson. Letting them sit at room temperature for a few days seems to be the key to best flavor and texture
When the Lane peaches sat at room temp for even one day, bruises appeared (even though they seemed blemish-free when I selected them and I handled them carefully) and after two days they felt mealy/mushy. I’ve bought them at various places with the same experience. Pearson peaches, on the other hand, warm up and finish ripening as they should (although they pass their peak a lot faster than when you buy them off the side of the road). A couple of Pearsons purchased at Kroger yesterday are sitting on the counter right now, for possibly the final test of this season.
I just want to give a shout out to the awesome crossing guard who stands on Scott (near Coventry perhaps?) and waves to all the passersby. She makes me smile every morning. Anyone else loving this lady?! One day I’m going to plan ahead and bring her flowers or something.