Union County is a beautiful place to call home! I am fortunate to work in retail in this community. Every day is a beautiful  experience. Neighbors offer help to those in need.  Folks stop in for picnic supplies to gather at nearby Vogel State Park to enjoy each other’s company for the day. I over hear words of encouragement to those in need and words of praise for life’s little accomplishment. The beautiful spirit of the residents here and the natural beauty of the land make this heaven on earth for me and I have never regretted my decision to move here for a second. Thank you Union County!

Sincerely,

Sharon Fisher

When people think about going to jail a negative image comes to mind. But I found that the time that I spent in the Union County jail was far from negative. The guards treat you as though you are a human being, the jail,is maintained, quite well in fact, and it will give you the opportunity to reform yourself. While I was incarcerated I found that the guards treated me as though I was a human being that only made a few mistakes, not as though I was a criminal. The jail is immaculately clean and taken care of, not run down and left to the dogs. Some of the people I was in jail with had never gone to church a day in their life, but with the lovely ladies that came and did a bible study, those people found another way to think about life. Not only did I they start going to church but some of them even started going to NA meetings. I personally hope that what they learned will last them on the road to recovery. Again I would like to show how grateful I am for the lessons that I learned  while in jail, I will carry it with me the rest of my life.

Sincerely,

Haley A. Holloman

As a newcomer to the mountains, I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the friendly, caring service I recently received at the Chatuge Regional Hospital in Hiawassee.

From July 24 to 26, I was a patient at the hospital, and I was treated with kindness and professionalism by all members of the staff, from admissions to housekeeping. The nurses, especially Bobbie, were always very pleasant and kind.  I was blessed to have the most wonderful attending physician, Dr. Kilee Smith.  And the food was delicious.

Having worked in many large hospitals in the tri-state area, I can honestly say bigger is not always better.   Towns County is well served by the Chatuge Regional Hospital staff.

Anne Redd

Hiawassee

I read your editorial page regularly because I want to know what people are thinking about current events. First of all, I would like to thank you for carrying three view points, Leaning Left, Somewhere in the Middle, and Reclining Right. It’s a refreshing concept in today’s world where so many people are trying to force others to accept their point of view.

However, I must take exception to James F. Davis’s column of July 7, 2010. Mr. Davis uses the standard argument that the government is responsible for the exploration of American jobs to other nations. It’s easy to make a scapegoat of the government and politicians for such actions, but there may be another explanation.

For example, take a look at the manufacturer’s label in that piece of clothing that you bought recently. Chances are it says something like ” Made in China” What kind of automobile are you driving? Toyota? Honda? Hyundai? Today, even if you are driving a GM product or Chrysler the manufacture/owner of the company id foreign. Have you bought a computer lately? Where was it manufactured?

Some people will argue that the automobile they are driving or the computer they bought was put together in the United States. Does that make it US manufactured? Probably, not. CHances are the assembly was done in this country but the parts themselves are manufactured overseas.

Where are you shopping? If you are shopping at the “save money, live better” store owned by a bunch of New York fat cats whose only motive is profit, you are helping ship American jobs overseas.

In fact, chances are that almost any chain store you patronize is contributing to the unemployment of American workers in the manufacturing sector.

If you’ll think about it, it’s just possible that the American consumer is primarily responsible for the lack of jobs in this country. I know, we don’t like to take the blame, but at least part of it lies squarely in our laps. I urge you to think about the next time you go shopping.

Regards,

William V. Reynolds

Robert N. Brewer, Jr.

PLAN AHEAD FOR HOME CANNING

If you are thinking about joining the trend in our communities to can food this summer, start by checking your equipment and supplies. Proper equipment in good condition is essential for safe, high quality home canned food.

A pressure canner is essential for canning low-acid vegetables, meats, fish, and poultry. Two basic types are available. One has a dial gauge to indicate the pressure inside the canner; the other has a metal weighted gauge. Dial gauges must be tested for accuracy before each canning season. For information on testing a dial gauge, call your county Extension agent. Check the rubber gasket; it should be flexible and soft, not brittle, sticky or cracked. Also make sure any small pipes with openings are clean and open all the way through.

A boiling water canner is needed for canning other foods such as fruits, pickles, jellies and jams. The canner should be deep enough to allow at least one inch of water to boil over the tops of the jars. Both types of canners should have a rack in the bottom to keep jars off the bottom of the canner.

Inventory your jars and decide if you need to buy new jars this year.   Inspect those you have for nicks, cracks or chips, especially around the top sealing edge.  Nicks can prevent lids from sealing. Very old jars can weaken with age and use and break under pressure and heat. Consider investing in new jars if you need to, and watch for specials.

A must@ every canning season is new flat lids. Used lids should be thrown away. The screw bands are re-usable if they are not bent, dented or rusted.

A FINAL MUST@ is reliable, UP-TO-DATE canning instructions. Publications and information are available at your county Extension office.

The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service also sells SO EASY TO PRESERVE, a comprehensive book with information on all types of home food preservation. Information about that book is also available for order at your county Extension office.

Be sure to look at the instructions for what you want to can before you are ready to prepare the food. You may need time to purchase some ingredients and small equipment needed to prepare food exactly as the directions indicate. Planning ahead can save you time, money, and frustration with home canning.

The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

After living up in these glorious mountains for the past ten years, my husband and I saw something very special that takes place each year on Highway 19 going into Dahlonega, Ga. all the way through to the outskirts on the other side of Dahlonega. It starts on Memorial Day and continues through the 4th of July.

On either side of Highway 19 stand white crosses with flags on top with the names of fallen soldiers. The flags also tell in which war the soldiers were deceased. The crosses are no more than three or four feet in height, painted white with the soldiers’ name on the sideway board; the vertical board tells which war.

This is such a wonderful way to honor our fallen heroes. I hope and believe with enough interest we could start a new tradition in Towns and Union counties to honor our fallen soldiers in this same manner.

Everyone who reads this who is interested and would like to get this project going, please contact me at 706-379-0651. Maybe if enough people are interested, with donations and fund raising, maybe we can hope for Memorial Day through Independence Day around Towns and Union counties for next year–2011. Families and friends of fallen soldiers, let me hear from you.

Sincerely,

Irene G. Nowell

What a gorgeous day. My husband is at work, my doughtier is in school. It’s lunch with the girls, then shopping. I have been looking forward to this all week!

My God! Oh, My God!!!

I heard people yelling, get her out, Sirens blasting, lights flashing. The pain, Oh God , help me, it hurt so much. I heard someone say, ” we’ll need the Jaws of Life”! We must get her out now! Glass is everywhere! Where is all the blood coming from? I hurt so bad, am I gong to die?

Please , I must get home to my daughter, I want to see her grow up, walk down the aisle. Why is it getting dark? It was so light then total darkness, the pain was gone.

In the other car, a young man was texting his girlfriend, he was telling her that he was running late, he had swerved across the center line, hitting head on the young mother. He was rushed to the hospital. Told he had broken neck, and several broken bones in his back. He was paralyzed from the neck down to spend the rest of his life in a wheel chair. His girlfriend visited him for awhile then she found someone else.

Now there he sits, withering flesh rotting from bedsores, arms and legs withering away. A young mother is gone, a husband without wife, a daughter without her mother. A young man with out his body, but a mind that can remember what he did.

PLEASE DON’T TEXT!!!!

Linda Bledsoe took time out from her busy restaurant, Bledsoe’s Corner Café, to help Operation PUP put on a yard/rummage sale at a close-by office space across from McConnell Church this past Saturday and Sunday. Her helpers, Rebecca Spain, Diane Donaldson, and Susan Meyers were fabulous organizers for the endless boxes they unloaded and displayed for the sale.

PUP (Prevent Unwanted Pets) also thanks all who generously bought and donated to the goal of PUP–to help Towns County residents spay and neuter pets and animals that have been dropped at their door. PUP is a non-profit 501c3 and all money raised for PUP goes to this cause, all members are volunteers. If you need help or would like to donate to PUP, please call 1-888-496-2387, or write P.O. Box 1038, Hiawassee GA 30546.

In today’s fast paced world we sometimes tend to overlook the efforts, contributions and critical care our EMS first responders’s provide. This past Tuesday ( June 15th) evening my wife and I had the opportunity to experience the levels of professionalism, conscientiousness and decisive responsiveness of our Towns County EMS.

A friend of ours suffered a stroke around 7 p.m.. His wife called my wife telling us something was wrong with her husband. By the time we got to our friends home I could tell that something was indeed seriously wrong and I called 911.

The EMS personnel that responded and took charge of this emergency situation were Jay Chasten, Terry Swanson and Barb Hamer. Their level of composure, competence, and decisiveness was evident from the moment they arrived. My friend’s condition was properly diagnosed and the resultant emergency action plan put into motion. Life Flight options from (3)  three hospitals were pursued but they were unavailable due to weather conditions. The decision was made to go to NE Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville by EMS ambulance. The EMS stabilized our friend and headed for Gainesville. We helped get his wife reedy to go and we started out for Gainesville.

The very first people we saw at the emergency room were the Towns County EMS personnel. They reassured my friend’s wife regarding her husband and pointed us to his room. The attending physician advised us that our friend had suffered a severe stroke. He also informed us that had my friend been 30-45 minutes away in arriving his treatment options and his related recovery potential would have been seriously compromised. Thank God that at this time he is continuing to show positive signs of recovery.

On behalf of our friends, we would like to offer our sincere thanks and appreciation for the life saving efforts of the Towns County EMS personnel, Jay Chastain, Terry Swanson and Bard Hamer. We are blessed to have these professionals and others like them that provide life saving emergency care everyday.

Thank you and God Bless you,

Jim & Diane Rouse

Recently in a study reported in the media, tests were done that found children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD had large amounts of pesticide in their urine.

Where did the pesticide come from? The children didn’t drink it, but they ingested it from the sprays used in their homes or their schools. This is just one of the ways we are poisoning ourselves and our families.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a serious condition for many of us. We can’t go to concerts, take classes, go to the theater, ride in the car with some of our friends, attend meetings or visit in the homes of people we know because these places often reek with the “air fresheners” carpet deodorants, chemical fragranced candles or perfume.

We can’t shop in most stores today because the air we have to breathe is polluted with “fragrance” in air fresheners or potpourri that burns our nostrils, makes us cough, brings on asthma attacks and in some cases causes respiratory arrest. Even hospitals where we are supposed to be healed, are dangerous due to cleaning products and personnel who wear perfume around patients. Cigarette smoking is banned but the indoor air pollution is often just as dangerous.

As our environment is bombarded with synthetic chemicals , most made with petroleum, it becomes more and more dangerous for children and older people whose immune systems are not as strong as the average  middle aged adults.

Numerous websites and articles can be found online telling the stories of Americans who suffer from these chemicals and methods used to protect ourselves as well as we can. http://www.ourlittleplace.com/nontoxic.html is one of the places that gives us reasons to stop using the fragrances and ways we can live healthier and safer without those products.

Read the articles and learn why I and many others have stopped using the chemicals advertised to women in this country. We don’t have to buy products that contain cancer-causing chemicals. We have safe alternatives.

Please  search MCS online and learn valuable information that could save the health of children and older adults in this country..

Glenda C. Beall

(Glenda Beall is a writer and advocate for safe, clean indoor air)

nightwriter0302@yahoo.com

glendabeall@msn.com