So, another week has flown by, but what’s new there, they always go fast, but at least I hope it’s been a good one for you.
Well, what a change there’s been, from dry and parched to non-stop rain. The good news is we really need the rain, so you’ll get no complaints from me. It’s a shame we didn’t get them a few days earlier, it would have really helped the putting out of the fires we had north of Waycross off US1.
I’d like to add my personal thanks to everyone who helped deal with the fires and thank heavens that no one was badly hurt in doing so. I don’t know where we would all be if it wasn’t for your efforts, so well done guys and girls!
I don’t know about you but when I woke up last week to a grey over cast weather with that distinctive smell of smoke, I did start to have concerns. I did, like a few of you I expect, start to worry that it was going to be a repeat of a few years ago. Thankfully it wasn’t, but one good thing did come out of this. It was last Friday that I was contacted by CERT, (Community Emergency Response Team) to see if I could create a central location on yourWareLocal.com for information concerning Ware County emergency issues. So, that night, this new resource was started. 
The site is accessed from our homepage through the ‘Emergency Information’ button in the top right hand corner. We aim to get you the very latest emergency information such as wildfires, severe weather, emergency road closure, etc. that there may be in the area. In addition to this there will be other community information and FAQ’s concerning what to do in case of emergencies. Don’t be in any doubt, get the latest information right here, right now 24 7. As I said, this information is brought to you by the Ware County CERT & yourWareLocal.com.
I personally think it’s a great idea, and have no problems offering this free service, because I know there is often a lot of speculation with things like wildfires and this should stop that. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that it’ll never get as bad as it did a few years ago.
While we’re on the subject of CERT, they do have a number of classes such as CERT training and Skywarn. Now these are free, and if you’re interested, or want to find out more, visit yourWareLocal.com and follow the link to the emergency alerts area of our site.
Now for those of you that are paying attention, you’ll have noticed that I’m sending you to yourWareLocal.com and not WaycrossLocal.com. Well, there’s no problems both will get you to the same website, it’s just that yourWareLocal.com is really the main name for the site now (long story), but so long as you use one of the websites, I don’t care which one you use, so long as you make it your homepage. 
So, I hope you’re keeping Friday evening and Saturday free for Swampfest. I’m looking forward to it this year, I think it’ll be a great one. So if you have made plans to do something else, you need to change them and make sure you’re downtown this weekend. Now for more information you can visit the website at Swampfest.us, there’s a complete list of vendors, plus an events schedule as well. Friday it’s from 5:00 pm till 11:00 pm and Saturday is 9:00 am till 11:00 pm with the usual Fireworks at the end the event.
Please remember to try your best to attend local events like Swampfest because people put in hours of their time to arrange these 99% of the time at no charge, so the least you can do is go.
So, from the comments I’ve had, it sounds like you may not be buying a load of Canola butter. Now I hope I didn’t put you off things in last week’s article. But as I see it, if I find out that things aren’t what they seem to be, I should say something, shouldn’t I?
Now I do have a number of other issues that I will tell you about, but may be that’s for another week. So here’s a small observation for you, do you have an answer?
When I first came to the US, I saw the really large bags of ‘crisps’ in the grocery stores, sorry you call them ‘chips’. We just don’t have these big bags in England, it’s an American thing I think, Over the years these bags of ‘chips’ have got even bigger, but the contents have become less.
Now, here is the question for you, firstly WHY! Why put a handful of chips in a bag 5-6 times bigger, do they think we think we’re getting more?
Now with that out the way, here’s another question, about ‘chips’. If you bought a bag of ‘chips’ opened them, and left them out to the air, what would happen, yep, they would go soft or as I would call it soggy and no longer crisp.
So why put them in a big bag of air 5-6 times the size? Now, if this isn’t air, (Oxygen) what is it, it doesn’t say does it, but the chips don’t go soggy. Keep safe, still eat carefully and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. Don’t forget to say hi at Swampfest if you see me there. – Derek Harrison

Can you believe that we’re a quarter of the way through 2011 already, it just doesn’t seem possible, does it? At this rate it’ll be winter time again and we’ll be getting ready for fall festivals and the Christmas parade, so you’d better pay attention otherwise it’ll be here in a blink of an eye. 
So, I hope your week has been better than mine. We took in a cat last year about Thanksgiving time, it was a sad thing, but Deb and Angelina loved it so much we had to keep it. Problem was, Tuesday, we had to have it put down at the vets, because it had got really ill again, and not knowing how old he was, it was the best thing, because he was old. So this brought on the tears to them both on Tuesday, understandably, but what can I say. Now I’m sure you had the rainstorm late Monday night, Tuesday morning. Well, I was told that young turkeys are stupid and will drown in rainstorms. Well, let me tell you chicken biddies do as well. Can you believe that rather than got to shelter in that thunderstorm, they must have just sat there and I can only assume, either drowned or died of the wet and cold. Whatever happened, Deb found a load of dead chicks in the morning, so added to the cat, it was looking to be a great day!
Now talking about the weather, please remember that next Tuesday, the 12th, there’s a Skywarn class at the Ware County EMA offices at 3395 Harris Road, Suite 300, Waycross.
So, just what is a Storm Spotter? I hear you ask. Well, the Skywarn spotter program is a nationwide network of volunteers trained by the National Weather Service (NWS) to report significant weather. Anyone is welcome to participate and the class is free. The Skywarn class will teach you when weather conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms or tornadoes are expected to develop, a severe thunderstorm or tornado watch is issued. A Severe Thunderstorm or Tornado warning is issued when severe weather has been reported by a Skywarn spotter or indicated by Doppler radar. Skywarn volunteers become the NWS’s eyes and ears, helping to provide better weather watch and warning services.
Deb and I are both going to this, as we really think it’s a great idea, and better to know what’s what yourself rather than hear say. This is why www.yourWareLocal.com is working closely with CERT and having these weather alert pages on our website homepage so that the community as I said before, knows the facts, rather than hear say.
If you’re interested in popping along to this Skywarn class, it’s free as I said, but you need to register first with Perry Blackburn [CERT Coordinator] on 912.287.4454 or 912.287.4394. I hope to see some of you there.
Now if Skywarn doesn’t do it for you, then there’s a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Training classes coming later in the year, just watch our calendar on our website for more details.
Now both of these events have more of a serious nature to them, so how about an open day at the YMCA for the public, April 14th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm. It’s going to be held inside the YMCA track and have Bounce Houses, Jump Rope Contest, Lucky the Lizard and the US Army. The Y is calling it a ‘Healthy Kids Day’ to encourage a healthy future. I think it’ll be a great event and help our young children, so I think I’ll have to take Angelina to it.
So with that information out the way, how about something that has got me down this week, it’s my house insurance. Now there’s nothing wrong with the insurance in itself, just that the county zoning has apparently changed. I expect I’m looking at this in a far too simplistic way, so I’m sorry in advance, but this is how I see it.
The assessment for property related to fire department placement and response time is basically rated on a scale of 1 – 10, 1 being the best and 10 the worst obviously. As I see it if you lived next door to a fires station you should be a 1, and if you live in the boonies then a 10, that works for me doesn’t it you? So, I live on Pebble Hill Road, which was rated as a 6, which I can accept within reason (I’ll explain more in a minute). Now however, my house is rated at a 9, almost in the boonies, I think not! Now there will be those of you that will be saying, ‘it changed, live with it’. Well I would if I felt it was right, but I don’t. I was looking at the maps today, and unless I read them incorrectly, which is possible, but from what I see is this:
Even if you lived across the road from the main county fire station at Harris Road, near me off US1 by the prison and industrial estate you would have a 6 rating! Are you really telling me that this is the best rating you’ll ever get with a fully equipped state of the art fire facility within walking distance of your property, no wonder mine is now a 9. With these figures I don’t see anyone getting away without a big hike on their property insurance. I thought I would be alright with the main station being only 6.1 miles away, a volunteer fire station within a mile and apparently I even have an approved fire department refill location within the mile of my home as well. But with all this, I might as well live in the swamp and get me a fully fledged 10. 
Bottom line again, greed wins again, and I don’t mean the Fire Department, because those guys risk their lives, get paid less than most and then get no thanks. So once again my hats off to you guys, it’s just a shame this money wasn’t coming to you guys (and girls, sorry) in wages! Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts and check your insurance rates. – Derek Harrison

Well I think this last week must go down as a record number of people that have either called me, emailed more or just spoken to me about my last weeks article. 
Firstly, thank you to all that have offered us a new cat, at this time, we’ll not be looking for a replacement, but thanks anyway.
Then to all the comments re the insurance rates, it looks like I’m not alone. From the correspondence I’ve had, it looks like the minimum peoples insurance has gone up is $450 a year through to a staggering $2100! It just amazes me how ISO comes up with these figures.
That abbreviation ISO refers to the company, Insurance Services Office. They are data collectors who provide vast amounts of information to many different groups. In the insurance industry they primarily serve both business and personal property and casualty insurers. However as I see it they’re getting it wrong big time, don’t you think.
It amazes me, visit any big town like Jacksonville for example, now, look in the commercial downtown area for the largest, grandest buildings. I’ll put money on the fact that they will insurance companies!
The thing that really gets me is while I was living in Florida a few years ago, 2004, I think it was. There were 4 large hurricanes that hit Florida, 3 of which hit in very close succession. Now after taking everyone’s payments for years, there were a very large percentage of big insurance companies that then basically said that they didn’t have the money to pay out! These insurance companies are worth millions in fact billions, yet they even to this day have not paid out for these legitimate claims. The only reason the homeowners and business’s got their property rebuilt was that the Government stepped in and paid out. The insurance companies carried on trading and simply raised the insurance rates across the board, so as you need insurance you had to pay the new rates, even though in past experience they don’t pay out, there’s something wrong there. 
Now that’s the sort of business we would all like isn’t it, take everyone’s money, then when they need it as agreed, carry on business as if nothing had happens, put up your rates and let someone else pay the bills. Heaven help us if we get a major fire here like 2007, I just hope it’s not going to be a repeat, but I don’t think It’ll happen as they are raising the rates before it does, just in case!
As I see it, here’s a very simplistic math calculation for you: Ware County, from what I can see has about 22,750 homes, now lets say ISO raise the rates an average of $825 per home (based on an average figure from the increases I’ve heard of). Now that’s $18,768,750 more insurance from residential homes just in Ware County a year. Let’s not forget the businesses. Now what gets me is that’s not the insurance fees taken, that’s just the increase.
The real problem is that we have to have insurance for mortgages, but the insurance companies really are on a win, win situation.
It’s a shame that we can’t do something like a well known hire car company. They offer insurance and will honor it, but they in fact are their own insurance. Hiring out hundreds of cars a day across America it soon gets to the point that they are also in a win, win situation. With the ratio of hired cars to accidents it soon becomes like money in the bank, but at least they pay up when they have a claim!
Now, those that know me, know that I love America and living here in Waycross, but this just doesn’t happen in England, well to my knowledge and experience. The real issue here is firstly the rates we have to pay. 
When I first moved to Florida I needed auto insurance, I did the usual and got a quote. Now, the figures I’m using here are as an example, because I don’t remember the exact figures. So, the insurance company quotes me $500, I think to my self that it’s not that bad, I had expected it to be higher but I was paying about the equivalent to $350. The problem was that I was then informed that this was just 6 months, but in England the $350 was for the year. 
I can only assume that it’s due to the sue-happy way people are here in America. They seem to just see a way of getting something for nothing. Now lets be honest, who hasn’t got any minor back or neck issues, and even if we haven’t I’m sure if we were x-rayed there would be something there, plus it’s very difficult to prove a problem. This then means that because of the ludicrous health costs here, you only need to have an auto accident and you’re made for life against any neck or back issues you may have or may get. Now don’t quote me here but I think I remember the figure of 6 years, in which you can still go back to an insurance company to claim more from then after new developments in medical problems after a prior accident, now that is crazy. 
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts and check your insurance rates. – Derek Harrison

Well I think summer is here. It doesn’t take much here does it, cold with frosty mornings one minute, then bam, summer is here, AC is starting to kick in, the gnats are out and bugging us already, no pun intended. 
It’s strange, I have come from a definite four season year to a Florida’s almost two seasons, and to Waycross with may be a two and a half season year. I say two and a half, because we get the definite summer and winter with a very brief spring and autumn. 
So, how have you been, I’ve been working on websites and keeping busy, but not in town much, which in it’s way makes a change. I suppose that so long as you keep busy, that’s what really matters.
Deb and I were talking the other day, about built-in obsolescence and how everything always quits working the day after the warranty ran out. I really start to think conspiracy theories here, because I’m sure they have the technology, after all, TV repairs for example seem to be a thing of the past, it’s cheaper to by a new one. But I suppose what I mean is all the appliances that have circuit boards built in them allowing the engineer to connect a lap top computer and they can tell you what’s wrong with the appliance. These can now be found in washing machines tumble dryers and of course up to bigger items like cars and trucks. It just makes me think, time was you could have an old car and tinker with it, nowadays because of the built-in computer systems, it means this is harder to do and doesn’t allow you to do what you used to do. Everything is going more computer-based, so are you telling me that this isn’t likely, after all the computer in a car tells the engine everything from timing to whatever, so why can’t they have a built-in, error message, check light, service needed etc. 
I know you may be thinking I’m crazy but there are so many things out there that I’m sure we are either kept from or the existence is denied. The problem is I think that it goes back to the greed issue again, why put a light bulb on the market that will be everlasting, when we can put the regular ones out there that everyone will have to buy again and again. After all, buy a ‘last forever’ bulb, why do we need another, consumption would plummet.
I feel we are all being lead down the path, one way or another. What do I mean? Well lets think about it. I mentioned TV’s earlier, now that’s a perfect example. So, picture this, are you telling me that there are the boffins at the major TV manufacturers, (sorry you may not know what I’m talking about, a boffin is a term I use for a high-paid designer, engineer or person engaged in technical or scientific research). So where was I, yes, these boffins are designing the ‘next generation’ in televisions for example. Are they just working on one idea, taking it to the best it can be, then put it on the market, NO. They are releasing the ideas slowly over the course of months, because if we all had the ability to buy the next ‘greatest’ thing for the viewing pleasure we would buy one and that would be it. Instead, they release one now at 720 dpi, only to introduce a newer version 2 months later running at 1080 dpi and now it’s 3D. What this means is everyone wants what they don’t have, so when a newer version comes in, everyone gets the ‘I wants’ and so they make more money. Now I have used the TV’s as an example, but it doesn’t stop there does it, cameras, PC’s, phones! Now that’s a great one right there.
I could continue to list other items but you get the idea, but it doesn’t stop there does it. Now, as you may know Deb likes watching the HGTV shows on TV, which is OK within reason but now I get the impression that the regular things in the home are being tagged with built-in obsolescence as well. Kitchens are now outdated unless they’re stainless at the moment, but that will be fazed out. Then bathrooms, unless you have travertine tile, you’re outdated. This means that you buy these ‘new look’ kitchens that will be classified as out dated in about 3 years time, so you can start all over again. 
The real problem here is that with all these things happening, we are being lead as I said down the path, but when will it end, we don’t have an endless bucket of cash. The problem as I see it, is more for our kids and the next generation, who will be indoctrinated with the I want the latest and best at whatever cost.
I seem to have got back into the moaning mode of my articles, which I don’t think is really moaning, more observation and despair.
It may come across that I’m not happy with things here in America, well in one way, I’d never leave, I love it, but in a way I’m not. That’s not to say there aren’t similar issues in England. The thing is I do feel that a lot of people living here don’t see things the same was as I do, which isn’t wrong, but I like to look outside the box as you call it. Now I may live in an idealistic world where everything is wonderful, but I just wish that we could all have the pressure taken off us all to have to be out to get what we can forsaking all others, which seems to be my overall impression. I hasten to add that not everyone is like this, but unfortunately a large percentage are. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well, another week has flashed before us, before we’ve known it, but as I’ve said before, no news there!
I was looking the other day and I noticed that I’ve been writing these weekly articles now for just over a year, now that’s something I can’t believe has gone so quickly, and for those of you that have read them all, or nearly come to that, thank you for your time, I hope you’ve liked most of them, because this is all new to me.
I was also looking at the last couple of weeks, and I did think that I had been moaning a little bit, so here’s a little bit of fun for you this week, just to show you that I may be settling in here in Georgia, but you’ll have to excuse my spelling!
I hope you’ve all had a great week, it’s certainly been warm enough hasn’t it and I don’t know if you’re aware but summer doesn’t start till June 22 and it’s already this hot. I think this is going to be a hot summer with a real chance of inclement weather, what do you think?
On the weather side, we could really do with some rain, couldn’t we, because at the moment we’re having to water the garden, sorry, yard, just to keep the things alive in there. Deb has done really well this year trying to grow a number of things, including some potatoes which we may have this weekend as Angelina, our granddaughter, was five Tuesday so we’re having a get together for her Saturday in some homemade potatoes salad, which can’t be beaten.
It’s strange isn’t it, that homemade food is always so much better, why do you think that is. After all, the same ingredients go into it, but nothing beats homegrown potatoes, or as I would call them, spuds. Homemade spaghetti sauce, food off the grill, these are just a few things that are always good. Now here’s a quick observation, why is it some foods are better the next day? For example, lasagna, you cook it one day, leave it refrigerated, then it’s even better the following day, re heated. It doesn’t stop there, there’s a load of foods like this, one of which we love is curry. Now I’m sure almost everyone of you will be asking ‘what on earth is curry?’ well, there are a number of origins, from Thailand, Malayali, Jamaica, but the main one is Indian. Curry is eaten in almost all parts of the Indian subcontinent and outside, namely India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, it has its varying degrees of style, taste and aroma, depending on local ingredients used.
Bengalis in England settled in big cities with industrial employment. In London Bengalis settled in the East End. For centuries the East End has been the first port of call for many immigrants working in the docks and shipping from east Bengal. Their regular stopover paved the way for curry outlets to be opened up catering for an all male workforce as family migration and settlement took place some decades later. This was very much a long the ways that Chinese food was introduced here in America. 
This cuisine is characterized by the use of a common base for all the sauces to which spices are added when individual dishes are prepared. The standard “feedstock” is usually a sautéed mixture of onion, garlic and fresh ginger, to which various spices are added, depending on the recipe, but which may include: cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, chilies, peppercorns, cumin and mustard seeds. Ground coriander seed, or as you call it here, cilantro, is widely used as a thickening agent, and turmeric is added for color and its digestive qualities. Fresh or canned tomatoes and Bell Peppers are a common addition. Better-quality restaurants will normally make up new sauces on a daily basis, using fresh ingredients wherever possible and grinding their own spices. More modest establishments are more likely to resort to frozen or dried ingredients and pre-packaged spice mixtures.
The bottom line is that over the years, curry has become the number one most popular food in England. This means that both Deb and I are basically addicted to it and we have to have it on a regular basis. Now we have had mixed results from friends that have tried it here, from ‘what on earth have you given me!’ to ‘that’s different’. Now to be frank, I’m not a hundred percent sure that ‘that’s different’ is necessarily a good thing, because it is an acquired taste. Once you’re hooked though, it’s great, and even now it would without hesitation, be my number one favorite food, but unfortunately we don’t have an Indian restaurant in town, the nearest is Valdosta and then Jacksonville, so this makes it a little bit of a problem. The good news is that both Deb and I can cook it, so we get our fix!
So, there you go, a little bit of redneckese, what do you think, do I fit in, or should I stick with my regular articles. Either way, I think it’s a little bit of fun, and remember that if you didn’t read my article about red necks, let me just add that I love the way you all talk and I’d sign up to be a red neck any day if it meant that I would be like you all, because having traveled to various countries and locations in America, you guys are the best so don’t take offence!
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well, another week has flashed before us, before we’ve known it, but as I’ve said before, no news there!
I was looking the other day and I noticed that I’ve been writing these weekly articles now for just over a year, now that’s something I can’t believe has gone so quickly, and for those of you that have read them all, or nearly come to that, thank you for your time, I hope you’ve liked most of them, because this is all new to me.
I was also looking at the last couple of weeks, and I did think that I had been moaning a little bit, so here’s a little bit of fun for you this week, just to show you that I may be settling in here in Georgia, but you’ll have to excuse my spelling!
Ah hope yo’ve all had a great week, it’s sartinly been warm inough hasn’t it an’ ah don’t knows if yo’’re aware but summer doesn’t start till June 22 an’ it’s already this hyar hot. ah reckon this hyar is a-gonna be a hot summer wif a real chance of inclement weather, whut does yo’ reckon?
On th’ weather side, we c’d pow’ful does wif some rain, c’dn’t we, on account o’ at th’ moment we’re havin’ t’water th’ garden, so’ry, yard, jest t’keep th’ thin’s alive in thar. Deb has done pow’ful fine this hyar year tryin’ t’grow a number of thin’s, includin’ some patootees which we may haf this weekend as Angelina, our gran’dotter, was five Tuesday so we’re havin’ a git togither fo’ her Saturday in some homemade patootees salad, which kin’t be bett up.
It’s peekoolyar isn’t it, thet homemade grub is allus so much better, whuffo’ does yo’ reckon thet is. Af’er all, th’ same in’redients hoof it into it, but nothin’ beats home grown patootees, o’ as ah w’d call them, spuds. Homemade spaghetti saooce, grub off th’ grill, these is jest a few thin’s thet is allus fine. Now hyar’s a quick observashun, whuffo’ is it some grubs is better th’ next day? Fo’ example, lasagna, yo’ cook it one day, leave it refrigerated, then it’s even better th’ follerin’ day, re heated, cuss it all t’ tarnation. It doesn’t stop thar, thar’s a load of grubs like this, one of which we love is curry. Now I’m sho’nuff almost ev’ry one of yo’ will be axin’ ‘whut on earth is curry?’ fine, thar is a number of origeens, fum Thailan’, Malayali, Jamaica, but th’ main one is Indian, as enny fool kin plainly see. Curry is ett up in almost all parts of th’ Indian subcontinent an’ outside, namely India, Bangladesh an’ Pakistan, it has its varyin’ degrees of style, taste an’ aroma, dependin’ on local in’redients used, cuss it all t’ tarnation.
Bengalis in Englan’ settled in trimenjus cities wif indestrial employment. In London Bengalis settled in th’ East End, cuss it all t’ tarnation. Fo’ centuries th’ East End has been th’ fust po’t of call fo’ menny immigrants wawkin’ in th’ docks an’ shippin’ fum east Bengal, ah reckon. Their regular stopovah paved th’ way fo’ curry outlets t’be opened up caterin’ fo’ an all male wawkfo’ce as fambly migrashun an’ settlement took place some decades later. This hyar was mighty much a long th’ ways thet Chinese grub was intrydooced hyar in South Car’lina.
This hyar cuisine is chareeckerized by th’ use of a common base fo’ all th’ saooces t’which spices is added when indivijool dishes is prepared, cuss it all t’ tarnation. Th’ stan’ard “feedstock” is usually a sautéed mixture of onion, garlic an’ fresh ginger, t’which various spices is added, dependin’ on th’ recipe, but which may include: cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, chilies, pepperco’ns, cumin an’ mussard seeds. Groun’ co’ian’er seed, o’ as yo’ call it hyar, cilantro, is widely used as a thickenin’ ajunt, an’ turmeric is added fo’ colo’ an’ its digestive qualities. Fresh o’ kinned tomatoes an’ Bell Peppers is a common addishun. Better-quality restaurants will no’mally make up noo saooces on a daily basis, usin’ fresh in’redients wharvah postible an’ grindin’ their own spices. Mo’e modess establishments is mo’e likely t’reso’t t’frozen o’ dried in’redients an’ pre-packaged spice mixtures.
Th’ bottom line is thet on over th’ years, curry has become th’ number one most popular grub in Englan’. This hyar means thet both Deb an’ ah are basically addicked t’it an’ we hafta haf it on a regular basis. Now we haf had mixed results fum friends thet haf tried it hyar, fum ‘whut on earth haf yo’ given me!’ t’‘thet’s diffrunt’. Now t’be frank, I’m not a hundred percent sho’nuff thet ‘thet’s diffrunt’ is necessarily a fine thin’, on account o’ it is an acquired taste. Once yo’’re hooked though, it’s great, an’ even now it’d wifout hesitashun, be mah number one favo’ite grub, but unfo’tunately we don’t haf an Indian restaurant in town, th’ nearess is Valdosta an’ then Jacksonville, so this hyar makes it a li’l bit of a problem, dawgone it. Th’ fine noos is thet both Deb an’ ah can cook it, so we git our fix! Fry mah hide!
So, there you go, a little bit of English red neckese, what do you think, do I fit in, or should I stick with my regular articles. Either way, I think it’s a little bit of fun, and remember that if you didn’t read my article about red necks, let me just add that I love the way you all talk and I’d sign up to be a red neck any day if it meant that I would be like you all, because having traveled to various countries and locations in America, you guys are the best so don’t take offence!
Yo’ll keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Welcome again to another week in paradise! How’s your last week been for you, good I hope?
Now I know that there will be those among you that will have scoffed at the reference to paradise, but we do live in as close an idyllic situation as I’m sure we’ll ever get into. Now don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic places in this world, far superior in some ways than sunny Waycross, but come on, are we going to live there, no. So with that being said, why not try and make the best we can of it all, rather than sitting here and complaining, let’s count our blessings. I know that there’s a load of people out there that would kill to live here, so be pleased. As a friend of mine says when you ask him how he is, his answer is “well I’m alive” so that’s the start of things, let’s just look at what we have rather than have not. 
It always amazes me when you go on vacation to another location, they show you all the lovely views, historic buildings etc., but we have all these things here on our doorstep, but like everyone, the people that live there never have a look or go there. When I lived in Florida, with the mouse just a few miles away, I only visited twice in over eight years. Now in case you haven’t followed that, I’m referring to Disney when I say the mouse, but this isn’t a real example, because I wouldn’t rate the mouse at all. In fact, to be honest it doesn’t do anything for me at all. I visited Epcot, and was really disappointed, because this is aimed at the more adult version of the parks, with in particular the reference to their different countries there. They have I think eleven that they show you including England, Germany, Norway, Italy, China, Japan, France, Morocco, Mexico the States and Canada. Problem is that having been to seven of these eleven, not one of them is even close to being as it actually is in that country. With this in mind, I ask myself, what’s the point! If they’re going to show you what it’s like in another country, show them, don’t just sugar coat it and show what you think it could be like. As I say, the mouse isn’t a good example, but I do find it that if you live near an attraction, view, place of interest or historic value, most people take it for granted and don’t visit themselves. 
So, lets set ourselves some goals shall we, I know it’s not the new year and we don’t need any New Year’s resolutions, but we should make the best of what we have on our doorstep.
Now, be honest, no cheating, answer these few questions, you get one point for each yes, and an additional point for doing this in the last year? So you get a maximum of two points for each of these, ready?
Have you been to:

1. The Okefenokee Swamp Park – now this has to be the first on the list, and if you don’t get a maximum of two points here you should be ashamed of yourself.

2. The Heritage Center – with so much info here you have to visit this one, and while there, take a look at the Hilliard House, the oldest house in Waycross Ware County. 

3. How about Southern Forest World which is next door. This one is really great for the kids, and an amazing building with so much interesting and unusual info.

4. Ok, to bring in the changes, you may have visited Downtown, but have you ever done the Historic Downtown Walking Tour, which has a load of information and historic interest.

5. If these don’t grab your interest, have you been down to one of the many locations along the Satilla River and just taken in the beauty, take a picnic, do some fishing or even just slip off your shoes, roll up your pants and paddle. 

6. How about Laura S. Walker State Park, now there’s some beautiful views right there, as yo’ll say here.
Now I could list more but these half a dozen are a good start aren’t they. So how did you get on, a maximum of twelve points, I think more than eight would be great, less than five, you should really get out there and experience the fantastic and wonderful interesting things we have here in Waycross Ware County. Now don’t get me wrong, these aren’t the only things to do or see here, but these are the things that people come here to see, so as we live here we should be savoring them. The real plus for us is we’ll save plane fares, extra gas and hotel accommodation. 

We live in a wonderful part of the world, with some of the best people you’ll ever want to meet, let’s get out there and enjoy it all. The great news is we don’t have a mouse here, rather the real wonders and not man made. 
Oh, by the way, there may be some of you that are wondering what I scored, well, in a way I hope I’ve put you all to shame, but it doesn’t really count as I wasn’t born and raised here. For the record, I scored a full twelve, sorry. I hope that I won’t be the only one, and please let me know how you did get on, but if you didn’t score well, make some plans and get out there and change it around, and get the most from what we have here. 
Before I go, I’d like to thank you for your comments on last weeks article, and don’t worry, I won’t be giving up my day job. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

If you don’t mind I’d like to get straight into my article this week because to be quite honest I’m rather incensed. Who me, shy and bashful Derek, wanting to say something, YES!
Now it wouldn’t be so bad if on telling a few friends of my issue, that they didn’t have stories to relate back to me of the same vain. So here goes, let’s get this off my chest, air my grievances and clear the air.
It all started when Deb and Angelina decided to take in that stray cat, remember, did you read that in one of my articles. Well if you didn’t, basically a week or so ago Deb had to take this adopted cat to the vet because it wasn’t looking well at all. Now if love and fussing could have helped, this cat would have never been ill, I tell you. Well, if you’re ahead of the game you’ll know that the cat had to be put down, but it’s now that I’ve had the bill, and that’s what has incensed me.
Now we have all got to make a living, I know that, but come on, play the game, this is how I see it, sorry. You take an animal, cat dog whatever to the vet when you’re concerned with its health, you want the best for it, but we’re none of us made of money are we? So, because of this the cat in this instance has to be bad to take it to the vets because we know it’s going to cost, little did I know just how much. So, you take the cat in, the first thing you hope they will do is look at the cat to see if there is basically any hope for it, basically is it worth the expense. From there if you think, yes, it’s not too bad, you would then carry out some tests to see what exactly is wrong, and from there, sort out medication and the like to get this loved cat back home safe and well, you’d think!
Now, I know I wasn’t there, may be I should have been in hind sight, but according to Deb, she arrived at the vets, was eventually seen, she explained her concerns and the cat was taken to the back room to be checked out. About 5 minutes later someone comes back out to see her to say that they feel the cat should be euthanized. Now this sounds reasonable but in those five minutes there has been an examination $35, OK so far, what I would expect, someone with experience checking over the cat, poking it here, listening there, a little expensive mind you, but as I said, we all have to make a living within reason. Now comes the kicker, also within these five minutes they carry out one set of blood tests, then a second set of tests, and to top it all, one more test, in all, totaling $116, excluding the original $35 that is.
Now I’m sorry guys, but I’m not a vet, I have no vegetarian letters after my name but even I could see from looking at the cat, it wasn’t looking good, I didn’t need to have $116 of tests to tell me that.
Now I know I can only go by what I know or think I know or assume, but is it possible to have an examination, three sets of tests and get the results in five minutes, I’m sorry but I find this hard to believe. At this rate the vets are making over $1800 an hour, and that’s just based on a cat, whatever must you be looking at when it comes to a horse or cow. It of course didn’t stop there did it, we then had to pay for the cat to be euthanized and the body disposed of for a mere $55 more! 
I’m sorry, but I really do feel I have been stitched up here good and proper!
Now the most important thing here is that whilst talking about my run in with the vet here in Waycross, I have never told anyone which one it was, and I’ve made very sure that when they have in turn related their experiences to me, I have made sure that they haven’t told me their vets name, this way no one can get in trouble, because obviously, not all the vets in town are the same, (well I at least hope so).
On talking to the Okefenokee Humane Society, they told me that they had in the past called on the phone, a vet for help and assistance to animals brought in to their facility. These had then been billed to them at the end of the month in the region of $700 plus. I was glad to hear this was not paid, because that’s a crazy figure for some phone calls.
On talking to others I’ve heard of two horses having some simple shots and castrations to a fee of a round $1700. The list could just go on, but I think you see my point.
I think the real issue here is that there is a real need for a vet that isn’t in it for the mega bucks, and with my case, I would have happily paid an examination fee to confirm my fears, and called it a day, rather than now having to find $206 for a stray cat that out of the goodness of my wife’s heart we took in rather then be hit by a passing car.
In my humble opinion, if these veterinary surgeries’ carry on charging the earth, people will stop using them to detriment of the animals and pets. This would be really wrong, but we can’t afford these rates, especially for an old adopted stray. I know that if another stray comes to our house, we’ll be moving it on, which is a sad state of affairs.
Rest assured I will not pass on the name of the vets, if you read this you know who you are, you’ll get paid, but I think you could have done far better and built on your reputation as a vet that cares rather than charge us $116 of pointless tests, that even a layman could have seen where not necessary.
So with that out the way, I hope you’ve all had a great week and that next week will be even better. All I ask is that you treat others as you would like to be treated, that’s all we can ever hope for, rather than bleeding us dry in these economic times. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Great news, I’m not complaining about anything local this week, so no worries, you can rest easy this week, may be next week.
I suppose I refer to it as moaning, but I don’t think it is really, is it? All I want in a perfect world is that everything was just that, perfect. Everyone gets on with everyone else and is treated the way they want to be treated. 
Now I know realistically this will never happen, but if I can see something that could help or in my opinion, is hindering the situation, I thankfully have the opportunity to say something about it. I’m not radical, nor am I against the system, all I want is the best for Waycross, and coming from out of town I feel I can see what we could do to achieve this.
As I said a couple of weeks ago, about the visiting of our local attractions, how many of you got a great score for being visiting our local attractions. From the conversations I’ve had, not many, which is sad, but often the case, but there’s nothing to say it must be that way is there, lets savor what we have here. 
Unfortunately, we have a number of naysayers in our County and they just can’t seem to stop casting doom and gloom with every breath they take. Now, I’m not stupid, I can see that things could be a heck of a lot better, but sitting there complaining about it won’t make it better. Now before you say, ‘that’s what I do’, I don’t, because I try and show you a possible way to go, rather than just give you a no hope, might as well give up attitude. Sure, we could have things better, but the way we can do this is work at changing it, working together, and not just have a told you so attitude. As they say, it seems that you’re dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t. As I see it, I would rather put my two penneth in (sorry an English expression there) and see what we get rather than sit back and give it all the told you so attitude! 
I like to think that I have an ‘out of the box’ attitude, and I hope that I just get people look at the problems in a different way, a way that could possibly change things for the better. As I see it we should be thankful as to what we have, and be positive about it and what we can do.
Well, with that out the way, how have you been? Good I hope, or at least better than we have this last week. Wednesday saw me having to deal with 45 dead chickens as a dog had got into our chicken run and had just gone on a killing rain. It has devastated Deb, she had experienced a loss of about a dozen in the same way about a year ago, but 45 has just about knocked the stuffing out of her, which is a great shame. So it’s looking like we won’t be having our goats and chickens anymore because she’s feed up with the loss. Only the other week as regular readers will know, we loss our cat, and then she loss her favorite goat, and now the 45 chickens has just tipped the balance. Still, as my Grandmother used to say to me, things happen in threes. So we will have to see, how things pan out differently over time. The only thing that this would mean is that we could then have more of a garden, or should I say back yard to you guys. With the small pond we have had dug, it could be very nice, because there’s no way we could have it right now, because the goats would make short work of the new bushes and plants. 
So whatever way you look at it we could be in for a change, and sometimes a change is a good thing. It’s a little like I was saying before about Waycross. We could look at this situation as the end of the world, doom gloom, but rather than looking at it this way we have to look that it could be a time for change and with a positive thought, it could be better than before. As they say, watch this space, but one thing’s for sure, it’ll mean more work and that’s something you can count on.
I hope that you’ve been out and about going to some of our local attractions because we have been having some really wonderful weather, no rain mind you, and that’s a bad thing, but weather you can enjoy. So with the weekend coming, take a look at the yourWareLocal.com website for the calendar and see what is happening. Don’t forget that if you have something happening yourself, let me know and I will happily put it in the calendar to help promote it, and best of all, it’s free, just email the details to me.
Lastly we do have hurricane season coming up upon us so please, please be aware of the dangers and visit our website because we now have all the CERT alerts on our website with all the latest on bad weather, fires etc. You’ll see the link in the top right-hand corner on the homepage ‘emergency alerts’. This way you can be prepared and know the facts rather than speculation as to what’s out there or coming.
In fact, why not make yourWareLocal.com your homepage, it’s free after all and has all you need locally in one website, there’s even a button for that too, in the same area. 
Thanks for all your emails last week, keep safe and remember to continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

So, how has your week been, I really feel that I’ve been having a one step forward and two step back week, but then again, what’s new, it’s usually like that isn’t it.
I tell you one thing that’s just about killing me, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, these sand gnats are really getting me down. What is it about them? What do they do? Why on earth do we need them? I just can’t believe that if we where able to push a button and all the sand gnats just disappeared for good, that the eco system would still be able to survive, and it would make us all a lot happier. The only consolation I can have while they’re pestering the life out of me, is that at least they don’t seem to bite, as they do on the coast.
I’ve tried everything, from the sprays to fabric sheets, you name it, nothing seems to do it, and they’re just relentless. The thing that really gets me is that they seem to leave everyone else alone, and just concentrate on me. Now I know that’s not going to be the case really, but it seems like it to me, but as they say, ‘they only go after the sweet meat!’
Now all joking a side, surely there is something we could do about them, but then again, we should leave well alone. After all, just look at the wonderful job mankind did with the love bug. Now I must say that I have heard different stories about these wonderful insects, from them just purely migrating here to bug us, through to the University of Florida altering their DNA as an insect to eat the mosquito. Now I tend to think that we had something to do about their altering DNA, because we just can’t leave things alone can we. But however they got here, I wish they would go back or at least get in a line with the sand gnats so that I can hit that big red self-destruct button and do us all a favor.
So, with one of my pet peeves out the way, we can move on. Now you have that expression here don’t you? So in case, may be I should rephrase that to pet hates. 
Oh go on, while on the subject here are a few of my other pet peeves, how many of these get your goat?
How about people that call you on the phone, it’s a wrong number, and they just hang up, no sorry to disturb you, nothing, and to cap it all, these are usually late at night. To add to this, we now have people who’ll text you late at night as well.
This then gets me onto texting, what is the point, why not pick up the phone and talk. I really do feel that we are loosing our social skills and to top it all, it’s teaching our next generation that spelling isn’t important. Everything is abbreviated or broken down to initials. By the Way, BTW, LOL used to be lots of love when I was a youth, but now it’s laugh out load. As I’m not into this, you then get R U OK for Are you alright. If we keep on this way we’ll soon be illiterate. 
Still on texting, how about those people who text someone while in your company, that really gets me, and it’s a real pet peeve.
OK How about this one, politicians and people who are voted in (right the way up to the presidency of America) who blatantly lie through their back teeth to get elected and never, never do anything they’ve promised in their campaigns to get the post once elected. 
Right, so how about people that send junk email, it’s meaningless so what is the point, it just clogs up everyone’s mail box, wastes time and is utterly pointless.
Oh this one must get to you. Your cell phone that can’t get a signal, can’t accept a call but can notify you that there is a voice mail for you, and when you go to get it, you can. So if you can get the notification, and the message, why didn’t the phone ring for the call?
Now you may not get this one as much as I do, coming from England, but commercials on American TV. So many, before the program starts, during and just before the credits at the end. I’ve even sat there at the end of a program thinking there was more to come, only to find that I’ve been waiting for the credits, it’s just not like that in England, or at least not as bad.
This one must get you, infomercials, like the late Billy Mays who HAVE TO SHOUT. Do they really think it’ll make us buy the product?
I suppose, lastly in a way is modern technology, great when it’s working but kills us when it dies for what seems to be no apparent reason. Computers obviously come high on this list, but in a way I would highly rate cars, because time was you could do work on a car when it stopped working, but you need a degree because of the technology now in these newer cars.
Whatever pet peeves you have, don’t let it get you down, but if you have a good bug zapper let me know as I hate gnats!
Thanks for all your emails last week, keep safe and remember to continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Another week and they’re still here, in fact I think they have invited in all their brothers, sisters and cousins from out of town, gnats that is, in case you had been a wondering. Well no one seems to have any ideas as to how to rid us of these pains in the ….
As Deb says, she has two pains when working in the yard, the gnats and me, I’m complaining and talking to them to leave me alone. As she says, do I really think that they can understand me? The problem is I seem to do that, when the computer doesn’t do as I want it too I start talking to it and try to reason with it. Sad isn’t it, how when things don’t go right, there are some of us out there that start talking to inanimate objects and things that just can’t understand you. Now don’t sit there saying that you or someone you know doesn’t do it as well. You can make it sound like it’s just me, but I’m not that special, am I?
Well that’s enough of that; we don’t want two weeks of gnats as the topic of my articles.
So, what’s next on the agenda, what else have I got to complain about, or should I say my observations, that sounds better. 
Well, first of all, I’m glad to say that I’ve been getting a number of calls and emails with new events to go on our community calendar. This is great. As it’s just what we need, a central location with all that is happening and going on locally. There are several benefits, one, it’s FREE, and we all love that word don’t we. Two, it helps get the event details out there which is a great thing. Then three, it allows people and event organizers to see what else is happening the day they may be planning their event. This way, you can try and make sure that there aren’t any major events happening and conflicting on the same day. This of course still happens and I just don’t understand this, why have two big events on the same day and compete for attendance. If you don’t know the website address, off the top of your head, it’s www.yourwarelocal.com, and follow the link near the top left hand side to the events calendar. Check it out and you never know it might help you plan your weekend as there seems to be a lot going on this Saturday.
Still, looking at the weather forecast, it looks like it may be raining. With luck, but not wanting to put a dampener on anything happening this weekend, I really hope we get a load of rain. We really need it don’t we, I know that our small pond at the house, although has water, it could really do with a top up. Still one thing you can be sure of, it’s always ‘all or nothing’ isn’t it! Dry and parched out for weeks on end one minute, then we’ll have so much rain we’ll be sick of it and be wishing for a sunny day again.
Strange how we always want what we haven’t got, now that is one that goes across the board for sure. Now not being sexist, but you ladies out there, a perfect example, when you’re blonde you want to be brunet and visa versa, you have straight hair you want a wave and curly, the list could go on forever.
Take Waycross for example, it’ll never be right for everyone, will it. ‘There’s nothing for the kids and teenagers to do!’ I often hear people say. Problem is that if there was, I’m sure we would get people saying that now that there is, there’s always trouble at that new place with teenagers. So really there isn’t an answer is there, because you’ll always get someone complaining. This particular issue by the way, I agree with, I think there should be more for them to do, and if there was a way to introduce something that worked I’d be all for it. Now this is where my imagination starts to run wild. Picture this, come on give me a little imagination, ready: First of all, you need to be aware of this, did you know that Georgia gets its second highest revenue through tourism? So, here we go, why not build on this, we have the State Parks and the Okefenokee Swamp Park, the historic buildings, the hotels for the guests, so why not have a small Water Park as well! Now there is one proviso here, and that is we don’t turn anything into a mini Disney, as we don’t want the mouse here OK!
But seriously, as I see it, it’s hot, sunny and when you put these two together what do you like to do, cool down in water. Now with our climate, it should be open nearly if not all year one way and another, and it would complement what’s here rather than compete. We could keep those tourists here spending their money, because lets be honest, tourists are exact what we need, they bring their money, stay a while and then go home, so the money would be a great boost to Waycross. Plus if we had this Water Park, it would also make employment, and give something to our children to do. I think it’s a win, win situation, how about you, have you got any ideas?
Thanks for all your emails last week, keep safe and remember to continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well here we are again, a week later, so what’s new? Well first of all, can I take a moment to thank all of you that have either taken the time to email or call me with your comments and suggestions. It really makes this effort of mine worthwhile, because as I have said, this is all new to me as I have never ever written anything; let a lone on a regular basis for a paper. Now I know it’s not the National Geographic but even so, from your kind comments it makes it all worth it. As I said just this morning to a lady who commented to me ‘you’re Waycross Chatterbox’ I generally sit down, last thing of the day and just wonder what on earth to write about, sometimes it just flows, other times it’s not so easy, but that’s life. Thanks again and if you see me in town, just say hi, because I love to meet new people here in our wonderful town.
So, where do I start this week, well, I’ve not meet anyone who doesn’t think this year is the worst ever for gnats, so that makes me feel a little better, although doesn’t make it better does it. 
I’ve also had a number of people who seem to like the idea of the water park and have asked for more ideas, so here we go. Working on our greatest assets, tourists, we should be doing more to get them here and spend their money. So what have we got that so many people including tourists love, … trains, Now to be frank, I don’t see why people are so fascinated by them because to me they all look the same. May be this is because I was brought up on steam trains back in England, which are all different, from their size to the colors, the character and appeal. But putting this a side people here are drawn to them, I expect more because their family have been involved in them as that have always been a very important part of Waycross history. So with this in mind, why can’t we do our best to get the train buffs coming to Waycross, with their cash rather than them driving right past us down to Folkston. The problem is that they have what’s known as the ‘funnel’, which means that although Waycross has more trains in and out of town, Folkston has their funnel which means that all their trains pass one location. So, I think we should have several viewing platforms, say three for example, with up-to-date schedules saying when to be at each of the locations to see each train. Then, if someone like Mediastream could have closed circuit TV showing the other two locations at each of the platforms this could possibly get people to come here. Added to this, we need a train center here, may be a museum or historical displays with models, kits and toy trains for sale. There could then be three TV’s showing all the three locations there. Now the perfect location for this center would be the old rail depot, after all it’s more often empty, so what better idea.
Now this is of course, as I would call it ‘pie in the sky’ and like my water park idea last week, may not necessarily be a new idea. As I look at it, if it’s not a new idea, then so much the better, because it means that I’m not so crazy after all. If these ideas have been out there before, it just shows that there is some validation in the ideas. If however you’ve never heard or thought of the ideas, it’s something to think about. Now once we have the Train Depot set up as a museum, come train memorabilia, hobbyist, toy train store, we could then offer a small bus trip taking tourists to the three platforms. This need only be once a day or just on particular days until it grew in popularity. 
Now once this grows, we could add additional trips to places like the Okefenokee Swamp Park, the Heritage Center and the Southern Forest World, just to name a few.
I just feel that we really need to get tourists here bringing their money with them; it just helps everyone all the way round. The downtown area could be perfect for this acting as a hub for a number of opportunities.
Oh how I wish I had a load of money, I would really love to get some things going in Waycross, there’s just so much opportunity here, not only these ideas, but others. May be there’ll be someone out there reading this that just has a pile of cash not knowing what to do with it, that wants to do something for Waycross. Yea, I know I’m off in a world of my own again, fat chance or should I say, ‘if pigs could fly!’
So there you have it, plan A last week, plan B, this, so what’s next?
Have a great week, don’t have any yard fires and keep your fingers crossed for rain, because we really need it.
Thanks for all your emails last week, keep safe and remember to continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well here we are again, a week later and still no rain, what are we going to do, we need this so badly.
At this rate there will be nothing left soon, as the Honey Prairie fire and Paxton Road fires have now joined. This means that we have lost over 190,144 acres of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Now for those of you that don’t know how that converts or compares to mileage, it works out to just less than 300 square miles have be burnt!
Problem is that it’s still not finished and with no rain, I don’t know if anyone has any idea how much more will be burnt and lost for years to come. The refuge was established in 1937 to preserve the 438,000 acre Okefenokee Swamp. The whole refuge encompasses approximately 750,000 acres which includes designated National Wilderness Areas. I know that fire is a natural process, and with some trees they don’t grow without it, it makes the seedlings open with the heat. The problem is as I see it, is that this is the only swamp like this in the entire world, there just isn’t another like it any where, it’s that unique and once it burns what then.
The only thing at this time, that could be considered ‘good news’ for Waycross re these fires, is that they’re burning down south of here. This means, (fingers crossed) that it will be out by the time it gets too close to our entrance to the Swamp Park. I know this may sound a little mercenary, but we need the money coming to our community, and in a way, this may help us rather than tourists going to the Folkston entrance, so long as we can get the fire out in time.
For the latest news, don’t forget to visit our website at yourwarelocal.com and click the link at the top right-hand corner called ‘Emergency Information’. This information is brought to you directly through the Ware County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), so there is no speculation, just the facts. So please take a moment and have a look at our site, because, not only have we got the emergency info, but have advice and general information re hurricanes, bad weather and 911 etc. 
I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say God Bless all the fire fighters, and the teams involved in trying to save our heritage and the swamp (excluding the gnats of course, they can burn for all I care). But if you have anything for these everyday hero’s, like water to help keep them hydrated, there are several locations around town that are collecting, but if you can’t find any please contact me and I’ll arrange a free pick up for these brave folks. Please keep them in your thoughts.
Lets just keep our fingers crossed that we get a load of constant rain, it doesn’t have to be heavy, just constant and with luck it looks like a 30% chance over the next few days.
So, there’s another commercial money making scheme coming this weekend, yes that’s right, Father’s Day. Crazy isn’t it, how all these businesses, shops and stores have over the years developed and promoted these events just so that we all spend money. Mothers, Fathers, Grandparents, Valentines, the list just goes on and on doesn’t it, all in the cause of spending money. As I see it, you should consider everyone throughout the year, and yes it’s a nice idea to have a special day, but come on, it’s getting a little over the top isn’t it. The next thing we’ll have is a brother’s day, a sisters, niece’s, cousin’s, uncle’s and aunt’s days, oh boy. 
However this pans out, I think us Father’s have missed out and got the short straw. Why, well it’s simple, Valentine’s Day gifts and Mother’s Day gifts are usually really nice; jewelry, flowers, makeup perfume and the like.
Now what do fathers get, they get wonderful gifts (a touch of sarcasm there) like socks, deodorant, or hand tools like circular saws, drills and the like. Now there may be some of you out there that don’t see the difference, well let me explain. The Mother gets lets say, perfume, and that’s the end of it really. No don’t get me wrong us Fathers don’t want perfume, but when it comes to the Father’s Day gift, lets say it’s a cordless drill, well in reality it doesn’t stop there does it. Why, well because there’ll be a little piece of paper attached to it or at least waiting on the kitchen table. You fathers out there know what I mean, it’s that Honey do list again. You know that whatever you get Sunday, there’ll be a list of jobs that will either use it or need the tool you’ve been given, hence my reference to getting the short straw. Don’t believe me, you just see and let me know if I’m wrong. 
Still whatever you get if anything, as I said ‘we all know it’s OK, because so long as Mothers OK and happy, everything’s OK’. Have a great weekend.
Thanks for all your emails last week, keep safe and remember to continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well, another smokey week here in Waycross Ware County, but thankfully it’s only been brought here from the Race Pond fires and not the fires right on our doorstep at Sweat Farm from the other week. Thank heavens for the rain that helped us get ahead of the fire, we really needed that didn’t we. Now I know I said it last week, but I’ll say it again, and I’ll keep on saying it, because it needs to be said. My personal thanks (and I’m sure yours) go out to all the firefighters, but not only our locals teams, but to the other counties that came to assist us in our time of need. Thanks also to the GA Forestry Dept and all the associated Public Safety Agencies, all of which without these everyday hero’s help, perseverance, diligence and commitment I think we could have had a major issue here in Waycross, words are not enough!
Having spent time at the Emergency Operations Center briefings during the fires, it showed me just how Waycross can pull together as a team and make a real difference, just by pulling in the same direction. It’s just a shame that you have to have a problem occur for this to happen. I know that I have said this before in my articles, but I feel this too needs reiterating. After 911, America pulled together, it had a spark that I personally had never seen before, and it stood as one. But once again, why did it take a catastrophe to bring this out in the American people.
Those that know me will tell you that I have some odd ways at looking at things, some people refer to it as looking outside the box. I think it’s more like looking outside the box, upside down and in reverse. I say this because I do get some funny looks to my comments, but as a whole, unless they are just being polite, I do get a lot of people who say to me that they had never thought about it that way, and that it’s a good point. The thing is that we need to re look, re evaluate things if we’re going to make any difference. There’s no point in just saying, that ‘my father did it this way, so did his father and his father before him so it must be right’ NO, because if we looked at everything like that we would be using a horse and cart to ride into town. We have to see how things can not only help us, but help the community and make it better for us all, It may be different to anything we’ve done before, we may even fall flat on our face trying, but we will have tried. I just think about the founders of Waycross, it must have been extremely hard work, but did they give up, did they follow convention, no, they saw an idea, a vision and went for it.
I just wonder what these founders would say if they could see us now, treading water, and apathy towards most things locally. I think they would have a blue fit, but who am I to say.
So, as I mentioned last week to the fathers, was I right or was I right, how’s your honey-do list? To be honest Deb has given me such a list I don’t think she could have given me something else. So this year was really nice, Deb cooked a great curry and we just chilled. So although I have a honey-do list as long as my arm, it has at least, at this time, not got any longer. I was told, on talking with someone about this, the other day, that gifts to fathers on fathers day are counted as family gifts, so apparently it’s perfectly OK. As they say, ‘what’s yours is mine, and what’s mine my own!’ Exactly!
So, before I finish for this week, I just wanted to say that if you want to be part of a very worthwhile team for the betterment of Waycross and Ware County, have you thought about being part of CERT. This is the Community Emergency Response Team covering Ware County. The CERT team is made up from all sorts of individuals, work together in time of need, like the Sweat Farm fires the other week. Together they assist the general public by helping the Public Safety Agencies, which then frees them up to do the more qualified and trained requirements. I like to think of them being like the home guard during the war (although I’m not old enough to have seen it in action) but they free up resources by doing the lesser but still important jobs or duties. Now, if you’re interested in helping and being part of this team, Perry Blackburn at the Ware County EMS will be running a training course in the next few months. All you need to do is contact him on 912.287.4454 for more details or visit yourwarelocal.com and check out the emergency link, (top right) as we will be posting details there as soon as Perry has arranged and confirmed the dates. The course is free, and really helps the community, plus it could help you to be able to get through perilous situations, so if you want to be part of a team, join us by being involved with CERT. 
Thanks for all your emails last week, keep safe and remember to continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

At last, that’s all I can say, thank heavens that at last we’re getting some rain, and what a difference it makes. Not only does it help us with the fires, but the whole place looks greener doesn’t it, it’s as if someone had got the green spray paint out overnight. 
I really don’t think we could have lasted much longer without this wonderful rain. Crazy isn’t it what things do for you, just think. In a few weeks, once we’ve had a load of rain, as we should do, we’ll be complaining about it and I’ll be saying things like, ‘great weather for the ducks!’ It just shows that we’re never happy.
One thing I did do when we got those first showers, was stand in the doorway and smell the rain. Now don’t tell me I’m the only person that does that, am I? It’s just such a unique smell especially when there hasn’t been any rain for a while. So there I stood, as I said, in the doorway, just taking it all in, lightning and all, it was a joy.
While on the subject, once again, I hope it’s not just me again, but how about some of these other wonderful smells odors and fragrances. An odd subject but come on, that’s what makes me different, isn’t it! OK, top of the list, WD40, man that’s a fantastic smell, I just love to have an excuse to use it, and if there’s nothing needed to be freed up, I’ll find a use. My favorite time is when I’m cleaning my guns, that mixture of gun power residue and WD40 and I’m happy. Now we’ve mentioned the rain, so what next, well I know it won’t do anything for the locals here, but the smell of a great curry, now we’re whistling Dixie. I know I’ve mentioned curry before, and for some of our friends and neighbors who have tried it at our house, we’ve had mixed feelings about it. From ‘Are you trying to kill me?’ to ‘that’s great give us a second helping’. So it’s a little along the lines of, you either love it or hate it, me, I love it. Are you with me so far, so how about fried onions, now that’s good isn’t it, and if you weren’t hungry before you smelt them, you soon would be after. Now I think I need to get away from food smells here, for two reasons, one, you’ll be talking about me, and two, it’s making me feel hungry. So with that being said, how about the smell of high octane fuel, used in race cars and motorcycles. Now mix that with the cinders at a speedway meeting and that’s something special. You do have that here don’t you? Back in England we get four motorcycles, (motorbikes) and they go round a small oval cinder track, putting the leg out and skidding round the bends, throwing up a cloud of cinders as they go. Four laps later you have a winner, it’s fast and fun, and sorry I’m not having a go, but so much better than NASCAR. I just don’t understand the fascination with it, 500 laps around, around and around they go for hours, then about five minutes of action and you all go home. At least with the world formula one races they have an interesting track to go round, unlike your NASCAR. I just get the picture in my head that the drivers tie off the steering wheel and then sit back, read a paper, drink coffee or even take a nap. Now of course I know this isn’t the case, but I know that after about five minutes of watching it, that’s what I feel like doing, but as they say, “each to his own”
Whilst on the subject of NASCAR, tell me something, now be honest here, do you watch it for the spills and thrills rather than the round and around they go? I can only think that this is the case, otherwise what else is there?
Well, that’s enough of that and my speculations; let’s get to an important issue. As I mentioned the other week, I’m involved with CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and if you’re interested in being involved when required, to help the community in situations like the fires we’ve been having, then you should join CERT.
Well, the good news is that the training dates have been issued, so why not give it a go. The dates are Saturday July 23rd and Saturday 30th from 9:00 am till 6:00 pm. You have to attend both dates to be awarded credit, as the training on these two days are intensive but fun. The good news is that these two day courses are FREE but you do need to register to ensure your place. Please make sure that you are defiantly able to attend both dates as you need to make the commitment. For more information, please call Perry Blackburn on 912-287-4454 or 912-312-287 before July 15th. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Another week and what’s new, well not that much to be honest, but then again we do live is a slightly laid back part of the country, to say the least. Still, I’d far prefer living here in Waycross than Atlanta, Jacksonville or somewhere like that. It may not be the fastest or most up-to-date place to live, but it’s not down to that is it. I feel we offer so much more than this, and you have to live here to understand what we have and what we can offer.
So, with that being said, what should I tell you about this week, well how about this, have you heard?
The City of Waycross and Ware County has recently updated its account with Emergency Communications Network, who are the providers of the CodeRED, a high-speed notification solution and the CodeRED Weather Warning service.
Now if you haven’t heard about this at all, or have no idea what I’m talking about, let me explain. CodeRED is a no-charge feature that will allow you to receive emergency messages, warning you of things like bad weather effecting where you live. The CodeRED system provides Waycross and Ware County the ability to deliver messages quickly to targeted areas or even to the entire city and or county, and as I said it’s FREE. 
If you are not sure that you are included in the database, simply log onto the Ware County’s website or ours at, yourwarelocal.com, click the CodeRED image (right-hand side) and follow the link to the “CodeRED Community Notification Enrollment” page. 
Now don’t forget that once you’ve registered your home address, you should remember to add your place of work, as well as all individuals who have unlisted phone numbers, who have changed their phone number or address within the past year. Now don’t forget to add your cell phone or VoIP phone as their primary number. 
Now, if you don’t have access to the web, then you can also call Ware County’s Emergency Management Office on 915.287.4394 or 912.287.4335, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm to supply them your information over the phone. Now, there’s no need to do this, but I think you’d be crazy not to, because after all it’s FREE. CodeRED Weather Warning is an opt-in-only weather warning product that taps into the National Weather Service’s Storm Based Warnings. CodeRED Weather Warning automatically alerts you if you’re going to be affected by it and in the path of severe weather just moments after a warning has been issued.
Now I don’t know about you, but I always like FREE and I like the feeling of peace of mind, and did I mention FREE.
As soon as I got a chance, I set up our phones, because the more notice you can get the better, so go on, sign up, it could be a lifesaver.
While we’re still on the subject, we’re still having the website updates for everything on our website at yourwarelocal.com, so you can always get the latest alert information there.
There are a few places left for the CERT training, and in case you can’t remember, the dates are Saturday July 23rd and Saturday 30th from 9:00 am till 6:00 pm. You have to attend both dates to be awarded credit, as the training on these two days are intensive but fun. The good news is that these two day courses are FREE but you do need to register to ensure your place. Please make sure that you are definitely able to attend both dates as you need to make the commitment. For more information, please call Perry Blackburn on 912-287-4454 or 912-312-287 before July 15th.
I don’t think I’ve had so many FREE references in one article, which isn’t a bad thing is it? It just goes to show that some of the best things in life are FREE and I’m sure if we lived in a place like Atlanta, no one would even care. Do you know, I’ve even witnessed people carry on their business when they see a women collapse in front of them. Even to the point where one guy stepped over the women and didn’t even hesitate, and no one stopped to help her. Even if nothing else happens, we must never lower ourselves to this. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

So, how’s your week been, well I hope. As I type this, I’ve just got back to the house after a few days away, and I don’t mind admitting it, it’s great to be back home. Strange isn’t it how we all look forward to getting away for however long the vacation is, a couple of days, a week, or even two. It’s always good to get away from it all, and experience either something new or at least something different from the everyday same old same oh. There’s only one thing that you can be sure of, and that is to be back home!
The one thing that Deb said to me, and I must admit I agree with her, and that is that in the past before we came here to live here in America. We loved coming here from England but unbeknown to each other, every time we got back on the plane to come back to England, we used to both sit there looking at the door of the plane, thinking ‘why are we sitting here, all we have to do is get up and walk out’. Neither of us wanted to go back home to England, but we both knew we had to. Since then we haven’t really had much in the way of a vacation, so this really was one of the first times in a long time. But the good news was that rather than wishing we could stay away longer, we both really wanted to come back home. This for me was really great, because it means that we both must really love it here in Waycross to feel this way, and that’s really great news.
You must read my articles and be thinking to yourselves, that I’m crazy, well, sometimes I think it too, trust me. So, as they say where I come from, “In for a penny, in for a pound”. The other thing that I love is coming back to your own bed! Now I could see that this may be just me here, but I don’t know what it is, but there’s nothing like it is there? Maybe I’m just lucky, or just particular about it, but I do need a comfortable bed. Why is it that when you’re away from home, the beds are thinner and during the night lying on my side, my hips start aching, so you turn over and relieve one side only to start it on the other. Maybe I’m just spoilt but to me it’s a necessity. The other thing is the size, and trust me size does matter. I love my king-sized bed, and to share a regular double with Deb is a real pain. You see the problem is that you get used to the larger size, so you tend to spread and if either of you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, you can be sure that upon your return the space that you left will now have vanished. Now, instead, is a small sliver of the bed that you’ll never fit in, so what do you do now?
You can imagine how I feel typing this now, late at night, taping slowly two fingers at a time, and all I can hear in my head is the call of my bed!
All we really need to do now is get unpacked and back into the swing of things, although I haven’t really had that much time off because thankfully with the community website I run and the weather alerts and websites, I’m able to do these anywhere I have internet connection. This is of course, a real plus for me, which does make a change, because usually things work against me.
But still, things don’t really change much do they, I left and it was smokey, I return and it’s still smokey, but at least we’ve had some rain. In our travels, we were looking at the devastation caused by the Honey Prairie fires and the Race Pond fires. Boy we’ve lost a load of trees, but already it’s starting to green up and they’ve cleared a lot of the trees, and by the looks of it they’ve been able to salvage some of the partially burnt trees, but whichever you look at it, it’s not good but it’s getting better.
Like the ‘it’s great to be back’ feeling, the other thing you can be sure of, is that now we’ve been getting this so much prayed for rain, it means that the grass is growing like crazy.
Whatever happens, it was great to get away for a few days, but it’s even better to be back home in Waycross. I would recommend anyone, that if they can get a chance to get away for even a short vacation, do it and upon your return you’ll see Waycross a fresh and be just as glad as I am to be back. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well, another week has passed, but this week has seemed the fastest in a long time, and it really doesn’t feel to have been about a week since we’ve got back to Waycross. So, a week later and we’ve settled in as if we had never been away. 
I tell you what though; it’s not until you get away from the norm, that you realize how different it is elsewhere. The good news was that there was more to look forward to in returning home than missing once back.
Now those that read my articles will know how I feel about the gnats, so you’ll know the one thing I didn’t miss whatsoever. Now if I didn’t say where we had been, it was England, to see our families. It’s been about 3 years since last we’ve been back, so with these brief snapshots of the ‘home country’ you can really see the differences. You really have to see it to see the changes, some good of course, but often bad. 
I think the thing that really came home to me this time, and that was the cars, they seem to be even smaller now. The problem is that they have to be small as the parking there is really crazy. Here in the US you don’t tend to see cars parked on the roads, well, in England that’s all you’ll see. The main reason for this is that when the houses where originally built, households often didn’t even own a car, with of course the odd exception. Now however the tendency was to not only have a car, but one for the husband, one for the wife and then at least one for the kids, if not more. So with most homes not having a garage, you can now see how crazy it’s become. Now remember that homes are solid, and not only that but both sides of the road. Now this wouldn’t be so bad if the roads there where like these here, but they’re not, they’re just small roads one lane in each direction. This means that a road full of cars, parked on both sides of the road with just enough space left in the middle for a single car to travel along the road. Now every so often there’s an entrance of a space left on one side or the other allowing cars to pull in and let on coming cars pass, taking it in turns. You can see that this isn’t a good situation. Now I’ve driven in these situations, but when you haven’t for a number of years, it takes some getting used too. And looking on as these cars dodge in and out along these roads can be entertaining in itself, especially when you get two head to head, both thinking the other should back up into the space and let the other through, no wonder we have road rage. 
Now something we did see was the new building work for the Olympics, which is scheduled for London 2012. There are some fantastic buildings going up and it looks really modern. One good thing is that one part of the new Olympic complex was once a not so good area, in fact a pretty rough part of town. Well now you would never know it, it’s really changed for the better.
So what other things are different, well the cost of living is a real difference. Here we pay 6% or even 7% tax depending on the county or state you live in. Well in England it was 17.5% but it has recently be raised to 20% which is outrageous, don’t you think? Now for US visitors, it gets worse, because the exchange rate is bad for us, we only get about 67% to the dollar, so this means that three dollars will get you two UK pounds. Now if you think about it, we earn the same as you here, if someone gets six dollars an hour here, we would be getting six pounds in England, and when you keep the money in the country it all evens out, but when you come in from the US, suddenly your money is worth two-thirds of what it was. So with 20% tax and the prices of things you can really see your cash disappear. For example two regular burgers, (no cheese, real or otherwise!) two coffees and two regular fries, would run you about $22!
Now while we’re on the subject of burgers, more to the point of menus, why do they ever have a photo of the food to choose from? Whenever you get your food, it never looks anything like the photo does it! So what is the point, it looks great but … 
Now while still on the subject of food, can anyone tell me what imitation cheese is? Why can’t we have real cheese any more, it’s not that expensive to produce cheese is it, after all we have been doing this for years. I wouldn’t mind if it tasted of anything, cheese would be a good start, but no, and suddenly it has to be imitation, WHY!? 
This imitation rubbish isn’t prevalent in England, you can still get real tasting cheese, and something with a bit of flavor to it which is something that I feel has been lost here. It amazes me when you get a sandwich here, they ask in all sincerity, ‘would you like American or Swiss?’ neither of which taste anything other than soap and a mild soap at that. 
Was it worth the visit, yes of course, it’s always great to see friends and family that you haven’t seen for about three years. As I said last week though, it’s great to be back home because there’s nothing like your own home, you can do as you please when you please, and that makes all the difference, so it’s great to be home. 
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well here we are, another week and it’s as if I’ve never been away. It seems ages ago now that I was planning to carry on work while I was away, and the real problem is that when you work for yourself, a vacation is never a vacation is it. When you work for someone else, work carries on as usual with someone else doing your job while you’re away, so although you may come back to a little amount of catch-up, normally everything has been done. Now when you have your own business, like I do, there’s no one to do this, so if you don’t do it, it’s waiting for you when you get back. So I was glad that I was doing some while away, although it still seems to be playing catch-up.
So, what’s new, well something I’m looking forward to is Angelina going back to school. I know she is looking forward to starting a new school at Wacona, but not as much as Deb and I are. Now for those that don’t currently have a five-year-old daughter or as in our case, granddaughter, you may not know or remember just how good it is for them to go back to school. Where does she get her energy from! She just goes on and on and on, never stopping and to top it all, bunny, bunny bunny. Now you may not be aware of this expression, to bunny: inane chatter, non stop talking and mostly about nothing in particular. So with her back at school next Monday both Deb and I will think we’ve gone deaf. Now don’t get me wrong we both love her to death, but after two months of non stop chatter it will be great when it stops.
Now while on the subject of schools, I was in a meeting with Dr Barrow, the Ware County Schools Superintendent, on Monday, in case you didn’t know. Well at the meeting he spoke about the Ware County school system and how well it was doing or rather how well it had done in the last school year. This is really great news for the school departments, and I personally thank everyone that has gone above and beyond within the school system to achieve this. We have really got to get our new generations well educated and help move Waycross forward. Now one thing that did get to me, and this is no negative comments to the schools or staff, but Dr Barrows mention that the graduation rate was now 81% and that this was a good thing! Now as I said it’s no slight on anyone, but in my humble opinion 81% doesn’t seem that good at all, or is it me? I know that when I was at school, and I know that was an age ago, but we had over 95% pass rate or as you call it graduation.
Now I know all of this is different, with the differences of; A, country, B, years and C, a different school system. The real differences, that I see is the difference between 81% and 98% and that is staggering. Has our education system become that bad or am I looking at this in an obscure way. I know that when my youngest son came over here and went to school for the last two years in Florida, I was amazed at the level of education and the way they were being taught. Image, 16 years of age, being told in some Bio studies course that penguins can tell the difference in their mates and young even though to us they all look the same. In my opinion, that would suffice, but no. To demonstrate this, the class was split into pairs, one set being given something that made a noise, like a bean bag, a jar of rice, a clicker and so on. The other partner in the pair then knew the sound and they where asked to turn their backs and listen. When each pair heard the sound of their respective pair they then needed to say. 
I don’t know about you but that is pathetic at 16! That sort of example is something you’d use for children at about 4 or 5, not 16. So, if this is an example of how some state schools are teaching our next generation I don’t see that there’s any hope for us.
I must say at this point, that all the evidence that I have seen from Ware County High, is that they are doing a good job and not teaching like this, so I reiterate that this article isn’t in any way a slight on our education system. I have visited the High school many times and seen the sort of education going on, and I think it’s good. So why are we seeing this, in my opinion, this useless education being seen in Florida. I can only put it down to one thing, and before I say, I want to emphasize, I’m not a racist in any way. I can only think that this example of education I saw in Florida was due to the mixed groups in the classes of non-English speaking students, and so with a demonstration to the kids, it would get the point across, but whatever the reason, I feel it’s bad.
When you look at it, the English language must be the first and foremost importance, I hope you all agree. On looking at the statistics within the US over the last few years we have done well, so my comparison must be due to one of the three variables, A, B, or C and I’m not comparing like for like, so with that being said, congratulations again to the Ware County Education System.
If Dr Barrows and the education staff read this, I just have one big request. Through your extensive efforts, you could save us all and keep America, America. How, well please make sure that all the students are 110% on their English reading and writing. This way we can make Waycross a ‘speak English or learn’ place to live rather than everything having to be put in Spanish. Instead, the signs would say ‘If you can’t read the above sign, learn English!’ Why is the US just letting the English language go. We’ve had various immigrants, like Polish and Germans for example, but have we EVER had, ‘push 1 for Polish’, NO. So why oh why start now for Spanish, or ANY languages, come to that.
If we can just get that sorted we can then ensure that Waycross keeps ‘In God We Trust’.
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Here we are again another week and nothing much has changed, although there is one thing, have you noticed? Go on, concentrate real hard, yeap, that’s it, I’ve gone deaf! I told you it would happen, and you didn’t believe me, Angelina is back at school and both Deb and I have gone deaf. We both looked at each other Monday and said not a word but we both knew exactly what we where thinking, – peace. I know that I have spoken with a few friends and families this last week and by the sounds of it we’re not the only ones that feel this way. So in that respect it’s good to feel part of a group, all be it a sad group to be associated with.
One thing that we’re having to get back into the swing of is the hours. Now I can’t remember about this, because senility goes hand in hand with my deafness. But have I mentioned about the crazy hours that the schools seem to have here. If I’ve not mentioned it, then I should have, and if I have written about it, it needs saying again. Can anyone tell me why on earth we have such crazy times for our school system? We have to get Angelina up, it what seems to be the middle of the night for the bus to collect her about 6:15am. She gets in and has breakfast there and does her schooling, which I hasten to say she is loving. They have lunch and then come back on the bus which gets to our house about 3:15pm.
Now, is it me or can you see that there is something wrong here with these times. Forget the odd 15 minutes here or there, let’s just round this up for help my two finger typing for a moment. We’re having her at or ready for school from 6-3 which is 9 hours. Now this in it’s self is fine, but how about 8-5, isn’t that a little better and more civilized. Now for Deb and I it’s not that bad, Deb gets up and gets her ready for school while I stay in bed, dead to the world. Then after she’s gone and there’s some light coming in the bedroom, with that great smell of coffee, I wake up. Now that’s OK in our household, especially the coffee, but how about yours because I know a lot of people that don’t start till 9am so that could be staying in bed just that little bit longer and getting that much needed beauty sleep. I think it just starts the day off on the wrong foot, don’t you? This isn’t the worst of it though, it’s the coming home at three ‘ish. So, lets assume you have a regular 9-5 job, nothing odd about that, so what do you do with your children from 3-5? To my mind the options are, have them stay at a friend or worse, a sitter (which you may well have to pay for). The last resort would be that you have to take time off work and be at home for them. So, whichever way you look at it I think it’s a real pain with these hours, don’t you?
There’re a number of things that I look at and think WHY!? Now don’t get me wrong, there are often reasons why, not always good reasons mind you, but often a reason that I didn’t know about. The one that does get me though is the one that often gets thrown into the pot. ‘its always been that way!’ This is by far the worse one to use, because in my mind longevity of a practice or action, doesn’t ever make it right or good. Strange isn’t it, how we all look at things, all just that little bit differently. 
I often take stock on things and re-evaluate things for this very reason. It may have been working fine for years, but now there’s something new, faster or better that can do the same for less or at least nearly even.
Life, we all know is perpetually changing, which in some respects is great, otherwise wouldn’t it be boring. 
I know that on looking at our history or evolution, I think that there would be two different times that I would like to have lived in, or at leased experienced. A time in our history when things where slower, more to basics, no cell phones, internet, TV, and the like. A time when you could appreciate a bird song, sunsets and life’s beauty. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure things may well have been tougher no toilets, hot water on tap and cleanliness, so it wasn’t perfect. 
Other than that, it would be about now, which is lucky because I don’t have a time machine handy. We have so much now, life is good. We have almost instant contact with anyone not only local, but anywhere in the world. 99% of the time, we can even have video contact as well, so not only can we chat with someone thousands of miles away, but see them as well. We have the internet, which has revolutionized how we live, work and play. TV and instant access to films, which has it’s issues, such as the number of commercials you have in your TV programs’, but that’s another story. But we can even record things on the TV now without a VHS tape or even a disc so we can choose when we want to see the program. Fresh food and produce, fresh clean running water both hot and cold, the list could just go on forever. 
So I think with all that being said, I think now is good, however it may not be the best of times as a whole, so everything has its pitfalls. When you look at it though, humanity as a rule, is just selfish, greedy and doesn’t give a monkeys about tomorrow or its fellow man, which is a very sad situation to be in. I often wonder how it will all turn out, but I can only imagine how other generations have done exactly the same, and we’re still here. As they say, ‘Que sera, sera’ which is for those that don’t know is ‘What will be, will be’, thanks Doris. All I would say is we can all do our part and try to make it better, we just have to start thinking of others more. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

So, another week has passed, and I’m sure it’s getting hotter every day, don’t you think? I was talking with my Mother the other day keeping her up to date with what we’re doing as she lives in England. The subject of heat came up, not by me, but her saying how hot it had been, 72° F! Well you can imagine here reaction when I told her what it is here, and then to make it worse add in the heat factor, she nearly passed out at the thought. The differences between England and here are that we don’t tend to have AC in homes there because there’s just not the need as it just never gets that hot for that long. Whichever way you look at it, it’s HOT here though
Now, before I continue, I have to say that I think the School Board here in Ware County do a great job, the school system is making great steps forward, but I have to ask these questions.
As I have said, we all know it gets very hot here in Georgia. So with this in mind, why oh why, don’t all the school buses have AC in them? Now I know that there are the cost implications, but in Florida you have to have AC in a car to be able to get insurance. It’s just unbearable to be in a vehicle without it, so how can we do this to our youngsters? Each day that Angelina gets home, she’s dripping wet, because unlike a regular journey time from our house to the school they’re on the bus over twice that time with the stopping and picking up or dropping off the other children, either there or back. It’s like putting our kids in the oven and setting it on high. I just really think that we need to get this sorted because we just can’t keep doing this to our kids.
Right, one down, one to go. Sorry but it’s still to do with the school buses.
I can’t believe that not all the school buses have seat belts for the kids. This is just plan and simple unsafe. It’s the law here that everyone have to belt up or as you call it ‘buckle up’ even now in trucks, (which I didn’t ever understand what the difference was between a car and a truck). It’s against the law for people sitting in the back of a truck, but did you know that it’s even against the law here to have a loose dog in the back of a truck, yet we allow our kids to be taken back and forth to school without belts. I know that there have been a couple of times, just since school started this year that Angelina has slipped off the seats and hit her head while on the bus. 
Here’s another way of looking at it. Would you take your best china, glassware or precious delicate valuables, and put them on the seat of a school bus without securing them down and expect them to be in one piece at the end of the journey. Now if it didn’t happen on the way to school, it could on the way back, and if not that day, another throughout the year. It’s just so crazy, because in every other way I can think of; you’re so protective of your children. Yet you think it’s perfectly OK to have the potential of loosing a life of one of our youngsters.
In England, when we used to live there we had an advertising campaign showing commercials on the TV about everyone in the car to ‘buckle up’. They showed a car involved in an auto accident where the driver and the front passenger have seat beats on. This is all in slow motion, and very well done. Now you see this and all looks fine, except when you think it’s all over you see the passenger being pushed through the windshield because the rear passengers hadn’t been ‘buckled up’. Due to the rear passengers inertia it overpowers the seat belt and kills the people in the front. It was a very striking image which has stayed with me. They explained that an average person has the inertia power of a charging rhinoceros. If you want to see the advert, there where a few, but look on line at YouTube for ‘Julie knew her killer – seatbelt road safety advert’. So with this in mind I always have rear seat passengers wear their seat belts. If you think I’m exaggerating this problem, once you see these adverts, sorry commercials, I think you’ll agree with me. 
I haven’t looked into this too much, I don’t know how many or if anything is being done already, but if you agree with me that our children are valuable and we should try and protect them on the buses with seat belts, and AC, let me know, let your schools know before it’s too late.
I’ll try and leave the school system alone next week, but I’m sorry I see these things and feel someone has to say something, after all, it’s for the good. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Here we are, another week in hot and sticky Waycross. There’s nothing really new happening, it’s all pretty same oh same oh, but that’s not going to get you off the hook, I’ll still have something to talk about, so it still won’t be a short article this week.
So, first before I start, I’ve had no one get back to me re the school bus issues I wrote about last week, although I have had a number of the community stop me and talk to me about it. The main thing has been that a number of these people hadn’t ever looked at it the way I had, with reference to China on the seat of the bus, remember? With this in mind they all, without exception, thought the same as me, and we would like to have some answers.
As I said last week, I wasn’t going to be doing another school article this week, so I should stop now and be as good as my word. As they say though, ‘watch this space’ for any updates.
One thing I would like to comment on is how the Ware Hotel is looking, and if you haven’t been by lately, you should do, park up and take a moment to take it all in. It’s looking really good, and it’s great to see Downtown looking better. I just hope it won’t stop there; we need to get it up and running and revitalize Downtown once and for all. When you drive over the flyover it really stands out a long with the Phoenix building. The better we can make it there, the more likely we have new business owners wanting to come it and rent space. No one likes to invest in a run-down area, and nor do they like to shop there. 
I know that I’m strange, you don’t have to tell me that, I know I look at things differently but this is how I see Downtown, what do you think?
Looking at similar locations, what makes them popular, well how about those Antique stores like they have in Douglas. I’ve never been along there and seen it empty, I don’t know why but people love looking through these stores and will travel for miles to get there. Added to this, as I may have said before, Georgia gets its second-highest income through tourism. With is in mind, get these stores in, then while people are looking they’ll want some coffee type stores, places to eat, so that will help the stores there. Add this to the train museum and gift store with some piped music on the streets and I think it could take off. The last thing would be to get the atmosphere there hence the music, colored lights and staying open till say about 7:00 pm or even later. We want to encourage people to go downtown for a sit outside soak up the ambiance with things happening in the street. Make it a place to go in the evening, with street performers, entertainment, something with the WACT possibly. Not just one night a month but all nights, making it fun for all the family. I know you must think I’m crazy, but I think it could bring the people in, as well as the stores. Now this might have to start as a Friday night do at first. Get it popular, then extend the days. I know it would take some work, but in the end I really do feel it would be worth it for everyone. 
The problem with all these sorts of things is they need supporting, and that seems to be the one thing that’s really lacking here in Waycross. People and organizations seem to try and do their best for the community around town and people don’t bother to make the effort and support them. If we could only get this altered for the good, what a difference it could make for Waycross.
Now while on the subject of Community spirit, please make a date for the ‘Hilliard House Rebuild – Homecoming event’. It’s going to be held at the Okefenokee Heritage Center nest Thursday Aug 25th. It’s going to be from 7:00 pm till 9:00 pm. Come and join the fun as we raise money to replace the shake roof on one of the oldest homes in Ware County. There will be a picnic, inspirational stump speeches, raffles and silent auctions. It’s going to be a fun evening for all the family and it’s local, and for a local cause. So go on, mark your calendar and make sure you pop along and join in the fun. For more info please visit HilliardHouseRebuild.com. 
Now if you want some fun before this then why not join in on the Hilliard House scavenger hunt, which is starting NOW, so visit the website and see if you can win. Don’t forget that for all local events visit YourWareLocal.com for our events calendar, and if you have an event and it’s not there contact me, it’s free, and we all like free. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Here we are again, still as hot as ever but what’s new there. So what’s been happening with you in the past week. I don’t know about you I feel like someone has taken my batteries out, I need that Energizer Bunny or something.
I hope you have kept this evening free for the ‘Hilliard House Rebuild – Homecoming event’. It’s going to be held at the Okefenokee Heritage Center tonight. It’s going to be from 7:00 pm till 9:00 pm. Come and join the fun as we raise money to replace the shake roof on one of the oldest homes in Ware County. There will be a picnic, inspirational stump speeches, raffles and silent auctions. It’s going to be a fun evening for all the family and it’s local, and for a local cause. For more info please visit HilliardHouseRebuild.com see you there I hope.
So, how am I going to put the world to rights this week, what brain wave have I got for you now!
OK, you ready for this, Income tax, I think we should get rid of this completely, No tax for anyone, now who’s not in favor of that. I don’t think I’ll get any objection to that at all, but. There’s always a but isn’t there, you can’t have no taxes, that just doesn’t work I hear you say, and you’re right, it doesn’t. So what then, how do we get the money in to pay for everything, simple. Here’s the plan, essentials things like, food, drink, clothing and medical are completely tax free. Items like cars, boats, houses planes and the like, would have a high tax on them, say about 30% or more. This would then mean that the bigger and better the car you want the more it would cost you, same with the boats and houses etc. 
So, what’s the advantage over the way it is now, well where do I begin. Number one, there would be no tax evasion, no filing reports every year racing around getting everything together ready so that we’re not late with our filing. OK, the more we wanted to be flash the more it’ll cost us. Do you have the expression ‘flash’ here? In England it means having something like a Porsche, a Lexus or a Rolls-Royce car rather than a Ford, Dodge or Toyota. Now there’s nothing wrong with the cheaper cars, but the more expensive cars will cost you so much more. The same goes for all the other things like houses, boats and the like, the bigger the better the more you pay in tax. This will mean that the poorer section of the community would have it easier, the high rollers would pay the main areas of tax for the country, which is what we want after all. And finally the people in the middle, like the me and you’s of this world would at last be able to get some where, we would have the option to save or to spend, and saving can be a boost to the economy. It would then mean that all those drug dealers out there that no one seems to do anything about, for example would have to pay tax on the fancy cars, boats, houses etc.
So, what do you think of that. Now don’t get me wrong, this is just an outline, I could go into so many positive details and I wouldn’t just do it to get the drug money rake off, but to my mind it makes so much sense to me. I think that if you mull it over, you’ll agree there is merit.
So with that out of the way, what other pearls of wisdom have I got for you. Well you all know how I feel about all the ‘Made in China’ items we have in this country, it should say ‘USA and proud of it’, so I won’t go there again this time. So what else would I do if I was in charge, which is all pie in the sky of course. Well, I sometimes think America often puts its two penneth into things that may be we should just step away from. I know that there should be someone, some country out there that stands for good and for the right, but does it always have to be us. We seem to send out all this help and it gets thrown back at us, we’ve got problems of our own that should be dealt with first
Now lastly for the moment that is, why, oh why when we have been at war with countries, why do we once won, build it up, make it good for them, and GIVE IT BACK! Why do we waste all our American lives, the billions of dollars beating them, then the billions of taxpayers’ money building it up, just to give it back to them and say, ‘you’ve been naughty but we’ve made it all better for you now, in fact it’s better than before’. What happened to the spoils of war. If we go to the trouble of getting and winning, we should keep it. If we had adopted this policy I don’t think we would be paying nearly the $4 a gallon for gas right now, would we. Build it back up, by all means, but keep it!
I know this may sound radical to some, and make me sound like a war monger, but lets look at it another way, because you know I like doing that. Say you join a poker game, you play, you loose, so does the winner say, ‘here you go, good game better luck next time and give your money back with interest’, NO! Problem is, it’s not a poker game, it’s life and death. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Hi, well here we are yet again, as I said before and I’ll say again, it’s still hot, but that’s not news is it. We still seem to be having too much smoke still, which isn’t a good thing. That Honey Prairie fire just doesn’t want to give up does it, did you see it’s flared up again. It just won’t go will it, but one way or another we win some and loose some don’t we. We could have been hit harder with hurricane Irene, but luckily that passed us by. However, it could have come a little closer couldn’t it, and we would have had the best of both worlds, no damage, but a ton of rain, which would have been fantastic, not only for us all but for those stubborn fires. 
So, while on the subject, there are a few things I’d like to remind you of: 1, that hurricane season is here, bad weather is just potentially around the corner. So, have you registered with ‘Code Red’ yet? In case you didn’t know, it’s FREE, and we all like that four-letter word, don’t we! Well Code Red will inform you by calling your house or cell phone if there’s bad weather, tornadoes, hurricanes and the like, effecting your location. This is great because it’s zip code specific, so you won’t get calls that don’t relate to you. So where do you register, simple there’s a link on the homepage at the website www.yourwarelocal.com. OK, 2, please remember that this website also has all the local weather warnings, smoke, fires, hurricanes etc., so if you wake up in the morning to a smoky out look, you can look up our site to find out what’s happening. This is brought to you through CERT and is accurate and never hearsay. This way you can be 100 percent on the information you have.
Well, with that out of the way, I wanted to say that I spoke with Dr Barrows the other week, and we discussed the seat belt issues on the school buses. In a nutshell it’s cost, which I don’t understand because what cost do you put on a child’s life? Even if it only saved one life, wouldn’t that be worth it? I know that in a way Dr Barrows hands are tied, and my humble weekly article is never going to get anything done. The problem is that it’s like one of those disaster movies that seemed to be very popular in the ‘70’s and early ‘80’s. You start watching and you can so easily see the problems and the solutions, yet that carry on oblivious apparently of what will or could happen. The thing is you know exactly how it’s going to end, well that’s how I see this, sorry to say. It’s not that there could be an accident, or that someone could get hurt, it’s more like when someone gets injured or even killed.
OK with that out of the way, what else is there, well, because of my age, and senile dementia that seems to kick in more often than I would like it to, I wanted to mention ‘why are we treated as idiots?’ What is it, about the TV commercials that make us all look stupid. We see people trying to do things we do every day, perfectly well, but on the TV commercial, they spill it, drop it, and basically can’t cope with whatever they’re doing at all. Then as if by magic we have the magic product that makes it so simple you’ll ask, ‘how on earth did I do without it?’ The problem isn’t just the infomercials, they have everything covered including things for children, in fact may be more so for them. As I may have mentioned before with commercials, it doesn’t stop there, it’s even in the programs themselves. A serious program discussing something important, and we are treated like 8 year olds, with pathetic examples to what I can only think is to clarify what they have said. Is there really a need to be treated as kids. It’s simple, explain it to me, I have the intelligence to be able to follow it, I don’t need to be told with the use of a stupid example. Then we get the programs that have someone tell you an important fact about history, animal, dinosaurs, whatever it may be, then it’s basically said, nearly word for word by someone else in the next scene by someone else, just in case you didn’t follow it, or understand. Then we get the programs that have someone tell you an important fact about history, animals, dinosaurs, whatever it may be, then it’s basically said, nearly word for word by someone else in the next scene by someone else, just in case you didn’t follow it, or understand. See! it’s crazy isn’t it, what is the point, and no it wasn’t a typo error. The more you treat people as an idiot, the more they’ll become that way. That’s why you build people up and encourage staff in the workplace, because they’ll get better. The problem is it doesn’t take long to believe what you see or are told, because if you’re told long enough that you’re stupid you will be, so don’t get brainwashed, or indoctrinated into thinking this, skip the commercials and think for yourself, you have the ability to know your own mind, don’t you?
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

I’m crazy I know it, just tell me something I didn’t know. How are you this week, good I hope? Well I have had some feedback from people this week about last weeks comments about us being treated like idiots. Apparently, I’m not the only one that thinks this, come on wake up Waycross, voice your opinion and stop letting these companies treat you as if you’re a five-year-old. 
It’s strange though isn’t how people think, or don’t. I would describe these people as a sandwich short of a picnic, but we’re all different. Do you have that one here, I expect not, so how about being tuppence short of a shilling, a beer short of a six pack, basically not all there, not firing on all cylinders. 
I’m reminded of a perfect example of this, there was a girl who lived in our village in England. Now if there was someone that fitted perfectly into this category it was her. Bless her heart though, she meant well and was a really nice person, so what sort of thing did she come up with. Well, how about the day she was so excited, coming in to tell everyone of a new invention she had just come up with. You ready for this, road signs in Braille for blind car drivers! Now I won’t make any real comments about this just in case you’re still working out how bad that is.
Now when you think about it, it’s not really that crazy is it, why well have you got a newer TV with remote, yes? Well take a look at the remote next time you think about it. Yes you guessed it, the remote has Braille on it for not only the power button, but the channel change as well. Now I’m not being rude to any blind people, and don’t take it the wrong way but that’s a little crazy when you think about it isn’t it, blind people watching or having a TV.
Well, that’s a little bit of fun out the way, but wait no, I must just tell you about one other. The really good thing here is that I’m always commenting on America and saying how we’re being treated as stupid, well the good news here are these two have both been English stupidity. It just goes to show it’s not restricted by continent. 
OK, well this one was my youngest son’s girlfriend at the time and she lived in England when we moved out here to America. Well there was a lot of correspondence back and forth and at one time she came out to visit. Now I really didn’t worry about the relationship, because I never ever thought it would go anywhere but you have to let these things go the course. Anyway, she came over to visit and all is well. We asked here about the flight and the usual chit chat, you know how it goes. Well, this was when she dropped the bomb shell. See if you get this one, she comments that she was held up in Atlanta with the transfer because at that time we where living in Florida. Now there was nothing wrong with that, except she went on to say, ‘when did they find it?’ … ‘I never knew, because I thought it was underwater’. Are you up to speed there with me, if not, let me explain that she was confusing it with Atlantis, the legendary city under the sea. It’s sad isn’t it, but it got better when we took here to the Florida Mall. We arrived at the Mall, and headed to the map displays at the entrances showing what stores are there and where they are. Well all was good, at first, because there was a moment of silence and then she pointed to the arrow on the map that said, ‘You are Here’. Are you ready for this? She then came out with a classic, ‘How do they know’? I just was stunned, speechless, and those that know me, know that that’s saying something!
There you go then, that’s done, no more I said, just the one but gave you a bonus.
So, what now, well the only thing I did want to mention was the subject of selling beer on Sundays. I know there will be a lot of people out there that will throw their hands up in horror just at the mention of this, but I do think it should be really looked at. I know we live in the bible belt, but people drink beer, you know it, I know it. So if they’re going to drink it, they’ll get it where they can. If they run out on a Sunday they’ll do the 40 mile drive down to the Florida state line, and more than likely drink it on the way back, and that’s not good for anyone. If it was on sale here in Ware County they would at least be able to wait until they got back home before indulging, or at least they may only get one down them rather than six pack! People are going to do it, whatever, so I feel that we should at least help the Ware community by getting the revenue kept here rather than going to another local county. The reason I say that is that I feel if we don’t adopt this, another county will to get the revenue, so we mustn’t miss out on this. We’re in the 21st century now, and life moves on, what will be will be, but Waycross Ware county shouldn’t be blinkered and should move forward. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

So here we are again, another week and much the same, although there is one thing that I have to mention, the temperature. Isn’t it great that we’re getting some cooler days, it’s a real blessing and something I’ve been looking forward to all year. I love living here but I could have never been here before AC. In the summer the heat is just too much considering I have come from a country that if it gets into the mid-80s it’s classified as a major heat wave. The thing is that it’s just what you’re used to and how you’re introduced to it. Bottom line is that it would be better here for me if it was just that little bit cooler, so as I say, now is the time of the year and temperature I look forward too.
I know that we are all different and that makes things interesting but one major difference between the English and Americans is their sense of humor. We’re more into Monty Python, whereas most Americans like Jerry Glover, Steve Martin and Billy Crystal. The thing is the humor is so totally different. It’s difficult to say exactly what the differences are, but they are there. When watching English and American programs the American humor these days seems to have so much canned laughter. The audience is told when to laugh, or as with most things it’s added after, hence the name, canned laughter. Now when you watch English programs, there is hardly anything there, may be a little chuckle or small laugh. The differences could be just that, English look at it and decide if it’s funny or not, whilst Americans have to be told. If you don’t think so, watch a few American shows and see how much is canned in. 
Now, for example, here’s a perfect test, is it funny or not. I was sitting outside with Deb, just this morning, having a coffee, no surprise there, I think Deb is catching me up as a coffeeholic. Well anyway, there we are chatting, when I commented that there was still a hummingbird feeding at a flower, with it being cooler. Deb commented that she felt it was better this year that we had kept it more natural with flowers rather than feeders. OK, got the scene set, good. So I commented that may be it was better that we didn’t use them because of giving them all that sugar it might make them diabetic and over weight. Just imagine the hummingbird furiously flapping those wings only to get about an inch off the ground as we have a hummingbird the size of a tennis ball. Now I found that funny, as did Deb, in fact it continued on from that but still. Did you think it funny, whatever, it all makes world go round. While still on that sort of subject, it’s a little like music. I like all types, from classical, rock and country, yet here in sunny Georgia it had better be country or there will be a riot. Still, the most important thing is we get along with each other.
So, I have a little tip for you all or at least most of you. Have you got any jobs you need doing, not those ‘hunny do’ lists, more the sort of thing you get people or small businesses round to get done. Well if you have, get them organized, get them done now, because you only have about a month to get them done before it’s going to be too late. Why, well, hunting season is now only a month away and you all know what it’s like then, nothing gets done for about 3 months. I know that I have neighbors here that I just won’t see for about 3 months. There will be their truck heading out first thing in the morning and you may see them coming home late in the day, but that will be it. So does this describe you, or friends you know? So as well as trying to get things done, may be we need to get together with these friends and or family and and get to see them before they spend the next 3 months in the woods. Strange isn’t it, I saw a couple of young deer just today, as I was driving. My immediate reaction was how lovely it was to see them, a hunter’s reaction is where’s my gun! Still as I say that’s what keeps the world a-turning.
OK, to sum up this week, if you get a moment Saturday morning and you’re in town there will be fun in the Lowe’s parking lot with the Air Evac Life Team, Ware Co. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) with Ware Co. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) as they are hosting a Safety/Preparedness Day event from 10:30 – 12 noon. They will have their vehicles on display for viewing & available to answer questions about your local public safety agencies, and you never know what will happen, so don’t be late. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well, here we are again, another week has flown by, but did you know, give or take a day or two, there are 90 days, or 3 months, or a quarter of a year before Christmas day. I know, I know just what you’re thinking, SO what? Well I tell you, I agree wholeheartedly, but there are stores here that have already got things for Christmas on sale! What are they thinking, come on folks are you having a laugh, and we’re still well in September, I think this is really pushing the boundaries. What about other things like Halloween or fall festivals, are they getting forgotten this year. I know we all need time to plan, and get organized, but over 3 months, come on that is just excessive in anyone’s books. Working on this time schedule we need Valentine’s gifts and cards in the stores by the end of November. It’s not till you start looking at it in this way, that you can really see how stupid this is.
Well, there I go, straight in at the deep end again, no pleasantries, sorry about that but some things just get to me, and I just have to say something. So with that being said, how’s things, have you been well, I hope so. Have you been caught in any of the rain lately, because we have really been getting some rain haven’t we. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a good thing.
Now, I was pleased the other day, Tuesday to be precise, I was in a Lunch and Learn with the Chamber of Commerce. We were just about to finish when about half a dozen phones started to vibrate. They all started at exactly the same time which was odd, until we realized what it was. These half a dozen or so people had signed up for Code Red and as the Tornado alert that had just been issued affected where they lived their phones were called. It really did show to me, how the system not only worked but worked well. There were others there that didn’t get the call although signed up, but it was because they lived out of the tornado-threatened area. Clever isn’t it, how the system is able to call all the phones at the same time, that’s modern technology for you. Now if you haven’t signed up for this FREE service, you need to do it now, oh did I forget to say it was FREE, yes, just sign up for it on line and leave the rest to them. The link for the Ware County community is on my site, yourWareLocal.com, just click the Code Red link on the right-hand side on the home page.
Now don’t forget that we are coming into the time of year that is busy with a lot of community events. So, with that being said, don’t forget to check out our website’s community calendar for what’s going on. Remember that this is a free service and that if you have something going on that isn’t on there, let me know via email and it will be. Please help me to help the community, so we can get the best out of it for everyone.
So, were you in town Saturday? Did you see the Air Evac helicopter there in the Lowe’s parking lot? It was only a drill to practice getting the helicopter in the town safely in case of emergencies. Nearly as important as the Code Red is signing up for Air Evac, because these guys can get you to hospitals faster than regular road transportation. What would take an ambulance 30-35 minutes would take them about 10! So by the time the ambulance has got two-thirds the way to the accident, the helicopter will have got there and be dropping you off (not literally of course) at the medical center. This makes all the difference when you remember that time is the real enemy when it comes to something like a heart attack. Did you know that after a heart attack you loose 3% heart muscle every minute which doesn’t repair itself! So in half an hour you’d better have got your affairs in order, it’s that serious!
Something that the drill did Saturday was get the helicopter into the city as the city are arranging about 6 locations as designated landing zones where the helicopter can land safely. This is great for us all, because you never know when it could be you or a loved one. The more people can do the better for us all. Now saying that, I would like to see if we can get designated landing zones in the county. This would mean that people living out there like me that has a large open area with no light posts wires etc., could give permission in advance for the helicopter to land in case of an accident near you. There is nothing in it for you except you helping the community. Air Evac don’t need hundreds of these as they often land in the road, but a field is safer, but if you would like to offer and have them come and check out the location if they need one there. Please contact me with you name, address and phone number and I’ll get these details to them. The chances of them being used will be small I hope, but what will it cost you, nothing! What could it do, SAVE LIVES! Please contact me as I would like to see ALL Ware County covered with designated landing zones to help us all.
I hope I will be inundated with contacts because it costs nothing to give on this occasion. If you want more details talk to me or email me. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well, how’s your week been, good I hope. It’s been crazy busy for me, if only it was profitable, but it hasn’t been, but that’s just me. The problem is people usually fit into categories; 1, they’ll help wherever they can and can’t do enough for people and causes, 2, they mean well, they’ll say that they’ll help but when push comes to shove you’ll not see them for dust 3, are the ones that basically don’t give a tinkers cuss, and lastly even worse are 4, the ones that will do nothing but will be the first to complain when it’s not right and wonder why?
We all know someone that fits into these four categories don’t we. But the real problem is that unfortunately we know more that fit in the last three or even last two. Why is it that what we really need are the helpers, and do’ers in the community, ‘the helping of others’, but is by far the least amongst us. It really amazes me when I hear people complaining about this and that, but do they get up off their fat backsides and do something about it, NO. It’s so much easier to stand back and complain and when it doesn’t go right they can then say ‘I told you so’.
So, why am I moaning about this, well to be honest I’m amazed at the response from my article referencing the volunteering the use of fields to the Air Evac helicopters. As I said, I was hoping that my email would be full, I would have people calling me and that we would be able to cover the county with set landing places and potentially help save lives in Ware County. Well to say that I was disappointed is an understatement! When we have the ability to as I said potentially save lives the response is almost non existent, but I can guarantee one thing. Heaven forbid when someone dies, there’ll be someone that will be complaining that the Air Evac helicopter should have been there to help them, I just hope they’re not the one with the empty field! Come on Ware County help with some community spirit.
I’m sorry for that moan but it sometimes gets me down. I’m out there in the community doing all sorts of things for what I feel is ‘the good of the community’ but I feel I’m hitting my head against a brick wall. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think of myself as special, I know there are others out there that are trying the same, but whether I’m on my own or amongst a small group, it still feels the same. ‘No one seems to bother; they can’t put themselves out to help others’. Now please don’t take this the wrong way, I’m sure you’re not one of those that I’m talking about, but I bet you know some! 
Now with that out the way, it looks from what I hear that everything went well and had fun at the Gram Parson’s event at the weekend, and the JFly music event. But may be it’s because I up-date the local events calendar on my website, yourwarelocal.com but I just can’t believe how as a community we hold two events on the same day. The only thing this is going to do is draw people away from your event to the other one and visa versa. Perfect case it point was this weekend with the two I just mentioned, why have two music events on the same day. Now I know the Gram Parsons event was more than one day but was there a big music event last weekend, NO, how about next weekend, NO. So why have them the same weekend. I do not want to offend anyone, but don’t people look to see what else is out there. Now, how about this weekend, we have the ‘9th annual horseshoe road sale’ BUT not only do we have on the same day but the same times a ‘community wide yard sale’ at the Heritage Center. Now the HC is usually very good at avoiding dates and getting it right, but two like events, same day same time, sorry that just doesn’t work does it. The real problem is that it’s not just these two, it happens all the time, week after week. Now if it’s a business, then I can understand that, trying to compete against the other business, but that’s different. I hope of course that you’ll go to the Heritage Center event because it’s local, (although I’m not knocking the Horseshoe event). For more details visit the website and all I would ask as I have done before is, use the calendar, it’s free, plan your events around others if you can, and more importantly go to these events to help support our community because they all work hard to put these events on.
Now before I sign off, talking about events I just wouldn’t be doing things right if I didn’t remind you that there’s only 156 days left to the Waycross WINGDING, which will of course clash like last year with a load of other events, but in my defense, I have to hold it on the day because it’s the day Waycross became Waycross. So keep your calendar free for Saturday March 3rd 2012 and visit WaycrossWINGDING.com for more details.
I hope I have a better week this week and may be I’ll not be moaning in my next article. 
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

What great weather we’ve been having! Sorry I really should have at least said hi, but I just love the temperatures we have been getting. To my mind there is nothing better, you can leave the doors open, all day if you like, and the temperature stays just great! It really allows you to air the house, because although AC is a must for living here, you must admit that this must be the best time of the year. 
There is one thing that even if you’re not a fan of the weather, you will be a fan of the pocketbook. No AC running means that the hole in my wallet (sorry, I don’t use the term ‘pocket book’) is for now plugged up. I say for now because it’s always a win-win situation for the electric companies, isn’t it? If it’s too hot we want it cooler and visa versa, so however you look at it cash is going out the door far to fast, just to keep us right. 
I don’t know about you but hasn’t the electric bills gone up over the year. I was talking with my mother the other day, she’s still in England, so we keep in touch and I hear what’s going on over there. She was saying that people there are complaining about the electric charges and what they are paying. She went on to say that people had been getting £360 electric bills and they where up in arms about this. Now you may be saying £360, that’s not a problem, but there could be some of you that haven’t a clue, well let me clarify really quickly. 
First of all what we earn in dollars here is about the same as UK pounds there. So it’s only when you visit another country that the real difference kicks in. £360 in dollars is about $540 so that’s why the English love to visit the US because they get half as much again to spend, so everything here is really cheap. Now when you go to England from the US, it really hurt the wallet because $360 is then only worth two-thirds of that, so it’s worth $240 to us, so in other words you have to be rich to visit England! Now I know that there will be friends out there reading this saying, ‘Didn’t Derek & Deb just come back from England a few months ago?’ Well the answer is yes, but the real money saver is that we stayed with family so that is, trust me, a real big saving, because rich is one word that would never appear in a description of me. 
Now before I move on, there is one major thing that I didn’t mention, in England we pay our bills quarterly, so that’s about £360 multiplied by 4 is £1440. So now do the math, my bill at the house is on average $320 a month so that equates to about $3840. Now that is a real difference, isn’t it, which means we are really paying over the odds for our electricity here, even if you apply the currency exchange rate. 
Then again, tell me something I don’t know, the bills are going up, and wages are either static or going down, problem is when will it stop, or at least even out.
Now, see, one minute I start off all happy and saying how great it is and then boom, we’re talking about how bad it is, I must stop that. I know things are bad, but sitting here telling people this isn’t going to make it any better. Only yesterday it was announced that Steve Jobs has just died. I mentioned it to Deb and how much he was worth, do you know her reaction, she said, ‘I bet he would give all his money to be a live again’. Now she has a point, there doesn’t she, his over $5.5 billion didn’t help him. Now for those of you that may not know, he was the founder of Apple computers, iPods, iPhones and anything leading edge technology in this day and age. 
I just spent a moment and compared his wealth to Bill Gates (The Windows computer guy). At net worth of over $100 billion, can you believe this? That means that if you compared his net worth with someone that had about $70,000 net worth it would mean that new Lamborghini Diablo would cost $250,000 to you and I, but in Bill Gates dollars, that’s 31 cents. A fully loaded, multimedia active matrix 233 MHZ laptop with the 1024×768 screen you’ve been drooling after? That would only cost him half a penny. How about a nice home in a fancy expensive town like Palo Alto, California? In Bill Gates dollars, it’s just two. That nice mansion he’s building costing over $50 million, a more reasonable $63 to him. You might spend $50 on tickets, food and parking to take your date to see a ball game. Bill, on the other hand, could buy the team for $50 Bill Gates’ money. 
So to finally finish off this Bill Gates thing, back to real money, if he got a hold of this article, and say it took him 3 minutes to read it, do you know how much he would have made, … $50,000, sickening isn’t it.
Keep safe, and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

It’s been alright for the ducks hasn’t it, but I’m sure no one’s complaining about it. I know that I was pleased the other day, I was cutting the grass at my house and it started to rain, so unfortunately I had to postpone finishing it to another day, instead I had to go in and get comfortable on the sofa and watch some TV. To be honest that didn’t last long as Angelina jumped all over me wanting to do anything rather than let me site quietly. 
So how has your week been, it just doesn’t seem a week ago I was typing last weeks article. Now I know I have said this before, but this week has been worse than ever, I feel I should have at least another couple of days, but no.
Well it’s that time of year when we’ll be having fall festivals’ again, and before we know it, it’ll be Christmas. 
If you want to have a little family fun, you had better keep the 27th of October free for Pumpkinfest. It’s going to be held downtown at the Jane St Parking Lot behind Phoenix Building from 5:30 till 7:00 pm. Now I’m letting you know this early because there’re the costume contests for ages: 0-4, 5-10, 11-18 and 19 plus all getting a $50 cash prize for first place. So this will give you ample time to arrange a costume, what have you got to loose, in fact you could win $50, so get the sewing machine out, get creative and make a costume to turn heads. 
Now it doesn’t end there, if you can’t be bothered to get all dressed up or it doesn’t do it for you, then how about pumpkin carving. Be creative here and carve a pumpkin and you could win $100, yes that’s right no printing error there, one hundred dollars first prize for the pumpkin carving contest. Now is the costume part of the evening doesn’t get your interest nor does the pumpkin, come along anyway because it’s great for the kids and it’s also great to see many a friend or work colleague in a different way. So make it a date, and I’ll see you there, October 27th don’t forget. Please remember that for all the latest events, visit our community calendar at www.yourwarelocal.com
Now, if you want to plan a head, here is another opportunity for you. It helps if you like BBQ, now come on who doesn’t like eating BBQ. Well have you ever thought of being a judge! If you’re interested there are some places left in a judge training that will be going on and it only costs you $40 to be trained. This isn’t just for the one event, you will be an official judge that can judge anywhere. The reason they are holding this training is for the National BBQ coming here for the second year now in Waycross, November 4-5th. So, how about it, just think of that BBQ, mmm finger licking good. If you’re interested call Ginger Peagler on 478 442 6224 for more info, because I think it’s a great idea.
Don’t forget that all you backyard BBQ cookers out there can enter the competition at a lower level and wouldn’t it be great that a Waycross person won it this year. So do you think you can cook some good BBQ, well give it a go and enter. For more info, visit my calendar for dates time etc.
I must be honest that when I first came to Waycross I did have some BBQ’ed or should I say smoked food here. Problem was that we just don’t have smokers in England we all seem to use gas grills and charcoal. So when I first bit into some of the food here I didn’t really know what to do. The problem was that in my experience, pink food means it’s not cooked enough and when it comes to chicken that’s not good. Well the first few times I would just eat the outer meat, leaving the pink as I thought it was uncooked by the bone meat. The problem was that it seemed good and cooked but that pink just said NO. I know the first time I went home and just waited for what I thought was the inevitable spending time on the porcelain throne. Obviously this didn’t happen because it was cooked fine, but I just didn’t know. Now of course, pink meat doesn’t flag a warning to me know and it tastes great. 
It’s just what you get used to isn’t it. Deb will if she has to eat beef wants it almost burnt because any blood will just turn her off completely. Now others will eat it by just showing the steak the grill for a couple of minutes. It’s just as I said, what you get used to. I’m middle of the road, I’ll have it medium, but would rather not have it bloody. 
I must admit that both Deb and I even though we have got used to smoked food being edible, even though pink, we haven’t got quite there when it comes to squirrel, possum, raccoon or gator. If I was cooking that I’d just have to call it a road kill BBQ. 
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well, here we are again, another week, but much cooler this week isn’t it. Now don’t get me wrong it’s great, and hardly a gnat in sight. Although saying that, there only needs to be one out there and it’ll find me to persecute me, but as they say, they only like sweet meat. Now if I was fully up-to-date here I would add a ‘lol’ there. But if, like me you’re older than dirt you may not have a clue what I’m talking about. Well ‘lol’ in this day and age of lets shorten or abbreviate everything means ‘laugh out loud’.
Now in some respect I can see the usefulness of this in certain circumstances, but everyday for everything I think is crazy. Btw, ‘By the way’ I’m not that old honest, I just feel it sometimes.
Now these abbreviations can be useful as I said, but lets use ‘lol’ as an example, nine times out of ten as I said, it means ‘laugh out loud’, but before these became really popular and used in every day communications, it stood for me as ‘lots of love’. Now the real problem is when you’re texting someone around the world as I did a few months ago, because it was the only way to contact them. The problem was that they contacted us, (Deb and I), telling us that their son had died a few weeks earlier, they where telling us the details, and without thinking in the messaging back and forth I ended one message with lol. Which in essence meant that Deb and I where there for them and our love and best wishes where in our hearts for them, ‘lots of love’. Now thankfully the other person knew exactly what I meant in the message, but how bad could it get, “did you hear that my son died last month” “Oh no I didn’t, I’m so sorry I could laugh out loud”. Now obviously I’ve taken this to extreams in my answer example, but you get my point I hope. The story itself unfortunately, was real, and our hearts do go out to our good friend Gill in England.
Now this is just the tip of the iceberg here because just using this very common abbreviation ‘lol’ as I said, I immediately think of ‘lots of love’, then there’s ‘lots of luck’, ‘lack of love’, ‘lots of laughs’, ‘looking on line’ and if you go one step over the line there’s ‘Land O’ Lakes!’ the butter. However if we just use the right words then problem solved, don’t you think.
Now if this isn’t example enough, lets just use ‘btw’ as I used it earlier. As I said the meaning used mostly today is ‘By the way’, but how about these: ‘Between’, ‘Back to work’, ‘Behind the wheel’, ‘But that’s wild’ and how about ‘Below the waist!’ Now we have used just two here and you can already see that it could cause an issue.
So, I can live with these potential issues because I just don’t text people, why text them when you can either email them or call them, what is the point in this. My main issue here is that if this continues we will create a completely illiterate generation that not only can’t spell, but can’t put two words together. Now don’t get me wrong, I love spell check, I often get the words wrong, I’m not perfect, but give it about five years I think it will be a real problem. After all, lets think about this, ‘alright’ over the years got changed to ‘OK’, which is OK in my books, but now OK is often just ‘K’. Just how abbreviated do we go, they even use numbers in the sentences now, ‘4’ rather than the word ‘for’, so you even get ‘B4’ for the word ‘before’. So how about this, and for all you texting people out there if I get this wrong, I’m sorry but here goes:
C U at 5, if U R L8 I’ll B 2 BZ L8R. which translates to:
See you at five, if you’re late I’ll be busy later. 
How on earth are we going to get on when the next generation is illiterate and can’t even spell regular day-to-day words. At this rate, not only are we going to have to learn Spanish, but texting language as well, and more than likely Spanish texting too, or should I say’2’.
I know this may sound old school, but it’s important. ‘PPL’ People will stop writing, so we’ll stop reading, you can even get books on audio files now, so there isn’t the need to read, someone reads it to you. ‘SRY’ sorry but ‘2MOR’ tomorrow will be here sooner that ‘U’ you think, and ‘W/O’ without something being said or done about it, it’ll be ‘2’ too ‘L8’ late. (Perfect example there ‘2’ for both ‘to’ and ‘too’.) 
May be I’m as old as dirt, may be I don’t like some changes, may be I’m an old git who doesn’t like changes, but we have to draw a line somewhere, why not here and now!
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Hello again, how’s everything, good I hope. Well, I hope you’ve had a better week than I have. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not been that bad, but more, hard work. Everything that I seem to have worked on has been ‘do it once’ then find this doesn’t work well, so I have to re work it again to make it work right. It’s definitely been one step forward and two back. Added to that when you try to see people that owe you for the work you’ve done, it’s like getting blood out of a stone for the money. Strange isn’t it how everyone needs their work done, NOW, chop, chop! But the cash seems to take it’s merry time getting to you, with one excuse after another.
Now if you’re reading this and you one of my clients it’s not really you, you’re one of the good ones. ((K) I know you read this so it’s not you)
So, have you been busy making a costume for tonight’s Pumpkinfest. Or have you carved a pumpkin. Don’t forget it starts tonight at 5:00 pm till 7:00 pm on James Street in Downtown Waycross. Even if you haven’t had a chance, still come along because it’s great fun for the kids and as I said before, you may see friends that in a totally different light.
So have you been texting lately, m8. I have had a number of people that have basically agreed with me, which is always a good thing. Crazy in a way though, every generation must have had similar ideas, ‘this is going to ruin the next generation’, ‘the world is going to the dogs’ and ‘it was never like this when I was their age’.
I must be in our genes, because I can hear my mother saying this and even my grandmother. The thing is in a way I think both sides of the coin are right. Things will never be as they were and in a way it will get worse in some respects, because in a way things were better before. Granted it was better years ago gas was cheap, just cents for the gallon, unlike now, but cars are better now and safer, so it’s a double-edged sword. I remember comments being made that all this new music would never last, that was Deb’s father who would say that. ‘This new modern music will never last’ but to be honest some of these have become in my mind classics. I feel the Stones, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake & Palmer will be around forever, and may well outlive artists like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and the Glen Miller band. But they will all live on, except and I’m sorry I’m falling into the generation trap, and say that music in the ‘70’s and ‘80s was so bad I think there will be a void there in time. 
The thing is that as generations pass, times change as well. I know this may sound rude, but it’s not intended to be, but the older generation has a few problems, firstly their memories of when they were young. The other thing is that news years ago wasn’t, was it. News from around the world would take days to get to us, and go back a few years more, it often took weeks and by then wasn’t the news anymore. Now however, news is really news because within minutes we get information on the internet, phone and TV, not only information, but photo’s and live footage. This means that it has made the world very small, which I consider in one respect a bad thing. 
Go back in time, we would never hear that someone in another country had be shot, or a train had crashed killing half a dozen people, it just wouldn’t be news, whereas now we know all the details as I said within minutes. This means that we are bombarded with news, and unfortunately people only seem to like bad news. This means that if you look at this information stream over the years it would appear that the world is getting worse, but I feel it’s exactly the same, it’s just the speed at which we get the information about literally everything.
Why is it that we only want to hear bad news, why does a disaster or tragedy sell news, why can’t we like good news as well? This too must be genetics because in my mind I would love to have something possibly on the web that just had good news, news that would make you smile inside, but it would be a waste of time I’m sure, but I don’t know why it is.
Still, as they say that’s all pie in the sky, so I never see it happening. Talking about things happening, don’t forget to check out our events calendar for the latest what’s on news. www.yourWareLocal.com. Other than that, I hope I’ll see you all at Pumpkinfest tonight. 
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Another week has gone by, but are things any better, I don’t think so. I hope you’re OK though, because there are a number of people out there, that are really finding it real tough now. I know when talking to people about business and how they’re finding things at the moment I think the first reaction is to look to the heavens, followed by a sharp intake of breath and a sigh. This just about sums up the situation, but the problem is it doesn’t help does it. What’s the answer, is there one, well I just begin to despair because in a way there is a way, but it’s difficult when no one has the cash. I would really like to ask everyone, no matter who you are, two things. One, if you can, spend money, buy things, get the things that you have been putting off, done. Secondly and this is important, BUY LOCAL. I know these two requests are difficult and hard to do, but we have got to do these two things and now before it’s too late. Now I know you’ll be asking ‘where will I get the money from?’ well hopefully we’ll get it from the other part of the equation, them buying your product and services. So if you get that window tinting done on your car this week, that will put money in their account to by what they want and so on. Now I know this is a very idealistic approach to things but it could make a difference, and worst case, it can’t get much worse can it. It’s like a catch-22 effect at the moment. People aren’t spending because they don’t have much and don’t know what’s round the next corner. So because no one buys, no one sells, and without sales no one has money and so they don’t spend, it’s a no win situation. So as I said, try buying local, because although it may be a few dollars more, the cash stays here and doesn’t go to some large corporate office out of Texas or California. It all goes back to the ‘made in China’ situation, but on a smaller scale. The main thing here is that we can make a difference here and make a change unlike the crazy China issue. On a lighter note, I saw a sign that did make me chuckle, and we need that right now, it said “Due to cutbacks and the economic situation, the light at the end of the tunnel has been put out!” Where do they get these from? 
While on the subject of little funny quips, the T shirt I love is a simple stick figure illustration of a couple in a canoe paddling with the caption, ‘Paddle FASTER I hear banjo’s’. Now you have to laugh at that one don’t you. So if you see that in a 3XL buy it for me for Christmas, but only if it’s local.
I thought it would be great as a motto or slogan for Waycross, it’s better than ‘Opportunities in Every Direction’ isn’t it, and catchy too. (Only kidding, just an off beat out of the box suggestion). By now those that know me or have read a number of my article, know that I’m always out of the box. 
It’s been great again these past few weeks, people actually coming up to me in the street commenting on my articles, and thankfully all good comments. So if you see me, don’t be shy, say hello and tell me what you think, and hopefully it’ll be good comments also.
So, who’s up for some good BBQ this weekend, well Friday and Saturday to be correct. The National BBQ Festival is at the Fairgrounds and if you’re passing you’ll have to stop because of the smell of food alone. Now I mentioned earlier the two things that made me chuckle, well here’s a local expression that did it as well. My friend Jody, in conversation said, ‘that it tasted so good that if you put it on top of your head, your tongue would beat your brains out trying to get at it’. Now this was the other week, so if it’s not quite verbatim, you’ll have to excuse me, but you get the idea.
See, who needs a city slogan when you have local expressions like that, ‘that’s funny rite there’.
If you get a moment try and pop into the Fairgrounds and sample some great BBQ because remember these are the best of the best. I’ll be there so it’ll give you an opportunity to tell me what you think.
Also remember that there’s the Gators Pep Rally tonight at Doughboy Park from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm where you can meet the players and coaches. Plus there will be the Golden Gator Marching Band, Ware County High School Cheerleaders and the local band ‘The Other Guys’. I think it’ll be a good event, so pop along and support our great team, which are really doing well this year again, GO Gators. 
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well, the results are in, and I’d like to congratulate the winners from the results yesterday in the Waycross elections, and obviously commiserations to the runners-up. It sounds better doesn’t it they came second after all. The only thing I think we let go past us as a missed opportunity was the Sunday alcohol sales. As I said a few weeks ago, people will still drink on Sundays, that won’t stop them, but this vote in my opinion wasn’t about drinking as such, more the revenue Waycross will now loose to other locations when people either got and buy it or want to have a meal out with a drink. 
Now, I’m not being rude here, honest, those that know me, know that I’m not like that, but I have to say this. I love Waycross, I love the County, and you’ll never find a nicer group of people as a whole, then here. But why oh why are you so short-sighted, why can’t you see the potential for new things and growth within the community. We, and I like to think of myself as part of the community having been here for over 4 years now, but we have such an opportunity here, but nothing is done. I know that it’s a generalisation, and I know it’s not you that’s at fault, but we could do so much here, but no one seems to look outside the box. 
The day that we all pull together will be the day that Waycross will blossom and become everything we want. Until that day, we will all keep pulling in different directions and carry on the ‘in-fighting’ we have here.
So with that off my chest, I hope you’ll pop along to the fairgrounds for the fair this week, and for those of you that went there last weekend will, like me, be full of some really great BBQ. I thought the event was better this year and I think we had more people there, but not as many as I would have hoped for. 
The one thing I just don’t understand is that it was windy again. We have calm days before and after the BBQ event, but this is now the second year running it’s been here in Waycross and the second year we’ve had windy weather, why is that?
Now if we’re on the subject of observations, I was in the grocery store the other day, and like always I found shoppers that obviously think they are the only shopper in the store. They obviously go into a world of their own, they push their shopping trolley (or as you call it cart) and when they get to what they want, it just stops. Parked smack bang in the way, across the isle, causing the most obstruction it possibly can, and when they finally come back to our world they always sound so surprised that they have caused an obstruction. Now if that isn’t bad enough, you get the shoppers that then stop side by side in the isle and chat, oblivious to anyone else and the obstruction they too are causing.
Now here is one that I would really like some feedback on, it’s a crazy one, but something I just don’t understand. What is it, I hear you ask, sitting on the edge of your seat with egger anticipation. Well, have you got what I call, a key fob, for your car or truck? You know the wonderful gizmo that you push to lock or unlock your vehicle. Well, indulge me here and have a look at it now. Do you see any wear on the buttons, not the alarm, but the ‘lock’ and ‘unlock’ buttons. Well, I think you’ll find more wear on the unlock, but why? So far on looking at these fobs, that I have come across, it’s always been this way, but if you think about it, they should be the same. After all you unlock it to get in, lock it when you leave it, and if you always do this as a matter of routine there should be no difference, but there is …
So, having gone from telling you that Waycross needs to open it’s eyes and look to the future, through to observing the wear of key fobs, you can only come to one conclusion, either you have slipped into another alternate universe or that it’s that crazy Brit again trying his best but getting no where.
I know I look at things differently, but that’s what makes me what I am today and after all, you have to have one of us in the community. Where would we be if we didn’t have all these strange folk in town, we would still be living in caves. It’s like having the village idiot that sits on the bridge fishing without a pole, every town or village has to have one. 
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts and don’t forget to check your key fob and see if I’m right. – Derek Harrison

Hi everyone, I hope you’re well, and certainly better than I am right now. To be honest, I’m not really in the frame of mind to write this week’s article as I’m being given the run around and I’m really frustrated at the moment. I obviously can’t mention the business name, but I have now sent 3 copies of the invoice because they have ‘mislaid’ 2 of these copies, they then asked for a W9 form. No problems there I sent one and today I called again to see what was happening, only to be told that the date on the W9 went back too far and wasn’t current. It was in fact the date of the invoice which I thought would be perfect, and it’s still the same tax year, so that’s why I feel they are giving me the run around. The amount they owe me is just $350, but in looking up their details on the web, they reported $76.7 Billion in sales in 2009 with 3,619 stores. I just can’t believe it. Now before you start thinking Walmart, no it’s not them, they have over 8,500 stores and really the big boys and I’m not telling. But then again it’s true what they say, if you have someone with a load of money you’ll often find they are tight! Now if you don’t use this expression here, may be you should because it sums them up. However, and particularly here in Ware County I have found those that have the least will often give you their shirt off their backs if it helps. It’s a wonderful thing to see, when a person who obviously can’t give much, will give over and above that of someone with plenty. Now before you all start writing to me or emailing me, I’m not out to offend and this is just what I’ve found, but it’s not always the rule. So with ref to this wonderful company with billions of dollars have kept me on the run around for MONTHS!!!
So, with that out the way, I suppose I feel a little better, vented some inner anger, sorry that you had to listen to it, but as I see it, I’ve made you feel better haven’t I. Why, well knowing I have these problems means one of two things, 1, that either you’re not the only one with customers that are pains in the …. Or 2, that if you don’t have any issues at all, then you’re lucky. Either way you’ll feel better now, I hope.
So, what’s new, well if you haven’t been along to see ‘The Legend of Lydia Queen of the Swamp’ at the Heritage Center you really need to get a long there. This is the last week for performances – November 17, 18 & 19 all at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are just $12 so call the OHC Office at 912-285-4260 for more information. Make sure you don’t miss this lively portrayal of one of the Okefenokee’s most colorful characters, Lydia Stone. It’s great fun for the whole family and part of our history.
Don’t forget, that the Christmas Parade is just around the corner too, so I hope you’re all working hard to either enter it or show up and support it. For all the details of these and all other events happening locally, please remember to visit my community website at yourwarelocal.com for more details.
So with that out the way I think we need a little local observation. In case you wonder, everyone I have spoken too has their unlock button more worn on their central locking remote for their vehicle, but so far no one has a theory as to why. There have been those that say they push it twice to make sure it’s open, but everyone, I think not.
So what’s this week, well it’s people that put things in their car, hanging things from the center rear mirror in the front window. You would not believe the things I have seen hanging there, so much so that it must obscure their driving view. Now what takes the biscuit, well it’s people that hang a CD there. Now anyone who has seen a CD catch the sunlight, you do get some lovely colors and patterns, but do we need these whilst driving, no. Plus when you get that sun catch it, it really can blind you momentarily it’s just not safe, so why do people do it, don’t they look at the dangers. No, they can’t see theses issues, because of the things hanging in the front windshield.
I know that I’m old enough to remember when we had a couple of furry dice we would hang in the car, I didn’t do it then so I’m not going to do it now, just what is the point, especially when it obscures your view. If you think about it all you have to do is put one finger up in front of you, (now I’m not being rude and suggesting you give people the finger) but behind just the width of a finger there can be a pedestrian, a person on a bicycle or a motorcycle. Then just a split second later with these obstructions and you could have a serious accident, so lets think twice shall we. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts and don’t forget to check your key fob and see if I’m right. – Derek Harrison

Hello again, did you have a good Thanksgiving? I hope that you got as much of the family together to celebrate the holiday together. So, are you feed up with turkey yet, or do we have to wait a few more days for that? Do you use ‘feed up’ if not, how about ‘cheesed off’, or ‘had your fill’. Strange isn’t it how we all seem to do it, have what I call left over’s later in the day or the next day and even turkey sandwiches the day after. By the time a few days have passed, you would never care if you saw another turkey for another year, but it’s worth it.
Now before I move on from Thanksgiving, I would like to clarify one thing that I often get asked. No, we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in England. Now there will be a number of you that will know this, but I get a regular selection of locals that ask each year. As I say, it’s a little like people celebrating July 4th, we don’t celebrate our losses just our victories. After all, it wasn’t really English that had the turkey was it.
So, did you get much done after all that turkey, no I bet not, you all sat in that comfy chair, turned on the TV and chilled didn’t you. To be honest, I’m not surprised if you did this, because after a good helping of turkey it would be difficult to get anything done. Why, well if you didn’t know, it’s because turkey is loaded with ‘melatonin’. And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, ‘melatonin’ is our bodies way of making us sleep, so it’s no surprise that we all fall a sleep after a turkey diner.
Now you may be asking yourselves, when do we have turkey in England, well that’s our main meal for the Christmas holidays. Just think, if you ever wanted to invade a country, you’d invade America at Thanksgiving and England at Christmas time, we’d all be too sleepy to do anything about it.
At least I didn’t have possum or squirrel so although I’ve acclimatized to American traditions and holidays, but not a real red neck.
So, are you ready for Christmas yet, because it’s really gearing up for it now. Not this weekend, but next is the Christmas parade, so I’ve really got to start thinking what I’m going to do on my trailer. The good news is that at least it’s not a big trailer, but I need to come up with some theme. So if you think of something that is easy but effective to do, please don’t hesitate in letting me know.
I noticed in the week that the city is putting up the Christmas ‘IWAC’ lights, so I really need to get into town at night to have a look. It just doesn’t seem like a year ago we were asking for donations for these lights, time has just flown by hasn’t it.
Something I really want to do is take Angelina and Deb to see the Okefenokee Swamp Park Christmas lights. The Lights are on every Friday and Saturday Night from today to Christmas Plus December 18th -22nd and 27th & 28th. The Park hours are from 1pm to 10 pm and the first Light Show Train is at 6pm with the last Train departing at 9pm. So, I’m not sure when exactly, but on talking with the Park, it sounds like they have a great show this year, so I don’t want to miss that.
I know that in a blink of an eye it’ll be 2012 and Christmas will be just a memory and we’ll be thinking of New Year’s resolutions to adopt. I think it would be good to come up with some suggestions, between now and the end of the year and then try to implement then. We could make them aimed at the general public as a whole, rather than individuals, like: must loose weight, give up smoking, drinking etc. More along the ideas for Waycross as a whole. We could make 2012 the year Waycross stops in it’s tracks, (nice one there seeing as it’s a railroad town) and makes new policies, ideas and blossoms into the city it could really be. I spoke the other day to a reader of my article who I thought gave me a real compliment. He said that one of the things he likes the most about my humble weekly scratchings is that although not originally from here, I’m more proactive Waycross than 90% of the people living here. So I thank that young man for his comments and taking the time to say those kind words. Waycross has great potential, we just have to tap it and not say the usual of, ‘it was OK for my father, and his father before him, so lets leave it as it is now’ No, we need to move forward, and together we could do it, but it needs to be as a united effort, so come on, lets put our heads together and make 2012 the year Waycross comes into it’s own. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thought. – Derek Harrison

Well, Christmas is really just around the corner now isn’t it. The weather is getting colder the houses are getting there decorations out so we’re getting into the swing of it all. I suppose the only thing missing will be the snow, but lets not go that far shall we, after all we can imagine can’t we. That’s one thing both Deb and I just don’t miss, and that’s the snow we used to get back in England. Without fail, every year you’d wake up in the morning to a far brighter bedroom. You instantly knew it had been snowing overnight, and what was in store for you for the next week or so.
The problem is that snow can look so lovely, but soon becomes a real pain in the you know what. That white blanket of snow is really picture book, but you know that given a few hours it will no longer look as nice because we’ll be walking and driving through it so that it goes dirty and turns to sludge. Then over night you know that you’ll be waking up next morning to ice. Now if you’ve never experienced it, you’ve not missed much, because you know that either you’ll slip on the ice or your car will. So Christmas time here in South Georgia is so much nicer. As I said you get the crisper morning but that’s about it, and that’s all we really ask for, a change in the seasons.
So, I hope that you’ve all set aside time to come out and support the Christmas parade Saturday. I really enjoy seeing everyone’s efforts, and I always try and put in my small trailer with some lights as my granddaughter loves it. To be honest I was looking on Google for some inspiration the other day as I’ve only had about 360 days notice for this, but just hadn’t been inspired. So I thought I would look to see if I could get some ideas, well, yes there where some great things which really made both Deb and I chuckle. Problem was that if we had used them, I’m sure there would have been something said, to the tune, of it not being suitable. Now don’t get me wrong, last year we built a roof with tin on the trailer, with a chimney and Santa’s leg sticking out the top as if stuck. I liked it, but we needed to do something new. But from the ideas I saw, it just wasn’t something Waycross was ready for, which just reinforces in my mind, just how different we are. In some respect it’s a good thing, but I kinda like the fun side as well, but as they say, ‘when in Rome …’
So, what did we go for on the trailer, well if you want to see that you’ll have to come a long and see, I’m not going to spoil the surprise am I? Just look out for the blue Ford truck pulling a trailer for WaycrossLocal.com, which for those that are up-to-date, will know is now YourWareLocal.com, but both will get you to the same place and always will. If you see me driving, please give me a shout and a wave.
We have the tree all up and decorated at the house plus all the outside lights on so it’s really good for Angelina as she loves it and is really looking forward to Christmas. Now I know everyone thinks their son, daughter, grandson or granddaughter is the best, so I might as well join in. Do you know what she said today when asked what she wanted for Christmas, and I quote verbatim, ‘I would like Santa to bring us money so that we can have the things we need, then if there’s any left over may be we could have a present, because you have to have the essentials first you know’. I wonder who she heard that from, I know, I know, it was like hearing my own voice coming out of a five-year-old’s body. Sadly it’s true though, things are tough this year, and we do need to watch our pennies. Lets just hope that next year will be better, and the economy will pick up, after all, can it get much worse, lets not go there shall we.
Before I sign off for this week I would like to thank the guys at the County Fire Station. Each year they take the fire truck out, decorated with lights, playing music and I’m sure a vey cold Santa on the top. You get, I’m sure zero thanks for this, and that’s wrong, if it’s the case. You don’t have to do this, but it’s great that you do, I know Angelina loved seeing you guys out there tonight, (that’s last night to you) and she really loves seeing Santa. So good job guys, you bring a smile and a warm feeling to both young and the young at heart at Christmas. I just wish your job was always that much fun, all be it cold!
I hope to see you at the parade, and don’t forget to wave and shout. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thought. – Derek Harrison

So, what did you think of the Christmas parade, last Saturday, I hope you went to support it. I thought this was definitely the best one I’ve seen since living here. I think it all went very smoothly, not too fast and some really great floats. There was obviously a lot of work put in to these decorations by everyone, and it was great to see the community make the effort. I know our humble 10×6 foot trailer took ages to do so I just can’t imagine what some of these larger ones took to do, so if you were involved in get a float, trailer, car, truck, or whatever ready, give yourself a pat on the back as a job well done.
Now, I know I said everything went smoothly, but that really wasn’t the whole truth, as far as we were concerned. Last year we had regular Christmas lights that we used a couple of power converters to power them. All was fine until about 30 minutes before the parade was to set off, when one of the converters went fizzle pop! Thankfully, a friend of ours was there with his truck and he was able to quickly pop a long to some stores to see about getting a replacement. With just minutes to spare he returned with a unit, however it was rated slightly lower than the one we had, so we had to cut some lights. So last year, although we entered the parade we had to have fewer lights than we had wanted, but it wasn’t a disaster. 
This year we just didn’t want a repeat of last. So, I made sure the power converters were working, the two power outlets on the truck were also A OK, and to be 100% we had bought new LED lights. These use far less power than the regular bulbs and just as effective, so all was looking good. Well that was what we thought. Now my F350 has two great big batteries and they’re not old, but it wasn’t going to be. I think that with all the testing, start up the engine, test, leave doors open, things possibly connected, you guessed it. At just gone 6:00pm we decided to start up the engine and leave the lights running, like many of the others. Well, it just wasn’t to be, in went the key, and on turning it to start the engine, we got that ‘oh no’ feeling we all know when the engine just sluggishly turns but doesn’t fire up. So with less than 30 minutes before the parade is to start, we’re going from entrant to entrant asking if they have just jumper cables. It did get a little hairy because we had about 5 minutes to spare before we go the truck started. I would like to thank the two people concerned. Unfortunately, I don’t have their names, but you know who you are, one guy with the jumper cables, and one city police office for his car. We all pulled together and made it in under the wire, so thanks again. So lets hope that next year will be third time lucky!
Well after that, I just wasn’t going to turn off the engine for anything, so although I know it wouldn’t make a difference but we decided to drive home with them all on. So if you saw us going home on corridor Z you’ll know it was that crazy Brit!
It was funny though, on the way home that night, a white car pulled right out in front of us and obviously saw us too late, so they swerved of the road again onto the hard shoulder. Well, Deb is wonderful, and often bites her tongue, but you should have heard her that night. The air in the truck was blue, she didn’t swear, but she was shouting at the car, saying, ‘Haven’t we got enough lights on that you can see us’, and things like that. It was true, it wasn’t that they couldn’t have seen us, could they.
Maybe they had one of those CD’s I talked about the other week, hanging from the interior mirror. Now that would have explained it, we could have blinded them on our approach.
So, What’s next, well, I hear on the grapevine that the lights at the Okefenokee Swamp Park are really good this year. So Deb and I are planning to take Angelina there in the next few days before Christmas, because she really likes this time of year with all the lights and decorations.
Please remember that for all the latest events and things going on in and around Waycross, don’t forget to visit our website for our events calendar. If you don’t know the address by now, it’s yourWARELOCAL.com.
And don’t forget that if you have an event, whatever time of the year, just give us the information, after all, it’s FREE, and we all love that word don’t we.
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thought. – Derek Harrison

Much closer and it will be upon us, can you believe it, only 10 days to Christmas. Now I don’t want to say I told you so, but, I told you so, Christmas is upon us and I bet nothing is ready. It happens every year, doesn’t it, time beats us and before we know it it’s too late. Still, we must be all used to this by now, so it comes as no surprise.
I’m just looking forward to this afternoon, as Angelina will be off from school for the next couple of weeks, give or take, and it will be great to have her home. Now I have no idea how to put this comment across to you as I’m not a writer, but in case you missed it, I was being sarcastic! In actual fact I’m thinking of a few options, buying some ear protectors, moving out or buying some duck tape to keep here quiet. Don’t worry, I don’t mean it, but she does seem to have as we used to call it in England, ‘verbal diarrhea’. But I suppose it’s to be expected from a 5-year-old.
Now I know I’m tending to go from subject to subject this week, it’s a little like word association, – club, golf, ball, cricket, tennis, sorry getting carried away there, were was I? Oh yes, duck tape, or is it duct tape, I suppose it depends on which side of the tracks you were brought up on. But any way, if you haven’t bought something for the person in your life that either has everything, or needs nothing particular or more to the point, a ‘red neck’ I have found the perfect gift. I found it in that large store in town with hardware, you know the ‘L’ word. It was duck tape in CAMO! Isn’t that just great, the absolute best Christmas gift for anyone in South Georgia. Now all we need to find is a place that sells bungee cords in camo also and we’ll have it made. Now don’t you ever say I’ve not given you any Christmas gift ideas.
So, by now I hope you’ve been along to see the lights at the Swamp Park, and enjoyed your time there. There are a load of things happening from now and over the Christmas period. So make sure you miss nothing and check out the calendar on my site, www.yourWareLocal.com.
While on the subject of things happening there is one event that I really think you should try and make time to get along to.
It’s being held on December 22, at the Destination Church, which is at 2081 Ware Street Ext., Blackshear GA 31516 at 7:00pm. Now before we go any further it’s FREE, and we all like that four-letter word, don’t we.
It’s being organized by a friend of mine and his wife, and I’m sure a number of you will know him, Kris Pierce. Now if the name seems familiar but you’re thinking from where, well you may have seen and heard him singing at Downtown Waycross events, the Swampfest, the BBQ Festival, or the even Waycross WINGDING, to name but a few places. 
He’s a great guy with an even better voice that will get your feet a tapping. 
Well he has arranged an event that he is calling ‘Crunch Time’, in honor of his father, Bill. Basically, Bill Pierce and his son Kris have been involved in music for years, both singing and writing. Bill is unfortunately in the last days of his fight against a very aggressive cancer, and both Kris and his wife Melissa feel this could be a perfect opportunity to honor Bill, and get together to celebrate not only his life, but a get together to hear original songs and music for a great night of fellowship for Christmas. 
It’s going to be a great evening for all the family, with food, fun, gifts and door prizes and as I said, it’s FREE.
Kris will obviously be singing, but also on stage will be some names a few of you will know, Tony Cason, George Farr, Bob Tanner, Lee O’Neal, Jesse Herrin and Dave Griffin. Yes, that’s right some of these guys are from the band ‘Alibi’ well done.
If you’d like to hear some of the music you’ll be hearing on the night, you can visit southernsoulsmusic.com for a preview, but remember all the music is going to be original and not just a re hash of the same old Christmas songs.
Make a note in your diary and don’t miss it, because hearing Kris alone is good, but with these other guys as well, it’s going to be even better and a night to remember. (But don’t tell him I said so, it’ll go to his head). Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thought. – Derek Harrison

Now before I forget, Merry Christmas to you all. I have to do things as I think of them at the moment because it’s just crazy, there are just not enough hours in the day are there? So rather than write this article, get it to the paper and then remember when it’s too late, I’ll say it now.
Well, are you ready for Christmas? it’s a bit too late now if you’re not, so for your sake I hope you are. As I’ve been saying to friends this week, I’ve been in ‘Hamster Mode’ for the last few weeks. Now if you have no idea what on earth I’m talking about, let me explain. Apart from sitting and eating, filling up those amazing jowls, what does a hamster tend to so. It runs in one of those wheels, faster and faster, round and around, but, and this is the important part, he gets nowhere! This is how I feel it’s been these last few weeks, running and not achieving a single thing. Still, what’s new, it seems to be like that most weeks doesn’t it. But to be honest it’s been worse these last few.
Strange isn’t it, I’m sure it’s me, but I tend to think this way and to describe how things are I picture things, like the hamster for example. So, how about this one, I really have this one a lot, and that’s ‘Mushroom Mode’, or ‘being treated like a mushroom’. Now you must have heard this one before but in case, and I’ll put this as politely as I can. How do you grow mushrooms, well you keep them in the dark for one, and two, feed them manure. I really think there are a load of people out there that are mushrooms, and we can all relate to that can’t we.
So, with just days before Christmas theres me talking about being feed manure, only a Brit can be doing that!
I should be talking about great things, Christmas carols, Blessings and Good will to man (and woman) and that sort of thing. The problem is I don’t really feel that festive this year, I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is, and I think I should be because we have Angelina with us, and she’s at that age that really loves this time of year. So I don’t know what it is, may be it’s just the economy and the situation I see so many people in right now that is getting me down. I just have to put that behind me and keep moving on, which to be honest is about the only thing you can do, because you can’t go rob a bank can you, that just doesn’t work. You just have to keep on running in that wheel and hope that it’ll get you somewhere in the end.
This is getting better as I go isn’t it, first manure then depressing you about the way things are, so we should stop this right now, lets put an end to all this.
I’m looking forward to Christmas day and seeing Angelina’s face when she opens her presents. It’s crazy though isn’t it, have you noticed that sometimes the kids get as much fun from the wrapping paper and boxes that the gifts come it. I remember one year ages ago, there was a big box that the gift can in, well this box was great, it was like a little house. I could have saved a fortune that year, and just bought a big box, now there’s an idea for this year!
No, I couldn’t do that could I, that’s a little mean isn’t it, but an idea nonetheless. Have you noticed also that kids can really surprise you. The gift you think that they will really love is cast-a-side like an old shoe, and the one that you would have never thought it carried all round the house, never to be let out of their sight.
If we could put an adult brain in their heads might be a solution, but then all the fun would be gone.
I hope that everyone gets a great Christmas and gets a chance to get together with friends and family. Getting the chance to see some of these strange observations I make, but may be it’s me, may be they seem normal to you guys. 
The bottom line is that we get together with friends and family, share times and remember loved ones that aren’t with you this year. Of course gifts and food are great, but Christmas isn’t about getting gifts, spending money we haven’t got and feeding our stomachs till we can’t move any more, it’s the unity and the whole reason for getting together for celebration. So keep joy in your heart and have the very best Christmas you can have. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thought. – Derek Harrison

Well, here we are again, a week later and Christmas is all over, just a glimmer of a memory. Next thing we’ll know it’ll be 2012 and another year will unravel. So did Santa bring you what you wanted, or did he leave you wanting like most of us. Honestly I’m glad it’s back to normal, or should I say Angelina is more back to normal. I know it sounds bad but she was so excited about Christmas it nearly became unbearable, so it’s such a relief that Santa has been had his milk and cookies, left the Christmas present on gone on his way to the next family. I mustn’t complain, it’s a wonderful feeling, but too much of a good thing can get to you.
Now before I go any further, like last week, I need to get this done, otherwise I’ll forget. I’d like to wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year, there, done, and not forgotten
So, with the New Year just around corner, we have to start thinking about new years resolutions. Now I’m not perfect but I don’t smoke, so I don’t need to give that up. I hardly drink, the odd beer now and again, so that’s not really something bad. I don’t have a sweet tooth for candy and cakes, so what’s next. I suppose the only thing I really should do is cut back a little on food. Strange isn’t it how we are all so different. We had family and friends over during the holidays, and it was obvious the difference. I love to eat, yet one of our visitors obviously only eats to live. Now I know in some respects it would be great to just take a tablet for all our daily nourishment, it would save so much obesity, and be a lot healthier, but just so boring. What I need to have is the self control to say no. That last bit of food in the bowl, can be left, may be have it tomorrow, after all that little extra each day slowly adds up. Problem is that I not only enjoy food, I love cooking it as well, so for me I can become creative with food as well, and when it tastes good, it’s very difficult to say no.
The thing is I don’t really look at these as New Year’s resolutions that will make a real difference, may be our community should be thinking more outside the box as they say. How about some of these for suggestions:
Firstly, I think it’s more than likely the most important, we should Buy Local. This could really make a difference if only we could do this. Now I’m not stupid, I know that there are things that you can get cheaper elsewhere, but let’s think twice about these. It doesn’t matter what you’re buying, but you might see it $10 cheaper in Brunswick, or Valdosta. Now that in itself is great but how much gas is it going to cost you to get there, round trip, say at least $8. Then what price do you put on your time, an hour there and the same back, lets say you’re worth $10 an hour. This means that the item is now costing $18 more than if you had bought it locally, plus the price of the item has left the area, so it’s no longer a winning situation. I know back in England a guy that would look for the cheapest gas in town. Hew went out of his way to drive there to get it, sometimes 12 miles round trip, so what he save in the few pennies (cents for you guys) per gallon, he spent in getting it. Sometimes people just don’t see it do they.
OK, Buy Local, that’s a good start, so what’s next, how about for the next resolution, getting involved. There are a load of organizations locally that do a lot for the community; you’ve the Chamber of Commerce, the Exchange Club, the Rotary Club, Kiwanis, Main Street and the Lions to name but a few. Be more active this year, make a difference get involved and be an active part of the community. It’s no good sitting back complaining that they don’t do this, they don’t do that, if you don’t like it make a difference and see if you can make it happen.
Right, so we have Buy Local, and join a Local Group or Community Association, what’s next? Well the next resolution doesn’t cost a thing, you don’t have to go anywhere, so what is it? It’s your frame of mind, be open to new ideas, positive thinking, and use that wonderful expression, ‘think outside the box’ look at things afresh.
Now these don’t have to be outstanding ideas, but just think, while traveling, or visiting other locations, have you ever seen anything that was a good idea, or you liked anything. Well, all you have to do is try it here in Waycross, after all, we don’t have to re-invent the wheel do we, if it works in another town or city why couldn’t it work here, but if we don’t try guess what happens, NOTHING!
We have to try and make 2012 the year that makes a difference in Waycross, but we have to work together, we have to get involved, we have to do something, otherwise if things don’t change, they’ll stay the same. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thought. – Derek Harrison

Here we are, with my first article of 2012, so I should start it by hoping you had a good New Year and you didn’t have too much to drink to see in 2012. I know that there may be a number of you out there that will think you have to see in the New Year, but I’m not one of them. To Deb and I, it’s really just another day, so why bother. After all, you usually end up having a little too much to drink and even if you don’t I usually feel like death warmed up for the rest of the day due to the late night. In my mind, what a crazy way to start the year, with either a hangover or tired and fit to drop. So, rather than that, we would rather call it a night and see it a fresh next morning.
So, here we are 2012, twelve years after the millennium bug scare and the computers are still working fine. Do you remember all that fuss twelve years ago, I just can’t believe it even now. Computers can work out most things faster than most of us, but they wouldn’t be able to go from 1999 to 2000, madness! But these things happen don’t they, people tend to believe what they want to believe, and with respect to that, we are all entitled to that aren’t we.
Now of course, it doesn’t stop there does it, because we are due for another major mile stone this year. Now in case you have been in a comma for the last few years or on a desert island, I’m talking about December 21st 2012.
So what do they say is going to happen, well they get the date from the Mayan calendar, which stops on that day. Now I really expect a lot of you are saying to yourselves right now, ‘So What?’ Well it’s also the Lunar Solstice, the time when every planet in our solar system will be all lined up. So will it be the end of the world as many say, well I don’t think so, but the Mayan didn’t say it was the date it would end, just the day of change.
Among their other accomplishments, the ancient Mayas invented a calendar of remarkable accuracy and fantastic complexity. At the ancient Mayan Pyramid Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico. The Mayan civilization existed from 250-900 A.D. in the current geographical location of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and some of Honduras. The Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichén Itzá, was constructed about 1050 was built during the late Mayan period, when Toltecs from Tula became politically powerful. The pyramid was used as a calendar: four stairways, each with 91 steps and a platform at the top, making a total of 365, equivalent to the number of days in a calendar year. I could completely fill this article with relevant information about them, but that would be crazy.
So what do I believe, will it be the end, no, I don’t think so, but I would really like something good to happen, wouldn’t you. Now I know that a lot of you reading this will think or even know that I’m crazy, but I believe in other life out there, after all, do we really think that the earth is the only one with life, lets think about it. There are about, give or take 400 billion (4,000,000,000) stars in our galaxy alone. So if you said each star had the same number of planets as our own sun, then that’s about once again give or take 4 trillion (4,000,000,000,000) planets in our own galaxy alone. Multiply that by an estimated 125 billion (125,000,000,000) galaxies in the universe, that’s a lot of planets. I have no idea what the number is but I get about 500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets, once again, give or take. So we just can’t be the only ones, can we, lets be honest, the numbers just don’t help support a 1 in 500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 chance that we are alone. Now, before I go any further, this has nothing to do with God and creation. I’m not saying he did or didn’t, I’m not going there because I just wouldn’t presume to know, but figures like these make you think.
So, what would I like to happen on December 21st 2012, well I would really like us to be visited by someone not from Earth, an extraterrestrial or God, call him what you want, but we really need to be visited and basically be given a kick up the backside. Now obviously I’m referring to mankind as a whole, not just people from Waycross.
We need so badly to be shown that this isn’t the way we should be going, we’re killing each other and our planet, and basically not giving a tinker’s cuss about the circumstances. So yes, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for December 21st, you bet yah because it can’t get any worse, can it, lets hope not. I know, that crazy Brit, what on earth is he talking about this time. All I can say is I might as well start the new year with a bang and something controversial. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Hi again, another week has passed, and to be honest it’s starting to look like Friday could be my usual day. We’ll have to see, but to be honest, the main reason for the change from Thursdays to Fridays is because I’ve missed the deadline for Thursday, so my name is more than likely mud to Gary Griffin at the WJH, and so I’m sorry Gary. I think that someone is taking hours out of the days, or even complete days! Especially over the Christmas period and New Year I really began to think that I had been abducted as I lost complete days. But we don’t want to go there do we, Mayan calendars last week, with about 500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets, give or take, then this week, talking about alien abduction. I just don’t think that Waycross is ready for that two weeks running. However, whilst on the subject, I have been pleased with the feed back I have been having about my article last week, but as I said, may be that should be for another week.
So, what should I be talking about this week, well, I think it’s time for a Waycross WINGDING week, are you sure you don’t want to talk about life on other planets, no, OK then, Waycross WINGDING it is!
You had your chance, you could have taken it, but no, OK here we go.
In case you forgot, last year we held the very first WINGDING, and in case you have no idea what on earth I’m talking about, it’s to celebrate the date Waycross Incorporated in 1874, March 3rd to be precise. To celebrate this I arranged to hold the event at the YMCA, with the help of Paul Thein, the Exec Director and CEO there. He offered me the use of the area to the rear of the YMCA and the running track area. We held the event with all local food vendors and displays and although it was the first event, I was pleased with the turn out. Last year we had various displays there a few of which included the Police dept with their drunken goggles, duck races, hog hollerin, the army, greazed pig competitions, chicken squares, inflatable’s, great food and BBQ and to top it all, great music and events for the children. The best thing of all, is that it’s FREE. Then, through local donations we gave out FREE door prizes during the event every 15 minutes.
Well this year is going to be similar, but even better. To confirm the details, the Waycross WINGDING is going to be held at the YMCA on Saturday March 3rd. It’s going to be from 11 am to 5 pm, with constant music entertainment from artists such as ‘The Other Guys’, ‘Kris Pierce’, ‘Studio M & Bill McIntosh’ ‘Bonnie Blue Band’ (listed in no particular order). 
The aim of the event is to keep it local, with local vendors and displays. That way, if you buy something there, the money will stay local.
If you would like to see more details of this event, please visit waycrossWINGDING.com. Here you will see the sort of events we’ll be having this year, but as I said better, for example: The army had their hummer there last year with games, well this year they’re bring their army climbing wall for people to climb, so just them alone, is bigger and better!
Last year we had music with kids games and events in between, well this year we will be having it music throughout the event, so remember to bring your lawn chairs. Then at another location at the YMCA we’ll be having the children’s events and competitions. So there will be something for everyone, so make sure you keep the date free, March 3rd. 
Now there are other events on that day, such as the Waycross Service League, holding their first Arts and Crafts festival at the fairgrounds, there’s a $3 admission for the event, and I’m sure it will be a great success (FREE plug). This is of course a same, being the same date, (I did offer to combine, but they felt it better to stay separate) but it’s your choice, and may be you can do both, so once you’re crafted out, pop along to have music fun and entertainment. 
Remember that for all the local events, please check out www.yourWareLocal.com for our FREE local events calendar. Plan you weekends and spare time to get the most, and remember if you’re planning an event, check out what else is on so you get the maximum attendance. As I have said before, people spend a lot of time and effort to put these events on, so please attend and give your support. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well here we are again, I missed Thursday again, but at least I keep writing each week. Now there may be some of you that are saying, ‘why bother’ but I hope not, I hope anyone that reads my articles will get something from them. Whether it’s an idea, a direction, or new way of looking at things, or even something that brings a chuckle to them. Whatever you get, keep on reading, and I hope, enjoy.
So, how have you been this last week? Good, I hope. I’ve actually been down with a flu type bug, which knocked me for six which isn’t like me at all. Thankfully, I’m not a sicky person, I usually just press on through it, but this time I took to my bed, and was happy to do so. The good news is that I’m on the mend and non-contagious now, so I can go back to shaking hands again, rather than knocking elbows. (Those that know me will know what I mean there).
It’s strange isn’t it, and may be it’s me, but on looking at what I have just typed, it struck me, we, well at least ‘I’ use a lot of expressions, saying, funny little bitties. For example, It ‘knocked me for six’ where on earth does that come from with reference to not being well. I can only think it comes from the game of cricket, but I don’t have a clue. Then when I referred to: I usually ‘press on’ is there a button somewhere we usually press, no, but maybe these are more English sayings, so you may think if this is the case, I’ve totally lost my mind, but I hope not.
Wow, the more I’m thinking about these the more are coming into my head, I’m hearing little voices, saying ‘what about this one!’ So here we go, let me put some of these out there and let you be the judge:
How about ‘Dutch Courage’ this one must be here in America! Are the Dutch people courageous, but they are referring to having an alcoholic drink or liquor, or to use another, a ‘stiff drink’. What’s a ‘stiff drink’, do they have limp drinks? So if we’re talking about drinks and bottles, do you have he’s ‘lost his bottle’ which means he’s scared, nervous or worried. Maybe he’s lost his Dutch courage which comes in a bottle!
OK, how about, it ‘suits you to a T’ now where did that come from, and if we’re, or I’m talking about letters, how about ‘letter of the law, which letter? It actually comes from: KJV, 2 Corinthians 3:6 – Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Did you know that, I know it but to be honest I did look it up to make sure I was right.
How about these, which I think you have here, that have come to us through the sea-faring folk, and have stuck with us over the years. Now, don’t get me wrong, these aren’t every day in every sentence but when you look at the list you can see that there are a lot. So, how about: ‘batten down the hatches’, ‘by and large’, ‘choke-a-block’, ‘get underway’, ‘hand over fist’, ‘hard and fast’, ‘high and dry’, ‘know the ropes’, ‘shake a leg’and a ‘slush fund’.
All of these came to us through a nautical origin. There are a load of these, I could be here all day, putting these in, but they are interesting, things that we say in everyday conversation, yet do we have any idea where or how we adopted them. Now I really think this is more you than me, as I type this, I can hear myself saying these, whereas I don’t hear you from South Georgia saying these some how.
The one stupid thing that we always use in conversation, and don’t deny it, we all use it, and that is: You’ve been looking for something, it matter not what, it can be car keys, phone, you name it. So then a friend or family member asks you have you found it? You answer without thinking, ‘Yep, but can you believe it was in the last place I looked’. Come on think about it, of course it was, unless you make a habit of carrying on looking for something once you’ve found it!
It’s a funny old world isn’t it, and we all have to put a smile on our faces and plod on though to make the best of it. Or as they say, ‘what don’t kill you, makes you stronger’. The problem is at the moment it could be a lot better for us all, so I’ll finish on one that I love, and it just about sums up a lot of things, and that is: life and what it’s handing us at the moment is ‘as welcome as a fart in a space suit’. 
Don’t forget to use yourWareLocal.com for the new calendar of local events, and before you start complaining about this weeks article, think yourselves lucky, it could have been about WINGDING (March 3rd).
Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Modern technology! Don’t you just love it, but I sometimes begin to wonder. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I could cope without it, but sometimes I would be willing to give it a try. Sorry, I haven’t even said hi, how have you been, it’s just that sometimes things just get my goat! After last week, I have really been looking at some of my expressions, and I’ve started to second guess anything I say now, like this one with reference to the goat. I begin to think that I really do speak an entirely different language to you guys, and to top it all, in a different accent as well, oh no I forgot, it’s you that has the accent.
Still, back to my feelings reference modern technology, does it get to you the same way. I think this week has brought it to a head, with my laptop I use. Each day for the last two weeks, it’s been telling me that there are some updates through Microsoft that needs to be down loaded. Well when I get the moment, I do, I let the computer shut down and go through those usual 7 steps where you’re told not to disconnect or turn the machine off. Now if you’re like me, this seems to take an age, doesn’t it, it’s like watching paint dry, boring!
So, eventually after what seems to be an eternity the computer finally lets you know that all is ok and you can start working again. Of course, this is short-lived, because as you start to get into the swing of things again, the little window in the bottom right hand corner pops up with a message telling you that, yes you guessed it, ‘you have updates ready for downloading’. WHAT! Was I just in a parallel universe, didn’t you just do that? 
The problem is that these machines have to go through set routines, you can’t install newer updates until the previous one has been installed. The problem then is that you spend your life installing these and what gets me is that after you’ve done these, do you ever notice any difference, and I do mean, ANY difference. The real answer is no, because after doing this for years I don’t think I have ever looked at the computer and said, wow that really made a difference, in my dreams.
This issues, I think that get me are two fold; firstly the machine downloads them so that you’re ready to install, but this slows the machine down, and it gets to the point of, you might as well install it, so you can get some work down. Secondly, is that in my opinion due to updates, computers will eventually slow the machine down. The reason I say this is that the computer is made to run at it’s best when you first buy it, it’s running as fast as it will ever do at the minimum cost. Then out comes new system software, or at least newer versions. These take a load more ram or memory to work and so people see these and say, ‘oh wouldn’t it be great to have that, I like the look of that’. They install it and the machine runs slower, to the point that they want to get the computer and sling it out the window, I know, I’ve been there many a time before.
The problem is it’s all a conspiracy isn’t it, it’s exactly what they want you to do. We all get the I wants, we get it and then up grade it and now it’s not fast enough, so we start the vicious circle again months later.
A simple but perfect example of this was the Vista operating system, people saw it, liked it and bought it. Problem was that Vista to work at its best needs a dual processor. Now you don’t have to know anything about the workings of the PC to understand that pre Vista used one, processor, vista needed two, (even if you have no idea what a processor is you can see the issue).
Whichever way you look at it, all these new fangled gismo’s are great, but they all seem to have a built in obsolescence, whether you do anything with them or not, things don’t last and there’s always something newer and better coming out that we all get the I wants for.
I used to get all these extended warranties, etc., but what is the point now, because say you have a 50” TV now, and it goes wrong in the future, there will be something that will have either replaced it, or to replace it is so much cheaper, just get a new one. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not made of money, but these extended warranties aren’t cheap.
All I think is that with nearly everything, there is a super deluxe version out there that the production people have, that we could all have right now, problem is that there wouldn’t be anything for a long while to follow or want. I mentioned TV’s for example, we’ve had regular, then wide screen, hi def, now 3D, then there will be hologram, and heaven knows what next. So instead, we are feed one new feature, or new look a little at a time, so we will always want to keep buying. After all, why let us have the everlasting light bulb now, we wouldn’t need another would we? Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well, here we are again, another week has flown by and another week closer to the Waycross WINGDING!
Well you know I would be talking about this didn’t you, with the WINGDING just a month away, what else should I be doing. In case you don’t know and haven’t read or read these articles on a regular basis you may be sitting there thinking – what on earth is a WINGDING!?
Well in brief, I decided last year to hold an event that I call a WINGDING (which means a party or celebration) to celebrate the day that Waycross became Waycross. In 1874, March 3rd to be exact, Waycross incorporated, that’s 138 years ago next month.
The event is a non profit event, with the main objective of getting the Waycross community together to celebrate the event. Last year we had some cash left over after the event which we donated between 4 local charities, so everyone won. 
The WINGDING itself isn’t intended to be a large non-descript event but more of local friendly environment, one to meet up and be able to see old friends, school mates etc., a great together to have fun, good food and listen to music and most importantly allow the kids to have a great time. So, with all this going on, how much is it, I hear you ask? Simple that, nothing, FREE, just come along and have a great time.
Tell me more, OK, OK, hold on, don’t get carried away, plenty of space left in my article.
Well here are the WINGDING details:

• It’s going to be held Saturday March 3rd at the back of the YMCA like last year. 

• It’s held within the walking track area, by the play area for the kids. 

• The WINGDING starts at 11 am and goes on until 5 pm

• There will be food and drink available

• FREE musical entertainment during the whole event

• FREE bouncy castles
• FREE kids events and games with prizes

• Hog Hollerin competitions for children and adults

• The US Army is even bringing their large army climbing wall for people to climb

• Melon seed spitting completions, children and adults again (sunflower actually, as it’s easier to get them) 

• Kids Double or Drop
• Local Wildlife talks

• Duck Winging competitions, don’t worry, no ducks will be hurt in this

• Wang your Wellie competitions, also no wellies will be hurt either

These are the main events throughout the day, but we mustn’t forget that for a $1 donation to the four local charities, like last year, you will get a chance of a prize every 15 minutes during the event. So if my math is correct, it starts at 11 am so that’s 6 hours, multiplied by 4 is 24 prizes available for the day with bonus prizes throughout. So for $1 you’ll have great odds at getting a gift, the cheapest of which will be about a $9 value, so don’t stop at one ticket, get 2, 3 10 or even 20, after all it’s going to local charities.
The day should be a great day and even better than last year as it was the first one I had organized last year, but all is possible by the kind donations of local businesses. It just shows that if we all join together we can make a difference, everyone has fun and a great day, through the donations however small it may be, we can all be a part.
So I would really like to say a big thank you to everyone that has donated. I know times are hard this year so these donations are even more important, because without your help I could never be able to put this WINGDING on.
Like last year there will also be T shirts on sale for the event, so these will be available at the YMCA and if you’re seen wearing one before the event you will win an instant prize, making the T shirt in all effect FREE. These shirts are $10, all sizes and colors, so make sure you get yours now.
Well, that wasn’t too bad was it, I tried to give you the details as simple as possible, but it’s going to be a great day, I hope to see you there, well I had better, and oh by the way, did I say the event is FREE. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

How have you been keeping since last week, well I hope, or at least a lot better than I have been these last weeks. Whatever this bug is, that’s going around, it’s really manifested itself big time with me. So much so, that for the first time in eleven years I actually went to see a doctor on my own behalf. Now I’ve taken Angelina, but that’s to be expected as I really do find that kids get everything under the sun, and bring it home to their parents. Thankfully, I try and keep myself well, as a visit to the doctor’s waiting room is not the most pleasant of things is it? I know that any time I have to go, I try to get one of those face masks. I know that they are for people with coughs and colds, but I just feel it can’t hurt and lets be honest, what’s worse than the kids at school with germs, yep, you got it, the doctor’s waiting room.
It was strange though, apparently as it’s a new year they need all your details, which seems a little strange if you’re a regular as if you had listed an operation last year you still have it this, if you follow. Still, they needed the information, so I sat and gave it, and filled out the pages of information. This was the crazy thing though, because they did look at me a little strangely, something I’m used to now, but I later had to deduce that it was that the pages of paperwork was odd to them as it was basically empty. This obviously isn’t the norm nowadays is it, nearly everyone I know is on some course of medication in one form or another. There are unfortunately people out there that to be frank, rattle!
The thing is that it seems to be the norm now, take these, it’ll cure your problem, (we hope or think), the only thing they don’t tell you is that by taking these it can cause, this, this and even this! I know for example that my mother back in England is now a diabetic, why? well it was because of other drugs she was given for a lesser issue, but the known side effect is that you will become diabetic. It really gets me that no one seems to care what the effects are. Now I suppose that is a real generalization, and may be I should clarify it by saying that there doesn’t seem to be much evidence that people care.
I know that I have seen some commercials on the TV in the past for medication for people with anxiety disorders, people worried about going outside, meeting people, to you and me. Well these always made me chuckle to myself because they have to list the known issues don’t they, well, on this one they mentioned, ‘may cause uncontrollable vomiting and uncontrollable bowel movements. My sense of humor could just picture Mr Smith, we’ve changed the names to protect the innocent). So, we have Mr Smith who has issues leaving the house and meeting new people, who finally though this wonderful medication, can now lead a normal life. Well, sort of, because he gets out and starts to socialize with a potential Mrs Smith only to throw up on her and if that’s not going to be enough, need I say more. This, apparently must be acceptable with the drug manufacturers, and although I have a chuckle about this particular issue, it’s not funny if you’re the Mr Smith, who’s real name is Carl Johnson Harris of 5612 Bernards Circle, Waycross 31503. Sorry, I get carried away a little here, English sense of humor. It’s like the little black boxes they put over the eyes in documentaries and pictures to stop you from recognizing someone, who are they kidding. If you saw a picture of a friend or family member with a black box over their eys, are you telling me you wouldn’t know them, my point exactly.
Anyway, I suppose what I’m really saying here is that we seem to be offered these remedies, but with no real care about the consequences. In some respects this wouldn’t be quite so bad if the medication we are being hooked on wasn’t so expensive. I know the research takes money but whichever way you look at it we are being robbed, and they don’t even wear a mask. When you get a disclaimer for what I consider a simple medical complaint that says, ‘May cause death!’ I think it makes my point, because I’m not joking about that one.
So, when I was lucky enough to have an all intense and purposes blank medical history, it did get a funny look. I can only think myself lucky here and actively have a ‘don’t take any medicines unless I really have to’ policy. This way, I hope, I’ll never get addicted to another medication or further illness due to taking them.
All I hope is that I’m better for the WINGDING on the 3rd of March at the YMCA, 11 am till 5 pm. Did you really think you were going to get one of my articles without even a brief mention, being this close to the event? I hope you’ll be there to have fun and don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

How have you been keeping, well I hope, or at least I hope better than I have been. I’ve been ill now for about 3 weeks and to be honest I’m just about feed up with it. I’m not as bad as I have been, but I’m not right, but then again, those that know me, know that’s the case. Still, I have to get on with things because this WINGDING isn’t going to arrange itself. 
I think Deb thinks I’m crazy for doing this, after all I don’t make a cent for holding this event, and to be honest, I do sometimes wonder myself. The thing is that I think it’s a great idea that the community get together and have fun celebrating the day Waycross became Waycross. All I ask is that everyone comes and has fun, and if we can help get donations for the 4 local charities then that will be great. I suppose we don’t really need an excuse, but I think it’s a good one.
So you had better keep your Saturday free for this, remember March 3rd, that’s only a week on Saturday. It’s at the YMCA on Plant Ave. I’m just sorting the schedule for the music, so don’t forget your lawn chairs, because it’s going to be a great music day. 
I suppose, my personal view and hope for the WINGDING this year is that families will come, the kids will be entertained all day with the play area there at the YMCA, plus the bouncy castles and slides, the games and kids competitions and this will allow the parents the chance to chill out to the music and if you get hungry or thirsty, you can get that there too. Well, it sounds good to me.
The only problem for me is that I won’t really get a chance to enjoy it at all. You know what I mean, you get an invite round to friends or a meal, you get there and have a great time. However you do the opposite, and have friends round, you’re always checking on your guests, making sure all is OK, and you never really get a chance to relax and enjoy. The WINGDING is the same, but it goes with the event, and you just have to go with it.
I should stop there otherwise I’ll WINGDING you out, so what to mention this week.
Well, it’s more of an observation by Deb this week. Normally Deb doesn’t get out much, but the other week she popped out to get some grocery shopping. Upon her return she was telling me of her driving experiences that day and her thoughts. I thought it was good and made me chuckle so I thought I would pass it on to you all.
Basically Deb has this theory about a large number of drivers, not only Waycross, but America as a whole. She thinks that there must be a load of drivers out there that may take in their car to the garage or dealership complaining of an intermittent problem. They would get there and tell the garage that they have a flashing light on the dash that comes on occasionally then after a little driving it stops. Now if you haven’t worked this one out, they will be talking about their turn signals, which they have no idea that they have, just that whilst driving they sometimes knock them on then after a few turns the car turns them off. 
Why on earth don’t you use indicators as we call them, turn signals to you. Yes, all cars come with them and if used properly can help other drivers so much. How many times have you come to a stop sign and sat and waited as the oncoming cars come towards you, only to have them turn off the road right in front of you, with not a signal in sight. Now if they had indicated that they were going to turn, you could have happily joined the road and been on your way. So please do everyone a favor and check out your car, it will have turn signals, please use them.
Whilst on the subject of drivers, what is it with the drivers that slow right down as they come to a green light at a junction. Are they trying to catch the light, are they holding back so they can be held at the light for the next 5 minutes, may be they have no where to go, or at least in a timely manor.
Oh go on, 3 for 3, how about the drivers that sit at the red, waiting, but then when the green comes they just sit there, waiting for the shade of green they like may be. Oh, sorry I can’t leave it there, what about the drivers that while waiting at the red light, they edge forward. A bit more, a little more, just a bit more and then come the green light the other car besides them always seems to pull away first, it’s so strange, after all that edging, they seem to loose it.
Well, there you go, some silly observations, but meant in the best possible taste. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Hi, So how has your week been, better than mine again, I hope! I think there is someone messing with the time for me, I’m sure as I look away there’s a guy that alters the clock, so that when I look back half the days gone. Do you ever get those days?
Well, I suppose I’m getting things done and the WINGDING is on schedule, I hope. Still, it will get to the point when it will not worry either way, it will be too late, but I think things are good, fingers crossed. I know like last year, on the Sunday I just chilled out and took it easy and as I sat there I thought to myself, ‘only 364 days till the next one’. What a thought, and here we are just 8 days away.
I hope you’re planning to be there, and that you have told everyone you know about it, because if we all do that it could be great.
At last the day is sorting itself out, and as I said, we’ll be having live music and entertainment all day. Kris Pierce will be in charge of the music at the event, overseeing everything to make sure we get a full day of music. Now for those of you that may not have heard of Kris, you have missed out big time. Kris has performed almost everywhere, from sunny Waycross to Nashville. I think of him as the Waycross version of Trace Adkins. Now he doesn’t know this, so he may hit me the next time I see him, but he has a great voice and you just don’t want to miss him. ‘The Other Guys [TOG] a local Waycross-based band that sound great will be there too. We’re pleased that they will be playing again this year, as they are very popular and I’m sure destined for greater things. For those of you that like a change in pace, we will also be having the Okefenokee Stompers there strutting there stuff to some foot-tapping tunes. Lastly there’ll be Bonny Blue Band, who also played last year and we’re very pleased to have them back again as we had a lot of great comments about them last year.
So, you can see, with just the music side alone, we will be having 6 solid hours of non stop music for everyone of all ages and music styles.
We will interrupt these a little with some small but great fun competitions, with great prizes for both adults and kids. The main ones will be a Melon seed spitting competition, a Hog Hollerin competition and this year new to WINGDING a Gurnin competition!
Now for those that have no idea what a Gurnin competition is, you will have to visit our website at waycrossWINGDING.com to find out, because there is a full explanation. The good news is that it’s FREE to enter; you need no preparation, no special equipment and you could win a prize. If you can’t get to the site you’ll just have to turn up and see, because you’ll love it, I’m sure.
I could carry on and go through the whole event, but I don’t think that the paper will allow me to do that because it will take a few pages, so there’s nothing else for it, you’ll just have to come and find out for yourself. I’ll try and give you a little more info next week before the event, but the good news is that next week will be the last mention of WINGDING for at least 320 or so days before WINGDING III.
The only issue I have now is that with me involved so much with the preparation, I just haven’t got that much to say about anything else, as I’m so consumed, but I must mention one last thing about the WINGDING before I go and that is that Monday will have the T-shirts on sale at the YMCA. They are only $10 each, all sizes (S, M, L, XL, 2XL & 3XL) and all colors. The most important thing is that if you buy one before the event, and are seen wearing it before the 3rd March, you will get an instant prize, which means that the T shirt is then almost FREE, so what are you waiting for, pop along to the YMCA Monday and make sure you get one and start wearing it, what have you to loose, certainly not your shirt!
We have a lot of events coming up real soon, so don’t forget to visit yourWARELOCAL.com and check out the community calendar so you don’t miss out on anything. Also, remember that if there’s an event you’re planning you can email us and we will put it in FREE. I love the word FREE because there aren’t many things like that these days! Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Hi, how has your week been, I expect you can imagine how mine has been with the planning of the WINGDING in hand. It’s about now that I’m looking forward to March 4th and I’ll be able to take a rest, but still I’m sure it will be all worth it.
Now you may be wondering what the title of this article is all about, and usually it tends to be at the end when it all becomes apparent. Well lets be different this week and explain my thoughts up front. 
In a round about way it’s about the WINGDING actually, so that’s no surprise there. In this instance I’m referring to the weather, or should I say – weather forecasts. Now I might be shooting myself in the foot here, and tempting fate, but her goes anyway.
As I type this on Thursday for the Friday edition of the paper I see that the weather meteorologists have said that we will have rain all day today, thunderstorms and possibly bad weather. Well, I know that I’m early in writing this, as usually it’s getting really close to the wire for the deadline, but has it rained? It’s been overcast, and cloudy, with a very odd spit of rain about mid day that lasted about 10 seconds. Apart from that the day has been as dry as a bone.
As I said in this articles title, if we were to get it wrong as much as they do, we would be out of a job. Now my point is that WINGDING is here on Saturday, and as I said I may have blown it now by mentioning this, but Saturday is also scheduled for rain. So don’t let this put you off, the WINGDING is going to happen come rain or shine. And if you think about it, it was scheduled for rain last year, but we didn’t have a drop then either.
All I hope is that it doesn’t rain after all this effort and people come out to the event and have fun and we can make some money for the local charities.
It’s now all systems go with the WINGDING, and come this time Friday if it’s not been done, then it’s going to be too late. We have now got the complete running order for the days entertainment, fun and games, and with the weather on hold, I feel it’s going to be a great day.
The good news for you is that come next weed you’ll have about forty plus weeks of articles WINGDING free, so that will be a good thing, I’m sure.
You will see that we have, like last year featured the oldest citizen in Ware County, Eva has that covered for a second year, can you believe it, 109 years of age and a real character, a lovely lady. We will also be fining the newest arrival March 3rd and doing the same as last year, but of course with the event the same day it will have to wait until next week, but I would like to thank Kroger for their help in these.
As we’re still on the WINGDING subject, I wanted to tell you about the donations to Charity we hope you will make. Although the event is FREE if you want to you can make a $1 donation to the local charities we are collecting for. We have been donated about $200 of McDonald’s meal coupons, each meal approximately $8 each. This means that EVERY 15 minutes throughout the event, we will be drawing a ticket, that’s a total of 24 prizes. What a great way to donate to a charity, so much so that you don’t have to stop at one ticket do you, with so many gifts throughout the day you could possibly afford 2, 3 or even 4, go on make a difference.
There will be the Chuck a Duck game, (No ducks will be injured in this game) which is a 50/50 game with money raised going to the Hilliard House rebuild project, like last year.
All the others such as Double or Drop for the kids, years 5-6, 7-8 and 9-10 is FREE with toys supplied by yourWARELOCAL.com. Gurnin’ competition, Melon Seed Spitting competition and Hog Hollerin’ are all FREE with prices from the Belk store at the Mall.
Lastly all the music is FREE all day, with a great variety of live music from 11am – 5pm.
The bottom line is simple, you can’t miss it, there’s going to be fun, fun and more fun. Come early, stay all day and remember your lawn chairs. We have a full schedule on line at www.waycrossWINGDING.com
There is of course, great food, and all the Pepsi products. Make sure you buy and wear your T shirt because you never know what could happen, see you there I hope. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Hi, how are we all this week, better than I am I hope. To be honest, I don’t think it could get much worse. 
In case you didn’t brave the weather last Saturday at the WINGDING you can I’m sure guess what I’m going to say, it was a wash out!
There were a number of people that made a great effort and came out and I would really like to thank them, because we really did try and make the event a go, but you can’t beat the weather can you?
We gave it a try and we lost, so by 1pm we were packing up our stuff and getting the place cleared for the rain to hit at 2. Thankfully all was away and wasn’t that bad, but as an event it was really bad news.
The event was going to be great, Deb had organized the drawings for the day, Beverly had all the double or drop organized, Bud had the chuck a duck, not to forget, Tonya, Kris and Darrell, so we were all set. I could give a list of people to thank, but if you were there you know many thanks go out to you all.
There must be a big thank you to Nancy Tatum Wright, who approached me a few weeks with the suggestion of having a chicken n’ dumplin and chicken n’ rice competition. I thought it was a great idea and that she should run with it. Well it was great to get people to bring these along and get them judged.
We had the following judges, Robby Parham, Dale Stewart and Darrell Millard who did a great job and came up with the following winners: for the chicken n’ dumplin winner it was Nancy Tatum Wright, and before you think it was fixed, it wasn’t but the judges only had a point in it. For the chicken n’ rice competition the winner was Freeman Walker Jr. which just shows that the guys can cook too. I would like to thank all those that took the time to enter and better luck next time. Thanks to Beverly for keeping order and Tonya from Belk’s for the prizes.
So with that out the way, that should be it for a while now you’ll be glad to hear, as I’m sure you’re all WINGDINGed out, as am I.
So, what’s new, well I’m getting involved now like the last years with Swampfest, which is April 6th and 7th this year and let’s just hope it doesn’t rain like it did for me.
It’s looking like there’ll be a lot to do and fun for all, so I hope you’ll keep that weekend free for Swampfest.
Now don’t forget the April Fools Rod run that’s on March 31st and although I have never been able to get out there, I wish I had because when I see the photos of all the cars it make me drool, it reminds me so much of my youth, when I bought a large second hand van (like the A-Team size van) and stripped it down, added flairs here, bulges there, just for the looks. Wide wheels of course, spoilers, large wheel arches, side pipes, sun roof, although you guys tend to call them moon roofs, why, who knows. To finish off I sprayed it turquoise and boy did you hear that vehicle come down the road, it was a real head turner, but as I, that was in my youth.
I suppose I have always been different, from early on to even now, but then again what would life be like if it was all the same, … answer, boring!
I must admit I like the expression a friend of mine here uses. He refers to these stories as rockin chair memories, and he’s right, because without them it’ll be pretty dull. I mentioned this as a group of us sheltered under a tent last Saturday, picture this. It’s falling down with rain, none of us are dry, we’ve all been running around to get to shelter, the thunder is cracking and for a moment we all pause and look at each other. For that spilt second we all knew that this would be just one of those moments, in those rockin chairs. ‘Do you remember that crazy day at the WINGDING, dripping wet getting involved rather than be sitting at home with our feet up watching the weather channel’ It will be one that I’m sure we will all recall in years to come, and for that reason a lone, I loved the day, even though I’m in the hole for the day. Problem was that people still needed to be paid, rain or no rain, but because of the weather, we didn’t make the money to cover the costs. So to be frank, it’s the pits, I put on an event for the community and because of the weather I have lost a bunch of money, but that’s how we get our rockin chair memories isn’t it. All I have to do is bite the bullet and work to getting the money.
All I would say is, get out there, make a difference, and make your own memories before it’s too late. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Hi everyone, I hope you’re fit and well, and your week is going well. As I type this, I must be honest, I’m totally warn out this week. Deb has been in bed ill for the last week and I have been doing the whole show and being nurse to her as well. It’s times like this that make you appreciate how much your significant other does, and how we all rely on each other, may be too much. It’s not until you get an occasion like this that it brings it home as to how easily we can take each other for granted. So, if nothing else, if you’re reading this with your better half present, put the paper down for a moment, and give them a hung and say some kind words, but not too mushy, lets not get carried away.
OK, with that out the way, you may have got yourself some brownie points, so that’s one you owe me. It’s funny isn’t it, how each of us is different and we look at things so differently. For example, the other day I was having a conversation with someone about flowers. As I explained, if I was to come home with a big bunch of flowers for Deb, I would get without any question in my mind, this reaction: “and what have you done wrong?” I don’t know about you, but is this normal? After all, it’s not that I have made a habit of doing this, in fact, I have never done it, but I know that would be the response. Maybe it’s an English thing, or have you either heard of it or experienced yourself.
It’s times like this that makes me look and reevaluate how different we all are, not only men and women but people in South Georgia and England. Still, if you think about it, life would be so boring if we were all the same, it’s the difference that makes it work.
So, I don’t know if it’s just me and the situation I’m in at the moment, but I feel the hour change hasn’t helped either. I think it will be a week to ten days before I get over the change, because at right now I don’t like getting up when it’s still dark, in my mind the darkness is telling me something, stay in bed it’s night time!
So, have you set a side time on April 6th and 7th for Swampfest, I think it’s going to be great this year, not it wasn’t good last year, but I think we’re going to have fun big time. I don’t know if you seen the schedule for the two days, but there’s a load to see and do. So, if you haven’t seen it, visit swampfest.us and take a look, I think you’ll agree. I know I’ll be there and helping, with Angelina, because she loved it last year. Problem was she was so tired for the fireworks show on the Saturday. I had her sitting on my shoulders, half asleep, but it’s a fun way to wear her out and keep your fingers crossed she doesn’t wake up early Sunday. Strange isn’t it, why don’t 5 year olds understand that although we have to get up at a crazy time in the morning Monday through Friday for school, you don’t have to do it at the weekend. I just hope that this weekend I might wake up in day light rather than what seems to be the middle of the night.
There seems to be so much happening for us to do locally, I don’t know how we’ll find time to do it all, but we’ll give it a try. This time of the year always seems full of festivals, and events, I think we all want to get over winter, the weather starts to warm up, hunting season is well and truly over with and people are back in the community. Strange isn’t it how for 3 months family members just disappear, only in America!
I was talking with someone only today and we where discussing hunting and whether we hunted in England like they do here. Well if you didn’t know, the answer is no, there’s isn’t really anything to hunt. We have deer of course, but like swans are basically protected by the Royal sovereignty. Deer are only in some wooded areas in England and if you killed one, it would be off with your head, not really, but it’s a no no.
The thing is there really just isn’t any large areas where these animals can live, it’s very built up, unlike here. You have to remember that England is smaller than Florida, with a load of people and very built up. 
As a race, we’ve been in a fight or three, but we’re not really hunters as such, may be we’ve just killed them all off. But fox hunting was band, you can’t kill deers, there are no hogs or bears, so there’s not much else is there, but we’ll survive.
Remember to try and get to the local events, and check out yourWARELOCAL.com for events in the community calendar. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well here we are again another week, and as my grandmother used to say, same meat different gravy. Which just about sums it up doesn’t it, not much changes does it, it’s the same really, week after week. Another day older and more in debt!
From this beginning of my article this week I expect I have already depressed you, but I hope not, that’s the furthest from my thoughts. The problem is I just don’t see it getting much better at the moment, and when you get a wind fall, the next day, something happens and it’s all swallowed up and some. Still, the other option is far worse, so at least we’re alive and kicking, so let’s put on a happy smile and make the best of it.
So, what have we to look forward too? Well the weather has changed and it looks like summer will be here next week, or at least feel like it. Hot, sticky and humid, and don’t forget my favorites, the gnats! Here I go again, I mustn’t go this route, I need to be the positive voice here. OK, well, we’ve got trips down to the river now that the weather has got warmer, because Angelina loves that, although at the moment she has other ideas. The other year we had a pond dug, only small, but it helps drain the land here really well. So after the rain the other week I had to pull out some plants in pots from the pond because it had risen so much. Well after the rain and over night the frogs obviously thought it was their birthday because there was frog spawn everywhere to Angelina’s delight. So since then, every afternoon, after school, she rushes out to the pond to see if there are tadpoles. Well now we have so many it’s crazy, and she wants to save everyone of them, which is funny but we’re not having jars of tadpoles in the house. Still, the novelty will soon ware off, as she feel in yesterday and came in very sorry for herself.
That’s enough of that sorry I just got carried away with useless information didn’t I. But in away, it’s nice to pass on a funny little story now and again.
Ok, lets move on, after all, it’s one extreme to another, either me being down in the mouth or telling you about my granddaughter fall in the pond. So what have we to look forward to, well according to the community calendar I run, www.yourwarelocal.com there is something that could be well worth a visit to on March 25th, at the Ware Middle School Auditorium. It’s the Coastal Youth Symphony of GA Spring Concert. The admission $8.00 Adults, $5.00 students. Apparently, for the past six years, the CYS has offered middle and high school students in Coastal South Georgia, regardless of economic background, the opportunity to study music through instruction, mentoring and performance. This is the first road trip for this group of 60 young talented musicians. I think this could be worth every penny to go see, as in my youth believe it or not, I often performed in events like this. Now if I told you what I used to do, I would have to kill you, plus the witness protection won’t allow be to divulge any more details.
The next thing is the April Fools Rod Run on the 31st and as I said before I just love those cars, and it would really bring back fond memories.
Now if you haven’t made plans to go to Swampfest you really need to this year, it’s going to be great. Don’t forget to be shy, you can always volunteer to help during the event, we’re always looking for any extra help, and if we all do a little to make these things happen its easier all round. If you want to help, either contact me, or the Main Street Manager on 912 287 2969. 
As I said before Angelina will more than likely, no that’s not right, she will defiantly run me into the ground that weekend as she always goes to these fully wound up and ready to run!
The one thing I would like to finish up with is that the community calendar I talked about earlier, is now even bigger and better. We now have it fully linked in with Facebook and Twitter, which means that if you have an event, you can email it to me, FREE, I’ll post it, and then all you have to do is visit the site, click the link and the event is then available on these social networks, which is great news, because it save so much time and it enable you to link in the details to all your friends. So, what are you waiting for, visit the website, and make sure you don’t miss anything coming along, and if you have something, email it to me and then promote it through the other sites. It’s that simple! So try and get to the local events, and check out yourWARELOCAL.com for events in the community calendar. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison

Well, I don’t know if you think the same but I think Winter is over! Crazy isn’t it, in England we get a natural and even transition through the seasons. Here, it’s cold and in all intense and purposes Winter, then over night bam it’s hot and Summer is here. Welcome to Waycross Georgia, the city of two seasons! That could a catchy new slogan for here rather than the current one, ‘Opportunities in every Direction’. I’ll have to propose it to the City and County.
So, with the heat it brings the usual doesn’t it, and this year I don’t know about you but it’s the worst its been since I’ve lived here. What am I talking about? Haven’t you been outside lately, mosquito’s, what else. They have been so bad around our house, both Deb and I have been swamped with them while we’ve been working outside. Problem is that with the sun out and the heat, you try to get in the shade a little where possible. Then you’re swamped, the mosquito’s hit that dinner bell and they’re all over you, so you either fry in the sun, or loose blood in the shade, a lovely set of options aren’t they.
Now if you didn’t know, the following I thought it might be of interest. What do you think are the most dangerous animals in the world are to us, I think your first thoughts would be; Venomous Snakes, Sharks, Bears, Scorpions, Big Cats, like Lions or Crocodiles. Well, here is some, I think interesting facts.
The Bear, comes in as the 10th most dangerous animal. Yes, Yogi can be your best friend and make you just want to cuddle with them. But in the wild, they’re not the same way. Bears are extremely and we get about 5-10 fatalities a year.Then coming in at 9th place is the Shark. We’ve all seen Jaws, so I don’t think there will be any surprise here. They sure are nasty killers with fatalities per year: at about 100.The humble Jellyfish comes in 8th and we don’t want to make contact with those jellyfish’s tentacles as they can paralyze a human and manifests itself as cardiac arrest. Fatalities in a year: About 102. The Hippopotamus is at 7th place and thankfully not in our rivers here. Mostly found in Africa, the hippopotamus is a large ruthless animal that lives in water and land. Its mouth can open up to 4 feet and can crush like a sledgehammer. A 100-150 people are killed by these each year.In 6th place the Elephant comes in despite their friendly appearance and cleverness, elephants have been known to attack without warning, sometimes killing zookeepers whom they’ve known for 10’s of years. With their size and huge tusks, fatalities run at about 300-500 a year.Closer to home in 5th place, is the Crocodile with amazing speed and bone-crushing jaw force. One meal will last it a while so it can wait under water to plan it’s next attack. 600-800 people are killed by this creature.Big Cats, such as lions, tigers and jaguars all fall into 4th place. With outrageous speeds, you are sure to be caught if you take the risky chance and run as about 800 people find out every year!The Scorpion kills about 800-2000 people each year making it 3rd place.2nd Place goes to Venomous Snakes, so we have to be real careful here, seeing as we live in an area with these living with us. With more than 450 species of snakes are venomous and 250 capable of killing a man enlarging the chance of a snake you encounter to be extremely dangerous. Attacks occur mostly in Africa, Asia and North America, that’s here guys. Humans are a great prey for venomous snakes due to their bloodstreams. Once injected with venom, it runs through your whole body so the fatalities in a year run between 50 to 125,000.
So was that interesting, was it what you expected, did you get close at all?
So I bet you’re on the edge of your seats wanting to know the 1st pace holder of the most dangerous animal in the world, will you be surprised?In first place, the Mosquito! I bet you were expecting the most vicious, scariest animal but the biggest killer in the whole world is the mosquito. Unfortunately, due to its ability to spread diseases with an alarming efficiency, the mosquito makes its way into number 1. Best known for spreading Malaria, mosquitoes also spread elephantiasis, yellow fever and the one coming to the forefront at the moment, West Nile Virus. Fatalities in a year: 2-3 million!
So with that thought, get the bug spray out, and you’ll see why I was working in the sunshine this week. Remember to visit yourWARELOCAL.com and check out the community calendar for the latest. Keep safe and please continue to let me know your comments and thoughts. – Derek Harrison