Harris Blackwood's column
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A new meaning to great-grandma Every now and then, there is a sequel in this section of newspaper real estate I get to occupy. This is a good one. A few years ago, I wrote the story of an aging couple in a South Georgia town who were raising their great-granddaughter. The couple had taken in their granddaughter, a single mother, and her newborn child. The mother, in her teens, was not prepared for the job and took a hike, leaving the couple with a baby girl to raise. They went to the courthouse and made it official, adopting the child as their own. They've ... |
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Miracles live among us every day Miracle is one of those words we use a little too easily. |
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An update on the first grandkids The phone rang the other day and on the other end of the line was none other than Big Buddy. Now, I don’t call him Big Buddy. That’s a title reserved only for his grandchildren and President Bush to use. I call him "governor" or "sir." Gov. Sonny Perdue doesn’t just up and call me out of the blue. I had requested a few moments on the phone after his planned flight to Gainesville last week was cancelled because of bad weather. I have probably ... |
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Hey kids, give us parents a heads up I’ve been doing what I do for a long time. The stories I’ve written cover everything from movie stars to folks living on the street. I’ve covered my fair share of crime stories. I don’t do that too often these days. We’ve got a guy at our paper who is one of the best court and crime reporters in the business, and I’d much rather leave that job to him. But he’s human and he does get a day off. That was the case this week when word came that a ... |
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There are fans, but also fanatics About 12 years ago, I was the manager of a hotel in Hiawassee. It was located right next to the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds and most of the country music acts appearing there would stay at our place. One of them was Billy Ray Cyrus. Typically, the music acts would come in during the middle of the night and would check into the hotel and often would leave at the time they went to the venue to get ready for the show. Billy Ray stayed in a little suite ... |
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Forget exercise, it’s time to write With or without resolutions, this seems to be a good week for reflecting on the past year and giving some thought to the year ahead. Once again, this year I pull out those old standbys of weight and exercise. One of them needs to go down and the other needs to go up. But I think I’m going to write more this year. Not with a computer, but use a pen and paper and write people who have touched or inspired me in one way or another. |
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Little girl in need can receive a great gift Maj. Kevin Jarrard will be spending this Christmas in his second tour in Iraq with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines, a Marine Corps Reserve unit headquartered in Montgomery, Ala. He’s from Gainesville and comes from a family where military service has become a family trait. His two brothers have served in the Army. In between hunting for terrorists and meeting with the mayor, police chief and tribal sheiks in order to maintain the peace that has taken hold across western Anbar province, he has found a little girl in desperate need of open heart surgery. Her name is Amina ... 
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Holidays in D.C. a time for heroes WASHINGTON — There is something about visiting the president’s house that leaves one in awe. I had a chance to go to the White House on the regular tour for the purpose of seeing the Christmas decorations. I didn’t see the president, except in some photos on the wall, but I wore a tie anyway. This year, the decor is in honor of the 394 National Parks and historic sites. The official White House tree has specially crafted ornaments representing each of the parks and sites. It’s a big ... |
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Merry Botox holidays to you When I saw the return address, I rolled my eyes. For years, an acquaintance of mine has always sent this Christmas letter, along with a photograph of his perfect family. This is not even somebody I know that well. But at the most wonderful time of the year comes the annual story of the most wonderful family in the world. I’ve read how the children speak French fluently and the daughter has been the prima ballerina of "The Nutcracker." The son was the captain of ... |
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Zell’s mountain twang a mark of love Come January, I’ve been reporting on Zell Miller for 33 years. I was 14 and somehow asked for and was issued media credentials for the inauguration of Gov. George Busbee and Lt. Gov. Zell Miller. Aside from folks on “Hee Haw,” I had never heard anyone with as much mountain twang as Zell Miller. I don’t remember much about his speech, except for one word: poor. Mr. Miller, in his mountain way, pronounced it “purr.” To this day, I can’t look at Zell Miller without thinking about “purr.” Over the years, he has adopted the more common pronunciation. Six years ... |
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Ah, the joys a big stick can bring I sometimes marvel that I made it through childhood without a bike helmet, safety goggles or the evaluation of my neighborhood by the Consumer Products Safety Commission. Don’t get me wrong, there is some dangerous stuff out there today, including an assortment of Chinese goods with a generous coating of lead paint. But if the government safety gurus had set up shop where we lived and played, there are several items that would have been immediately banned. For example: Sticks: A stick was the greatest and most versatile toy a boy could have. A really big stick or limb was ... |
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Giving thanks for one more year Thanksgiving Day in 1995 was a bit different. My brother and his family were elsewhere, my daughter was with her mother and it was just me and Mama. "I can bake a small hen," Mama said. But Thanksgiving for two didn't seem like it was worth all that effort. So, after a bit of persuading, I convinced Mama to go out for Thanksgiving. We went to the Holiday Inn in Athens. Turns out, we really enjoyed it. I think more than anything else, we enjoyed not having a bunch of dirty dishes or leftovers. A year later on Thanksgiving, Mama ... |
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All readers accepted, but not approved I like advertising. |
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Country star looked — and acted — the perfect part Have you ever known people who just looked their part in life? I’ve known preachers, teachers, lawyers and undertakers who wouldn’t have made it past Kitty Carlisle’s first question on "What’s My Line?" Porter Wagoner was one of those people who looked the part of a country music star. He had a rack full of suits with more rhinestones that Liberace. They were emblazoned with big wagon wheels on the sides of the jacket. But even without the suits, Porter had unmistakable country music hair. ... |
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Halloween hijinks helped by headdress Mama was never one to pass up a good roadside junk pile. She had a station wagon and could load up an old lawn mower or a broken lamp in no time. But one day, she came upon a treasure that was used for many Halloweens by both my brother and me. It was a Arabic headdress, the kind worn by Peter O’Toole in "Lawrence of Arabia." It was made of a satin material and the rope had elastic, so as to provide a comfortable yet snug fit. It had a ... |
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Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to rumble The state of Georgia has a bunch of authorities that regulate everything from toll roads to technology. We actually had a State Boxing Commission, but it has been rebranded the State Athletic and Entertainment Commission and now regulates boxing, martial arts and ticket brokers. One of the commission members wants to see the panel regulate professional wrestling. With the potential of that happening, I am devoting the remainder of this column to why I, your columnist, should become the next state commissioner of professional wrestling. When I was in the sixth grade, a boy named David came to school with ... |
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Trip with Uncle Harry a memory to savor |
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Remote control can't keep classics on |
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Stop the gimmicks, just let me watch TV Years ago, when I was working in television, we were just getting into electronic graphics. We had a little gizmo that would flash someone's name up on the screen at the directed time. We still made use of slides. A guy would make slides of a reporter's name and the call letters and channel number of the station using a hot-type press with white letters on a black poster board. The day they inserted my personalized slide into the film chain, I thought I had arrived. That entire apparatus is probably now ... |
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Forget the Northeast; Georgia’s fall tops all Just before five this morning, the seasons should have changed. The autumnal equinox was scheduled to take place at 4:51 a.m. We, in the newspaper world, are very careful not to say something happened before it did. I have to write this stuff a few days ahead of when it arrives at your place. I enjoy spring. There is something spectacular about watching nature awaken from its winter snooze. I was liking summer until August came and brought all those days when the temperature went past 100 degrees. There is nothing good ... |
