Chatham County, NC Blogs

It became an annual event at Antioch Christian Church about 5 years ago. On the last Saturday in September every year the Ladies Aid Society hosts a mother-daughter luncheon for the women in our community. This year I’m proud to say that we had 65 guests for lunch! Keep in mind, people, my church only has 47 members! Ha!

This is one of my most favorite events at my little country church because I am a HUGE fan of women in general. But I’m especially fond of the mothers in my church and my ‘hood. I love bringing these women together and just marveling at the children they’ve raised and the grandchildren they’re making memories with. You can see the love in the room…

And I am especially giddy when my own mother and daughter get to attend! Living 4-5 hours away makes for special planning to get here. And I respect that they both have schedules to keep, husbands and homes to care for and, quite frankly, it costs a lot of money to travel anywhere these days. Which is why my heart was so full this weekend because I got to have them both with me! We didn’t think my mom would make it for a number of reasons but she (and my father) so unselfishly got up Saturday morning at 3:30 and made the treck to NC simply so that my mom could have lunch with me at noon… Believe me, I never doubt how much my mom loves me…

I thought I’d share a few pics from the day…

Here’s little Bran with her proud mama!!! Isn’t she beautiful?

And here we are! That little schtoogy of mine, my mama and me! Obviously, I got the Robinson (my dad) genes - tall, “monkey arms”, wide nose and big feet - and I’m proud of all of it!!

[ October 7, 2008; 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. ] There will be a Board of Education candidates’ forum at Perry Harrison School on Tuesday, October 7 from 7:00-8:30 PM hosted by the PHS PTSA. This forum will be held in a round table format. Each candidate will sit at a table surrounded by citizens from the community. They will have a chance to respond [...]

I was appointed to the Chatham County Strategic Planning Development Committee that I served on until 1998
Strategic Planning Development Committee:
Commissioner Pollard moved to appoint the following individuals to the Strategic Planning Development Committee: Howard Stier, East Chatham (Apex) - Chair; Joyce Cotten, Pittsboro; Karl Ernst, Siler City; Gene Galin, Pittsboro; Ray Greenlaw, Pittsboro; Joy Johnson-Turpin, [...]

In 2005, I was presented with the Chatham County Outstanding Volunteer Award. This program is coordinated by the United Way of Chatham County in collaboration with the Chatham County Board of Commissioners.
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Today is the day! Briar Chapel is celebrating its Grand Opening today from 11am-3pm, and you’re invited.

In addition to the many activities that have been planned, TORC will be on hand to conduct guided tours of the new walking/biking trails. Cycling Spoken Here will also be on hand for support, and will even have some demo bikes that you can take out for a spin. Hope to see you there!

Yesterday, I played 1/2 day hookey from work so that I could spend the morning and afternoon with my buds, Cathy & Linda. I’ve shared with you before how we try to get together about once a month to simply catch up and enjoy each other’s company. We met early, about 9:00 AM, had a cup of coffee/tea and something sweet. Then we headed over to Fuquay-Varina, a small “duo” town with quaint, independent shops and restaurants. We chose FV because Cathy has a booth at the Brew ‘n Browse and we wanted to check out her new little shop (okay, I’m an idgit - had the camera in the car the entire time and didn’t snap one photo of the entire day’s events!!).

We strolled into the wind, literally, as we were facing the Nor’ Easter setting it’s sights on Carolina! “Rain, sleet, snow and Nor’ Easters simply can’t keep women from their goal - shopping”!

We blew ourselves into a great antique shop. It was full of furniture, pottery, clocks, knick-knacks, primitives, estate jewelry and CHINA!! We started digging…

And look what we found (above)! A sweet little Homer Laughlin platter. Now, there was another one exactly like it in perfect condition for $15.00. But this little wounded veteran spoke to me, especially with a price tag of $2.00 and a date stamp of 1937, my oldest HL piece to date. I brought him home and carefully washed him cleaned and set him aside until I decided where he’d take up residence here in the house.

I came downstairs this morning and thought I’d place him in the wall cabinet in the dining room next to the bowl Michael’s Aunt Wilma gave me this past July (here she is pictured above). Notice anything?

THEY MATCH!!!! It’s the same pattern!!! I think Cathy called it “fluffy rose”. It doesn’t take much to make me happy or make my day - and this little happenstance just made an already good Friday GREAT!!!

How ’bout that, Aunt Wilma!

Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:51:05 -0400
From: Mark Stinson
Subject: cool spot
Cool spot
Well after last weeks post I had 22 emails offering help. I replied to them one by one and accepted what was offered or passed things up I couldn’t use. I waited on things to arrive that didn’t  and out of that [...]

Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:20:57 -0400
From: “Dan Marley”
Subject: Entertainment at Bynum
I was very entertained by the responses to the conservative gentleman who felt awkward (and maybe out of place) at hearing anti-Bush/War lyrics at the Bynum Store entertainment.  Seems that everyone responding was very cordial and understanding and welcoming to him and his views. [...]

Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:29:57 -0700 (PDT)
From: Suzette Boisselle
Subject: Dirt work  (recommendation)
I just thought I’d pass on the recommendation of a guy who came out to do a small dirt work project for us with his big Bobcat. He was very professional and courteous and did a great job at a VERY reasonable price. His [...]

Have you heard this song? You’ll find it being played on your local country music radio station. It’s by the American Idol contestant Kelli Pickler. Kelli’s a local Carolina girl - she’s from Albemarle (spelling?).

I love the song and the video that accompanies it. The message is simply that every young girl is beautiful, from the time we start losing our baby teeth, to greasy hair and acne, maybe we’re lucky enough to throw braces into the mix…but all along, still beautiful. And then, we get old enough to let society creep into our thoughts. We see what we think are perfect women in the magazines we read, on the billboards we see, on the marketing posters in the windows of the retailers we shop in…and doubt sets in. “I’m too fat, I’m too skinny, my hair’s too flat, my hair’s too curly, my hips are too wide, my body looks like a boys”…

I commend Kelli for putting this song out and the writers for having compassion enough for young women to send the message loud and clear. I wish the world were brave enough and caring enough to see that every young girl is awesome and that each of them has something amazing to offer. Wow, what a dull, unenthralled place it would be if we were all the same.

I am blessed to have a number of amazing women in my life - each one different in so many ways and each one offering something incredible to me personally.

And every few weeks I get to spend a weekend with these two…

My daughter (that’s Brandi on the left in each shot) and my neice, Christa, couldn’t be any more different from one another. But both of these young women bring such joy and chaos and laughter and heartbreak and love and concern and pride and warmth into my life that I find them flawless in my eyes and heart. And it would be my prayer that they see themselves in the same light - they are perfect in our God’s eye.

If there’s an impressionable young woman in your life, be an encouragement to her. Try not to let society get in her way and cloud her vision to what’s real. Make a fuss over the freckles on her face or the gap in her teeth - those are her “signatures”, what makes her HER. And be certain to ask her “don’t you know you’re beautiful?”

And in the words of my dear, dear buddy Cathy…

I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the grand opening of Briar Chapel this Saturday, Sept 27th, from 11am-3pm. We’ve waited a long time for this event, so you know that Newland Communities is going to make it extra special. You don’t want to miss it!

In addition to taking a tour of the beautiful model homes, there will be plenty of wonderful activities for the whole family. For directions, click here. Once you get there, please register at the information center and let them know that Peter Winkler sent you.

I mean, look at the SIZE of these things…

These mums have morphed into small bushes! And I simply can take no credit for it! I think Mike and I stuck these guys in the ground last Fall when they were finished decorating my front porch steps after Thanksgiving.

And they have really been this size all summer long! Of course, we had a “well-balanced” summer with the perfect amount of rain, sun and humidity.

And, well, let’s face it, a few pounds of homemade kitty fertilizer (if you know what I mean) are working wonders!

I have added about 30 pictures from the Chatham Central at Northwood football game at http://chathamphotos.com/gallery/v/80919nwcc/

You may have noticed that I’ve been hit and miss here of late. I know you’ll find this hard to believe, those who are more in tune with my day-to-day life, but my Hughes Net Internet service has been out again. Yep, since September 5 to be exact. You remember, we had that little hurricane named Hannah? She BARELY skimmed central NC, just giving us what seemed like a terrible summer thunderstorm. But it was enough to destroy our satellite service. Actually, given our history with Hughes, I’m more inclined to believe it’s the shoddy equipment provided by Hughes that can’t withstand the elements rather than some rain and wind.

I won’t go into the gory details of what the last two weeks have been like here in what should be the quiet country - you wouldn’t be able to stomach it! Just let me say that my Saturday (yesterday) was completely devoted to Hughes and the technicians that had the pleasure of spending their day with me. We have now been “upgraded” with a new dish and another new modem. When the tech got me up and running she was beaming a huge smile and turned to me expecting the same. When she saw my expression (which said, “yeah, this is great…but for how long”?) it was like watching the air slowly leak from a child’s balloon! I’m sorry, I just couldn’t rally and share her enthusiasm.

Historically, this service lasts about three months and then something happens and I need technical support again. That puts us at around Christmas. Santa, if you’re a blog reader and tap into my little on-line diary, the ONLY thing on my wish list this year is for Embarq (SPRINT) to build the hub on the corner near my house so that I can hook into a DSL line. I’m baking and freezing cookies for you beginning immediately!

The Wall Street Journal has launched a new social network and online community for its one million paid subscribers. “If if it’s successful, it could provide lessons for other news organizations trying to build deeper connections with their readers,” observes The New York Times. I hope it works, because that would also offer hope for a paid subscription model to online publications. It’s great to read this quote from Alan Murray, deputy editor of the WSJ:”The Wall Street Journal under its new management (News Corp) is investing in both print and online, so I would say we are very optimistic…

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Briar Chapel’s clubhouse, the Briar Club, has been completed. Take a virtual tour of this LEED-Certified facility, which includes a number of gathering rooms, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, classrooms, and more.

As an original appointee to Chatham County’s Strategic Plan Development Committee (SPDC), I was active in developing the approved plan. Below is the education system component as outlined in the Chatham County Strategic Plan outcomes and goals.
GOAL 1. Effective teachers and a well-balanced curriculum imparting skills and knowledge which contribute to children and adults becoming [...]

To all volunteers -
Please adhere to the Chatham County sign ordinance when putting up campaign signs. Below is a copy of an email Zoning Enforcement Officer Tony Wilson sent out during the primaries. You assistance is greatly appreciated. - Gene Galin
Chatham County has a sign ordinance that has been in place since the 1980s. It [...]

If you would like to help support your favorite school, all you need to do is link your savings card or credit card to your school and the store will do the rest.
You have to link your Harris Teeter VIC card and Food Lion MVP card every year in order to get donations [...]