The Office Cat

I hope many of you saw the mag nificent rainbow just before sun down Tuesday of last week. We had just had a thunderstorm and it had begun to clear and the sun was going down. I've seen a lot of rainbows in my many years, I think this one was the most vivid and spectacular of any of them. It was very wide and reached from horizon to horizon without interruption and I think I saw a shadow of another one behind it. I saw it first from The News-Reporter parking lot and as I was driving along to go home, the street lights and lights on buildings, as well as car lights and traffic lights, had an unusual glow to them. They were not so bright as they were unusual. When I got home I sat and watched until the rainbow disappeared.

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The Georgia Tourism Alliance Legislative Update, a publication which goes out all over the state, highlighted Washington-Wilkes on the sidebar of the February 16 issue. Washington-Wilkes was featured for its Tour of Homes in the February/March issue of Y'all Magazine. The publication is based in Mississippi and Washington- Wilkes was featured in the Pilgrimage Issue. Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana were cited in the magazine and then two cities from each state. Washington Wilkes and Thomasville were the two from Georgia. . . Washington Wilkes was also featured in the April issue of Victorian Homes magazine for the Spring Tour of Homes.

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Jason Tanner and his crew from Bones "Biscuit-Bar" and Grill catered the John Duggan Scholarship Valentine Banquet Monday of last week. They cooked 100 steaks! I just don't know how they cooked that many and kept them hot to serve. Everybody that I have talked to who went said it was delicious.

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Mary Wright Blue had a happy 102nd birthday last Thursday. "The nicest thing about being 102 is all the attention I received from many friends and relatives and well-wishers who visited me, sent cards, called me, and just showered me with lots of love," Mary Wright said. "It was a great day!"

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Jeffrey Roth of Washington- Wilkes was on the pit crew for Tony Stewart (#33 Chevrolet) in the NASCAR races in Daytona during the weekend. He was seen by several local fans on television Saturday helping with the protective window mesh on #33. Most of his family was present for the races, including mom and dad, Darrell and Sonya Roth; sisters, Bonnie and Betsy; and grandparents, Thomas and Gladys Roth.

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The old Reid Nash House on East Robert Toombs Avenue is beginning to look like its old self again. Some of you will remember when the Nash-Wills family lived there in the 1940s and 1950s (and probably earlier). Others will know it as the house between Wisteria Hall and Lafayette Manor. At the time the Nash-Wills family lived there it had a nice little gingerbread front porch with a lot of gingerbread trimming all around the house. But sometime in the 1950s it was redesigned and the porch and gingerbread trimming were removed. Vivian and Roger Walker own the house now and are putting a front porch on. Sometimes if you're going west on Robert Toombs in the early morning, notice the sun on the beautiful gingerbread trim on the east side of the house.

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Washington-Wilkes Tourism promotion is going great guns. We will be featured on Northwest Airlines during the month of May, the Airlines' busiest travel month of the year. The four-minute spot will be on Sky Radio on the plane. It runs around the clock on every flight with a reach of 700,000 people that month. Washington-Wilkes will be listed in their magazine for a year, with 350,000 copies distributed. . . . The February issue of Southern Distinction magazine has a threepage section on the movie "Deception" being filmed here. Washington Wilkes will have a full page ad in the March issue; and have an ad in the travel section of March issue of Southern Living. Look for more in next week's column.

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Have you noticed the beautiful old door at the former office of Dr. W.C. Branan on Spring Street? The building is owned by Mike Scarborough and he's the one responsible for having the door stripped down to its original wood.

Ben Lewis of Sharon did the stripping and refinishing. Mike says he's waiting for an awning to be installed and then it will be for rent.

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We're all indebted to Peggy Barnett for the beautifully written and enticing book reviews which she has in The News-Reporter. The reviews always make me want to run out and buy a copy or go to the

Mary Willis Library and check it out before somebody else does. She seldom misses a week and when she does it's because she's out-of-town. It requires lots and lots of reading and we appreciate Peg doing the reviews.

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Friday's Sports Page front of the Athens Banner-Herald had an interesting story about Jeff Hansford. Jeff is the son of Ann and Tim Hansford, former residents of Washington-Wilkes now living in Watkinsville. Jeff is a student at Westminster Christian School and is compiling an impressive record as a member of the school's basketball team. When Jeff lived here he became ill and his illness remained undiagnosed for four years. He had a collapsed lung, a dangerous case of pericarditis, temporary loss of vision, and spent much time in hospitals - all complications of undetected Lyme disease. Today he's averaging nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds and "in a little more than two seasons, the 6-foot-3-inch, 200- pound guard recently crossed the 1,000-point mark." Amazing.

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The 53rd Annual Washington Area Steer and Heifer Show will get underway Friday, March 2, at the McGill-Woodruff Agriculture Center on the North By-Pass.

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I have never known what to do about pruning crepe myrtles. A Washington-Wilkes gardener this week brought me an article from the February issue of Southern Living which says "Stop! Don't Chop!" According to the article, a move is afoot to stop "crepe murder" and tips are given on how to fix past mistakes and prune them right. February is the month to prune. I will be glad to show you the article if you want to come by The News- Reporter , or you can download the crepe myrtle brochure: southernliving.com/february2007

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The Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce will be sponsoring a "Taste of Washington" on The Square on the Friday night of Tour weekend. There will be food vendors on The Square and shops will be open later that night.

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The Wills Memorial Hospital membership wine and cheese event is Wednesday, February 28, 4-6 p.m., at the home of Sandy Burton.