Monday was Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil, the famous furry little weather prognosticator in Pennsylvania, saw his shadow when he came out of his burrow and predicted six more weeks of winter weather. . . . His fellow prognosticator, General Beauregard Lee (Beau) at the Yellow River Game Ranch in Lilburn, Ga., made his appearance on the cloudy day at 7:30 a.m. and did not see his shadow, thereby predicting an early spring. Which one do you think is right? Groundhog Day is a big event for many people. By 7 p.m. more than 10,000 people in dozens of countries had visited Beau's website. Beau was the only prognosticator predicting an early spring.

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An article on the front page of the January 29 issue of The Oconee Enterprise of Watkinsville featured

John Gentry and the new Veterans Park Gym which will be opening soon. John is the Oconee County Parks and Recreation Director and the husband of Kathryn Pope Gentry, a native of Wilkes County. He is the son-in-law of Susan and Edward Pope Jr. Major Gentry won't get to enjoy the new facility very long because in about a month he will be leaving with his Army National Guard unit to prepare for active duty in Kabul, Afghanistan. This will be the third time since 2003 that he has been called into active duty, and the second time to the Middle East. He will be serving as a fire-support coordinator for the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

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We live in such a high-tech world now that we forget that there are still "old-fashioned" items around that still serve their purpose -- if we mere humans do our job. Gail Stewart is manager of the CSRA Private Duty Adult Day Care Center next door to the J&J Colonial Cleaners on West Robert Toombs Avenue. Last week, one of the clients at the center was having trouble with his watch not keeping the right time and stopping altogether. They tried to find a battery and various other things, but nothing helped. The client thought he had bought the watch at Maxway. So Gail checked Maxway and it wasn't long before they discovered that this watch didn't use a battery. It was a wind-up watch! And it keeps perfect time if you just remember to wind it! . . . One of the younger helpers at the Day Care Center said she had never heard of such a thing!

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Washington-Wilkes Band Student John Pope was selected to attend the University of Georgia's January Band Fest along with band students from all over Georgia. He auditioned for a chair in one of the festival bands and made first chair baritone saxophone. The students attended many concerts and master classes and rehearsed more than six hours per day during the 3 1/2 days.

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Names of Wilkes County people who attended last week's inauguration keep trickling in. . . . Joel Mathews of Buford was organist for Lizzie Newsome and Justin Holmes' wedding in July. He was watching an interview on television on inauguration day when he heard the name Washington, Georgia. He perked up to listen and thought he recognized that the man had been in

J&J Cleaners here when he went to get his organist's robe pressed. It was Esper Lee who had tickets to the inauguration but couldn't use them because he couldn't get in. . . . Former Principal Andrew Jackson, his daughter, Kimberly Jackson, and three of her friends, Tanika Anderson, Felicia Hampton, and Pattie Booker, left early Sunday morning in a mini-van with Kimberly driving all the way to Williamsburg, Virginia. They spent the night there and took a train into Washington, D.C., the next morning. Andrew says that with him being a social studies teacher and history buff, there was no way he was going to miss this event. They were very cold (19 degrees) in spite of being prepared, but managed to visit some of the Smithsonian buildings and other sites while they were waiting.

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Priscilla Moore brought me several copies of The Andalusia Star- News which included columns by a man who calls himself "The Portly Gentleman." He and a cousin had toured Washington in September and he had written about it in his column. The October 25 column continued an account of the visit. He was particularly concerned about the demise of the old Heard House building on The Square. He had visited the present courthouse and the Mary Willis Library and learned of the Heard House history. . . . Then he says that he and his cousin walked to Fievet Pharmacy "for lunch at an old-fashioned soda fountain. Before leaving Washington we visited the Episcopal Church with its dark, Gothic interior, and stainedglass windows. We lingered a bit to hear the organist as she practiced." Eleanor Blackmon, no doubt. . . . Priscilla and Ray Moore have lived in Washington-Wilkes for 35 years. Andaluscia is Priscilla's hometown, and her mother, Betty Greene, lives there. Priscilla had taken The Portly Gentleman copies of The News-Reporter and he had written some things in his column about Sparky Newsome, Smythe and Jane Newsome.

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January, February, and March are slow months and it's hard to find things to write about. If you know anything interesting, please call me at 706-678-2636, or come by The News-Reporter and visit.

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For about three weeks now, here at The News-Reporter we have been having problems with our e-mail service. Some aspects of the service have been completely blocked and we have not been able to receive or send any e-mails. We're working on solving the problem, but meanwhile, if you have not had any confirmation of e-mails sent to us, please call and tell us. This will help us identify the problem.

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Sonny Johnson at Tyrone recorded .2 of an inch of rain Monday and Tuesday of last week. He has a total of 2.6 inches for the month. Last January his total was 3.8 inches.

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The month of February marks the 230th anniversary of the Battle of Kettle Creek in Wilkes County. The celebration here begins Friday with a presentation at the Mary Willis Library. (That day is also Friday, the 13th.) The celebration will continue on Saturday with a parade around The Square; Kettle Creek Battleground tours; a barbecue lunch; and the 12th annual memorial ceremony at the Battleground.