It is soggy my back garden has sloshed underfoot as I just take my initially-of-the thirty day period stroll on this September 1st, and rightly so. In August we got 2 ½ times the average regular monthly rainfall and that does not include the very last 48 several hours of soakings from Hurricane Ida. This, of training course, indicates a nutritious crop of orchids and onions to distribute with Labor Working day 6 days away:

AN ORCHID to Becky Barnes, who will retire as the head of the County Health Office immediately after a superb 40 several years. Tragically, when she turns in her keys future Friday she will be found most for the past 18 months for her continual hand on the tiller throughout the COVID-19 pandemic instead of her stellar 4 a long time of service to us all. What a winner she has been.

AN ONION to the everyday COVID report introduced yesterday from the Overall health Section. We have 457 new instances, 280 in our overflowing hospitals, the death count at 555, and 3,564 active cases. Make sure you get vaccinated.

AN ORCHID to the observation by the late Dwight Eisenhower, who informed us, “A country in which its people today value privileges earlier mentioned principles quickly loses equally.”

AN ONION to the actuality more than 30,000 soldiers and veterans have died of suicide due to the fact the War of Terror began in 2001. This is four periods extra than individuals who basically died in battle.

AN ORCHID to the actuality Erlanger Clinic will do an artwork tribute to Judy Spiegel, the vivacious wife of Kevin Spiegel who was killed various months ago when a condominium collapsed in South Florida. Judy established Erlanger’s superb arts show throughout the hospital when Kevin was the main govt.

AN ONION to Memorial Hospital for its funds-grab endeavor from Blue Cross-Blue Defend at the height of the Delta variant crisis. Memorial is now owned by a massive enterprise that has no concept of Chattanooga’s well being weather instead of its earnings-driven nationwide system. Circumstance in level Memorial is bulging with COVID clients do away with the Blue Cross clientele and – duh! — it’s a catastrophe. Memorial, which has hardly ever been greater, is flirting with a greed design that will be harmful to Chattanoogans and outright counter to Memorial’s creed. But the “home office” doesn’t honor community loyalty or why BC-BS was started. (By the way, Erlanger commands about a 50 percent market place share)

AN ORCHID to comedian ‘Larry the Cable Man,” who read through the UN experienced sent a “very strongly worded press statement” that the Biden administration expects the Taliban to regard womens rights. “Oh, yeah,” he laughed, “nothing scares terrorists much more than a strongly worded press statement.”

AN ONION to the Hamilton County University Board for dragging its ft to put in Justin Robertson as the new superintendent. Stalling only expenditures avoidable costs and, if the university board ended up only superior stewards of taxpayer funds, we wouldn’t be paying resources we have to have in other places. Robertson already has a greater part of votes so, it just begs the query you should … let’s transfer on.”

AN ORCHID to the news the heinous car emissions centers in Chattanooga will shut in January but no one states whey we have to endure their charade for five more months. Shutter the pariahs tomorrow.

AN ONION to the information that 95 p.c of people who are dying from the delta variant are unvaccinated. “We are observing people 30 and 40 a long time previous – not just more mature clients any more – and they beg for the vaccine. But when they are in ICU and about to go on the ventilator, it’s too late.”

AN ORCHID to the lifestyle of Mrs. Summerfield Johnston, which just ended scant months from her 100th birthday. “Miss Anita” was a great Southern lady who in good shape “The Squire” to a ‘T.’

AN ONION to the politicos who are unsuccessful to grasp that if a particular person owns a small business, pays his workers, and pays taxes, no one particular has the appropriate nor the authority to demand he is necessary to mandate masks and/or vaccines.

AN ORCHID for the 16 states who have rushed help to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Ida. This is the accurate energy of the “United States” and, although it is a shame it is not involved in our everyday news, appreciate and compassion is even now at a premium in our The us.

AN ONION to the research research that has found for each and every time a particular person eats a very hot pet it shaves 36 minutes off that person’s existence. That stated, globe champion Joey Chestnut, the world’s biggest very hot-pet having champ, has downed 19,200 canine in the previous 16 many years of his lifetime and does not think it has shaved 1.3 several years off his existence.

AN ORCHID for the words of Winston Churchill: “We make a dwelling by what we get. We make a lifestyle by what we give.”