Over Coffee

Harry Robertson of H.G. Robertson Fine Silver

   Harry Robertson, proprietor of H.G. Robertson Fine Silver, located at 28 East Andrews Drive in Atlanta, is on to something really good. Once a month he hosts an evening "salon" on the subject of silver, which is not only edifying, but also great fun. Over a glass of wine, served in a silver wine goblet, of course, collectors, customers, and other interested folks assemble to hear Harry present a program on the history of silver and its many varied aspects and details. That leads to questions, comments, and anecdotes from the guests, which equates to a very enjoyable evening indeed. It is well worth your time. His lectures have covered such topics as English sterling, the Victorian dinner table, Southern coin silver, women silversmiths, silver repairs, and much more. Much in demand as an appraiser and lecturer, he has appeared regularly as part of the "Evenings at Emory" series since 1989. Harry and his shop have been featured in numerous magazines, including Southern Living (Nov. 1997), Victorian Sampler (Summer 1993), and Atlanta Homes.
   Harry Robertson actually was a practicing ophthalmologist, whose life-long passion for silver led him to open a part-time silver business in Atlanta in 1987. Following the initial success of this venture, Harry ultimately sold his medical practice and opened a full-time retail silver shop in 1988 and the rest is history. He's been hosting these wonderful salons for about two years, to rave reviews from those who attend. It's worth a trip to Buckhead just to see all of the fabulous old silver and hear the stories, from Confederate silver buried in the swamp to antique cheese forks engraved with North.
   If you would like to get on the invitation list for Harry's salons, please call H.G. Robertson Fine Silver at (404) 266-1330 and they will be glad to add your name. There is no charge to attend. 

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   It's summer time and the living is easy…but not for some poor dogs. They are at the mercy of their brain-dead owners who leave them shut up in hot cars. On my way in to the grocery store yesterday, I walked passed a silver Silverado in the parking lot with a beautiful dog shut inside. The windows were down a scant two inches, even though it was a very hot day in Atlanta. The dog didn't even raise its head when I spoke to it. Inside the grocery store, I asked the manager to make an announcement but she refused, saying they had no control over the parking lot. Managers only call law enforcement if someone reports a child left unattended in a vehicle. According to this manager, who wished to remain anonymous, law enforcement in this county will only respond to calls for unattended children in cars, not animals. Well, upon checking with the Gwinnett County Police Department, however, this manager's assumption is incorrect. An officer will respond to a call reporting an animal left unattended in a hot car. Thank goodness!
   Animals can suffer and die when left inside parked cars, even on mildly warm days. They can run into trouble in as little as ten minutes. Please click on this Web site for more details:
   http://www.parkvets.com/whatsnewandawards-rspcahotdogs.html 
   Of course, every summer we always hear news reports of ignorant people who leave children to suffocate in hot cars. That is when the death penalty does appeal to me.

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   The United Peachtree Corners Civic Association (UPCCA) runs entirely on the efforts of volunteers. It is the homeowners' association for the entire area in western Gwinnett known as Peachtree Corners. If a neighborhood does not happen to have a homeowners' association of its own, individual residents can join for a yearly membership donation of $10. Either yours or your neighborhood's membership gives you access to all the civic information regarding land use and rezoning requests and other matters of concern to local residents.
   UPCCA Vice-president Pat Bruschini has organized superior programs for the UPCCA general membership meetings. On June 23rd, Gwinnett County D.O.T. director Brian Allen presented the transportation plans for Peachtree Corners and answered general questions. Third District School Board member Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D., gave an interim report on the school system's response to the under-reporting charges.
   On August 18, 2003, Dr. Murphy will be back at the podium with local school officials to talk about how they handle discipline issues in their schools. This UPCCA meeting will take place at the Norcross High School theater at 7:30 p.m.
   On September 22, 2003, Atlanta gardening guru Walter Reeves will be on the program, ready to answer all of our questions about Fall planting.
Every UPCCA meeting includes land use updates and all other general information that is of interest to us as citizens and taxpayers. Your attendance at these informational meetings, regularly scheduled to meet at the Simpsonwood Conference & Retreat Center on Jones Bridge Circle, will keep you "in the know."

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   The trouble with Hillary Rodham Clinton is I do not believe her. I may read her new book, but I will not ever purchase her book. It has occurred to me long ago that perhaps the reason she is still married to Bill Clinton and his marital infidelities is not because she still loves him as she would have us believe, but because they do not want to be able to testify against each other. Sort of puts a new view on the marriage vows.
   About the time Hillrod got elected to the U.S. Senate from New York, I happened to be talking to a lady in San Francisco, an elderly lady who told me she was an astrologer. She said that she and some of her colleagues were very concerned about Hillary and her seemingly unstoppable political progress and their belief that she had a "power pack" in the stars. I'm still chewing that one over.

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   Now, Harry Potter is another matter! My husband is on Book 5, the one just released, I'm on Book 4, and we are unabashed fans. I have come across a couple of children who said their parents will not allow them to read Harry Potter because the books are about witchcraft. It's hard to argue that one because J.K. Rowling's story is indeed about wizards and witches, but parents who prohibit this wonderful fantasy story are quite missing the boat. Small minds generally do miss out on a lot! I wonder if these objecting parents think their children are somehow going to get hold of a magic wand and turn Dad into a toad.

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   With the death of former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson, I was reminded of a plane trip I took to Seattle many years ago with my sons when they were little. We were residents of North Carolina at the time. One of them did not want the cherry tomato in the airplane salad so he stuck his little arm between the seats and dropped the tomato, dripping with salad dressing, onto the pinstriped pant leg of the gentleman who was sitting behind us. I was mortified and apologized profusely. As I remember it, he was very nice to us, even though he now had a grease streak on his suit from the knee down. I was further mortified when we all got off the plane in Seattle and this same gentleman stepped immediately into the lights and microphones of a press conference at the airport. It was Maynard Jackson.

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   My garden is growing great! My deer friends have eaten several of the hostas and left me the stems and pruned the impatiens, but the black-eyed Susans and cleome and Stokes' asters are looking good. Judging by the barking of our Labrador retriever, the deer stop by most evenings. A mourning dove is building her nest in a clump of yellow jasmine that has climbed the tall pine just outside my office window. She worked all day flying back and forth to the forest floor for twigs and leaf mold. 

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   Hope all is well and thanks for reading.

062703

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