Sweet Tea: Warmer days

I know it’s still February. I know, inevitably, there will soon be a cold snap to wipe away this “spring is around the corner” feeling. What are we supposed to think when it’s 70 degrees and gorgeous outside?

PARK PRIDE

Credit: Photo by Arthur Rudick

Credit: Photo by Arthur Rudick

I was talking to AJC President and Publisher Andrew Morse the other day and I asked him what his favorite thing to do in Atlanta was. He said running along the Chattahoochee, which happens to be one of my favorite things to do, as well.

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is what I would consider my “home” park. We all have one, whether it’s the cute playground and dog park down the street or a corner green space with a lovely bench.

Atlanta parks get a huge boost

In Atlanta, public parks across the city and in DeKalb County just got a game-changing $3.5 million in grants from the nonprofit Park Pride.

The money will go to major upgrades, including new outdoor spaces, upgraded parking lots and play areas.
Park Pride has invested more than $10 million in underserved communities since 2021.
The city and nonprofit also rolled out their “Love Your Park” initiative, a monthlong community service effort with a goal of activating 1,000 volunteers in parks citywide.

LOVEBIRDS

Credit: Rhododendrites/Creative Commons

You know who else is eagerly awaiting spring? Georgia’s birds. According to Georgia environmental writer Charles Seabrook (whose “Wild Georgia” columns are always a must-read), some amorous birds get the mating itch as soon as mid-February.

The days are already getting longer, after all, and that’s enough to trigger mating hormones for some songbirds, hawks, great blue herons and American woodcocks.

Seabrook describes the elaborate ritual of an infatuated woodcock:

Around this time of year, woodcocks perform their ‘sky dance’ in open fields at dawn and dusk. Males make nasal ‘peent’ calls on the ground, then spiral up to 300 feet, making whistling sounds with their wings. Then, while emitting twittering sounds, they zigzag and flutter back down to the ground to impress females.

We love a guy who gives it his all.

🐦 READ MORE: More pre-springtime bird shenanigans

A GREAT CORN DEBATE

If you read A.M. ATL, our weekday morning newsletter (obligatory sign-up plug here), you may remember a recent newspaper clipping discussing a vehement Georgia-Louisiana debate over whether corn pone should be dipped or crumbled in potlikker (the juice from greens or beans).

That got me thinking about all of the different things we call our corn cakes and breads, and the semantic overlaps. A very unscientific comparison:

cornbread: baked, can have varying amounts of sugar and flour
corn cakes: a catch-all for corn “bread” fried in a skillet rather than baked
corn pone: fried, usually eggless and with a thick batter
johnnycakes: fried, with a thinner batter and more pancake-like feel
hoe cakes: not always made with cornmeal, but definitely can be. The name comes from an old type of cooking iron called a “hoe.”

What did I miss?

A VERY GOOD MARDI GRAS LOOK

Credit: Amy Harris/Invision/AP

Very biblically accurate. This would slay at Dragon Con.

SIPS FROM AROUND THE SOUTH

🍼 Jackson, MS: Mississippi state Sen. Kamesha Mumford worked with local parents and health care providers to propose a $20 million program that would help support new mothers and babies with care visits and mental health support. More from the Clarion Ledger

💌 Nashville, TN: The Nashville Public Library has digitized and displayed highlights from a rich trove of more than 200 World War II-era love letters found in a local home in 2016. The missives between a Nashville couple show the everyday happinesses and concerns of race, gender and a country at war. More from KSL

🛝 Garner, NC: The city of Garner opened its first accessible playground, one of several now open across North Carolina. The equipment, signage and surrounding areas are designed so kids who use wheelchairs, are visually or hearing impaired, have autism or live with other disabilities can feel just as at home. More from The News & Observer

💟 Macon, GA: On Feb. 26, the Daybreak Day Resource Center will hold their annual “sleepout.” Participants will sleep outside to show solidarity with unhoused neighbors, and raise awareness and money for local homeless initiatives. More from WMAZ

TELL US SOMETHING GOOD

Is there a cool event we need to know about? Something great happening in your town? Let us know. This is your space, too. SweetTea@ajc.com.

SOUTHERN WISDOM

Being intellectually curious does not simply belong to teachers and scholars.

- Georgia Tech professor Susana Morris

Morris, a fantasy and science fiction lover, is holding a symposium to appreciate the work of pioneering Black science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler. Morris says Butler’s work encourages us to expand our minds and imaginations.

Thank you for reading to the very bottom of Sweet Tea! Join us next week by subscribing to the newsletter.🍑

About the Author

Spring is a month away, but more daylight has birds already courting

The first day of spring is still a month away, yet many Georgia songbirds already are bursting out in song. Other are performing elaborate courtships to lure nesting mates.

OPINION