I was shocked to learn today that Rep. John Linder (R-GA) will be retiring.

U.S. Rep. John Linder has announced he will retire from Congress after 18 years.

The Republican from Gwinnett County made the announcement Saturday at the dedication of a new Gwinnett County GOP headquarters. Linder aide Derick Corbett said that Linder would not be seeking re-election.

What a shame. One of the loudest voices in support of the Fair Tax is John Linder. Hopefully someone steps up to continue the good fight.

It's still raining here. It's been raining for five days now. My grass is so tall in the backyard, when I let the dogs out they disappear 15 feet out the backdoor.

We're under a flash flood watch and it's been pouring for almost 3 hours now. I've heard reports that part of the interstate is closed down due to flooding and a local business' roof has collapsed.

We're doing okay here, but I wonder about the people living a couple miles down the road in their mobile homes. Hopefully they won't float away or anything tonight.

Many of you know we have been living here in the state of Georgia for over a decade now, and truth be told, it's pretty nice, once you get used to the humidity, and the pterodactyl sized mosquitos. For the longest time we were the only ones on the east coast, but in the past few years, my mom and my sister have moved back east, so now the only one living on the west coast is my dad.

He moved to Oregon a few years ago and he loves it up in the Pacific Northwest. He loves the climate, he loves the people, and he's really enjoying himself up there. When you're 76, you should love where you live. If he didn't pick Oregon, I am sure he would have ended up in Washington state, because it is just as beautiful. He loves living in a small town with many larger cities close enough if he needs anything, and I bet when he gets just a little older (were talkin' 10-15 years here) my bet is he will look for retirement communities in washington state, because he loves the area so much.

I've been trying to get him back here for a visit for the longest time, but he's too busy working. Go figure. I hope I have half his energy when I am his age.

Governments can't stop them, but apparently capitalism can.

The Atlanta Tea Party was forced to cancel it’s Independence Day celebration in Gwinnett, after losing it’s location due to the objection of Gwinnett Place Mall (a Simon company.) The Tea Party had been scheduled to take place in the parking lot of the old Macy’s building at Gwinnett Place since March.

“It is unfortunate the event had to be canceled,” said Julianne Thompson, event co-organizer. She continued, “The old Macy’s building is on private property, and not owned by Simon Malls, however the mall manager asked the property owner and I to come in the office on Thursday of this week, and told us Simon does not want political events on it’s property. They were also concerned about the fact we were using the term “protest.” Although the event was on private property, the mall was able to assert authority on the matter due to reciprocal property easement agreements.”

It's a shame that a company like Simon Malls doesn't support the tea party concept. I'm sure we can all show them our appreciation, can't we? I still don't know why they didn't just get some moving boxes and plan on holding the tea party at another location. It seems to me there was plenty of time to change the venue.

One thing I love about living in the south? You never know what you're going to find…

We may never know how it got there, but a Civil War era canteen was discovered the other day by the present-day owner of Marietta’s historic McDonald-Lawrence-Sessions House, a Gothic Revival style dwelling several prominent families have called home over the years. It’s on the market, and with the floor in an upstairs bedroom sagging like a soup bowl, Harry Norman agent Johnny Sinclair suggested that client Mark Kirk consider repairs. The 139-year-old heart pine boards were wrenched up to reveal an object about the size and color of a wood turtle.

I've often wondered how many other artifacts are in the surrounding hills and such.