Every day on my way to and from home I pass the nearby horse stables. Even though I am a grown adult, every single time I drive by, if there are horses out, I say, “Horses! 😃" I’m fairly certain it’s a law. I have to acknowledge the horses. They make me happy, and that must be noted aloud. Speaking of animals …
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE BABY
Welcome to the world, lil armadillo! Armadilette? I’ll workshop it.
Zoo Atlanta welcomed a new Southern three-banded armadillo pup, the first of its kind born at the zoo.
Know your ‘dillos
- Southern three-banded armadillos are native to South America.
- The armadillos we know and love in the American South are nine-banded armadillos. They’re also originally from South America, but came to the U.S. through migration and human interference.
- Apparently nine-banded armadillo moms always birth quadruplets? Happy Mother’s Day to them, indeed.
🍼 More from Zoo Atlanta
OTIS REDDING, REMEMBERED
The King of Soul will forever be remembered in Macon, where the Otis Redding Center for the Arts opened just last year.
Zelma Redding, his widow, sat down with the AJC to remember the legendary singer and musician.
- She doesn’t just talk about his music, though. There’s the old junker he used to drive when he was taking her out, and the way he’d vex her father with his dirty shoes. Oh, and while he was a devoted husband, he wasn’t even on time for his own wedding.
“The preacher was there, Mama and Daddy were there, everybody was there. I said, Oh, God, this fool ain’t coming.’ He showed up late, “How y’all doing? Everybody all right?” And I’m just looking at him. I gave him that eye.”
- Redding also recalled what it was like inside the Memphis, Tennessee, studios where he made magic.
“When I would go to the studio at Stax and he would record, he could just blow your mind. He just lit the whole place up. And the musicians just loved him so much. He couldn’t read music nor could he write it, but he could tell everybody how to play.”
🎵 More from the AJC
SIPS FROM AROUND THE SOUTH
🧠 Atlanta, GA: A boy with multiple brain tumors collected $22.25 of his own money to donate to brain cancer research. When his doctor found it, he shared the boy’s story and attracted the attention of an anonymous donor, who gifted $100,000 to the cause. More from WSB
🦴 Columbus, MS: Mississippi will soon have a new “fossil park.” Paleontologists have long noted the area is rich with prehistoric remains, and visitors at the Dr. John “Jack” Kaye Cretaceous Fossil Park will be able to search for their own. More from the Clarion Ledger
🦎 Gerton, NC: The mountains of North Carolina are home to a unique and delicate species called the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander. After Hurricane Helene upended the area, a team of conservationists from around the state set about relocating and counting the animals, and they are establishing a breeding program to ensure their survival. More from the Nature Conservancy
🎓 Mobile, AL: A 72-year-old woman earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Alabama, completing a goal decades in the making. She wants people to know it’s never too late to chase what you want. More from WALA
Everybody said, ‘You can't do it.' And I said, ‘Hold my beer and watch me.' And I did it.
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
This is what we need more of. We need more positivity. We need more feel-good stuff.
Catherine Catoura was tired of social media sparking anxiety and making the world seem like an endless circus of bad news. So, she took to Atlanta’s Beltline to ask people about their good news, starting a viral exchange of positivity.
Thank you for reading to the very bottom of Sweet Tea! Join us next week by subscribing to the newsletter.🍑
About the Author
AJ Willingham is an National Emmy, NABJ and Webby award-winning journalist who loves talking culture, religion, sports, social justice, infrastructure and the arts. She lives in beautiful Smyrna-Mableton and went to Syracuse University.
