Welcome back to the Telegraph, friends. How about this weather we've been having? Low humidity and much lower temperatures. We actually had low temps in the 60s there a few times. As I mentioned a couple of columns ago, this is supposed to be the "Dog Days of Summer," and yet we're seeing this glorious weather in the heart of the Georgia Piedmont in late July and early August. And at least one long-term weather model is showing that this trend will be continuing for quite some time. We'll take it!

And right quick, I just want to give a shout out to Matt Kennon. Matt put on a great show to a full house this past Saturday night. This guy is so good! And the three songs I was supposed to play with him turned into more like 10. There was some magic in the air, y'all. It was something else, and I appreciate all the feedback from several of you. Yeah, it was something, alright. I think Matt will be back in C-town sooner rather than later and I think we're going to start collaborating some. Very exciting.

And this upcoming Saturday, the 12th, we've got another superb hometown talent returning to Covington. Hannah Thomas, who I've written about many times over the years, will be playing that upstairs music hall at The Pub. Hannah released a new album of great material a while back and has been playing all over. And I'm super stoked about the opening act for this one as Lesley Daunt will be playing a rare set that night. I'm a big fan of hers.

And today, Sunday the 6th, another one of my faves - Chris, Jon & Scott - are doing the Sunday afternoon show down at Porterdale Bar & Grill. Music starts up at 3 p.m. Be sure to check Facebook to see who else is playing at all the other great venues throughout Covington and Newton County.

Local Happenings; Odds & Ends

As we continue the ongoing saga of the days of our lives here in the home city and county, and our state and country for that matter, we are once again reminded, at least in my estimation, of some of the key attributes of humanity.

As a rule, we love to complain. There's always something or somebody that we just don't like, and by golly, we're sure gonna let folks know about it. It's as American as Apple Pie.

Takin' sides. Red team vs. Blue team. To support one elected official means you have dislike the other one. It's got to be one or the other. Political football, if you will.

And then there's all the political shenanigans and maneuvering we see. The Straw man argument, deflect and project, deflect and pivot, non sequitur, etc, et al.

In the words of Ben Harper - "Politics, it's a drag!"

Personally, I think most folks are pretty much the same. We want to be left alone and we want what's best for our kids. Our definitions of how to achieve that may sometimes differ.

An emphasis for me is Liberty. One's rights ends where another's begins, and that's the key. People interjecting personal opinions and preconceived notions in an attempt to limit the rights of others is simply not right in this writer's opinion. 

But that's kind of the rub, isn't it. This balancing of equities and rights is never easy. Though I would very much like to see a mending of this rift we've been seeing, and I know I'm not the only one.