Columns & Editorials

Bye Bye Blues

Dear Aunt B,

I’ve had a lot of blogs, like a lot, a lot. It started back when I had cancer. There are only so many times you can tell your most recent doctor’s appointment story to the masses. You have stinking cancer, after all. You’re tired. You just want out of the scratchy wig. You want pajamas and hot cocoa and fur babies and an I Love Lucy marathon. Sitting down for hours long conversations with all of your loved ones isn’t high on your list of things that soothe. Expecting one person to relay your info doesn’t work either. That’s a game of telephone waiting to happen. Cancer and necromancer sound too much alike for my taste. My solution was a newsletter of sorts. I can sit down and type it up for everyone to read at their leisure while I watch the episode where Lucy’s in Cali and lights her fake nose on fire. That newsletter worked so well that it turned into a blog. And, that blog spawned a blog, and so forth. Turns out creative writing blogs are about as interesting as cold oatmeal, but guess what? I still have one. Guess what else? I scraped the bowels of my 2008-2009 blog to bring you this little ditty about the hilarious slapstick comedy of cancer treatment. All we have is laughter, sometimes. It really is good medicine. Enjoy.

Like everyone, you want to remain physically and financially independent throughout your life. But if you lose some of this freedom, the last thing you’d want is to become a burden on your family. How can you keep this from happening?

I had an interesting exchange with an educator on Twitter today. She was an advocate of public schools and acknowledged the persistent shortcomings of the public school system. However, she believes that public education can be fixed with some “radical, innovative thinking” as opposed to parents pulling their children out to homeschool or send to private schools. According to her Twitter bio, she has 30 years of teaching experience in another state. I respect that degree of experience, but at the same time, I don’t understand her logic.

Dear Aunt B,

Here we are. It’s mere days before Halloween. Yet, I’m not sure if we’re even celebrating this year.

Dear Aunt B,

When I was a member of the Kaufman County Historical Commission, I discovered the statue in question and all of its parts which had been dragged down Washington Street and basically used as land fill for a ditch at the county farm. I began researching it and found that it had not been bought by the county and, therefore, was NOT county property but was paid for by hundreds of citizens of the county. Most importantly, the statue, itself, was sculpted by a very well known sculptor who just happened to be a personal friend of Gov. Colquitt from Terrell. The statue was by Coppini, who incidentally, did the Littlefield statue at The University of Texas among other famous statues. When Colquitt was elected, he used his influence to commission the white marble statue. Several pieces of the gray granite base (I believe the are a total of 7) were done in Tyler. When reassembling the statue, I actually found a subscription ticket where someone had donated 5 cents toward the project. I went before the Commissioner’s Court and, knowing the potential situation, elicited the help and support of Mr. E.P. Shaw, a highly respected member of the black community and a prominent educator in Terrell as well as a current member, at the time, of the Historical Commission of which I, also, was a member.

The road to the presidential election should be an opportunity to teach our children concepts such as politics, bias, research, civil rights or patriotism. Instead, this election season seems to teach more rage and hate than anything useful. As a parent and educator, I am saddened by the loss of learning opportunities that are falling victim to less-than-helpful red vs. blue rhetoric. As a Christian, I am deeply disturbed by the degree of hate being flung about like bubbles through a bubble wand. What happened to society, conversation and agreeing to disagree?

The Pirates were determined to not have a repeat of last week’s game. Senior night was celebrated pregame before the players took to the tunnel. Joshua started out with the first possession of the game going three and out. Austin Cruise led the Pirates down to the twenty-three-yard line before being stopped by the Owls defense. Sophomore kicker Brandon Perez nailed a forty-yard field goal through the uprights to put the Pirates up 3-0. The rest of the first quarter was controlled by the Owls. Joshua scored on three straight possessions making the score 3-17 at the end of the first.

One of the ways homeowners can keep their lawns looking lush and green is to aerate the turf when the need arises. Aerators perforate the soil with small holes. These holes allow air, nutrients and water to penetrate all the way to the roots, helping them grow deep and strong. Deep, strong roots are essential to healthy, lush lawns. While aeration can help many lawns, not every lawn will necessarily need to be aerated. Lawns that get heavy use, such as those that are often played on by children or pets, will likely benefit from periodic aeration. Feeling the lawn also can help homeowners determine if it needs to be aerated. Lawns that dry out quickly or feel spongy may be overcome with thatch, which can prevent lawns from getting the air, water and nutrients they need to thrive. Lawncare professionals recommend aerating lawns that contain thatch that is more than one-half inch. Thatch also can foster grub infestations, providing another benefit to removing it and aerating a lawn. When to aerate depends on the type of grass. Homeowners should consult with a lawncare professional about the best time to aerate their particular lawns, but it’s generally recommended that cool-season grasses be aerated in early spring or fall, while it’s best to aerate warm season grasses in late spring.

According to the World Health Organization, tobacco kills up to half its users, annually killing roughly six million people each year. The WHO notes that more than five million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use, while more than 600,000 deaths can be attributed to non-smokers being exposed to secondhand smoke. While many in the United States may understand the threat that smoking poses to their overall health, the WHO notes that studies indicate knowledge about the specific health risks of tobacco use is not widespread. A 2009 survey of smokers in China found that less than 40 percent of smokers knew that smoking tobacco causes coronary heart disease, while only 27 percent were aware of the link between smoking and stroke. It’s also important that smokers recognize that cigarettes once characterized as “light” or “low tar” are not healthier than more traditional cigarettes. While the US Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of such terms in cigarette sales within the United States, smokers traveling or living overseas should be mindful that other countries may not operate under such restrictions. In addition, the American Cancer Society notes that there is no proof that cigarettes sold as “all natural” and marketed as having no chemicals or additives are any safer than traditional cigarettes and that the best way for men, women and children to avoid the dangers of tobacco is to never smoke or to quit immediately.