January 2024

When I was a little girl, schools had Christmas plays, and the community looked forward to them. It was so much fun getting ready for them. Class time took a back seat as art class shined. We would make colored construction paper chains, the links pasted together with glue. They were then placed in a glass bottle with a red rubber tip, and a small slit in the end. Paper chain making was so much fun. Stringing the popcorn was not as enjoyable; it was more tedious. Sometimes, we would use popcorn to make stars or trees covered in snow on blue construction paper. We used colored chalk to gently rub the popped corn, coloring it yellow for stars or green for trees. Then, we pasted them on construction paper to create pictures to take home as presents for the family. Real trees were placed on each side of the stage and decorated for the big night. Paper chains, strings of corn, some strands of colored lights, tinfoil stars, and tinsel were strung all over the tree. The slightest movement made the tree shimmer and have movement. On the night of the play, my Aunt Dean would always put some of her eye gleam on my eyelids, saying my eyes would show up so pretty on stage. I believe that it was an Avon product. I was mindful of how pretty my eyes must look to the crowd. Now, I laugh, thinking people must have thought, “That little girl has something in her eyes.” We kids all grew giddy as the time to start drew near. When the play commenced, all became hushed and still. The singing was a significant part of our play; we sang everything from “Here Comes Santa Claus” to “Frosty The Snowman.” We grew more solemn at “Away In A Manger,” and always at the end, it was “We Wish You A Merry Christmas!” Our hearts grew full, and the night was beautiful as we walked home, everyone in high spirits and in a jovial mood. We were lucky as we lived straight across the street from good old George Rodgers Clark School.

The City of Pocahontas has lost a terrific civil servant in Mayor Keith Sutton. I wouldn’t hesitate to say he was one of very few recent mayors who were concerned about the city’s animals. He cared enough to work with the local humane society on a number of issues facing not only local animal welfare groups and their volunteers but the general public as well. He took the time to listen to RCHS volunteers when they had concerns.

I had been taking some cough syrup at bedtime. The other night I got settled in bed and realized I had forgot. Mike was still in kitchen so I asked him to bring me a dose. He brings me the dosage cup half full. I asked him why he didn’t fill it up. He said because the dosage is 2 teaspoons and the cup is 4. I told him I had been filling it up and taking before bed. He held up the bottle and read “two teaspoons every four hours”. “That’s right and I plan on sleeping for 8 hours.” Seriously, it’s simple math...