Opinion

Labor Day is behind us; school is back, and the kids are settling in for another year. Let’s all set back and take a deep breath as we anxiously await all the wonderful holidays, we have ahead of us. Lots of preparation, halloween and all the fun treats we can make for that, then of course comes Thanksgiving, Turkey and all the fabulous foods that come along with that Holiday. The Santa time will be right there before we realize it. Oh, what fun that is. Cookies, candies, and lots of fun times, swapping recipes. Oh my gosh that all makes me tried to think about it. So, before we get started let’s come up with something to make life a little easier for a few days. Pizza, now there is an idea. One of the first recipes I saved from Ree Drummond’s show, The Pioneer Woman was her recipe for Pizza Dough. It’s been used so many times and is one of my favorites. Very easy and you can make it ahead of time.

with John Allen French, Star Herald Editor As I type this, I am dreading, with great feeling, going to the dentist for a root canal. I was blessed with the curse of Murphy’s Law.

“The powers reserved by the people, render them secure.” ~John Hancock. I wrote a few weeks ago about how important it is to not allow government to regulate itself. Today I think it is important to talk about why. In the quote above, it is almost what Mr. Hancock does not say, as much as what he does say. His quote, to put into simpler form, states that we the people protect ourselves. How? By the powers we inherently have. Interestingly enough, the quote that fits here was made famous by a 19th century historian, Lord Acton. He was writing to Bishop Mandell Creighton, cautioning against the abuse of power by former popes. He said, “I cannot accept your cannon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with a favorable presumption that they do no wrong. If there is any presumption, it is the other way against holders of power…power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

What comes to mind when you think of your home–Randolph County? Perhaps it’s some favorite places. Lots of water– five beautiful rivers, many creeks and sloughs, lakes, and springs. Maybe it’s wooded hills, oxbow lakes, or state wildlife management areas. Or towns–take Maynard for example. You drive into town and you see the school and churches up on the hill, going on down the road, you expect to see unique buildings of native stone, the old hotel, the dungeon that was the old jail, the place where locals gather to tell tall tales and eat well. If you’d turned onto Hwy 328, you’d pass Pioneer Park with its restored log cabin and other features. That’s what you expect to see–that’s Maynard to you. Take those things away, and you’re somewhere else.

Remember airplane plants and hanging macrame’ planters? Going through old photos I saw one that used hang at a window of our old kitchen. Out at the farm, Carmen had given me a couple of pieces of old macrame’. One being the flowerpot holder, and the other a beautiful hanging glass table, which I had used in the living room beside a chair. And I found two pots, one a bit smaller than the other that worked perfectly in it. Red hung it in front of the window facing the garden from the high ceilings. When you come from a trailer house those were some high ceilings and I loved it. Next found some old clay pots with bowl-like bottoms. Next was finding just the right plants for them. It’s funny how one thing just calls for another, at least in a woman’s world it does! I posted a photo and mentioned on Facebook, how I hadn’t seen airplane plants in forever. Also, there were no macrame’ hangers either! Out of nowhere, Denise, (denephew, Terry’s wife a play on an old joke here, which Red has long had fun) messaged me pictures of her beautiful airplane plant on the porch of their home in Eakly, Oklahoma. Which happens to be next door to Grandma and Grandpa’s old house. From their huge windows, the views across the valley are spectacular! Sweet girl, saw it and had started a plant for me! And I can hardly wait till the family reunion to bring it home with me. The planets must have been aligned two weeks ago, for I also found there is once again macrame’ hangers to be had. Even though now at least at (Home Goods) all macrame seems to be white rather than the jute color rope of old, which I loved!