Columns

“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” — Winnie the Pooh For such a small yellow bear, he managed to carry quite a bit of wisdom in his sweet little heart.

Winnie the Pooh is the creation of A.A. Milne. He spends his days in the forest talking with his friends and several other woodland creatures.

There is an immense amount of wisdom in the heart of Winnie the Pooh. But as humans, we rarely see it. Doing Nothing? That phrase isn’t even in our vocabulary. We’ve been taught that doing nothing constitutes being lazy, unproductive, or even selfish.

In truth, one of the most valuable things you can do is nothing. From time to time our life gets just as congested as an eight-lane freeway under construction. When your life has gotten this busy, it may just be time to head off to the woods for a day of doing nothing with Winnie the Pooh.

Chef Hunter Lee

Rockin’

Let’s get shakin’ Happy Fall, time to get out the ole faithful crockpot y’all. That’s right, obviously you can use them all year long, but to me at least, crockpots are just made for cooler weather dishes. Don’t worry it’s still “homemade” and with a little planning it’s easier (and much healthier) than sitting in a drive through and getting takeout after work. I use mine at least once a week. We all know they are perfect for soups, roast, chili, country favorites at the camp, or a family dinner. Did you know you can also make a socially acceptable dinner for guest or even date night without judgement? Follow me!!! This one’s even WW and diet friendly!

Crock pot Chicken Cordon Bleu

• 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast

• 21.5 ounces Cream of mushroom soup

• 2 cups of milk (2% is fine) • 8 ounces deli Ham (sliced)

• 8 ounces Swiss cheese (sliced)

Christ mas is still a few months away but a good Mansfield friend that died several years ago, Calvin “Lefty” Hall, told me of an incident that occurred in December 1944, which should be told. Not only was Calvin a great citizen of Mansfield but he was a great war hero that very few would ever have known about.

By December 1944, the British and American troops thought that victory over Germany was nearly in their grasp. The German Army had “broke and run” with only sporadic fights and patrolling. The Allied troops were generally happy because they thought the Germans were whupped. The Allied High Command did not know Hitler was about to launch a drive to recapture Antwerp and start the offensive known as the “Belgium Bulge”.

DeSoto Parish Extension Ofce Workshops The DeSoto Parish Extension Office, located at 10117 Hwy 171 in Grand Cane, will offer Fall Gardening Workshops during several dates in September from 10:00 a.m. until noon.

Baja Shrimp vs Shrimp Scampi

The DeSoto Parish Cattlemen’s Association held their quarterly meeting this evening at the DeSoto Parish Extension Office. Producers were welcomed to the meeting by Mr. Henry Richardson, DPCA President. They got to hear LSU AgCenter updates and upcoming events from Joshua Salley, DeSoto Parish County Agent. Mrs. Shae Simone, LCA Executive Director, discussed HB 784 which provides relative to liability for damages caused by livestock. She also talked about HB 330 which deals with the sales tax on fencing materials. A very interesting topic presented to the group were the new bills for 2025 which include potentially banning balloon releases and lab grown meat within Louisiana. Another special guest was Mr. Alan Sweson with 321 Aerial Services. He spoke on his drone services and how he can benefit local cattle producers. Our main speakers for the evening were Mr. Harry Richardson with Lonestar and Mr. Brett Richard with Crystalyx.

“Custom is a mutable thing; yet we readily recognize the permanence of certain social values. Graciousness and courtesy are never old-fashioned.” — Emily Post Some things never go out of style, and living a gracious life is one of them. For me, living a simple life and a lifestyle of graciousness goes hand in hand. But how does one go about cultivating a gracious life?

Here are 7 things you can do to get started: Step 1: Mind your Manners — even the simple manners of saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, or holding the door open for the person behind you can take you a long way towards graciousness.

Step 2: Care for your Community — give of yourself, through volunteering, mentoring, or just visiting with someone who isn’t able to get out and socialize Step 3: Teach your Children — good manners and gracious living aren’t just for adults. Teach your children what it means to be gracious and show them how to live it.

Those of you who have followed this column over the past several years know my true historical love is local history with an occasional deviation. Up front this writer does not claim a great deal of knowledge in today’s subject — only love and interest. “A Brief History of the Holy Bible in English”. Being a Mason some 70 years we are exposed to the subject with the Knight Templars as the principal information source. J. Luther Jordan, of Mansfield and world leader of masons back in the mid-1900’s, could have done a much better jobs with this subject.

Time to get ready for fall vegetable gardening

It’s time to get ready for fall vegetable gardenin We know, we know: It’s still hot outside. Falling leaves and crisp autumn air feel an eternity away.

But for some of our favorite cool-season veggies, there are narrow windows for planting and growing. So if you want to harvest a bountiful crop of homegrown produce this fall, it’s wise to start planning — and, depending on what you want to grow, planting — now.

“But wait!” you say. “My summer vegetable plants are still producing. Do I have to pull them up?”

Of course not. Many summer vegetables are still churning out produce — and probably will for a while longer. In fact, if you grew okra and eggplant this summer, you can keep these plants going all the way up to our first killing freeze. Just cut them back to knee height sometime soon, and they’ll continue to grow and produce fruit through the fall.

Eating Smart - Kinda

To celebrate the “Thumbs Up” that Dr. Leggio gave me on my yearly checkup I decided to keep on trying to eat right. I’d lost another couple of pounds and now double-determined to stay healthy and eat healthy starting now with lunch.

I pulled into McDonald’s drive-thru and, tearing my eyes away from the large advertisements for the Quarter Pounder Deluxe combo, I proudly and righteously ordered their Southwest Salad with the vinaigrette dressing and un-sweet iced tea. I was patting myself on the back for showing alot of restraint and will power — I mean I HAD been fasting for Dr. Leggio’s bloodwork this morning and I was reaaall hungry.