Columns

My youngest child Cameron was born in 2000 and I have lost him five times. I feel like I should say that in front of some sort of support group. “My name is Jann Franklin and I’ve lost my son five times.” I haven’t lost him since he turned five, and I feel I should get some sort of certificate for that. It was definitely a theme during the first four years of his life.

One would think after the first three times I lost my child that I would have devised some sort of plan to keep it from happening again. The fourth time was not my fault since I was not the one supposed to be watching him. But the fifth time definitely was my fault-I think by this time I’d just given up.

It was such a pretty Saturday with temps in the 60’s a light breeze from the southwest and a partly cloudy sky. The perfect day to do some Autumn yard chores before the wet cold Winter arrived. I’ve been cutting up the four fallen trees and chopping them into firewood and after several loads I decided to take a break about mid-afternoon on the back patio and hydrate with a frosty adult beverage.

Most people do not give much thought to names but that is one of the most important things about a person. His parents gave a lot of thought before naming him as a baby. The same thing is true about a place or town. So where did DeSoto Parish get its name?

On November 11th the veterans (both men and women) were honored in every part of America. Veterans of all branches of service were “Thanked” for their contribution for preserving the freedoms that we enjoy today. They deserve every recognition given to them – but there was a very large group of “Heroes” that has been sadly neglected. There were millions of women typified by “Rosie the Riveter” during World War II that joined the industrial work force in hard, grueling jobs to produce munitions and equipment necessary to win the war.

On November 28, 1942 during W.W.II the assembly line at Ford Motor Company’s huge Willow Run plant turned out its first bomber, a B-24 Liberator. By the time the plant reached its peak, in the summer of 1944, it was producing a bomber each hour – thanks to women like Rosie the Riveter.

Green Pea Salad

I just love this time of year with the leaves all turning and the evenings getting cooler. The first frost of the year is exciting and knowing that it will deal with most of our mosquito population is just an added benefit. By now almost everyone has done the last lawn mow and is anticipating the beginning of leaf raking. I’ve always kinda enjoyed raking leaves because it is good exercise for the arms and shoulders and my inner “firebug” likes burning the piles up, too.

The black and orange of Halloween has been traded in for the gold, orange, reds and browns of Thanksgiving and all the grocery stores had their turkeys out. I did all the usual Thanksgiving favorites and this year I thought I might add a different dish – Green Pea Salad. We had our church holiday meal last weekend and several of the ladies brought this dish. I had forgotten how good it was and decided to make up some myself.

Veronica Carolyn Graham, In Memory

Carolyn (don’t call her Veronica!) grew up in Mansfield, La. and was the sister of my classmate and our Wolverine quarterback, Richard. Richard, in fact, had four beautiful sisters so none of the football team minded taking Richard home from practice and hanging around and drinking a Coke or two. Years later I met Carolyn one week when I was home from one of my sales conventions and living up in Grand Cane in Ms. Griffith’s big ole Victorian Farmhouse. She drove up with my Sister, Nan, and we sat around in the back yard and visited. We all got along so well that with the sun starting to set I invited them to stay and share some of the pork blade steaks I was grilling. That evening we made plans to go out and eat the next weekend when I was home.

Easy to Make Trail Mix

During the Christmas season, we are always looking for that ‘one thing’ we can add to a fun Christmas basket. We may need a small gift for a neighbor or a teacher. It needs to be simple, but fun to receive as well.

Or – we have the entire family gathering at our house for the holidays. We need something easy to make to add to the snack table. And with all of the sweets we have, it would be even better if it was at least a little bit healthy – yet still be delicious.

Trail mix is the easiest thing in the world to do. And it can be customized to fit individual tastes. Just mix your favorite ingredients together.

Be Thankful for What You Have!

We can always find something to be thankful for, no matter what may be the burden of our wants, or the special subject of our petitions. Albert Barnes For the past few years, we have been inundated with a Pandemic, rising food and gas prices, as well as empty shelves in the grocery stores. A lack of rain in the summer hurts our grass, gardens, and hay supplies.

Life has been difficult. But even in the hard times, there is always something we can find to be thankful for. For me, instead of lamenting the lack of rain, I give thanks to a well that works in order to water my plants. Rather than cry over the heat of the summer, I feel blessed to have air conditioning and fans.

History takes many different forms and directions and today’s subject could be classified different. Huey P. Long is the topic for today, not that he was admired by everyone, but he certainly should not be forgotten since he is probably Louisiana’s most famous son. Of course this article will not be as complete as the T. Harry William’s book on Long (I have not read the book) but it is made from experiences and memories of him through an average citizen’s lifetime. As a fouryear- old I attended one of his speeches, which even as a child I thought was dramatic.

The late winter months may lack color in the landscape, but with proper planning and a little effort, you can create an early spring indoors or make a beautiful gift by forcing your own succession of hardy bulbs.

Bulbs are perennial plants that overwinter as fleshy, underground structures. These types of plant structures gather carbohydrates from the leaves during photosynthesis and are stored as nutrients for future growth.

There are many plant types that use this specialized energy storage. Loosely grouped in with bulbs are corms such as crocus and gladiolus, tubers such as caladiums and Irish potatoes, tuberous roots such as dahlias and sweet potatoes, and rhizomes such as irises and cannas.