Columns

Between the heat and humidity, forget frying an egg on the sidewalk. We can probably cook our entire meal in the middle of the road!

Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated and regulate your body temperature. Avoid caffeinated drinks, as they Use Fans: Place fans strategically around your home to circulate air. Ceiling fans can be particularly effective.

Take Cold Showers: Cool down quickly by taking cold showers or baths.

Wear Lightweight Clothing: Opt for loose-fitting, lightweight, and breathable clothing made from natural fabrics like cotton or linen.

Close Blinds and Curtains: Keep blinds and curtains closed during the hottest parts of the day to block out sunlight and heat.

Most DeSoto Parish residents should they ever hear of Wallace Lake would not consider it an important part of our history. Wallace is a portion of DeSoto Parish’s northern boundary with Caddo Parish. In the early part of the 1800’s the Red River was blocked by a massive log jam flooding a large part of northwest Louisiana resulting in Bayou Pierre becoming the route for water transportation for the settlement of Natchitoches to points north.

Diamonds!

Returning from a weekend trip to Hot Springs, Ark., actually Hot Springs Village, I had plenty to time to remember other family vacations I’d been on. Several were of summer vacations to the Alabama beaches south of Mobil, Ala., one to Six Flags Over Texas when it first opened, and others to Texas and Arkansas. I’m sure you, too, could rattle off a few of your favorites. In fact, take a minute right now to close your eyes and let that warm pleasant memory just wash all the negativity right out of you. Aaaaah!

This trip was centered around Susan’s Step-Daughters’, Shannon & Sommer, birthday — 40 years old times two. With the start of Shark Week on cable and a menacing looking shark piñata and lots of BBQ planned we were all excited. Who knows the boys may catch enough fish for a big fish fry before we left! Well, that didn’t happen but we all had fun with the fish we did catch.

A huge thanks to Mr. Mike Weaver with Fellowship of Christian Farmers for making the drive down from Illinois to deliver fence materials. These materials will be donated to those livestock owners in DeSoto Parish most affected by the July 8th tornadoes.

We must continue to set goals. Remain vigilant and always have a vision. How successful you are in setting the right goals is how successful you are you’ll be in achieving them. Having goals without the right plan is like building a new airplane and forgetting to attach the wings. The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. Remember in order to live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong.

Speaker Johnson released the following statement in response to President Biden’s radical proposal to upend the Supreme Court: “President Biden’s proposal to radically overhaul the U.S. Supreme Court would tilt the balance of power and erode not only the rule of law, but the American people’s faith in our system of justice.

“This proposal is the logical conclusion to the Biden-Harris Administration and Congressional Democrats’ ongoing efforts to delegitimize the Supreme Court. Their calls to expand and pack the Court will soon resume.

“It is telling that Democrats want to change the system that has guided our nation since its founding simply because they disagree with some of the Court’s recent decisions. This dangerous gambit of the Biden-Harris Administration is dead on arrival in the House.”

It has been observed by the writer of this article that over the past several years “History Buffs” like articles on history’s little tid-bits. Of course, it could be possible that this writer likes the history of things that are not common knowledge and thinks that everyone else likes them, too. Never the less this article is about little known facts of history and primarily of past Presidents.

Let’s start with the undisputed “Father of Our Country” George Washington. George grew up in Virginia; raised mostly by his mother and older brother, Lawrence, after his father died when George was eleven years old. Lawrence died when George was in his early 20’s and the young man then took over the command of his own regiment of soldiers. He left the military and was elected to the first Continental Congress and was appointed to take over the Continental Army.

Summer steps to a stunning fall garden

Summer is the best time to just sit back and enjoy your garden. While you’re at it, you can start thinking about fall gardening and planning bigger landscaping projects.

You still need to keep up with watering, occasional fertilizing and weed control (mostly mechanically because chemicals shouldn’t be used in the heat of summer on turfgrass, although they can be used in flowerbeds). But it is best not to take on any extensive landscape updates in the next couple of months. Phew! You’re off the hook.

Hamburg Steak

Have you ever wondered why there’s no ham in a hamburger? Well while doing some research on the subject of this week’s column on Salisbury Steak I found out. Thanks to ole Tommy Craig I found out about an LSU Sports themed website called “Dandy Don’s Sporting News” started by Don Long. He talks about and updates all LSU sports but is really heavy on baseball and football and a real necessity for me now especially during the season. Reading Dandy Don every day during last year’s magical championship season was very rewarding and I recommend this site for any of you that are Tiger Fans. It’s a free site but I send in a small donation every year to help out with expenses so tune it to it and repeat after me, “Geaux Tigas” as Coach O growls.

Mansfield reached its pinnacle of high society at the end of the 1800’s and early 1900’s. The editor of the DeSoto Democrat Newspaper on April 26, 1895 made the statement that Mansfield should have a first class opera house. This statement evidently put the proverbial “Bee” under Mansfield’s “Bonnet” for with two years the Belle Taylor Opera House formally opened.

Miss Belle Taylor contracted B.F. Jenkins to build a two story “Business House” on her lot where the post office stood in September 1896 at the southwest corner of Polk and Jefferson Streets. The new two story building would house the post office and a store on the lower floor and the public hall or opera house on the second floor. The proposed 75 foot by 30 foot structure would be of red brick. By mid-December 1896 Johnson Brothers had moved into the lower floor and finished final touches for the post office and upper floor opera house.