Columns

While serving as First Vice-President of the North Louisiana Historical Society on April 4, 1964 this writer submitted the following article on the Ole Log Courthouse Bell. This article slightly condenses and updates that original.

Hardly had DeSoto Parish been organized when the Police Jury saw the need for a bell to summon people into court. In 1843 a bell was ordered from Philadelphis to be placed in front of the newly constructed log courthouse at the corner of Washington Ave. and Franklin St. The courthouse square was left vacant because a larger Courthouse would be needed in the near future. The Bell did service for many years and if it could speak it would reveal the history of DeSoto Parish. It would tell of the trials, debates and elections that became history here.

One of the best ways to stay cool in the summer is to stay inside curled up with a good book. But if you have kids, it can be difficult to encourage them to come inside out of the heat.

To help encourage reading more during the summer, it helps to have a dedicated space — or a Reading Nook, if you will. For kids, you can find a corner of their bedroom and place a comfortable chair — or even a bean bag. You may have an established rule about ‘No food or drinks in the bedroom’, but you may want to amend it slightly if you place their reading nook in there. Sometimes it’s more fun to enjoy a snack while reading, and if handled well, it may even encourage those who don’t enjoy reading to discover it’s actually an enjoyable past time. Place a small table next to the chair and allow them to have a snack and a drink. At the end of the designated reading time, help them to establish the habit of bringing the plate and glass to the kitchen.

Taco Mac & Cheese

Si, Senor Maccarones con Queso e Taco — suena muy bien! Pam Bello has this great sounding dish on “My Recipes” this week and I was flirting around with trying it but the cheese sauce part sounded a little daunting to me. Yes, I am sauce challenged. I’ve tried and tried to do scratch sauces and gravies but it just doesn’t happen for me, I mean even when I do my big Thanksgiving spread I always buy 2 cans of turkey gravy.

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.