Columns

December 25 is the most important date in the history of Mankind. It is the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Most of us know the story well, yet it never gets old to a Christian. How Joseph and Mary on the way for the census stopped in Bethlehem and realized the birth of the child was near but there was no room at the inn. The only place they could stay for the night was in the barn with the animals. When the child was born the only cradle or bed was in the manger with straw for the child to be placed.

Without doubt this is the most important date in human history but there are two other very important historical dates that this writer would like for us to remember during these Christmas Holidays. The year 1968 was one of the more discouraging years in modern U.S. history. The Vietnam War dragged on; the nation grieved over the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy; there were riots in the streets.

There’s something about a steaming cup held between your hands on a cold December day that soothes both body and soul. The world outside may be filled with busyness — shopping lists, crowded calendars, and last-minute errands — but one sip of a warm, spiced tea reminds us to slow down. It’s a pause, a breath, and a moment of peace during the holiday rush.

Spiced tea has long been a comfort in winter kitchens. Families once gathered around the stove while a pot of tea simmered gently, filling the air with the fragrance of cinnamon and cloves. The simple act of stirring together everyday ingredients into something fragrant and special is a gift in itself. It reminds us that comfort doesn’t need to be complicated.

Public schools have been an integral part of DeSoto Parish life for over one hundred and fifty years. Grand Cane in October 1894 was made a public high school. On April 3, 1895 Mansfield became a high school. The State Board of Education approved Keatchie and Stonewall as high schools in 1898.

The main focus of this article is to honor some of the early school board members and principals William Goss was elected President of the DeSoto School in 1902 to succeed W.C. Scott who died in office. S.R. Cummins was elected Superintendent in October 1908 and served until 1912. G.O. Houston was elected over G. Odom on the third ballot to become superintendent and he served until May 1926. Mr. Houston resigned in order to accept the positon of Assistant Superintendent of Caddo Parish.

Few people have lived through the Great Depression but everyone has read and heard about it. This writer not only lived throughout the Depression but experienced some of its hardships. If you will bear with me some researched details will be presented to set the stage.

On Friday October 24, 1929 the U.S. stock market crashed which started the 12 year economic disaster known as the Great Depression. On that “Black Thursday” everyone knew the sudden massive sell off of stocks was bad but no one knew just how calamitous the results would be. Given the last two months prior to Oct. 24, 1929 it was thought things were going along as fine as they always had.

Backed Chicken Tenders A few years ago before I learned the “Thick Black Iron Pot” trick of frying Catfish up right I used to coat the fillets with Tabasco Sauce and dust them in the prepared cornmeal mixture and bake them in the oven. They were very close to the fried fish I loved and we ate them at least once a week so when I saw Alison Roman’s recipe for Baked Tenders I knew I had to try them.

Christmas used to be a season marked more by heart than by hustle. Gifts were made by hand, decorations were pulled from nature, and meals were crafted from recipes passed down through the family. Today, with crowded malls and endless online shopping carts, it can be easy to forget that a meaningful Christmas doesn’t need to come wrapped in shiny paper or topped with a bow. Sometimes, the old ways — the simple skills — are the ones that bring the most joy.

A Brussels Sprout Affront

We all know people who just hate mushrooms (they taste musty) or onions (too strong) or pickles (they’re vinegary) and a LOT of people really can’t stand Brussels Sprouts. Those little unassuming baby cabbage looking vegetables that our Mothers always told us we had to “at least try”. Someone posted on Facebook a pretty good looking picture of some covered in cheese sauce and asked, “Does anyone actually EAT these?”

My answer is YES! I do and have a real good sounding recipe for them. Wait, wait I know you’re getting ready skip to another portion of the paper but hear me out. The Title of the recipe is actually the four ingredients that go into it “Olive Oil toasted Brussels Sprouts with Alfredo Gruyere’ Sauce” so I don’t have to bother you with the actual recipe. I thought that they sounded good paired up with a Shrimp Scampi or Broiled Snapper main so I thawed out a handful of Sprouts in preparation for the Friday night dinner.

Every Christian should have a life verse that spoke to you sometime ago, when you were facing a very difficult life event. This was a time when you had to make the hardest decision of your life. This scripture brought to you strength, wisdom, knowledge and peace to make that decision. My life verse is “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”2 Timothy 1:7 ESV An intriguing thing for me is how fear causes so much harm in people’s lives. Even for Christian people, fear is very negative and dangerous. When fear becomes dominant in our life it can incapacitate our thoughts, overwhelm our emotions and cause physical damage in our bodies. How can fear be limited in your and my life? Only God and faith can help us overcome our fear.

LSU AgCenter unlocks secrets beneath the soil for sweet potato yields, lower fertilizer use

A dedicated group of researchers are behind the sweet potato casserole that will grace many Louisiana tables on Thanksgiving. At the LSU AgCenter Sweet Potato Research Station, scientists have developed sweet potato varieties that have ample sweetness for consumers, ideal shape for processors and high yields for farmers.

One project at the station is aimed at helping growers produce their crop with just the right amount of fertilizer. LSU AgCenter researcher Arthur Villordon is leading the study that uses gene expression to predict the fertilizer requirements of sweet potatoes by variety.

Researchers can’t see what is happening with the storage root of the sweet potato plant — the part we eat — while it develops underground. Villordon said this study can give them new insights into what is happening beneath the soil.

A Forest Interlude

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 midafternoon on the back patio and hydrate with a frosty adult beverage.

My remaining cat, an adolescent black and white male I call Mr. Tux, came around to visit and while we sat soaking up the warm sunshine I noticed that he’d become very still and had stopped purring. Slowly without turning my head I shifted my eyes to my left and into the edge of the woods behind my house. At first I didn’t notice anything but after a quick movement I made out two deer, a doe and a spike about 20 yards away and right at the forest boundary. Almost majestic and solemn — How quiet they’d been coming up.