All in Columns
There are some things that bear repeating, such as expressions of love, about which I will be repetitious today. We are now fully into the New Year of 2022 and there are a lot of exciting events on the horizon. But, as always, there is also the potential for depression and sadness, especially if we try to relive days from the past or agonize about days to come.
When Dennis Harper was 11 years old, he became fascinated with the Wyse Fork Battlefield. His first discovery was “a perfect Williams Cleaner.” The Williams Cleaner was a bullet designed so the discharge of the musket would drive the concave disks of the bullet forward, expanding the lead bullet against the interior walls of the rifled barrel to remove residue left by other rounds. Dennis has collected more than 15,000 artifacts from the battlefield over decades.
From July 2020 to July 2021, there was a net inflow of 637,729 Americans into these top-five destination states: Florida, Texas, Arizona, North Carolina, and South Carolina. During the same period, there was a net outflow of 918,443 Americans from these top-five exporter states: California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Louisiana.
Until recently, I have never had a “bucket list,” that list of things a person has not done but wishes to do before dying. I have written, taught, expounded texts from the Bible, and played music with some excellent musicians. My life has been satisfying.
This week I spent some time cleaning out the refrigerator, discarding all of those Holiday leftovers, and while I was at it, I packaged up all of the sweet treats that were still in containers around the kitchen and gave them to friends to enjoy! Now it is time to restock the refrigerator and kitchen with some healthy essentials for starting the New Year!!
How did these delicious teeny tiny cabbages ever get such a bad reputation! Who knows but I used to be one of those people…yes, I was no way ever going to try a brussels sprout!! Not sure why but mostly I think my Grandmother tended to overcook them winding up with some soggy looking baby cabbage. But no more there are some many ways to cook brussels sprouts to bring out the sweet and sharp flavors of the winter vegetable.
As the weather turns colder and winter sets in, join us at Neuse Regional Libraries for an Adult Winter Reading Program. Pleasure reading is a proven stress reliever, and those who read fiction are shown to experience increased creativity, empathy, and emotional intelligence.
Speaking in Philadelphia some time ago, Present Biden condemned the idea of voter ID’s saying, “There is an unfolding assault taking place in America today – an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote in fair and free elections, an assault on democracy. An assault on liberty, an assault on who we are – who we are as Americans. For make no mistake, bullies and merchants of fear and peddlers of lies are threatening the very foundation of our country.” Sadly, but predictably, he went on to suggest that requiring voter ID would mean “returning people to slavery.”
Thanks to the kindness of my son Michael and his wife Pam, Sandra and I were able to take in the Raleigh performance of the Tran-Siberian Orchestra, TSO for short. This group performed only one show at the PNC and then headed to Greensboro.
On New Year's Day, superstitious people, and even those that aren’t don’t take a chance; will prepare their good luck recipes in hopes of bringing about a prosperous new year!!
With the recent announcements of a new Toyota battery plant in Randolph County, a new Fujifilm Diosynth drug plant in Wake County, a large MasterBrand cabinet facility in Kinston, and a big White River Marine operation in New Bern for making saltwater boats, among other projects, North Carolina’s manufacturing sector appears to be thriving.
Tucked among the Christmas songs of many hymnals is a little-sung carol by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The song is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Longfellow wrote the poem that provides the lyrics on Christmas Day in 1863. If his words seem almost despairing, a little background will help us understand Longfellow’s somber tone.
Holidays are time to take advantage of very tangy cranberry for more than just cranberry sauce. Cranberries are terrific in any form, raw, sweetened or dried. They are not only packed with flavor but as healthy foods go, they are at the top of the list due to their high nutrient and antioxidant content.
When I was a little girl growing up I used to get on a van that was sent to my neighborhood by the Salvation Army in Kinston NC. We met weekly and I was in a youth group called the “Sunbeams”. I loved going to my Sunbeam meeting.
It’s not personal, it’s just business — or so Facebook assures me.
On this matter, I’m inclined to believe the company (now called Meta by its CEO and nearly a dozen other human beings). That doesn’t make my latest encounter with the social-media giant any less frustrating, however. I just spent many days jumping through its authorization hoops so I could run political ads on a Facebook page I manage. And even after finishing the process, I still had my ad rejected and had to appeal the decision multiple times.
Everyone has a favorite Christmas Carol. My grandmother, who has seen 101 Christmases, loves Silent Night. It fits her personality: warm, inviting, hospitable. What’s yours? And while we’re at it, why are Christmas Carols so well-loved? What is it about this collection of Hymns and Songs that mean so much to so many?
Earlier this month, and for the third time, a fire ripped through a house in Kinston. A house on Glenwood Avenue didn’t even make the local news. However, this morning, as I sit here in my warm home preparing for Christmas, I can’t help but shed a few tears for the house on Glenwood. For the House of Hope that will no longer be built there.
The things I really want for Christmas are never tangible objects. For instance, I would really like to have a good night’s sleep. Now, you must be pushing 50 from one side or the other to appreciate this wish. A good night’s sleep consists of two key ingredients: 1) comfort during the sleeping process, and 2) no aches and pains after the night is over and the alarm clock sounds.
On September 15, I wrote a column responding to President Joe Biden’s announcement of a new federal mandate that large employers, federal contractors, and certain other business establishments require their employees either to be vaccinated or to undergo frequent COVID-19 testing.
