The Minute Magazine April May

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire.

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The Minute Mag’s Purpose:

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire.

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The Minute Mag’s Purpose:

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire.

The Minute Magazine is distributed throughout Caddo, Bossier, Claiborne, Bienville, DeSoto, Ouachita, Red River, Natchitoches, Webster, Lincoln & Orleans Parishes in Louisiana. They are FREE for you to enjoy. Take a few to your friends, relatives or anyone else that you think might need a refreshing, enlightening “minute.”

For a list of locations near you, viwit www.theminutemag.com today!

JACKIE LEWIS & TIFFANY BYRAM Owners/Publishers Regional Editors Graphics/Layout

VICKI CASKEY Sales Manager

TIFFANY BYRAM New Orleans Sales

JENNY REYNOLDS Founder

Circulation & Distribution: James “Shay” Callen CIRCULATION OF 20,000 READERSHIP OF OVER 50,000 Contact Information: Office Phone: 318.382.1900 Ad Sales: 318.548.2693 Mail: 512 Fort Avenue, Minden, LA 71055 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be copied or reproduced without permission. The Minute Magazine cannot be responsible for unsolicited materials. The editorial content of The Minute is prepared in accordance with the highest standards of journalistic accuracy. Readers are cautioned, however, not to use any information from the magazine as a substitute for expert opinion, technical information or advice. The Minute cannot be responsible for negligent acts, errors and omissions. The opinions expressed in The Minute are those of our writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher has the right to accept or reject any advertising and / or editorial submitted. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

Don’t count every hour in the daymake every hour in the day count!

IthisNSIDE issue...

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Piecing it Together by Vicky Poston Roy, Ph.D.

P. J.’S Point of View by Phillip J. Volentine Life’s Blessings by Vicki Caskey For Good Memories by M. Timmons On the Spectrum by Lela Robichaux Blueprint for Preservation by M. Lord White Elephant by Galen White Perfect Picnic by Melissa Teoulet Antique Junkie by Donna Arender The Journey by Jason McReynolds NOLA Jewelry Making by Tiffany Byram Our Life on the Spectrum by Jackie Lewis Confessions of a Horman Woman by E. Drewett Weeder’s Digest by Anita Goodson Body Boot Camp by Sharon Jackson

Contributors:

Donna Arender Tiffany Byram Vicki Caskey Elizabeth Drewett Olga Ann Frank Rebecca Frank Anita Goodson Tom Grant Sharon Jackson Loice Kendrick-Lacey Jackie Lewis Megan Lord Jason McReynolds Lela Robichaux Vicky Poston Roy, Ph.D. Lynette Carter Sheets Margaret Timmons Melissa Teoulet Phillip J. Volentine Galen White

The Computer Guy by Tom Grant JOIN OUR FACEBOOK PAGE OR VISIT WWW.THEMINUTEMAG.COM TODAY!

The cover shot was taken by Jackie Lewis in the Spring of 2010. Autism Spectrum Disorders affect 1 in 110 people in the United States. For more information, read the articles in this issue. We are devoting the April Edition of The Minute Magazine to the Autism Spectrum Disorders that affect so many of our children.

This bi-monthly magazine is FREE! However, you can have it mailed to your home or business for $20 a year to cover postage and handling. Call 318.382.1900 or send your check and mailing address to The Minute Magazine, 512 Fort Avenue, Minden, LA 71055.

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The Minute Mag’s Purpose:

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Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire.

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Walk for

AUTISM Your chance to make a difference in your community...

The Northwest Louisiana Au-

tism Chapter is hosting an Autism Awareness Walk at A.C. Steere Park on Youree Drive on Saturday, April 17th. Registration and T-Shirt pick up begins at 8am, then the walk kickoff is at 9am. You can make a difference!

The walk is an opportunity to raise awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder while raising funds for the Northwest Louisiana Autism Chapter, which serves individuals with Autism and their families in your community.

Also, a portion of the proceeds will go to “Camp Rainman”, which is one of the many events that the Northwest Louisiana Autism Chapter provides for children, as well as adults, with Autism Spectrum Disorders in our community.

Registration is $20 for aduls, children under 12 are free, and individuals with ASD may participate for free. Walk information packets are available by visiting www.autism-society.org/ chapter581. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Online registration and donations are encouraged.

Chris Paul Hosting 3rd Annual

Youth Basketball Camp H

ornets star point guard Chris Paul has announced dates for the Chris Paul Basketball Camp presented by Tulane Medical Center. The three-day event will be held Tuesday, July 27th through Thursday, July 29th at the Reily Student Recreation Center at Tulane University.

Chris will be on site to direct the activities of the camp and provide instruction.

The camp will also feature a selection of the top prep and collegiate coaches in the New Orleans area. Open to boys and girls, the event will run a morning session, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. for ages 7-11, and an afternoon session, 1:00 p.m.

– 4:00 p.m. for ages 12-18, each day.

Each day, the campers will experience various stations, specializing in fundamental skills and the team concept of basketball. Individual groups will be small to assure that each camper gets maximum personalized instruction.

In addition to 9 hours of basketball instruction, all campers will receive an autographed camp team photo with Chris, a camp T-shirt, and the opportunity to win additional contests and prizes. Cost of the camp is $199.

In addition to Tulane Medical Center camp partners include McDonalds, ESPN 1350, B 97, ABC 26, and The New Orleans Tribune.

Campers are encouraged to register early, as spots are limited.

Additional information and registration is available at www.ChrisPaulCamp. com or call 513-793-CAMP.

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I t is difficult these days to find someone whose life has not

been affected in some way by autism. It is estimated that 1 in 91 people in the United States has a diagnosis of autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Although 4 times more likely to occur in boys than girls, this disorder knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries. It affects all family income levels, lifestyle choices, and educational levels, and can affect any family and any child.

However, despite the growing, epidemic like numbers, many people (if not most), have no real concept of what autism is and how to best treat it beyond the “60 minutes” description that we have all seen on tv. The most challenging thing about autism is that it seems to manifest differently in every single individual. This is where we get the term “spectrum” which refers to the fact that autism can affect a child in the most subtle ways to the most obvious. As a professional and “expert” in the field of autism, I think it’s most important that we start from the beginning and first come up with an operational definition for autism. Autism is a neurological,

cognitive processing disorder.

This diagnosis (or some form of it) is given to individuals who present with difficulty to varying degrees to process complex information (therefore avoiding dynamic situations). Autism is not a social, language, sensory or behavioral disorder. Although we observe behavior (or lack thereof) to determine a diagnosis, any one of the behaviors typically observed do not themselves identify an individual as “having autism”.

Autism is a brain disorder whereby the neurological pathways of the brain are impaired resulting in the inability to process information properly or efficiently. The behaviors that we observe to make a diagnosis of autism are simply strategies that an individual has adopted to cope in some way with this difficulty.

Basically, this means that individuals with a diagnosis of autism are not able to adequately organize themselves based on the environmental feedback they are receiving. Individuals with a diagnosis of autism don’t behave, act or respond in typical ways because the information they need to be able to do this simply isn’t being processed or because it is being processed differently.

Life requires multiple processing abilities. One must be able to monitor their environment, receive

The Minute Mag’s Purpose:

and interpret various information through the five senses and determine what action to take.

This is a continuous process that requires the ability to engage in rapid, simultaneous, multiple processing.

Unfortunately, dynamic information processing is necessary to become a competent social partner, problem solver, flexible thinker, and appraiser of information.

When one’s system struggles to process all the dynamic information available at any given moment, one attempts to develop strategies to help either process better (typical development) or avoid/block out some of this incoming information. Because the brain is an experience dependent organism, it is the avoiding, the blocking out, and the differences in how information is received in general that ultimately thwarts a child’s development and puts them on a path to a disordered diagnosis.

Historically speech therapy, occupational therapy, and behavioral therapy (most often in the form of Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA therapy but more recently in the form of what is referred to as verbal behavior therapy or VB) are commonly recommended to families to help alleviate some of the symptoms often associated with a diagnosis

of autism. Although each of these interventions have merit, the issue is that none of them are systematically attempting to help individuals get better at what they are not good at… rapidly processing complex information. This is where RDI fits into the puzzle.

Relationship Development Intervention, RDI®, is an intensive and systematic familytraining program based on the most recent developmental and cognitive research. One agreed upon fact regarding intervention for individuals with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, ASD, is that intensive intervention within the person’s natural environment provides the most effective results (Howlin, 1997) In line with these findings, the objective behind RDI® is to empower family members and other primary caregivers to create daily opportunities for growth and discovery by creating moments throughout the day and “living the RDI® lifestyle” versus life driven by chaos and crisis management and interrupted by therapy. Feeling comfortable doing “RDI® on the Fly” takes time, but as parents and other caregivers are guided through their individualized objectives they become better at identifying moments throughout the day that are critical for their

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire. loved one’s cognitive growth.

At the same time, parents learn how to recognize productive and unproductive levels of challenge and how to adjust their responses, the environment, or the activity for learning to occur.

Over time, parents are providing hundreds and hundreds of “learning” moments throughout the day and their loved one is responding because of the inherent power of the parentchild relationship.

Thus, communication, flexible thinking, awareness, problem solving, behavior and overall general quality of life improve while family stress decreases. The idea is remediation (improvements in an individual’s ability to process complex information), not simply compensation (improvements in isolated skills such as basic abilities to request and respond to simple questions).

RDI® is dedicated to addressing five very specific areas of difficulty experienced by ALL individuals with a diagnosis of ASD. In the field of autism we have long been trapped in the realm of teaching skills and compensations to help people get by, somehow believing that we could not effectively address the underlying problems that prevent an individual with a diagnosis of autism from attaining typical development (including social relationships).

Until recently, we had not investigated what the potential is for actually improving these difficulties to the point where they are no longer an obstacle to things like genuine friendships, rewarding employment, and independent living. RDI® addresses each area at the level of the individual since we know that these areas are all present in people with a diagnosis, but are present in different ways and intensities.

These five areas are: Dynamic Analysis is the process of evaluating information in our environment on a momentto-moment basis. It involves picking out the important features and placing less emphasis on peripheral aspects of the environment or interaction.

“Good enough” thinking is a major focus of dynamic analysis and requires one to accept less than perfection. Such a skill allows for a person to participate in an interaction, no matter the simplicity or complexity.

Experience Sharing is the goal of most human communication (no matter one’s verbal ability). The purpose is to share observations, ideas, thoughts, memories, plans, perspectives and predictions with another person.

It calls for both people to have the desire to know something about, or share with, another person.

Experience sharing communication begins with sharing moments nonverbally (facial expressions, gestures,

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body movement) and works towards encouraging flexible thinking and inviting another person to reciprocate.

Program educates and coaches parents how to specifically address autism in their child, it is highly cost effective.

Episodic Memory is a representation we form of an event in our lives, strongly anchored by an emotional appraisal of that episode, which we use to form a sense of ourselves and to anticipate the future. The critical component is that the event and meaning are organized around an emotional experience.

How did I become certified in RDI®?

Flexible Problem-Solving calls for the ongoing monitoring of a problem and altering solutions based on current effectiveness.

A person who can rapidly adjust to circumstances that suddenly change is able to think in a relative manner depending on the circumstance and is capable of managing uncertainty and the anxiety that accompanies it. This can be seen most in people who rigidly follow schedules or those that have to do an activity in the same manner every time.

Self–Awareness means developing a coherent sense of self that is unique and continues to grow.

Self-awareness encompasses behavior regulation, self-evaluation and emotional regulation.

Who would benefit from RDI®?

RDI® is appropriate for any individual who is experiencing difficulty processing complex information, regardless of diagnosis or lack thereof. It can benefit individuals, regardless of their communication ability, cognitive ability, or their age.

Although RDI is often identified as an intervention appropriate for individuals with a diagnosis of autism, this family training focused approach has been found extremely effective in helping parents facilitate their child’s development regardless of specific diagnosis.

This is what some families are saying: “RDI has given us, the parents, the power to guide our daughter’s growth. We are able to work with her and provide her with real world opportunities to learn from everyday. Our daughter has become so connected with us and others that I almost feel like I have a typical child. We never thought we would be able to say that.” Cindy and Stephen, parents to 6 year old.

Is RDI® expensive?

Now more than ever families are watching where money is going, so it should relieve families to know that RDI® follows the old saying: “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime.”

Because the RDI®

Throughout my life I have faced the conclusion of one endeavor by beginning a new one before the previous one has a chance to actually conclude. I think perhaps I have always chosen to do this because the uncertainty involved in “what next” was too much to process. Therefore, if I had a “new plan”, a new direction in which to go – I did not feel so overwhelmed by the “what next” inherent in concluding each life journey.

I chose my current profession (speech pathology) on a whim.

I was transferring to LSU and wanted to take a sign language course but was told that these classes were reserved for “COMD MAJORS” (I learned later that this meant students studying Communication Sciences and Disorders). So I decided to register as one of these “COMD majors” so that I could take the class…why not right?? After completing my junior year, I quickly started planning for graduate school.

Not because it was something I always wanted to do but because I wasn’t quite sure yet what I wanted to do when I grew up and graduate school allowed me to postpone thinking about this for a few more years. When my Masters program looked like it, too, was coming to an end, I decided to head off in pursuit of a PhD… not so much because it was something I always wanted to do but because, once again, I just wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I grew up and the uncertainty inherent in having a degree (Masters in Communications Sciences and Disorders) without a clear idea of what I would do with it was just too much to handle.

As I rounded the final lap of my doctorate program I once again began to fill that panic…a symptom of the uncertainty I felt not knowing quite yet what it was I wanted to do with the rest of my life. So I once again looked for another door to open before my current one had the chance to close behind me. This time it was certification in an innovative approach to working with children with autism that caught my eye.

I was introduced to Relationship Development Intervention or RDI during my masters program when I shadowed a little boy at his preschool. His parents were “doing RDI” with him and they provided me a brief introduction to this new approach. However, it was not until I just so happened to attend a 2 day introduction by the psychologist who developed the RDI program, Dr. Steve Gutstien, that I met my now dear friend and colleague Amy

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Cameron. While collecting data for my dissertation, attempting to write my comprehensive exams (only other phd students understand this misery), and planning a long distance wedding, I called Amy up one evening and talked to her for several hours about RDI. After a lengthy discussion that clarified many of my misconceptions and provided me insight into the world of autism from a professional’s view point, I decided to once again give into my panic and anxiety related to knowing that my doctorate journey would soon be over and I would be forced to think about “what next” and I signed up for the beginners training to be held in Houston Texas (there are a total of three-4 day trainings required for certification). On the day before my first training was to begin, I packed my bag and headed for the airport. I arrived at the airport only to discover that my flight was canceled and after several hours of attempting to rebook, I finally drove back home in hopes of catching the first flight out the next morning. I arrived at the training a ½ day late, ended up leaving a day early because of a mandatory evacuation of the Houston Area (Hurricane Rita was on her way), spent 22 hours in the car with two complete strangers (both of which were also hoping to become RDI certified at some point but were all “evacuating” at this point), and managed to get back home a day later than expected given all of my travel delimia’s once the coast was finally clear and the airports opened back up. I didn’t know then (and, given the circumstances surrounding my trip to Houston this go around, would never have guessed) but this would be my first glimpse at my “what now”!

I’m not sure when the moment was…I tend to credit Steve Gutstein’s lecture on “what is autism” that he gave that first day of my beginning training (the half I managed to attend!). All I know is that at some point, the anxiety and the panic subsided.

I began to feel confident and this competence is what has held me strong when on occasion the fear and panic has attempted to resurface. I love my job. I love the families that I work with. I am privileged and honored and humbled each time a family chooses to put their trust in me and allow me to be a part of their child’s life and their family’s life.

I know I am making a difference and this is very empowering. I am the lucky one. I have found my “what now” and I am a certified RDI Consultant!

------------------------------------------Contact Vicky Roy, Ph.D. by emailing The Minute Magazine at theminutemagazine@gmail.com.

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The Minute Mag’s Purpose: events in history but I believe if the Great Depression was remembered as the “Dust Bowl” then the recession of 2009-2010 could be remembered as the “Water Bowl”. I sure hope March brings sunny days so the many people who work outside can return to work.

are approaching March and March is traditionally the rainy season!

Long Hard Winter --------------------------

This has been a long hard winter and winter is not officially over. Let’s back up a few months, it started last fall with record amounts of rainfall.

October was like a monsoon season.

November was wet, Christmas Eve we had a flood and January was wet and cold. In February we had over five inches of snow. Now we

I’ve been in the timber business for the past 36 years and can’t remember a time it has ever been this wet. It’s not just the timber business of course.

It’s every business that is affected by the weather. A local contractor told me their crew had lost over 80 days since Labor Day 2009. Some of this work can be made up in the summer, but not this much work can be made up.

The weather doesn’t affect as many people now as it did a couple of generations ago. I remember my grandfather telling me of “hard winters” as he described them. A wet year was not measured in inches,

but how long water ran out of gopher holes after a rain. Even though the rain has affected our work it no longer affects our travel because we now have mostly paved roads.

Many years ago most roads were not paved. Grandpa told me back then there was a mud hole at the top of every hill and a washout at the bottom of every hill. Many of the hardships that Grandpa told me about were during the Great Depression. Even though there were heavy rains and floods during that time, the Great Depression will be remembered for the lack of rain. Many historians depict that era as the “Dust Bowl”.

Unemployment at that time was estimated at about twenty percent.

Today it is near ten percent. I’m not making a comparison of the two

Hard times are affecting everybody, some more than others. I hope everyone will treat the recession as a challenge and not be discouraged and realize that when it ends things will return to normal. And while we wait, here’s a little story that will help us keep our sense of humor.

One rare sunny morning a week or two ago one of our loggers had gotten cabin fever and went to the woods to check on his equipment. It was too wet to haul but he just had to get out of the house for a little while. While he was there on the job site he saw a dark object plowing through the ground in front of him.

After a closer look he realized it was the shadow of an airplane passing overhead. Now that’s wet! We all hope rainy weather will let up soon and return to normal and when it does, the ones affected by the wet weather can breathe a little sigh of relief and hope next year will be better.

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visited often when she first moved home but as the time passed our visits grew further and further apart.

Never far from my thoughts but life of course is just so busy or so we like to say. One Sunday morning I was reading the paper, I turned to the page, you know the one. there looking back at me I saw her beautiful smile. Once again the thought of this special friend had brought me to my knees for you see it was an invitation to tell her goodbye. As I write this article I have tears in my eyes because I vowed that moment to never let any of my friends ever doubt my love for them or what they bring to my life.

friend 1. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts. 2. A person whom one knows; an acquaintance. 3. A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.

-----------------------------------------------Reading the definition of this loosely spoken word I am overjoyed to tell you that many I have. However, they are not all created equal. And a friend I do my very best to be. Friends come in as large a variety as a box of Crayons. There is the bright red one that is bold and confident, the green one who is always jealous of you and everyone else, the yellow one who is always bright and cheerful no matter the circumstance, the black one who never really lets you into her world, the blue one who always has something going on causing her to be down or to bring you down or the brown one that is neutral on all grounds. Of course these are just a few, there are lots of colors out there and each with their own personality.

In my little corner of the world I am blessed to have many colors in my box. On my own canvas my personal color can change often.

To be honest I am sure if you asked any of my friends each one of them would choose a different color for me. Thinking on this and trying to figure out my true color I have come to the conclusion that I am a rainbow!

As most of us are, It just depends on what mood we are in as to which color we want to color with on any given day.

While gathering my thoughts for this article I pondered each of my closest friends. I realized that with each one I share different things. I do have one friend whom I share EVERYTHING with. I think each of us need that sort of confidant. If not for her I would most certainly have jumped off the

deep end long ago. She gave me a gift one time, a pillow, and on this pillow it says, You will always be my best friend, you know too much! So very true, and grateful I am for my dear sweet friend.

My other friends are just as dear to me but in very different ways. There is my prayer partner, shopping buddy, the friend who knows I grew up very poor, my manicure pedicure buddy, my nurse friend who I call and question with all of lifes ailments as if she were my own personal physician, the moms that my child goes to school with, my coffee/tea drinking buddy, the friend I only see twice a year, her birthday and mine and the list goes on and on. I have realized each of these friends only get a small piece of me. Does that make me any less of a friend to them or them to me?

Absolutely not! It just means that I don’t think they could handle all the colors in my rainbow. Some of them, combined, are not so pretty!

About ten years ago I had a life changing experience, a move to a small town was part of that. I was fortunate enough to meet a woman that would later become someone very dear to me. We remain friends today and because of her I met several other friends that have become like family. But I will tell you that moving to a small town in your thirties trying to build new friendships is not easy.

Beginning on this journey my new husband, who had lived in this town all of his life, proceeded to give me a list. Yes I said list. And on this list were several ladies that he explained to me as gentle as he could that I should avoid all together. Well me being the independent woman that I am, I told him very quickly that he would not dictate who I would or would not become friends with. So I set out building one friendship after another.

Before you know it I had a whole box of colors. They have become as

good a friend as the color in the box that is everyone’s favorite, you know the one the paper has been peeled back on, and you have to work really hard to even hold it to color with.

Yes, they are that good a friend, they are the best colors in the box! I have been blessed to make new, life-long friends later in life. I still have my old friends as well, and their colors have faded a bit simply because of life changes. It is the ones I am in constant contact with whose colors are the brightest. And now because of a certain social networking site that will remain nameless, I have been able to reconnect with lots of old friends. What fun that has been!

Nevermind the fact that my husband and child now say I have an addiction!

My response: if I have to be addicted to something, it might as well be this and magazines! It could be worse!

The days of having coffee on your neighbors front porch and watching the kids play in the yard have seemed to have passed us by. But a couple of times a year, one of the colors in my box manages to have us all over for a gathering around her pool. I cherish those moments.

Well, usually, as long as the colors black, green & blue stay on their best behavior.

I must share with you something that I am still not able to speak out of my mouth. But all the more appropriate to share here. There was a girl named Laura, a friend. We went to school together, shared weddings, babies, laughter and tears. I received a phone call from her one afternoon that took me to my knees. She had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer.

She was strong and braver than any other person I had ever known.

She had moved out of state but we managed to stay in constant contact with one another for many years.

One day she informed me she was moving home. I was overjoyed! We

Each of us have our favorite color.

Just because I am yellow and you are red doesn’t mean I am right and you are wrong. Mixed together they become orange and what a compliment to so many other colors that can be. I cherish every friend I have for many different reasons! I ask you to reconnect with old friends, don’t discount the friend who has hurt your feelings, send a text to the one who has a busy schedule and doesn’t think anyone notices and give that person you met at your friends dinner party last week a chance, they just might turn out to be the best friend you ever had! It is little things in life that make each of us different and allows us to compliment every other color in the box.

Disclaimer: The LIST my husband gave me 10 years ago, well ladies, I have to admit on some accounts he was right. I had to learn the hard way! I have chosen to leave out some names in this article because, Red would boast if I used her name, Green would be jealous if I did not include her, black would be mad if I left her out, yellow would annoy everyone with excitement if I included her and blue well if I left her out she would never let me forget it! And trust me they ALL will be calling me to find out which color they are after they read this article! And finally I chose to use Laura’s name because after all these years I still live with the guilt of not spending more time with her and I often wonder if she really ever knew how much I loved her and how much her friendship meant to me!

Make time for your friends, you need them as much as they need you.

-----------------------------------------------“I do not wish to treat friendships daintily, but with the roughest courage. When they are real, they are not glass threads or frostwork, but the solidest thing we know.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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The Minute Mag’s Purpose:

FOR GOOD MEMORIES, WE ARE THANKFUL

under the north side of the house.

This was where Daddy had built the extra bedroom for Rachel, the twins, and Judy. The room had ended up being about three feet up off the ground and made a perfect place to play on hot summer days.

I remember the dirt being cool, dry and sandy, since it seldom got wet and the sun could not reach there.

We would take our dolls and ‘play dishes’ under the house and play for hours. We were very confident in our ‘cooking’. At times we even sampled spoonfuls of the concoctions that we made to see if it “tasted” right.

O

ne of the favorite pastimes the young girls in our family had was making mud pies. There were two places that were special to us. One was right beside the driveway going to the garage and had a big holly bush growing there. The other was

When we played beside the driveway, we’d dig a hole in the ground and carefully scoop the dirt out to make a rounded bowl shape. We’d save the dirt that we removed. We’d scrounge around in the pile where Mama had burned the trash to find a tuna fish, or some other kind of can. Once it

was found, we’d take it to the water hydrant beside the garage and fill the can with water. Then we’d make our way slowly and carefully to our ‘bowl’ in the ground.

The next step was to find a sturdy stick, which we could use to stir our mixture. Some of the girls would look for flowers, colorful tiny rocks, or pretty weeds to decorate our baked goods. Another would stand on one of Daddy’s saw horses, run her hand under the edge of the rafters inside the garage until she felt a bird’s nest.

She would carefully remove one of the small birds’ eggs (never a robins’ egg) and bring it back to use in our cakes or cookies. It was only then that we would be ready to ‘cook’.

While one of us mixed the mud dough, another would look for cans or lids. We’d place our little cookies or pies on the lids and place them on a hot rock in the sun to bake.

Early the next day, we’d hurry outside to see if our cakes and pies were ready. We’d proudly set our not only delicious but also beautiful mud pie desserts out on a brick that we used for our table and dinner was served!

Today with toys easily bought, broken, misplaced, and soon forgotten, little girls miss developing their imagination while relaxing and playing in the world outside the walls of their homes. I know, because many a day was spent in the cool shade escaping from boredom, and the hot summertime sun. And many wonderful hours were spent outside our house having fun and making beautiful mud pie memories.

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire.

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The Minute Mag’s Purpose:

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire.

When

you live with autism every day, after a while you start to feel empty. This feeling encompasses so many aspects.

You can feel empty of friends, empty of feelings, empty of who you used to be, empty of spirituality, empty of meaningful things in your life. You have to give up so much to autism that you lose yourself. People need to feel fulfilled. It is human nature and if you go long enough feeling empty, you will start to break down, believe that you are totally alone.

So you seek out things to feel full.

I seek friendship the most, I think. I pursue it with such aggression I fear I become overwhelming to people so they eventually pull back and disappear. When I find someone I connect with, I can be a little pushy. But I have been deprived of that contact for so long, it’s almost foreign to me. I have given up or lost so many friendships along this journey that I lost count years ago.

People don’t always want to talk about the miniscule milestones that your child is making, they don’t want to talk about which therapies are the best for behavior modification, they don’t really care that teachers make you feel bad about things your child is doing. Oh, and heaven help the person that shows some interest and asks! They end up with an earful. We can go off on a tangent about almost anything autism related. People just want to have fun; a concept almost nonexistent to those of us living with autism.

I think, next, I seek spirituality. I lost that before autism, but since it has affected our lives so profoundly, I tend to seek answers as to why.

Why me? Why my child? You know, the biggies. So, is there something or someone out there that really has all these answers? My personal journey hasn’t revealed that person or entity to me as of yet. I have ventured out to several institutions seeking one that would make me feel whole – or fulfilled. One that would accept my child, without judgment and with open arms. I haven’t found that either, by the way. There are some I felt more comfortable with than others, but nothing has fit. I feel more fulfilled at home, in the back yard, soaking in all the life around me and being grateful that I simply breathe. However, isolation is what we are trying to get away from, remember?

Helping others going through the stages of autism makes me feel full.

Writing definitely fulfills me.

So, here, o b v i o u s l y, I have combined the two.

Again, this is an isolating activity. But I feel more like me than at any other time. I want to help.

I want to stop this feeling for others. I want to encourage them to do everything they can for their children, but remind them that they cannot n e g l e c t themselves.

APR / MAY 2010

If you do that, and you begin to slide into despair, you are doing your family no good. You must keep yourself healthy and happy. People forget about themselves along this road filled with stumbles, scrapes and huge obstacles. I also like to help people get their child all they can from their education. I am a fighter and I definitely encourage others to become one, too. Unfortunately, this road is fraught with people who will constantly seek to bring your child down and to belittle and demoralize them. People who think they cannot learn or do not deserve to learn. I say run these folks over, then for good measure, back up and run them over again. Talk about a sense of fulfillment.

Celebrate the tiny milestones, like

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your child realizing that you aren’t interested in the topic he incessantly talks about, or getting through an entire day without a screaming fit.

But, go out and seek people, places and things that can fulfill the other parts of your life. The parts that make you who you are. You can lose yourself in autism very quickly and easily – it consumes most of our time with endless doctor’s appointments, therapy appointments, staying on top of educational needs and concerns, and worry about what the future holds. If you have to ask for help, there is no shame in that. People must have love and friendships in their lives. For those of us living with autism, we must learn something that others do not. We must learn to balance on that fine line between helping our child with autism and the rest of the world. If you teeter too far into either one, the other suffers.

Oh, and if anyone ever finds out how to stay balanced on that line, I would greatly appreciate an answer.

Surround yourself with people who are genuine and loving. People who will support you in your low moments and hold you up in your greatest achievements. I am fortunate that this journey has only strengthened my relationship with my husband.

A lot of marriages suffer from the issues presented when autism enters their lives. I have one or two very good friends that are wonderful.

I am used to having so many more than that, but I will settle for those few that are happy to listen patiently as I cry or jump with joy along with me when I celebrate. There are very few people outside the world of autism that will “get” us, but when you find them, they are priceless.

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The Minute Mag’s Purpose:

BLUEPRINT FOR PRESERVATION Megan Lord holds an M.F.A in Historic Preservation and is finalizing an M.A. in Architectural History from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She lives and works in New Orleans and thoroughly enjoys exploring the city with her husband and son.

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Calling all Questions!

Have a question about preservation or old house repairs?

Send me an email at minutemagazine@ gmail.com. Each month Megan will feature a brief Q&A with real-world problems and practical solutions appropriate for your old house.

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Living in a historic home can be both inspiring and frustrating.

Beautifully crafted original details are reminders that hard work and pride in craftsmanship long outlast the easy and convenient methods of modern construction. But those same beloved original details can become bastions of frustration when skilled craftsmen are nowhere to be found and in-kind materials are beyond your budget. You want to make the right stylistic and material choices when repairing, restoring, or renovating your old home, but sometimes you need design guidance and financial assistance from preservation professionals.

Here’s a handy reference of Who’s Who on the federal, state, and local preservation levels and the resources they have to offer you.

The National Park Service (NPS) administers preservation programs on a federal level. Established in 1916 within the U.S. Department of the Interior, where it continues to reside today, the initial function of NPS was to manage historic sites that were too large for private preservation and protection.

Urban renewal, the interstate highway system, and large-scale public works projects of the 1950s and 60s triggered a rise in public interest in the preservation of the built environment. In response, Congress passed the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966, establishing the National Register of Historic Places, encouraging the formation of local historic districts, authorizing legislation to fund preservation activities, encouraging the establishment of State Historic Preservation Offices, and establishing an Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

You’re probably most familiar with the National Register Program, which has become one of the most prominent programs managed by the

National Park Service. Contrary to popular belief, the National Register is not a regulatory program; it does NOT offer protection for historic structures or tell you what you can and can’t do with your property. Rather, it is an inventory of significant buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts (determined by the National Register Criteria for Evaluation). Inclusion on the National Register ensures recognition of historic properties and consideration of adverse effects on those properties by any federally funded project. Of particular interest to historic homeowners, listing on the National Register makes the owner eligible to apply for federal grantsin-aid for preservation activities and federal tax incentives. In no way are a homeowner’s private property rights restricted by a listing on the register.

The National Register does not mandate paint colors or development, use, or sale of your property. As a historic property owner, you should consider it an honor and a benefit to be listed on the National Register or to live in a National Register Historic District.

When you’re ready to tackle a big restoration or renovation project, don’t pass up the federal tax credit incentives offered by NPS. In partnership with the IRS, NPS offers a 20% Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit for the rehabilitation of an income producing historic property.

A tax credit differs from an income tax deduction. While a deduction decreases the taxable amount of income, a tax credit decreased the amount of tax owed. That’s a big difference – one that can really benefit your budget when restoring a historic property.

The federal government officially manages the National Register and federal tax incentive programs approval in an effort to maintain a consistent structure for state preservation activities. It grants final approval to National Register and tax credit candidates. It is the job of the

State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to act as a link between the programs of the federal government and preservation activities on the local level.

The application process for the National Register begins in the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). SHPO National Register staff will assists homeowners and preservation consultants in the application process, providing comments and suggestions for improvement before the application is reviewed by the State Review Committee.

Once approved by the State Review Committee, the application will be sent to the National Park Service for final approval.

Louisiana maintains an excellent online database of all National Register properties in the state. Search by city, parish, or resource name to find out more about National Register properties in your area. See Websites and Resources list below for a link.

The State of Louisiana also offers two state tax credits for historic preservation activities as well as a tax abatement program. Both can be used in conjunction with the federal preservation tax credits. Income producing properties located within a Downtown Development District or Cultural District may apply for a 25% Commercial Tax Credit.

Historic homeowners with structures located in a National Register district, a local historic district, a Main Street district or individually listed on the Register are eligible for a 25% Residential Rehabilitation Tax Credit.

Both state tax credits have minimum expenditure amounts, and can be extremely helpful in securing funding for a large restoration. Under the Restoration Tax Abatement program, property taxes on a restored building can be frozen at the pre-improvement level for a period of five years. Unlike the tax credits, there is no minimum expenditure amount, making this program attractive and available to nearly any historic homeowner with

their eye out to save money and improve their property.

Both state and federal tax incentives have been instrumental in promoting the preservation of historic structures of all styles, enhancing property values, and restoring the character and integrity of our historic downtowns and neighborhoods.

The Louisiana SHPO is your first point of contact for state and federal tax credit applications, forms, and additional eligibility information.

When first established by Congress as a result of the 1966 Historic Preservation Act, SHPOs were tasked with conducting a survey of all historic properties within their state. This enormous task has been downscaled due to budget cuts.

SHPOs today strive to document the most significant properties in the state and provide funding for local areas to conduct their own surveys.

Like the National Park Service, State Historic Preservation Offices are not regulatory agencies. While they provide assistance and advice to local preservation commissions, whose job it is to regulate and protect the historic resources in their community, they leave it to local governments to develop ordinances that best protect their historic structures as they see fit.

Federal and state programs provide the framework for preservation activities, but preservation actually comes to life on the local level.

Local preservation power lies largely in the hands of your city’s Historic District Commission. (Unfortunately, not all cities are preservation minded and not all have Historic District Commissions.)

It’s the job of the commission to develop and implement an ordinance that will govern preservation-related activities in the city. All construction on landmark buildings and in historic districts must apply for a Certificate of Appropriateness prior to starting work. Homeowners are able to work directly with commission officials

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire. and propose changes and repairs to their property. These alterations will be reviewed and either approved or rejected, allowing the municipality to screen all changes to structures in their historic districts before they occur. This voice of authority and power to oppose inappropriate alterations is instrumental in keeping the character of a historic district intact. New Orleans has two established local Historic District Commissions with a welldeveloped set of guidelines and approval process: the Vieux Carré Commission and the Historic District Landmarks Commission.

Cities with Historic District Commissions may be eligible for the classification of Certified Local Government (CLG), which more closely links the local government to the SHPO and enables eligibility for federal and state preservation grant funding. Such CLG grant funding is often used for historic area and archeological surveys, staff support, development of design guidelines and preservation ordinances, preparation of preservation plans or bricks-and-mortar preservation work, just to name a few. Currently 47 CLG communities exist in Louisiana. See Websites and Resources list below for a link to the complete listing.

Whether you’re applying for federal or state tax credits or a Certificate of Appropriateness from your local historic district, the work you do on your historic structure will be required to follow federal rehabilitation standards. Known as the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation (think The Ten Commandments of Preservation) this list of guidelines governs interior and exterior alterations, repairs, and additions to historic structures. You can request a copy of the Standards from NPS, but I’ve paraphrased them for you below: 1. If you’re going to change the use of a historic building, make sure that’s all you change. Defining architectural details that characterize the historic use of the building and its site should never be removed.

2. Original architectural features and historic materials provide character and are of higher quality (not to mention much more valuable) than any replacement you can buy. It’s best to keep them intact.

3. If you want to add an addition to your historic building, it should be distinct from the original structure.

A building is a physical timeline of history and a new addition should blend with the old in scale and proportion, but be recognized as new construction.

4. Some changes that were made to a building throughout its history have gained merit in their own right and record the lifespan of the structure.

Use discernment when removing them, if you remove them at all.

5.

Preserve distinctive details.

Removing brackets from an Italianate house or columns from a grand Greek Revival strips the house of its distinctive style.

6. If an original feature has been damaged, REPAIR it using the same

materials. If it’s beyond repair (check with an old house professional, not a new construction contractor) try to find a salvaged piece that matches in design, color, texture, size, and material.

Replacing the feature should be your last option.

7. DO NOT use harsh chemical treatments on delicate historic materials. Generally, sandblasting anything old is a threat to its demise.

Clean using the gentlest means possible. Bleach is NOT gentle.

8.

Don’t intentionally disturb an archeological site, but notify authorities if you unearth something of interest!

9.

New additions should be compatible with the original structure in massing, size, scale and features.

No historic materials should be harmed during construction.

10. Additions should not alter the form and integrity of the original structure. An addition should be able to be removed, without impairing the form of the original structure.

Take the Standards into consideration as you plan your next preservation project and draw upon the resources described above for additional advice and expertise. Be creative in your search for funding and advice.

Local historic societies and nonprofits are also great advocates for historic preservation efforts that may also provide valuable educational resources for the historic homeowner.

Use the information in this article to help you navigate the system, but remember that each preservation project is an adventure all its own.

Bon voyage!

Up Next: A Ruston reader writes in with an excellent question about how to stop her lovable but leaky wood windows from, well, leaking. Be sure to check out my next article dedicated to windows. Whether painted shut or barely working, I’ll tell you why your historic windows (even in bad shape) are more valuable than replacement windows.

You’ll learn how old windows can be restored and easily made more energy efficient. Before you opt for vinyl make sure you have all the facts! Websites and Resources: • National Register of Historic Places: http://www.nps.gov/ history/nr/index.htm • Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives: http://www.nps. gov/history/tax.htm • Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office (with links to State NR Database, State tax incentives, tax abatement, and CLG info): http://www.crt.state. la.us/HP/ • New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission: http:// www.cityofno.com/pg-99-1-hdlc. aspx • New Orleans Vieux Carré Commission: http://www. cityofno.com/pg-59-1-vieuxcarre-commission.aspx • Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation: http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/ tps/tax/rehabstandards.htm

APR / MAY 2010

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APR / MAY 2010

The Minute Mag’s Purpose:

The White Elephant

by Galen White

Guess it’s a good thing some of us are hardheaded!

BEE’S NEST BUSINESS ------------------------------------------------

O ne hot summer day, way back when my only concerns were

occupying my time with something fun to do, I found myself playin’ around our hay barn. I’m pretty sure I was in my Tarzan mode, fightin’ off rabid lions and mankillin’ rinoseruses...., ryenoser..., man-killin’ monkeys.

One particularly large lion, eyes filled with fire and steam comin’ from his nostrils, seemed intent on makin’ a lunch outta me. As he crouched to leap in for the kill, I grabbed a piece of wood and cracked it over his noggin’ when he was in mid-leap. This, of course, didn’t kill him, but stunned him long enough for me to pull my rusty..., er, my trusty knife, and commence stabbin’ him to death.

Now, I know some of you are thinkin’ that I’ve either killed my dog, Dixie, or Mr. Virg White is now short one milk cow. Well, rest easy for neither one is the case.

This was an imaginary fight and no one lost any life, any blood, or any hide. Well, that ain’t exactly true ‘cause I lost a bit of hide when the piece of wood I swung broke and a chunk flew back and rapped me upside the head.

The cows standin’ ‘round hardly looked up at my antics, havin’ already learned to ignore the young freckle-faced human. They had passed the word ‘round that he might be noisy and aggafrettin’, but he wasn’t gonna hurt no one.

‘Bout the worst thing he would do is utter some unrepeatable words after steppin’ in -- or worse -- fallin’ in a pile of fresh cow manure. I can’t prove it, but I highly suspect the cows got a good laugh when that happened.

Anyway and after I had slain the man-eatin’ lion, I heard a slight buzzin’ noise. It was very faint, and I wasn’t too sure it wasn’t comin’ from between my ears after the chunk broke off and popped me on the noggin. I soon realized it wasn’t me that was buzzin’, but it seemed to be comin’ from the rafter that I had broken the piece of wood over.

With extreme caution I inched closer to the rafters. I used extreme caution ‘cause Tarzan wasn’t a fool; man-eatin’ lions and monkeys he could deal with; he didn’t know about the unknown.

What if it was some outer space creature like the one in the movie “Predator”?

By the time I was within a few inches of the rafter, the buzzin’ had stopped. Most everyone knows curiosity killed the cat (I told you I didn’t do it!), and it was a sure thing that I had a whole truck load of curiosity. So, I picked up the chunk of wood that had broken off, and again hit one of the rafters. Sho’ ‘nuff, I heard the buzzin’ again. Upon closer inspection and right where the buzzin’ was comin’ from, I spied a

hole in the wooden beam.

As I watched the hole, the buzzin’ slacked off and finally stopped.

Another rap on the rafter and the buzzin’ began anew. It only took a few minutes of my hittin’ the rafter and the buzzin’ buzzin’ afore a great big bumble bee backed outta the hole my eye had been glued to.

Now, Tarzan or not, ol’ Galen wasn’t hangin’ ‘round long enough to see if the bee was mad or not.

Tarzan could handle fightin’ rabid lions and man-eatin’ monkeys, but ol’ Galen had felt the sting of a bee before and as a result, had no hankerin’ whatsoever to feel another one. Quicker’n Tarzan could swing from one tree to another, I lit a shuck outta the neighborhood and toward safer territories.

Later on, I told my dad of the encounter with the bee hive in the rafter. He explained that it wasn’t a hive, but these were carpenter bees. Of course, I knew what a carpenter was ‘cause my dad was a better’n average one, and two of my brothers were well-known

for their home buildin’ abilities. Dad explained that carpenter bees bored a hole into wood and set up house in the hole. To me, though, a bee was a bee was a bee, and bees would sting you if given half a chance.

As I began this article and thinkin’ of the carpenter bees of yore, I also began to wonder about the bees one sees flyin’ around the house in the springtime.

You know the ones I’m talkin’ about ‘cause they have a big ol’ white spot right between their eyes; hence, the “white faced bumble bee”. You may also have heard the white faced bee cannot sting. It was always fun for me to capture one, tie a thread around its midsection, and let him lead me around on his “leash”.

All this thinkin’ made me do a little research, and I was surprised to discover the white faced bee and the carpenter bee are one and the same. And, it’s true the male bee of this species cannot sting as he does not have a stinger.

However, the female can sting if you tick her off. Kinda reminds you of the human female, don’t it!

Anyway, it just goes to show you, you are never too old to learn something. Still, white faced or not, bees and me just don’t see eye to eye. A bee’s nest can mean serious business, and the memories of their sting can last a lifetime.

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire.

APR / MAY 2010

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I n most winters it is not unusual to see some of the butterlies that overwinter in the adult stage flying about seeking nectar.

With the protracted cold we had this year, I went for weeks without seeing even one. The butterflies do not need food in their state of suspended animation but when they do come forth on warm, sunny days, they welcome nectar sources. Any of the winter bloomers such as pansies, violas and dianthus are good as well as those few straggling blooms that appear on homestead verbena even in the winter.

Some of our common butterflies that spend the winter in hibernation as an adult are cloudless sulphur, dainty sulphur, sleepy orange, mourning cloak, comma, question mark, painted lady, American painted lady, red admiral and buckeye. While this list is not all-inclusive, it may leave you wondering where and how can these delicate creatures can survive the cold. You know that brushpile you left for the birds? Good shelter for the butterflies also. Other overwintering sites can be in an open storage building, under loose tree bark, in crevices of rotting logs and even in rock piles. To weather the cold, the butterflies will have accumulated extra sugar in their blood which acts as antifreeze. Think about it. When you store extremely sugary foods in the freezer they don’t freeze solid.

With the first warm days as spring approaches, butterflies will become active again in whatever form they spent the winter. There are four stages in the metamorphosis of a butterfly: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and finally the adult butterfly. The species determines in what stage they overwinter.

In order to attract an abundance of butterlies of many different species, it is necessary to provide host plants as well as nectar sources. Host plants are those on which the females lay their eggs and on which the caterpillars feed. If such plants are not available, you can expect many of the visiting butterflies to eat and run. Try not to emulate the lady who once told me, “I don’t want those old worms eating up my plants; I just want the butterflies.”

Remember the words of the song Love and Marriage? You can’t have one without the other.

Some butterfly species will accept a wide variety of host plants while others are picky picky. For instance, monarchs use milkweeds while gulf fritillaries choose only passion vine.

As trees are used as hosts for many butterfly and moth species, you may already have some growing in your yard or nearby. Good ones include oak, willow, ash, hackberry, tulip poplar, wild cherry, redbud, dogwood and sassafras. Even the loathful mistletoe on trees is the sole host plant of the beautiful great purple hairstreak.

At the Claiborne Parish Fairgrounds in Haynesville, Louisiana, site of the annual butterfly festival which is in its twelth year, we’ve planted many host trees on the spacious grounds.

But don’t despair if you’ve no room for trees as there are many small herbaceous plants to satisfy your butterflies. Listed below are some host plants and the butterfly species that utilize them.

TREES AND SHRUBS Ash -- tiger swallowtail Dogwood -- spring azure Hackberry -- hackberry butterfly, mourning cloak, snout, question mark Oak -- red-spotted purple, many hairstreaks, skippers and moths Pawpaw -- zebra swallowtail Prickly ash -- Giant swallowtail Sassafras -spicebush and palamedes swallowtail Tulip poplar -- tiger swallowtail Wafer ash (hop wafer) -- giant

The Minute Mag’s Purpose:

swallowtail Willow -- mourning cloak, red-spotted purple, tiger swallowtail, viceroy

HERBACEOUS PLANTS Aster -- pearly crescentspot Fennel, parsley, Queen Anne’s lace, other members of the carrot family -- Eastern black swallowtail Hollyhock -- painted lady Milkweed (any native species plus Mexican milkweed) -- monarch, queen Partridge pea -- sulphur species Passion vine -- gulf and variegated fritillary Purple coneflower -silvery checkerspot Rue -- giant and Eastern black swallowtail Violets (including pansies and violas) -- fritillary species (except gulf fritillary, which isn’t a true fritillary) As you may have noticed, many of the host plants listed above double as nectar sources. Everybody gets fed.

In addition, among my favorite nectar plants are zinnia, lantana, buddleia, pentas, porterweed, verbena, yellow coneflower, cosmos, gaillardia, coreopsis, monarda and ironweed.

These plants are chiefly sun lovers as are the butterflies themselves.

However, there are several good choices for shady areas of a yard, among them impatiens, cardinal flower and Joe-pye weed.

Rather than nectar, some species of butterflies favor such indelicate things as rotting fruit, tree sap, carrion, manure, and urine-soaked areas. You might pass on some of the above but it’s easy to provide overripe fruit in a clay flowerpot saucer or such. I create an antdefying moat by placing the saucer in a larger one with water in it.

Butterflies are cold-blooded and cannot get airborne until they warm up their engines. A steppingstone placed in a sunny spot in the garden will radiate heat, allowing the butterflies a basking site for warming on cool mornings.

A puddling site is also welcomed in a butterfly garden. Male butterlies gather around damp areas, imbibing the moisture to extract the salts and other minerals which they transfer to the females during mating to be used in egg production. You can create a spot for puddling by offering sand either in a shallow container or simply on the ground, remembering to keep it damp. I often mix in a bit of aging manure to supply even more minerals. It does slow traffic and raise a few eyebrows when I venture out into a roadside cow pasture collecting.

Okay. You’re going to supply host and nectar plants, rotting fruit, and basking and puddling sites to attract many butterflies to your yard.

Now you need to avoid the use of pesticides. Not to do so would class you with those not averse to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. In addition, deadheading is vital to keep those blooms coming as butterfly populations are at their greatest in late summer into fall. The inclusion of asters, ageratum, ironweed, sunflower. goldenrod, Joe-pye weed and other fall bloomers in the garden will guarantee good nectar sources.

The butterfly festival, which will be September 11 this year, is scheduled to coincide with the increase in butterfly numbers. That, and the desire to have it after the beginning of school in order to involve the students. Early on, a journalist in New Orleans described the Haynesville Celebration of Butterflies as “a classroom for learning about nature.” Come learn with us.

-----------------------------------------------To contact Loice Kendrick-Lacy, email her at loicelacy@att.net or visit her online at www.Claiborneone.org.

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire.

APR / MAY 2010

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The Minute Mag’s Purpose:

the true confessions of an

ANTIQUE JUNKIE

by Donna Arender

H

ave you ever heard the saying “Grandmother’s are just antique little girls?” When I heard this for the first time, I immediately thought of my grandmothers. I could almost visualize them back in their childhood playing with their baby dolls. Maybe that’s one reason I’m so attracted to antique dolls. They have been loved, rocked and carefully tended to by someone who is now probably old and feeble with wrinkled hands and grey hair.

I love old antique and vintage toys of all types. My personal collection includes a primitive rocking horse, an old Texaco truck, a little pink sewing machine and toy cash register, child size telephone and quite a few dolls and teddy bears. I also have several hand-made, one of a kind cradles and doll beds that I have wagged home from some of my treasure hunting trips. Even though each toy is unique – the dolls and bears have to be my favorites. I know they must have brought comfort to some little child at one time in their life. They seem to have a story to tell if you look deep into their tired little eyes and listen closely with your heart.

I have one such doll that “spoke” to me many years ago when I was shopping at a flea market. I just happened to come across her in a booth of miscellaneous items. The dealer didn’t have any other dolls or toys, so I remember thinking that what he had was sure enough “junk”.

(And for me to be uninterested in his junk – it must have been pretty bad!)

I fell in love with the doll but decided that she was “too pricey” for me, so I left her there and continued on my way. But I just couldn’t quit thinking of her sweet little face, her tattered old dress, her “scarred” little hands and her well – worn shoes. What a hard life she must have had. I wondered where her “mother” was, if she was still alive. Was she in a nursing home somewhere or maybe living far away with relatives that now cared for her? The thought of that baby doll, all alone in the midst of

old musty clothes and rusty old junk, continued to haunt me all afternoon.

I knew I had to rescue her. I had to try my best to “adopt” her and bring her home.

I made my way back to the booth and began the adoption process….also called haggling. I know I couldn’t afford the price the man was asking.

He tried to give me the “What she’s valued at” sales pitch. But I stood my ground – pointing out all the “flaws”

she had which made her a lot less valuable. (Not really, but I used it in my favor since I was trying to get the best price.) After several offers and a few counter offers, I proudly walked away with the newest addition to my family of old toys.

Another favorite and perhaps the most primitive piece in my collection is a small little teddy bear. He’s definitely a one-of-a-kind treasure with his black button eyes and straw

stuffing. He’s estimated to be close a hundred years old – maybe older.

I was browsing in an antique mall several years back when I stumbled across him. It wasn’t “love at first sight” like it was with my doll. I carefully check him out and felt kind of sorry for the poor pitiful thing. His head is wobbly, he has a big hole in his left foot, and his right leg has been “bandaged” by masking tape that is so old it’s starting to crumble.

Price wasn’t even a factor in my

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire. decision to purchase him or not. He was very reasonably priced at just under $10. I just couldn’t make up my mind if I really like him or not.

But the more I looked at those little button eyes, the more he “grew” on me. In fact, I decided that he was so ugly that he was cute! So, off to the check out counter I went with my ugly little bear in tow. I’ll never forget the reaction Mike and McKensie had when I showed them my purchase.

They thought the word “ugly” was too kind of a word to describe the poor thing. But I didn’t let that stop me from liking him. Actually, the more I began to love the little guy. I walked around the house looking for the perfect place to display him. It took me several attempts, but I finally placed him in a doll-sized rocking chair. (The chair is also a handmade antique.) It was a perfect fit – like it was made especially for him. And that’s where he sits rocking the time away.

Next to “Teddy” is a book titled “Mr. Cinnamon Bear”. It was written in 1907, and is one of the sweetest stories I have ever read. The little girl in the story introduces her other toys to “Mr. Cinnamon Bear” by having tea party for them. Since my bear looks a lot like “Mr. Cinnamon Bear” it’s easy for me to imagine that he is the bear the story is written about.

I remember playing school with all my dolls and stuffed animals. I’d line them all up across my bed and read them stories, give them homework and have to “grade” their papers.

Other times, I’d wag them around on my hip, then feed them, change

them and gently rock them to sleep.

With the old toys and dolls that I collect now, I guess I’m still enjoying the “little girl” in me. I surround myself with the things that give me happy memories. From grandmothers, to mothers, to daughters, then to granddaughters - the circle continues.

Most little girls get that first taste of motherhood when they received their first doll or favorite bear.

I couldn’t end this story without telling you about Valerie. She was my daughter’s favorite toy and now a sentimental keepsake. McKensie got the little bear for Valentine’s Day when she was in first grade, and they immediately bonded. They went everywhere together, and for years Valerie even slept with her. Although a bit tattered and worn – Valerie is still a special member of our family.

I’ll never forget how sad I felt when I realized the McKensie no longer “needed” Valerie and was ready to pack her away. My little girl was all grown up, and Valerie wasn’t her compadre anymore.

Now that I am a grandmother, I realize just how quickly that time flies by. It’s hard to believe that my daughter is a mother. So I write this story as a celebration to all of the mothers out there. That motherly love probably stared when you were too young to appreciate what a mother’s love is really all about. And here’s to all the old toys, dolls and bears – that helps to “keep the little girl in us” no matter how old we get!

Happy Mother’s Day!

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Overcoming Success.

I used to have a drive inside of me. It was a drive to be “successful”.

It ate me up when I felt that I, my family, or my church were not where we should have been. I’m not cured of it. I relapse constantly. Maybe someone “you know” is like me.

Driven by success, willing to uproot and go, a ladder climber that quite possibly steps on a few people to be the first to the top.

You may wonder, “How exactly does a pastor climb the ladder?” Well, in previous generations (and in more traditional churches today) it was the same as any other business. You come to a church, help it to grow, make it better than the guy before you, then move to a bigger church.

I always thought that we pastors should stand out from that practice but it was just “how things worked”.

Today it isn’t too much different except that people start new churches instead of taking over someone else’s position. For many churches today it is about numbers and whether you can grow your church quickly and even possibly into what is commonly referred to as a megachurch.

Now, please, please, please understand something here. There is nothing wrong with any of these types of churches. I have started two churches myself. The problem lies within the motivation for starting these churches. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve actually heard future church planters say “I want to start a church in (fill in the city name

here) because they don’t have a megachurch!” Really? That’s your motivation? To be a star? To start a church that will have a lot of people?

Again, there isn’t anything wrong with a large church but if that is your motivation you’re jacked man! And you know what? You don’t get bonus points in Heaven for it. Personally, I prefer a pastor who cares about me and can help me with my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I prefer a pastor who looks at the spiritual health of his congregation more than the attendance number. I prefer a pastor who will tell me the truth even if he thinks I’ll leave the church. But that’s just me.

Perhaps you work in the business world and you never feel fulfilled with your current position so the hope is that the next position will bring the satisfaction you are looking for. The pursuit of success isn’t fun. And then when we achieve it we find out that all the work that was supposed to bring the fun didn’t actually deliver and we missed out on life in the pursuit!

Then one day you die. I know you’re thinking “Whoa, dude that came out of left field!” But, seriously. It actually all comes down to the date that God calls your number. You know what you take with you during that visit?

Nothing, nada, nunca. As the saying goes “You never see a hearse pulling a U-haul.”

Think about this. You don’t even get to take the clothes you’re buried in.

Morbid, I know, but I’m making a point here. This is reality. Not only do you not take any material items but you don’t take any of your achievements either! That golf tournament you won, no one in heaven cares. That incredible presentation that landed the big honkin’ contract, unimportant.

That time you managed to slip into the White House State Dinner, well, you may have to answer for that one actually. This is why people are shocked when they realize that the

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bible is clear that being good doesn’t get you into Heaven.

During the overwhelming task of planting our first church, I came to realize that nothing I achieve here goes with me.

But at the same time I had a verse from the bible that kept popping up in my head. It was in the book of Matthew in chapter six, “19Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them.

20Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them.

21Your heart will always be where your treasure is.” All of a sudden these few verses were eating me up. I mean, I had a rocket arm when I played baseball (could be an exaggeration) but I can’t launch my stuff into my personal storage unit in heaven, you know?

We are working too hard on the wrong problem. Instead of working our tails off for ourselves or the things that are temporary (even if that means 80 years temporary) why don’t we work our tails off for things that are eternal and will be useful in Heaven? So your next question is, “What would that be?” The bible says that only a few things get to Heaven.

First, our relationship with our Heavenly Father through Jesus.

This is what He asks us to believe.

Second, sharing that relationship with others. Please don’t be a bible beater or dogmatic with this. It isn’t what God wants. Do it with love. But if you truly follow Jesus, He asks us to be obedient in doing this. Third, living out a life that pleases God. We do this by following His leading through the Holy Spirit. Now, I’m not sure how this stuff gets stored but it does and it translates into eternal treasure when we meet God face to face.

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So ask yourself where your “heart” is.

Or better yet what is your “treasure”?

Is it anything that you can’t take with you? Then you need to refocus. You need to focus on believing God is who He says He is, on obeying what He asks of us, and on following the example that He gave by sending Jesus from Heaven to earth. When you focus on those things “success” will fade away. And it’s funny how overcoming success will run us right into eternal treasure.

Jason McReynolds is the pastor of New Orleans Community Church.

He and his wife, Liev, have three children.

To

learn more about him, or NOCC, visit: www.neworleans community church.com

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This isn’t going to be easy for

me. But what I’m about to say is for your own good- even if it might be a bit painful for me during the process. You see, I’m a neurotypical.

My son’s not. And this is our story.

-------------------------When my baby boy was a year old, he had a favorite toy. But there was something strange about his toy- you see, it wasn’t a toy at all. It was a bottle cap. More specificially, it was the lid to an old tube of M&M’s that he had been given for easter. The lid was shaped like a baseball cap, and on top of it was a tiny spinner. It looked like one of the hats worn by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in the Alice in Wonderland movie that I watched as a child. And my son loved that bottle cap.

I remember how he looked, sitting in the back seat of my Jeep Liberty with his blonde hair shining in the sunlight, while he spun the cap in his hands.

He carried it with us everywhere we went. If we were in Walmart, the cap was with us. He clenched it in between his chubby fingers as he went to sleep every night. Every morning, he would wake up and immediately begin to spin it again. I remember thinking the word autism as I watched him spin that cap. His habit seemed more like an obsession- he

had to spin it. And I was more than a little afraid of the implication. But my fears were relieved when my son began to speak. His vocabulary took off at the speed of light- and though he had been late to talk, he made up for it very quickly.

By the age of two, I noticed that my son was very “independant.” He had the opposite of separation anxietythere were no teary-eyed goodbyes when I left him behind with a babysitter. And there were no “I missed you, Mommie” moments when I returned to pick him up, either. Years later, I look back on that time in our lives and wonder why I didn’t piece it all together. But to be perfectly honest, it wasn’t my fault. Because I didn’t know it was possible- I didn’t know that Asperger’s Syndrome was possible. But I was about to find out.

By age three, I sensed that something was different about my child.

He had been obsessed with building towers out of lego blocks, spinning the wheels of toy cars, and loved to make animal noises. All of these habits pointed toward the autistic spectrum, but I shrugged the signs away because of my child’s verbal abilities. He was smart- really, really smart. His ability to problem solve was evident when he was given a puzzle. He could find complex patterns and point them out in a matter of seconds, and I was certain that he was a genuis. To be perfectly honest, I’m still certain that he’s a genius.

After all- he is my child. That’s what I’m supposed to think, right?

Fast forward a few years. My son’s first day of Kindergarten came and went, and I found myself worried

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about my baby. Would he be okay at school without me? I couldn’t shake the feeling that the answer to that question was no. But at the same time, I couldn’t explain why I felt that way.

The confirmation came a few weeks after school began in the fall of 2007.

“Your son is being disruptive again,” said a sweet little lady that had been volunteered to teach my son’s Sunday School class. The words were familiar to me. My husband and I had heard them a lot during the years leading up to Kindergarten.

“We can’t keep him in class with the other kids anymore, Mrs. Lewis.

You’ll have to take him with you,” his teacher continued. And the words stabbed me through the heart. So I did what came natural- I became furious with his Sunday School teacher.

“Maybe he has ADHD,” she said in an attempt to calm my nerves. “Take him to his doctor and explain to her that your child is out of control in the classroom, throws rocks at the other children, and covers his ears during music time.”

I knew what she thought. I had thought it, too. My son seemed like a brat. But we hadn’t raised him to be a brat, so it didn’t make sense.

There had to be another explanation- a reason that my child acted one way at home, and a completely different way when we were in public. So I took the teacher’s advice and made an appointment with my child’s doctor.

I wish that I could say the rest was easy. But to be perfectly honest, it hasn’t been. Six months after my child was “dismissed” from his Sun-

day School classroom, we were given the diagnosis. My child has Asperger’s Syndrome. He is on the autistic spectrum. And he is brilliant. But I am writing this article to give you the one thing I didn’t have early on, and that is knowledge. I didn’t know that one out of every one hundred and ten children has a form of autism. I didn’t know that early diagnosis makes an enormous difference. But you are going to know.

Because I am sharing our story with you for one reason: you need to know about the autistic spectrum.

Because chances are, it affects you or someone that you know.

No two people are the same. And people on the autistic spectrum follow this rule. But there are a few characteristics that bind them closely together, and I’ll list a handful of them for you now: lack of empathy, social awkwardness, inability to understand facial expressions, poor posture, issues with eye contact, narrow topics of interest, repetitive motor behaviors, hand flapping, obsessive routines, and “formal” language skills.

For us, the moment that we found out our child has Asperger’s Syndrome was profound. I remember being very excited to finally know what we were dealing with. But eventually, my excitement gave way to fear. I became overwhelmed with the “what ifs” that surrounded the diagnosis. What would my son do if he couldn’t connect with other people on an emotional level? What would happen to him if he never learned to appreciate what I consider to be the finer things in life- like sarcasm, humor, music or analogies? The an-

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire. swers to these questions still lingers in the back of my mind. But there is something much more profound that also mixes in with my worries.

You see, I’ve been given a gift. God gave me an amazing son, and it is my responsibility to raise him to be all that he can be. And I do not take him for granted.

Ray Stevens wrote an amazing song and recorded it in 1970. It’s entitled Everything is Beautiful, and it sums up the way I feel about autism. It begins with a very basic message: “Everything is beautiful. In it’s own way.” Then it goes on to say, “There is none so blind, as he who will not see. We must not close our minds, we must let our thoughts be free. For every hour that passes by, you know the world gets a little bit older. It’s time to realize, that beauty lies, in the eye of the beholder.”

I love the words to that song. It has taught me a lot about myself. As a beholder of the autistic spectrum, sometimes I feel overwhelmed.

When my son is having a difficult day, I feel like a soldier in the heat of a battle. And at times, I’m not on the winning side of the line. But there are also moments that show me how beautiful the human mind can be. There is no clear-cut formula

that makes the human mind tick. We cannot attribute the same inherent characteristics to any two people and then label those qualities as “normal.”

We are not all given equal amounts of emotional intelligence. And though this concept was very difficult for me to grasp, I’m glad to know it now. Because I am a neurotypical- a person that thrives on emotion. I understand my feelings, and I celebrate them.

But now, I also appreciate them. Because if I’ve learned anything over the last few years, it’s that I shouldn’t take my ability to have empathy for granted.

My child has a few issues with socialization- that’s certainly true. He often misunderstands what I mean when I give him a look that should make him change his behavior. If he’s being obnoxious in a restaurant and I gently kick him underneath the table, he doesn’t take the social cue and adjust his behavior. He turns to me and asks, “Mom, why did you kick me?”

The two of us are quite the duo. I didn’t realize how many times that, as a mother,I relied on implications.

The stern look from me that should serve as an indication my child needs to be quiet simply means that Mommy is making a strange face. Facial expressions do not convey the same meanings to a child on the spectrum.

He’s not going to suddenly under-

APR / MAY 2010 stand that Mommy is angry simply because she raised her right eyebrow and tensed her mouth. I have to verbalize my thoughts instead of relying on facial expressions- “Baby, I’m mad at you because you’re not listening.” Then he understands what my raised eyebrow symbolizes.

Asperger’s isn’t easy. My son is overstimulated when he’s surrounded by loud noises, often revolts when he is introduced to new foods or textures, and he sometimes makes me want to pull my own hair out when he seems out of control. But I’m learning that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. For a long time, I wanted to scrub away my child’s weaknesses. But then I began to realize that instead of focusing on what was “wrong” I should be celebrating what is “right.” And when it comes to my baby, there are plenty of things that are right.

For one, he’s very smart. His rock collection began when he was only two years old. He would sneak rocks from the playground and place them in a neat pile underneath his bed.

Over the years, the collection had to be placed in rubbermaid containers. Now he proudly displays them all over my house. As I type this article, there are seven rocks lined up

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in a row on the pie safe in my kitchen. Each one is special- and my boy will tell you why. I now know more about rocks and minerals than I ever wanted to know, but it’s fun to have my eight year old teach me about his favorite subject. One day, he says, he will be a great geologist. And when he tells me that, I believe him.

Because people on the autistic spectrum have already made significant contributions to the world. You have heard of many of them- great people like Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Isaac Newton, and Benjamin Franklin. They were given the gift of brilliance, and combined that with a lack of social fear. They knew that their ideas would work, and it never occurred to them that the world might disapprove of their lofty goals. So instead of worrying about what people might think about them, they simply set out to achieve their goals. What an amazing world we would all live in if we applied the same technique to our own fears.

My son is a second grader now.

Though he’s not a “neurotypical” (someone NOT on the spectrum), he celebrates the fact that he’s an “Aspie.” If you suspect that someone in your life might be on the autistic spectrum, talk with your doctor. Because early diagnosis is very important.

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Confessions of a Hormonal Woman:

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by Elizabeth Drewett

Goals, progress, and a non-runner’s venture into the running world

I’m a big fan of goal-setting. My mother cultivated this idea in my brain from childhood. She always said, “Elizabeth, you’ll always do better if you are shooting for a goal.”

So from my earliest remembrances, I have had a goal. And it’s when I haven’t had a goal in mind that my life becomes a little derailed. When my mom notices my derailment, she will always ask, “So what’s your goal?”

Sometimes I have no answer.

One thing I love about getting older is gaining wisdom. And I now truly appreciate the wisdom of my mother’s words. And in November of last year, I decided to set a goal.

When spring rolled around in 2010, I wanted to wear the clothes that stayed in the back of the closet last year. However, one thing I’ve learned about myself over the years is that I cannot diet. It won’t last. For me, it’s about a healthy lifestyle.

I am a healthy eater. But the big issue for me (and most women my age) is the exercise issue. I love to walk. But it just wasn’t enough. I have always wanted to be a runner (there’s nothing more beautiful than a lean runner’s body) but one ache from a knee was all I needed to quit.

And then....the opportunity arose to have THE GOAL. I am on the advisory council for Healthy Woman at Northern LA Medical Center in Ruston, Louisiana.

During a meeting with the Healthy Woman Coordinator, Audrey Buskirk, we were brainstorming ideas to help women become more educated on being healthy. With the new year rapidly approaching (our meeting was

in November 2009), we were seeking to create some sort of event or series of events that would help motivate women to pursue their fitness and nutrition resolutions they might make at the beginning of the new year. You know. THE RESOLUTION. I think I have made that resolution every year for the last 20 years. The lose weight resolution. Ugh. I said it out loud. I HATE the words lose weight.

And so, the Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge was born. Who knew it would end up changing my life. The one thing I’d been looking for was THE GOAL -- a reason to take that first step. As I worked on putting together tools for women to become healthier such as nutrition presentations (by Valerie Costanza, RD, and staff member at Seasons) and customized fitness programs (by Sharon Jackson, CPT and owner of Sharon’s Slammin’ Boot Camps), I found myself in therapy. Yes. What I was creating for others would end up helping me as much or even more than those who have attended!

The Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge began in January with a kickoff party. Every good event begins and ends with a party, right?

Then every three weeks was another session which included healthy food (with recipe cards for each menu item), and a nutrition and fitness

presentation. As I write this column, I am preparing for the fourth and final wellness session. However, the real life-changer of the Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge is the final event -- a fitness goal for me and all my friends -- the Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge 5K Run/Walk.

One of my greatest pet peeves in the whole world is a hypocrite -- say one thing, do another. And so my own hypocrisy immediately convicted me. I CANNOT RUN A 5K. I cannot even run to my mailbox. There you go. The beginning of the journey.

And here I am. The non-runner. I now own my first pair of running shoes purchased from Sport Spectrum in Shreveport. I love that place! They even watch how you walk to make sure that you are fit with the proper pair of shoes. I bought 2 running outfits. Every girl needs the right outfit for the occasion! And I downloaded the Couch-to-5K Running program for my iPod. If you’ve never run before, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this program. In 9 weeks, you can go from couch potato to running a 5K. It hasn’t been easy. I have had to make myself get up and run in 27 degree weather. I have posted my running status on Facebook just to force myself into accountability. And it’s working. It’s not an overnight-

wake-up-the-next-morning-andyour-skinny sort of solution. It’s a life change. And that’s what it takes for a 40-something to be healthy into her 50’s, 60’s, and beyond.

I WILL RUN that 5K on Saturday, April 24th. (Actually, since I’m in charge of the race, I may have to run it the afternoon before so I can work during the race!) I may lay down on the ground after I cross the finish line, but I will cross the finish line. If you’d like to join me (I won’t run fast, but I will be running), you can register online at active.com or download a race registration form from www.seasonswc.com.

If you can’t run, then come and walk.

The point is this: everyone needs a goal. I know. My mother said so! For more information about the Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge 5K Run/ Walk, go to www.seasonswc.com/ events. Register online at active. com. Train Hard. Live Well.

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The Minute Mag’s Purpose: beginning to see why. How in the world am I going to take care of this? My mind has the want to, but my body just can’t perform the work anymore.

Guess I’ll just stick to the small vegetable garden I raise in the middle of the flower beds each year, and take care of that and the flowers.

chores, I get overwhelmed and start spinning around in circles. Which item needs to be performed first? Is it better to weed or do I fertilize?

Seeding and a Weeding A Gardeners Delight

-----------------------------------------------Weeding in a methodical way is most enjoyable, but if I have it in mind to tackle a certain area, I have to approach it with threequarters-closed eyes ( just wide enough not to walk into a pond or anything silly ), otherwise I shall be distracted by other weeds or tidying jobs en route and shall never reach my destination. ~ Christopher Lloyd, In My Garden, 1994 ------------------------------------------------

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ister Lloyd must have been working in my garden. The above statement is so true of me. I go outside with a plan in mind, start with it and get halfway through. I go to get something else to work with, and low and behold, I’m doing another chore I never had on my list. I find myself doing this all the time. Maybe it is the mere size of my garden? Maybe it is because I wait till the last minute until I tackle a nasty job. I dream and dream of these things that need to be done all winter long. When it warms up enough to go out do some of the

Rain is predicted for the end of the week. You just can’t fertilize without water. Nothing is the same as rain fall. I don’t put out fertilizer without rain in the forecast. We had a well dug a few years ago, just for watering the garden. The water just isn’t as wet as rain water, but it’s a lot better than city water ($$$). I fertilized with the predicted rainfall forecast.

I mix compost,( rabbit manure when I have it) peat moss, cottonseed meal, and 8-8-8 together to get the job done. As a general rule I dig a hole near the plant and place my combination fertilizer in it and cover it with soil. If I’m running short on time I just spread the fertilizer out like chicken feed, throwing it on the garden. I’ve been caught in the rain putting it out before. You can’t always trust what the weather man says it is going to do.

By the time you realize Spring has sprung I have more chores than the law allows. The time changes, my clocks say, and I have more daylight time than the body will allow work to be done. The fertilizer has taken affect with the Spring rainfalls. Every plant is growing by leaps and bounds.

The garden does not go from season to season, it goes from day to day.

The plant farms are wide open.

They are having “Black Friday” sales everywhere. What plants am I going to add, and how many, and where?

How may will I remove, and where will I move others to?

Spring is my favorite time of the year.

The flowers, bulbs, and perennials are coming up blooming and showing

their pretty faces. Everything from Little Sweeties being sweet to Naked Lady’s greenery is coming up, but they’re not naked, The Snowbells have been snowing, The daffodil blooms are so big they bend the stem sideways. Plants are for telling time. Notice the red clover blooming on the highways, an old wives tale is that the brim are biting when the clover blooms. The pine tree shoots up its new growth spreading its pollen during Easter. It looks like a cross. It is also time to plant corn when the oak tree leaves are the size of a squirrel’s ear.

With spring rains also come weeds.

A weed is but a plant whose virtues have not been discovered. Weeding is the most peaceful of any outdoor task. It’s also the most back breaking!

A garden is for joy. I didn’t always think this way when I was a child.

When we were kids we spent a many a summer day shelling peas,… all day long. That isn’t what a kid calls enjoyable. Momma did spare us getting up at daylight to go pick the peas & beans. She would pick the garden early, be back by nine, then wake us four girls to shell all day long. I sometimes wonder if she just didn’t want to hear us being irritable, fussing, and arguing with each other getting up that early. Some days we would shell on into the night. One day it would be purple hull peas and the next butter beans. She always told us you’ll be glad when winter comes and you have these good peas on the table. She was right.

Thanks Momma!!!

We removed an oval swimming pool and all I can think of is a big vegetable garden. My husband has been resisting me on this and I am

Nelson and I have been working on subtracting my daylily garden we built it in ’02. It was nearly one acre. We are getting older and just can’t keep up all the weeding, fertilizing, & seeding. We have worked all week cutting it in half creating a more manageable size. Thanks to his new Kubota tractor(Toy), with a front end bucket, he is taking the soil and placing it in the pool area. Now to plant grass seed.

Our bird visitors have been plentiful this season. Why birds, simple, they go hand in hand with gardens. From Juncos, Chipping sparrows, Purple Finch, Gold Finch, to White Throated Sparrows and Song Sparrows. They are all passing through on their long journey to the North. We have our usual Wrens, Titmice, Chickadees, plus a few doves, a family of Blue Birds, and an entire family of Ladderback Woodpeckers-six in all. We are now starting to enjoy the summer birds. Our trees have been alive with song. Rufous-sided Towhees are singing drink-yourtea,(7-12 minutes in length). The call is a slurred chewink, song. Although he lives here all year according to the “Bird Guide of North America” we just spotted him on our property. In the last two weeks in April look for birds migrating to the North. You just may see a Baltimore Oriel, Blue Bunting, Warbler, Grosbeak, or a Rose Breasted Grosbeak. I generally see the male bird first. The new visitors for summer include Indigo Buntings, & Painted Buntings, & Summer Tanagers. Look close because the male Tanagers resemble Cardinals at a glance. The same holds true for the Blue Grosbeak. He lives in our area in the summer. You may not recognize him at first because he will resemble a Blue Bird. The reason they come is two-fold, there is cover provided from the trees to the shrubs and we provide a constant source of food and fresh water.

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire.

Look close when driving by open fields on the fence rows, you just may see the Blue Grosbeak. Power lines always provide a good look at various Hawks and occasionally a Scissor Tailed Fly Catcher. Looking at the ditches beside the road will show you Snipes, Herron, and the Cattle Egret. Nearly any bird may be spotted in the ditch taking a bath in the warmth of the day.

Ten most important tasks in the garden: 1. Use cages or rings to stake bushy perennials. Examples- hollyhocks, ornamental lilies, delphiniums, and other tall plants with heavy blooms.

2. Start a new lawn- August thru September are the best months.

3. Thin seedlings that you started indoors & gradually acclimate them to the outdoors by placing them in a sheltered location for a few hours a day before transplanting outdoors.

4. Check azaleas & blueberries for iron deficiency(Chlorosis). An indicator is yellow leaves with deep green veins. This occurs in my garden after the plant blooms. Testing your PH and correcting it provides longterm results. I found spraying leaves with foliar spray containing iron is a good temporary solution. If you don’t know what product to buy ask your local garden store what they

recommend.

5. Moving container plants outdoors. Just like you treated your new seedlings. Gradually acclimate them to the outdoor conditions. Take note the plants likes & dislikes sun, shade, & water. Plants will sunburn easy if they have been indoors. The wind will dry out the pots fast, so keep a close eye on them in this early stage of spring.

6. Watch for pests- Look for chewed, twisted, or discolored foliage. Check the undersides of leaves. Low toxicity products, such as insecticidal soap horticultural oil, & neem oil will control many pests with very little environmental impact. Read the label directions for the particular plant & pest you want to control.

7. Plant using garden companion plants. Use natural tools to make growing vegetables easier. Example: plant basil next to tomatoes to help ward off whitefly. Nasturtiums planted with runner beans can lure aphids away.

8. Planting brightly colored flowers near your crops will attract a wide range of insects to the area. More bees visiting your plot will result in more pollination of your vegetables blooms meaning bigger yields.

9. Ground control-rotate crops to bewilder pests.

10. Going solar-use the sun’s rays to kill weed seeds, insects, & diseases

APR / MAY 2010 in the soil. It’s called solarization.

Cover your soil with black plastic to warm the soil. Warm vegetables like tomatoes, eggplant, beans, squash, & peppers won’t really grow until the soil temperature’s hot-around 70 degrees.

Working with nature to protect your crops is always a good idea.

Recommended reading: Terence Conran’s Garden DIY, Over 75 Projects & Design Ideas for Making the Most of your Garden.

A Guide to Field Identification Birds of North America, Robbins, Bruun, Zim, & Singer.

Jeff Co’s 100 Greatest Garden Ideas Tips, Techniques, & Projects for a Bountiful Garden & a Beautiful Backyard, Jeff Cox. Southern Living Garden Problem Solver, Oxmoor House.

Your Backyard Herb Garden, A Gardeners Guide to Growing Over 50 Herbs plus How to use them in Cooking, Crafts, Companion Planting, & more.

Internet sites to check out: www. davesgarden.com, join the forum & discuss your favorite plants to pest problems. Also a seed swap at www. mikemcgroarty.comhas many titles

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to read & research plant propagation. www.growveg.com includes companion planting, growing from seed, Permaculture, & small space gardening.

Plants to start in April: tomatoes, eggplant, corn, collard greens, southern peas, summer squash, bell peppers, basil. Mid month cantaloupe & honeydew melons, sweet potatoes, & peanuts.

Plants to start in May: Along with the ones you can plant in April you can safely start Okra, Pumpkin, &Watermelon.

Remember to have fun gardening & Reduce, Reuse & Recycle.

Any questions or comments write to The Weeders Digest at The Minute Magazine or email me at BlondiesBulldog@aol.com with plants in the subject line. And be sure and become a fan of ours on Facebook.

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APR / MAY 2010

The Minute Mag’s Purpose:

across the street from Captial One Bank!

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire.

Angel Ministries

509 North Second in Monroe, La.

1-318-388-5100 Angel Ministries To Open Day Program for Disabled and Elderly Angel Ministries at 507 No. 2nd Street, Monroe, announces the opening of “Angel Ministries Day Program”, a facility for the disabled and elderly recipients who have lost hours for home care due to state budget cuts. An interesting, innovative program to keep participants motivated, entertained, and involved, will be offered in two different time frames Monday through Friday in the mornings from 8 am to Noon and from 1 -5 PM in the afternoons. For further information about this new service offered by Angel Ministries , call Barbara Cook at 318-362-0036 or 1-888-426-0036.

An Amazing Testimonial!

Angel Ministries, at 509 North 2nd Street in Monroe , has been reporting significant results for the people using the mild Hyperbaric Chambers at their location.

Mild hyperbaric therapy allows for an increase in oxygen saturation helping on many levels by allowing more oxygen to reach cells, tissues, and bodily fluids.

Swelling is reduced much more rapidly and blood flow is increased/ restored to restricted areas allowing wounds and injuries to heal more rapidly. Detoxification is also promoted and allows for an increase in general wellness. Furthermore, bacteria, virus, and yeast cannot survive in an oxygen enriched environment.

Linda Tripp, Founder of Angel Ministries, related a wonderful story about one of

the children being helped by the chamber. Amber Denton, mother of Sydney Katy Denton, age 7 gave a vivid testimonial about their experience with the mild Hyperbaric Chamber. She quotes” Sydney was the third born, a beautiful surprise. From birth Sydney ’s actions and behavior were different than the other two siblings – but not enough to warrant medical attention. She did not like to held, to travel in a vehicle, to swing in the baby swing. She fussed, seemed to be in her own world, was not social with other kids and if her space was invaded, she was a tyrant – hitting, and biting.

She started Pre K up to Kindergarten and had problems of flipping the letters in her name, mirror image writing her name, not retaining letter sounds, math facts, sight words, and socializing. Her meltdowns were happening more often.

The good things included speaking very well, could carry on a conversation with adults, loved art and crafting. In March 2009, we started testing using different facilities and not letting them know she was being tested elsewhere. We started getting our answers to understand Sydney . She has Mild Aspergers Autisim with Sensory Processing Disorder.

She had been functioning like two separate people – the left side of the brain and the right side functioned perfectly, but the two sides did not communicate with each other. At seven years old, she could not tie her shoes, ride a bike, roller skate, do jumping jacks, or read or retain sight words. We were five months into Occupational Therapy and Language Therapy, and tutoring when we heard about Angel Ministries mild Hyperbaric Chambers.

October 9, 2010, we began attending mild Hyperbaric Chamber therapy. Sydney was seven years, six months old and in First grade. She was reading Pre k level and testing 70 to 80 percent on the test.

As stated she couldn’t tie her shoes, bike, roller skate, didn’t sleep through the night and did not like to be touched or hugged.

It was hard for her to socialize and had trouble speaking to people in public. During the third week of treatment, Sydney began sleeping at night. One evening she came running into the living room and did a cartwheel then proceeded to do another cartwheel one handed! It was awesome and shocking. Within two months of treatments, she started to roll-

APR / MAY 2010 er skate, did jumping jacks, and tie her shoes. Then the big one came on January 5, 2010. Sydney came home from school with a library book that was a first grade ninth month reading level, She had been reading .5 level which is beginning Kindergarten level. That night she read the book all the way through with out any frustrations, sounding out each word and understanding what she was reading. The next morning she took a test on the book and scored a 100. This continued for the next 18 days straight.

Her grades have jumped from D’s & F’s to A’s. Her social skills have improved – she gives hugs, accepts them, and her manners are awesome. She wants to bake cookies and give them away.

She draws pictures for others. She is a totally different child. Now do not misunderstand, she has her moments, but don’t we all. I want to thank you Lord, for leading us to such an awesome group of people at Angel Ministries !” For further information about the mild Hyperbaric Chambers or to donate to Angel Ministries for the purchase of more chambers, call 318-342-8807 or 1-888-426-0036.

Angel Ministries ’ Cruise for a Cause To Raise Funds for More Hyperbaric Chambers Angel Ministries announces “Cruise for a Cause 5”, aboard the Carnival Triumph, when proceeds from the cabin reservations will help raise money for three (3) more mild Hyperbaric Chambers. The 7 day vacation begins in New Orleans on Saturday, September 18 and returns on Saturday, September 25, 2010, and will allow you the convenience of leaving from a nearby location. The cruise will tour the Eastern Caribbean with the first stop in Nassau , Bahamas , then on to Freeport , Bahamas and then back by way of Key West , Florida . There will be plenty of opportunity for sightseeing at each of the stops, with adequate time for shopping and enjoying great food.

The cruise will be one exciting adventure after another, both in ports and on the ship.

Full deposit of $250.00 is due by 4/16/2010. Cabin prices are double occupancy and are $361.00 for an interior, $481.00 for ocean-view, and $631.00 for balcony. Additional charges of $210.79 per person will cover port charges and taxes. Travel insurance is $95.00 per person and Pre-paid gratuities are $70.00 per person. Call 318-388-5100 for reservations. April 16, 2010 is the deadline for your deposit. Remember0 it leaves from New Orleans on Saturday September 18, and returns on Saturday, September 25, 2010.Call for Reduced Pricing! 318-388-5100. Proceeds sup-

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port Angel Ministries. Angel Ministries has already purchased 3 mild Hyperbaric Chambers that are being used daily by autistic children, arthritis sufferers, diabetics, and various medical conditions that afflict many of our residents in North East Louisiana. For an appointment to sign up for the free service, call 318-3885100. This cruise is only one of several fundraisers that are planned to enable Angel Ministries to purchase the other chambers. Your donation to this worthy cause will be much appreciated and is completely tax deductible. Angel Ministries is a 501(c)3 organization.

“Fresh Air and Wine” Fundraiser for Angel Ministries Angel Ministries invites everyone to their “Fresh Air and Wine” Fundraiser at Landry Vineyards at 5699 New Natchitoches Road, West Monroe on Thursday, May 13, 2010 from 6-8 PM. Guests will taste seven different wines, appetizers will be served, and music by Jeff Elliott, Elliott Entertainment will be enjoyed. Short tours of the wine making area will be offered and everyone can relax and look out over the beautiful vineyard while enjoying the wine from the only winery in North Louisiana . Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit Angel Ministries ’ goal to purchase more mild Hyperbaric Chambers for N. E. Louisiana residents that suffer from Autisim and other disorders.. A mild Hyperbaric Chamber will be on display at the winery. Tickets are $15.00 each or $25.00 a couple. They may be purchased from Angel Ministries at 509 No. 2nd Street , Monroe . Price is $15.00 each at the door. Cash, check, or credit cards are accepted. Checks should be made out to Angel Ministries.

For tickets, information about mild Hyperbaric Chamber therapy, or directions to Landry Winery, call 318-388-5100

“Somewhere Over The Rainbow” Angel Ministries fifth “Senior Prom for Seniors” will be held Friday, June 4th, 2010 at the Ouachita Council on Aging at 2407 Ferrand, Monroe, from 7-10pm.

With a theme of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”, guests will dance to the ever popular music of the Louisiana Big Band with Brian Lassiter, Leader. This prom is meant to take the place of the proms that many of our young servicemen and women missed during WWII and other wars, and is a gift to the community from Angel Ministries. Linda Tripp, Founder of Angel Ministries, states, “We want everyone to come out, relax, and dance the night away. This evening is definitely for the ‘young at heart.’” You can sign up for the dance at the Ouachita Council on Aging. For more information, call 318388-5100.

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APR / MAY 2010

The Minute Mag’s Purpose: have decreased, this is not always the case. You admit that you are exercising 3-4 times a week and trying to eat as healthy as possible but to no avail does the scale move.

First of all I advise you not to get on the scale everyday because your body is constantly changing from one day to the next. Some of the factors that affect the scale are: did you eat something the night before with more sodium or maybe its the week before your cycle starts. These are all things that will effect the reading on your scale.

I

know that there are some women reading this article at this very minute that get on the scale every day. I am going to share

some information with you that will hopefully help you to quit worrying about the scale. Sometimes we tend to get so caught up on what the numbers on the scale say that we forget about all the other factors that play an important role in the process of getting the best body ever.

Even though it is so invigorating to get on that scale and the numbers

Decide to let the scale be a indicator to help you get in tune with your body. It should not be the tool to give you feedback on whether you are becoming fit. A prime example is from a lady in my bootcamp who complained to me that she was not losing any pounds. I knew she was coming to bootcamp consistently and working hard. I assured her that her body was making progress.

A month later she calls me escatic because she had dropped a jean size. Our body goes through what is called the drop effect. Sometimes the body gets stuck and plateaus at one spot for a period of time. This can be very frustrating but hang in there because the drop is coming. So

even though you have not lost fat in a few weeks you have the assurance of knowing that it will happen.

So try to remember that the numbers going down on the scale is a good thing but when it does not happen it does not mean that you are not burning fat and gaining strength.

Stay dedicated and positive about your workouts and let your clothes be the indicator and not the scale.

------------------------------------------------

Sharon Jackson is a Certified Personal Trainer from Ruston, Louisiana and the founder of Sharon’s Slamming Boot Camp. She is passionate about empowering and shaping the lives of women. Her Boot Camps are held weekly in Ruston and Arcadia, Louisiana.

For more information on Sharon, visit www. stayingfitwithsharon.com.

APR / MAY 2010

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire.

T his month’s column will touch on a number of different topics,

and we’ll begin with the Apple iPad. There’s been a lot of ‘buzz’ in the press about the Apple iPad. When you look closely, the iPad is essentially a larger format iPod. Yes, having a larger screen format will be handy for basic web browsing or reading e-books. However, for doing such simple tasks as watching a YouTube video, the product will come up short. You see, the iPad lacks support for such basic tools as Adobe Flash (which is required for most ALL video sites) and Java (which is just about the most ubiquitous programming tool on the web). These capabilities were intentionally left out, from the iPod, the iPhone and now the iPad. Steve Jobs made a comment referring to the lack of Java support as “not being worth building in [to the iPhone].

Nobody uses Java anymore. It’s this big heavyweight ball and chain.”

(NOT!!!)

While having the latest technology is paramount in many peoples’ minds, with its lack of support for basic application protocols, and the upcoming release of a LARGE number of tablet computers on both the Windows and Linux platforms, it is this writer’s opinion that one would do well to avoid the Apple iPad at this time.

Next, we’ll move on to talk about backing up your files. The universal cry of anyone who has ever had a hard disk die (average life is 3-5 years) is “OH NO! I don’t have a backup”. Rarely do I ever run across someone who has a current backup.

With the prevalence of online backup services, along with broadband internet connections, users could save MUCH grief by subscribing to an online backup service. These work by loading a (small) piece of software on your computer that monitors certain folders (typically ‘my documents’ and selected other ones) for file changes. When a file is changed, it is securely copied to an offsite server. If you need to restore the file, most of these services have a folder in Windows Explorer

to allow you to copy the missing file(s) back to your computer. These services aren’t designed to backup your complete computer (Operating system, programs, etc), but are GREAT for maintaining a backup of your user data (pictures, documents, music, etc). We at Ask The Computer Guy (and Louisiana CodeWORKS) use Carbonite. There are a number of others available too: 1. Carbonite carbonite.com

http://

2. Mozy online backup http://mozy.com 3. Barracuda Backup Service http:// barracudanetworks.com 4. iDrive http://idrive.com 5. SOS Online Backup http://www. sosonlinebackup.com Last month I touched on tools to protect your computer from malware intrustion. What if you’re already infected? You can ignore it, but that’s like being ‘just a little bit pregnant’.

The problem will grow larger over time if it’s ignored. Whatever you do, don’t click on one of the pop up ads that proclaim they can clean up your computer and speed things up!

Here’s a couple of steps you can take: 1. Go to http:// malwarebytes.com and download their free cleaner. Save it to a temporary directory (C:\ temp sounds good to me).

2. Boot to SAFE mode (Windows 2000, XP, Vista & 7). Do this by continually pressing the ‘F8’ key while the BIOS test screen is displayed (before Windows starts loading). Choose ‘Safe Mode with Networking.

3. Once booted (in XP, you’ll have to click ‘Yes’ on the screen that gives you an option to go to System Restore.

Clicking ‘No’ will launch System Restore), open My Computer, go to the directory where the MalwareBytes download was saved and launch it

(install it). The default options will install just fine and will update and launch the program.

4. Once the program updates and loads, choose the full (not quick) scan option. Go play with your kids for a while… Check back in an hour or so.

5. Once the scan is complete, it’ll present a list of items that it thinks are worthy of deletion. It’s good NOT to uncheck any of these, but you can always add check marks to delete other items that aren’t needed or desired.

Click the next button.

6. When it’s complete, reboot the computer.

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More than likely, the above steps will clean up whatever malware may be lurking in your computer.

NOTE: This won’t clear any viral infections. You always need an up to date antivirus program on your computer. I look forward to hearing from you! Feel free to send your questions to me from our web site: http://askthecomputerguy.com Click on the ‘Contact Us’ menu to send your questions.

Alternatively, you may drop us an email at: questions@askthecomputerguy. com.

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APR / MAY 2010

I’m a big fan of goal-setting. My mother cultivated this idea in my brain from childhood. She always said, “Elizabeth, you’ll always do better if you are shooting for a goal.”

So from my earliest remembrances, I have had a goal. And it’s when I haven’t had a goal in mind that my life becomes a little derailed. When my mom notices my derailment, she will always ask, “So what’s your goal?”

Sometimes I have no answer.

One thing I love about getting older is gaining wisdom. And I now truly appreciate the wisdom of my mother’s words. And in November of last year, I decided to set a goal.

When spring rolled around in 2010, I wanted to wear the clothes that stayed in the back of the closet last year. However, one thing I’ve learned about myself over the years is that I cannot diet. It won’t last. For me, it’s about a healthy lifestyle.

I am a healthy eater. But the big issue for me (and most women my age) is the exercise issue. I love to walk. But it just wasn’t enough. I have always wanted to be a runner (there’s nothing more beautiful than a lean runner’s body) but one ache from a knee was all I needed to

The Minute Mag’s Purpose:

Encourage, Enlighten, & Inspire.

APR / MAY 2010

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