The Minute Magazine JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2012

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Faster.

The 30-Minutes-or-Less E.R. Service Pledge. Only at Northern Louisiana Medical Center.

Emergency medicine is about three things: compassion, skilled care and speed. You’ll find these at Northern Louisiana Medical Center. The experienced E.R. physicians and the entire team are committed to working diligently to have you initially seen by a clinical professional* within 30 minutes of your arrival. If you need an E.R. fast, try our fast E.R. Once you do, you won’t want to go anywhere else. Visit us online at NorthernLouisianaMedicalCenter.com to view our average E.R. wait time.

*Clinical professional is defined as a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.

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editor

from the

M

y sister is having a baby. My itty bitty Sissie, who came into this world at four pounds and five ounces. The very same child that always snuck into my room during slumber parties because she wanted to be a big girl like me. Yep. She's having a baby. And I'm elated.

Her pregnancy reminds me a lot of my own. But there are a few differences. For one, Tiff and her husband Josh decided to be surprised by the sex of their baby. I've asked her a million times, "Tiff, are you sure you don't know what you're having?"

"No, Jacs. And besides, you remember what happened with Miles."

And boy, do I ever remember what happened with my oldest child. Have you heard that urban legend about a woman who thinks she's having a girl, only to deliver a boy instead? Well it's not just an urban legend. It actually happened to me! I will never forget the moment that Zoe Alexis Lewis came into this world. She was born via c-section, and her first cry sounded much more goat than girl. "Baaaaaah," she screamed.

Her voice was awfully deep for a girl, and I have to admit that it scared me a bit. My hubby looked around the sheet that shielded my face from the surgery, and his eyes opened wide. I was terrified that something had gone horribly wrong. "Uh-oh," he said. "We have a problem. It's a boy!"

Ten years later, it's no wonder that my sister has decided to wait for Mother Nature to make the announcement. But one thing's for sure. No matter what she has-- be it boy or girl-- I'll be the proudest Aunt in the whole wide world.

Jacquelyn Lewis

Tiffany Byram, Jackie Lewis, and Future Editor "Baby" Byram

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Winnie Griggs Wesley Harris Laura Horton Jackie Lewis Megan Lord Jason McReynolds

But I Can Show You by Jackie Lewis

A Novel Approach by Winnie Griggs Healthy Woman by Audrey Buskirk Jesse James by Wes Harris

Louisiana Girl Revelations by April Timmons The Journey by Jason McReynolds One the Spectrum by Lela Robichaux Mardi Gras: A Cultural Revolution by Jackie Lewis Simply Cooking by Melissa Teoulet Blueprint for Preservation by Megan Lord You Never Know by Laura Horton Weeder's Digest by Anita Goodson Life's Blessings by Vicki Caskey PJ's Point of View by Phillip Volentine Antique Junkie Wedding by Donna Arender Hormonal Woman by Elizabeth Drewett Copyright 2012. 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.

contributors Donna Arender Audrey Buskirk Vicki Caskey Elizabeth Drewett Anita Goodson

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Lela Robichaux Melissa Teoulet April W. Timmons Margaret Timmons Phillip J. Volentine

cover

Our cover photo is a self-portrait taken by sixteen year-old Stephanie Fernandez. Read more about Stephanie and her artwork on page 10 of this issue.

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Pictured: Coleen Branch of Central City, Louisiana. Makeup and Photography by sixteen year-old Stephanie Fernandez.

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"But I can show you" sometimes words are not enough to tell a story

written by Jackie Lewis

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magine that there is a thin line between the reality of modern society and the free-flowing world of art. Now imagine what it would be like to cross back and forth in between the two. Does it sound impossible? Sixteen year-old Stephanie Fernandez doesn't think so. In fact, she does it often.

By her own account, Stephanie's life "didn't get interesting until I was fourteen." But at fourteen, everything changed. She began dabbling in photography, mixing face paint with pixels to snap photographs that capture even the poorest of imaginations. "I didn't know I had talent until Facebook told me," she said only a few years after she began her amazing journey. But at fourteen, everything changed. Stephanie discovered her superpower.

She digitally posted a series of candid photographs that she had taken, and very soon Stephanie began to realize that she had something special to share with the world.

"It’s kind of a motivation to hear someone say, “Oh, I like your art,” says Stephanie. "Comments on my photographs have gone from “that's really cool,” to, "Oh, wow." Now everything about my art ties together and I find it very relaxing. If I have a lot going on in my life and I'm worried, I don’t need to write anything down in a diary.

I just put it on my face."

And as she spoke, I remembered the moment I first saw her. She was standing in the alleyway behind Main Street Photography's studio with a nervous smile on her glittery, polished face. She was polite, and perhaps a touch on the shy side. Everything about her seemed artistic, from the feathers in her hair and the makeup on her face, to the little spark in her eye that seemed to say, "Hello, world. I'm not afraid of you." All at once I was reminded of the words of Thomas Merton: Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. And never have these words seemed more true than in the moment I first saw the work of sixteen yearold Stephanie Fernandez. Stephanie is a Junior at Airline High School in Shreveport, where she is the makeup artist for the Drama Department. But when the school bell marks the end of the day, Stephanie retreats to a place far away from Shreveport.

"People get bored with themselves, you know?" says Stephanie. "You've been the same person your whole life. Of course you've changed but, you're still the

same person all in all. I think we all try to conform too much. Society really wants us to conform. But you can express yourself with different ways that aren’t natural, and that difference makes the world go round."

Stephanie has definitely learned to express herself. Her work, featured on the cover of this issue and in two of our feature stories, is breathtaking. Using paint and digital photography, Stephanie has the ability to carry us to a world far away. It's a world far removed from reality, where Stephanie is unafraid to be herself.

"Everything I do every single day is art-incorporated," she says. "Whether it’s an outfit, or a train of thought, I see art in everything. But I also love photography and try to create all around. I love soul art. Art is passion. My mother’s an accountant, my brother’s an businessman, my sister is a nurse. We don’t know where I came from."

Stephanie may not know the source of her talent, but she certain knows where she's heading. " I don’t know what college to attend yet, but I’m really interested in foam art. I would love to go into special effects makeup artistry or high fashion makeup artistry. I could be a creative director for movies, modeling, and photoshoots. I love thinking of ideas. I want to do it all. I don’t want to just do some of it. If I can get into a little of each side, to find what I’m most comfortable with, then I’ll probably choose. But now I just want to do it all." And we at The Minute Magazine believe in Stephanie.

"Be free with your creative," she says, hoping to inspire other teenagers to pursue art. "Don’t let other people tell you that you’re weird or a freak or anything. I don’t really separate me from my art. I am just a fan of that feeling of emotion moving through unnatural beauty, not with the type of art that says, “this is what you’re supposed to be on a cover of a magazine.” I feel like everyone should be themselves. Don’t let anything hold you back."

And from our perspective, nothing is holding Stephanie back. "I like to take people with my art, and take the people out of reality," she says about her artwork.

"I feel like fantasy is very beautiful. I like to put realistic things in situations that aren’t quite normal. Sometimes people want to be something they're not. Something unthinkable. And I give that to them through my art. I can not verbally explain my thought and emotions. It so hard. But I can show you."

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more complex subject and I’ll save it for another day.

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Employing Imagery In Your Fiction -----------------------------------

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magery is the use of descriptive or figurative language.

Writing the perfect pitch and crafting a compelling bio is difficult.

That’s why whole industries exist to enable us to tell our stories better. Copywriters, creative directors and brand strategists like me wouldn’t exist if it was easy to articulate the essence of what we do, and communicate how and why we do it.

There’s no way around it, you need to spend some serious time and energy on your about page, because it’s probably one of the most visited pages on your website. A deeply evocative mental picture to the reader. It’s more than simple description, it’s a tool that helps the writer say things in a way that touches him/her more effectively than a literal description would. Because, by the act of their need to read between the lines and make the translations and connections they become more involved and more engaged.

Let’s talk about some methods to accomplish this.

metaphors. But analogies do more than describe, they are used to illustrate a point.

For example, Mark Twain once said “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and a lightening bug.”

Another example, this one from Sydney Harris, states: "Pupils are more like oysters than sausages.

The job of teaching is not to stuff them and then seal them up, but to help them open and reveal the riches within. There are pearls in For instance: The dandelion each of us, if only we knew fluff scattered in the wind like how to cultivate them with a troupe of graceful dancers ardor and persistence."

(Simile) Zeugma.

The gust of wind awakened A zeugma is another, though the drowsing dandelion fluff, lesser known, comparative scattering them from their technique. It’s a single word hammocks to gracefully that is used to modify or dance across the meadow. govern two individual words or phrases, but each in a (Metaphor) different way.

It sounds

In these examples, dandelion fluff is being complicated but here is compared to dancers. The a fairly simple example: beside my difference is, in the first Working example you are being grandmother in her garden explicitly told this, and in the that summer wore holes in second you are implying it by the knees of my jeans, and giving the dandelion fluff the in my heart.

In the matter of the characteristics of a dancer.

There is a place for both jeans we are, of course, referring to actual holes. constructs in your writing.

In the case of the heart, however, we are using the Analogy.

An analogy is similar word more figuratively.

Symbolism is to a metaphor or simile in that it makes comparisons. another great way to add In fact, analogies normally the power of imagery to employ similes and your work. But that is a Metaphors and Similes.

This is probably the most common method.

While similar, metaphors and similes are not the same thing. A simile takes two distinctly different items and compares them using words such as ‘like’ and ‘as’.

A metaphor also compares two essentially different things but in a more subtle way. It doesn’t announce the comparison by using comparative language but rather uses the items being compared interchangeably, implying that they actually are the same.

Some DOs and DON’Ts on imagery: • Avoid clichés. Find new ways to say ‘cold as ice’ or ‘fresh as a daisy’.

• Use the mood and setting of your book to create the palette you draw your images from. Is your book a gothic? Much of your imagery will have a dark, heavy, ominous feel - storms, darkness, forests, scavenger animals. On the other hand, if your story is a light-hearted romp set in small town America, your imagery might be drawn from things like sunshine, spring, flowers, songbirds, domesticated animals • Keep your imagery focused. Don’t make it a multiple choice issue for your reader.

For example: He was forceful as a locomotive barreling down the tracks, or as a tornado swirling across the plains.

Not good - pick one!

Also, make sure you use a relatable image.

The sentence - He was as effective as Daedalus in teaching caution to his son won’t evoke an image for your readers if they don’t know who Daedalus was.

• Surprise Your Reader With The Unexpected.

When trying to describe a woman’s lips, you obviously want to reach for something other than red as rubies or cherries.

But suppose you take it in an entirely different direction - say red and puffy as an inflamed blister, or that her lips matched her bloodshot eyes? It might make your reader squirm a bit but it’ll definitely paint a memorable picture, and depending on what you’re going for it could work.

• Use imagery judiciously.

As with any technique, overuse can result in reader dissatisfaction.

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Healthy Woman Kick’s Off the 3rd Annual Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge -----------------------------------

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orthern Louisiana Medical Center’s Healthy Woman program will begin its 3rd year of the Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge. Healthy Woman is an initiative through the hospital that was created to empower women with the knowledge and confidence to make informed health care and well-being decisions for themselves and their loved ones by providing monthly events to help educate women on the need for a healthy body, mind and spirit.

There are over 100 active Healthy Woman programs nationwide.

Healthy Woman CoordinatorAudrey Buskirk and Platinum Partner Seasons (20072011) wanted to create a program to help women kick-start their new year’s resolutions of losing weight

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and getting in shape. Thus came into existence, the Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge.

For the 3rd Annual event, Healthy Woman has partnered with 3-time HWWC partner Sharon’s Jackson’s Personal Training Services to provide the Official Boot Camp takehome workouts and 2-time Body Back Instructor and Beginner’s 5k Trainer, Maryanne Smith, Member of the Aerobic and Fitness Associate of America and Certified Personal Trainer, to provide the Official Couch to 5k training regimen for our participants. Healthy Woman has also partnered once again with Seasons to provide our participants with a daily meal plan constructed by their very own Registered Dietician, Valerie Costanza.

Each HWWC session will provide participants with the opportunity to accomplish nutrition and fitness goals for the new year that will include weighins and measurements.

This year we have added a new component to the HWWC Sessions: a 30 minute workout. Each participant in the HWWC will also receive a personal portfolio in which to keep their daily journal, weight and measurements, meal plans, workout regimen, and goals for the new year. All sessions will be

held at 5:30pm as follows: January 10 | Taking the First Step, featuring 5k training for beginners with Maryanne Smith, C.P.T., A.F.A.A., January 24th | Know Your Body, featuring Ruston’s only Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon, Major Blair, M.D., on taking care of your knees, February 7th | A Healthy Heart, featuring Ruston’s only

Interventional Cardiologist, Michael Langiulli, M.D., F.A.C.C., on heart health and women, and February 21st | Keeping up the Pace, Featuring Sharon Jackson, C.P.T., on accountability and staying focused on your goals.

To register for this free-to-the-public event, you must first join Northern Louisiana Medical Center’s FREE Healthy Woman program at www. Northern LouisianaMedicalCenter. com/HealthyWoman. After you have joined the Healthy Woman program, you can RSVP for each session online at the same website or by contacting Healthy Woman Coordinator, Audrey Buskirk, at 318254-2492. Space is limited to the first 85 participants to register.

For more information on the 2012 Healthy Woman Wellness Challenge, visit www.northernlouisiana m e d i c a l c e n t e r. c o m / healthywoman or call 318254-2492.

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the JESSE JAMES GANG and the ARCADIA, LOUISIANA

STAGECOACH ROBBERY

By Wesley Harris

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ear noon on January 8, 1874, five masked men swooped down on an eastbound stagecoach about three miles west of Arcadia. While the robbers searched for valuables among the mail bags and the passengers’ pockets, the westbound coach of the Monroe & Shreveport Stage Line approached.

Forcing it to stop as well, the robbers added to their bounty.

The evidence points to members of the infamous JamesYounger gang as the likely culprits.

The road traversing north Louisiana from the Mississippi River to Texas was known as the Traveler’s Road, Wire Road, or depending on your perspective, the Shreveport Road or the road to Texas. Prior to the Civil War, the railroad had extended its line west from Vicksburg to Monroe, Louisiana, with the intent of linking up with Shreveport but the conflict interrupted the project.

The lean years of Reconstruction further delayed extension of the rails. To span the gap between the Ouachita and Red Rivers, the same men who ran the railroad operated a stagecoach line, providing the only commercial conveyance between Monroe and Shreveport, a distance of more than 100 miles. The Monroe & Shreveport Stage Line operated until 1883 when the Vicksburg, Shreveport & Pacific Railroad was finally completed.

Newspaper accounts described the robbery in detail. One robber stood in the road to stop the Monroebound stage while his companions hid in the trees. The most thorough narrative was provided by Special Agent J.R. Jolly of the Post Office Department, a tale that was repeated in newspapers across the country: “…a person disguised with a handkerchief over a portion of his face sprang in front of the horses in the lead, and, bringing a double-barreled shotgun cocked to bear on the driver, demanded him to stop the stage, which was done, as the driver remarked that he could almost see the bottom of both barrels of the gun, owing to the direction it was pointed. At the same moment two robbers, standing unobserved behind the pine trees, sprang to one side of the stage, while two more, secreted behind fallen trees, jumped to the other side, and the four, having large revolvers in each of their hands, demanded the passengers to surrender their weapons.”

The five hapless passengers immediately and without hesitation complied: “One revolver and two derringers were given up to the robbers after which the passengers were requested to get out of the stage one at a time. On alighting they were compelled to raise both arms and submit to having their persons searched for money and other valuables. This performance gone through, they were politely requested to be seated in a row, and be quiet and obedient.

“The amount obtained was $760 from the passengers, but the robbers returned $5 each to three of them and $10 each to the other two. One of the $10 notes was given in payment of the appropriated revolver. A request

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to strip and search one of the victims was suggested and he immediately commenced pulling off his clothing at the same time telling the robbers that it was rather hard to take all of his money and then force him to disrobe. His extreme willingness seemed to convince them that he possessed no more shekels, and they permitted him to again fall in line without further investigation…”

The devious passenger had outsmarted them.

Had the strip continued, a money belt containing $800 in gold would have been discovered. Instead, the money reached the Arcadia postmaster safely.

During the holdup, the westbound stage from Monroe approached and the robbers quickly regrouped to intercept it as well. It proved to be without passengers so the booty was limited to slim pickings from the mail bag.

The robbers appeared to be in no hurry, taking an hour to commit their crime, even bantering with the victims and collecting up newspapers to take with them.

Speculation has tied the James-Younger gang to the robbery but most accounts of the notorious robbers’ exploits fail to mention it. The litany of 1874 crimes attributed to Jesse and Frank James and Cole Younger and his brothers normally begins with the January 15 robbery of a stagecoach between Malvern and Hot Springs, Arkansas, followed by the audacious heist of the Iron Mountain train at Gad’s Hill, Missouri on January 31. However, strong evidence indicates the James-Younger gang committed the double robbery of the Louisiana stages.

Few historians link the Jameses and Youngers to Louisiana, but legends abound in the Bayou State regarding the outlaws’ affinity for the region. A 1945 tour guide developed by writers employed by FDR’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) listed numerous JamesYounger sites in northeast Louisiana, including purported hideouts. By his own admission, Cole Younger lived in northeast Louisiana off and on after the Civil War and in his book declares he was at the Bass Plantation in Carroll Parish (now East Carroll) with numerous witnesses when the Arcadia stage robberies occurred.

Local tradition holds that the James and Younger families spent time in the area between the Ouachita and Mississippi Rivers, mostly lying low when pursuit by the law got too hot in their regular stomping grounds. The stories are numerous enough to fill a book. Since newspapers were scarce in the area and publicly advertising the outlaws’ presence would be foolhardy at best, scant contemporary written record supports the anecdotes. Still, the volume of stories is compelling, although most were not reduced to paper until the early 20th Century.

Whether the folklore is true or not, Cole Younger admitted he, family members, and friends spent considerable time in Louisiana after the Civil War. Younger knew the area quite well. During the war, he participated in raids on the

Louisiana side of the Mississippi River opposite Vicksburg and remained in the vicinity after the conflict ended. From Younger’s book, it is apparent he traveled the road where the stagecoaches were robbed several times.

On several occasions Cole Younger claimed he was in northeast Louisiana when robberies took place elsewhere in the country. In his book, Cole Younger, by Himself, he states:

“At the time of the Richmond [March 2, 1867] and Savannah, Mo., [May 23, 1867] bank robberies, in which, according to newspapers and sensationalists, I was largely concerned, I was living on the Bass plantation, three miles below Lake Providence, in Louisiana. Capt. J. C. and Frank Lea, of Roswell, N. M., and Tom Lea, of Independence, Mo., were living in the same house with me, any one of whom will vouch for the truth of my statement that I was not anywhere near either of these towns at the time of the robberies in question, but was with them at the plantation referred to above.

“June 3, 1871, Obocock Bros.’ bank at Corydon, Iowa, was robbed of $40,000 by seven men in broad daylight. The romancers have connected Jim [Younger] and me with that, when as a matter of fact I was in Louisiana.

”Two major crimes occurred in the region within three weeks of Louisiana double stage robbery. The January 15 robbery of a stagecoach in Arkansas was reported in newspapers across America including the New York Times:

“Little Rock, Ark. Jan. 16 – The stage which left Malvern yesterday for Hot Springs was stopped by a band of five highwaymen about five miles from Hot Springs, who captured the mail bags and about $2,000 worth of valuables from the fourteen passengers, and taking one of the stage horses decamped.”

Just fifteen days after the Malvern robbery, a daring holdup of a train occurred as it pulled into the Gad’s Hill, Missouri station. On January 31, five masked men forced the train to stop, boarded, and robbed the baggage car and passengers alike. The audacious deed captured the attention of the nation’s newspaper readers and put Pinkerton detectives hot on the gang’s trail. Sightings over the ensuing days plotted the band’s escape on a path north toward the home territory of the James boys.

Most historians agree the James-Younger band committed the Malvern and Gad’s Hill robberies. Brothers Jesse and Frank James and Cole and Bob Younger are generally named as participants although various gang members have been nominated as the fifth robber. No other significant crimes are found in the newspapers of Arkansas, Louisiana, or east Texas for January and February that might indicate another gang of robbers working the region.

The three January 1874 robberies share striking similarities. Five bandits participated in each holdup. In each case, significant conversations and interaction occurred between the robbers and the victims including what the outlaws probably considered humorous banter.

The Arcadia robbery lasted over an hour and the robbers took their time robbing the Gad’s Hill train.

The time frame and distances reinforce the notion that the same gang perpetrated all three holdups. The Louisiana stage robbers were last seen 14 miles north of Homer near the village of Haynesville, which would put them about five miles from the Arkansas state line. Extending a line north from the stage robbery to Haynesville on roughly the same course would place them in Hot Springs, a tourist spot well known to Jesse and Frank James, in time to commit the Malvern stage holdup on January 15. Continuing north toward Missouri to reach Gad’s Hill in sixteen days was not difficult.

Newspaper accounts identify the Louisiana robbery as a calculated crime, not a chance encounter with an easy mark. The James-Younger gang planned their crimes;

rarely committing a robbery on the spur of the moment. The papers reported:

“One of the robbers told the driver [of the westbound stage] what his name was, and that this was the fourth time his mails had been robbed. In each case, the statements were correct. One of them said that they were disappointed, looking for a Jew from this end of the line [Monroe], with $4,000.”

This admission reveals the robbers’ presence around Monroe and perhaps points east toward the Mississippi River on the Traveler’s Road earlier. It is not difficult to envision one of the robbers in a tavern or rail station spying an enticing target, learning of his itinerary, and riding ahead to lie in wait for his stage. “Casing” the stage line in Monroe to learn about the driver and his behavior during prior robberies would have been simple.

Monroe is just a matter of miles from the home that Cole Younger said he was visiting when these early 1874 robberies occurred. In his book and in a letter published in the November 30, 1874, St. Louis Republican, Cole Younger claimed he was in Carroll Parish, Louisiana, from December 1, 1873, to February 8, 1874, and thus could not have participated in three alleged James-Younger crimes— conveniently covering the time span of the Arcadia stage heist, the Malvern holdup, and the Gads Hill train robbery.

Younger named Captain Joseph C. Lea in his alibi.

Younger fought in this same northeast Louisiana area with brother-in-law John Jarrette and Captain Lea during the Civil War. He lived in Floyd for several years after the war. Some sources report Jarrette was living in Delhi on the Traveler’s Road at this time. The 1945 WPA guide even pinpointed Jarrette’s home for tourists.

In one of the few contemporary newspaper articles to mention the James or Youngers, the November 24, 1876 issue of the Ouachita Telegraph in Monroe cited Jarrette as a brother-in-law of the Younger brothers who:

“lived, we believe, some two years ago, near Delhi, where he was visited, since the war, by one or two of the Youngers… He was compelled to leave that vicinity because of being suspected as one of the murderers of a German stock-trader near Delhi. He was, we believe, a member of Quantrill’s partisans during the war.”

After the disastrous Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery where Cole Younger was arrested and Jesse and Frank James barely escaped, the Kansas City [MO] Journal of Commerce noted “It is said that [John] Jarrett’s family reside somewhere in the vicinity of Lake Providence, Louisiana.”

It seems realistic that the Youngers and James brothers had reasons for being in northeast Louisiana. It is not unreasonable to imagine Jesse and Frank were hanging out with Cole and his brothers, learned of a wealthy traveler and rode ahead to await the Monroe stage. Once they committed the deed, it was time to ride north toward home in Missouri.

There is no conclusive proof that the James and Younger boys robbed two stagecoaches simultaneously near Arcadia. But many locals are positive the gang frequented the region. Oak Grove holds an annual Jesse James festival. Admirers name sons and trailers parks after Jesse and Frank James. Unfortunately, an inordinate number of these namesakes have literally followed in the outlaws’ footsteps, landing themselves in the state penitentiary at Angola.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Wesley Harris is a native of Ruston. Among his books are GREETINGS FROM RUSTON: A Post Card History of Ruston, Louisiana and Neither Fear Nor Favor: Deputy United States Marshal John Tom Sisemore, available from amazon.com. He can be contacted at campruston@gmail.com. Check out his Louisiana history blog at http://diggingthepast.blogspot.com.

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I get by with a little help from my friends...

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his is the time of year where we start to think about those we love.

(Mostly because Hallmark invented a holiday for us to.) It’s not a bad thing, it’s just tricky how a company can make you think if you don’t get your significant other lingerie, jewelry, and chocolate then you don’t really love that person. I don’t think that’s true. I believe in cards. A plain, simple, well versed, bring a lump to your throat card will do just fine. It is simply the perfect gift.

My husband always receives a card on Valentine’s Day expressing exactly how I feel.

As a matter of fact he has received the very same card for the last 8 years in a row. The card so well sums up our relationship, I give it to him every year. It’s like it was written for me, for him.

The symbolism in the card is so powerful; it brought

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tears to my eyes.

Ok, that’s a lie. I forgot one year to get a card and ran across the one from the year before and decided to try and pass it off as a new one. It worked and I have been doing it every year now. He never remembers it from the year before and always has the same reaction to it. I guess now I have to get a new card. Crap. Maybe I didn’t think this out too well.

The point is- love is in the air. L.O.V.E. It’s everywhere we look.

I have heard it’s what makes the world go round. Love is by far the most written about subject to date. It’s what all the singers sing about. There are all kinds of love. The love we feel for a spouse is completely different than that of a child. We love our parents differently than we do our friends.

Our lives are filled with people we love. I have been blessed by the love of many friends. Friends that would drop whatever they were doing and come running if I needed them to.

Friends that would stop at a moment’s notice to pray when I needed it. Friends that would hold my hand when I needed comfort or sometimes to hold me up while I sobbed. These friends have been there for me through some of the lowest points in my life.

Everyone should

have friends like I have.

They have taught me about life. They have taught me compassion by example.

They have shown me what loyalty means. The trials we all have been through have made us all stronger and closer and I wouldn’t change anything. I have admired them and listened to their opinions. I cannot

imagine my life without them. Some I have known my whole life and some were placed in my life later when I needed them. They are without a doubt Heaven sent. They have laughed with me and sometimes at me, but always beside me.

They are more precious to me than all the purses in my closets. (And they know how much I love my purses.)

I would never want another sun to set without them understanding how very precious they are to me. I don’t even have to name their names, because they know exactly who they are. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for accepting me for who I am. And most of all thank you for all the memories.

----------------------------------"Yes I get by with a little help from my friends – with a little help from my friends." – Paul McCartney

Now showing in Louisiana’s only

It’ll blow you away!

Presented locally by KSLA StormTracker 12

www.sciport.org

www.sciport.org/IMAX (318) 424-3466

THANKS SO MUCH to Louisiana

Tech University, Squire Creek, Northern Louisiana Medical Center, First National Bank, and the volunteers who worked so very hard to make our first annual WIGGIN' OUT event a huge success!

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Viewing God Through a Mardi Gras Lens -----------------------------------

I

’m going to print a few words and I want you to tell me the first thing that comes into your mind...

“Birdhouse” - Ok, good.

“Clowns” - Weird, me too.

“Family” - Nice.

“New Orleans Mardi Gras” Whoa! Slow down there. This is a family publication!

Depending on where you live and whether you’ve visited N.O. during Mardi Gras probably depends on how you view Mardi Gras in my wonderful city. Someone who was from say, Ruston, and had never been here during “the season” probably has heard a

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lot of things... and they are probably true. But they aren’t the whole story. But you may think that indecency and debauchery is the whole story.

Someone who is from Alexandria and has been here during Mardi Gras may know more of the story but not actually experience it. They may have heard that there are family oriented places and there are places where raunchy things happen. And that is true. But all they saw was the filth.

Someone who is from New Orleans, though, views Mardi Gras in a completely different way. We know that there are 4 different areas (excluding the Northshore - sorry guys!) of Mardi Gras. Those areas are Metairie/ Kenner, Uptown, French Quarter, and the Westbank. We know that the people who are in the Quarter are not usually from Louisiana but somehow we take on the reputation that they bring into town. We know that the city all but stops during carnival season and if you don’t have the money to go to Colorado to ski then you are

planning a staycation... as in stay inside of your house. Unless, of course, you love the parades! Then you are out all day long! New Orleaneans love them because we know that the three areas except for the Quarter are family friendly and very enjoyable. We know that the kids squeal with delight when they get pegged in the head with a stuffed football or Krewe themed beads.

Now let me ask you this… do you view God through a Mardi Gras lens?

Do you see Him in the way that you’ve heard about? Do you see Him in the way that you’ve heard but never experienced? Or do you view God through your lens of knowledge and understanding? Do you know God because you’ve actually seen Him work in your life?

Do you view Him in a way that reflects your experience in engaging Him?

You see, it’s easy to say you know of God but it is something else entirely to say you know God. The bible says neither matter actually.

The only thing that is important is whether

God knows you. Now the hard part is that you may not have any experience with God. That doesn’t disqualify you from a relationship with Him. It just means that you may have a tilted view of Him. You can straighten that tilt easily. Pull out your bible and everything you want to know about Him is in there. It isn’t an overnight read mind you. It gets deep. Go deep with Him and see where He’ll take you.

He desires a relationship with you but He doesn’t stop there. He wants you to know more and more and more about Him. He doesn’t want you to hang on to what you’ve heard about Him. He doesn’t want you to embrace just what you’ve thought about Him. He wants you to actually read first hand about Him through Scripture. He wants you to experience Him in a way like never before!

Now, I hope you’ll come and visit us during Mardi Gras but let me encourage you to be cautious about what area you view the parades from. I want you to view our city with a positive view and a positive experience. I want you to know the truth about New Orleans and Mardi Gras.

God wants you to view Him in the right way too.

But what you’ve heard and where you’ve been can color your view of Him. Sit with Him in the right place through Scripture.

Read it quick and view Him from up high like a Mardi Gras ladder.

Or get right up against the float and study it slow. Either way you’re experiencing Him.

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To schedule or not to schedule-that is the question -----------------------------------

E

ver wondered how to throw off the space/time continuum and send the world spiraling into a state of utter and irreversible doom? Yeah, me neither, but I found out. The hard way. Here’s what you do: go into the bedroom of a child with autism, casually toss a pair of socks into the sock drawer on top of the neatly lined rows of color-coordinated socks and while you’re at it, on the way out, push that Hot Wheels car an iota of an inch out of line with the others. Now, put the child in the room. It takes about 30 seconds for them to figure out their perfectly ordered space has been altered.

This is the

elaborate way of saying that most people on the autism spectrum don’t like change in any way, shape or form.

It’s not far from the truth, though. Over the years I’ve watched this particular aspect of my son’s personality morph and change.

When he was younger, he was much less accepting of changes around him. We figured out just how inflexible he was going to be one morning when I was so busy and running so late that I had to ask his dad to help him get dressed.

I suppose he was around two-years-old. With only minutes left for me to apply make-up, dry and style my hair, get dressed and dash out the door to work, my dear husband says, “Hey, don’t worry about dressing Trent for school, I’ll take care of it.” I’m immediately skeptical – after all, it wasn’t a holiday or my birthday or our anniversary and my husband was OFFERING to help. It took all of three seconds to jump at the chance to take advantage of that one!

I go about my business. The next thing I hear is the loudest, most high-pitched squeal I had ever heard. Like a banshee and it didn’t stop, it was one continuous wail. Ok, certainly this means the

child is lying in a pool of his own blood, head busted open or bones protruding.

I take off running toward his room. My husband is there, eyes wide, staring dumbfounded at this redfaced child on the floor, screaming. As soon as I walked in, my son ran to me, clutching at my legs for dear life and sobbing. The words came out brokenly, but he said to me, “Socks go on AFTER pants!” Man, am I glad he outgrew this one. Mostly. Dad could never again help him put clothes on.

I’ve noticed there’s still a certain order he puts his clothes on, but he’s not so uptight about it these days if he has to put his shirt on first because I’ve thrown the jeans in the dryer at the last minute because I forgot to the night before.

There were rituals to perform before the bus got there in the morning: if he didn’t get to write on the sidewalk with the sidewalk chalk before stepping foot on that bus, a band of demons couldn’t rival the tantrum. And speaking of the bus, I got a call one day from the school…they had gone on a field trip that day. A bus took them down the street to the “big school.”

What should have been a five minute trip ended up as thirty

while they tried to calm my child down. This wasn’t the same bus that took him to school, but it was a bus, nonetheless and his seat was the third one back on the left. There was already a little girl sitting there. So, he screamed at her that it was his seat and when she wouldn’t move (and good for her, she shouldn’t have to), he bit her.

Most of these things have died away as he’s gotten older and more mature. He may grumble about having to move to another seat, but he’ll do it. He doesn’t have to write with chalk on the driveway anymore, but he does have to pull all the weeds out of the bushes every morning.

Perhaps the biggest one is with time. We have to tell people over and over, for the love of all that’s holy, don’t tell him you’ll do something at a certain time if you are not prepared to drop everything at that EXACT moment and do it. Food can’t touch on his plate (although I hear this may not be specific to autism).

It’s hard living with such rigidity if you’re like me and fly by the seat of your pants most days. I can say I’ve learned to stick to a schedule better than most but it can also be very exhausting. I can’t put off cooking because dinner is at 6:30, regardless. I constantly have to remind myself about saying what time things will happen. I have to sooth the savage beast when TV shows are cancelled or come on late or if a different bus decides to take their route by our house and he’s confused because it’s not the “real” bus. But when I watch him pace relentlessly, twirling that piece of hair right in the center of his head while he explains to me how the internet transfers information, I wouldn’t trade THAT for the world!

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Cover model Stephanie Fernandez in her signature art form: makeup.

Read about Stephanie's artwork in this issue of The Minute Magazine!

Photo by Kerry Easley of Main Street Photography in Minden, LA. Written by Jackie Lewis

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Mardi Gras

a cultural revolution in Northern Louisiana

T

hey say that anything can happen in Louisiana during this time of year. Men can become kings. Women can become queens. And all of us have the opportunity to throw away reality for a few weeks and forget about our worries.

Thus is the season of Mardi Gras, the most notable race to the finish line of lent in all of the Americas-- if not the entire world.

With beads in our hands and masks upon our faces, Catholics and Protestants (and a slew of other faiths, too!) stand side by side and scream, "Throw me somethin', Mister!" But what exactly makes the season of green, purple and gold so appealing to the masses in Northern Louisiana? Are we, the predominately Protestant Carnival-goers, truly preparing to repent for our sins? Or has our version of Mardi Gras somehow taken on a life of its own?

As members of the society that occupies the region of land hidden behind the shoelaces of our boot-shaped state, many people in Northwest Louisiana tend think of Mardi Gras as a time to relax and have fun. But did you realize that right now-- in this very moment-- we're growing as a culture? We've always occupied the quiet, unassuming end of the state, where people tend to be a bit more tight-lipped than the care-free culture of southern Louisiana. But deep within the piney woods, change is in the air. Our society is merging with our Creole neighbors to the south. Have you noticed the difference in your lifetime? It has been a very lovely transformation thus far, and we're not even finished yet.

When I was a child in the 1970's and 1980's, Mardi Gras didn't quite reach into the rural towns of Northern Louisiana. To be perfectly honest, the word Lent wasn't even in my vocabulary until I made my first trip to New Orleans at age nineteen. Unlike my own children, I didn't know the ins and outs of Mardi Gras when I was a kid. But I did have a vague awareness that somewhere in southern Louisiana, there was a gigantic party going on and the prospect of being involved sounded rather exciting. Years before I was born, my greataunt married a Cajun man and moved to South Louisiana, and every year she sent me a large box filled to the brim with exquisite plastic beads and shiny doubloons. But that was all that I knew about Carnival; the entirity of my childhood Mardi Gras experience was contained within a half dozen cardboard boxes. In the days of my youth, there was no such thing as a Mardi Gras parade in our small town. There were no streets filled with party goers, no zydeco bands playing in the streets of Springhill, Sarepta, Cotton Val-

ley, Shongaloo or Haynesville. But things are different now.

Through the years I've watched our culture change. Mardi Gras is no longer exclusive to Southern Louisiana towns. In the Northern end of the state, we have adopted the beauty and excitement of a Carnival that's part religion and part festival, part culinary delight and part rock concert. The culture of northern Louisiana has somehow evolved to, dare I say, loosen the strict laws of southern society. If only for a few weeks in January and February, the northern end of our state shakes off its Protestant roots and imagines what it would be like to be a New Orleans Catholic. And we have one heck of a time.

I see it plainly. Do you? Our culture is changing.

And it's affecting everyone-- even those of us in small northern Louisiana towns. The blending of our cultures has directly affected you. All year long, you tow the line. You work a nine to five job, taxi the children back and forth to school, and say, "Yes, Ma'am," or "No, Sir," a hundred times a day. But then, just when you're coming down off of the Christmas rush, it happens. The Holiday decorations are barely tucked away in the attic when you catch a whiff of a cinnamon-filled King Cake.

Someone throws a bead, and suddenly you know that it's okay to allow your inner-child to shine through. You have embraced our state's beautiful history. And in return, Mardi Gras has embraced you, too.

To the innocent observer (pun intended!) the entire state of Louisiana loses its mind for a brief time during mid-winter. We dress in feather boas, wear dozens of beads around our necks, and dance in the streets. We feast on King Cakes in hopes of finding a baby inside. We crowd the streets, hoping to catch a glimpse of celebrities who have happily lost their minds, too. Oh yes, we're a little bit crazy. Or maybe we're a lot crazy. But you know what? I kinda like it. And I bet you do, too. We've become a united state by speaking Mardi Gras, a language of its own that transcends English and French, Catholic and Protestant.

During this Mardi Gras season, I challenge you to lose yourself in the beauty of a tradition both old a new. Throw caution to the wind and pretend, if only briefly, that you've lost your inhibitions. Begin to see the colors of purple, green, and gold as an easy escape hatch, a way to leave behind reality for a few days and embrace the quirky, fun side of Louisiana culture. Become one with our neighbors to the south. After all-- they gave us crawfish, blackened catfish, and gumbo. And they're perfectly happy to share their beloved Carnival season, too.

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Salt and pepper to taste.

Add a small dollop, about 1 teaspoonful to the center of each wonton. Wet your finger and run it along all 4 sides of each wonton and fold over into a triangle shape. Press firmly to seal the edges. In a large frying pan, heat the oil to 350°. Fry each side about 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Drain the excess oil off of each wonton. Allow to cool slightly and serve.

Roasted Garlic Stuffed Jalapenos

Roasted Garlic

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Garlic… Roasted -----------------------------------

A

Ingredients: • 4 Heads of Garlic • ½ Tbsp. Butter • Olive Oil • Kosher Salt • Black Pepper Description:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a sheet of foil in a small cake pan.

Slice the tops off the garlic and place in the center of the foil. Cut the ½ tbsp. of butter into 4 equal squares and top each head of garlic with a piece. Drizzle lightly with the olive oil. Be sure to drizzle lightly since using too much oil will result in oily garlic and use regular olive oil, not the extra virgin kind.

I find that extra virgin olive oil overpowers the flavor of the garlic. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of kosher salt and some freshly cracked black pepper. Seal the foil to create a small pouch and roast in the oven for 1 ½ hours or until the garlic is golden and smells delicious.

I find that the butter and the oil combine to give a little more yumminess to the garlic than if you had only used oil.

round my house, I always have a small jar of roasted garlic on hand.

Usually I keep it in a washed and reused baby food jar or sometimes in a small jelly jar. Every time a recipe calls for garlic, I like to use my roasted garlic instead. Roasted garlic is milder and sweeter than regular garlic and it doesn’t have the pungent bite that raw garlic does. Roasting the garlic is super easy and you don’t need one of those fancy terracotta roasting dishes. Foil works well enough and can be thrown away, so no dishwashing required which makes it is a recipe after my own heart. If you find that raw garlic is too strong for you, try it roasted. You will be surprised at the difference in flavor and you might find that you’ve developed a liking for garlic after all. Roasted Garlic Here is my favorite recipe Hummus for roasted garlic along with 3 great party recipes Ingredients: that you can use the garlic • 1 16oz can Garbanzo in.

Beans or Chickpeas

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• • • • • • •

4 Tbsp. Lemon Juice or the juice of 1 lemon.

1 Head Roasted Garlic ½ tsp. Cumin ½ tsp. Cayenne Pepper ½ tsp. Salt Black Pepper to taste 1/4 to 1/3 cup Olive Oil

Description: Add all the ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor.

Blend together in order to puree the beans and garlic. Once pureed, keep the food processor on and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You may need a little less or a little more oil each time you make this.

Roasted Garlic Wontons

Ingredients: • 2 Heads of Roasted Garlic • 8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened • 20 Wonton Wrappers • 1 tsp. Lemon Juice • Salt • Black Pepper • 2 cups Vegetable Oil

Description: In a bowl, combine the garlic, cream cheese, and lemon juice.

Ingredients: • 20 Fresh Jalapenos • 1 Head Roasted Garlic • 8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened • ½ cup Mozzarella Cheese, finely shredded • 2 green onions, chopped fine • Salt & Pepper • ¼ to ½ cup extra shredded Mozzarella cheese to top the jalapenos with.

Description: Preheat oven to 275°. Be sure to wear gloves when dealing with the jalapenos. Half each jalapeno and use a spoon to remove all the seeds and the white membrane.

A grapefruit spoon works well for this since they have the serrated edges.

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, roasted garlic, mozzarella cheese, and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Stuff each jalapeno half with the mixture and top with the extra mozzarella cheese.

Bake in the oven for 60 minutes, then raise the oven temperature to 350° and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is nicely browned.

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Calling all Questions!

Have a question about preservation or old house repairs? Send me an email at theminutemagazine@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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I

n honor of the new additions expected this month by two Minute Magazine writers, I’ve decided to take a closer look at two subjects that are near and dear to my heart: children and older homes. Many people don’t think twice about putting the two together, while some believe it to be an unwise combination. With legitimate concerns as well as many benefits to consider, parents can safely and comfortably raise their kids in an old house.

When a baby is on the way, even the staunchest fans of historic architecture may consider drastic measures to make sure their child grows up in a healthy environment. While many parents-to-be consider moving from their old house to a new one for want of a more family-friendly “open” floor plan, others decide to tackle a major renovation before the baby arrives. I

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knew a young couple that lived in a historic home when they were expecting their first child. Because their home was old enough to have once contained lead paint, they decided to gut the 100 year old plaster walls of the nursery and install sheetrock. Though they acted in the best interest of their child, their unfounded fear of lead poisoning from the suspicion that a layer of lead paint lay encapsulated under the current color on their walls not only cost them a lot of money, but may have also caused more harm to mother and child than if they had left their plaster walls alone. While lead paint is a serious health hazard that can be found in many older homes, it is important to understand that as long as lead paint is undisturbed and shows no signs of flaking, peeling, or dusting, it poses little risk. Furthermore, the federal government banned the use of lead paint in the late 1970s. Most old homes have been repainted since then, encapsulating the lead paint on the wall and minimizing the risk to humans. Demolishing plaster

walls disturbs encapsulated lead paint, creating lead dust and posing a greater risk to humans. Even if you fear your home contains lead paint, remember that most pediatricians routinely monitor lead levels in children. You can request more frequent tests if you suspect high levels in your home. Once encapsulated or properly abated by a licensed contractor, lead paint poses little risk.

As parents of one young son with another arriving soon, my husband and I were quite concerned about bringing a baby home in mid-winter to an old house that often feels cold and drafty. After some research, we found that a room temperature of 61 degrees to 67 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended to reduce the risk of SIDS. We purchased an easy–toread thermometer for the baby’s room and have been monitoring it for the last few weeks while we prepare for baby. Turns out, we had no reason to worry. The temperature of baby’s room, and our house, consistently stays at around 67 degrees.

Slightly cooler than where our heating unit is set, but safe for baby and manageable for me. We also have plenty of swaddling blankets and footed sleepers on hand that will keep baby warm on extremely cold nights.

Old houses are admittedly draftier than tightly sealed new construction, but it turns out that a lower room temperature is better for babies. Do your research and monitor the temperature of your house with a thermometer other than the one on your thermostat.

It may not be as cold and drafty as you think!

The cost of having children combined with the current economic climate mean that many young families are on a budget. If you’re looking to purchase or rent your own home, don’t rule our older houses in historic neighborhoods.

In many areas, older homes can be your best bet for affordable home ownership and quality construction.

Not only do older homes often offer more square footage at less cost, they sit on established lots surrounded by trees and other vegetation. You may get more house for you money and a yard where your kids can run and play, get dirty, and climb trees as opposed to a sod-less dirt lot that often accompanies new construction.

While an older home may often require some work to make it your own, that work is well worth it to many who value architectural character, enough square footage for a growing family, a landscaped yard, and a central location usually within walking distance or a short drive of amenities and cultural events downtown. Living in an older home is a living architectural laboratory.

Kids will notice differences between their old home and newer homes. What a great opportunity to pass along the value of protecting our cultural heritage.

------------------------------------What are your experiences living in an older home with kids? Email me and I’ll share your good advice!

CRISTAL KIRBY, M.D. MINDEN MEDICAL CENTER IS PLEASED TO WE LCO M E OUR NEWEST PHYSICIAN As a parent of two children, Dr. Cristal Kirby understands the trust you must build with a physician as they treat your child. She truly cares about her patients and looks forward to seeing them grow up to be healthy and productive adults.

Dr. Kirby has chosen to bring her expertise in PEDIATRICS and love of children to Minden. “We were looking for several specific qualities when my husband and I were deciding where to move and we found them in Minden. We wanted a community that was of this size, where people were friendly and a positive environment where we can raise our family. The next challenge was to find a hospital and medical personnel that was top notch. Minden Medical Center fit that and more.”

Dr. Kirby has joined Dr. Michael Ulich at Minden Pediatrics and is now accepting new patients (newborn to 21 years) at their new location 1232 Sheppard Street in Minden.

Appointments may be made by calling (318) 371-7733.

#1 MEDICAL PLAZA | MINDEN, LA 71055 | (318) 377-2321

EDUCATION MEDICAL DOCTORATE DEGREE Medical College of Wisconsin - Milwaukee INTERNSHIP & PEDIATRIC RESIDENCY Pitt County Memorial Hospital - Greenville, NC PERSONAL ‘Happy’ is the word she uses to describe herself.

‘I have found that happy doctors who love what they do, give great patient care…and their attitude is contagious.’

Dr. Kirby enjoys biking, swimming and spending time with her husband, Paul, and their two children, Madison and Alyssa.

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7.

Prevent further damage. If it doesn't put you or anyone else in harm's way, do what's possible to prevent any further damage to your vehicle.

8. Exchange insurance information. If the name on the auto registration and/or insurance policy is different from the name of the driver, establish the relationship and note it.

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What to do if you're in a car accident.

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adrenaline rush can mask symptoms. If you or anyone involved might be injured, call an ambulance immediately. Turn on your hazard lights. This lets drivers behind you know there's an incident ahead. If you have them, and it's safe to do so, you might also want to use orange cones, warning triangles, or safety flares. * Get out of traffic. If the accident seems minor and there aren't any injuries, move cars out of the way and to the closest safe place.

3. Call the police.

They'll sort through the scene, talk to the involved eing in a car acci- parties, and write up an acdent is such a jolt to your cident report. system. And with so much 4.

Notify your going on in the immediate agent.

An insurance agent aftermath, there are some can help you sort through important things to keep in your options, even if the mind. accident was minor.

1. Stay as calm as 5.

Take notes. possible. Breathe deeply, Things happen so quickly count to ten, think of the that it's easy to forget deocean – whatever helps tails.

Jot down your recolyou slow down your heart lections of the accident, rate and focus. including the damage to

2. Check for inju- all cars. If possible, get the ries. Remember that your contact information of any

B

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witnesses.

6. Take pictures. If your cell phone can do it or if you've got a camera on hand – and it's safe to do so – take photos of the accident scene and any damage you can see.

9. Stick with the facts. Be polite. Stay objective and be truthful.

10. Stay. It always seems to take forever, but don't leave the scene of the accident until everything is taken care of.

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Raised Southern -----------------------------------

D

igging, done well, is a kind of practical dance.

The choreography of the spade is fluid, economical, circular. It bears intention forward into action and round to intention again.

The best digging often appears effortless. There is no waste, no rushing, no haphazard fits and starts, only the deliberate downward sweep of the blade, an easy arcing upswing, and steadily accumulating evidence of progress. Digging may never qualify as a spectator sport but good digging is surprisingly fun to watch, and good diggers, as a rule, are not nearly so irritable while under observation as their less-accomplished peers. ~ J, Tevere MacFadyen, “The Call to Dig” Horticulture, March 1985 As Spring approaches the call of the soil is near. Anyone who has ever done much digging knows the effect it has on the mind, much

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less a body that has lain dormant since fall. The Robins have de-wormed the yard and the Cedar Waxwings have scoured the cedars.

We gathered all the leaves, year before last, with the tractor and piled them in our yard. Without much rain last year nearly no decomposition took place until after the late fall rains. Now I have some good compost readying that I will add to my garden, in preparation for planting potatoes and all the other spring goodies. There may be 20 yards of compost that will be soon ready. At least I can move it with the bucket on our tractor, no way I could shovel all that compost, I’m getting too old for that much work!

Speaking of potatoes, it is the perfect time to get them in the ground. I haven’t planted any taters since I was a kid, at home with my parents. Many memories of the whole family planting them, with a stick in hand, to measure distance. I can guess this was for us little people(all 4 of us) so we did not to plant too many at once and have enough seed to fill all the rows dad had plowed. Mom prepared the seedling potatoes a few days before they were to be planted. She would cut the tubers into pieces that had to contain at least one sprout each. This would provide at least a half

dozen new plants from each tuber. Since cutting the tuber open can invite rot Momma would leave the cut potatoes out, to sit in a warm place, for several days, to seal the tater slice scars with a protective callus before planting.

Mom always told us “Make sure you place the eye’s up.”

One year our family

planted two gardens with my dads brother, Uncle Wayne, and his family. We sure had fun when it came time to dig the potatoes, with all us eight children playing in the dirt. Daddy and Uncle Wayne plowed the potato rows up and it was the kids job to gather them in baskets. We even got into a potato war with each other. I think Uncle Wayne started it! We had so many potatoes that year I thought we were going to turn into one. Momma had us little people help her store the bushels of potatoes, under the pine tree shade, in the straw, not touching one another, so if one would rot it wouldn’t affect the whole crop. They sure were good.

I can hardly wait to see what happens under my soil this year.

----------------------------------Remember to Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. Happy Gardening!

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It can always get worse, right?

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H

ave you ever had the feeling that if one more thing goes wrong you just would not know what to do? In that same moment of feeling that did you stop and think, I better not say that because it could always be worse. Well, I certainly have.

Right before Christmas I became ill. This really put a damper on my holiday season because I was so sick I could just barely get out of bed to crawl to the sofa. I finally had to accept that I was sick and this Christmas I was just not going to get to do my usual shopping, visiting and baking. My family was great and we settled in and began to celebrate the “real” reason for the season. Well, let me just say, if ever my faith in the “real reason” has been put to a test it most certainly was in the last month of December 2011.

It goes something like this, I became ill, a large part of a tree fell

on my husbands vehicle causing some damage, my daughters car had a problem starting, my oven went out (which is not a good thing for someone who loves to bake like me), my dishwasher went out (which is not so bad since the oven went out and I could not cook), my car engine blew up and we found a leak in the roof above my dining room. And a couple of other things too but I will spare you the little details. Yep, all that within 2 short weeks.

Now one might hear all these things and look at me and wonder how in the world I kept from going insane while I was laid up on the sofa sick as a dog. Well, not sure exactly when but after one of these mishaps I looked at my husband and daughter and said to them “I think the devil is out to get us”. Oh, come on, surely some of you have felt that way at some point in your life? Then I said to them “he has no authority over our family, so we are just going to laugh and push forward”. Well I must not have proclaimed that last part loud enough because several more things happened. But true to my word, after every incident, my family and I would shake our head and laugh. I mean what else can you do?

Christmas came and went and we were

thankful to have been able to participate in our usual holiday gatherings. We even started a new tradition this year. My husband has extended family that we are close to but rarely do anything with but this year they invited us to their home for Christmas Day dinner.

What a blessing that was.

My cousin who lives in Dallas came “home” for Christmas this year after many years of not being able to. So even though I was sick and we had a few mishaps it was a wonderful holiday season for my family. Not everything is fixed yet, I still have no oven, dishwasher or car.

But I have no doubts those things will be repaired soon.

Honestly I have laughed so much over all of this that I have forgotten to be worried about it all.

But never doubt the Lord can use all of our trials for good even when you do not even realize he is doing it. Let me explain, I noticed on Facebook that a friend of mine had been very sick so I decided to go visit her. Those who know me know that I rarely pop in on anyone. But, this particular day I was heading out and just decided to pull in her driveway and check on her.

I found out that I myself was not the only one going through a tough time, she had a relative who was very ill and probably not going

to live very long and she herself had been sick and in the bed for three days, sad because she was sick and heartbroken over her relative. I proceeded to tell her about everything that had gone on with my family. She looked at me and said she was so glad I dropped by and that she appreciated knowing she was not the only one going through a tough time. The Lords timing is always perfect isn’t it? Now don’t get me wrong, I had a few meltdowns during this time. I just chose to push forward.

So please let me encourage you to push forward. It could always be worse. And when you are given an opportunity to share how you have overcome trials in your own life please do it. Even if it means you have to step outside of your comfort zone. You just never know who needs an encouraging word, hand squeeze or a hug. I am a Christian and have always relied on the Lord for strength, peace and guidance. I am not perfect but I am grateful for the life I have been given.

I wish for each of you a wonderful 2012, filled with much joy even through any difficult times. It is at these times we realize our greatest blessings in life.

Please allow me to leave you with this quote:

"FOR A LONG TIME IT HAD SEEMED TO ME THAT LIFE WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN – REAL LIFE. BUT THERE WAS ALWAYS SOME OBSTACLE IN THE WAY. SOMETHING TO BE GOT THROUGH FIRST. SOME UNFINISHED BUSINESS, TIME STILL TO BE SERVED. A DEBT TO BE PAID. THEN LIFE WOULD BEGIN. AT LAST IT DAWNED ON ME THAT THESE OBTACLES WERE MY LIFE." (Fr. Alfed D’Souza)

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Mardi Gras -----------------------------------

A

s I was growing up Mardi Gras was exclusive to south Louisiana. New Orleans was most commonly thought of when Mardi Gras was mentioned. The stories I heard about Mardi Gras in New Orleans as a teenager were about the amount of alcohol consumed and the wild parties that followed.

Personally I’ve never been to New Orleans while Mardi Gras was being celebrated.

It wasn’t until Shreveport and Bossier had their first Mardi Gras Parade that I experienced it for the first time.

The first year it was held in the Bossier area my family and I found a good spot on Airline Drive near the I-20 overpass to wait on the parade. We got there more than two hours before the parade reached that spot.

While waiting for the parade our son and a friend were playing in the area and came running back and told us someone was lying down in the tall grass near the bridge and they thought something was wrong with the man so I went to investigate and realized several people were sleeping on cardboard boxes near the overpass.

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I was sure this was where they slept every night. When I realized there was no one needing assistance I told the boys not to go back over there and we returned to our spot to wait for the parade. That first year the crowds were light, there was only a single row of people where we were. Our son was young enough that most of the beads, tokens and other things were thrown his way and he had a great time gathering them up and wearing the beads. That was fine with me because I enjoyed looking at the floats more than the “stuff” they were throwing. By the next year apparently word had gotten out because there were people everywhere about four or five deep.

There was a lot of pushing, shoving, snatching beads, stepping on your fingers if one hit the ground and so we decided to find a better place to watch the parade the next time around.

The next year a friend of a friend invited us to park in their yard and walk a short distance and catch a few beads in their neighborhood.

This was a lot of fun and the people were much more polite. Our son was better prepared and carried a half bushel peach basket that he had decorated Mardi Gras colors with a mask, colored feathers and beads and he held it up high above his head to collect the beads and other things being thrown. Another person with us had a fishing net that was decorated to stick up high to

collect beads. They had a great time seeing who could collect the most beads! We did this for several years, until our son lost interest and we quit going. Many years later Pam and I were invited to a friend’s house to see the Highland Parade.

This was a walk-in-the park, there were more beads and other stuff than I knew what to do with. They even threw hot dogs from one of the

floats. I don’t know if time had mellowed the crowds or more cities having Mardi Gras Parades gave fans an opportunity to enjoy it without being so competitive but everyone really had a great time. People of all ages were there and all enjoyed the parade, the food, the party and the many friends who gathered there!

The first few years of Mardi Gras in our area seemed strange to me but after all these years it now seems normal and I do think that some of the people from other states coming to our area enjoy the parades without having to travel to south Louisiana.

I am not sure how people from the southern part of the state embraced sharing their customs with us but apparently they have accepted it by now. I really think Mardi Gras has been beneficial for our state both north and south, so let the good times roll!!

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an antique junkie

g n i d d e W O

nce upon a time, there was a little girl who dreamed of marrying her “prince charming”. She envisions a long flowing dress, garnished with delicate lace, shiny sequins, and danity white pearls. Family & friends gather to watch her make the way down the isle, as her radiance shines brighter than the stars twinkling above. Everything is perfect for this special day... it’s a fairytale come true.

Isn’t that the hope and dream of every little girl... to grow up, get married, and be Cinderella for that one magical night? Is this just another enchanting story or is it really possible?

When I was a little girl, I’d always dreamed of my wedding day. I thought it would be something like I described above. Even though I didn’t have the opportunity for that “magical wedding”, I did marry the man of my dreams. Several years later, we were blessed with the birth of our two children, just 2 years apart. I love them both the same, but nothing could have prepared me for the “bond” between a mother & daughter. From the first time I held her in my arms, I knew my heart would never be the same. Oh the joys, laughter & sometimes tears that a daughter brings into your life! My daughter

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by Donna Arender has always loved to play “dress-up”, following in her mother’s footsteps, of course. And I knew that “my little girl” dreamed of a big, fancy wedding... but I felt a little concerned that our finances wouldn’t allow the kind of wedding that I knew she hoped for. So, as her wedding date came near, I began to feel anxious about “what kind of wedding” we would be able to afford. Much to my surprise, (and an antique junkie’s delight), she decided to have a Vintage-Shabby-Chic wedding theme. This was almost too good to be true!

I wanted to give my daughter the wedding I had always dreamt of, but being on a very small budget, it was going to be a BIG challenge. I wasted no time in starting to “collect” things to be used in her outdoor/vintage wedding. The location seemed to be a bit overwhelming, at first, because of it’s enormous size. But this junk-gypsy didn’t let anything discourage me from succeeding in this decorator’s delight. I searched high & low, near & far, and then some... till I found the perfect pieces to lend their simplicity and beauty to this very special occasion.

The back-drops were actually old doors (borrowed) out of a late 1800’s homestead called “The

House at Sugar Creek”. Primitive, shabby-chic, & rustic containers were used to hold fresh white daisies, along with signs that had “romantic verses”.

Sweet song-birds sat scattered here & there, and old skeleton keys hung at the various vinettes... which enfolded the theme: The Key to My Heart is Love. The table centerpieces were old blue mason jars filled with a few simple flowers that looked as if they had just been picked from a near-by meadow.

All of the pieces I found, seem to blend together like a melody, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to come together, to create a wonderful masterpiece.

The beautiful bride awaited at the top of a long flight of wooden stairs, that was nestled into the hillside. She was escorted down to meet her “knightin-shining-armor” by her father. The setting was just before dusk, on a crisp fall afternoon, overlooking the lake with the water gently rippling below. The bride & groom exchanged their vows standing beneath a vintage chandelier that gave a soft romantic glow, as the day turned into night. The gifts were placed on a table with an old suitcase serving as the “cardholder”. Not far away was the 4-tiered wedding cake, made to look like an old quilt, with tiny pearls dotting the “stitches”. The cake-topper was actually an heirloom-gift from the grandmother of the bride.

It proudly took the “place of honor” atop the wedding cake, like it had done so many years ago when my parents were married in 1962. It had been tucked away inside a shoe-box for almost 50 years, and though, discolored with age, it was by far, one of the most beautiful things at the wedding. There is no way you could buy that kind of nostalgia and charm in any store today, not to mention it’s sentimental value.

I am so blessed an honored that my daughter asked me to decorate for her wedding, using a theme that she knew would speak to my heart, as well as hers. We used a lot of simple yet elegnant details, to add to the beauty and charm of this special day.

And we realized that this fairytale wedding was pieced together with something more valuable than what money can buy. There were items that “spoke” without any definitions: such as an antique fan which represented “love is in the air” or the sweet little feathered friends which represented “love birds”.

The doors represented: “A new door opening - a new chapter in their lives”. Overall, I think the guests were pleasantly surprised as I was satisfied, that I had acheived that “magical setting”. It was a very sweet, small, one-of-a-kind outdoor wedding that took place November 19th, 2011. I couldn’t be any happier for my PRINCESS, and I pray that all of her hopes and dreams come true. CONGRATULATIONS to David & McKensie (Arender) Behrens and their 2 precious sons: Remington & Levi. Here’s to a long life of Love, Laughter, and Happily-Ever-After!

Clockwise, from top: David & McKensie; antique decor and the bride's staircase; McKensie and her father; my parent's wedding cake topper on McKensie's wedding cake

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The Change-ALife Resolution Forgiveness -----------------------------------

E

very January, I look back at the previous year and attempt to evaluate it honestly. You know how that works. It’s the hard look in the mirror. What were the best moments of 2011? What were the worst? Where do I go from here?

I’ll be honest.

Most years, my resolutions are very personal in nature. Exercise more.

Eat healthier. Accomplish X, Y and Z. Spend more time with the ones I love.

How about you? I think it’s our human nature to look at the New Year as a time of renewal and creating a better version of ourselves.

On a recent trip to Phoenix, AZ, where my husband and I lived for over 14 years, I was overwhelmed as I visited with friends I haven’t seen in several years. The universal theme of many conversations was the pain and suffering that comes our way as we journey

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through our lives. It startled me.

The older I get, the more I realize that we are all human. My friends in Phoenix are certainly not unique in their suffering. Along with our humanity comes broken promises, hurt feelings, misunderstandings, anger, bitterness, resentment. The pain of life is universal.

The healing from that pain is not.

I’ve known many in my life, including myself, who have held onto bitterness and anger. It colors one’s outlook with shades of grey, resulting in dark and desperate feelings of general malaise, depression, anxiety as well as very real physical issues such as high blood pressure.

Even more painful is the continued bleeding of that emotional wound onto those around.

The hurt begins to wound others, too. Maybe it’s family relationships. Maybe your children. Emotional wounds are far-reaching.

The Mayo Clinic offers “Forgiveness: Letting Go of Grudges and Bitterness” as a suggestion for maintaining a healthy lifestyle on their website (mayoclinic.com).

Surprising, isn’t it, that a clinic as well-regarded as The Mayo Clinic would suggest that forgiveness could lead to a healthier life? They are certainly not in the business of

healing the spiritual life of their patients, but they acknowledge, by virtue of publishing the article, that there is a physical benefit to ending emotional pain.

Interesting that one of the final acts of Jesus was to plea for forgiveness on behalf of those who were putting him to death.

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” Jesus said as he hung from the cross. [Luke 23:34] Even if you are not a follower of Christ, you can’t help but ponder the last words of a man who lived a life such as his. In the midst of unspeakable physical suffering, he held no resentment for being wrongly and unjustly tried and put to death. He simply prayed, as an act of intercession, for them.

I’ll be honest with you. Praying for and having a heart of forgiveness for someone who has wronged me is not my natural reaction.

The journey from anger to forgiveness is a longer one for me, of course depending on the severity of the injustice. But what if...

...what if we offered complete and total forgiveness to someone... someone who wronged us in a huge way. What if?

I do not think we as humans have the capability of continually offering true forgiveness.

Becoming forgivers is part

of the spiritual journey God intends for us to take. And if we learn to forgive as He forgives us, then we will be forgiven as well. "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." [Matthew 6:14]

And so, as I dip my toe into 2012, my resolution is not my usual variety of live healthier, exercise more, laugh louder, or live better.

Instead, I resolve to offer forgiveness more freely, even to the unapologetic wrongdoer.

In the words of John MacArthur, “Forgiveness unleashes joy. It brings peace. It washes the slate clean. It sets all the highest values of love in motion. In a sense, forgiveness is Christianity at its highest level.”

May God give me the capacity to forgive.

Elizabeth Haynes Drewett: a hormonal woman rumored to be somewhere between the age of 30 and 50. Her job: Managing Partner of SPRING Media USA, a boutique marketing firm in Ruston, LA. Her training: BA in journalism degree from LSU and a BFA in piano performance from LA Tech. Her life: wife of C.P. Drewett, Jr. and mother to Langdon, age 13, and Reagan, age 7. Her passions: the state of Louisiana - as Miss Louisiana 1992 she devoted her year of service to breast cancer education; lover of music - choir director and piano teacher; lover of a good game - job experiences include PING Golf Equipment and the NBA’s Phoenix Suns.

Her favorite things: an underdog who overachieves, a good laugh, a good book, a good word, and a good hair day. Follow her on Twitter @edrewett.

Willow Ridge Nursing & Rehabilitation Center

“LOVING EXCELLENCE IN SENIOR CARE”  State of the art facility  120 bed, Medicare, Medicaid & VA certified  Semi-private rooms & suites  Private rooms  20-bed Dementia Unit  Large activity room  In-facility beauty shop  Large chapel  Pharmacy services  All rooms have private bathroom  Caring licensed nurses & certified nursing assistants staffed

around the clock  Company owned Rehabilitation Services - Physical, Speech & Occupational Therapy  Now offering outpatient therapy services

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THREE TIMES IN EIGHT YEARS. TWO YEARS IN A ROW. It’s a time for celebration at Minden Medical Center. We have been selected as one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals for 2011 — the only Louisiana hospital to receive the recognition three times since its inception in 1993 and the only hospital in northwest Louisiana to be so honored in both 2010 and 2011.

It’s a big honor based on ten areas of excellence in patient care and safety, financial stability, patient satisfaction and successful outcomes for patients with heart problems and pneumonia.

It’s also a way for us to see how we measure up to our mission: to be the finest hospital in the country.

This national recognition tells the community that the very best possible healthcare is available right here.

Thank you to our staff and physicians whose loyalty, support, dedication and passion for excellence have enabled us to provide outstanding care and treatment for our patients.

Thank you to our Board of Governors for their leadership and to our LifePoint corporate family for providing the support and structure to achieve our goals.

As we celebrate this recognition, we vow to continue to strive for excellence by earning the loyalty of our staff, praise from our patients and the respect of our physicians…the best rewards of all.

cheers!

cheers!

cheers!

MINDEN

Medical Center

100 TOP HOSPITALS

again

Sincerely,

George E. French, III George E. French III, CEO

#1 MEDICAL PLAZA MINDEN, LA 71055 (318) 377-2321

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www.mindenmedicalcenter.com