Smoke Signals and other news
Do I see signs of spring? The grass is trying to turn green. I saw a lovely cardinal enjoying the sun. The buttercups are reaching for the golden sunshine. Some of the trees are budding and blooming. Then there is lots and lots of rain. One day the temperature was in the eighties, and the next, in the forties. Yes, I feel spring and the renewing of life.
Congratulations to H.W. Byers and Byhalia for making it to the “Big House.” It is such an exciting award for the hard work these kids and coaches have put in all season.
I am by no means an expert on bees, and a sting from one would send me to the emergency room. However, I do know we need them for pollination and honey. I have read that their first food in the spring is the dandelion, yet many use poisons to kill the dandelions because they see them as weeds. Nature sees them as food. In this area, weeds, flowers, and fruit trees are bees only food source until the middle of June. The bee lives less than 40 days, visits at least 1,000 flowers, and produces less than a teaspoon of honey. For us, it is only a teaspoon of honey, but for the bee, it is life. When the clover starts blooming in my yard and grass cutting begins, I always leave a significant patch for the bees and the one resident rabbit we have. I leave his patch near the brush patch where he lives and enjoy watching him sneak out to grab a quick snack.
This week’s surprise Walmart delivery came when I ordered cat food along with other items. Opening the first box, I found most of my items neatly packed in a suitable size box. Reaching for the second rather large box, I thought, “That must be the cat food, but it certainly is heavy.” Opening the box, I found a nice inflatable full-size air mattress. Now while I appreciate the mattress, I don’t think my cats would enjoy eating it. After contacting Walmart, they apologized and told me to keep the mattress. It is the second time this type of thing has happened to me. Do you wonder why you don’t always get your package? Now, who got my cat food?
Take the time to make sure the settings on your Facebook account make it difficult to be hacked. My nightmare continues. The perpetrator has changed my password, added two-factor authorization, changed my profile picture several times,
added many people as my friends that I do not know, taken money from my checking account, and removed many of my previous posts and pictures. Yet, Facebook says it’s not against their community standards and refuses to correct it.
I have the suspect’s name, address, email address, and possible phone numbers and have furnished such to Facebook. No action has been taken. If you are Facebook friends with “Janice Wagg,” please unfriend me on that account, and if you would like to, send a friend request to “Clair Wagg.”
Signups for baseball, softball, and Tee-ball continue through March 4 for most communities in the county. Holly Springs will hold a “Super Event” on March 4 at the Eddie Lee Multi-Purpose Center, 235 N. Memphis Street. I have been hired as an assistant to park director Marvin Bruce to help rekindle the Holly Springs program after an off year. I am honored to have the opportunity to pass on more than 30 years of experience to the younger generation.
I read this on a Facebook post. It sounds like an excellent opportunity to learn American Sign Language Oklahoma School for the Deaf is offering free online ASL classes. ASL classes 1 and 2 are prerecorded and self-guided. It is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to learn ASL: https://courses.osd.K12.ok.u s.
HISTORY MOMENT: Frame W. Henry was in Byhalia in the late 1840s and was one of the Anson County, North Carolina transplants. He is reputed to be a descendant of the famous American patriot Patrick Henry. Having bought a large parcel of the land on which the town would develop later, Henry sold off lots for the next forty years.
He donated the land for the cemetery and the first Methodist Church. Tragically his wife, Frances, was the first recorded burial in the cemetery on December 11, 1845. He had a stately home built in 1849, which he sold to J. J. Reed in 1855. Reed sold this beautiful old home to Wilson Durrumin in 1860. Later used as an all-girls school, the house became known as “Woody Place” and later as “Cedar Hill.”
Please share your news with me at jchwagg@gmail.com or by text or call 901 246-8843. Please do not message me on Facebook.