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U. S. SENATOR LAPHONZA BUTLER GLAD TO SEE SOUTH PIKE SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT PERCY MARTIN--- On May 3rd, California’s U. S. Senator Laphonza Butler visited her hometown of Magnolia. She is shown here at the school coliseum being welcomed by her former 5th grade teacher at Eva Gordon Elementary in Magnolia, Mr. Percy Martin, who is currently president of the South Pike School Board. Butler is a 1997 South Pike High School and was one of four salutatorians for South Pike’s Class of 1997 and also wa . . .

STRONG RECOGNIZED AT MSU--- Whitney Strong, of Mccomb, MS, was recognized as a Stephen D. Lee Scholar during Mississippi State University’s spring 2024 commencement exercises. Strong is one of 113 students who attained this honor among nearly 3,500 spring graduates. Stephen D. Lee Scholars have achieved a cumulative 4.0 grade point average during their college careers. Strong, who studied Biological Sciences, earned the Bachelor of Science degree from MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences. . . .

BEST HOMEMADE GRANOLA-- Homemade granola is the perfect meal or snack; better yet, it tastes 100 times better than the store-bought version.

I’m not sure how – or when – it happened, but 2024 is more than halfway done. Before more time elapses, here are the items that have made cooking, eating and traveling a little more memorable in the first six months.

1. The first one is actually a combination food/travel find: A road trip of any length must include snacks. A new favorite is Ritz Toaste . . .

Don’t look too closely at a cicada, whose lurid red eyes are downright nightmarish.

Cicadas are truly odd critters, living underground for years as soft, thumb-size grubs, only to emerge with hard-shell exoskeletons and brittle wings for a few days of rattling out raspy mating songs before becoming fodder for birds and possums… what a life.

But while discussing them on the radio the last week I got stumped good and proper by someone asking me what the weirdest creature is I have ever come . . .

In the eyes of many political observers and voters, serious questions over President Biden’s mental sharpness and physical limitations going forward are of epic consequence to America in this election year.

But “many” doesn’t take in all of the populace of this country. Many others say there are other overriding factors in play as the country chooses a leader for the next four years.

One of these obvious factors is the legal trouble still facing former President Trump, already carrying a 34- . . .

Last night I, like millions of viewers were not necessarily shocked at the debacle entitled “presidential debate.” We suspected that the President was on a downward trend regarding his cognitive function, but not quite to that extent. We all saw it so I don’t have to point out any particular statement even though some were whoppers. “No military have died under my watch!” I can think of 18 in Afghanistan.

Many of his statements will be regurgitated over the next few weeks; so, I will let oth . . .

The revitalization of the Southwest Mississippi Community College Volleyball program took a major step forward recently with the hiring of Chris Laird as the team’s new head coach.

Laird brings nearly 30 years of coaching experience both as an assistant and head coach on multiple levels.

“It’s a new experience,” Laird said. “I’ve been a coach at a JUCO, I’ve been a coach at a high school level and I have spent the majority of my career in the higher education system. I’ve been a Division-I . . .

Watering woes are upon us, as spring rains trickle to a close and the summer furnace is headed towards full blast. I may sound like a skipping record, but it’s crucial that we protect our plant investments.

Not that I take my own advice; like my neighbors who are not hard-core gardeners, I don’t water at all, partly because I live overseas all summer, don’t have automatic sprinklers, and my busy, grown daughter will only swing by once a month or so to check on a few containers.

With those . . .

SUMMER FAVORITES-- What’s the Fourth of July without a flag cake? If you’d like the recipe and directions, I’ll be happy to send it to you!

Newsflash: Fourth of July 2024 will be a hot one. Since it’s a couple of weeks away, I haven’t yet seen the weather report. But I just know it will be hot - maybe because I’ve suffered through numerous steamy hot holidays. But don’t ditch your celebration plans just yet. There are ways to keep your cool when preparing food for your Independence Day . . .

On the 60th year anniversary of this nation’s most important, courageous and successful drive to enlist more voters, the turnout rate in certain 2024 elections across America has been depressingly disappointing.

In one local round of voting in which I participated, involving primaries for President and the U.S. Congress, the turnout was a meager 18-percent of voters, and I’ve read of participation in the teens in several other states.

I don’t want to say such a low involvement of electors m . . .

People are just too mobile these days. Folks these days think nothing of driving to Tupelo or Memphis just to eat out.

I vividly remember the single occasion when my family decided to “go out to eat” when I was a child. After church one Sunday Mother said she wanted to get away from the house and just for once not have to cook.

This was back when Sunday dinners at home were quite a big deal in most families. There was usually company on hand to feed, sometimes relatives from out of town w . . .

Motion is one of the most appreciated yet least planned-for qualities of gardening. Looking out the window on a hot summer day, our eyes catch sudden movements, pulling our attention into the unfolding scenes.

I’m not going to wax poetic about the subtle shapeshifting of shrubs and trees as they grow over the years, or the nearly imperceptible way leaves and buds of young, not-quite-flowering sunflower plants track life-giving Sol from when it rises in the morning until it sets late afternoo . . .