Top Ten Reasons I'm Voting for Obama

Sorry to bore you international readers and Republicans, but I posted this to my spot on the Springfield News-Leader OzarksLeft and I am putting it up here too. Isn't that the wonderful thing about having a blog? We can spout off whenever we like. Sure you can write a letter to the editor, but this is way easier and broader too.

Over the last several days, Missouri saw several candidates blow through the state. Obama spoke to 21,000 in St. Louis on Saturday night. Bill Clinton was here in Springfield at Central High and 3,000 Springfieldians took in his visit. Mike Huckabee gave a quick airport speech. It's great to be noticed here in the "Show Me" state. Missouri is known as a bellwether state for picking the nominee who goes on to win. I think voters here might have missed it one election though. Polls have it very close between Clinton and Obama and so I can't really predict how we will go. I will say Hillary Clinton once had a huge lead which has eroded thanks in part to our U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill's endorsement of Barack Obama.

At any rate here are the Alabama Kitchen Sink's Top Ten Reasons I'm Voting for Obama:

1. Hillary Clinton inspires and rallies Republicans who want to do everything possible to keep the presidency from her and her co-president.

2. Much of Clinton’s “35 years of experience” comes on the coattails of her husband and experience isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.

3. As a feminist she tears up and says she “has found her voice” only to have her husband become her attack pit bill.

4. She is an icon of the past—one with a boatload of baggage.

5. Mastery of old-school politics needs to give way to a new generation’s leadership.

6. Consensus building involves more than just your friends and interest groups. Obama is reaching out to many.

7. It would be nice not to see the same old tired cast of characters, and Madeline Albright looks like she could use a vacation.

8. Entrepreneurial leadership demands a new approach to accomplishing common goals.

9. New partnerships must be entered into and a resourceful style must overtake the ideas of those who have had their day in the sun (and time in the White House).

10. The Millennial generation and Generation X are excited, interested and motivated toward civic action by Obama who is attracting huge crowds and energy. Heck, even this Baby Boomer is more excited and energized than I have been in years. I am again hopeful that we may finally tackle some of the major problems facing America and actually see that change in action.


These are my reasons. See you at the polls!


Note: New political designs are up on Hail to the Chief, my CafePress shop. I've added a new cartoon yellow dog Democrat design but the old one on the oval sticker is my bestseller. The Obama t-shirt with the JFK quote sold well over the weekend and someone in Washington state bought two kids t-shirts for his children.

Thank you John Edwards

John Edwards was my guy until recently when that upstart Barack Obama stole my heart. Edwards was constant in his words to what he set out saying when he threw his hat into the presidential ring. However, his message never gathered steam, and today he’s chosen to withdraw from the presidential race with class and grace, and for that, I thank him. His voice is one we needed.

Who will his supporters choose now? For me, it was always a clear-cut choice: either Edwards or Obama. Never did I consider Hillary Clinton. It was the electability issue. It was the arrogance, sense of entitlement and those “35 years of experience” in the ways of old-school politics and tactics. I never longed for a “co-presidency” and did not care to go “Back to the Future.”

So now Hillary’s put the choke collar on Bill and given it a big yank. Former President Clinton has chilled out his rhetoric but only after the Clinton campaign lost Sen. Ted Kennedy’s endorsement of Barack Obama--an endorsement that logically should have been hers.

Whether this endorsement will help Obama win over the hearts and votes of Hispanic voters and other core Democratic factions remains to be seen. However, the symbolism is striking. I hope he picks up some Edwards’ supporters too and that this combination will be enough to propel him ahead of Clinton, who continues to lead in some big states.

I do have great hope. Maybe you’ve seen the new Obama ads with Caroline Kennedy speaking over the images of her late father. Do you remember how energized and proud Americans were back then? The positive tone of this ad speaks to the reason Obama has touched so many tired Democrats who have for so long dutifully gone to the polls and voted with the party though disappointed and disillusioned.

Now, with Obama’s campaign we have a glimmer of hope that the old divisive and destructive ways of politics might change.

The Subject is Hair

Dear gentle readers of the male persuasion may skip this post unless you’d care to get a little insight about women. You see I’m growing my hair out. I can’t think most men spend as much time with their hair as we women do. With you guys, it’s pretty much wash-and-go. Dana Carvey’s Church Lady on Saturday Night Live was so fond of saying, “How convenient!”

Anyway, it seems we are always on our way to a new style or thinking about it. During those days when I didn’t have to worry about MY hair, I once had a lady in the supermarket ask, “Where’d you get your hair fixed?” I didn’t hem and haw in replying, “Oh, it’s a wig.” “Well, it sure is cute,” she replied.

Yes, that was one advantage during those days. However, I have been growing out my short cut since before Christmas and now it’s at that stage where I need some kind of trim. My dilemma is whether to have the stylist cut some bangs or just keep heading toward a sweep to the side in front. Right now when I brush it back it kind of looks like Hillary Clinton’s current do, and y’all know what I think about her.

Any guys still with me at this point weigh in. Do you actually notice or care how the women in your life fix their hair? Well, I’m sure I will work out this little issue. But you women know what I’m talking about.

Coloring books

Do kids still color in coloring books? I know I loved them. If I had to be home from school because I was sick, my mom always picked up one at the drug store when she collected my prescription. And even in healthy times, I could often be found coloring away. Maybe they do curb artistic expression in some, but I credit them with giving me a chance to experiment with color. Anyway, I went on to do my own thing eventually.

Dover Publications puts out some of the nicest coloring books these days and they are a fairly inexpensive way to introduce kids to art. This designer likes and uses Dover Publications often for inspiration. If you sign up for the Dover Sampler, they’ll even E-mail you free designs to download each week such as this floral sample.

Looking at the sample almost makes me want to round up the Crayolas. Speaking of which, check out this link to Crayola.com for online coloring fun. You can choose from colored pencils, markers and of course, Crayolas.

Do you remember how exciting it was when school started and you got that huge box of crayons? There seemed to be infinite possibilities then. I charge you to explore your creativity. And don’t tell me you aren’t creative, because I will just think you aren’t trying.

Note: the sample is from Color Your Own Great Flower Prints

Stephen Colbert’s Persuasion

I’m a little late in writing about this story from last week, but it’s too good not to say a few words. Comedy Central’s faux pundit Stephen Colbert has succeeded in getting the Smithsonian Institution to hang his portrait in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. for a six-week showing. The museum placed Colbert’s portrait in what it deemed an “appropriate place”-- between the bathrooms and close to the “America's Presidents” exhibit.

Maybe he can’t get the Democrats to put him on the ballot in South Carolina but he certainly knows how to play a joke to conclusion even without his writers who are on strike.

Clerk Sweeps out the Bad Guy

Before I read about it the Springfield News-Leader, I saw the video on TV and maybe you did too. Springfield has experienced a string of convenience store robberies lately like other cities, and this really isn’t big news. But when the robber attempted to do his bad on one Springfieldian clerk, she took after him with a broom. Cops and store honchos say this is probably not the best course of action when confronted by a robber, but it worked this time.

I guess I can understand the reluctance to hand over the money if the robber fails to brandish a weapon or only shows up with a BB gun as he did at another store. Of course, y’all know Missouri is the Show Me State. Any serious robber best come prepared if he’s expecting the cash.

It now looks like the cops have a suspect who will likely be charged later today.

Focus the Nation National Teach-In

From the Hartford Courant:

With an urgency — and a sense of irreverence — reminiscent of the anti-war movement of the 1960s, a group of activists from Portland, Ore., has recruited students at more than 1,000 college campuses, K-12 schools, civic organizations, church groups and private companies to conduct a massive “teach-in” on global warming Jan. 31.

Focus the Nation, the brainchild of economics Professor Eban Goodstein of Lewis and Clark College, has energized the push for possible solutions to the problem of global warming.

Here in Springfield, students, faculty and community and business leaders are planning a full day of events on Jan. 31 as Drury University hosts Focus the Nation: Nonpartisan Solutions to Global Warming. Drury University’s Hammons School of Architecture will be the location for discussions ranging from “The Science of Global Warming” to “What Would Jesus -- and Moses, and Buddha, and Muhammad -- Do?”, which will explore religious values in an environmental context. And "Fanning the Fire - The Common Good: Public Policies We Can Live With" will be a concluding panel discussion by top city leaders.

But Drury University is not the only local university involved with Focus the Nation. Missouri State University reportedly uses 15 tons of coal to power the campus for one hour, and according to the Focus the Nation Web site students will get a very accurate idea of what that looks like when trucks dump 15 tons of coal at the student union the day of the teach-in. I have no idea what 15 tons of coal looks like much less who will clean it all up, and I am so intrigued by this idea that I may have to stop by and see since MSU is in my neighborhood.

Note added after original post: A local source tells me MSU is supposed to have barrels of coal on campus to demonstrate how its energy upgrade of buildings is saving the university tons of money and cutting the area’s coal use. Drury is supposed to dump about 7 tons (not sure about the exact figure) to show the university’s 6-8 hour use of coal each day. This information differs from what is posted on the Focus the Nation Web site which may have been earlier plans. Please don't blame me if you go to either campus looking for all this coal and find things are different.

Scary Clowns

Reuters says kids don’t much like clowns according to a University of Sheffield study reported on in Nursing Standard magazine. Good thing children were consulted about hospital décor before some do-gooder artist painted up the walls. How frightening to be in the hospital surrounded by scary clowns!

Coulrophobia is what you call fear of clowns and it’s real. Noted sufferers include Johnny Depp, my husband and Bart Simpson who said, “Can’t sleep, clown will eat me.”

I suppose someone is going to have to break this news to the folks at McDonald's and Ronald McDonald himself.

Hillary on Top

We drove down to Conway, Arkansas, to return son to Hendrix College for the second semester. Classes start today. He switched a couple of classes to get different professors, got out of the semester-long temporary dorm room, bought over $400 worth of books and is happy to be back fresh from a month of sleeping.

I’ve written about this three to four-hour drive through the beautiful Ozarks before, and I absolutely love the wide expanses of trees, mountains and farmland. It is what renews my spirit. And husband and I even talked about returning in a few weeks when the weather warms for a canoe trip on the Buffalo River. I’ll have to get over my fear though. The last time I went canoeing in Missouri was over 20 years ago when we hit a submerged log and capsized. I still remember the murky light above my head as I headed toward it.

Sorry for the digression, but as many bloggers do, I carried the camera along and stopped just outside of Conway for this topical photo. See, my mind is so politically focused that I can’t forget about the 2008 presidential race even if I want. This particular business has concrete statues ranging from Greek gods to chickens. Need a lawn jockey or gnome? They have them. But the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama jackasses immediately captured my attention and I thought the resulting photo was blog-worthy. Only later did I notice the fallen “Proud to be an American” sign.


© 2008 by Sheila Noblitt

Whiny About Wine

Prosecco, that wonderful Italian sparkling wine, does not need the likes of wild-child Paris Hilton hawking it. I completely understand why Fulvio Brunetta, president of the wine growers association of Treviso, was so adamant when he said, “Hilton hotels are a sign of quality; Paris Hilton is not.” Hilton is featured in advertising for Rich Prosecco, which is soon to be distributed in the U. S. Canned wine sold by an Austrian company and promoted by the gal who had such a terrible time after her D.U.I. Interesting choice.

On the other hand, if you want some real prosecco, Prosecco by Martellozzo is a good deal for $6.99 at Trader Joe’s and is one of our favorite year-round wines. It’s particularly nice in the summer, and with the addition of peach nectar or peach puree, you can make those wonderful Bellinis. The Bellini originated at Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy, and uses white peach puree and prosecco. Of course, you’ll find Americanized versions at restaurants like the Olive Garden, but it’s a lot easier as well as cheaper to make your own.

Down with Doughnuts--Signs, That Is

Krispy Kreme lost a big sign, but the tornadoes that struck near Springfield, Missouri, were deadly. Two lives were lost. We had tornado warnings in the early evening but those storms mostly skirted Springfield. Then around 2:45 a.m. the wind, rain and sirens awoke us. Those of us used to tornado warnings will ignore them until we really feel threatened. Well, last night we did and we quickly headed down to the basement as we listened to fierce wind buffeting about outside. Slowly the storm moved away and we returned to bed. Daylight brought reports of downed signs, lost roofs and other damage about three miles away. Threats to our safety always seem scary in the middle of the night. This time they were only threats for our little family. I’m sorry for the families whose losses were great.


photo by Dean Curtis

Who Can Inspire

Today, at least for today, I am very pleased that the Establishment is left scratching their heads after the results are in from the Iowa caucuses. If Iowa is indeed the microcosm the media has made it, both Republicans and Democrats want our next president to be different. Sen. Barack Obama and former Gov. Mike Huckabee are of course different, but they are alike in that they spark hope in their supporters. Americans want a president who inspires us and one who is authentic and genuine as best as we can tell.

For the time being Hillary Clinton has been left behind as has Mitt Romney. They come from far different backgrounds than Obama and Huckabee. Clinton grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, an affluent suburb of Chicago. She graduated Wellesley and Yale Law. One of my sons pointed out that she’s spent much of her adult years living in a governor’s mansion and then the White House. Romney grew up the son of a governor.

Fundamentally, I believe most Americans are tired of political dynasties. It is time for change and the populist tone of this presidential season will only get more intense. And here’s the new buzzword for you: authenticity.


ADVERTISEMENT: visit my CafePress shop, Hail to the Chief, if you'd like see the latest politically inspired designs.

Televangelists Respond to Sen. Grassley

One of my readers, KJ, responded to my post about Sen. Grassley’s inquiry into the finances of certain televangelists including Joyce Meyer Ministries. Here’s a portion of KJ’s comment:

“Joyce Meyer—for one—is above board. I have met her more than once and I have followed her ministry closely. She has actually helped many people avoid the snakes by teaching them how to shed low self-esteem and a victim mentality. . . .

As we start hooraying when it looks like some Christians—or so called Christians—are getting "theirs", I think we need to question our enthusiasm. Is it because we want justice wherever there is abuse, or is it because we have personal issues with Christianity. Just as it is wrong to lump all Middle Eastern people into the category of terrorist, it is wrong to identify all Christians as wolves and hypocrites.”

And I respond,

“I think we hold those claiming "piety" to the standard they proclaim no matter if they are Christians or some other religion or if they are politicians or other public figures. The gotcha moments come when these folks are found out to be less than what they claim to be. For example, the politician who advocates the sanctity of marriage is strung up by the media if it is found out he or she is cheating on the spouse or is secretly engaging in same sex relationships while condemning them. Well, it used to happen this way—I just don't know what to think about Rudy Giuliani’s marital track record and how that’s being treated. Maybe it doesn’t matter as much anymore. But in general, walk the walk and talk the talk. However, I think without delving more deeply into the individual philosophies of some of this bunch, that they are not actually advocating helping the poor and troubled necessarily.”

Now to the responses of those under examination. According to Joyce Meyer Ministries, Sen. Grassley has been furnished the requested information. Meyer issued a well-crafted response to the probe wherein she says for 2006 82% of the money received went for outreach or programs, 13% for administrative costs and 5% for fundraising. In October of this year, she says the organization received a letter from the IRS saying the organization continues to meet the requirements for Federal Income Tax exemption under IRC Section 501 (c) (3). The response also addressed expenditures for furnishings for the Fenton, Missouri, headquarters and explained that $23,000 wasn’t for a real commode (toilet) but was for “a tall elegant chest of drawers.” Should Meyer have spent this for a piece of furniture? Let's just say, if I thought one of my favorite religious nonprofits spent the money I donated in this way I'd be offended.

But, and it's a big one, I am not sure followers of the Gospel of Prosperity expect their leaders to be pious. The Gospel of Prosperity idea as tied to the Bible is not new. I remember in the 1970s a character named Rev. Ike who was my first brush with the notion. Rev. Ike is still around and his Web site has this to say, "As an evangelist, on TV, radio, and at mass meetings, he had the “nerve” to PREACH “Prosperity NOW!” — long before it became popular to do so. He was dismissed by some “mainstream” and “fundamentalist” people, but now many famous preachers, teachers and authors sound just like Rev. Ike — teaching prosperity!"

I digress. Another televangelist, Creflo Dollar (yes, that really is his name if you are to believe his Web site, which says his father Creflo A. Dollar, Sr., named him so) of the World Changers Church International had his lawyers send Sen. Grassley a letter stating that the "ministry" does not intend to provide the information and further

The Church's first Amendment rights and the problems that section 7611 was designed to prevent are implicated by the recent request for information. While we applaud Senator Grassley's dedication to tax law oversight and we can assure you that the church is willing to comply with a proper request for information, we believe that the IRS, through the framework of section 7611, is the appropriate governmental body to review these sensitive matters. Therefore, we respectfully request that Senator Grassley, or the full Senate Finance Committee, refer any information regarding federal tax compliance concerns to the IRS for the agency to evaluate.

A press release from early December indicated that the other organizations were communicating with the senator's office.

Gerald Iversen, national coordinator of Alternatives for Simple Living, over on the Global Ministries United Methodist Church Web site offers a mainstream Christian view with Treasures on Earth: the Gospel of Prosperity. You can imagine that Iversen, who advocates voluntary simplicity or "Living More with Less," might have problems with the Gospel of Prosperity.

I hope I have presented "the rest of the story" as it now stands. Because of how I feel about the First Amendment, I am not anxious to jump on any bandwagon to quiet the voices of these ministries of prosperity and personal growth. It's one of the wonderful things about living in a free society. Sen. Grassley and the Senate Finance Committee will need to tread carefully here but I do encourage them to proceed.

Where Free Reigns Supremely

Do you have an item you need to get rid of that’s still usable but you hesitate to throw in the trash? The Freecycle Network is a nonprofit organization that can help you find a non-landfill home for it. I call Freecycle an Internet “trash to treasure” bonanza since everything is entirely FREE.

If you go to the Freecycle Web site, you can enter where you live and see if there’s a local group nearby. You will receive instructions from the local moderator about the particulars of joining. This grassroots organization was founded in 2003 in Arizona and is now international in scope. There are over 4,000 local groups and if there’s not one near you, you can start your own.

To recycle a Martha Stewart quote, “It’s a good thing.”

Christian Marketing and Redeeming the Fallen

Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa has launched a senate probe into TV ministries. He’s asked for financial records from six major televangelists including Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn.

The senator is questioning the ministers’ spending practices for possible abuses of their tax-exempt status. Some of those elaborate sets with the gold “thrones” seemed a bit over the top to me. Yet, the very scope of the inquiry has been attacked as too broad. Grassley has been quoted as saying that the investigation “has nothing to do with church doctrine” and that he wants to make sure the organizations are following the law.

However, I suppose the timing of the advertising insert for “Morningside, A Place of Refuge” couldn’t have been worst for one Branson, Missouri, televangelist you may recall and the Branson developer, Jerry Crawford, working with him. A four-page color advertisement for this new venture appeared in the Dec. 28, 2007, Springfield News-Leader. The AP story about Sen. Grassley’s investigation was on page 9A and the advertisement for this new planned community was tucked among ads for JC Penney after Christmas sales and DirectTV promotions.

Crawford, a supporter from Bakker’s old days of The PTL Club, had encouraged the fallen televangelist to come to Branson, and Bakker and his second wife, Lori, are building a TV ministry here. Perhaps the “Gospel of Prosperity” theology once associated with Bakker has been exchanged, and the years he served in prison for fraud have molded a new and redeemed man. But one thing hasn’t changed. Bakker hasn’t lost his love for televangelism.

Will the new venture, Morningside, evolve into something similar to Heritage USA, once the third-largest theme park in the U.S.? It’s too early to say but the ground has been broken and the development is under way in Blue Eye, Missouri.

Some of my New Year’s Resolutions are Green

Ah yes, it is fashionable these days to wrap yourself and your home in green. Sustainable is tossed around here, there and everywhere, and I actually understand more about what that means than I did a few months ago.

Husband is on the sustainability council at Drury University and produces a newsletter for the group. He playfully points out “no trees were harmed during the production” of the electronic newsletter. In addition, he’s like a hawk with the recycling at home recently. We have paper sacks of paper and a plastic bin for the bottles, cans and plastic that our waste hauler picks up every other week. And I can’t sneak a non-energy-saving light bulb by him even if it is to rid ourselves of the old-style bulbs. If it’s up to him, our next car will be a Prius. He is fully on the green bandwagon. We are even recycling the Christmas tree, which Bass Pro and a local Boy Scout troop will take to Table Rock Lake to help the fish habitat.

Well, I’m getting there with the recycling, which leads me to my New Year’s resolutions. I have to give credit to The Daily Green for the inspiration after I read “7 New Year’s Eco-Resolutions for 2008.”

On Annie Bell Muzaurieta’s list:

1. “It’s time to clean out, and stop the crap collecting,” she says. You go girl! This is on my list too. This problem is vastly aggravated by the habit of shopping for recreation. Keep thee out of shopping malls and centers, so says me.

2. “I will avenge my phantom load.” She’s talking about computers, cell phones and other electronics that continue to use energy while plugged in. She suggests using a power strip and turning that off when the devices aren’t in use. I suppose I could shut the computer down. Okay, I’m adding this one too.

3. “I will be smarter than bottled water companies and drink for free what they are trying to sell me.” This does not apply to me (note the sound of me patting myself on the back), and I am therefore, leaving it off of my list. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that a small bottle of water should not ever cost $3. Also, the skeptic in me wonders if that Wehrenberg movie theater water fountain was REALLY “Out of Order” the other day.

4. “If I can remember to TiVo “Dancing with the Stars,” I can remember to bring my own bags to the grocery store.” Annie, I think I want to try this one. There are plenty of cheap eco-friendly bags for shopping instead of the plastic ones offered by merchants. Of course, if you shop less frequently, you may be like a pack mule loading up for the trek home.

5. I’m deviating from Annie’s list now to my unique set of enviro-issues. A dirty little secret is thus revealed dear gentle readers. I take long and I do mean long showers. I hearby resolve to save water, energy and time with shorter shower-time.

6. And in general reduce, reuse, recycle and conserve.

What else can you do to green up your new year? The sky’s the limit. Get the bike out of the garage and use it instead of the car. Offer a friend a ride if you are both attending an event. Plant a tree. Replace an old furnace with a high efficiency Energy Star make. We did this and Springfield's City Utilities offered us a $250 rebate. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs, which use 66% less energy and last 10 times longer than regular bulbs. You’ll save an average of $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb. Buy as local as possible. Use old t-shirts and towels instead of paper towels for cleaning chores. Put up a clothesline. Wash with cold water whenever possible.

And on the subject of New Year's resolutions in general, is it silly to come up with them at all as some have suggested? Alex Epstein of the Ayn Rand Institute doesn’t think so. He writes:

This New Year's, resolve to think about how to make your life better, not just once a year, but every day. Resolve to set goals, not just in one or two aspects of life, but in every important aspect and in your life as a whole. Resolve to pursue the goals that will make you successful and happy, not as the exception in a life of passivity, but as the rule that becomes second-nature.

If you do this, you will be resolving to do the most important thing of all: to take your happiness seriously.

To expound and expand on the Epstein message regarding passivity, I would like to encourage us all to think about how we can make life better for others too. I resolve also to get up off of the sofa and test my passions with actions. Hope you will too. May the new year bring you hope, joy, healing from emotional and physical ailments, peace and much love.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to You

When I launched this blog in the summer of 2006, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t think the readership would grow much beyond a few family members, but I have cyber-met people from all over the world. I appreciate this connection. So, with five days to go until Christmas, I wish for those who visit me regularly that you may make warm memories with those you love, that the new year will be kind to you and that may you find the strength to face with grace whatever comes your way.

Note: This was my Christmas message last year and it seems good enough for this year too.

However, I want to add a thank you to all kind readers who held my hand as the nest emptied and College Boy left for Hendrix College. Rev. Jay reassured me that CB would be fine and he was and is. Jay, I don’t know if it was the Sonic Boom alarm clock or the roommate who helped CB get up for his classes, but that wasn’t an issue as I had feared. Jay also happens to be a reader I’ve actually met in person.

Marion has been a cyber-sage throughout the year for me with a quiet and compelling wisdom I truly appreciate. The Palm Springs Savant is where I go for a fun and upbeat look at life, and Rick always posts great photos of his travels and adventures in fine dining. Lorelei and Marsha are favorites as is my British cyber-friend, Naomi, who has seen her blog picked up by Reuters. Sarge and Miss Bee, Miss Trashahassee, and floridagirl, who received that print of Jesus I wrote about recently, are my Florida connection. Don from Alabama keeps me in the loop about politics. Joe touches my heart. Sank is funny. I’m sure I left someone out.

But thank you all. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Are You SAD

Symptoms of winter-onset seasonal affective disorder according to the Mayo Clinic include:
* Depression
* Hopelessness
* Anxiety
* Loss of energy
* Social withdrawal
* Oversleeping
* Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
* Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
* Weight gain
* Difficulty concentrating and processing information

Should You Seek Medical Help
If your sleep patterns and appetite have changed, if you feel hopeless or have thoughts about suicide or if you rely too much on alcohol to ease the mood, you should see your doctor.

Treatment for SAD
* Take medications as directed and attend therapy appointments as scheduled.
* Expose yourself to as much light as possible. Open blinds. Get outdoors.
* Engage in physical exercise, which can help relieve stress and anxiety, both of which can increase SAD symptoms.
* Be nice to yourself. Get enough rest, eat a balanced diet and take time to relax. Avoid alcohol or non-prescribed drugs.
* Learn how to better manage stress.
* Socialize. Stay connected with people instead of withdrawing.
* Take a winter vacation in a sunny location.

A Redneck Christmas or It Takes All Kinds

Jeff Foxworthy has made quite a career out of redneck comedy. I thought of him when I noticed gifts for the redneck advertised at the top of this morning’s post. Just because the blog is called Alabama Kitchen Sink doesn’t mean everyone from Alabama is a redneck, and I certainly don't purport to be one. However, rednecks are some of my favorite people, and let’s just say I have encountered my share of them. Most are lovable, colorful and rather benign except when it’s deer season or they've had too much beer. Both of those events can be interesting or deadly.

Click on over to check out a new-to-me redneck, Slidawg and the Redneck Ramblers for a new Christmas song called “Did You Heared What I Heared?” and slap a smile on your face. Appropriately, the CD is available at Wal-Mart.

I Know Why Santa is Plump

Have you heard that some think Santa Claus is too fat? As is often the case, our icons evolve over time. Apparently, Santa Claus wasn’t always fat. Wait a moment. Let me think of another way to say that. I don’t like calling SC fat. How about portly? Where Santa Claus came from is hardly a mystery. With pagan and Christian roots, he has been around for some time.

Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist in the 19th Century noted for his illustrations in Harper’s Weekly, drew a stouter version of Santa than previous artists, and this image of a plumper Santa stuck. After all, there is more of Santa to love. Nast, of course, must have been influenced by his German roots and St. Nicholas.

Haddon Sundblom’s Santa, which he created for Coca-Cola advertising in the early 1930s is probably the image most of us latch onto. And back to that weight issue. Hey Santa, lay off the Coke!

Hold the Ice

Let it snow! But please, hold the ice. Unfortunately, it’s too late. Nature isn’t listening. She is too busy raining on southwest and central Missouri this morning. And with temperatures hovering around freezing, we have an ice storm.

When I peek out the window, the ice-laden limbs seem to sag even lower. Treacherous streets and walks mean I’ll stay inside and prepare for College Boy’s return tomorrow. He has one more final and the first semester will be a wrap. Helicopter mom has learned much and so has CB.

Photo from last January's ice storm that hit this area, downing thousands of trees and leaving people without power for days. This storm shouldn't be nearly so bad.

Christmas Music Memories

I haven’t bought any new Christmas music this year, but if Oprah’s embrace of Barack Obama is as successful as her endorsement of Josh Groban’s new CD, Noel, we will have him as our Democratic presidential nominee.

Today as I write, Chris Isaak Christmas is playing on my computer. I love his Pretty Paper rendition, and his Mele Kalikimaka is playful when traditional grows old. A Charlie Brown Christmas with the Vince Guaraldi Trio is classic as is Nat King Cole’s Christmas Favorites. You can’t top Aaron Neville’s Soulful Christmas with its Louisiana Christmas Day. These are all some of my favorites.

However, I can’t help but think back to the Christmas music I grew up with--Burl Ives’ and A Holly Jolly Christmas, Gene Autry with Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. Later today, I’ll sit down at the piano and plunk out a few tunes, most likely written by Johnny Marks. I will start and stop when I hit the inevitable sour note. And when I’m through, I’ll be smiling and I’ll be happy. Music does that to me.

For now, though, I work at the computer and sip my lemon lift tea and hope the ice storm is not so bad.

Unique Christmas Gift Idea

I made this personal gift for my two sons three years ago. I compiled some favorite recipes and designed the cards where they fit into a CD jewel case, which flips over to provide a stand for the recipe. It is definitely a unique Christmas gift, because the recipes are family favorites that the guys insist upon when I cook a holiday meal.

I kept to one theme with the artwork I chose for the project; in this case, I selected old copyright-free etchings. You could take a more contemporary approach if that’s your style or the intended recipient’s style. I designed the cards on my computer and printed the project on cardstock on my Epson printer. I trimmed the cards with an xtacto-knife (please, please be careful if you attempt this project) and assembled the contents. Wrap the jewel case with kraft paper and a pretty wired fabric ribbon, and you have a very personal Christmas gift than costs only your time and the packaging materials.

You can also create a strictly electronic version of the project, but I like having the recipes close at hand when cooking.

Note: I can work with you to create your own family’s favorite recipe CD if you are interested. E-mail me for details. Also, coming for January, I will be offering custom recipe calendars through my shop at CafePress.

Enough of Christmas—How About a Little Hanukkah

For the sake of seasonal balance, I’m including a link to Old and in the Way, where Sank gives us a brief primer on what it’s like to be Jewish this time of year with
Musings on The Meaning of Hanukkah. Sank writes:

I don't buy much for this holiday. A few games and books for kids, and the customary gift certificate and catalogue, with suggested items circled for Mrs S to Victoria's Secret, which she ignores for this seasons latest patterned flannel head to toe burqua.

I would dearly love to know if Mrs. Sank ever reads her husband’s blog. Thankfully, mine doesn’t.

A Christmas Homecoming

College Boy will be home for winter break in six days. Final papers, tests and assignments will have been completed and CB’s first semester will be history. I sense a note of anxiety in his voice when he makes those less frequent calls home. At this point, my job is to reassure him that he can do it even for the class whose professor gives “hard exams.” With advice like, “You study harder and more than you ever thought possible,” I also tell him that all I expect is that he gives it what he’s capable of doing.

I did, however, receive an unexpected phone call this morning at 8. “I’m just calling to let you know I’m up,” CB said. “My politics and terrorism final is at 8:30, and I didn’t want you to worry.” “Oh,” I replied, “I didn’t realize it was then. And I really don’t worry. I know you’ll do what it takes.”

Yes, I especially look forward to this Christmas homecoming even if it means the grocery bill will spike upwards for the next few weeks. It will be good to share the nest with him and catch up on movies and pop culture and hear all about his new life and friends.

I’m lucky and don’t think I don’t know that.

Christmas in Branson, Missouri

The White Flight exhibit at Branson, Missouri’s Butterfly Palace provides a rather unique twist on the meaning of white flight. Now regular dear gentle readers know that last summer we moved from Montgomery, Alabama, to Springfield, Missouri. When you mention white flight down South, it certainly doesn’t mean pretty black and white butterflies flitting around Poinsettias. I never thought I could say white flight is pretty.

Good Works at Christmas

If I had money, I’d want to give a lot of it away to organizations and schools. I’d give some to the Salvation Army since I know the kind of work they do to help the disadvantaged. I’d give some to my son’s old performing arts high school, Booker T. Washington Magnet High School in Montgomery, Alabama, for a stage. The school is full of talented kids who have to rent out a stage in order to perform for larger audiences. I’d give money to build a Habitat for Humanity house. I’d give enough money for a scholarship or two. The wonderful community college, College of DuPage, which taught me a thing or two about design could see a student benefit, and maybe I’d give some to the University of Alabama. Save the Children, the local food bank and other worthy charities might receive my money.

But, you know what? I wouldn’t want my name on anything, not even if they insisted.You can skip publishing my name in any publication. Better yet, use that space to write about the good you are attempting to do. Here's the thing. I’d want to be like that little old lady in Mississippi who cleaned houses all her life and who through her frugality amassed a fortune, which she left to charity when she died. Until I amass my fortune, I always stuff a dollar of two in the Salvation Army's kettle this time of year. Don't you think you could too?

The Face of Jesus

We see so many illustrations of what artists think Jesus might have looked like, and I don’t know if there is a divinely approved version out there. Rev. Jay, can you weigh in with a theologically correct answer here?

Touring museums in Italy, I saw many Madonna and child paintings. There was a common element almost as if the Church had its own graphic design standards manual. More modern thoughts on the question can be found at Web sites such as Tom Brown Ministries where he answers that Jesus looks like an artist’s version based on the Shroud of Turin. This he bases on a vision he had one day at a nursing home.

Beliefnet covers the question with “Images of Jesus Through Two Millennia.”

The reason I thought of this was that I came across a 1940s print of one such artist’s view of Jesus. Here’s the little story behind how I acquired this. I had searched for picture frames to repaint for some of my paintings and came across Jesus at a flea market one Saturday. The seller priced the frame right but wanted to know what I intended to do with Jesus when I explained why I was interested in the frame. He added, “Please don’t throw Jesus in the trash.”

And that dear gentle readers is why I still have this image. I just don’t know what to do with Jesus. Yeah, I’m superstitious. I’ll admit it. Anyone out there interested in receiving Jesus, may e-mail me and I’ll send Jesus to you.

Missouri: Where Christmas is Safe

On Monday, Missouri State University’s dean of the College of Humanities ordered a 20-foot Christmas tree taken down when a faculty member reportedly said the tree showed a “a lack of sensitivity” to people of other religions.

By Thursday the Christmas tree was back up. Two big Springfield News-Leader stories later, the Christmas controversy is now happily resolved.

Before you jump to the conclusion that this was another politically-correct attack on Christmas, let me say I think it was more a case of someone eager to get the decorations up without fully involving the university community in the process. Universities are like that where consensus building is big. In the beginning, the original tree was secularized with non-religious decorations and displays from other faiths had been planned.

Missouri’s “Santa,” Gov. Matt Blunt issued a directive to state agencies that no state employee be chastised for saying “Merry Christmas.” Woo Hoo! Christmas is safe in the Show Me State.

Limoncello for a Liquid Christmas Gift

All of my Christmas gift ideas this year will be unique in some way, and none will be over-the-top expensive.

If you get started today on this first idea, you should have a batch of pretty good limoncello right before Christmas that you can divvy up for your best friends. I am not going into the details since my son and daughter-in-law have posted their limoncello recipe on their Vino e Vittles blog. This wonderful Italian digestivo is nice packaged in little bottles, and Jeff and Natalie give a low-down on where you can get the bottles as well as how to procure and clean the lemons for the best possible product.

Of course, the lemons we find in the U.S. and Canada are quite unlike the huge lemons you see everywhere in Sorrento, but this is the best limoncello recipe out there and comes very close to the limoncello you’d find being made on Italy’s Amalfi Coast in Sorrento.

Is It Old-Fashioned to Send Christmas Cards

Jeeze, I had to go back and edit yesterday’s post title. I got the countdown number wrong. Today marks the 27th day until Christmas. Why didn’t y’all point out my error?

I was at the post office on Monday and I’d recommend getting those Christmas cards and packages ready if your local post office is anywhere near as busy. The line snaked way long even though they had all clerk positions open. Maybe it was because once you finally get to the clerk, he or she makes you feel like you are the most important customer in the world. Well, that’s been my experience so far in Springfield, Missouri.

I decided to come back later for the Christmas stamps, but did you know you can order them online and save a trip and gas?

And I thought, is it old-fashioned to send out cards these days? I like the photo cards but can never find a suitable picture to inflict on family and friends. I am not photogenic to put it nicely. I always look like a prison inmate let loose on good behavior. Unlike some folks, I also love the Christmas letters a couple of friends send out each year.

Even though I have made cards with my own designs, I found myself picking up a couple of boxes at Target this year. Only after I got home did I discover they were made in China. That strikes me as strange and I wish I’d gone to more trouble to find cards MADE IN AMERICA. Is every blasted product made in China? Well, I think nearly everything in Hobby Lobby is. It bothers me because I wonder if are we buying ourselves out of our position as an economic world leader just to save a few cents.

Sorry for the digression. Now, go mail those cards!

2nd Annual Christmas Countdown--28 Days

I’m a little late getting started with the Christmas Countdown. My spirits are a bit down and maybe thinking about this wonderful season will help. Bear with me long-time readers if I repeat myself, but I’m sure there will be plenty new to write about. However, for the first post, I am reprinting last year's kickoff. Here it is:


As I promised, I’m launching my countdown to Christmas with my favorite Christmas book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. I was a new mom 30 years ago when the president of the Alabama Alumni Association, Ann Pritchard, gave Bill a copy of this classic. Sometime in the next few weeks we will sit down and reread the story of the horrible Herdmans and how they and those all around them discovered the real meaning of Christmas. I get choked up each time I read the words aloud. If you have kids and have never read this book, rush right out to your bookstore or order it online (paperback and hardcover available at Amazon), and please read it to them. If you don’t have children, please read it anyway to remember why we celebrate this day. It’s short and wet your pants funny. And yes, it’s sweet and sentimental.

An excerpt from The Best Christmas Pageant Ever:

The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the Lord in vain and set fire to Fred Shoemaker’s old broken-down toolhouse.

The toolhouse burned right down to the ground, and I think that surprised the Herdmans. They set fire to things all the time, but that was the first time they managed to burn down a whole building.

I guess it was an accident. I don’t suppose they woke up that morning and said to one another, “Let’s go burn down Fred Shoemaker’s toolhouse” . . . but maybe they did. After all, it was a Saturday, and not much going on.

Damn the torpedoes! Full Speed Ahead!

I have a new venue for blogging if anyone cares to check it out. Our local Gannett-owned newspaper, The Springfield News-Leader recently started Ozarks Right and Ozarks Left blogs. Guess which I am?

I have already found out the perils of expressing an opinion. Likewise, I will now be a lot more careful in drawing lines in the sand. I’d forgotten that one might have to cross them. Missouri’s Democratic blog, Fired Up, got all fired up over something I wrote about me not going to vote for Hillary Clinton and wrote something like I wasn’t much of a Democrat. That didn’t bother me, but at first I got a little mad when they made fun of my “funny hat.” Then, I thought, there are worst things to say about a person.

The other peril of this venture is that the News-Leader also prints on the opinion page some of our posts. So far they have printed three of mine, and I’m afraid I’m going to gain a Grandpa Simpson’s reputation.

But my motto is best expressed by the words of Admiral David Farragut, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” which I love so much I created a t-shirt at CafePress with the quote.

Recipe for Sweet Potatoes

Note: I usually have to bake this a little longer than the recipe indicates. Also, watch the potatoes while you are boiling them as it is easy to overcook them.

Talking Turkey

I’m doing a little shopping for Thanksgiving dinner today. My two sons, daughter-in-law, husband, granddog and I will be together Thanksgiving for our traditional dinner. Last year I wrote about my Thanksgiving “disaster” and if you are so inclined, you can pop over and see what dumb thing I once did.

Stories abound of similar cooking disasters. Feel free to share your mishaps if you dare. Or better yet, share a pleasant memory.

And Now, the Rest of the Story

I love to hear from readers, especially when the post concerns them, as was the case I mentioned yesterday. Today, I’m sharing with his permission, the e-mail I received from Chris concerning his Royal Air Force grandfather.

It was with great interest that I belatedly read your blog entitled ‘Remembering Young Lives Cut Short on a Hot Alabama Day’ (dated August 9, 2006). It was particularly interesting as I was with my mother at the time, whose father (my grandfather) was the RAF pilot Frank Marhoff who you refer to in your article. It was quite strange but pleasing to see that someone on the other side of the world, who neither knows our family nor is connected to it, has taken notice of a grave that only one of us has ever been able to visit.

My mother was three years old when her father died in that plane crash and so far she has been the only family member to visit the cemetery in Montgomery, a lifelong ambition which she finally managed to achieve in 1988, some 47 years after he died. In 2005 when I was in the USA to write about the visit of the England national football (‘soccer’) team, I did myself toy with the idea of breaking off from visiting family in New York to fly down for a couple of days, but was unable to get it into my schedule. Maybe I’ll get there one day. I would certainly love to see it as the graves look beautifully set in your pictures.

My mother was interested to see all the flowers around the grave and your explanation of how they are cared for, as during her visit in 1988 the grave looked quite different – either it was before the flowers were added, or it was the wrong time of year, but she was certainly impressed by how it looks now (or at least last year, when you took the photo).

Just out of interest, out of the many graves there, why was it that you focussed my grandfather? I’m always interested in these chance happenings.

Just to fill out the picture a bit in case you’re interested, after my grandfather’s death in 1941 my grandmother never remarried and brought up the two girls referred to in the newspaper cutting by herself. She emigrated briefly (for two years) to Australia in the 1950s, before returning to the UK and eventually relocating to the Cambridgeshire area of England to be near my mother in the early 1970s. She died in the early Nineties. Had my grandfather lived, he would now have four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, plus one more on the way, as my first child is due in January. It’s strange to think that a life cut so short has so much that comes from it. But I guess cemeteries like the one in Montgomery are full of such stories.

I have a box of photos of my grandfather in Alabama and my mother has all the letters he wrote home from before his death. We even tracked down a Pathe newsreel clip that features him briefly during his training in the US. Plus we also have a photograph of him meeting Jack Dempsey while in the States, as featured in the clippings you linked to your blog. At least there are a few things to pass down to my first child alongside my mother’s few early memories of the man. One way or another, Frank stays alive in the family.

Many thanks for writing your article and spending some time visiting my grandfather’s grave.

Best wishes,
Chris Hunt
Journalist/Editor/Author
Web: www.ChrisHunt.biz

And in reply to my request to publish his e-mail:

By all means share the email – the whole thing has cheered my day up. I didn’t post it all as I thought it might clog up your blog with too much information for the wider world. However, I’ve just posted another comment because of a bizarre coincidence. I was looking at the below link with my wife after showing her your blog. After noticing the date on the headstone, she pointed out that it would be the anniversary of his death today.

Being a writer like yourself, I’ve always found the story of my grandfather very interesting – even though it’s a very ordinary story. He was among the first shipment of RAF trainee pilots sent to the US to train to fly, but he didn’t die a war hero, he wasn’t special to anyone outside his family, but he’s always been a big part of our family’s life and history. My grandmother certainly never got over him and my mother still thinks about him regularly.

As a child I grew up fascinated by the photos of him in his uniform on the base in the US and the picture of him with Jack Dempsey. It all seemed a million years away from our lives. My other grandfather fought in the First World War (and lived to tell the tale), but in some ways I thought that the idea of Frank travelling so far away to the US (and being pictured with big American cars in the background, alongside strange looking American road signs) was in some way more alien than the idea of my other grandfather fighting in Ypres. I’m sure one day I’ll write about it myself!

All the best,
Chris Hunt

Note: if you click on this link, you will see a photo of Frank's grave, which was posted less than a month ago. I suppose another story lies in the photographers who post these photos.

Fallen Heroes

Last year I wrote a post entitled, “Remembering Young Lives Cut Short on a Hot Alabama Day.”

I had visited Oakwood Cemetery Annex in Montgomery, Alabama, where Confederate sons of the South rested near the graves of British airmen sent to train at Maxwell Air Force Base during WWII. Yet many more visitors come to see the grave of country music legend Hank Williams than pause at the graves of these fallen soldiers.

This morning, a reader named Chris left a comment about the old post:

It was with great interest that my mother and I belatedly read your blog. The RAF pilot you refer to, Frank Marhoff, was my grandfather. It was quite strange but pleasing to see that someone on the other side of the world, who neither knows our family nor is connected to it, has taken notice of a grave that only one of us has ever been able to visit. I shall email you more fully care of your blog address, but once again, thanks for taking the time to think about my grandfather.

We all want to think that our time here on earth matters—that someone notices that we were born, lived and died. Maybe we aren’t a famous celebrity. We might not have invented a new medicine, flew to the moon or ran for political office. Yet, the human in us wants to know that life is precious and that our time here, short as it is, mattered to someone.

Borat’s Back

Did you hear? Borat, the lovable and highly offensive faux Kazakh reporter, has come out with a guidebook about Kazakhstan and the US and A.

So far, comedian Sasha Baron Cohen has been talking up the book via e-mail interviews, during which Borat said when asked about the U. S. presidential election by Celebrity News Service, “I cannot believe that it possible a woman can become Premier of US and A—in Kazakhstan, we say that to give a woman power, is like to give a monkey a gun—very dangerous. We do not give monkeys guns any more in Kazakhstan ever since the Astana Zoo massacre of 2003 when Torkin the orang-utan shoot 17 schoolchildrens. I personal would like the basketball player, Barak Obamas to be Premier.”

Internet Ads

While checking out www.dinesite.com to see local restaurant reviews, I noticed the banner ad at the top of the page was for Friskies’ cat food by Purina. Not wanting to “unlock a world of sensory delight” I skipped rolling over the ad in favor of reading about human food, which is what I wanted to find out about in the first place. Next I was treated to an ad from Marlo Thomas to “Please help St. Jude save her life,” referring to a young child at the hospital she helps with fundraising.

I think a little bit of targeting is needed here. In my own little blog, I signed up for Google ads and so far it’s been interesting to see what they assign to me. My post about Uncle Jim’s death brought an ad for onshore drilling. One day, I noticed one for stun guns. Still haven’t figured out that one. I guess I’m most happy to see ads for my Alma Mater, the University of Alabama. And those kitchen sinks.

Comfort Food

I so rarely spend the afternoon in the kitchen these days. Husband is easy to please or maybe I should say at least he doesn’t complain and meals can be rustled up quickly and simply. However, yesterday I took the time to make some comfort food. You know, the stuff we grew up with—macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes or chicken potpie, which is what I set about making.

The steam from the boiling chicken warmed the kitchen while I searched for my old recipe. Yes, it had been that long and I have never been one to remember recipes. When I couldn’t find the tried and true, I used the Joy of Cooking version. The peas and parsley were okay now that son was away in college. The rhythm of peeling and chopping went quickly and soon the veggies were sizzling in a glob of butter, unsalted for good health. Another glob melted and melded with the flour, half n half and chicken stock for the cream sauce. Soon the de-boned chicken met the chopped carrots, celery and onions, and I topped them with a purchased piecrust. Love pies. Hate making the crusts.

After the half hour or so in the oven, my creation met with approval. “This is really good,” said my better half, “and better than the ones you used to make. They tasted like frozen.” See, I told you husband is not one to complain. I wonder what else I could improve?

Picking a Good College

Ironically as I checked out the results from the latest National Survey of Student Engagement, College Boy called me on his cell-phone.

I disavow the overused helicopter label but will admit this son stays in touch more than his older brother did 11 years ago. That’s a Millennial trademark by the way. This year’s findings show

“Contrary to what some educators believe, students who frequently talk with the parents and follow their advice participate more frequently in educationally purposeful activities and are more satisfied with their college experience. This is also true for students with so-called ‘helicopter parents’—those who intervened with institutional officials to solve problems their student encountered on campus.”

Approximately 313,000 randomly selected first-year and senior students at 610 four-year colleges and universities in the U. S. and Canada participated in the survey.

Other findings of note: When faculty members provide guidance and feedback on projects and papers, students are more satisfied and say they benefit more in desired ways, students who study abroad report greater gains in intellectual and personal development than peers who don’t, internship or field placement is the most powerful form of senior experience and 13 percent of first-year students have parents who frequently intervene with college officials and another 25 percent had parents who did so sometimes.

USA TODAY has a searchable database of 257 schools organized by institution type. NSSE benchmarks are compared to the average in five categories: level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment. For the first time this year, some colleges and universities are sharing this typically private information with the public.

A push for greater transparency and a growing dissatisfaction with the much-hyped U.S. News & World Report rankings are perhaps behind the willingness to go public. It’s certainly a great tool in research during the search for the right college.

Here in Springfield, Mo., Drury University’s rankings are well above average in all areas for first-year students and for seniors in all but one area. In four out of five areas, Drury’s first-year student benchmarks were at least five points higher than the average for peer institutions. And that is a rather strong indication that Drury University is providing an excellent education for her students.

And in case you were wondering, CB's college, Hendrix, fared pretty good too and is a particularly supportive campus, which is very reassuring even if one is not a helicopter parent. And I swear I am not!

Thanks Lowe’s

Since I will shortly be chronicling our sad and frustrating battle with American Home Shield over our home warranty contract, I wanted to heave some positive feedback in the direction of a corporation that did a fine job for us.

We purchased our new toilet and sink from Lowe’s here in Springfield, Missouri, and opted to use their installation services. We bought the fixtures on Saturday and the install department followed up with several calls along the way. The installer called on Monday to set up an appointment for Thursday. He arrived ON TIME! Although we experienced a minor problem because the faucet we were sold didn’t fit our sink’s holes and a trip to Lowe’s was necessary to switch it, Lowe’s charged us the original price instead of passing on the cost of the more expensive version. The installer went on to put in a dishwasher while we exchanged the faucets. He returned in about two hours to finish the job.

Kudos to the folks at Lowe’s and our installer Caleb. We are very happy customers and we will gladly turn to you again.

Encouraging Minority Entrepreneurship

Springfield’s Drury University and St. Louis-based investment firm Edward Jones announced a new scholarship recently targeted at minority students in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas but open to students throughout the country. Drury is offering 10 $10,000 scholarships for incoming freshmen and “will change the face of the university,” according to Interim President Todd Parnell. Coupled with other institutional financial aid, it will be possible for a deserving student to have his or her tuition completely covered.

Now I know this may not seem unusual for an institution of higher education to offer diversity scholarships, but it is significant for this area of the Ozarks because there are so few non-Caucasians here. Our population here in Springfield is over 90% Caucasian.

The Edward Jones Minority Scholarship Program at Drury University will open many doors. Students who receive the scholarships will also interact with local and national business leaders through Drury’s Edward Jones Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and they’ll participate in internships and training with Edward Jones. Last year Drury’s Board Chairman John Beuerlein and his wife, Crystal, partnered with Edward Jones in donating the money to establish the Center, and Drury is fast enhancing its reputation for providing a great business education with an emphasis on preparing students to soar in today’s global economy.

I suspect many first generation college students will have a shot at a top-notch education because of this generosity and foresight. And this first generation college graduate thinks that’s a right fine thing.

Note: Check Drury's Web site for more information at http://www.drury.edu/index.cfm

photo: Emily Pitts from Edward Jones is charged with implementing the firm's inclusion initiative.