Columns

DEAR EDITORS: I compliment the local newspaper for publishing, and Debra Hopkins for writing, the two very excellent articles which appeared in the April 3 edition of the Banner. These articles concerned Transylvania, and the benefits of growing up and going to school in a small community.

God made man in his image, and we made dogs in ours. That is the thought that occurred to me this weekend as I was driving to bury one of my own. Pretty sure that is a quote from someone,butsinceIcouldn’t find it on the internet, you can attribute it to me. From the Chihuahua to the Great Dane, the Schnauzer to the… well, Giant Schnauzer. They all descend from one ancestor, the wolf.

It's My Turn By Debra Hopkins Every day I pass through the town of Transylvania on my way home from work. Much of the time, I pay little attention to my surroundings.

For Our Health By Amy Hale As the flowers bloom and the grass grows tall, millions of people brace themselves— not for nature’s beauty, but for the sniffles, sneezes, and itchy eyes that come with allergy season. Whether you're battling pollen in the spring, mold in the fall, or dust mites yearround, allergies can be more than just a nuisance.

DEAR EDITORS: When they vote on March 29, Louisiana voters should reject Constitutional Amendment No. 2.

(Using) My Voice By Cassie Condrey This is my first spring in my home and, as we do most of our living on the second floor, I have watched with something like wonder from eye-level as the tops of the trees have changed. We’ve mulched the fallen oak leaves and cut branches of redbuds for arrangements and from my kitchen window, my son and I have laughed at the squirrels’ antics.

Angel Fortenberry Horn will never forget the tornado of February 21, 1971. She was at home that Sunday with her father, Benton Fortenberry, her nine-yearold sister, Ellen, and her sixmonth- old sister, Benita.

(Disclaimer, this is the written version of a sermon I gave at my church last Sunday. I make no apologies for the contents herein and frankly hope that I managed to step on more than a few toes by the end of it, as well as further the Kingdom of God. However, if a devotional is not what you were hoping to find in my columns that tend to be focused on mental health, please feel free to refrain from reading. I am not a preacher, nor do I claim to be an expert on anything I wrote about. I do have two masters, though neither pertain to scripture or theology. I promise to return to topics I am more knowledgeable about in the future.)

Oh the daffodils! I realized last week that the sweet little flowers I’ve hauled from home to home (we’ve only had three, but I’ve transplanted them every time) are blooming! They are transplants from the house my Mamaw lived in as a young bride, and were her mother’s before hers. They are a testimony to my love for old things, Louisiana history, gardening, and family.

Things that annoy us. We all have them. I think my biggest pet peeve, though, is littering. I bring a lot of out of town people into Lake Providence for meetings as the 911 director in the parish. They all talk about how beautiful the lake is. And they especially enjoy the Cotton Museum and Panola Pepper. I think Lake Providence is beautiful also. Of course, it’s like knowing people. Outwardly they can be beautiful, but they have to have something inside to make them truly beautiful. When I think of our town, I think because of the people it is inwardly beautiful, but outwardly… well, we could do better. I took this picture on North Hood Street. The trash in the slough is shameful. And that is such a beautiful area. The residents who own the property next to it keep it looking so nice.