December 28 '02
Volume 343
Lights And
Sights Around Pontotoc
In a typical December,
folks around here have up their Christmas
Trees and most have whatever form of exterior illumination is planned well
before the middle of the month. Most of us who do things in moderation manage
to get our homes decorated within a few days following Thanksgiving. There
are a few folks who choose to go all out with their outdoor decorations,
and these require an earlier start. I recall one homeowner stated his Christmas
illumination project required him stringing lights as early as October.
On the night of December 14th, Rayanne and her two youngest girls
were over our way. After supper, we invited Aunt Jo to ride around town with
us to see the lights and sights. Our first destination was Inzer Street,
an older neighborhood that for more than thirty years has illuminated itself
with Christmas joy in a lighting celebration unlike any other neighborhood
in town. Oh, it's nothing to compare with Audubon Drive in nearby Tupelo,
but then the asking price of the average home on Inzer Street is far less
than those in Tupelo.
Today's Inzer Street is a far cry from its heyday when almost every house
had lights strung on shrubs and trees, around posts and windows, or lights
trimming the roof, and there were also giant candy canes marking the entrance
of every driveway, too. This year, most folks still put out their candy canes,
but exterior lighting is sporadic and possibly fewer than half the homes
are lit.
Leaving the city limits, we traveled down Hwy. 341 to see what John Rush
had done differently this year. John's place is usually a wonder of light,
often incorporating a lot of blue lights, and I recall seeing them wrapped
around PVC pipes arched over the long driveway. Maybe, we just got there
too early (8:00 p.m.), but John's house was not illuminated. Disappointedly,
we drove back toward town.
Every neighborhood we expected to have a great showing was also a disappointment.
Occasionally, we'd find a well lighted home to appreciate, but for the most
part all the neighborhoods we visited were deficient. I had the feeling some
Grinch had stolen Christmas or else folks were no where nearly ready for
the holiday.
Downtown Pontotoc has for several years been a picture book at Christmastime,
but it's not this year. There are no lights in the Bradford pear trees that
line Main Street and no lighted wreaths on the lampposts. Instead,
white-plastic-framed, six-pointed stars, lined with white lights, are clamped
on every lamppost and that's it except for the park on the Court Square and
the usual manger scene at the Courthouse. The cozy hometown atmosphere of
past Christmases seems to have been replaced with one of commercialized
simplicity.
In all likelihood the old decorations were shop-worn and needed to be replaced.
Yet, I believe more thought should have been given in choosing the replacement
decorations.
The annual pilgrimage for my family was a glum one, however, it was Aunt
Jo who commented, "Your neighborhood is the best lit one, we've seen tonight."
Of course, she was right. Of the homes of Dogwood Circle, only one is devoid
of exterior Christmas lighting, and it belongs to an elderly couple, one
of whom is in a nursing home. Additionally, a high percentage of homes on
Ridgewood Drive that connects to Dogwood Circle are also Christmas-ready.
Our house has the front spotlighted and we have green wreaths with red bows
on the front door and every front window. The only other lights are those
strung in the yaupon tree within the flowerbed in front of the garage. I'm
satisfied with how our home is decorated and feel it is on par with other
homes in the neighborhood. Rayanne insists it is the best lit home around
the circle, but her partiality may be showing, especially since she made
and hung the wreaths.
Few folks have seen the backside of our house, but it's my favorite. We've
a six-foot artificial tree on the lanai adjacent to the deck. It contains
roughly 2500 multicolored lights. The deck is roped with multicolored garland
lights, hung as swags from post to post. I've not figured the total number
of lights out back, but it's close to 7000. One thing is for certain; stepping
onto the deck creates a warm sensation as one is bathed in the pink glow
of the lighting.
Yes, the lights and sights around Pontotoc are a disappointment this year,
but it's the people that make our town a great place to live, not the Christmas
decorations.
Lott's Lot A
Political Deposition
Trent Lott (R-MS) resigned as majority leader of the United States Senate
on Friday, December 20th. His decision was applauded by Democrats,
Republicans, Blacks, and by lesser souls among the electorate as being the
right thing to do. If ever anyone doubted the power of the media to control
or mold America's intellectually deficient, the lot of Senator Lott is a
case study.
Trent Lott suffered political death by speaking his mind. It doesn't matter
to me what others think of Lott the man or Lott the politician. My only
relationship to Senator Lott is we're both Mississippians. In my opinion,
he represented Mississippi quite well and his being chosen as Majority Leader
of the Senate indicates he was well respected by fellow Republicans.
At Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party, Lott said, "I want to
say this about my state. When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted
for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our
lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years either."
Somehow, the media and others managed to interpret Lott's words to endorse
our nation's segregated past. It takes a bit of manipulation to draw from
Lott's comment a racially charged statement, but for persons whose past is
rooted in slavery, for persons who seek to gain politically by denouncing
another politician, and for self-serving media and entertainment hounds,
it's a short walk to instant self-righteousness.
Advocates of free speech have now witnessed another nail driven into the
coffin of freedom of expression. Given enough time, our country will endorse
free speech only insofar as it is found pleasing to every ear. Maybe, we're
already there, if you listen to the speeches of political candidates and
their efforts to reach out to all the electorate. Perhaps, I'm too cynical,
but I hear too many politicians saying what they think voters want to hear
and not what they actually think. I would welcome a change in this regard.
President Bush is as guilty as anyone in creating Lott's lot. He stated Senator
Lott was wrong and commented that Lott's words did not convey the ideals
of our nation's founders. It's time our country's leaders reexamined the
ideals of our founding fathers, for I believe they would discover that the
Jeffersonian ideal, all men are created equal, had a different meaning
in Jefferson's day than today. In those days, women were not considered as
equals to men and certainly slaves were not in the equation. So then, who
were the equals Jefferson spoke of? Property owners, perhaps, men who held
the right to vote, maybe, but certainly not all men, and definitely no woman
or slave.
As for all the negative press over our segregated past and Lott's boast that
we wouldn't have had all these problems, who can say with certainty he was
wrong? Who can predict a nation's path if one historical moment were changed?
Would it be fair to say our country would be richer and stronger today if
Kennedy had not been assassinated? Would we be better off today were Martin
Luther King, Jr. alive? How different might this nation be if Gore had won
the presidential election? My point is that no one can be certain of the
future, and no one should take seriously a comment such as that spoken by
Senator Lott. However, when the media and ones political enemies set their
sights on someone, no amount of apologizing or explaining will satisfy their
longing for political deposition.
In the furor, much has been said about the damage done to the relationship
of Blacks with the Republican Party. At the present, perhaps politicians
are justified in courting the favor of Black voters. Yet, a day is coming
when Blacks will take a political back seat to Hispanic voters, and I fully
expect to live to see that day.
I'm truly sorry to hear of the downfall of Senator Lott and have stated most
of my reasons in the preceding paragraphs. I trust we've all learned from
this experience that freedom of speech is not without repercussions and is
furthermore an endangered freedom.
Back Pain Auto
Change Induced - Maybe
Friday, December 20th, will be remembered by students of Political
Science (a misnomer if ever there was one) as the day Senate Republican Majority
Leader Trent Lott resigned. For certain members of my family the day shall
be remembered as the night Brett Brown proposed to Kathy Boch, and she gleefully
accepted. In my case, I think I shall remember the day as the morning I awoke
with no back pain for the first time in more than two weeks and experienced
my first pain-free day for the same time period.
In the political realm, Lott's lot was the story of the day. In the topsy-turvy
world of romance (at our family's level) the Brown-Boch chapter is noteworthy.
And, while some may view my plight as insignificant, being free of pain was
viewed as nothing short of miraculous on my part.
Whatever forces contributed to my back problem is unclear. It may have much
to do with traveling by automobile somewhere between 1200 and 1500 miles
per week. It may have something to do with the temporary change of company
cars and in my driving a house car for two weeks while the transmission in
my car was being repaired. Occasionally, I find that riding for long periods
behind the wheel of my 2000 Taurus (or any of its predecessors) leaves the
muscles of my lower back rather taunt on the right side.
Thirty years ago, I went to a bone doctor thinking my golf game might have
contributed to my back pain, only to discover the pain was muscle related
rather than the more serious problem of a slipped disc. After a few weeks
of physical therapy, and a wonderful pill named Valium the pain disappeared.
Over the years to follow, I found that by performing the muscle-stretching
exercises I had learned from the physical therapist, I could cure myself
whenever I was plagued with lower back pain. With respect to the exact location
of my back pain, it seems to have always manifested itself a few inches to
the right of my spinal column and slightly below my belt.
After driving 400+ miles on December 3rd, I found my old back-pain
friend had visited me again. The next day my car was left in the care of
transmission specialists, and my wife drove me to Indianola in order that
I might pick up a house car for temporary use. The following day, my back
pain moved from my right side to my left side and took up residence there.
No muscular exercise known to mankind could prompt it to vacate the premises.
Several years ago, my wife purchased a seat cushion for me to use. It's no
run-of-the-mill seat cushion either; it's a Sacro-Ease by McCarty. She wouldn't
tell me the purchase price, and I didn't press her for an answer. Learning
that there are some things I don't want to know has not been an easy lesson,
but, in dealing with family and finance, I have learned I can often live
with ignorance more easily than with all of the facts.
Thinking my back might be missing the comfort of the lumbar-supportive seat
cushion, I asked a neighbor who manages the transmission service to drop
the seat cushion by my house on his way home. He did, but the seat cushion
did not provide the hoped-for relief.
On some days, only my back hurt. On other days, my left thigh hurt and felt
as though it weighed more than the other thigh, but there were days in which
both my leg and my back hurt. I began to walk with a limp as I favored the
pain, and I frowned more than normal.
Nights were the most uncomfortable part of my days. Sleep was sporadic at
best and often interrupted by hours of wakefulness in walking, stretching,
sitting, reclining, searching for a position that might provide enough relief
to enable more sleep.
Prior to retiring on the night of December 19th, my wife convinced
me to take four Ibuprofen tablets. Barbara is a believer in the powers of
her favorite pain reliever, though I'm more of a Bayer man myself. Roughly
two hours later, I awoke with pain so severe, I got out of bed and began
my routine of walking, stretching, etc.
A few nights earlier, I discovered I could curl up on the love seat in the
living room in a modified fetal position with my shoulders higher than my
knees and obtain some relief. I tried the same position again and managed
to doze off around two a.m. The next thing I knew it was almost six a.m.,
and Barbara was standing over me mumbling something about the alarm/ snooze
feature on my cell phone and her inability to shut it off. It was then that
I realized I had slept without awaking for longer than I had in weeks. However,
the realization of my lack of pain would not be fully discovered until I
stood and walked. My leg didn't hurt; my back didn't hurt. Oh the joy I
experienced.
"It's nothing short of miraculous," I conveyed to my wife.
"It's the Ibuprofen," she responded.
"I'm not so sure. It may be the way I slept on the love seat that caused
something to slip back into place," I reasoned.
I spent the entire day being careful with my every movement. I took great
care in getting into and out of my car. I avoided stooping and lifting anything
heavier than my notebook computer and bag. At home, I avoided sitting in
soft chairs and furniture. In general, I avoided all activity that I thought
might cause my back pain to return.
At this writing, Saturday a.m. 12/21/02, I am experiencing some minor discomfort.
I'm not sure my problems are over. I may end up seeing a doctor, but for
the moment, I am continuing to remember December 20th as a noteworthy
day, especially with respect to my physical wellbeing.
Bodock Beau Who
Needs A Man
Women, God love 'em, definitely have a different perspective on life than
men. How else does one explain the following derision heaped upon man-kind?
Who Needs a Man?
If you want someone who will do anything to please you, get a dog.
If you want someone who will bring you the newspaper without tearing through
it first for the sports page, get a dog.
If you want someone who'll make a total fool of himself because he's glad
to see you, get a dog.
If you want someone who eats whatever you put in front of him and never says
his mother made it better, get a dog.
If you want someone who never touches the remote, couldn't care less about
Monday Night Football, and watches dramatic movies with you as long as you
want, get a dog.
If you want someone who'll be content just to snuggle up and keep you warm
in bed, and whom you can kick out of bed if he slobbers and snores, get a
dog.
If you want someone who never criticizes anything you do, doesn't care how
good or bad you look, acts as though every word you say is worth hearing,
never complains, and loves you unconditionally all the time, get a dog!
On the other hand...If you want someone who never comes when you call him,
totally ignores you when you walk in the room, leaves hair all over the place,
walks all over you, prowls around all night and comes home only to eat and
sleep all day, then acts as though you are there only to see that he's
happy...Get a CAT!
Submitted by Vicki Murphree
Happy New
Year!
Beau
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