Bluffs & Bayous June 2011 by Bluffs & Bayous Magazine

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From Your Publisher . . .

ow…May was certainly a month for the history books as all of us in the Bluffs & Bayous area have witnessed history in the making. River water levels have surpassed the records of the 1937 Mississippi River flood; and as I write this, we are striving to maintain multiple levees around towns, businesses, homes, and hospitals while our neighbors in the lower lying areas along the river are working minute to minute to keep the sand boils at bay. Many already have lost so much to the flooding with homes, livelihoods, and life as they have known it for decades…all inundated. It has been an exhausting month and a merciless month, a reminder that Ole Man River and Mother Nature will have their way despite our attempts to regulate and control them. It is an awesome and humbling reminder of something far greater than the best efforts of humankind. Our plight also has brought a bonding of the many communities along the river with those who are concerned and call from all parts of the country, thinking all of us are under water. While we in Natchez on the bluff as well as those of us high on the hills of Vicksburg are not directly experiencing the flooding, many of us have property in the lowlands north and south of the cities and even across the river—farm lands, hunting camps, and lake homes—that the flood waters currently threaten or already have taken. Although we realize that we cannot totally control the river, we prepared in advance as much as humanly possible and assisted in somewhat allaying the damage . . . though all the while feeling rather limited in the larger scheme of things. In the weeks and days and hours and minutes of shoring up, preparing for, and awaiting our fate from the Father of Waters, I have seen the anxiety and stress give way to acceptance and determination, the acceptance that this is life along and beyond the Mississippi and the determination to see it through to a brighter beyond. So, in the midst of knowing that this tough time, too, will pass and that we tough Southerners will (with a humble nod to our own William Faulkner) “not merely survive; [we] will prevail,” we turn our thoughts and energies to focus on some positives of our lives. For Bluffs & Bayous this month, that focus is on wellness and healthy living, and

we have a plethora of information to encourage you to live a healthier lifestyle. I am reminded daily of my goals to exercise and eat healthy and also to exercise and sharpen my mind so I can make wiser choices for a healthier me. Flood of 2011—The Mississippi River, May 15, 2011, Natchez, A unique addition Great Mississippi, at the base of Silver Street in Natchez Under The Hill to our annual health Photo by C. F. Rinehart issue comes to us from months as we pray for the river to recede Brookhaven, Mississippi’s Maggie Cupit with little to no additional damage and as as she shares her blog of a year’s fight we continue to appreciate, celebrate, and against cancer. Hers is an inspiring journey stand in awe of our life along and beyond of strength and determination to overcome the Mississippi. cancer and, as a survivor, to minister to others who encounter this dread disease. Her experience also is a reminder that our good health is, indeed, a phenomenal blessing. May your June be an enriching, healthful, and stress-free beginning to the summer

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C o n t r i b u t o r s

publisher Cheryl Foggo Rinehart editors Jean Nosser Biglane Cheryl Foggo Rinehart graphic designers Jan Ratcliff Anita Schilling staff photographers Cheryl Rinehart Van O’Gwin Elise D. Parker sales staff Courtney McGraw Cheryl Rinehart Donna Sessions JoAnna Sproles

Courtney McGraw Cheryl Rinehart

Donna Sessions

Columnist Dr. Gary R. Bachman is an assistant extension professor of horticulture at Mississippi State University’s Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Karen Lewis is a retired Certified Public Accountant who has rebooted her own health and used what she’s learned to benefit others as a wellness counselor in Natchez, Mississippi. She welcomes questions at karenlewis05@ cableone.net.

Adam Blackwell of Natchez, Mississippi, is pursuing a degree in Public Policy, focusing on environmental policy, through the Trent Lott Leadership Institute at the University of Mississippi. He is a member of Students for a Green Campus and Campus for Clean Energy.

Columnist Ross McGehee, a lifelong resident of Natchez, Mississippi, owns a diversified and far-flung farm operation.

Columnist Mary Emrick is the owner of Turning Pages Books & More in Natchez, Mississippi.

A native of Greenwood now residing in Natchez, Mississippi, Donna Sessions is an account executive with Bluffs & Bayous. Donna is a Banking and Finance Graduate of Mississippi State Univeristy. A believer in being active in her community, Donna is a member of The Natchez Garden Club, Treasurer of Preservation Society of Ellicott Hill, a member of the technology committee at Cathedral High School and Treasurer of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Vidalia, Louisiana.

JoAnna Sproles

Bluffs & Bayous is published monthly to promote the greater Southern area of Louisiana and Mississippi area in an informative and positive manner. We welcome contributions of articles and photos; however, they will be subject to editing and availability of space and subject matter. Photographs, comments, questions, subscription requests and ad placement inquiries are invited! Return envelopes and postage must accompany all materials submitted if a return is requested. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Bluffs & Bayous are those of the authors or columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products or services herein. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Bluffs & Bayous strives to insure the accuracy of our magazine’s contents. However, should inaccuracies or omissions occur, we do not assume responsibility.

Photographer Elise D. Parker, M.Ed., lives in Magnolia, Mississippi with her husband, Pat, and four active children. She is a photographer and coordinates private home-schooling and after-school tutoring along with covering social scenes for Bluffs & Bayous.

Patricia Taylor is a Doctor of Naturopathy and a Consultant Medical Herbalist, having studied at the University of Wales and Clayton, Alabama. She is a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists of Great Britain and a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild. Taylor has a practice in her hometown in England, and she and her husband John split their year between there and their home in Natchez, Mississippi.

Columnist Alma Womack lives on Smithland Plantation on Black River, south of Jonesville, Louisiana. In addition to her duties as maitresse des maison, she is the keeper of the lawn, the lane and the pecan orchard at Smithland.

office

423 Main Street, Suite 7 Natchez, MS 39120 601-442-6847 | fax 601-442-6842 info@bluffsbayous.com editor@bluffsbayous.com sales@bluffsbayous.com www.bluffsbayous.com

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June 2011 FEATURES

Colorful Cancer-fighting Food............................................................... 24-25 Simple ‘More & Less’ Tips for a Healthier Lifestyle.................................... 27 Herbal Teas.............................................................................................. 32-33 Bee’s Royal Wedding Sleepover............................................................. 34-37 In That Moment, My Life Changed Forever...............................40-44, 72-73 Spirit Reins Equine Center...................................................................... 46-47

FAVORITES All Outdoors Shine........................................................................................................ 14-15

Events June . . . Up and Coming!....................................................................... 58-63

In That Moment, My Life Changed Forever pages 40 - 44, 72 - 73

From the Stacks Mayo Clinic’s Complements to Conventional Health Care........................ 11

In the Garden Containers for Fresh-grown Produce.......................................................... 18

In the Kitchen with Cheryl’s Friends and Family Tasty and Healthy Summer Recipes........................................................ 50-53

Southern Sampler Cherished Chicks and Crafty Canines..................................................... 56-57

THE Social Scene Caroline Guedon’s 8th Birthday Party......................................................... 10 Brookhaven Climbers Club..................................................................... 12-13 Magnolia in Lights.................................................................................. 16-17 Natchez Community Hosts Caring Women................................................ 19 Brunch for Laura Sumrall............................................................................. 23 Turning Pages Hosts Book Signings............................................................ 26 Surprise 50th Birthday Party................................................................... 28-29 Lida McCall Celebrates Birthday.................................................................. 30 Magnolia Garden Club Luncheon............................................................... 49 Natchez Garden Club’s Annual Party for Preservation......................... 54-55 Azalea Court Coronation............................................................................. 69 Rotary Baseball Trip................................................................................ 70-71

Colorful Cancer-fighting Foods pages 24 - 25

Weddings and Engagements Hinton and Claxton Wedding................................................................ 64-65 Brister and McDaniel Engagement............................................................. 66 Bridal Shower for Karinlee Brister......................................................... 67-68

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THE Social Scene Caroline Guedon’s 8th Birthday Party

riends spent the afternoon of Caroline Guedon’s birthday at Aimee Guido’s studio, Uniquely Aimee, in Natchez, Mississippi. Each guest painted her own canvas with a crown and her name. The girls were able to personalize their work by selecting the colors of their choice.

Aimee Guido and Caroline Guedon

Caroline Guedon and Fayla Guedon

Karly King, Mollie Burts, Caitlin Walker, Grace Richardson, Brooksie Speed, Sofia Rodriguez, Caroline Guedon, and Halle Peterman

Caroline Guedon

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Dani Troutman, Caroline Guedon, and Mary Ed Guedon

Mollie Burts, Karly King, Grace Richardson, Sofia Rodriguez, Halle Peterman, Caroline Guedon, Brooksie Speed, and Caitlin Walker

Halle Peterman, Karly King, Mollie Burts, Caroline Guedon, Brooksie Speed, Sofia Rodriguez, Grace Richardson, and Caitlin Walker

From the Stacks | review by Mary Emrick

Mayo Clinic’s Complements to Conventional Health Care Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies Edited by Dr. Philip Hagen and Dr. Martha Millman Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine Edited by Dr. Brent Bauer

e can all agree that our economy is struggling; taxes are increasing; and, like it or not, we face the looming enactment of the “Obama” health care plan. These three facts create a need for careful use of our dollars. One area in which we can lower our expenditures is in health care. You ask, “How will we do that?” Two books by the Mayo Clinic—Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies and Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine—will help answer your question. These books offer “straight answers from the world’s leading medical experts” about money-saving steps we can take in providing medical care for our families and ourselves. Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies offers solutions for most common health problems. Applying the suggestions in this book can save you unnecessary trips to the “emergency” room. The remedies offered are not cures but are actions that provide relief until, when necessary, you can see your doctor. The Book of Home Remedies is not meant to usurp the advice of your doctor and will advise you about when you need to see the physician. Before addressing the myriad of alphabetically arranged medical conditions needing remedies, the Book of Home Remedies supplies the reader a list of basic supplies every home needs for its “medical kit.” There is a separate listing of items to have on hand for true medical emergencies. For each of the 128 topics discussed, from acne to wrist pain, there is an easily understood discussion of what the problem may be, including signs and symptoms with possible causes of the problem.

For each entry, you are given numerous home remedy tips. (Did you know that singing could be a cure for snoring?) The remedies are followed with suggestions for prevention and advice about when to seek medical help. At the back of this home remedy book, for quick reference, is a color-coded section on “emergency care.” This final portion of the book gives the reader basic steps to take for serious illness or medical distress until trained medical assistance can arrive. Because my daughter is a practitioner of alternative medicine in Asheville, North Carolina, the Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine caught my eye as a cost-saving health book for review. Mindy is a BSRN with an advanced degree in Chinese medicine. She practices acupuncture and herbal medicine in a private clinic and is the first acupuncturist practicing at a western North Carolina hospital. I have been one of her patients and can testify to the success of alternatives to conventional medicine. In the majority of states alternative options are well accepted by the public and even prescribed by medical doctors. Mississippi has long been open to many alternatives but acupuncture became a licensed alternative just last year. The Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine makes reference to the fact that “integrative medicine” will soon replace the term “alternative medicine” as the practices gain more public and professional acceptance in our communities. This book divides into three parts, giving the layman an overall understanding of complementary therapies, a guide and explanation of the many alternative therapies, and the action a person should take for the various ailments that respond to alternatives. Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine stresses the responsibility of the patient to be diligent in choosing the practitioner. The book recommends that the practitioner be

regulated and licensed by the state. Talk with your doctor for advice and talk to patients who have gone to the practitioner for help. The Mayo Clinic advises all to remember that you want your treatments to complement not replace conventional medical care. Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies and Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine are edited and published by Mayo Clinic specialists. The books are valuable tools to all who are interested in improving their health and preventing disease. By purchasing Mayo Clinic books, you help support Mayo Clinic programs including medical education and research.

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THE Social Scene Brookhaven Climbers Club

he Climbers Club in Brookhaven, Mississippi, held its monthly gathering on Saturday, April 16, at the home of Dr. Jim and Val Hall in Brookhaven.

Hostesses: Gwen Davis, Barbara Davis, Dott Cannon, Betty Ann Perkins, Jane Breeland, Val Hall, Beth Breeland, Miriam Smith, Carlene Stribling, Beth Langston, and Betsy Jones

Dr. Jim Hall, Val Hall, Melonie C. Thomas, Terry Spearman, Billy Bowman, and Pam Womack

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Bill Perkins, Carole Bennett, and Peter Mulligan

Reverend Anne Matthews, Will Womack, and Johnny Perkins

THE Social Scene

Ann Crawford and Marilyn Driskell

Bruce Groth and Betty Ann Perkins

Linda Moak and Val Hall

Dott Cannon and Norma Hill

Phyllis Spearman and Kay Calcote

Johnnie Jackson and Bonnie Milbrandt

Merrie Boerner, Amy Jacobs, and Susan Aycock

Mike Taylor, Becky Talor, and Maxine Minter

Bill Jacobs, Don Perkins, and Bill Boerner

Billy Bowman, Melonie C. Thomas, and Val Hall

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All Outdoors | by Ross McGehee

Shine

o one would have expected “Pop” to be so interested in gardening. He ran an expansive farming and cattle operation and had little time or patience for trifles. However, he was constantly changing the plantings in the flowerbeds around the house. It seemed that every six months the garden was freshened, and it always looked glorious. His wife usually gave oblique answers when asked about Pop’s avocation because only a few folks knew that under those flowerbeds were the products of his distilling interests. Whether one considers those who convert corn to a liquid to be modern day Robin Hoods or scofflaws isn’t important at the moment. It has gone on for generations and continues today. What is interesting in the discussion is all of the amusing perspectives and circumstances involved with the production and distribution of untaxed hooch in the South. Pop had the perfect place to make moonshine whiskey. A fresh-water spring fed his still. He had an isolated location far from prying eyes. He had plenty of corn from his farm, so he didn’t arouse suspicions by buying any in town. All he needed was lots of sugar and yeast, and that could be bought in any town far from home just like the wooden kegs he used for storage on the Page 14 { June 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

finished product. He was particular about his recipe. On one occasion, Junior drove up into the barnyard with a truckload of corn from the harvest; and Pop climbed over the side of the truck and grinned for the longest time, then squinted into the sun. When asked what he was doing he responded, “I’m trying to figure out how much sugar it would take to make a batch of whiskey with all this corn!” Make no mistake; Pop was not in the moonshine business. He made a batch every year to give to the local folks who had done or could in the future do him a favor. Sure, he could have just gone to a local business and bought the stuff to give away, but there was no fun or novelty in doing it that way! So why incorporate gardening into distilling? Whiskey needs to “age” to develop its flavor. White-oak barrels are what are most commonly used for the good stuff, and charring the insides of those barrels before the alcohol is put in makes the liquid pick up color. The barrels need to be kept within certain temperature parameters and turned on a regular basis. In the South, the most constant temperature is found underground. Discretion suggests that burial “right under your nose” might not be a bad idea. Who would think to look under Momma’s

flowers? So the price for hiding the goods was to plant new flowers every time the kegs were dug up to be turned or tapped. Still it is a pain. So he expanded his theory to the sweet potato patch behind the house. Bury the kegs, plant potatoes, dig potatoes, and then dig up kegs. Who would notice? No one did—except Junior forgot about them on one occasion and after digging potatoes took it upon himself to plow up the patch. He didn’t notice, until it was too late, the barrel staves and rings popping out of the ground behind the plow! What followed was the worst beating he ever got. After that, Pop made a cellar. Pop had an old barn behind the house. He modernized it with a concrete floor and then proceeded to excavate the soil from beneath. After constructing stairs to the cellar, kegs of moonshine were stacked in neat rows on both sides. This was much better. No more digging and re-burying. No more accidentally plowing up the goods. He was set up right until the Cuban Missile Crisis. All of a sudden, bomb shelters became the rage. Movies were shone to schoolchildren to explain the benefits and necessity of have a safehaven from attacks on the population. Pop had a daughter in the second grade. Said daughter volunteered a tour of her daddy’s bomb shelter. At that time, field trips were the norm in an educational environment. No forms for parents to sign. No massive legalities to consider. No hoops to jump through. Just load the kids on a bus and let’s go see for ourselves. There was apparently at the time no notice of an impending visit to some venues so when the busloads of second-graders and their teachers marched down the stairs into the “bomb shelter” and saw all the kegs stacked on each side, some interesting questions were asked. Sister got a pretty good spanking for not giving prior notice of farm visits by her schoolmates. Distribution had its challenges too. Discretion was the key to preventing a healthy application of dynamite to distilling equipment by those who felt they had not received adequate revenue from the enterprise. So imagine the dismay that arose when a log truck rear-ended

the delivery car one evening as the rounds were being made to provide Christmas cheer to the local law enforcement bodies and fire stations. The investigating officer noticed a leak coming from the rear of the car and assumed it was gasoline. He got on the radio and summoned the fire department, which arrived en mass and in haste! A large crowd had gathered and been pushed away for their own safety in case this thing blew up. Luckily, the fire chief waded in, inhaled, made his own assessment of the situation and had the car towed to the fire station where the flammable material was contained and dealt with over the next six months. Alas the local sheriff got wind of the still. Actually he probably knew about it for years. But he got cross-threaded with Pop after being called down for over-reaching his authority and he had the still blown up. Pop was real proud that it took eight whole sticks of dynamite to do the job! His was certainly not the only still in the area. Many were dangerous because they used old car radiators in the processing.

The lead from the radiators got in the whiskey and you know what happens next. Some stills blew up for a variety of reasons not involving intentional destruction by law enforcement officials. There is a pretty solid report of one moon shiner in Claiborne County that used turtles swimming in his brew to keep it stirred. Some beginners made rot gut. Some made and still make pretty smooth whiskey. Or so I’m told. You don’t hear much about arrests for moon shining any more. There is a story about a circuit judge in Claiborne County who knew the defendant before him as a personal friend. Presented with a small quantity of the “evidence” in a mason jar, the judge reportedly opened the jar, sniffed it, drank it down, and declared that he had drunk moonshine before and THAT was not moonshine! Case dismissed. There is also the story from the same county where a delivery truck pulled into a gas station before making his runs. The driver had gone by a saw mill and gotten a load of cedar shavings to cover his product in order to prevent breakage and

mask the actual freight. As he filled up with gas, the sheriff drove up to the next pump, smelled the cedar, came over and ran his hands deep into them, pulling them up for a smell and talking about it bringing back memories of Grandma’s closets. The driver got lucky that time but, thereafter, covered the cargo with dirt, just like Pop did with flowerbeds. So now every time I see an immaculate garden I have to wonder. Do they have something to hide? There are so many “garden clubs” that are anything but and they are run by the “blue-haired mafia.” Connection or coincidence? Hmmmmm. My thanks to Mike Mikell of Port Gibson for his contributions to this article and his willingness to accept any and all liability for its content.

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THE Social Scene Magnolia in Lights

celebration of the lighted Azalea Festival, Magnolia in Lights, was held April 1 at the Historic Depot grounds in Magnolia, Mississippi. Guests enjoyed a candlelit night with food and live music for their entertainment.

Debbie and Rex Simmons

Melvin Harris, Mayor of Magnolia, with his wife, Mennie Harris

Jalea Jackson and George Pounds

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Sue and Jack Nunnery

Clarence Abadie and Gayle Vicknair

Brenna and Tripp Kelley

Lem and Alice Mitchell

Virginia and George Goza

Nancy and David Yarborough

Ellen Parker

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In the Garden | story and photos by Dr. Gary R. Bachman A container is a great way to grow fresh produce in a small space. These mini bok choy are thriving in window boxes.

Containers for Fresh-grown Produce

ontainers aren’t just for flowers; they can be used to grow fresh vegetables for aspiring gardeners who don’t have a traditional garden. Container gardening is ideal for those with limited yard space or those living in apartments with only a balcony. Many locations in Mississippi, especially along the coast, have soil that is less than ideal for vegetables. Growing them in containers is a great alternative to amending the soil.

Growing vegetables in containers also can elevate the garden, so those with accessibility challenges can enjoy gardening, too. The ideal container for growing vegetables is limited only by your imagination. Many people use the black containers that other plants come in from the nursery. These vary in size from smaller than a quart to larger than 15 gallons. Different vegetables need differentsized containers. For example, tomatoes and eggplant perform well in 3and 5-gallon containers, peppers grow well in 3-gallon pots, and zucchini and squash succeed in 5-gallon containers. Terra cotta pots are great for herbs and are attractive wherever they are placed. Window boxes are a little deeper and are good for growing small head lettuce, mini bok choy, spinach, and radishes. Plastic tubs ranging in size from 12 to 25 gallons are good selections for root vegetables, such as potatoes, beets, onions, and carrots. Container gardening isn’t just for flowers. Many vegetables can be grown in containers, such as these tomatoes in 3-gallon nursery containers.

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Remember that these tubs will last only a couple of seasons because sunlight breaks down the plastic. You can paint the exposed surfaces to extend their lifespan, but be sure to use paint designed to stick to plastic. Self-watering containers are available at local garden centers or from online gardening supply websites. These are especially good for patios and balconies because they produce less water overflow than traditional containers do. Be sure to check weight limits; this type of container can weigh more than 60 pounds when full of water. Moisture is the most crucial consideration when growing vegetables in containers. Without their roots in the ground, the plants are completely dependent on you for water. You can’t rely on rainfall. Most containergrown vegetable must be watered daily or even several times a day in the summer. Container growing lends itself to drip irrigation. Off-the-shelf starter kits are available along with additional components to expand the irrigation system. Never use native soil when growing vegetables in containers. Instead, use commercially available potting media or mixes composed of peat moss, bark and forest byproducts. You must maintain an adequate level of fertilization to yield an optimum harvest. Both organic and inorganic options are available, and the horticulture industry offers more fertilizer choices every season. Controlled-release fertilizers release their nutrients over a period of time, typically from three to nine months or more. Water-soluble fertilizer should be applied weekly with a watering can or a hose-end applicator. You get superior results when you use both a controlledrelease fertilizer in the soil and weekly doses of water-soluble fertilizer. If you want your own farm-fresh vegetables but don’t have the space for your own farm, try growing them in containers this year.

THE Social Scene

Natchez Community Hosts Caring Women

n May, Natchez Community Hospital recognized women in the Natchez, Mississippi, area for their outstanding contributions and honored them at its annual Caring Women Luncheon, highlighted with awards that marked the community’s deep appreciation for their service. Donny Rentfro, CEO of Natchez Community Hospital, presented the Caring Women Awards in the following categories: leadership, perseverance, volunteer, mentor, defender, and promise.

Donny and Missy Rentfro

Frances Adams, Perseverance Award Winner, and Donny Rentfro

Matilda Stephens, Defender Award Winner, and Donny Rentfro

Bethany Ogden, Promise Award Winner, and Donny Rentfro

Nancy Bowman, Mentor Award Winner, and Donny Rentfro

Vera Dunmore, Leadership Award Winner, and Donny Rentfro

Barbara Persons, Volunteer Award Winner, and Donny Rentfro

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On the River k On the River k On the River k On the River

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THE Social Scene Brunch for Laura Sumrall

aura Sumrall, 2011 Azalea Queen, enjoyed a Senior Hat Party recently at the Brentwood House in McComb, Mississippi.

Front—Suzi Fortenberry, Dawn Sumrall, and Angela Remley; back— Tresse Young, Danessa Etheridge, and Jackie Hughes

Front—Shelby Cook, Mary Stringer, and Leslie Willis; Middle—Destine Forrest, Laura Sumrall, and Mallory Hemphill; back—Katie Edwards, Carley Fortenberry, Olivia Haskins, Hannah Holliday, Laura Lee Dyar, and Heidi Ott

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Colorful Cancer-fighting Food by Karen Lewis

GREENS—(We may as well talk about the most hated ones first!) Broccoli has eight vitamins AND sulforaphanes, powerful anti-carcinogenic chemicals that fight the development of tumors. It also helps detox the liver. Aim for two to three servings per week. You can do it! Savoy cabbage is rich in iron which helps transmit cleansing oxygen. It also contains glycosinolates, plant chemicals containing powerful enzymes that help protect against cancer. And, I know you don’t want to hear this, but Brussels sprouts are one of the BEST sources of these cancer-preventing enzymes. Curly kale suppresses cancer cell division. It is delicious sliced and tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper and cooked in the oven around ten minutes and served as a chip. (Not WITH a chip, but AS a chip) Page 24 { June 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

PINKS—Grapefruit flesh AND rind contain compounds that inhibit cancer development. Zest a little rind on a salad and be sure to eat some of the white pith to gain the full benefit. YELLOW AND CREAMY COLORS— The shitake fungi contain lentinan which has been isolated and licensed as an anticancer drug in Japan because of its ability to stimulate the immune system to deactivate malignant cells. This delicious mushroom is readily available in local stores now, and, although they are more expensive than other mushrooms, a small amount gives a great health benefit.

REDS—Like many other berries, cherries contain ellagic acid. This acid is a compound which blocks an enzyme that cancer cells need in order to develop. As a bonus, they also ease rheumatoid arthritis and gout. Strawberries also contain this ellagic acid. In addition to fighting cancer, it destroys some of the toxins in cigarette smoke and polluted air. Raspberries have anti-cancer properties and may be especially useful for fighting cancers of the mouth, throat, and colon. Tomatoes are particularly helpful in fighting prostate cancer. The lycopene which does this is made more available to the body by cooking the tomatoes. Rhubarb also contains compounds which help prevent cancer. However, avoid it if you suffer from gout or arthritis.

Photograph by Katie Tillman

uring my training as a counselor, I finally began to understand some of the interplay between our spiritual, emotional, and physical health. This month we will discuss a topic that primarily affects our physical health but also benefits us emotionally. The topic is food, specifically food that helps our bodies heal. Far too many people I know are currently fighting cancer. You, too? There are simple foods which can help. Think of the rainbow. The more colorful the plate of food, the more healthy it is. Remember, the food we eat constitutes important chemicals we put into our body every day. We use them AT LEAST three times a day AND our bodies are created to use them to help us heal.

BLUES—Blueberries also contain ellagic acid which is thought to impede cancer development. They are healthier when eaten uncooked.

Garbanzo beans contain protease inhibitors which halt the DNA destroying actions of cancer cells. They are specifically beneficial in preventing breast cancer and PMS. (For anyone who doesn’t know what PMS stands for, just know that you are VERY lucky and that we may have an entire article on this topic soon!) Brazil nuts help halt the development of tumors because of their glutathione

enzymes. They are also one of the best sources of selenium, another cancer preventer AND anti-ager. Cauliflower also has glucosinolates and helps fight cancer of the lung, breast, stomach, and colon. It also helps ease asthma and skin allergies. Lemons contain limonene. (I wouldn’t joke about that!) Limonene has been shown to slow cancer growth. Add it to anything and everything. Almonds provide laetrile, a powerful tumor-fighting compound. As with all other nuts, read labels carefully and avoid those with soy or cottonseed oil.

ADDITIONAL TIPS Except for tomatoes, the healthiest way to eat all of the above is raw to get the most benefit. But, please just eat them—raw or not! Cooking foods partially retains more nutrients than cooking fully. Using small amounts of water also helps retain nutrients. Focus on foods which are in season. Our maker created plants which would produce foods at the exact time our bodies need them. (But, do freeze extras for use later.) Another way to add extra nutrients is to eat foods grown locally. Your local farmer’s market is an excellent source. If you are interested in free recipes, just email me. Much of the information for this article came from The Top 100 Immunity Boosters, a book by Charlotte Haigh. I highly recommend that you purchase and use the book if you or a loved one is fighting cancer or an auto-immune disease or if you just want to be healthier. The book includes great recipes, too!

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THE Social Scene Turning Pages Hosts Book Signings

urning Pages Books & More in Natchez, Mississippi, recently hosted several authors signing their most recent books. Natchez author Brenda Edgin signed two of her Little Winston tales; and Vicksburg, Mississippi’s Melody Golding signed her book Panther Tract: Wild Boar Hunting in the Mississippi Delta. Shellie Tomlinson of Lake Providence, Louisiana, read excerpts from and signed her new book, Sue Ellen’s Girl Aint Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy: The Belle of All Things Southern Dishes on Men, Money and Not Losing Your Midlife Mind.

Steve and Melody Golding

Steve and Melody Golding with Gene and Sarah Jane Parker and Stacy Waites

Brad and Jean Bradford with Melody Golding

Shellie Tomlinson, Marleta Crawford, and Charlotte Rushing Donna Harrison, Teresa Moore, and Shellie Tomlinson

Brenda Edgin, Mallory Dickey, Carter Dickey, and Barbara Potter with Winston

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Brenda Edgin, Melanie Kennedy, and Ann Burns with Winston

Simple ‘More & Less’ Tips for a Healthier Lifestyle

by Adam Blackwell

s the “green” revolution increases in popularity today, I find that sharing advice on how to live a more environmentally conscious and organically healthy lifestyle is highly relevant. Now, I certainly don’t consider myself an expert in this field; but having taken classes at Ole Miss on sustainability, attended multiple lectures given by experts, and examined numerous articles and studies, I’ve garnered some helpful tips. This month, Bluffs & Bayous focuses on health and wellness—health issues and opinions on what’s important to you today! So, I want to answer the question: How can I live a healthier lifestyle that is both more organic and environmentally conscious? Actually, multiple options exist to create this type of lifestyle. First, consider eating more organic foods. Now, in our area, it’s not always easy to find these. However, most supermarkets and stores carry some organic fruits and veggies. Organic essentially means natural foods that have fewer preservatives and fewer pesticides or chemicals in them. An easy test to use in the supermarket to determine the healthier option is to look at the expiration date. If a product has a longer shelf life than other brands or types, it most likely has more preservatives and chemicals, making it unhealthier. Also, consider looking at the ingredients list. Many experts say that the product with the least ingredients is the healthiest option. And don’t forget—next time you take a shopping trip to Baton Rouge or Jackson, research the organic/ natural foods stores in the area. They are great places to explore! Also, consider eating less meat and more fruits, vegetables, and grains. A more vegetarian-friendly diet has great health benefits. Actually, I gave up all meat during Lent last year, and it was a fantastic experience. I lost weight, felt healthier, and never felt sluggish or overly full after a meal. Studies show that processing meat

uses many gallons of water. And conserving water is one of the best ways to help the environment. Therefore, eating less meat and more fruits, vegetables, and grains benefits you and the environment! Not to mention, many meats are getting pretty expensive; so this tip may benefit your pocketbook, too! Next, consider walking to lunch during your work-week instead of driving. Of course, this is only feasible if you work downtown or near restaurants. Anyway, walking to lunch not only provides you with some exercise for the day but also means you reduce carbon emissions by not driving—and you save money on gas! Plus, walking, especially during the beautiful spring and fall months, is a great

way to clear your mind, meditate for a while, or just enjoy your surroundings. So, walking to lunch during the week leads to a healthier you and a healthier environment. Last, buy a reusable stainless steel or plastic (BPA-free) water bottle. Instead of taking that new bottle of water or sugary soft drink to work every day, take this reusable bottle that you can fill many times. Stainless steel is one of the best products to use because of its durability. Also, if you don’t have the cleanest or freshest tasting tap water around, buy a filtered water pitcher. You can get one at many local stores or supermarkets for less than $20. Drinking more water every day is a habit that leads to a healthier lifestyle! In addition, these measures will save you money since you’ll not have to buy cases of bottled water every month. Finally, you’re reducing your amount of waste and helping our planet! These tips can help you build a healthier, more environmentally friendly lifestyle than, perhaps, you presently lead. Try these simple, easy steps, but don’t forget to consult your doctor when starting a new diet or dramatically changing your exercise regime.

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THE Social Scene

Surprise 50th Birthday Party

harlene Rainwater was surprised with a party for her 50th birthday in March. The party, given by her family and friends, was held at the home of Bob and Kelly Walker in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Special surprises included her brother, Chuck, who came in from Mississippi, and the gift from her husband, Mark. Everyone enjoyed great food and fun.

Lawson, Melissa, and Jarrod Weeg; Jamie, Kylee, and Bryan Williams; Charlene and Mark Rainwater; and Addyson Williams

Josephine Rimes, Sherri Arceneaux, JM Jones, and Amy Jones

Joyce Dousay, Sheila Porch, Kellye Cornette, Charlene Rainwater, Cyndi Hildebrant, and Kelly Walker

Edith Greenwood, Chuck Welch, and Charlene Rainwater

Charlene Rainwater, Sheila Porch, and Teresa Breedlove

Bob Walker and Alvin Dousay

Josephine Rimes, Addyson Williams, Mark Rainwater, Kylee Williams, and Melissa and Lawson Weeg

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Jeff and Cyndi Hildebrant

Edith Greenwood and Addyson Williams

Kelly Walker and Joyce Dousay

Charlene Rainwater

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THE Social Scene Lida McCall Celebrates Birthday

n Sunday, May 1, Lida McCall, daughter of Lana and Josh McCall of Monterey, Louisiana, celebrated her sixth birthday with an afternoon tea attended by several close friends and family members at Dunleith Plantation in Natchez, Mississippi. The little ladies, all adorned with pearls, feather tea hats, boas, and gorgeous dresses, were seated on the front porch of the historic home and served an assortment of sandwiches and a variety of flavored teas. Raspberry tea was the hands-down favorite! The cake was fashioned with feathers and pearls and included the traditional Victorian ring pull.

Lana McCall, Gina Beard, Lida McCall, and Layla McCall

Lida and Layla McCall with Ruth Beard

Kylie Murray, Lillie Bazile, Allie Jennings, Lida McCall, KaraÂ Barfoot, Madison Poole, and Briana King

Allie Jennings, Lida McCall, Layla McCall, and Kylie Murray

Lida and Layla McCall

Goldie Stone and Bobbie Emfinger

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Herbal Teas

by Patricia Taylor

or centuries our ancestors have used plants to cure their ills. A great many of these plants are proving to be just what the doctor ordered, their useful constituents being extracted or synthesized

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)

Mint (Mentha piperita)

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

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to provide valuable drugs. Whatever science chooses to do with our plants, there will always be a place in our lives for herbal teas, whether to make ourselves feel better or just to enjoy the flavor. I should like to share a few of my favorites with you. The Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) has been a valued herb of the cottage garden for centuries. To mention but a few of its attributes, it is antimicrobial, antibacterial, antidepressant, and antiviral, mostly due to its volatile oils; so when making a tea, pick the leaves before the plant flowers, and make in a covered pot to keep these oils from escaping. Country housewives used it for coughs, colds, and nervous conditions, and for polishing their chairs. Apparently, a handful of the herb gives a gloss to wood and perfumes the air. Melissa tea is also useful for anxiety, or nervousness, gently removing feelings of panic, easing palpitations, and lifting the spirit. It relieves a headache; helps you sleep; eases dyspepsia, indigestion, and nausea; and strengthens the memory. The strained tea can also be used as a wash for the skin when suffering shingles and chickenpox. Bees love this herb and keepers in England rub their hives with it to ensure that their bees never stray. It was used as a strewing herb in the days when floors where covered in greenery, and the Carmelite monks made perfume with it. It is tasty in apple jellies and chicken stuffing, and transforms a chicken stew. Known since Greek and Roman times, Mint (Mentha piperita) is one of those favorites that conjure up summer. Whenever I smell it, I think of hot sunny days. Apart from its refreshing taste in mint juleps and ice creams, mint tea will help gastric upsets, being particularly useful for indigestion or heartburn; will

reduce a fever; send you to sleep; relieve a headache; ease your travel sickness; or, used in steam inhalations, clear nasal congestion. Added to the bath water, it relieves aches and pains, and it can be applied to insect bites and burns that have not blistered. Grow it in pots on your back porch to help deter the insect population. In Greek mythology, Hades fell in love with a nymph called Minthe. Persephone, his wife, trod her underfoot. Hades couldn’t reverse Persephone’s spell but turned Minthe into a plant. The more the plant was trodden the sweeter it smelled, constantly reminding Persephone of her husband’s indiscretion. Garden thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is an excellent plant for cooking; but it will also ease a wide range of ailments, especially infections of the respiratory tract, in particular the bronchi. To ease a tickly cough, try sipping a cup of cold thyme tea throughout the day. It is helpful in streptococcal infections, whooping cough, and sinusitis, and as a gargle for a sore throats and fungal infections. Also, by using the tea as a wash, it will relieve aching muscles and strains; and if used in steam inhalations, it will help relieve sinus congestion. The herb’s volatile oil content Thymol, is bactericidal and fungicidal; and before antibiotics, when diphtheria was rife in England, the sick room would be washed with a strong solution of thymus in order to kill the bacteria. Thymus solution would also be added to the rinse of sick room bed

linen and bedclothes to kill the germs. Its use during the plague years is legendary; and even during World War I, its essential oils were used as an antiseptic on battle wounds. A word of caution, though, thyme is not recommended in pregnancy. Thyme makes an excellent ground cover; and when grown in crazy pavements, it repays careless steps with a generous perfume. Thyme is another plant loved by bees and grows wild in Greece, giving Greek honey its distinctive flavor. Herbal infusions, also known as tisanes, are made in the same way as you would make an everyday tea. Always use a covered pot so as not to lose the herbsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; active ingredients along with the steam. Use 1Â˝ teaspoons of dried herb or 2 tablespoons of fresh herb, to a cup of boiling water. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes. Make and drink your tea fresh each time, it tastes so much better and can be sweetened with honey if you wish.

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Bee’s Royal Wedding Sleepover

just love girlfriend stories. I love to hear about friendships that have either begun from birth or flowered during grammar school, high school, sorority, marriages, and/or motherhood. No matter where, when, or how these friendships were formed, they are about the solidarity of women, based on their shared situations, experiences, or concerns. Bee Byrnes of Natchez, Mississippi, recently called her childhood friends together to witness an historic event, the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now known as Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, through all of the official events of Great Britain’s Royal Wedding. Not only did Byrnes invite her friends to share the viewing of this royal occasion, but she also enthusiastically created a royal affair of her own. She collected British royal ware from a decades-long collection of her friend Dotty Stubbs of Natchez. Hostess Bee Byrnes Byrnes also coordinated shows off her trifle with one of her “besties” dessert that was served following Sissy Edit, who has a son the seated dinner and daughter-in-law living of fresh fish and chips prepared in England, to bring to the by her husband states shot glasses with a Charles Byrnes

photo of Kate and William on them along with William and Kate magnets. It just so happened that he and his wife had welcomed a new addition to the family and were traveling home to have the baby christened. To these, Byrnes added roses, royal soldiers and dolls, previous coronation programs, and other décor befitting a royal sleepover. I would be amiss if I did not mention each in this girlfriend group by name since many have been a part of my growing-up years either as grade-school teachers, family friends, or friends of my parents; for growing up in a Catholic community, you know everyone, their parents, children, and cousins. Many of the group were cheerleaders, basketball players, track runners, and academic geniuses as they themselves attest to and recall with both serious and silly comments. Leading the pack is Bee Stone Byrnes, Sissy Crawford Eidt, Kate Junkin Ferguson, Kate Odgen Cole, Ruthie Scudamore Cole, Barbara Dickey Spenser, Jeanne Germuiller Sanguinetti, and Patsy Stallone Joseph. Although the event that brought these Southern sister-friends together this time was a momentous one, it is the bond of

by Cheryl Rinehart

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sisterhood that frames this event as it does all their gatherings. Since these ladies have been friends from the time they were five years old in 1944, their experiences together have been woven through the decades of a lifetime; and at this gathering, the rekindling of certain stories was the focus of conversation during cocktails prior to dinner. One tale in particular involved a picnic held years ago next to a cool, clear stream. The girls had packed their lunches and spread out in the nearby field. Later in the day when they became thirsty, they all dipped their cups into the burbling waters for a sip of nature’s delicious, crystalline refreshment—a gesture that caused them to be violently ill the next day and unable to attend school. Of course, the telephone calls from the school, inquiring about their absence, implicated the possibility of the girls’ playing hooky. Laughing at this shared recollection, they all agreed they wish they had been playing hooky rather than experiencing the vengeance of their idyllic but impractical libations. Similar stories of trials and trysts filled the evening as did the laughter and teasing while they relived vignettes of their shared youthinto-adulthood years.

Top left—Patsy Joseph, Tatiana, the Duchess of Tickfaw Top right—Kate Odgen Cole, Mercedes, the Duchess of Melrose Left—Queen Barbara Spencer served by childhood friend Ruthie Scudamore Cole

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Following cocktails, the evening’s agenda for the sleepover continued with dinner, a British fare of fish and chips prepared by Bee’s husband, Charles Byrnes; watching the movie The King’s Speech; and reminiscing (though a bit drowsily for some) through the girls’ collected scrapbooks of photographs that documented their years of activities together. Some said they were not sleeping then but were reflectively anticipating the royal footage beginning at 2:30 a.m. (USA time) to watch the guests arrive and view all of the hats, and suits, and honored guests. There was a good bit of discussion regarding the exact time of the events as they played out that evening; and each of these opinioned ladies contributed to the engaging conversation and atmosphere that embellished the Royal Sleepover on Forrest Drive that evening…into night… and into early morning—an atmosphere and camaraderie that many of us experience in our own circle of friends. During their recollections, the girls discussed how they did not get together for the historic 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Dianna. At that time, many of their children were in high school, and each was pulled in another direction. However, they visited by telephone and shared their impressions of the

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Top—Toasting to friendships and royal weddings prior to dinner are Kate Cole, Patsy Joseph, Sissy Eidt, Bee Byrnes, Ruthie Cole, Barbara Spenser, Kate Ferguson, and Jeanne Sanguinetti. Above—Jeannie Sangunitti and Barbara Spencer at the buffet table

event as it unfolded within the context of their real-life involvementsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;funny stories from each of the friends involving dogs, tennis matches, and the fact that some had to work and did not get up in the middle of the night to view the event but later watched as the news media replayed the wedding throughout the week. As these Royal Sleepover gals began viewing the actual royal wedding, Bee Byrnes served her homemade scones with British tea to be enjoyed during the ceremony. Following the nuptials, she served an embellished breakfast featuring her homemade, fresh-blueberry French toast casserole complemented with champagne for toasting the newlywed royals. After enjoying this leisurely, regal repast, guests donned their robes and departed amidst a multitude of well wishes and royal hand-waving. Perhaps it was the historic royalwedding moment that inspired Bee Byrnes to host a sleepover with her group of childhood friends, an occasion now nestled in the annals of their shared lives. However, it is something more that calls these girls together because their bond is not merely a physical presence. It is a togetherness

of spirit, something untouchable but very understandable within the bonds of friendship and sisterhood. It is the love, respect, and understanding each has for the other, the support each has for the othersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; families, and the shared events of their very own and very personal lives that have held this group of Southern ladies together through the decades and will do so for years to come.

The next morning, the faithful group, who remained overnight, arose at 2:30 a.m., and watched the royal wedding, departed to slumber through the day and catch up on their sleep: Jeannie Sanguinetti, Patsy Joseph, Bee Byrnes, Kate Ogden Cole, Kate Ferguson, and Ruthie Cole.

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Maggie and friends Katherine, Macie, and Arden celebrate her twentieth birthday.

In That Moment, My Life Changed Forever My name is Maggie Cupit, and I am a twenty-yearold native of Brookhaven, Mississippi. I was born there and raised there. I grew up there in an ideal household, sheltered by a loving family and a safe community. My childhood was as nearly perfect as childhoods can be. I was born determined to excel in everything I did and excited to learn anything and everything. After graduating first in my high school class at Brookhaven High School in 2009, I headed off to Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. I’ve spent a lot of time over the past year remembering my first year of college, watching it inside my mind like a daydream. It was blissful. Near the end of Page 40 { June 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

my freshman year, I was selected to participate in a program with Rhodes College and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital called Summer Plus. I planned to begin oncology research with a St. Jude doctor the summer of 2010. However, my plans changed when I discovered the recurring pain in my leg was not a minor problem; it was a rare and aggressive bone cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma. In that moment, my life changed forever. The following excerpts from the records of Maggie’s thoughts throughout the past year and her battle with cancer reveal this life-changing experience:

From anger ~ Friday, June 4, 2010 I went into my little room in the Target House and sat on my twin bed with the Disney princess comforter and cried. I wept. I screamed. I kicked. I sniffled. I yelled. I cried until I couldn’t breathe, and then I cried some more. I’m not saying this in a public forum because I want your sympathy. I just think it was really good for me to come a little closer to realizing that the cancer in my leg is real. It’s as real as the blood that runs through my veins. And I didn’t do anything to deserve this. Life happens, and it doesn’t stop happening, and it rarely slows down, but that’s how it is. I’ll never be able to turn back time and be normal again, and that is enough for anyone to be angry about . . . .

Maggie with sisters Anne Houston Cupit and Flynn Phillips

To determination ~ Sometimes my entire body hurts from chemo, and I wonder how many more days I can put up with this. But then there are moments, like when I put on the polka-dotted socks someone gave me today and when I sit down and read organic chemistry and when Mama tells the only joke she knows (which you should hear)... there are moments when I forget about the cancer and remember that I am alive right now in this moment, that I am breathing and smiling and loving and feeling, and even if I feel some pain, I am okay. I am still Maggie. I will just have to get through this year by savoring the moments that make life what it is—a gift.

To fear ~ Wednesday, June 9, 2010 When you find out that you have cancer, you close your eyes a lot. You keep closing them, hoping that when you open them you will wake up from this nightmare that you keep having, this long nightmare about cancer. But it isn’t a dream. […] People are so afraid of dying. I think we have a natural instinctual drive to survive, to avoid death, so we fear death more than anything. I know a lot of people who hide that fear, who bury it with their faith or avoid it altogether, but none of us want to die. Maybe because, when we die, we have absolutely no control over what happens to us. Something else controls us. So it seems to me that my biggest fear is losing control: allowing something else to move me through the universe, or simply allowing a drug to destroy parts of my body in an attempt to destroy my tumor.

Maggie with her mom, Ellie Phillips, and sister, Flynn Phillips.

To resolution ~ I may be crazy, and I may be unlike all of you who read this, but in some way it feels really good to take a deep breath and realize that I am actually not in control of anything, but something else is— something far wiser and far more intricate. And Bluffs & Bayous { June 2011 { Page 41

because I don’t have to be in control, all I have to do is sit back and try to enjoy, or maybe just survive, the ride.

To empathy for others ~ Tuesday, June 29, 2010 I have just completed 3 chemo treatments. I have 12 to go. If all goes as planned, I will be done with therapy around Christmas. […] I met another patient yesterday. His name is Odie. He has liver cancer and lung cancer, and his treatment plan is an experimental plan. Basically, he’s one of those kids that only a miracle can save. It hurts to see people like that. It hurts to see little innocent beautiful children suffering through chemotherapy. Because it’s not their fault. […]

To struggling for insight ~ I think I have decided that everything does not happen for a reason. Everything cannot happen for a reason. Because there are hundreds of children in this building, and they don’t get to experience childhood the way we did. They walk up and down the halls, sometimes pushed by wheelchairs, sometimes leaning over crutches. They all

have ports or lines so that people can take their blood from them every day and give them drugs the same way. It’s not fair. It’s not okay. It’s not going to be okay. They lose their hair, and some of them hold onto every last strand, looking like rag dolls with a few strings of hair. They lose their appetites, and they vomit most days. They don’t get to go to school or enjoy the summer or play sports or see their friends or have slumber parties. They can’t go home, so this place becomes home. […] I hope that Odie gets better. I hope that every kid I pass by gets better. But I know that some of them won’t. And I know that that doesn’t happen for a reason.

To growth ~ Saturday, July 24, 2010 I’ve grown in the past two months, and I can tell. I’m the most confident I’ve ever been about my body, which is funny because I wear a leg brace and walk on crutches, have a port sticking out of my chest most of the time, am bald, and am constantly bombarded with bodily malfunctions (mouth sores, vomiting, etc.). Perhaps it is because I am thankful for my body now, and I used to take it for granted,

Maggie with fellow patient, Remmy, at the hospital.

along with the rest of my nearly perfect life, which was free of problems unless I created them for myself. […]

To peace of mind and heart ~ My life was so good. I think I finally understand why people always seem ready to die when it’s their time (not that it’s my time yet). When you have time to look back on your life, and I mean really look back and spend hours doing nothing but remembering every day because there is nothing better to do, you get this feeling. And you know that you did it right, your life I mean. You know that it was full of life. It was full of love. It was just.... full, period. And somehow, even if there isn’t an afterlife and you’re about to lose consciousness, you know that your memories are enough. Because you lived them, and when you close your eyes you can taste them, like the aftertaste of hot chocolate. And they can never disappear because they happened, and they are now forever sealed in time. And no one can take them from you or from time. That’s how I feel when I think of my life so far.

To hope and gratitude ~ When I think about the future, I am excited. The future holds adventure, school, love, more love, more friends, old friends, new friends, and a life with a lot less worry than the one before cancer. Also a life with a lot more thankfulness. A life of savoring moments and good food, sometimes food that I cooked all by myself. A life of getting a second chance to really live and not just scoot by, barely taking the time to notice how amazing it is to just be here on this planet. So maybe some days I do wish I could fast forward time or skip this chapter of my life. But maybe I’m a little glad that I am living each day right now with cancer slowly and in the moment because that’s the way people learn things—life-changing things like this. I pray that whoever controls the universe knows how thankful I am for this moment and all the wonderful ones I have had leading up to it.

To realizations ~ Friday, August 27, 2010 It has occurred to me throughout the past few days, despite the fact that I have been admitted inpatient due to a fever and zero white blood count, that I am capable Page 42 { June 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

of happiness. [...] I have allowed myself to laugh at inappropriate times. I have allowed myself to take the time and effort to learn to cook. I have allowed myself to sleep with a toy squishy caterpillar that lights up when you shake it. I have allowed myself to drink massive amounts of water instead of diet coke. I have allowed myself to learn how to play a new musical instrument. I have allowed myself to learn how to speak a new language. [...] I have allowed myself to harass doctors with way too many questions and requests. [...] I have allowed myself to be immature and 13 again for my little sister. [...] I have allowed myself to imagine myself as a child, on a beach, in the ocean, in a garden, on a rainbow, at the Willy Wonka Candy Factory, and cancer free for the rest of time. I am learning to let myself let go. I am learning to let go of jealously of my classmates. I am learning to let go of guilt that I contributed to my illness somehow. I am learning to let go of my hair. I am learning to let go of my body image and the years of stress that went with it. I am learning to let go of my perfectionism. I am learning to let go of my obsession with pushing myself too far. I am learning to let go of the past. I am learning to let go of my leg. I am learning to let go of my anger at God. I am learning to let go of my fear of cancer and my fear of dying. I am learning to let go of chemotherapy’s terrible side effects. I am learning to let go of the tension in my shoulders. I am learning to let go of the grudges, those little sneaky remnants that lurk in the back of my mind. I am learning to let go of pessimism. I am learning to let go of my cancer. I am learning to allow myself to heal completely. And you, you who read this and comment and pray and hope and dream for better days, you are a part of my healing journey.

To insights -Wednesday, November 3, 2010 I guess today I was lucky enough to have one of those special moments when time freezes. Crutching into the hospital behind my two sisters—my best friends in the universe—in our matching St. Jude pullovers (quite cute I might add), I started wondering. Chemo and other medicine can only do so much. And on the days when you can’t get any lower, the days when you actually pout on your Caringbridge website,

the days when chemo isn’t doing anything but making you feel like puking up your guts and NOTHING in the universe can make it any better, those are the days when love heals. Those are the days when love replaces chemotherapy and fills your body with pure joy and peace and relief. Those are the days when love kills cancer. [...] Those are the days when, for once, every bit of pain disappears because there is no longer room for anything but love. Carved in a concentration camp wall and found after WW2 was the following: I believe in the sun—even when it does not shine. I believe in love—even when it is not shown. I believe in God—even when he does not speak. If only I could be that brave. That faithful. That full of love all the time.

To anxiety or uncertainty ~ Thursday, February 24, 2011 As I cuddled with my Mama, I realized that my time at St. Jude was coming to an end. And as exciting as that should be and is, I felt terrified. [...] Now that I am about to go back to everything I once loved, I am overwhelmed with a sense of dread. What’s going to happen when I get a fever? When I have low self-esteem? When I feel like I can’t walk another inch? [...] What’s going to happen when I feel weak? When I feel weird in a room full of people with heads full of hair? When I want my Mama?

To self-analysis ~ So why am I second guessing myself? Why am I terrified of what’s around the corner, the very thing that I’ve been dreaming about for ten months? I think one thing I lack is trust. And even though I think I have a little bit of faith, I find it hard to trust the universe that allowed me to have cancer. Now I’m not saying that everything happens for a reason, but I’m not saying that

Top—Maggie with fellow patient Alli in a waiting room at St. Judes Middle— Maggie during a physical therpay session Bottom—Dr. Beth Stewart, a St. Jude doctor and friend, celebrates Maggie’s last chemo treatment.

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it doesn’t. I just know that I have learned a lot this past year. I have matured. I have loved more deeply. I have experienced true loss for the first time. I have had a taste of death, but I have also witnessed miracles. If I had never gotten cancer, then I wouldn’t have ever met Patti, Julie, Dr. Pappo, Beth, Odie, or any of the many other people that have touched my life so deeply this past year. I wouldn’t have met the lady who taught me how to come one step closer to feeling good about my body, the lady who taught me that working in oncology is worth it—even though some kids don’t make it, the man who taught me that laughter really is the best medicine (besides food), the kindest young lady I have ever known—a girl who chose to befriend me and embrace every part of me, or the little boy who changed my life forever. So was having cancer worth it? Yes. I think so. Yes it was.

To setbacks ~ Friday, April 8, 2011 I haven’t been able to write in some time, and I think it’s because I’ve been telling myself that writing won’t help the situation.

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I went into the hospital for my very last chemo; and the day after I came out, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t move. My leg was hurting the way it used to hurt right before we found the cancer, but much worse. Of course we were terrified. [...] I was sent into my second leg surgery. […] Thanks to my wonderful doctors, I woke up with both legs for the second time. When I thought things would finally get better, they got worse. [...] The fever kept coming, and no one can be sure exactly why. Now my Mom and I are trying to stay at Target House. We don’t want to go inpatient again just yet. In the meantime, I have a lot of physical therapy to work on. I had to start from square one after the surgery. I cannot walk anymore, and I am using crutches and a wheelchair again. I have never been so frustrated in my life. The only way I know how to get through this at all is to take it one day at a time. When I get up in the morning, one day seems like too much. One moment, though, is something I can bear. My mother is by my side one hundred percent of the time. She gives me the will and the strength to keep fighting even though the end isn’t in sight anymore.

My plan is to keep on going, no matter what. [...] That is all I can do. Some one once told me that God doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle. I hope that this is true. I hope that I can handle this. But I am not going to attempt to handle it alone. I need all the hope, love, and prayers I can get.

To new insight ~ Saturday, April 9, 2011 I feel like there is a God and God does answer prayers, even if it takes him or her an awfully long time. [...] When I think about what I have been through over the past year, I can’t really fathom how I handled it. 15 cycles of chemotherapy, 2 surgeries, nonstop physical therapy, psycho therapy, no school, no immune system, no hair... it was never easy. But there are moments that I will cherish for all of my life, goofing off in hats with my sisters, my visits to the mock trial team, lying in my mother’s arms, sharing laughs with my doctors, dancing at Joe’s Crab Shack all by myself and getting a standing ovation, staring at the rain, learning Continued on page 72

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Spirit Reins Equine Center by Donna Sessions

Being One in Spirit and Purpose…Philippians 2:1-4.

pirit Reins Equine Center near Harrisonburg, Louisiana, fulfills this statement to the fullest twice a week. Sprit Reins is one of Central Louisiana’s only equine facilities specializing in hippotherapy, a physical, occupational, and speechlanguage strategy that utilizes equine movement as part of an integrated intervention program to achieve functional outcomes. Hippotherapy is a proven treatment strategy that uses the rhythm and movement of a horse to help patients with many developmental disorders such as autism, Asperger’s, and stuttering. Page 46 { June 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

Spirit Reins’ mission is to create a unique rehabilitative experience for individuals with disabilities using the horse as a tool to improve their confidence, self-esteem, and quality of life. The center utilizes the human-horse bond to improve motor, sensory, Top left—Phillip Jordan, Dakota Harrell, Anna Borne, and Alatheia Jordan Top right—Anna Borne and Alatheia Jordan assist a student brushing the horse after a session. Bottom left—Kneeling: Alatheia Jordan, Elisha Jordan, and Phillip Jordan; standing: Jori Wade, Jennifer TIffee, Anna Borne, Renae Kelly, and Vicky Costanza with Lacy and Navajo Bottom right—Anna Borne, Alatheia Jordan, and Elisha Jordan lead a student down a trail.

speech, and behavioral/social responses in individuals with physical, mental, emotional, or communication challenges. Founders Anna Borne, Vicki Castanza, and Renae Kelly began their treatment facility in 2008. Borne saw a demonstration at a Texas speech pathologist convention for hippotherapy and realized that she wanted to pursue this type of therapy one day. She recalled, “Everything just fell into place. If you have faith, God will provide.” Spirit Reins offers sessions two days a week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, and has 7 sessions each day. The Equine Center at present has 17 students. The staff is led by Borne, a speech language pathologist, who is assisted by her mother, Vicki Castanza, and volunteers. The Jordan family lives near the center’s location. Their children are home schooled, and each child has volunteered at the center. As one child graduates and leaves home, another child

volunteers at the center. Fees for treatment are dependent upon the ability to pay, and some insurance companies pay toward this treatment. Spirit Reins also holds fundraisers, such as a haunted Halloween festival last October and barbeque dinners. Dakota Harrell, a ten-year-old with cerebral palsy, has been attending Spirit Reins for 3 years and loves it. His parents, Amanda and Casey, stated that Dakota’s aide at the school he attends heard about the hippotherapy provided at Spirit Reins, and they checked it out. Dakota loves the horses, and this therapy has improved his posture and walking by improving muscle tone and balance. Before Spirit Reins was founded, the Harrells had to drive to Alexandria for Dakota’s therapy. Mary Huhn, Special Education Director for Concordia Parish Schools, also sends students to Spirit Reins. These students are also responsive to the horses; and while

riding around a trail to various centers, school lessons are reinforced, such as letter and number recognition. Spirit Reins Equine Center is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. Volunteers are needed who have horse-handling experience and are physically able to handle strenuous walking involved with the therapy. For more information, visit Spirit Rein’s website, www.spiritreinsequinecenter.com, or call 318-312-2294.

Top left—Dr. Brent Taunton, Vicky Costanza, and Jennifer Tiffee Top right—Dakota Harrell with his parents, Amanda and Casey Harrell Bottom left—Anna Borne, Alatheia Jordan, and Elisha Jordan assist a student with his activity. Botton right—Phillip Jordan, Elisha Jordan, and Alethia Jordan

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Magnolia Garden Club Luncheon

embers of the Magnolia Garden Club in Magnolia, Mississippi, ended their 20102011 year with a Dutch luncheon at the Caboose Restaurant in McComb, Mississippi.Â The club enjoyed a very productive year having participated and collaborated in numerous community events which included yard of the month recognition in Magnolia, an annual flower show during the Azalea Festival, a plant swap, 4th of July picnic, Mardi Gras and Christmas parades, and Magnolia Night in lights. The club will reconvene in the fall, preparing for Scarecrow month and decorating for the Pike County Chamber dinner. Pictured: Carol Wood, Dawn Speed, Debbie Simmons, Bobbye Padgett, Evelyn Adams, Judy Johnson, Maren Gjerdrum, Brande Moak, Lisa Hammack, Betty Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Rourke, Gilda Zeidman, Melba Trinchard, Betsy Harrell, and Colleen Lally. Bluffs & Bayous { June 2011 { Page 49

In the Kitchen with Cheryl’s Friends and Family

Tasty and Healthy Summer Recipes

une offers a bounty of fresh vegetables and fruits for the delight of summer cooking. I hope you will enjoy your local farmer’s markets or your own gardens this summer as you engage in healthy delectable fare. Caroline Devereaux, my youngest daughter, is a member of the Greater Covington (Louisiana) Junior League that has published an intriguing cookbook, Roux To Do. The selections she shares with us this month are some of her favorites. Courtney Taylor, a talented writer, cook, and creative marketing wiz, has contributed some of her fun recipes with a twist to enjoy for the month of June. I cannot wait to try her submissions, and I know she will have more in store for future issues. A mother of two, Courtney juggles her time between being a mom, wife, marketing director for Natchez Pilgrimage Tours, and chef extraordinaire. Cheryl F. Rinehart

from Roux To Do Cookbook Blueberry Banana Bread ½ cup shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 cup mashed bananas ½ cup quick cooking oats ½ cup chopped pecans 1½ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup fresh blueberries Cream the shortening in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating Page 50 { June 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

well after each addition. Stir in the bananas. Mix the oats, pecans, flour, baking soda, salt, and blueberries in a bowl. Add to the banana mixture, stirring gently just until moistened. Spoon into a greased and floured 5- x 9-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350˚ for 50 to 55 minutes or until light brown. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Serves 12 Lemon Florentine Rice 1 bunch fresh spinach (4 ounces) ½ small onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup uncooked brown rice ¼ teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1¾ cups water Rinse the spinach and chop medium-fine. Sauté the onion in the olive oil in a skillet. Stir in the brown rice, spinach, salt, and lemon juice. Add the water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes or until the rice is tender. Serves 4. Shrimp and Spinach Orzo with Fresh Herbs 7 ounces baby spinach leaves, trimmed and rinsed 5½ ounces arugula, rinsed and coarsely chopped ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped 5 green onions, coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic olive oil 9 ounces orzo 1 pound cooked spicy shrimp, peeled and de-veined (optional) Crumbled feta cheese to taste Garnish: Lemon slices Blanch the spinach, arugula, parsley, cilantro, and green onions in boiling water in a saucepan for 15 seconds; drain. Immerse in ice water to stop the cooking process; drain. Squeeze out the excess moisture. Process in a small food processor. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and garlic olive oil in a fine stream, processing constantly until well blended. Cook the orzo using the package directions; drain. Combine the orzo, spinach mixture, and shrimp in a large bowl and toss to mix well. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Sprinkle with cheese. Garnish with lemon slices. Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold. Serves 4 Spectacular Spinach 2 pounds fresh spinach, or 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach 1 teaspoon salt ¼ cup olive oil, or 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 tablespoons sliced almonds or pine nuts ¼ cup sliced pimento-stuffed green olives ¼ cup sliced black olives 1 tablespoon capers, drained 3 tablespoons raisins Rinse the spinach and drain. Place in a skillet and sprinkle with the salt. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until the spinach wilts. (If using frozen spinach, cook 1 minute less than the package instructs.) Drain and chop if necessary. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Stir in the almonds. Sauté until golden brown. Add the olives, capers, and raisins.

Sauté until heated through. Add the spinach. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve warm. Serves 6. Grilled Tuna with Honeydew Salsa Honeydew Salsa: 2 cups finely chopped honeydew melon 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 3 tablespoons finely minced red onion 1 mild jalapeño chili, seeded and minced 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves 1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot 1/8 teaspoon white pepper Tuna: 1/3 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1½ to 2 pounds tuna, preferably in 1 steak or cut into 1-inch-thick steaks For the salsa, combine the honeydew melon, lime juice, onion, jalapeño chili, mint, gingerroot, and white pepper in a bowl and mix well. Chill, covered, for 30 to 90 minutes. (Serve the salsa within 2 hours of preparing for the best flavor and texture.) For the tuna, combine the soy sauce, olive oil, gingerroot, and garlic in a bowl and mix well. Add the tuna. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain the tuna, discarding the marinade. Place on a grill rack. Grill over high heat for 5 minutes for slightly rare steak or for 7 to 8 minutes for desired doneness, turning once. (Do not overcook as the tuna will continue to cook after being removed from the grill.) To serve, spoon the salsa over the tuna. Serves 2 to 4

from Courtney Taylor Mango Sorbet 1 cup sugar 1½ cups water 3 pounds ripe mangoes (3 large or 4 medium), peeled and cut into chunks 2 tablespoons lime zest ¼ cup lime juice 1 teaspoon vodka (optional—A dash of alcohol makes sorbet smoother.) Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the liquid comes to a full boil and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Puree mango in a food processor or blender. Work the puree through a fine sieve. (This will remove any fibers, the amount of which can vary.) Measure out 2 cups of puree (Freeze any extra for another use.) and stir into the Bluffs & Bayous { June 2011 { Page 51

syrup along with lime zest, lime juice, and vodka (if desired). Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. (Alternatively, freeze the mixture in a shallow metal cake pan or ice cube trays until solid, about 6 hours. Break into chunks and process in a food processor until smooth.) Serve immediately or transfer to a storage container and let harden in the freezer for 1 to 1½ hours. Serve in chilled dishes. Makes 8 ¼-cup servings. Thai Chicken Salad (Recipes for this salad are found in Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese cookbooks. This salad is very popular in Asian restaurants. This is a very loose recipe and can be tweaked to suite your taste and pantry.) Dressing: 2 tablespoons brown sugar or white sugar 2 teaspoons soy sauce or fish sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional) ¼ cup vegetable oil 3 tablespoons rice vinegar or lime juice (or both to taste) 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root (or more to taste)

Dash sesame oil Dash chili oil (optional) Salad: A combination of the following vegetables cut in a fine julienne: Napa cabbage, romaine lettuce, red bell pepper, celery, daikon, carrots, cucumber, green onions 4 chicken breasts, poached or grilled (This is a great way to use leftover smoked chicken.) Fresh chopped mint and fresh chopped cilantro Garnish with chopped peanuts, cashews or almonds. Serves 6. Chinese Cold Noodles with Sesame Sauce 1¼ pounds fresh Chinese egg noodles, or 1 pound linguine or spaghetti 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 7 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste or 100% natural peanut butter 2/3 cup warm water 6 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons sesame oil ½ to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper,

or more to taste 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic 3 to 4 whole scallions, finely chopped 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned Fresh coriander leaves (optional) In about 5 quarts of boiling water salted with 1 rounded tablespoon salt, cook the noodles until done to taste. Drain immediately and rinse under cold running water until cooled. Place in a large bowl, drizzle with the vegetable oil, and toss well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. If the sesame paste or peanut butter has separated, drive a chopstick repeatedly into it so you can mix the oil in sufficiently to stir although it need not be perfectly smooth at this point. In a small mixing bowl, using a fork or small whisk, beat the sesame paste or peanut butter together with the water until fairly smooth. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, cayenne pepper, sugar, and salt. Beat again until smooth. Add the garlic and scallions; stir well and let stand for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve. (The sauce may be made several days ahead. Allow it to return to room temperature before tossing it with the noodles.)Toss the noodles with about 1½ cups of the sauce. Serve topped with the remaining sauce, the cucumber, and the coriander if using it. Serves 6. Super Fast Curry Crab Soup 1 tablespoon peanut oil 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (available at local market) 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced 2½ cups coconut milk (available at local market) 2½ cups stock (fish or chicken) 2 tablespoons fish sauce (available at local market)

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8 ounces canned or fresh white crab meat 8 ounces fresh or frozen crab claws (or chopped scallops or shrimp) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 3 green onions, trimmed and sliced Heat the oil in a large, preheated wok. Add the red curry paste and bell pepper, and stirfry 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, stock, and fish sauce, and bring to a boil. Add the crab meat (drained if canned), crab claws (thawed if frozen), cilantro, and scallions to the wok. Stir the mixture well and heat thoroughly for

2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to warm bowls and serve. Serves 4. Vietnamese Grilled Eggplant 1½ teaspoons sugar 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 tablespoon Hoi sin sauce (available at local market) 2 large red chili peppers, seeded and shredded 2 pounds firm eggplants (I prefer the

smaller Japanese variety since it contains less seeds.) 3 tablespoons peanut oil 8 garlic cloves, crushed ¼ cup shredded, fresh Asian or regular basil (If you use regular, add a tablespoon of fresh mint.) Freshly ground white pepper to taste Combine the sugar, vinegar, hoi sin sauce, and chilies in a small bowl. Set aside. Prick eggplants all over with a fork, place on a hot grill, and char all over; or char directly on gas or electric burners. If using big eggplant, peel and cut into 2½” x ½” wide strips. Place strips in a colander, sprinkle with sea salt, place a plate on top, and weight plate with a few pounds of books or canned goods. Heat grill to high. Grill eggplant until soft. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet until very hot. Add garlic and stir fry a few seconds. Add eggplant and sauté another 2 minutes. Add the sauce and stir for a minute to coat the eggplant. Add basil and transfer to a warm serving platter. Sprinkle with white pepper powder and serve. Serves 4.

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THE Social Scene Natchez Garden Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Annual Party for Preservation

he annual Party for Preservation hosted by The Natchez Garden Club of Natchez, Mississippi, was held on April 16 at antebellum Brandon Hall, the home of Ron and Kathy Garber. Guests enjoyed music by Osgood & Blaque and delicious food coordinated by Loveta Byrne. The cocktail party is a benefit held yearly to support restoration projects for historic properties owned by The Natchez Garden Club.

Keith Carlson with Lynette and Buddy Tanner

Chuck and Sylvia Mayfield with Finley and Regina Hootsell

Mary Emrick, Michael and Gayle Henry, and Fred Emrick

Tammy and David Gardner, Mo and Cheryl LeBlanc, and Carol and Tommy Ferrell

Nancy Durkin, Ryan Mullen, and Hannah Durkin

Rawdon Blankenstein, Walter Brown, Chuck Caldwell, and Bill and Kathy Faye Jones

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THE Social Scene

Ashley Brown, Missy Brown, and Gwen Ball

Randy Smith, John and Susan Hudson, Sylvia Mayfield, and Tammy Gardner

Jeannie and Basil Lanneau

Michael Rinehart with Rachel Garber

Agnes Holloway and Donna Sessions

Carol Frank and Jo Ann Herrington

Beth Boggess and Anne MacNeil

Marla Farmer and Pam Middleton

Ann and Bob Nix

Mark Doyle, Loveta Byrne, and Chesney Doyle

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Southern Sampler | by Alma M. Womack

Cherished Chicks and Crafty Canines

here is excitement here on Smithland, and it is not due to the threat of flooding this month. (That thought comes under the heading of terror!). The excitement is baby chicks, the first I’ve had in several years. Friends have been giving me their extra hens for some time, and I had just gotten lazy about raising my own fowl. Not this year. I’ve ended up with six Buff Orpingtons, my favorite yellow chickens, and seven red something or others that are supposed to be good layers like the Cherry Eggers

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were back in the 80s. The seven reds are out in the brooder since they were older when I got them, and the baby Buffs are still inside in a pen. With the gnats swarming and killing baby chicks and the too-cool nights, I decided to just keep the littlest ones in the house until the nights warm up. They are little trouble, and Woodrow thinks they know his name. The Buffs are gentle, easy-going chickens and will make good pets for Woodrow and Drew, should they ever decide they need to pet a chicken.

It is good to have my own start of baby chicks again. And now, let me tell you about my brilliant dogs and their behavior in just one week’s time. I was working around the flower pots by the blue chair when I heard this noise that sounded a little like a helicopter. After searching the premises, I found an armadillo digging a hole under my potato vines, in the broad daylight, under the watch of five yard dogs. Since the dogs were already standing there, I directed their gaze to the armadillo. If it had a been a chicken or a plastic bag or a pan of dog food, they would have leaped to my defense and destroyed the offending varmint. But since it was just an armadillo tearing up my yard, they were completely uninterested. Rocco, the pony-sized dog who stepped on my foot and broke a bone and crippled me for a month, would not even look. I dragged him over to the offending varmint; he sniffed it and walked over to the shade and laid down on his back with his feet in the air. All the better to scratch his belly, don’t you know. So, under the watchful eyes of the remaining four vicious dogs, I grabbed the armadillo by the tail and pulled him out of the hole. He promptly ran unchecked to the cover of the Asiatic jasmine by the water faucet. His head and part of his body were hidden by the cover of the vines but not enough that he couldn’t be seen. There was nothing to do but get my little .17 rifle and shoot the critter. And that is what I did. It only took two shots, and he was a goner, and there was still no interest from my intrepid canines. They did get excited when

I picked up the thing, for they thought they were going to get to go for a ride in the Club Car. They got fooled, for it got hauled off in Buster’s truck. Then I started feeling bad for shooting a poor ignorant animal that was just trying to dig a hole to hide in—from what, I don’t know (certainly not dogs). This happens every time I have to shoot a varmint; I feel guilty for taking the life of something that was just behaving as it should have. It’s awful to say, but I could shoot a person easier than an animal, for the person would need shooting for doing something wrong. Animals are just animals, trying to get through the day. Well, I did get over killing the varmint but felt like not feeding the dogs that night for refusing to help me. The next story involves the driving skills of Peanut, one of the levee dogs. Woodrow and I had gone to burn the trash while Jorie was taking Buster to his last day of radiation. We were in Buster’s Mule since it was here, and it is easier to drive in the yard than the Club Car. We couldn’t burn the trash in our usual place because it was too close to the wheat field. The wind might carry some sparks to the drying wheat, and we would have a disaster. The field across the ditch had just been planted in milo, and it was far enough away from the wheat that there was no danger to that crop. It was bare ground, so we went to the edge of the chicken yard ditch and set our fire. I decided that the Mule was a little too close to the fire and had to be moved. Woodrow came running to ride with me, as did two dogs, Mouse and Peanut. I had already started the machine and had it in reverse when the three got in. Two sat on the seat and Peanut sat on the floor, on the accelerator, and we were heading backwards, FAST. Did I mention that there was a ditch about four feet deep right behind us? No? Well, there was, and I was in a panic. I threw the control in neutral, just as we hit the edge of the ditch. We rolled on down in it; but since the motor was off, we stopped. Had I not done this, we probably would have flipped over with consequences I do not want to think about. Woodrow was on the floor, so I picked him up and examined him closely, but there was nary a scratch or a bump. He

was scared out of his wits, but so was I. I got him calmed down, and he promised Peanut that he was going to get a stick and hit her gizzard. We walked back to the house where I left him with Lula Allen, who was working inside. Grabbing the Mother’s Day chain, I got the Club Car to pull the Mule out of the ditch. Once that was done, I realized that my leg hurt, and it should have. There was big swollen place on my calf and ankle,

and it is still black and blue and green, so I got the only injury in the fiasco. The dogs were fine, and Peanut did escape with her gizzard intact. The next day, the Mule went back to the barn where it belonged, and the dogs did not ride.

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June ... Up and Coming! Through June 30 Spectrum—Various Workshops Southern Cultural Heritage Center Vicksburg, Mississippi 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Ages 10 - 16; limited to 60 youths 601-631-2997 info@southernculture.org Through July 31 Farmer’s Market Downtown Vicksburg, Mississippi Saturdays: 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Wednesdays: 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. 601-634-9484 www.vicksburgfarmersmarket.org June 2 Downtown Gallery Crawl Downtown Monroe/West Monroe 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. 318-329-1921 www.downtowngallerycrawl.com

June 2 - 4 Charles Crossley’s Mixed Media Painting Workshop James Andrews House/Lawyers Lodge Natchez, Mississippi 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. $300; limited space available 228-224-1054 admin@skysetter.com

June 3 Book Signing/Co-author Discussion Journey for Justice Dr. Rachel Emanuel & A. P. Tureaud, Jr. West Baton Rouge Museum Port Allen, Louisiana 225-336-2422 x16 www.westbatonrougemuseum.com

June 2 - 5 Oklahoma! Strauss Theatre Monroe, Louisiana Thursday - Saturday: 7:00 p.m. Sunday: 2:00 p.m. $25 318-323-6681 www.strausstheatre.com

June 3 Neil White Book Signing In the Sanctuary of Outcasts Turning Pages Books & More Natchez, Mississippi 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. 601-442-2299 turningpages@dixie-net.com June 4 26th Annual Heat Wave Classic Triathalon Ridgeland, Mississippi 601-605-5252 www.heatwavetri.racesonline.com June 4 Hamstock! Barbeque & Music Festival Jackson Street District Ridgeland, Mississippi 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Free admission 601-605-5252 www.visitridgeland.com June 4 33rd Annual Coin & Collectible Show The Battlefield Inn Vicksburg, Mississippi 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 601-638-1195 Page 58 { June 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

June 4 - 5 Crape Myrtle Magic Imahara’s Botanical Gardens St. Francisville, Louisiana 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 225-767-2250 June 4 - 5 Verlon Thompson Songwriting Workshop Birdman Coffee St. Francisville, Louisiana $200 for both days; registration required birdmancoffe@bellsouth.net www.birdman.uniquelyfeliciana.com June 6 - July 21 Kids College Various Summer Classes Copiah Lincoln Community College Natchez, Mississippi Mondays through Thursdays 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Pre-registration and fees required 601-446-1103 beth.richard@colin.edu June 7 4-Day Intro to Drawing Workshop Southern Cultural Heritage Center Vicksburg, Mississippi $150 members; $165 non-members 601-631-2997 info@southernculture.org June 7 - 10 Pioneer Camp II (Ages 10 - 12) Historic Jefferson College Natchez, Mississippi $20; Pre-registration required kmcneil@mdah.state.ms.us June 9 18th Annual Golf ‘Fore’ United Way Scramble Beau Pre Country Club Natchez, Mississippi $125 per person; $20 mulligan Platinum Sponsorship $700 Hole Sponsor $100 Lunch: 11:00 - 1:00 Shotgun Start 1:00 p.m. Closest-to-the-hole and longest-drive prizes 601-442-5493

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June ... Up and Coming! June 10 - 12 The Day the War Stopped St. Francisville, Louisiana Friday: 7:00 p.m. Graveside Histories Grace Church Cemetery Saturday: 11:00 a.m. Main Street Parade 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Masonic Lodge Lunch 225-635-6769 www.stfrancisville.us westfelicianatourism@gmail.com June 11 Summer Horticultural Seminar Series Rosedown State Historic Site St. Francisville, Louisiana 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 225-635-3332

June 11 Migratory Bird Day & National Trails Day St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge Sibley, Mississippi 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Call for reservations and information. 601-442-6696 bob_strader@fws.gov June 11 Ann Faillace & Keith Karlson Mixed-media Artists ArtsNatchez Gallery Natchez, Mississippi 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Reception celebrating their latest works 601-442-0043

June 11 Randy Pierce Book Signing Pain Unforgiven Turning Pages Books & More Natchez, Mississippi 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 601-442-2299 turningpages@dixie-net.com June 11-12 Crape Myrtle Magic Imaharaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Botanical Gardens St. Francisville, Louisiana 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 225-767-2250 June 13 - 17 Adventures in Art Summer Camp Masur Museum of Art Monroe, Louisiana 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. $65 members; $75 non-members Ages 5 - 7 318-329-2237 www.masurmuseum.org June 13 - 17 Blast from the Past Summer History Camp Session I West Baton Rouge Museum Port Allen, Louisiana Registration and tuition required 225-336-2422 x 16 www.westbatonrougemuseum.com

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June ... Up and Coming! June 13 - 17 Summer Youth Art Camp Natchez Art Association Natchez, Mississippi 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. $115 per week; limited space available 601-807-3290 admin@skysetter.com June 14 4-Day Intro to Drawing Workshop Southern Cultural Heritage Center Vicksburg, Mississippi $150 members; $165 non-members 601-631-2997 info@southernculture.org June 16 Teen Printmaking Workshop Masur Museum of Art Monroe, Louisiana 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Ages 12 - 16 $20 members; $25 non-members 318-329-2237 www.masurmuseum.org

June 18 Magnolia Arts Market East Railroad Street Magnolia, Mississippi 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 601-783-5072 Lori Felix@att.net June 18 “Lost Art” of Basket Weaving Program Rosedown State Historic Site St. Francisville, Louisiana 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 225-635-3332 June 18 - 19 Crape Myrtle Magic Imahara’s Botanical Gardens St. Francisville, Louisiana 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 225-767-2250

June 20 - 24 Blast from the Past Summer History Camp Session II West Baton Rouge Museum Port Allen, Louisiana Registration and tuition required 225-336-2422 x 16 www.westbatonrougemuseum.com June 20 - 24 Young Artists Summer Drawing Camp Masur Museum of Art Monroe, Louisiana 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. $65 members; $75 non-members 318-329-2237 www.masurmuseum.org June 21 4-Day Intro to Drawing Workshop Southern Cultural Heritage Center Vicksburg, Mississippi $150 members; $165 non-members 601-631-2997 info@southernculture.org

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June 23 Teen Mixed Media Collage Workshop Masur Museum of Art Monroe, Louisiana 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Ages 12 - 16 $20 members; $25 non-members 318-329-2237 www.masurmuseum.org June 23 Milt Hinton Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Heritage Festival The Coral Room at The Vicksburg Vicksburg, Mississippi 12:00 p.m. Panel Discussion 7:00 p.m. Concert 601-634-6179 shirleywaring@vicksburgheritage.com June 23 - 26 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fairy Tale Theatreâ&#x20AC;? Vicksburg Parkside Playhouse Vicksburg, Mississippi $6 adults; $4 children (12 & under) 601-636-0471 www.e-vtg.com

\ June 25 Book Launch: Bones of a Feather by Carolyn Haines Turning Pages Books & More Natchez, Mississippi 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 601-442-2299 turningpages@dixie-net.com

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June 25 - 26 Crape Myrtle Magic Imaharaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Botanical Gardens St. Francisville, Louisiana 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 225-767-2250 June 27 - July 1 Summer Youth Art Camp Natchez Art Association Natchez, Mississippi 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. $115 per week; limited space 601-807-3290 admin@skysetter.com June 28 4-Day Intro to Drawing Workshop Southern Cultural Heritage Center Vicksburg, Mississippi $150 members; $165 non-members 601-631-2997 info@southernculture.org

June 30 Teen Bookmaking Workshop Masur Museum of Art Monroe, Louisiana 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Ages 12 - 16 $20 members; $25 non-members 318-329-2237 www.masurmuseum.org July 1 - 4 Red, White & BLUES and Happy Birthday Willie Dixon Vicksburg, Mississippi Various performances throughout weekend 601-634-6179 shirleywaring@vicksburgheritage.com www.vicksburgheritage.com www.visitvicksburg.com

Be sure to confirm details of the events should changes have occurred since events were submitted.

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Hinton and Claxton Wedding Haley Blair Hinton and Benjamin Zachariah Claxton were united in marriage on the evening of March 12, 2011, at Jefferson Street United Methodist Church in Natchez, Mississippi. The candlelight ceremony was officiated by Reverend James Earl “Pete” Herndon. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Richard Hinton of Natchez. She is the granddaughter of Mrs. Charles L. Moore and the late Colonel Charles L. Moore of Memphis, Tennessee, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Willis Warren Hinton of Woodville. The groom is the son of Mrs. Manning Zachariah Claxton, Jr., and the late Mr. Manning Zachariah Claxton, Jr., of Dublin, Georgia. He is the grandson of the late Mrs. Iola Cheatham Nelson of Macon, Georgia, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Manning Zachariah Claxton, Sr., of Dublin, Georgia. Escorted by her father, the bride wore an ivory wedding ball gown made of dupioni silk and featuring a strapless, ruched sweetheart bodice, a beaded sash, and full skirt that flowed into a chapel-length train. Her two-tiered, finger-tip veil was scalloped around the edges and accented by bugle beads, rhinestones, and seedless pearls. She accented her hair with a rhinestone flower hair clip borrowed from her friend and bridesmaid Lesley Berry; and as her “something blue,” she chose cobalt blue, peeptoe heels accented by a rhinestone medallion. Complementing the bride’s ensemble was a hand-tied bouquet of white roses. Attending the bride as matron of honor was her sister Meghan Hinton Easley of Clinton, Mississippi. Bridesmaids were Lesley Adams Berry of Tupelo, Mississippi; Sarah Kirby Boydstun of Baton Rouge, Page 64 { June 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

Louisiana; Elizabeth Claxton Castillo, sister of the groom, of Norcross, Georgia; Shay Netterville Gay of Natchez; Ree Vess Hagemann of Birmingham, Alabama; Tracy Ann Hinton, sister of the bride, of Cleveland, Texas; Tana Laine Poole of Madison, Mississippi; Lauren Griff Strickland of Brandon, Mississippi; and Susan Lockart Ulsamer of Alexandria, Virginia. The attendants wore aqua blue silk taffeta, floor-length gowns that featured a one-shoulder ruched top and A-line skirt. Each carried a hand-tied bouquet of mixed roses. Honorary bridesmaids were Ashley Atkins Gilbert of Monroe, Louisiana; Kristen Lowry Blackard of Madison; Lauren Elizabeth Bee, cousin of the bride of Mobile, Alabama; Janie

Maria Irvin of New Orleans, Louisiana, Cassie Olsen Largilliere of Flowood, Mississippi; and Lesley Orlansky Poole of Memphis, Tennessee. They wore black knee-length dresses of their own choosing. Junior attendants were Chesney Blair Fails and Karlee Elizabeth Fails, nieces of the bride of Cleveland, Texas. They wore aqua blue, knee-length, one-shoulder dresses that featured a fabric rose brooch. Honorary bridesmaids and junior attendants each carried a single, long-stem rose tied with an aqua blue ribbon. Serving as best man, was the groom’s twin brother, Jonathan Manning Claxton of Nashville, Tennessee. Groomsmen were Michael Ebon Bee, cousin of the bride, of Lafayette, Louisiana; William Dustin Braddock of Laurel, Mississippi; Roy Charles Castillo of Norcross, Georgia; Benjamin Chance Franks of Dublin, Georgia; Joel Marcus Fordham III of Atlanta, Georgia; Kristopher Adam Graham of Leesburg, Florida, Michael Ryan Jones of Madison; Brantley Price Lee of Atlanta, Georgia; Christopher Preston Page of Dublin, Georgia; and Jeffery Newton Reynolds of Tampa, Florida. Junior attendant was McCray Wyatt Fails, nephew of the bride, of Cleveland, Texas. Ring bearer was Andrew Colton Easley, nephew of the bride, of Clinton, Mississippi. Margaret Burkes Brown served as the wedding director. Lauren Elizabeth Bee served as the bride’s proxy, and scripture readers were Ashley Atkins Gilbert and Janie Maria Irvin. Nuptial music was provided by Anna Rose Davis, organist; Mickey Davis, violinist; and Elizabeth Claxton Castillo, soloist. Following the ceremony, the bride’s parents hosted a reception at Dunleith

Plantation. Guests were welcomed with a variety of southern favorites including a carving station, pasta bar, crab cakes, and catfish bites. Guests also enjoyed dancing to the music of Easy Eddie and the Partyrockers in the courtyard. One highlight of the evening was when the groom (on guitar) and his brother joined the band for a special rendition of “Sweet Home Alabama.” To conclude the evening’s celebration, the couple, both having graduated from Ole Miss, left in a flurry of red and blue pom poms and a Hotty Toddy send off as they departed by horse-drawn carriage. On the eve of the wedding, the groom’s mother hosted a rehearsal dinner at Stanton Hall in The Carriage House restaurant. On the day of the wedding, Mary L. Moore, grandmother of the bride, hosted a bridesmaids’ brunch at the Castle Restaurant on the grounds of Dunleith Plantation. Close family friends of the bride hosted a farewell brunch on Sunday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Short on Lake St. John in Ferriday, Louisiana.

Following a wedding trip to St. Lucia, the couple is at home in Jackson, Mississippi, where the bride is an Assistant Vice President and Private Banking Officer with Trustmark National Bank and the groom is preparing for the next season as an offensive lineman with the Arizona Cardinals Football Organization. Photographs by Michael and Diane Barrett of Barrett Photography in Madison, Mississippi

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Brister and McDaniel Engagement Michael and Kathryn Jackson Brister of McComb, Mississippi, announce the engagement of their daughter, Karinlee

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Michele, to Justin Blake McDaniel, son of Brian and Mary Lynn Lee McDaniel of Magnolia, Mississippi. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of the late C. E. and Ilda McCulley Jackson and the late Albert and Vera Brewer Brister, all formerly of McComb. She is a graduate of North Pike High School and of Southwest Mississippi Community College where she earned an Associates of Arts degree. She is also a graduate of the University of Mississippi where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitality Management and planned events for the Ford Center for the Performing Arts on the Ole Miss campus. She is an alumna of Sigma Alpha Iota Professional Music Fraternity for Women, Gamma of Mississippi, Ole Miss Ambassadors, and Gamma Beta Phi Society. She was also a member of the

Baptist Student Union, Ole Miss Women’s Glee, and the University Choir. She is employed by the University of Mississippi as a regional admissions counselor, serves on the Ole Miss Staff Council, and is a member of the Mississippi Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar Planning Committee and a past recipient of the HOBY highest honor for being the number one recruiter in the nation. She is a member of Friendship Baptist Church in McComb. The groom-to-be is the grandson of John and Nancye McDavid Lee of Magnolia and of Margie Benton McDaniel of McComb, and of the late Percy Carl McDaniel. He is a graduate of Parklane Academy and attended Southwest Mississippi Community College. He is employed by the Carlisle Corporation of Memphis, Tennessee, and is a general manager of Wendy’s in Tupelo, Mississippi. He is also a member of East Union Baptist Church in Magnolia. The couple will marry at 6:00 p.m., Saturday, June 18, 2011, at Friendship Baptist Church in McComb. Following the ceremony, a reception will be held in the Friendship Baptist Church Family Center. Friends and family are invited.

Weddings t Engagements t Weddings t Engagements Bridal Shower for Karinlee Brister

n April 16, 2011, a miscellaneous bridal shower, honoring Karinlee Michele Brister, bride-elect of Justin Blake McDaniel, was held at Friendship Baptist Church in McComb, Mississippi. Guests enjoyed a delightful Saturday afternoon filled with friendship and fellowship as they showered the bride with beautiful gifts.

Karinlee Brister with Hazel White and Ruby Pray

Justin McDaniel and Karinlee Brister with Michael and Kathryn Brister

John and Nancye Lee, Brian and Mary Lynn McDaniel, Karinlee Brister, and Justin McDaniel

Guests registered in a traditional bridal memory book and were given handmade packets of wildflower seed made by the bride as a thank-you gift for attending.

Clockwise—Nancye Lee, Mary Lynn Jackson, Kathryn Brister, and Karinlee Brister

Justin McDaniel and Karinlee Brister with Katelee Thomas

Hostesses with Karinlee Brister—Peggy Jackson, Betty Booth, Judy Sowell, Gail Summerlin, Jan Williams, Jean Wilson, Bill O’Quinn, Dee Dee Hinton, Charlotte Reeves, Dawn Kennedy, and Nora McCulley; not pictured--Janice Stringer, Lynn Stringer, and Virginia White

Kathryn Brister, Karinlee Brister, Kathlena Thomas, and Kalee Brister

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Engagements t

Karinlee Brister and Kathryn Brister

Leeanna Hodges and Michael Brister

Kathlena Thomas and Karinlee Brister

Karinlee Brister and Justin McDaniel

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THE Social Scene Azalea Court Coronation

n April, the McComb Garden Club held its Azalea Court Coronation at Edgewood Park in McComb, Mississippi. The annual event recognizes outstanding Pike County high school seniors in a formal outdoor ceremony with special honor given to the king and queen.

Queen Laura Sumrall with her mother, Dawn Sumrall

Annie Artigues with her mother, Trisha Artigues

Sarah DeLee with her mother, Wanda DeLee

Chandler Parker and Mallory Hemphill

Laura Sumrall, 2011 Queen, with Emily Parker, 2010 Queen

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THE Social Scene Rotary Club Baseball Trip

n April 29, the Rotary Club of Vicksburg, Mississippi, held a spring outing organized by President-elect Blake Teller. The event was a fun-filled bus trip to watch the Mississippi Braves and the Huntsville Stars play some great baseball at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi. On the trip, Rotary members, spouses, and family members were treated to tasty snacks and beverages. The game was a close one with the Braves losing 5-6!

Wailes Kemp, Skipper Guizerix, and Diane Kemp

Annette and Mike Kirklin

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Mark Jones and Paul Ingram

Doug and Elizabeth Whittington

Hal Morgan and Blake Teller

THE Social Scene

Jim and Linda Fondren

Kay and David Boolos

Ken Rector and Buddy Dees

Linda and Rod Parker

Lynn Foley and Michael Loving

Paul and Donna Ingram

Peggy and Landy Teller

Peggy Teller and Johnny Ferracci

Tish and Michael Madell

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In That Moment, My Life Changed Forever continued from page 44

to play guitar, learning to walk again and again, waking up from surgery and knowing that I made it, [...] knowing that all of my town is praying for me, having the love and support of more people than I even know... These are the things that got me through this year. And these are the things that will keep getting me through this summer, or however long it takes. I have been dealt a crappy hand in the cards of life, but I have made some pretty good plays, thanks to all of you. I consider myself rich in so many ways.

To reconciliation ~ Saturday, April 16, 2011 I am not the type of person who usually feels God’s presence while I am reading scripture or singing hymns. I envy and admire the people who have these gifts. But I do see supernatural beauty in my mother’s embrace, my little sister’s laugh, and the conversations I have with my priest. I do feel God in friendship, healing, and karaoke. I sense the Holy Spirit in my friends, doctors, and fellow cancer-warriors. And that, I think, is what Grace means. When you finally realize that you are in remission, whether it’s “official” (5 years of clear scans) or not, the world stops moving. You wonder, “Why me?” and ask God why you are so lucky when your friends are not. [...]. You still can’t believe you ever got cancer in the first place. Surely, not you. You’re normal, healthy, lucky. You’ve always taken care of yourself. You are a good person. You don’t deserve this at all. None of that matters, though, you recall. This you have learned, if anything. Cancer is not picky. It takes whoever it pleases. Suddenly, you catch your breath. You realize that you made it, that you’re getting another chance at life, for whatever reason or no reason at all. [...] You want to hug yourself and worship God and thank all the people that helped you along the way, because there were sure a lot of them. You want to dance on your metal leg, climb a tree, and order a margarita. [...] And finally, you want to be still. You want to stare at space in peace and quiet. You close your eyes and take deep breaths, stare at the wall, and ponder what life even means. You want to do it right this time, whatever that means. Page 72 { June 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

But mostly, you realize that you are not the same person you were when you were diagnosed. Yes, you are much thinner and have no hair as well as a 13-inch scar on your right leg. But you are also much older, much wiser, much more capable of true emotion. And as hard as it is to admit, you never would have gotten there without cancer. On April 12, 2011, I received the news that all of my after therapy scans, including a bone scan, PET scan, MRI, CT scan, and X-Ray, were completely clear. I was declared cancer free. I am back in Brookhaven for the summer, but I am making frequent trips to St. Jude to monitor a persistent leg infection. For the next ten years, I will return to St. Jude for scans periodically to make sure I do not relapse. Hopefully, my cancer is gone forever. This coming fall, I will return to Rhodes College and continue working on a degree in chemistry. I will also begin my position doing cancer research at St. Jude. I plan to pursue an MD/PhD after college and become a doctor and chemist. My dream is to one day become a St. Jude doctor.

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A Leader You Can Count On

Sally Doty is a small business owner, attorney, educator, and community volunteer. The owner of a successful real estate company, Sally practiced law in Brookhaven for many years, defending lawsuits against County and City Governments. Sally also served on the faculty of Mississippi College School of Law and practiced with a large law ďŹ rm in Jackson.

A Neighbor You Can Trust

Sally served as general coordinator for a community playground effort in Lincoln County that raised over $100,000.00 and attracted 1,200 volunteers. Sally is a life member and past-president of Junior Auxiliary and has served as PTA President, a Girl Scout Leader, Soccer Coach, and Vacation Bible School Director at First United Methodist Church for the past 10 years. Married for 23 years to Dr. Don Doty, D.M.D., Sally and Don are proud parents of Ellen (16), Sarah (13), and Benjamin (11).

A Brighter Future for Our State

Committed to ďŹ scal responsibility, Sally Doty expects and will demand quality public education which will in turn lead to enhanced economic development opportunities. Sally will work to promote a safe and healthy Mississippi that will provide a brighter future for all of our families.

Make an informed choice in this election.

Set up a personal visit or give me a call. I welcome the opportunity to talk with individuals or groups.

Visit www.sallydoty.com, Facebook or Twitter. Call 601-835-4175 or e-mail campaign@sallydoty.com.

Senate District 39 covers Lincoln, Lawrence and a the southern portion of Simpson County, including the town of Magee. Page 76 { June 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

This advertisement approved and paid for by Sally Doty Candidate for Senate Dist 39.