Sugar Grove
By Paula Mitchell
April is such a beautiful month, bringing much joy and blessings to the eye of the beholder. Laughter is a gift to enjoy along with the beauty. A dear friend of the writer passed the “Summary of Life” to her, and she thought it would be best shared with her readers. So, it goes like this:
“Little children have learned: No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats; when your mom is mad at your dad, don’t let her brush your hair; if your sister hits you, don’t hit her back…they always catch the second person; you can’t trust dogs to watch your food; the best place to be when you’re sad is Grandma’s lap.
Adults have learned: Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree; wrinkles don’t hurt; families are like fudge…mostly sweet, with a few nuts; today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its ground; laughing is good exercise…it’s like jogging on the inside; middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.
Growing old: Growing old is mandatory…growing up is optional; forget the health food…I need all the preservatives I can get; when you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you’re down there; you’re getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster; it’s frustration when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions; time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician; wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.
The four stages of life: You believe in Santa Claus; You don’t believe in Santa Claus; You are Santa Claus; You look like Santa Claus.
And then there is Success: At age 4 success is…not piddling your pants; at age 12 success is…having friends; at age 17 success is having a driver’s license; at age 35 success is having money; at age 50 success is having money; at age 70 success is having a driver’s license; at age 75 success is having friends; and at age 80 success is not piddling in your pants.”
The writer hopes that the reader has had some laughs when reading all of the above.
Life’s little instructions include the following:
- Get organized.
- Avoid distractions.
- Get regular checkups.
- Be kind.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Monday morning temperatures were 26 degrees with frost. A great way to begin Earth Day.
This week’s quotes are as follows:
“One of the most beautiful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.” — W.E. Johns
“April is a moment of joy for those who have survived the winter.” — Samuel Johnson
“Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.” — Lilly Pulitzer
“April is the month of dreams come true.” — John Baillie
“Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil.” — Bishop Reginald Heber
Clickety-clacks for the chin waggers are as follows:
- Hummingbirds travel alone for up to 500 miles at a time.
- There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes.
- Thomas Jefferson was famous as a skilled violinist and collected lots of instruments.
- Of all the Great Lakes, Lake Erie is surrounded by the most industry.
- The Egyptian hieroglyphs are among the oldest writing systems in the world. The symbols were used for more than 3,000 years.
Life is better by the front porch to hear the “Talk of the Grove.”
Last Sunday, there was a huge gathering in Franklin to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Franklin Fire. Brenna Mitchell’s presentation was outstanding, as well as Michelle Sites’ town walk. So many persons assisted in making this a wonderful anniversary celebration.
The Sugar Grove/VFW worked diligently to have the chicken barbecue.
Enos Horst of Brandywine, Christene Bowers, and Pidge Anderson have been the first to sight the beautiful hummingbirds. Time to get out the feeders.
Monday was Earth Day, and with that several community volunteers are “gearing” up to pick up the trash along the highways. Bouquets of flowers to Wesley and Becky Puffenbarger’s 4-H group for picking up five bags of trash from the Nash homestead to Falcon Lane, near the county line, which is less than a mile. Even though the state highway department workers cleaned out the ditches, there was this much trash to pick up. Truly amazing how a few persons, who apparently lack responsibility, can make such an unsightly mess to behold! It seems to the writer that it would be easily taken care of by simply putting a Walmart bag in the car.
Karla, Jim, Montana and Troy Moats/Hise made a trip down to North Carolina to move Brian, Tuesday and Cedar Simmons into their “hopefully won’t be moving for a long time” new home in Wake Forest, North Carolina. A great time and a lot of work was had by all.
A great-niece of Jesse Carrol Propst of the Thorn Creek Road, was featured in the sports section of the Daily News-Record last Wednesday. Turner Ashby’s senior first baseman is Harleigh Propst named after her grandfather, the late Harley (Carol) Propst. Her parents are Tony and Michelle Propst of Dayton, Virginia. Harleigh is a dual-sport athlete in softball and volleyball, and is working in the hopes of a state championship in the softball division at the season’s end. Congratulations, Harleigh for making Pendleton County very proud of you.
Steve Stump sure has some beautiful red and yellow tulips adorning his yard.
The May birthdays include the following: Betty Kimble, Dave Basagic and Krista Simmons, third; Connor Hedrick, fourth; Judy Rexrode and Sandy Simmons fifth; Linda Fay Rexrode, Ashlyn Wimer, Shalee Wilburn and Dwight Moyers, sixth; Bobby Bodkin, seventh; Grey Cassell, Jean Hudson, Kay Simmons and Donna Evick, eighth; Linnea Fisher, 10th; Willard Rader, Susan Kiser and Juanita Scott, 11th; Jean Ann Homan, 13th; 14th…Dinah Beverly, Adelbert Hoover, Orville Harper and Missy Harrison, 14th; Liam Simmons and Lori Lambert, 15th; and Tina Via and Reagan McConnell, 16th.
Concerns for this week are as follows; Bob Adamson, Rick Adkins, Bill Arrington, John Ashley, Roger and Joan Ashley, Mercedes Aumann, Lynn Beatty, the Mike Blankenship family, “Bo” Boggs, Jane Conrad, Marie Cole, Christian Dasher, Benny Evick, Isaac Eye, Linda Eye, Marie Eye, Mary Eye, Neal Eye, Carl Gant, Loralee Gordon, Lola Graham, Patsy Green, JC Hammer, Marlene Harman, Marvin Hartman, Steve and Armanda Heavner, Grace Hedrick, Jim Hiner, Tim Hively, Edsel and Mary Ann Hogan, Virgil Homan, Jr., Doris Hoops, Adelbert Hoover, Keith Hoover, Myrtle Hoover, Debbie and Enos Horst, Lisa and Mike Jamison, Jessica Janney, Alice Johnson, Richard Judy, Ruthaleen Judy, Marsha Keller, Kim Kline, Ginger Knight, Tracie Knight, Melissa Lambert, Robert Lambert, Ronnie Lambert, Rex Landis, Roger and Skip Mallow, Yvonne Marsh, Ed May, Gary McDonald, Neil McLaughlin, Rose Miller, Bruce Minor, Tom Mitchell, Barbara Moats, Gloria Moats, John Morford, Helen Nash, Aaron Nelson, Ruth Nelson, Cheryl Paine, Wanda Pitsenbarger, Eldon “Butch” Puffenbarger, Alda Propst, John O. Propst, Kathy Propst, Mike Propst, Sheldon Propst, Stanley Propst, Tom Rader, Brandon Reel, Charles Rexrode, Jason Rexrode, Jerold “Jerry” Rexrode, Pam Rexrode, Dennis Riggleman, Donna Ruddle, Jenny Ruddle, Brittany Shriver, Annie Simmons, Phyllis Simmons, Erin Simmons, Eva Simmons, Robbie Sites, Mike Skiles, Donnie Smith, Jackie Smith, Stanna Smith, Tina Stuben, Elizabeth Terry, Rosa Tichenor, Sandra Vandevander, Raymond Varner, Amy Vaus, Estelle Wagner, Rene White, Judy Williams, Ann and Jerry Wimer and Margaret Wimer.
