Commentary

Dear Rusty: I am a Veteran and all my Medical needs are covered by the VA. Why should I be paying for Medicare out of my monthly SS check? Signed: Inquiring Veteran

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This past weekend, we went on a camping trip with the Camping Cursillistas of the United Methodist Church. We had planned the trip three months ago and due to sickness and surgeries, several of our fellow campers were unable to attend.

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I love it when the stars align for a few hours and I get to experience something new. Such was the case several weeks ago as I had bit of time to take in a match of the Shreveport Rugby Club as they took on Alliance Rugby of Dallas.

A.C. Steere park lent itself perfectly to the game, with the pitch tucked into a very cozy corner of the park, which was also hosting a soccer game and children’s football practice at the same time. The crowd was small but dedicated, a word which oftentimes describes fans of the sport, especially here in the state where it is heavily overshadowed by our version of football.

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I had a craving for avocados last week. I was able to find some and hurried home for lunch.

I peeled the ripe avocado, which is classified as a fruit and more specifically, a single-seeded berry! I would have bet it was a vegetable. Anyway, I mashed up the avocado, added salt and pepper and a few Club crackers and headed to the table.

I could hardly wait!! It was delish! I remembered Mom ate avocados like this for a quick lunch when we were growing up.

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Ricky Racoon is back and I’m not happy about it!! Last year, I heard a commotion on the back porch and I quickly ran to the back door. Gibbs, my cat, had chased a racoon up a post on the back porch. Gibbs was on the porch glaring up at a huge racoon, who was holding on for dear life. I quicky got my brave cat in the house and that old racoon backed down the post and lumbered off. Now this wasn’t just any racoon. He was huge!! And he didn’t look too friendly. In fact, I was scared! We saw him a few other times down in the pasture, but he never ventured close to the house again. Until a few nights ago. I walked to the back door to take out the garbage and there he sat on the brick walkway. Gibbs had been at the door and a deep growl was coming from his throat. I didn’t think anything about it…..because Gibbs loves to chase anything that moves and I figured he had spotted a squirrel or two running on the deck.

I love Valentines! It must be an inherited trait in the Smith family. Recently I thumbed through some old scrapbooks kept by my Grandmother Smith. I didn’t have the opportunity to know her, since she passed away shortly after I was born. She was on the East Coast and I was on the West Coast. She was a large woman, who was very strict. But after looking through the scrapbooks, I could tell you, she was also very sentimental. She kept letters and cards, newspaper clippings, pictures, telegrams and more, in scrapbooks. Little did she know how much pleasure they would one day give to her only granddaughter! I really enjoyed seeing the “old” valentines with sweet sentiments. It showed me how much Valentines had changed over the years. When I was giving Valentines to my friends in the 50s and 60, they were decorated with cartoon characters and cute or funny sayings. I can remember coming home with my list of classmates and spreading all my Valentines on the table.

If you’ve noticed while reading through the paper over the past few weeks, we’ve had several articles related to Ft. Jesup and the upcoming bicentennial of our “No Man’s Land” area of Louisiana.

Ft. Jesup park as a whole has been endangered for some time and is a piece of our past, much like the nearby Los Adaes, that should not be left to rot.

I commend those like Scott DeBose and the Friends of Ft. Jesup State Park, the Daughters and Children of the American Revolution, the AmeriCorps, and other such entities that are going to make these next few years something special for the parish and state as a whole.

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Here it is the sixth day of January 2019 and I am still enjoying the Christmas tree and watching Christmas movies on television! The rainy week we experienced last week, made me sleepy and lazy. I don’t think I accomplished one thing!! All I wanted to do was read, stay in my pajamas, watch TV and enjoy my new iPad. If this is retirement, I’m all for it! We did enjoy having both Davy and Paul home for a short time, before and after Christmas. Unfortunately, it wasn’t at the same time, so that meant two celebrations, with a third dinner in between. In fact, we had three Christmas celebrations. Needless to say, I was tired of cooking; doing dishes and having to say good-byes to my sons and their families. I enjoy my lit tree every night…..and am seriously thinking about leaving it up. It may turn into a Mardi Gras Tree …but I doubt it. Hubby-dear may be getting tired of Santas, snowmen and Christmas trees. Brother shared Mom’s big ceramic Christmas tree with me.