Commentary

by donna smith ammons

Insomnia has struck again. Typically, I am waking up about 3 a.m. and laying in bed. I toss and I turn, but I am unable to return to slumber and sweet dreams. So, I get up and head to the coffee pot for my first cup.

I try to read, but my eyes grow heavy. I grab my iPhone and scroll through Facebook posts, waiting for Dean to post his morning chatter. I play with my cat, who insists he must curl up on my lap.

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By Donna Smith Ammons

Mother is finally getting used to living at Sabine Retirement and Rehabilitation. It has taken a while, but we have finally found activities that she enjoys.

One is putting puzzles together. Kitty puzzles, to be exact. Her room is decorated with pictures of kittens, including my brother’s big orange cat, which he calls Orangelo!

She’s also named two of her other kitty photos. One is Sweetie and the other is named after my cat, Gibbs.

While I was vacationing with the girls in Orange Beach two weeks ago, Kenneth visited every day. He was there to check and be sure she was eating properly and he brought a puzzle to put together. (It had kittens, of course.)

They began piecing the puzzle together—all 300 pieces. Mother was so excited that she insisted that they put the entire puzzle together!! It took several hours, but she had lots of fun.

To Our Sabine Parish Neighbors

We at the DeSoto Parish Library – Pelican Branch would like to extend the warmest of welcomes to our friends in Sabine Parish that would like to patronize our facility. We want to assure you that there is no charge for you to visit and use our library, and your first library card is absolutely FREE! (There is a minimum charge of only $1.00 for a replacement card.)

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by donna smith ammons

Hubby-dear retired two years ago from the bank. The first day he sat in the porch swing and enjoyed the shade, birds singing and just doing nothing.

At that time, he dreamed of becoming a bee keeper in his spare time. However, someone else had a bigger plan for him. After spending a few weeks around the house, he decided that retirement wasn’t so great. He’d teased me for years about my four retirements…..I always seemed to go back.

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ALTERNATIVES

by Pete Abington 

The Governor continually asked for alternatives to him raising taxes. Moving around and talking with several legislators who are opposed to raising taxes, they offered several alternatives. This would spare higher education and health care and not raise your taxes, if they would do it. Representatives Edmonds and Barcala have shown that more than 1,700 vacancies were funded in the 2017 fiscal year budget (July 2016 to June 2017) that were not filled by an actual person doing the job. If the governor would instill a true hiring freeze in state government and disallow state government from filling these vacancies, the department could still fill any new vacancies that would occur. The funded vacancies for the coming fiscal year could be valued at more than $100 million and, if cut, would not negatively affect higher education or healthcare because the positions are currently unfilled.

by donna smith ammons 

The most meaningful part of my recent trip to our nation’s capital was our visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

We rented a car and headed to Arlington early one morning after breakfast. We crossed Memorial Bridge and saw the big gates of the national cemetery.

Since we had our family pass, the guard at the gate, saluted and waved us through. We had a map, so we drove to Ord and Weitzel Drive, named for Major Generals Edward Ord and Godfrey Weitzel, Union officers during the Civil War.

Since I had only been to Arlington two other times, I didn’t know exactly where the gravesite of my father was located. Paul was driving and he went down the hill, around the curve and headed back up the hill. I immediately knew we had gone too far.

by donna smith ammons

The highlight of my trip to Washington, D.C. by train was “everything”…….the train ride, sleeping on the train, seeing Union Station, touring all of the Smithsonian museums, riding the Metro, eating Ravioll Alla Matrimonia at Filomena’s in Georgetown (the marriage of two of the most asked for favorites—chef-made meatballs alongside Mamma’s cheese ravioli) It was FABULOUS!!.

I loved seeing the snow and throwing a snowball or two. I loved having to bundle up to stay warm.

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By donna smith ammons

My favorite monument in Washington, D.C. is the Lincoln Memorial. No surprise there…….I’ve always thought Abraham Lincoln was a great president.

As a child President Lincoln and the stories about him captured my attention.

His memorial is a testament in stone to a man who led the nation through the Civil War. The Lincoln Memorial is a monument to all states, not just the North and South.

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by donna smith ammons

After a 26-hour ride on the train, we finally arrived in Washington,D.C. for Lexie’s conference. Union Station was massive and absolutely beautiful. We had so many suitcases, that I felt like the Beverly Hillbilles as we made our way out to the curb to hail a cab.

The first half-day after arrival, the four of us tossed our luggage in a beautiful room on the seventh floor of the Omni Shoreham and did a quick walk-around of the luxurious hotel. We admired the crystal chandeliers in the lobby, and realized that we were in the same hotel as the famed Blue Room, which hosted a number of inaugural balls over the years and was the home-away from home for the Beatles when they first came to the states back in the early 1960’s.

By donna smith ammons

I had only ridden a train once in my life before I jumped on the Amtrak Crescent in New Orleans three weeks ago. My trip was a short one from San Francisco to Los Angeles and the only thing I recall was the clankity clank of the wheels rolling down the track. I was a fifth grader, so I was only interested in the sights.

The Amtrak was a little different. Tina had warned me to take earplugs or I never would sleep. I packed four pair. I knew there was snow on the ground in Washington, D.C., so I packed boots, turtlenecks and sweatshirts to layer under my wool coat, and plenty of Hot Hands. This gal wasn’t going to get cold!!

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