The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 129, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 25, 2004 Page: 4 of 14
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Opinion Page
Pace 4-A
The Albany News
Thursday, November 25, 2004
The Albany News
Since 187S .
Oldest journalistic v enture west "of the Braios
Publisher Donrue A Lucas
Editor
Vtelinda L Lucas
Advertising Manager
Donna Hargrave
Nloran Correspondent
Audrev Brook>
Office Manager
April Gardner
T v pesetter
Bettv Yiertel
Office Assistant
Jordan Lucas
A few thoughts
on Thanksgiving
We in Albany have much t be thankful for
this Thanksgiving, but unfortunately we
oftent imes don't stop to consider the gifts that
are ours •
Fhis and ev c r> > t a.r then .U-; ; e-
ciate about the- hv t s a art uh;rU ir.e here m
this quiet and quaint-small ,tow n But :v.
par*.ar th- : t arc - :
ati >ns for our list of thank:- ,T- ing
• We hav e a new doctor in town Dr Ryan
Ford, a hometown boy, has moved his family
to Albany to set up his practice To have a full-
time doctor move into a community as small,
as Albany is not 'he norm the.Se day- We are
extremely fortunate as a community to have
Dr Ford and his fumih He could-hav e estab-
lished his practice almost ar.vw here hew anted
with a much larger salary, but he came h, me
to serve the community he grew up in Thank
you.
• Albany also has a top-notch Emergency-
Medical Sen ice started with the most quali-
fied personnel we have ever had, including
paramedics 'on each shift Several recent
events bear testimony to the quality of care
these dedicated pe. pie provide for . ur com-
munity Thank' you for > our dedication- - '
• The Shackelford;^. anty Resi.-u-rce -Ceh-
ter proy ides a multitude of medical andsotiai
.services for.certain segments of our popula-
tions ho'might JthervuSc ^ under, served
That alone is a blessing and something to be
grattful fog; However.-.this year the Resource-
Center 'has extended ser% t„- the- entire
community 'by. hus-ti-ng ,V comriiuhltv-wide
Thanksgiving feast at the-Youth Center oh
Thursday. E\ eryone is welcome .-not just cH'
ents at the Resource Center This truh a
gift-.to be thankful'for and we. commend: the
niany:volunteers,.who are aire.i.v. working
behind the scenes to make it a success ■
• The'Albany Che ha- been o ana in
-Albany,for decade's, but the work they- io to
support local organizations is> just as vital
today*as it was 50 years agt The direct, is f
the organization as w-cU a- every ..:nbu-,
tor,' help- various local rgantzation$ meet
their budgets :h: ugh their generosity -The
■Chest is a vehicle through which we can all
have a part in helping others • '
ThanksgivingTs a time-to reflect on. the
things that make our lives great. There are
many other gifts, both largt and, snath -that.-
should also be remembered this ve-ar
Have a blessed Thank. s*ji\ ir.g
THE ALBANY NEWS
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AFFILIATIONS
2004 MEMBER: Texas Press Association,
West Texas Press Association
ponderings by Fat
By Pat Jones
Charles Dickens said it best when
he said, and thousands of us have
quoted him, "It was the best of times.
It was the worst of times "
I thought of that quotation and
Mrs Cannon, our AHS junior and
senior English Literature teacher. She
demanded that each of us learn lines
from Dickens, Shakespeare and other
classic authors Those particular
words w ere the beginning lines of A
Tale of Tuo Cities.
I think of them every now and then
because when 1 first read them in
high school, t hey made no sense to me
- totally contradictory
As it has continued to rain almost
every day or night for the past wdfek,
that phrase ha- g me through my
mind Why1
Well, so many creeks are funning
full. Everything except the biggest
lakes seems to have caught their fill.
.The best of tune - in this aridarea of
continual drought
to your
Good - yes0 Well, maybe, but rain
is forecast each day for almost the
whole upcoming w eek That could be
the approach of the w orst of times.
Those of u3 remember Albany's
flood in 1-978. It began as some much
desired rains in an area that had long
prayed for rain *
At first, we were like the people in
the Fandangle, dancing and singing,
"It's a gully washer, it's a trash-mover,
hurray! Hurray!"
And the rain continued The creek
beds, the riverbeds began to fill and
run and flow and then overflow-
Albany people got out to observe
the oddities of this country's weather.
We had just finished dinner when
AY -aid, "Get on your ram gear
There are people in trouble."
"We drove down our street and saw
that the. creek waters had risen so
that they'd flooded two or three
houses:
We drove down Pate Street to the
highway and toward twn»We didn't
get far because water was flowing
deep across the highway where
Deneen Edington has her boxcars
beauty salon now.
As we w atched, it grew deeper and
w as moving fast Houses, sheds and
everything were moving fast. It was
scary to observe even from a safe
distance
There is something evij and hor-
rible about the sounds ofhomes crush-
ing against bridges and trees.
It was a night to remember and
perhaps someday to forget.
It was well after midnight when
A V. and I suddenly realized that our
youngest, K.C., had not come home
He and Cade Matthews had gone to
Eastland for fish night We impa;
tiently waited for a phone call, but
heard nothing from him
Would he try to get home through
some obscure back roads K C ' We
thought: sure he would. .
Suddenly I w as terrified. Someone
nearby said, "They are reporting the
missing over at Joyce Vinson's I
w aded over there and with tears roll-
ing down my wet face, I reported my
baby missing
It w as a Umg night for everyone in
Albany.
At dawn's first light,-we made our
way down to the highway bridge (to
Abilene1 Sure enough, there were
people on the other side, waiting for
the water to go down just a little
more, to get the okay to cross
And I could see K.C , grinning and
waving. I was never so glad to see
. anyone in my life
So we know from experience that
those lovely showers that bring May
flowers can also turn into a roaring
destructive torrent that can kill.
' So when the ground is soaked, pay
attention to the sky Bad things can
happen - and do.
T v
Ltil
Bv Rvan Ford M.D.
"What's your ch, ieste'rolv* A ques-
tion never asked 60 > ears ago . Imag-
ine that, nobodv knew and nobody
cared Ourignorance cost the hvesof .
- tod many American's
Let me tell you why you need to
know and care what your cholesterol
is. High choiester- ; is a major risk
factor, for. heart disease and stroke; a
ticking time, bomb for your ticker..
If >oU don : krio .v find out We do.
cholesterol "measurements by -
~r.r.ger--st,..s . i:i ar clinic and .we
don't require an appointment: Come :
in any morning >Vithouj; eating bre ak- '
fast and m 15. minutes time we'll
show you what vvar choft-stervl is
Our c:v. ..tVii-r.: baiai-nce isTartiv
;det£rnunc d -' b-. -,'h- rt-dit v V., c a;i': '
change the genes we've been dealt.
D.-.-t and \ercLse m dification can
make a big difference in your serum
c h.)le s terol measu-re ment
T :at cholesterol should'be- less
than 200. LDL cholesterol or "bad
cholesterol* would be less than 100
ideaihv HDL or' "good cholesteroP
should be at least 40, but the higher
the better Triglycerides should also
be monitored as this is another factor
w'hich'determines cardiac risk
LDL.is damaging since it tends to
clog :rve arteries HDL is said to be
"cardioprotective'' Some people have.,
ver. highconcei-.tra'ions of LDL this
is known as hypercholesterolemia;
Seine hayed;?. :.-.portionate ratios of
HDL to LDL w e call this dy siipidemia
Tongue tied yet'
Whatever you call' it it's a risk
factor for an.early departure from
Earth jDf course ,.ci.iet: and regular
exercise are a very important piece of
a battle plan to defeat your choles-
terol problem These measures aren't
always enough to; fix the problem
- Regular consumption of cold-Wa-
ter fish such as salmon, halibut, and
cod is good for y our cholesterol These
fish have high amounts of Omega-o-
F atty Acids These- molecules of'good
fat" help lowe.r triglyceride^ and. to a
lesser degree, cholesterol -.Omega-3-
Fatty. Acid capsules can be obtained
at most pharmacies Re ware the fish v
aftertaste
' Gar Ik', is g, od tor chote sterol and is
a healthy part of your Overall diet.
Garlic supplements are also avail-
able, but for those i:' you who don't
.want.-to smell like an Italian fisher-
man. medication may be an option
The "statin drugs, are a new class
of medications vv hich. dramatically
lower cholesterol They have been
proven to lower the risk for heart
attacks and strokes. Other studies
. indicate shriri ki ng of co ronary "c h q! es-
terol plaques These medications have
potential side effect.- that should be
discussed with'your doctor
Next' week the surgeon general
says it's-time 'to talk bone, health
rhahks f. r rfeidmg S: rid questions
comments, and, suggestions to
docrdford-Syahoo com '
Bv La rv Bel
■ Here's a cvntession A week or so
' ago, I attended.a.c..uil oatetm-g- But,
• please note, that's clan with a C. not'
a iv .-oti.ally c-h'e-re- were more-than
just one cl.u; 'It'w'aslhe annual iath'--
ering oi the Scottish clans i:: .Saladu,
alvvay s the sec <nd vveeke-nu-or' No-'
. vemfeer and alw.ays a festive and tun
'affair. Tms yeah'it was blessed wuh
' true aeatTier ; e verv' oj,j1
. .-.. a;da.mp. but .it 'was fumanywa.
The gathering is held at the his-
toric, B' tiert- a Plantation, now., a
•ranch,just across Too from theStage-
coach jhn at'SaladD-. T-rie-'plantation-
and.the mansioiv w-ere established-in'
I860 by Elijah Sterling Clack Robert1
son arid- his wife, Ma.ry Elizabeth
"Dickey
Their great-granddaaghte-r. inci-
dentalt. .- Marv Elizabeth Lu -Car-
pent; r former assistant to Vice Fresi-
.- dent Lyndon Johnson and later .chief
of staff to Lady Bird Johnson as F jjrst
| - . Lady . Mrs. Carpenter liv es in Saladp.
The-Robertson mansion today is occu-
pied by (Tel Montgomery Ambrose
who is director of the Centra: Texas
Museum in Saladu
Each clan ha.-, a white tent, about
10 by 10 feet, in w hich they place, alt
kinds •: colorful exhibits and
mation ab<>it that clan The teiu- are
formed rut a verv large square with '
the interior of the square becoming a
parade ground and perform.:.^ area
We-eajoyed nice .asit- vvithreore-
tativ e's of -the Bell Clan and 'of the
Clan Farquhar-on Pronounced
Fo-rkison of -which the NlcKinleos.
Leta's clan,, are a subgroup
Pipers, i e. bagpipers, are every -
where ihkilts ar.d full regalia E.very-
'one -i-s very -friendly and more than
•v ol o.g' ' snare information or-jokes
cr ?:,.rirs of their trip to Scotland-
And there are endless 'jokes .'about-.'
'what a Scotsman - ears beneath his
kilt.. It's a'secret, but not a v\ ell-kept
. '.one, ' - '■ v;.'.''i'"-'''-
■ In addition to the c Ian tents -there
is a large area of vendors in bigger
tents Most . f their rnerchandise .is
■ Scot related and much of it actually
made in Scotland Not China, thank
. goodness)., There is also, however,
some tolerant acknowledgment of our
Irish brethren Most -f the mervhan-
: -. IS', f-g.ed quality and ea-;U
found elsewhere
In- a separate area are the food
vendors "where you can buy not only*
the usual festival.type foods but also
food items typical of Britain. For ex-
ample, there are shepherds' pies'.
■ shortbreads, thick stew s and scones •
For the truly brave there is also haggis
Most of us don't even w ant to hear it
described,' much less to eat
There are judging? of individual
- pipers and drummers as well as of the
full bands Bauds are judged on ap-
pearance, sound, deportment and how
'••Cell they march The biggest treats
: r the croud are when the bands
parade and when the. massed bands
play together. Wheuthe massedpiper
bands play "Scotland the Brave." if
your heart doesn't beat a big faster
and the adrenaline flow, the you
-r: ....: . raw . ia;. a Juu N . bh s casket
because you're dead and just haven't
admitted it. With tho.se massed pip-
ers and drums playing, it almost
makes v ou w ant to go bop an Engl:sh-
in an.■ Then . they play "Amazing
Grace." and it calms the-spirit, once:
more
I should emphasiit that at: this
event. "Scottish"as given the broad-
est,-most liberal interpretation We
saw ••-Scotsmen" who were obviously
«f Oriental, Lati.no. Native American
and African-American derivation '
And that's okay, -after all. this is
America ; .
W'etl whether you're Scotch or
whatever. Thanksgiving is upon us-
and our Co-mmuiuty again has'much •
for which to be thankful There hav e ■
been more abundant But hot violent.,
rat ns this year. We. have re kneed at
the health recoveries of a-nu-mbc-i' of
our fellow residents, including Corj-
Ayers, Virginia Baker, Pat Bales. -John
Bray. Tom Davis, Betty and Harold
Law, Reillv Nail Era Pittman. Mary
Smith and others I may not know of
' We are,thankful for the good ser-
v ices of -.the departing Dr Penny
JetTery and for the arrival in ..Albany
of Dr R;. an Ford We are also -very
appreciative of the fine work of our
EMT ambulance tean'i w ith out w hom
we would"'have lost some valued
friend's The three'nonprofit organi-
zations chat help to define the very
essence of Albany - the Fandangle
Association, the Old Jail Art Center
and the Resource Center:- have all
performed well and again made us
proud.' " - -
There isn't room enough for an
exhaustive list But finally, we are
thankful that the delights of Albany
have, been noticed and w ritten up by
"Texas Highway?," "'Southern Living,"
"Texas Monthly" and other publica-
tions: during the pasty ear It has been
another good y ear in Albany Texas
Happy Thanksgiving!
hometown health
Texas \Wt L Diversity System
Health Science Center
With 254•counties, about 267,000
■square miles of land and water and
70.000 mile- of highways. Texa.- i-
• Certainly no . Rhode. Island. In; fact,
lexas is a.- large as all,of New En-
gland, New: York, Pennsylvania, Ohio
and Illinois combined But the state's
sheer size can-make it challenging to
reach out to our farmer's, ranchers
and other rural folks', many of whom
do business in the far corners of the
Panhandle or deep in the heart of the
Rio Grande Valley
That's why this tail I hit the open
road to host a series of town hall
meetings throughout Texas I met
with farmers, ranchers, rural citizens,
economic development and commu-
nity leaders across the state in an
ettort to share ideas, discuss concerns
.and put our heads together fot the
good of the state. We talked about
what needs to be done at the local,
state and federal levels to help com-
munities in all corners of Texas pros-
per.
1: s clear that eve rvone agrees there
are some urgent challenges facing
agriculture - everythmg from trade
to environmental-regulations to ani-
mal identification. Water availability
continues to be a major issue for our
producers and we discussed the pos-
sibility that some areas ofTe.xas could
b« water short by 2050. With virtu-
ally all economic activity follow ing
w ater, it can't be overstated that war
ter is the lifeblood of rural Texas We
are working together to make sure
Texas agriculture stays on top and
that the needs of farmers and ranch-
ers are answered
The meetings were held m all cor-
ners of Texas and were well attended
by community members. They came
armed with real concerns as well as
bright ideas on how to boost rural
Texas. Visiting face-to-face with pro-
ducers gave me an: opportunity to
gather information on the issues from
the best source possible - the people
who live and work in rural Texas.
— ALBANY —
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
NOV. 24-28 Thanksgiving holidays
NOV. 25 THANKSGIVING DA*t
Thanksgiving dinner - Youth Center 11 am-2 pm
Tat gate party pep ra y - Bank Park, 6:30 pm
NOV. 26 Thanksgiving FunRun - Weaver Heights 9 am
Pep raiiy/Send-off rally - AHS parking lot, 1 pm
REGIONAL PLA\ OFF; Albany vs Windthorst -
Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls 7:30 pm
NOV. 28 Community choir practice - 'Presbyterian Church,
2 pm
NOV. 29 Commissioners court - Courthouse 9 am
Athletic Booster Club - Athletic Center, o 30 pm
NOV. 30 GEO classes - Resource Center +-o pm
ESL classes - Resource Center, o-3 pm
Entry & validation deadline for swine, goats k
sheep
DEC. 1 Lions Club - Icehouse, 12 noon
Application deadline for Christmas Basket program
Nativity choir rehearsal - First Baptist Church, 8 pm
DEC. 3 Chamber luncheon - Icehouse, 12 noon
DEC. 4 Coo* es with Sa na - Alexander house, o:30 pm
DEC. 5 Christmas Tour of Homes ■ 6 homes & locations,
3-6 pm
DEC. 16,18 Albany Nativity • Aztec Theater, 7:30 pm
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Lucas, Melinda L. The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 129, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 25, 2004, newspaper, November 25, 2004; Albany, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth414399/m1/4/: accessed April 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Old Jail Art Center.