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PAGE 2C
BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011
O ne of the main rea
sons I want to home-
school is so that I can allow
my child’s interests to guide
us in the learning process.
As if to test me on this phi
losophy, my son has taken a
keen interest in snakes.
I have never been par
ticularly fond of reptiles or
amphibians, but truthfully I
just never gave them much
thought until I met one of
my best friends who is a
herpetologist.
She shared her love of
frogs, salamanders and
snakes with me and though
you still won't find me out
trying to catch any, I have
a respect for the little crit
ters.
Now my son is into them,
and thanks to the Sandy
Creek Nature Center in
Athens, he gets to see and
touch them quite often. We
are taking classes out there,
and we’ve been to snake day
twice, and recently we went
to Scary, Slimy, Oozy Day,
which was their Halloween
festival. It definitely satis
fied my son’s slimy, oozy
side.
A while back I bought
my son two posters for his
room at the Nature Center.
One features photos of
snakes and the other frogs.
“Snakes of Georgia’’ hangs
on his wall right next to his
bed. Sometimes I wonder
what I was thinking when I
bought that poster, but seri
ously, I’m thrilled when he
wants to learn about any
thing, snakes included.
And it’s funny how you
The Eastern King Snake
can get used to
“slimy and oozy’’
just like your nose
gets used to bad
smells. Now I’m
kind of fascinated
with snakes or at
least one in par
ticular: the Eastern
King Snake.
I saw my first
Eastern King Snake
several weeks ago
in our yard. I
thought my cat was
going after a lizard, and
when I approached her to
save the lizard, I saw it was
really a baby snake. It was
black with yellow strips —
pretty, as far as snakes go.
Unfortunately, the snake
disappeared under a thick
layer of leaves before my
son could see it.
Curious, I ran upstairs
to look at my son’s poster
and found out that it was
an Eastern King Snake, and
I was relieved to note that
it was not listed as venom
ous.
Several weeks later, my
husband saw an Eastern
King Snake while he was
out jogging. It was near
our house, so he ran to
get us, and we watched
the snake slither into the
woods. I don’t know if it
was the same snake that I
saw, but it was also a small
one.
Since then I have learned
that Eastern King Snakes
are very good snakes to
have around. The main
reason is because they eat
venomous snakes, and a
favorite meal is
the copperhead.
When I was at
Slimy, Oozy Day,
a UGA ecology
student told me
that copperheads
are on the rise
in Athens-Clarke
County, and they
think maybe one
reason is because
the Eastern
King Snake is in
decline.
I looked up the Eastern
King Snake on the Savannah
River Ecology Laboratory’s
(SREL) Herpetology web
site, which is a great
resource, if you’re inter
ested in snakes or other
reptiles or amphibians.
(See http://www.uga.edu/
srelherp/index.htm) This
site describes Eastern King
Snakes as “shiny-black,
smooth-scaled snakes with
white or yellow chain-
link bands that cross the
back and connect along the
sides.’’
I learned that Eastern
King Snakes are resistant
to the venom of pit-vipers,
and they can eat copper
heads, cottonmouths and
rattlesnakes. They also eat
lizards, rodents, birds and
turtles’ eggs. There is some
concern that these snakes
are in decline in some areas
of the Coastal Plain and
in Florida. The reason is
unclear. There was once
a large population of this
snake near the Savannah
River Site that has disap
peared over the last 20
years.
So please take heed: If
you see an Eastern King
Snake in your yard, DO
NOT KILL IT! In fact, you
shouldn’t kill any snake.
Most snakes are not venom
ous, and they are very ben
eficial. They eat rats, mice,
insects and other pests.
According to Geoff Stein,
author of “Snakes - Good
for the Garden” (http://
davesgarden.com/guides/
articles/view/462/# b),
snakes do not damage the
environment at all. “They
don’t dig holes....They
don’t chew or damage the
landscape....They don’t
contribute one bit to noise
pollution,” he says. He goes
on to point out that snakes
will not bite unless stepped
on, picked up or forced
into a corner or otherwise
threatened. Usually snakes
just want to get away.
There are venomous
snakes that we need to be
wary of and usher out of
our gardens, and if you’d
like to learn more about
those, the SREL website
is a good place to go. See
http://www.uga.edu/srel-
herp / snakes/index.htm.
So, as scary, slimy and
oozy as some of us think
snakes are, we need to
respect these creatures, who
help balance the ecosystem
in important ways.
Shelli Bond Pabis is a
Winder resident and colum
nist for the Barrow Journal.
You can reach her at
writetospabis @ gmail. com.
DAY OF SERVICE
Barrow County AARP Chapter No. 3735 held a “Day
of Service” on Sept. 9, focusing on the hungry. The
chapter served dinner from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. to indi
viduals at the Light Community Outreach Center
located at 80 King Street in Winder. The next meeting
for the chapter will be held Monday, Nov. 14, at 9:30
a.m. at Golden Corral. Members will focus on col
lecting items for Peace Place. The guest speaker will
be Sgt. Kidd of the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office.
He will discuss areas of safety for senior citizens.
For more information, call 770-725-2239. Shown are
AARP Chapter 3735 members who helped serve din
ner at the Light Community Outreach Center.
Donations being accepted for annual
Winder Health Care Christmas store
Winder Health Care is in need of donations for its annual
Christmas Store.
New and gently used items are being accepted. Items need
ed for ladies are billfolds, scarves, gloves, bedroom shoes,
socks (no slippers), perfume, hand lotion, jewelry, gowns,
figurines, gift sets, room decorations, stuffed animals and
baby dolls (soft).
Items needed for men are bedroom shoes (no slippers),
socks, pajamas, ball caps, stocking caps, aftershave, cologne,
hand lotion, room decorations, billfolds, belts, shirts (up to
size 2X), sweaters, light jackets, etc.
Most of the residents are unable to go out in the community
to shop, so organizers bring shopping in to the residents. The
residents are able to pick out Christmas gifts for their loved
ones or something for themselves, free of charge.
The center is also in need of gift bags or wrapping paper, as
well as volunteers to help with the store.
The deadline for donations to be dropped off is Wednesday,
Dec. 14.
For additional information, call Brenda Bramblett at Winder
Healthcare, 770-867-2108.
Health, wellness classes available in November
The Barrow Health
Partners, YMCA and Barrow
Regional Medical Center have
announced their free events in
November.
Health and wellness pro
grams listed are open to the
public, and unless noted, are
held at the YMCA of Georgia
Piedmont, located at Brad
Akins Drive, Winder. For
more information, or to pre
register, call 770-868-2917,
unless another contact number
is provided.
•Smoking Cessation:
Tuesday, Nov. 8; Thursday,
Nov. 10; and Wednesday, Nov.
16. An initial class of the four-
class series was held on Nov.
2. All classes are one hour and
begin at 12:30 p.m. Guests
must preregister. The cost is
$5 for members and $10 for
non-members.
•Holiday Budgeting:
Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 12:30
p.m., featuring DeWayne
Hamilton of Totally Free.
•Sleep Apnea: Tuesday, Nov.
15, at 12:30 p.m., featuring
Richard Harrison, director of
the Barrow Regional Medical
Center sleep lab.
•Great American Smoke
Out: Thursday, Nov. 17. The
day is a national day to quit
smoking.
•Silver Sneakers, High
Blood Pressure: Thursday,
Nov. 17, at 12:30 p.m., featur
ing Dr. Garey Huff Jr.
•Team Lean Sneak Peak #2:
Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 12:30
p.m. and 6 p.m. Guests are
invited to learn about the com
munity weight loss program.
•Wellness Wednesday:
Wednesday, Nov. 30, from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. Guests may get
free blood pressure screenings
at the YMCA.
•Safe at Any Age: Thursday,
Dec. 1, at 12:30 p.m., featuring
Carol Ivie, a karate instructor.
EDUCATION AND
SUPPORT GROUPS
Barrow Regional Medical
Center also offers the follow
ing education and support
groups on a regular basis.
•Diabetes Self-Management
Class: Meets the second and
third Tuesday of each month,
from 5-7 p.m., in the cafeteria
at BRMC (first floor). The
class is taught by Stacey Loner,
RN, BSN, CDE, a certified
diabetes educator. Guests will
learn to create a lifestyle plan
that includes diet and exercise
that will complete their doc
tor’s plans.
Guests will also talk to oth
ers who have diabetes and how
they live with the disease on
a day-to-day basis. To con
firm the date and location, call
Theresa Schultz at 770-307-
5350.
•Cancer Support Group:
Meets the third Tuesday of
every month, from 6-7:30 p.m.
The support group is open to
any cancer patients, survivors,
family members, caregivers —
anyone that has been affected
by any form of cancer. The
group may have guest speak
ers, who range from physi
cians to dieticians, while some
sessions may just be discus
sion.
For more information, call
706-549-4893.
•Diabetes Support Group:
Meets the third Monday of
each month, at the third floor
conference room at BRMC.
The group is for people with
diabetes and their loved ones.
It can help guests learn more
about diabetes and offer them
emotional and social support
to live well with diabetes.
To confirm the date and class
location, call Theresa Schultz
at 770-307-5350.
Roy named senior VP, chief
credit officer of Verity Bank
A
MIKE ROY
Michael (Mike)
Roy has been named
senior vice presi
dent and chief cred
it officer for Verity
Bank in Winder.
Roy, received
his degree in eco
nomics and finance
from Louisiana
State University in
1971 and graduated from the
Stonier Graduate School of
Banking in 1994.
Prior to joining Verity
Bank, he worked with Credit
and Compliance Financial
Resources, Inc. of Atlanta
providing credit review ser
vices to area banks, as well
as performing SBA
compliance reviews
on behalf of the
U.S. Small Business
Administration.
J Additionally, he
served as senior
vice president and
chief credit offi
cer at Gwinnett
Banking Company
in Lawrenceville until it was
purchased in 2007 by First
Charter Bank of Charlotte,
N.C.
Roy currently resides in
Cumming with his wife, Gail
K. Roy. They are members
of Good Shepherd Catholic
Church in Cumming.
Cook continued from 1C
Bacon Potato Casserole
12 medium potatoes
2 cups shredded cheese
1 Vi cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper
1 onion
pkg. bacon
Boil potatoes until tender. Cook bacon and drain; reserve 2
tbsp. liquid
Saute onion in drippings. Crumble bacon; add cheese, salt
and pepper to onion. Mix potatoes, mayonnaise and onion
mixture. Place in casserole dish and bake at 325 degrees for 40
minutes.
Zucchini and Squash Casserole
6 cups squash and zucchini
vegetable oil
1 large onion
4 tbsp. butter
16 oz. container sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese
1 roll crushed Ritz crackers
4 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Saute squash, zucchini and onion over medium-low heat
in vegetable oil until it has completely broken down. Mix all
ingredients together except crackers. Pour mixture into casse
role dish. Top with crackers.
Bake for 25 minutes.
If you know of someone who would be a good Cook of Barrow
County, contact Susan Mobley at 770-867-6397 or e-mail her at
smobley@barrowjournal, com.
HAVE YOU LOST
Your Free Checking?
Find it again at
Verity Bank.
No One likes paying a lot of bank fees,
and that’s why everyone loves “V” Checking
at Verity Bank. No monthly checking fees, no
statement fees, and no debit card fees. Plus
there’s no minimum balance requirement or
other hoops to jump through.
And we’ve included a few extra perks that
we think you will really like. For example,
with “V” Checking you’ll earn interest from
the first dollar. And at Verity Bank, we will
reimburse you for any fees you pay at any
domestic ATM.
People in Barrow County are changing to
Verity Bank. Now you know why.
Stop by and experience The verity bank difference.
Verity
\ BANK.
^ MAKING A DlFFEREN
IFFERENCE
94 W. Athens Street in Winder • 770-867-3444 • www.veritybank.net
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