Newspaper Page Text
Moustmi Batlg .Ijmmutl
SATURDAY,
DECEMBER 16, 2006
Friends
tell a lot
of tales
It’s true that you can tell
a lot about a person from
their friends. Especially
when the person has friends
who tell a lot.
That would be me.
Very few guys I date are
ever allowed to meet my
family or friends.
It is my belief that I am
perfectly capable of running
them off by myself without
any help.
However, should such help
be necessary, I introduce him
first to my friends. Should
that fail to
scare him
off, I call
in the A
team: My
family.
“She
has abso
lutely no
maternal
instinct.
None.”
My sister,
' ' S' l j|||j||
Ronda Rich
Columnist
Louise, will be emphatic,
leaning close and looking
him unflinchingly in the
eye.
Sometimes that works
very well.
Then there are the things
from my past that are sum
moned up and reported
dutifully by my faithful
girlfriends, those who have
known me since I had freck
les and pigtails.
“Did she tell you about the
time that her underwear fell
off in Martinsville, Virginia?
At a NASCAR race? In the
infield? In front of every
one?” Claudette will ask,
enjoying payback for the
stories I’ve written of her
and failing to mention it was
only my slip.
Karen, the only girl
friend who ever lived with
me, knows too well where
skeletons are buried. She
will gleefully begin with
the story of the boyfriend
who dropped by unexpect
edly late one morning while
we were both still lounging
in pajamas with uncombed
hair in the days before that
was sexy and tousled. I flew
up the stairs and hid in the
closet, leaving Karen to con
tend with him.
She did, though, finally
coax me out of the closet
and into a beautiful red silk
dressing gown I had just
bought. I put my hair up
in a towel as though I had
just washed it, threw on lip
stick and mascara and regal
ly descended the stairs of
that little duplex as though
I was Scarlett arriving for
the ball.
Then, she will easily segue
into the numerous times
when, in my wild and impet
uous youth, I did not hesi
tate to go to Winn-Dixie in
my pajamas at midnight and
cruise the aisles for snacks
for our middle-of-the-night
television viewings.
“It was her,” Debbie will
report, “who insisted that
I should allow myself to
be arrested by the Secret
Service at the White House
and imprisoned if necessary.
I resisted her insistence,
though.”
I will then feel the need to
point out how Debbie was
attempting, all those years
ago, to carry a concealed
weapon - a stun gun - into
the White House when I
rightfully insisted that she
should tell them before they
found it in her purse during
the mandatory check.
“Yes, but after they
whisked me away for ques
tioning and confiscated the
only means I had of self-pro
tection, you were no friend
at all.”
Within earshot of the
agents, I had been indig
nant. “That’s a violation of
civil liberties. Go back in
See RICH, page 2C
Delphian Club celebrates its 60th birthday
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Lifestyle Editor
Sixty years ago, mem
bers of the Sorosis Club in
Perry decided to sponsor
a new club. It was named
the Delphian Cluh and it is
still thriving today, having
set a long record of service
to the community.
Over the years, the
Delphians have helped
beautify Perry in many
ways, including the help
ing with landscaping of
the Perry waterworks and
selling and planting dog
woods.
They operated the Perry
Welcome Wagon for a
number of years, and were
instrumental in start
ing the first Perry Health
Department.
They held bazaars and
cooking schools to raise
money for local charities.
Some of the highlights of
their service include feed
ing over 400 people for the
National Camellia Society
and holding fashion shows
in which members and
families modeled vintage
19th century clothing.
They are still very active
in serving the communi
ty. In the last two years
they have operated “Ye
Olde Tea Shoppe” at the
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A just before Christmas diary
Dear Diary,
12/16: Two performances
and we can put A Christmas
Carol to bed. I’m ready for
it to be over! Can’t believe
I spent about 66 hours of
November at the theatre
and by close of show tomor
row, 51 hours in December.
And this does not include
the many hours I’ve spent
at home memorizing lines.
How quickly one learns
lines is incrementally relat
ed to age, the younger, the
faster the lines come. It’s
been great fun.
I love hanging with and
meeting new people, mem
orizing lines to ward off
Alzheimer’s and losing a
few pounds!
Lifestyle
Beltista Home and Garden
Show, serving coffee, tea
and delicious desserts as
well as holding raffles to
raise funds.
Charities and communi
ty services they have sup
ported include the Charlie
Walker Ministry, Houston
County Department of
Family and Children
Services, local hospices,
Loaves and Fishes, Meals
on Wheels, Project Agape
Love, Perry Volunteer
Outreach, Grace Village,
the Perry Public Library,
Perry Players and the ani
mal shelter.
There are two living
charter members, Carolyn
Etheridge and Alice
Gilbert,
Current Officers are
President Betty Dawkins,
Vice-president Kay Rowell,
Secretary Sandy Williams,
Treasurer Carolyn Schultz,
Parliamentarian Marcilla
Heath and Chaplain
Margaret Watson.
The club members cel
ebrated their 60th anni
versary on Thursday with
a Christmas luncheon at
the Houston Lake Country
Club
Members met to cele
brate on Thursday at the
Houston Lake Country
Club
Perry business women celebrate Christmas
12/15: I almost feel guilty
enjoying good health and
being on no prescription
medication. Seems as I
get older,
more folks
get sick. I
suppose
I could
say that
health is
incremen
tally relat
ed to age
also. The
younger,
for the
Jane Winston
The Left Rail
most part, the healthier!
Please, dear God, look
after my friends who aren’t
enjoying good health this
holiday season.
m H . • '■
.1 —■
12/14: How I loved the
cold weather and using
my gas logs. However, I’m
sure sorry I lost some of
my Atrium plants to the
cold, guess an old sheet just
doesn’t do the job when it
gets that cold.
12/13: I can’t get over
the number of young folks
I know who are taking anti
depressants, sleeping pills,
etc. Whatever happened to
toughing things out. Peaks
and valleys are what make
us strong people. Must be
because mom and dad were
a nurse and an undertaker
that we just didn’t run to
the doctor for everything
and pop a pill to take care of
whatever the “everything”
was.
12/12: Boy, I am glad this
semester is over for me.
90+ students was quite a
load, and what I really hate
is with that many students,
I didn’t get to know any
of them very well. Never
before have I ended a
semester not knowing, well,
the names of the quieter
students.
Not sure I like my teach
ing load next semester; I
may make it my last and go
learn to do nails....
12/11: Why does is it
every large bill I owe comes
due right here at Christmas
time.
And why is it when I final
ly am invited to a Christmas
SECTION
c
ABOVE: Members
of the Delphian
Club enjoyed a
60th anniver
sary luncheon
at Houston Lake
Country Club
Thursday. LEFT:
The Delphian
Club has made
countless dona
tions to local
charities and
community ser
vices over the
years. Shown
here are just a
few of the mem
bers.
Journal/Charlotte Perkins
Perry Business Women cele
brated Christmas with a gala
dinner at the Ochlahatchee
Club House Thursday.
LEFT: The Voices of Life,
Horace Flournoy, Gail Cross,
Virginia Evans, Bob Harris
and Daryl Day provided the
music with an emphasis on
Christian Christmas songs.
ABOVE: Officers of the Perry
Business Women’s Club
enjoying the dinner were
Robbie McAnally, presi
dent; Betty Seago, stand
ing, treasurer; Betty Nelson,
vice-president and Rachel
Wooden, secretary.
Journal/Charlotte Perkins
party I am invited to three
on the same night.
And when am I going to
find time to knit the three
scarves and baby’s cap I
promised my boss and a
friend??
12/10: Ha! Came home
last night and thought I
was at the wrong house.
My son and grandkids had
come over while,l was away
and put candles in the win
dows and hung a wreath on
the front of the house. How
sweet....sure is good having
kin nearby.
Till next week
’’Life is like an onion: You
peel off one layer at a time
and sometimes you weep.”
Carl Sandburg.