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Wednesday, April 13,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B
Easter egg hunt
taught me joy
of competition
When I was seven, I participated in my
first Easter egg hunt. I was in the first grade.
This I remember vividly: it was the perfect
spring day with an abundance of new green
leaves on the massive oak in the front of our
school house. The sky was gentle blue. I
wore a pale yellow, cotton dress with a sash
tied in a bow. Mama had made it and she
trimmed the neck
and short, puffed
sleeves with dain
ty lace.
Grade parents
lined up to watch.
They were the
mothers tasked
with bringing the
cupcakes and ice
cream for the party. It was, perhaps, the day
that I learned about competition and how
joyous it could be.
I did not find the most eggs but I found one
of two prize eggs. It was pale pink and filled
with tiny candies. I kept it until I was in the
fourth grade when I was too big for any such.
Besides, that year, I won the spelling bee and
the awarded book, along with a certificate for
first place, became my new reminder of the
fun of competition. Especially when you
win.
The reason I had never been to an Easter
egg hunt is because it took a long while for
our mountain people to participate in such
frivolous pursuits. The only holidays cele
brated when my parents were growing up
were Easter and Christmas, religious holi
days for special worship. They did have pine
Christmas trees, dragged from the woods,
and a church play starring Mary, Joseph, and
baby Jesus.
Easter was a somber but happy day. It rec
ognized the day that Jesus arose from the
grave and declared victory over death.
But Easter eggs? No.
It changed with my generation but I lagged
behind because I was a “late in life” child
with all of my siblings already out of the
house by the time I was six. Too, we lived on
Rural Route One, far out in the country, so
there were no kids with whom to play.
I suppose we could have had an Easter egg
Hunt at church but those mountain people
were much like my parents. They considered
it a bunch of foolishness. Plus, there were
only four kids who regularly attended
church, at Christmas; two more kids usually
showed up to be in the Christmas play and
get a gift off the tree—so it added up to “not
much use to do any such.”
Here I venture a reasonable guess: my fru
gal Mama, still working through the difficul
ties of growing up in the Depression of the
Appalachians, then suffering through the
severe food rations of World War II, wasn’t
terrifically interested in wasting eggs for the
sheer delight of burying them in a bush or
behind a fence post.
To my happiness, she relented when I was
in the second grade. She boiled the eggs,
brought food coloring, and taught me how to
dye them to the most glorious pastel shades
of yellow, pink, blue ,and green.
But, on the day I left for school, toting the
pink plastic basket from the dime store, it
came with an instruction.
“Now, bring home all the eggs you find
and I’ll make egg salad with them. Your
daddy loves egg salad sandwiches.”
On white loaf bread, may I add.
I grew up, hearing the country people say
when something was impressive, “That’s the
greatest thing since sliced loaf bread.”
They had grown up on biscuits and corn-
bread. No one knew what yeast was - except
the city folks - or how to bake a loaf of
bread. When sliced loaf bread, tasty and
sweet, made it to the mountains in the late
1930s or so, it became a treat as treasured as
a Baby Ruth candy bar.
Let us remember with respect why we cel
ebrate Easter but let me also add that I hope
your Easter basket is filled with beautiful
pastel eggs.
Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of What
Southern Women Know About Faith. Happy
Easter.
The quest for white shoes
Being raised Baptist, we
didn’t participate in Lent.
We didn’t get our foreheads
smudged with ash. We
didn’t even do a pancake
supper - not that I recall,
anyway. I’m sure my
grandfather would have
been all over that if we did.
But we did do Easter outfits, especial
ly new shoes.
Not just any shoes either, but light
colored shoes - white for myself when I
was littie, with taupe being an option for
Mama or Granny.
I had a love-relationship with those
shoes.
The love was the fact they were new
shoes. They were special; I only got
them right before Easter, and I couldn’t
wear them after Labor Day. I waited all
year for these few months and would
plan my wardrobe around opportunities
to wear them.
The hate was the fact they were
white.
Part of the fashion logic behind my
mostly black adult ensemble is due to
the fact I can spill something on myself
when there’s nothing to spill.
White shoes were often scuffed and
streaked before the Easter service was
over.
I don’t care how much white shoe
polish Granny put on them, those black
streaks were still there.
The last pair of white Easter shoes I
owned were over 20 years ago, and
when I saw how they made me look like
I had clown feet, I swore never again.
But, never say never, especially when
it comes to footwear.
Still trying to get my bearings and
find re-entry into the world recently, I
decided I may need to get some new
clothes, especially since my work from
home wardrobe of leggings may not
always be appropriate. Even the most
reclusive introvert needs some
dressy leggings from time to
time.
Since it was Spring, the idea
of trying to find a pair of light
colored shoes even flitted
through my head.
Not necessarily white, but
perhaps a pair of taupe or bone
colored shoes to maybe go with some
more colorful clothes for the warmer
months.
So I began my mission to find some
suitable shoes, not just for Easter, but
for Spring.
I wandered into a store one Saturday
morning, fully intending to find a few
new things to wear and at least two new
pairs of shoes.
They had a few leftover winter boo
ties and some thong sandals that left me
shocked at the price for something so
flimsy.
Nothing struck my fancy.
I told myself it may take time to find
something I wanted.
What was most surprising to me was
that gone are the fashions that were the
hallmarks of Easter.
Sure, there were dresses. But there
wasn’t the formality that I recall from
when I was younger.
Noticeably lacking were the hats.
I remember a time or two I had to lit
erally wear an Easter bonnet or hat to
church.
I didn’t care; I had my shoes.
When hats became passe, Granny and
Mama pulled my hair up on top of my
head in a bun so tight it may have given
me a facelift.
I had hoped to see millinery come
back into style, but maybe this isn’t the
year for it.
No hats. No shoes. And not a lot of
dresses, which is fine, since I don’t wear
dresses.
All I wanted was something to wear
SUDIE CROUCH
Columnist
that would give me that same feeling of
a fresh, new beginning. Something to
herald a change of pace from the leg
gings I’ve worn over the last three
years, and to maybe make me feel a bit
more like a human instead of a growth
on the sofa.
Since I hate shopping for clothes, this
became my mission.
I was going to find something a bit
different than my usual garb, dangit,
and some new shoes for Spring.
I looked online, trying to find some
thing that I thought would work, and
tapped “add to cart” on numerous occa
sions but never proceeded to checkout.
Most of the things I had selected were
very much like my regular togs and
didn’t signal a fresh new fashion start.
I felt defeated.
I was going to have to come to terms
that the nostalgia I had for new Easter
shoes and new Spring accouterments
were just distant, happy memories.
Scouring the racks of another bou
tique, I sighed at how not only did the
dresses lack the lace and puffiness - not
really sad about the lack of crinolines -
but I just couldn’t find something that
suited a nearly 50-year-old woman who
wanted to be stylish but also admittedly
comfortable.
Turning to the shoes, I expected the
same thing I had found so far. Instead, I
found a wall filled with mid-heeled
shoes, some higher, platforms, and
some wedges which would kill me.
Apparently, the chunky heels of the 90’s
are back in style; I am not sure how I
feel about that yet.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I could
finally find something to give me a
fresh fashion start this season.
Something new, shiny, and lightly col
ored to reflect the palette of spring.
Finally, I found some shoes that were
what I was looking for. I got two pairs;
both in black.
Sudie Crouch is an award winning humor
columnist and author of "The Dahlman Files:
A Tony Dahlman Paranormal Mystery."
FROM 1B
Masters
3- under par, just two strokes
off the lead.
It was on the back nine
during the second round that
Scheffler placed a firm hold
on the tournament for the
first time.
Leading by one stroke at
4- under, he made four bird
ies on the back nine and fin
ished his second round with
a five-stroke lead.
As is so often the case,
Saturday at Augusta was the
toughest grind for the player
in front.
Fighting cold conditions
and swirling winds,
Scheffler played well on the
front nine before facing a
host of bogeys on the back.
While he would end the
third round at 9-under, the
fearless Australian Cameron
Smith had the best round of
the day to finish at 6-under
and inch closer to Scheffler.
The final round at the
Masters showed no shortage
of drama, and it started early.
Coming into the third
hole, Smith had cut the defi
cit to one stroke after holing
consecutive birdies. Both he
and Scheffler would hit
errant tee shots on the third
hole and come up short of
the green on their second
shots.
With both players needing
to chip onto the green,
Scheffler took a low, bounc
ing shot that made a beeline
toward the cup and went in.
Smith chipped well past the
hole and missed the ensuing
par putt to revert his deficit
to three strokes.
After another bogey by
Smith, followed up by a
birdie by both players,
Scheffler entered the back
nine with a four-stroke lead
at 11-under.
Both players bogeyed the
tenth and Smith hit a medi
um-range birdie putt on the
eleventh to bring him back
within three strokes of the
lead.
But that would prove to be
as close as it got for Smith,
who fell victim to the infa
mous water hazard on the
par-3 twelfth hole that so
many players in the past
have fallen victim to.
With a triple bogey on that
hole, Smith’s chances to
catch Scheffler vanished.
Meanwhile, a herculean
effort had been made by
Rory Mcllroy to place him
self in front of Smith. The
four time-major champion
would finish with the final
round’s top score of 8-under
64, closing the tournament at
7-under.
To place any doubt to rest,
Scheffler birdied the four
teenth and fifteenth holes
before making his way to the
final tee.
In accordance with his
performance all week, his
face did not change despite
the knowledge of his own
score. His focused demeanor
carried him to the green,
where he initially missed a
couple of nervy putts before
closing the door on his first
major championship.
Only after that final ball
rolled in did he break from
character and let out all of
the emotions and relief that
come with conquering
Augusta National.
Embracing his caddie,
wife and family, Scheffler
celebrated in a way that suit
ed him best — with humility
and a subtle confidence that
his career at the top of the
golf world was only just
beginning.
The top five finishers were
as follows: Scheffler (-10),
Mcllroy (-7), Lowry (-5),
Smith (-5), Morikawa (-4).
FROM 1B
Baseball
While the bats gave the Tigers
consistent leads during games, pitch
ing was also a strength for the team
throughout the week.
Sophomore Trey Harvey continued
his strong season on the mound dur
ing Monday’s series opener, shutting
out the Bobcats in five innings.
Senior Ryley Moore went six
innings in Thursday’s game, giving
the Tigers another solid foundation
for a win.
Wrapping up the sweep on Friday
was Mullinax, who threw six strike
outs in five innings and limited
Gilmer to a single run.
This week’s matchup with North
Hall will include home games for
DCHS on Monday and Thursday
with a trip to the Trojans on
Wednesday.
The Tigers are up against a North
Hall side that boasts a 20-4 record
this season and who are the defend
ing class AAA state champions.
“We realize we need to play sound
defense and pitch well,” Sapp said.
“You cannot make mistakes or they
will capitalize. Our kids believe in
themselves and what we have been
teaching all year.”
FROM 1B
NASCAR
the end of stages one and
two.
While Elliott went into
that lap 313 caution flag in
fourth position, he would
come out in twelfth position
after a crew decision to
make a second pit stop in
less than 20 laps.
That decision would
prove costly for the remain
der of Elliott’s race, as he
could not move up fast
enough to return near where
he had been for the majority
of the night.
After Elliott found him
self inside the top 10 with
less than 20 laps left, a late
caution gave one last oppor
tunity to finish the night
strong.
Despite coming out of the
caution in eighth position,
he would finish the night in
tenth as Byron sustained his
lead for his second Cup
Series win of the year.
While Elliott is still
searching for his first victo
ry of the season, he remains
the leader of the Cup
Standings with 288 points,
three ahead of Ryan Blaney
and 12 ahead of Byron.
FROM 1B
Seniors
Luke Mulberry, Nick Mullinax
and Jacob Poss — look to keep
the momentum going as the regu
lar season reaches its final stretch.
Last season, Mullinax and
Cramer were two of three All-
Region selections from the
Tigers, and they are both continu
ing their success this season.
On the mound, Mullinax has
been one of the main starting
pitchers in coach Dwayne Sapp’s
rotation. He has made five starts
and thrown 34 strikeouts in just
under 34 innings pitched, all
while keeping a 3.12 earned ran
average.
Offensively, he has been a lead
er as well. He currently leads the
team with a .355 batting average
and 29 runs, while being tied for
first with 22 hits.
Having already committed to
Columbia College to further his
baseball career, Mullinax looks to
close out his DCHS career with a
state playoff berth.
“We’re in a good spot right
now. Our energy is up,” Mullinax
said. “These next few series are
big but I feel like our confidence
is up where we can push through
and make a good run.”
Cramer has also been an offen
sive force this season, leading the
team with 28 runs batted in along
with 22 hits and a .310 batting
average.
With his consistency at the
plate and defensive work at first
base, he will continue to play an
important role in the team’s
efforts moving forward.
“Overall, our fielding is a lot
better, we’ve been hitting the ball
more consistently and scoring
more runs than last season,”
Cramer said. “I feel like we’ve
worked pretty hard.”
He plans to continue his base
ball career in college and is con
sidering a career path in engineer
ing.
Mulberry has been a rising star
on the offense as well as the
team’s main catcher this season.
He currently leads the team
with four home runs and has also
contributed 25 RBI on 20 hits.
Mulberry has also been one of
the most disciplined players at the
plate, with 16 walks and just 15
strikeouts in his 87 plate appear
ances.
“I feel like this year I’m better
at focusing on what I need to do
[offensively],” Mulberry said.
“Just keeping my head clear
when I’m hitting.”
Mulberry plans to go on a two-
year mission trip with his church
after high school graduation and
then plans to attend BYU for his
collegiate studies.
Burt has been the man on the
hot corner this season, helping
give the Tigers a well-rounded
defense. His focus on fundamen
tals and range will be especially
important as the team heads into
a series against region leaders
North Hall next week.
He has also been a regular con
tributor on offense with 15 hits,
20 runs and 15 walks. Burt
believes that many of the younger
players will carry on the success
the seniors helped forge.
“They’re one of us,” Burt said.
“I think they’ll step up and take
that leader role [next year].”
He also mentioned that the
team has a good sense of togeth
erness that has helped them
improve as the season has gone
along.
“We’ve got a good bonding
[culture] here. This year we’ve
really come together,” Burt said.
“It’s a great team and I’m glad to
be here.”
As for his post-high school life,
he plans on going wherever God
plans to take him.
Moore and Poss have been two
of the relief pitchers for the
Tigers this season. Moore has 12
strikeouts in 12 innings pitched
while Poss has 11 strikeouts in
just over 12 innings pitched.
Both pitchers have been work
ing to improve their pitches
throughout the season. Moore has
been working to get his two-seam
fastball to move in and out, while
Poss has been working on his
consistency both in game and
over time.
After high school, Moore is
considering a welding degree
from Lanier Tech while Poss
plans to attend UNG and is con
sidering a business degree.
The DCHS baseball team has
two more games in a three-game
series this week against Gilmer
County before wrapping up the
regular season with a pair of
series against North Hall and
Lumpkin County.
