Wednesday, December 28,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B
Being smart enough to hang on
to the good memories we make
This past
year, it seems
that I spent
most of the
time taking big
steps over jut
ted holes where
my foot
stopped just
short of another rut. I’d
balance for a moment,
thinking how to clear the
next hole.
Though it’s metaphori
cal, it’s a pretty good
description. I managed to
sidestep all the mud holes
and ruts but it has been
exhausting. It was all little
stuff. I recall few because
most weren’t important
enough to remember. I
can only bring to mind the
grimness of the road’s
journey. While few tears
fell, the smiles were also
spare.
For a year, Tink and I
had planned to go to
London for the Queen’s
Jubilee, celebrating her 70
years on the throne. We
both admired her kindness
and dedication to duty.
Too, she was a constancy
in a world that has so little
of it.
When I was a kid, play
ing in discarded prom
dresses, Mama would
smile broadly as she
watched me gently hold
up the skirt and walk
regally around
the yard.
“You look
like you’re
goin’ to see the
Queen,” she’d
remark.
Queen
Elizabeth
became a link that Mama
and I enjoyed sharing. In
America’s Appalachian
South, the Queen had two
devotees who were bom
of Scotch-hish bloodlines
that the Queen’s grandfa
ther, King James, moved
from Scotland to Northern
Ireland in order to pepper
Country Antrim with
Presbyterians among the
Catholics. Forty years
later, some of them caught
a boat coming from
Ireland, then disembarked
in Pennsylvania. They
kept moving down the
Appalachian trail until
they settled in the lower
Carolinas and Georgia.
Usually, when Scotch-
Irish have a falling out,
they stay “fell out,” but
that wasn’t our case with
Queen Elizabeth and her
parents. World War II
changed that. They were
brave, and the Queen’s
father, George VI, was a
remarkable king, most
remarkable because he
wasn’t raised to be king.
The months leading up
to the June celebration
were filled with a long
road of those ruts and juts.
“Yes, I’m going,” Tink
said until the end of
February, when he began
to have doubts.
“I want to go but I may
need to stay home and
work. I’m not sure.”
My heart fell but I was
determined. “Then, I shall
go by myself. I went to
Princess Diana’s funeral
by myself.”
And, I would have. But
about a month before the
trip — with Tink still
uncertain — I asked my
friend, Myra, if she would
go if Tink didn’t.
“Absolutely! Even
though I’ve already told
my friends that I was
going nowhere this year.
But how can I pass up a
celebration of the
Queen?”
Thirteen years ago, the
Christmas after Myra had
been cruelly widowed due
to a heartless brain tumor,
she and I went to London
for Christmas. It was cold,
glittering, and television
movie perfect.
Our trip in June was
equally soft with memo
ries, joy and kindness.
Everyone in London
loved their queen so much
that they rejoiced in hav
ing her. She united her
people. She brought
smiles. From Hyde Park,
we watched as jets
released red, white and
blue smoke. In Windsor,
we attended a respectful
church service where nary
a child ran around,
screaming, and in every
place, we talked to Brits
about how much their
Queen meant to them.
And to us.
Three months later, she
died. Somewhat unex
pectedly. I had always
said I would go to her
funeral. Tink urged me to
go. He is always kind and
generous. But I couldn’t.
Why?
Her Jubilee in June felt
like being wrapped in a
toasty, goose comforter on
a chilly day. No juts or
ruts in the road. Just beau
ty.
I want to lovingly nestle
those sweet memories. I
didn’t want them to be sul
lied by a funeral’s tears.
That was a very good
lesson I taught myself this
year: Keep the happiness
close.
Ronda Rich is the best-sell
ing author of What Southern
Women Know About Faith.
Visit www.rondarich.com to
sign up for her free weekly
newsletter.
RONDA RICH
Columnist
Rio White Dawson County News
Will Anglin stands with honorary captain and
former LadyTiger Maddie Anglin.
FROM 1B
Clutch
stretch and they found a
way to win. It wasn’t our
prettiest game but you’ve
got to find a way to win
the ugly ones.”
If the second half of
Monday night’s game
was ugly, the first half
was relatively serene.
Junior Morgan Chester
continued to breathe life
into the team’s interior
game — as did fellow
junior Jaci Wilson, who
looked automatic from
the paint.
After a close first quar
ter, the Lady Tigers hit
their stride and led by as
many as 15 points before
the second quarter ended
at 30-18.
After missing out on
chances to extend that
lead, Dawson began to
feel the pressure from
Flowery Branch, who
took advantage of turn
overs to claw back into
the game.
The visitors led early
in the fourth quarter at
44-42 but were unable to
sustain the rally.
“It’s hard to keep play
ing defense when you’re
not getting shots because
you’re turning it over,”
Anglin said. “Playing
inside seems to be our
best bet. Our bigs played
great ... we scored a few
easy buckets, which kind
of opened it up to where
we were able to kick it
out and hit a few threes.”
The boys team faced a
Flowery Branch side
who they had previously
faced this season, losing
by just a single point.
The opening quarter
was played at breakneck
speed, resulting in a flur
ry of shots made by both
teams.
Trey Harvey and
Joshua Priest helped the
Tigers keep pace early on
with the Falcons, who
came into the game with
an 8-1 record.
But after leading early
and trailing just 22-19
following the first quar
ter, Dawson was unable
to sustain that energy and
gradually lost control of
the contest, losing 90-54.
Harvey led the team
with 11 points while
Nick Bellinger had one
of his best games as a
Tiger, scoring 10 points
and giving a valiant
effort off the bench in the
difficult second half.
“Today, we got away
from playing together
offensively and defen
sively,” head coach Todd
Cottrell said. “We have
to share ... we have to
screen for each other.
When we get away from
that, we struggle.”
Two former members
of DCHS basketball
were recognized as hon
orary captains for the
night.
Maddie Anglin was a
member of the Lady
Tigers’ 2019 Elite 8
team and averaged 17.6
points per game during
her high school career.
The 2021 graduate was
named as the 2021 DCN
Female Athlete of the
Year.
Luke Chism was a
part of the Tigers’ 2019
Final Four run and was
named as that season’s
Region 7-3A Player of
the Year.
The DCHS varsity
basketball teams will
head up to Dalton for
the Carpet Christmas
Classic beginning
Wednesday, Dec. 28.
First up will be the
Lady Tigers at 1 p.m.
against Walker Valley
High School from
Cleveland, Tennessee,
while the boys team will
face Westminster at 5:30
p.m.
FROM 1B
Wrestling
match in the 150-pound weight
class but defeated Dustin Kytle of
Mount Vernon School.
Roberson would drop the next
two matches to finish sixth overall.
The Coal Mountain Classic and
Viking Christmas Clash served as
important experiences for the team
as the season heads into a busy
stretch.
Dawson traveled to East Hall for
the Viking Christmas Clash on
Dec. 22 and will head back home
to host the Amicalola Classic on
Friday, Dec. 30.
After that, the team will have
Area Duals the weekend of Friday,
Jan. 6, before hosting their Senior
Night on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
Earlier this month, the Dawson
wrestling team had some notable
accomplishments.
At the North Oconee Duals on
Saturday, Dec. 3, Rosenberg won
all five of his matches in one of the
strongest overall showings this sea
son.
Sophomore Savannah Tate
Bonnell, the only female wrestler
on the varsity squad, earned her
first career varsity win that day.
Jesus Arroyo went up a weight
class and won a match against
Wesleyan at the North Oconee
Duals.
The Tigers will hit the mat start
ing at 9 a.m. at the Amicalola
Classic.
FROM 1B
NASCAR
race at Chicagoland Speedway in
suburban Joliet, the street circuit
race will be run in downtown
Chicago.
As of this writing, the length and
official title sponsor of the race have
not been announced, although a
proposed map of the course is avail
able.
Drivers and Teams
For those who look forward to
seeing iconic number and paint
scheme combinations during a
NASCAR race, one longtime stan
dard will be missing from next
year’s group of cars.
After 15 years together, Kyle
Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing ended
their relationship, as officially
announced in September.
The wheels were first put in
motion in December 2021, when
longtime Busch sponsor Mars Inc.
stated that it would be leaving
NASCAR after the 2022 season,
signaling the final year for the yel
low No. 18 M&M’s car.
In the following months, a con
tract extension or renewal between
Busch and JGR failed to material
ize, resulting in Busch’s subsequent
move to Richard Childress Racing.
Busch will be taking over the No.
8 car at RCR, replacing Tyler
Reddick, who moved on to the
Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin-
owned 23X1 Racing.
Reddick had his own contractual
situation in 2022, announcing his
move to 23X1 in mid-July just after
his first career Cup Series win.
Initially, Reddick intended to join
his new team in 2024, but 23X1
bought out the remainder of his
contract from RCR a few weeks
after Busch joined the latter.
Reddick will drive the No. 45 car,
replacing Kurt Busch, who stated he
would step away from full-time
competition in 2023.
During qualifying at last season’s
Pocono race, Busch sustained a
concussion following a crash. After
not being medically cleared for the
next five races, he withdrew his
request for a medical waiver for the
playoffs and would eventually miss
the rest of the season.
Upon announcing his decision,
the 2004 Cup Series Champion and
34-time race-winner was met with
immense support from the racing
community.
Salad suppers for a
healthy new year
Is one of your
New Year’s
Resolutions to lose a
few pounds? It is
certainly on the list
of most people I
know — including
myself. One of the
best ways to lose
weight is to include
as many vegetables in your
diet as possible. Vegetables
are all nutritious, contain
lots of water, and are fill
ing.
Salad suppers don’t have
to be boring! And including
some lean protein make
salads even more nutritious
and promise to leave you
full and satisfied.
Here are some delicious
and hearty salad suppers to
help you start the new year
off right.
Grilled Steak Salad
with Blue Cheese
Dressing
Salad:
• 2 pounds skirt steak
• 1 red onion, cut into
rings
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• !/2 teaspoon pepper
• 6 cups romaine lettuce,
torn into bite sized
pieces
• 2 avocados, peeled,
seeded and chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes,
halved
• !4 cup blue cheese,
crumbled
Blue Cheese Dressing:
• % cup mayonnaise
• 'A cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons lemon
juice
• 1 tablespoon white
vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chives,
minced
• 1 tablespoon heavy
cream
• 4 ounces blue cheese,
crumbled
Season skirt steak and
onion rings with olive oil,
salt and pepper. Grill steak
3-4 minutes per side, then
remove and tent with alu
minum foil. Grill onions
until charred. Slice steak
against the grain into thin
strips.
For dressing, combine
all ingredients.
To plate salad, divide let
tuce between four plates.
Top with avocados, cherry
tomatoes, and blue cheese
crumbles. Add grilled steak
slices and grilled onions.
Ladle on some blue cheese
dressing.
Roasted Sweet
Potato Salad with
Orange Vinaigrette
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 3 cups baby arugula
• 4 ounces goat cheese,
crumbled
• 1 apple (Gala or Fuji),
cored and chopped
• 3 cups roasted sweet
potato (recipe follows)
• 1 Vi cups candied
pecans (recipe follows)
• % cup orange vinai
grette (recipe follows)
Toss all ingredients
together.
Roasted Sweet
Potatoes
• 2 pounds sweet pota
toes, peeled and cut
into 1 Vi-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• % teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 425
degrees. Toss sweet pota
toes with olive oil and salt.
Place on a baking sheet and
roast for 30 minutes, until
tender.
Candied Pecans
• 4 tablespoons brown
sugar
• !4 teaspoon cinnamon
• !4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of cayenne
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 Vi cups pecan halves
In a bowl, com
bine all ingredi
ents, tossing well.
Preheat oven to
375 degrees. Line
a baking sheet with
parchment paper.
Spread out pecans
on prepared baking
sheet and roast for
3-4 minutes until lightly
browned. Cool completely.
Orange Vinaigrette
• 2 tablespoons white
wine vinegar
• 2 Vi teaspoons orange
zest
• 1/3 cup freshly
squeezed orange juice
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon
mustard
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons shallot,
minced
• !/2 teaspoon salt
• !4 teaspoon pepper
Combine all ingredients
in a jar, shaking to com
bine.
Roasted Beet Salad
with Goat Cheese
Green Goddess
Dressing
• 8 medium beets
• 6 carrots, peeled and
cut into 2-inch pieces
• !4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• !/2 teaspoon pepper
• 6 cups spring salad
mix
• Dressing:
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 green onions, sliced
• !4 cup lemon juice
• !/2 cup basil leaves,
minced
• !4 cup parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• Pinch of salt and pep
per
Preheat oven to 425
degrees. Wrap beets indi
vidually in aluminum foil.
Toss carrots with olive oil
and salt and pepper. Place
carrots on baking sheet.
Roast beets for 50 minutes,
until soft. Roast carrots for
20 minutes. Remove from
oven and allow to cool.
When cool enough to han
dle, peel the peeling off of
the beets and chop.
For dressing, combine
all ingredients in a blender
and puree.
To plate, divide spring
mix among four plates and
top with roasted beets and
carrots. Drizzle dressing
over all.
Italian Chopped
Salad
• 4 cups romaine lettuce,
torn into bite sized
pieces
• 1 radicchio, chopped
• Vi pint cherry toma
toes, halved
• Vi red bell pepper,
seeded and chopped
• 6 pepperoncini
• Vi cucumber, peeled
and chopped
• 6 ounces mini mozza
rella balls, patted dry
• 1/3 cup basil leaves,
chopped
• 1/3 cup parmesan,
grated
• 1/3 cup black olives,
sliced
• 6 ounces salami,
chopped
Italian Dressing:
• !4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine
vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mus
tard
• 1 tablespoon lemon
juice
• !4 teaspoon dried oreg
ano
• Pinch of salt and pep
per
Toss together salad
ingredients. In a jar, com
bine salad dressing ingredi
ents and shake to combine.
Pour salad dressing over
salad and toss to combine.
ADLEN
ROBINSON
Columnist
