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Page 4A - The Lee County Ledger, Thursday, November 22, 2001 Georgia Forestry Commission Report Buy A Georgia Grown Christmas Tree This Season 'Tis the season for Christmas tree shopping. The Georgia For estry Commission again this year is encouraging folks in Lee County to buy fresh, locally grown Christmas Trees. There is nothing more pleasing to the nose and to the heart as a fresh cut Christmas tree. Family outings, to look for that perfect tree, are a tradition that has come back to area families. It is a chance for the family to do some thing together as it heightens the Christmas spirit. More than 200 farms have well shaped trees of several species according to the Georgia Christ mas Tree Growers Association. Georgia producers range from those growing a few hundred trees to highly mechanized farms producing up to 50,000 Christmas trees. "Choose and Cut Christmas Tree Farms" in your area are pre pared to offer fresh, well shaped trees, including Leyland cypress, Eastern white pine, Virginia pine and red cedars. In Lee County Busy Elves Christmas Tree Farm is located at 102 U.S Hwy 82 next to the Terrell County line. Joedy Putnal is the owner and operator of this farm and he has a fine selection of Virginia Pines and Leyland Cypress to choose from that would look good in anyone's home. The opening day for Busy Elves Christmas Tree Farm is Thanksgiving Day. November 22nd. For more information or directions you can contact Mr. Putnal at 438-7973 or 432-9243. The Georgia Forestry Commis- Tom Lambert A Reason To Run F rom Trouble By Hugh Morris Hollace had a bunch of blonde hair. He was smooth, big, and strong. He loved to play football and was the team’s star fullback. Hollace had a flair for the dynamics. They called him Hollywood. The crowd loved him but they were unaware of the fact that Hollywood ran with a bad crowd. Late Friday night, Hollywood snuck out of his parent’s house and borrowed his mother's car. He picked up three shady friends. The three shady friends asked Hollywood to stop at the Suwannee Swifty gas station. Hollywood was more than happy to grab a diet coke and candybar. The three shady friends came in as Hollywood was paying for his merchandise. One shady friend walked behind the counter and grabbed the store clerk around the neck. Hollywood splits. He takes his mothers car home. All three shady friends are left at the store. The three shady friends tie-up the clerk with telephone cord, find a gun in a desk drawer and point it directly at the clerk’s head. As the clerk is looking down the barrel of a pistol fearing for his life, he is asked, “Where is the money you punk?” The three shady friends take $400.00 and the clerk’s 1989 Toyota pick-up. All three shady friends are caught within two hours. All three shady friends are guilty of armed robbery, which in Georgia is punishable by the mandatory minimum period of ten years in prison. In other words you serve ten years in jail all the way to the door. You do not get out early. The Lee County District Attorney is furious. She will make everyone pay for this heinous crime. She questions Hollywood and is suspicious of his involvement. Hollywood claims he had no idea that the three shady friends would rob the store but the District Attor ney has heard this a million times. She calls Hollywood a liar and charges him with armed robbery. He would never admit guilt. He was forced to go to trial in the Superior Court of Lee County. A jury of twelve people would decide Hollywood and his three shady friend's destiny. The District Attorney is tough. She says Holly wood was the driver. He and his three shady friends planned the robbery. Hollywood’s job was to distract the clerk's attention while the three shady friends came in from behind. Hollywood was the get- away-driver until he got scared and left. The three shady friends knew they were guilty of armed robbery. They had no defense. They were facing ten years in prison without parole. They did however have one option. The District Attorney offered each shady friend a deal: plea guilty to the lesser crime of robbery by force with four years in prison and testimony. Four years in prison is much more appealing than ten. All three shady friends took the deal. All three shady friends testify against Hollywood. They testify that Hollywood planned the robbery. Hollywood came up with the idea. They discussed the robbery on the ride to the store. They scoped out the store the night before and Hollywood was suppose to be the get-away driver until he chickened out. The three shady friends even told the jury that Hollywood received $100.00 for his slight effort even though he chickened out. The three shady friends weren't really friends at all. The three shady friends lied. Hollywood took the stand. He proclaimed his innocence. He called the three shady friends liars. He swore he did not know they would rob the store. Hollywood’s football coach even took the stand and testified that Hollace is a fine athlete, great student and did not need money because he just received a scholarship to play football at the University of Georgia. The jury deliberated. Holly wood may be innocent or he may be guilty. The jury found Hollywood guilty of Armed Robbery. Hollywood was sentenced to ten years in prison. The Lee County Ledger ‘EstabCisfecC August 24,1978 P.O. Box 715 (124 4th Street) Leesburg, Georgia 31763 (229)759-2413 USPS 470-310 Official Organ of Lee County SUBSCRIPTION RATES Lee and surrounding counties $14. 95 year Elsewhere $19. 95 year Publisher Derryl Quinn Editor Jim Quinn Layout and Design Tricia Quinn (USPS 470-310), is published weekly for $14. 95 per year in Lee and surrounding counties, and $19. 95 per year else where by at its offices at the May Office Building, 126 - 4th Street, Leesburg, Georgia 31763. Periodicals postage paid at Leesburg, GA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes on Form 3579 to, P.O. 715, Leesburg, GA 31763. G Printed On Recycled Paper MEMBER OF GEORGIA PRESS ASSOCIATION Watering Still Needed I normally tell people that they can quit watering in November. That's not the case this year. It is very dry. It was pretty dry four weeks ago. I know how dry it was four weeks ago because I remem ber how dusty it was in the pea nut field where we were harvest ing a test plot and how powdery the soil was. Three weeks ago I was walking around my yard and noticed that my azaleas and dogwoods were wilting. I immediately put a sprin kler on them. As I've mentioned in this column before, azaleas and dogwoods are shallow rooted and cannot survive extended droughts well, especially if they are not shaded by trees or mulched. This fall has been unusual in a couple of ways. First, it has been very dry. Secondly, it has been very warm. When it's warm, moisture evaporates from the soil and wa ter transpires from the leaves. Cold weather causes plants to go dormant. Although we have had light frost, we haven't experi enced a killing frost. In fact, it has been so warm that an apple tree I saw this past weekend was blooming. What should you do? Monitor plants for wilting. Shrubs and trees that were planted in the past two years as well as shallow rooted plants, such as dogwoods and azaleas, should be given spe cial attention. Individual plants can be watered with a sprinkler. Leave the sprinkler running long enough to get water deep in the root zone of the plant. This may mean leaving the sprinkler run ning overnight. For more information, call the Lee County Extension Office at 759-6025. Facts About Masonry By J.M. Rhodes Member of Chehaw Lodge 701 Leesburg, Georgia This is a continuation on Lodge Etiquette from last week. Where a group of Masons act as a unit, as in a Lodge Commu nication, etiquette takes the form of proper decorum. Loud talk, restless moving about, laughter, smoking, flippancy, passing be tween the Altar and the East, omission of the sign of fidelity, giving no heed to the business at hand, improper entering and leaving - no man needs to con sult a book of etiquette in order to accept the fact that such be havior is dangerous to the har mony of the Lodge. It is such an atmosphere that ill will and hard feeling, not to mention the seri ous menace of splits and feuds, are most likely to take root to the great danger of the Craft. The following are what I con sider some of the important rule of etiquette, which you should commit to memory. Addressing the Chair: the rules of order in Freemasonry do not permit dis cussion, during a communica tion. among the Brethren. The Brother who has anything to say to the Lodge, either it be to enter discussion or to make or second a motion, must rise to his feet, give the sign, wait to be recog nized by the Master, and speak directly to the Master. No Brother should pass between the Altar and the East while the Lodge is at Labor, except when required to do so by ritualistic performance. The Great Lights are the particular responsibility of the Worshipful Master, no Brother should ever obscure his view of them. When wearing the Apron, it should not be covered by any clothing, except when wearing a formal cutaway (tails). When attending a Lodge meet ing all brethren should be ad dressed as Brother. "Brother" is a title. In the usage’s of freema sonry, "Brother" is neither a sen timental nor familiar form of ad dress but is a title. A man does not attend a Lodge Communication in his capacity as a private indi vidual. he is not Joe or Bill or John. He is there in his capacity as a Master Mason, and for this reason, one should refer to “John Doe" as "Brother Doe" in the same literal sense as any other officer in the lodge. All sectarian discussion, all ar gument or statement pro or con as to the merits of politics, of any given religion or theological creed, of racial questions, of pri vate business, or of any other non- Masonic subject by which men are divided into classes, feuds, schisms, or are opposed on sec tarian issues, is at all times for bidden. Masonic Etiquette instills pride, yet pride is something that you have to have within, because if you have pride in this fraternity it shows without. By Sharon Hoffman The Canine Cottage In the past couple articles, I have been bringing up things to consider when thinking of getting a puppy or dog for Christmas. In this article, I want to discuss what breeds of dogs are better around children. I will mention only briefly that if you are getting a dog for a child to “teach responsibility”, you might want to be prepared to take on the responsibility of the care of a dog yourself. While some children will do really well car ing for their pet, a dog is a living creature and cannot be neglected. A dog is also not a toy or a doll and may object to being treated like one. Enough said! A puppy has sharp teeth and claws and gets overexcited very easily so for a family with a child under three, give long thought before you bring a puppy home. And be prepared to train the child as well as the dog - kids get over excited too! Next, the breed you choose will also be determined by how much hair you can stand on your carpet and furniture. There are several breeds that shed very little but shedding is a normal part of a dog’s life and will be in yours. I am no expert on all dogs and their temperaments so you need to do some research on your own before you pick your dog. A Vet is a good resource person. The li brary or bookstore can also pro vide information. This article is just to give you a starting point. A good choice for kids from what I have found out is a dog from the “Sporting Group”. These are mid size dogs such as the Labs, Irish Setters, Retrievers and Spaniels. They tend to be very patient with children. Some of the “Working Dogs” such as the Husky, Boxer, Beagle and Schnauzer are usually good with children. The Husky will drive you crazy with hair but it’s beauty and personality can make up for that. If you have a high energy level and don’t lead a sedate life, the Jack Russell Terrier will wear your kids out! From what I have found out, the other Terriers don't seem to do well with children. And except for the Poodle, The “Toy Group” isn’t that great for younger children. The “Toys” usually have a more fragile bone structure than bigger dogs and can be injured with rough han dling. They also tend to use snap ping as their defense. The “Non Sporting Group” also has a large number of breeds that are good with kids. The Bichon Frise, Dalmatian, Boston Terrier. Bulldog, Schippuke and Poodles are rated by the AKC as good with children. The Lhasa Apso is not a good choice from this group. Of the “Herding Group” the collie is the favorite. The Welsh Corgi is nippy by nature and the Sheltie is shy. I hope this helps some. I will say that even though a breed is rated good or not for children, a lot depends on the love and train ing a dog gets. There are no hard and fast rules but only guidelines. Thanks for reading. Letter To The Editor FREEDOM - WHAT PRICE What price is it when one takes ones life in his own hands ? What price is it when a policeman and a fireman must risk their lives to save another? What price is it when a child never hears nor sees his or her parents again? What price is it when so many lives, so many innocent lives must die to fulfill a mission or be killed in one? Tell me. what price is it? So many of us are dying. Haven’t we seen enough bloodshed during World War II and other wars? Must we sacrifice anymore people. Do we, the U.S., have to watch in horror as our country is de stroyed? I think not. We, the U. S.. have really become the United States of America since the terrorist attack and may we never hear nor see anymore bloodshed again. What price must we pay to watch anymore sacrifices and deaths? Tell me, what price? Let us, the U.S.A., survive this war and may we, when this war is over, remember this day as a very sad day on September 11, 2001, as the day of people who gave all. When we win, remember all who were sacrificed in an unreasonable war. So, what’s the price? The price is that we are all united and may God bless us all for we are a free nation. Starla Spradlin 8th grade POLITICIANS AND UNPAID TAXES I wanted to share with your readers a great concern of mine. Currently there are numerous elected and appointed officials on all levels of our government that are delinquent in paying their own taxes, the same taxes that every law abiding Ameri can citizen is paying. These same officials control our tax revenues and how they are spent. They control the right to increase our taxes. The same people who will not pay their own taxes. Is it right for someone to sit in a position to impose taxes on your readers and not pay their own way? Is it logical to allow these politicians to collect our taxes when they then refuse to obey their own laws? Is it right to elect or appoint someone to office that cannot manage their own affairs when they have proven they cannot even manage their own household? It is very easy to spend someone else’s money, especially when it does not have any affect on you. How can a person be allowed to represent our communities and great state who has chosen to disregard the law? For the last five years I have tried to pass a resolution that would allow the people of Georgia to decide those questions. The resolution, known as HR126, would change Georgia’s Constitution to correct this travesty of logic and justice. The bill would allow you, the tax paying See Letter, Page 8A "Lord help us rise above adversity and keep us mindful of how precious our blessings are." sion in Lee County wants to en courage a visit to your local Christmas tree farm, enjoy a tra ditional family outing in the coun try, and allow the local growers the opportunity to assist you with your Christmas tree needs. The University of Georgia • Cooperative Extension Service bT ■ 13 /gfr l Li- - c Watering Still Needed Doug Collins, Acting Lee CEC Putting J^nowledge to^/ork^ A Puppy For Christmas Dead leaves clinging to a dogwood indicate that it died from drought.