Newspaper Page Text
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
HIl ' IK.
Ronda Rich
Columnist
The daughter
of a legend
She is the daughter of a
Southern folk hero and the
sister to heartbreak.
Dwana Garrison, despite
the cruelties of her life, has
carved out a nice existence
for herself. Ebullient and
gregariously full of spirit,
she moves swiftly around
the diner she owns in
Adamsville, Tenn., greeting
the patrons, most of them
by name and many of them
with a big hug. Finally, she
slides into a booth and
begins a conversation about
the father she worships.
“It amazes me how much
his life has affected so
many,” she says, shaking
her head in wonderment.
“He would be so honored to
know that.”
Dwana was 6 when her
mother was murdered in an
outlaw ambush that was
intended to kill her father,
Sheriff Buford Pusser. In an
assault that was chronicled
in the blockbuster movie
“Walking Tall,” close to half
of his face was blown away.
Over time, it would take 16
surgeries to complete the
rebuilding of his face. In the
course of his career, Sheriff
Pusser was shot eight times
and knifed seven times.
When CBS’ Roger Mudd
detailed his bravery in 1969,
a Los Angeles producer saw
it and the rest is history.
“I knew how much losing
Mama hurt me but when I
was older, I seen in his eyes
the hurt from losin’ her.”
She wipes tears from hazel
eyes, stained by pain that
few can ever imagine shoul
dering in life. Seven years
after her mother’s death,
tragedy struck again.
“I come up on the acci
dent.” She stops, gathers
herself and begins again.
She and friends had been to
the fair where her dad had
stopped by. She smiles as
she remembers those last
couple of hours. “Daddy
won all kinds of stuffed ani
mals for me. Folks tried to
give ‘em to him but he said,
‘lf I can’t win it, I don’t
want it.’”
They left in separate cars
with Buford in a new
Corvette that he had driven
to Memphis that day. At a
press conference that morn
ing, he had announced that
he would play himself in the
second Walking Tall. When
Dwana came upon the acci
dent on Highway 64 - a
monument marks the place
the car was engulfed in
flames. She ran to her
groaning father and gath
ered him up, just in time for
him to die in the arms of his
devastated daughter.
By the time she was 13,
she had lived through the
horrid, unnatural deaths of
both parents and a fire that
destroyed their home when
she was 11. She was raised
to maturity by her
Grandmother Pusser.
“Our deep Christian
upbringing is what got us
through,” she explains.
Despite the fact that she
has been fighting multiple
sclerosis for six years, she is
the guardian of her father’s
legacy. She fought with
devotion until the state of
Tennessee bought Pusser’s
last home and turned it into
a museum. Though she hon
ors mightily the past, she
doesn’t live there.
“You can’t,” she says sim
ply-
Her restaurant and its
adjoining gift shop are popu
lar with both locals and
curious tourists, who often
come to honor the man
known for walking tall.
As a bonus, they find his
daughter who walks tall and
walks on.
Guess who's got a diamond ring on her finger?
Heather and Matt
Congratulations to
Heather Fasciocco and Matt
Stone, who are engaged. No
wedding date has been set,
but Heather’s got a very
pretty diamond ring and
came in to show it to us last
week. In case the names
sound familiar, Heather
used to be a staff writer for
the HHJ and now works in
marketing at the Museum
of Aviation. Matt is in the
news frequently as a mem
ber of the Warner Robins
City Council. (Bob Watson,
Heather’s honorary grand
daddy, takes credit for intro
ducing the two.)
Hold this date:
The Bonaire Relay for
Life team has already
passed its goal of raising
$5,000, and still has anoth
er event to go. Don’t forget
their Fun Day scheduled for
April 30 from 10 a.m. - 4
p.m. at Bonaire Middle
, y
, ":, ,■ ' : <
'** S *
liilik. ¥ i -' m IjgpHHP^
's■ •. fJK*; •' jf W I 39H -;;.
■ 'jfsm |- jnHyß 's%%Bm 'fc'-r?
■MB”/ * j ~-_ -f jit C rlPy
HHJ Charlotte Perkins
Kopie O’Neal, left, of Perry, enjoyed the Perry Dogwood Festival with friends and
family while her grandson, Mitchell Perley, who attends college in Scotland,
picked up a trophy in the road race. From left, Kopie O’Neal, Ken Williamson, Suzy
O’Neal, Mitchell Perley and Mitchell’s girlfriend, Abigail Pickard.
The melondrama - part 3
Last week we took a look
at the various types of
melons the world over.
This week, we discuss
some of the aspects of
melon culture and their
nutritional value. Our
thanks once again to the
National Garden Bureau
for the excellent informa
tion on melons.
Melons are warm-season
fruits, and prefer slightly
acid soil with a pH of
between 6.0 and 6.5. They
are also very space hungry,
so be sure to give them
plenty of room in the gar
den. Melons thrive in a
rich, well-drained soil
which has been amended,
if necessary, with lots of
organic matter. This
allows for strong vine
growth and superior fruit
set and maturity.
Planting melons
through black plastic
mulch is a common prac
tice among commercial
growers. The dark plastic
absorbs heat, warms the
soil early, conserves mois
ture, and controls weeds.
Harvesting is also made
much easier and efficient.
You might do well to try it
in the home garden situa
tion too. I think I might
try this myself since, for
me, one of the most frus-
i% v 4
w izzs&r * w m
* * ***
Charlotte Perkins
Charlotte’s Web
cperk tns@evansnewspapers.com
School. Lots of fun for lots
of people!
Readers alert:
Addicted to mysteries?
Hooked on romances? Wild
about westerns? In love
with literature? Devoted to
dictionaries?
Here’s wonderful news
for people who love books.
And you don’t have to drive
After the road race
II wkf’ jfis
& I®. . , MKm
Tim Lewis
Gardening
timlewis@addressisp.com
trating things about grow
ing melons is the fact that
once the vines begin to
grow long, it is next to
impossible to systematical
ly control weeds.
Melons need at least one
inch of water per week-two
inches is better. It is best
to water plants in the
morning so the leaves can
dry before nightfall, thus
preventing fungus dis
eases. Fertilize every two
or three weeks with a com
plete fertilizer such as 8-8-
8 or 10-10-10.
The best and sweetest
melons ripen when the
weather is hot and dry. On
occasion, a homegrown
melon may not taste as
sweet as expected. This
may be due to an abun-
LIFESTYLE
up to Macon this time!! The
Houston County Friends of
the Library are planning a
huge old book sale on May
5, 6 and 7 at the Georgia
National Fairgrounds and
Agricenter. They’ll have
hundreds of thousands of
books at bargain prices and
the proceeds will go to the
county library system, so
any way you cut it, readers
are going to come out
ahead.
Watch the HHJ for more
news, and special instruc
tions for getting in right at
the very first of the sale.
Off to Guatemala
This is to correct an error.
Last Sunday, we had a story
about Maria and Jimmy
Willard and their five young
children, who are hoping to
raise enough funds to move
to a mission post in
Guatemala. Everything was
right, except the name of
the church where Jimmy is
dance of rains just before
harvest. Melons need plen
ty of moisture while grow
ing leaves and stems and
setting fruit, hut the very
best, sweetest flavor will
result from plants being
grown on the dry side.
Begin withholding water
from the plants starting
about three weeks before
the main crop harvest is
anticipated.
Melons are quite nutri
tious, even though they
contain up to 94 percent
water. Per 100 gram serv
ing, they pack the follow
ing nutrients:
Cantaloupe (American)-
100 percent of vitamin A,
24% of vitamin C
Casaba-40 percent of
vitamin C, 4 percent of
iron
Charentais-75 percent of
vitamin C
Galia-100 percent of
vitamin A, 80 percent of
vitamin C
Honeydew-53 percent of
vitamin C
Oriental melon-62 per
cent of vitamin C
All melons are flavorful
on their own merits, but
you can enhance their fla
vor with a sprinkle of gin
ger or salt, or with a squirt
of lemon or lime juice. I
can just taste them' now
can’t you?
youth pastor. It’s New
Hope International. If you
want to make a contribu
tion, send checks to New
Hope International, 2440
Ga. 127, Kathleen, GA
31047, and note on the
check that it’s for the
Willards. The number at
the church, in case you
want more information, is
(478) 987-7893.
David Voltz directs
Our popular HHJ colum
nist, David Voltz, who
writes about pharmacy
issues each week, is a man
of several talents. He’s
very good actor, and is mak
ing his debut as a director
for Warner Robins Little
Theatre.
“Taking Leave,” which
opened on Friday night, will
continue for two more
weekends. We hope to have
a review for you by
Thursday. Call (478) 929-
4579 for reservations.
Caring for aging skin
It was difficult for me to
think of ME as having aging
skin. However, we all have
to think about getting older.
This does not mean we neg
lect our skin. This is the
time where we take care of
our skin even more careful
ly-
Here’s a few great tips
that will assist you in your
skin care routine.
1. Eat healthy foods.
This means you need to
switch from eating french
fries to foods that are high
in antioxidants such as veg
gies, orange and yellow
fruits as well as vegetables.
Specific vegetables to
include in your diet are
broccoli and Brussels
sprouts. Our boys say that
they would LOVE for some
one to give Mom a recipe
where Brussels sprouts
taste good!
2. Drink a lot of water.
It is amazing to see someone
who drinks water daily.
Their skin is healthy and
hydrated!
3. Exercise on a regular
basis. Many of you know
that I am one of the most
un-athletic women that
exist. However, I have been
exercising four times a week
since August and I can truly
tell a difference. Find an
exercise routine that works
for YOU!
4. Get enough sleep! I
truly understand that this
can be difficult for some peo
ple. However, it will make
you look and feel so much
better!
5. For your skin care rou
tine, I would suggest you
use a gently cleanser with a
nondrying formula. Stay
away from using soap and
alcohol-based products.
Look for a cream cleaner
and used with luke-warm
water, not hot!
6. For aging skin, it is
recommended you use a
minimal amount of glamour
products. Look for a mois
turizer with a SPF 15.
Start the routine of using
both a day and night cream.
TOP QUALITY TOPSOIL
Also: Fill Dirt and Sand, Foundation Work,
Light Backhoe Work, Lot Preparation,
Reasonable Prices. „ .. nuu _ ..
Call Bobby Evridge
A . Byron, GA
fete#!,., GREEN ACRES FARM
Life Is Expensive
Enough...
VBtgfAY More
fORIS& Insurance?
[lllfe/lrei'
f J Insurance Agency, Inc.
' * 1110 Washington Street
Perry, GA 31069
(478) 987-8000
SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2005 ♦
Mossy Creek time!
The Mossy Creek spring
festival is this weekend.
Head for Lake Joy Road and
follow the signs. There’s
always wonderful music
(from ragtime piano to dul
cimers), plenty of interest
ing and original arts and
crafts and fabulous food. $5
for adults. $1 for kids. Open
from 10 am. to 5:30 p.m.
both Saturday and Sunday.
Off to see the wizard!
Looking for something
fun to do? Houston County
High School is presenting
its spring musical, “The
Wizard of Oz,” this week
end, with a Saturday night
performance at 7:30 p.m.
and a Sunday matinee at 2
p.m. You can get tickets at
the door $lO for adults, $5
for children, and FREE to
senior citizens (65 and
over).
| _ f «r
Adena Harper
Fashion Trends
hhomerun@aol.com
This will assist you in extra
hydration for your skin.
Use an eye cream gently
around your eyes. The skin
around your eyes is the
thinnest on your face and is
one of the first areas that
can show age. Try to not
pull and tug around the
eyes. Eyeliner may become
a product that is no longer
used.
7. Look for a sheer foun
dation and use it lightly.
Foundation that is too thick
has a tendency to show
wrinkles and find lines.
Stick to neutral eye shadows
and a light coat of mascara.
8. Remember that a
matte lipstick is VERY dry
ing and can feather with lips
that have fine lines. Use a
cream lipstick with little or
no frost.
9. One more suggestion
is to use an exfoliant at least
once a week. This will
remove any dead surface
cells. It will also give you a
healthy, radiant glow! Isn’t
that what we all want to
achieve?
Have FUN this week
reviewing the ways you can
care for your aging skin. I
will begin a series of articles
next week on the Sun and
how can something that
feels so GREAT be so BAD
for YOU!
Have a GREAT week!
Feel free to contact me at
hhomerun@friendlycity.net
with any questions you may
have!
956-4550
Representing
mSOUTHERN
INSVKANCK COMPANY VIRGINIA
3C
I 15495