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•Names will not be withheld. •Letters will be edited for grammar, space and legal concerns. •500 word limit. •Acceptance does not guarantee publication. •Deadline for inclusion in the current week’s
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I hate the thought, but they’re gone. At least till next spring, when hopefully they’ll return, buzzing around busy as ever. Yeah, you guessed it. I’m talking about the hummingbirds — Archilochus colubris, to be exact. The little airborne garbage guts that we poured enough red-tinted sugar water into over the course of the summer to land-lock a flock of geese. Those little beasties that gained absolute air superiority over our deck. The tiny helicopters I could sit and watch till the cows come home. And the animal I admire above all others. Yes, I said “admire”. And here’s why …
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Remember the story of a certain ornery little 12-year-old boy, who showed up at school one morning with an impressive shiner? His black eye was truly a thing of brutal beauty. Upon greeting him, his teacher immediately noticed and asked him in horror, “Who gave you such a terrible black eye?!” His proud response, “Heck, Ma’am, they don’t just go ‘round givin’ these things away. Ya’ gotta fight for ‘em.”
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I’ve mentioned previously about working a block away from Neiman-Marcus in Dallas some years ago. Believe me, there was no better way to spend a lunch hour. Always, when I walked into that store, I was taken by the cool air, the marble floors and the hushed conversations of others. The fact that there were no price tags on anything impressed me too. I guess they figured if you had to ask the price of something, you couldn’t afford it.
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Teachers have it good. They get lots of days off, long breaks around major holidays and they get entire summers off. If that were not enough, they get paid for the summer breaks as well. Thus saith no teacher…ever. While teaching is a great career, it’s a lot of work (on and off the clock), often with little financial or other reward. Once considered noble, honorable work, teaching is increasingly seen as a “no other choice” profession. The not funny joke “Those who can, do, those who can’t, teach” speaks to the lack of respect for teaching these days. This is the career many educators are called to. I think calling is the reason the best teachers stay, despite the pay, working conditions and benefits.
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Well, finally! Cooler weather is coming and so we turn our thoughts to comfort food. This one is an absolute necessity if you want to make Thanksgiving dressing, or if you roast a chicken and need the best side dish ever. This recipe calls for buttermilk, but if you don’t have any you can make some. For each cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a cup of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes—buttermilk! Speaking of that, my dad loved to crumble his cornbread into a glass of buttermilk and eat it with a spoon. He also hated sweet cornbread (“why don’t they just go ahead and make cake?”). So if you prefer it sweet, add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the batter,
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