Mt. Pleasant News

I think 2017 will be keen!I plan on eating pork and cabbage on New Year?s Day to ensure good luck in the coming year. My old friend, Harold Sammons, told me about this superstition years ago. I tried it and it works. There has been growth, prosperity and happiness ever since.Warning: don?t wait until the day before to buy cabbage, because the supermarket might be out. Corned-beef and cabbage on New Year?s Day ...

Thanks to my sister?s obsession with home renovation and design, I have come to be a frequent viewer of the cable television channel, HGTV. So, when my favorite HGTV show hosts, Chip and Joanna Gaines, recently came under major mainstream media scrutiny, I was just as interested as many HGTV fans on what this fun-loving couple was up to.Hosts of the HGTV mega hit show, ?Fixer Upper?, Chip and Joanna are the ...

David Hoenig will never forget the year he didn?t have a Christmas tree. He won?t let me forget it, either.The first tree I ever really remember was referred to as the ?Charlie Brown tree.? It was small, a little ragged and sat haphazardly in the bay widow of our dinning room. But it was a tree that, once decorated, exuded not only holiday cheer, but also an eternal love.Mom bought the Charlie Brown tree in ...

Here are three Christmas tales from the annals of the Swarm family. I?ve written about each one separately before. For the sake of brevity, I?ll combine the three into one.There was no money for Christmas. My mother, always the ?make-do? type, and the recycle queen before the word ?recycle? was born, was going to make underwear for us kids out of cotton feed sacks. But she needed thread.At the dry-goods store, ...

For some reason, I tend to enter a reflective mood as the holidays near.When I say reflective, I mean ?way back when? reflective.My thoughts take me back to my youth in South Dakota and remembrances of friendships that despite being so important at the time no longer exist.Four of us hung around quite a bit in high school. We were all basketball players so that undoubtedly is what drew us together. We were not ...

Who doesn?t love a feel-good news story to kick start a weekend ? especially this close to Christmas? Well, thanks to a fair-minded home improvement store manager, I have one for you.Our story begins with United States Air Force veteran, Clay Luthy, of Dyess, Texas. A veteran with three overseas deployments under his belt as a C-130 loadmaster, Luthy has been through quite a bit over his military career, which ...

I had slaved in the kitchen for four-and-a-half hours. I?d rolled the dough, sliced the apples, spilt cinnamon everywhere and made, what I thought, was a superb apple pie.The first time I made an apple pie I was a junior in college. I?d called Grandma in a panic. I had been challenged to a duel, or rather a bake off. I?d ran my mouth about how my grandma made the best pie, offending the honor of my friend and ...

Despite what speculating talking heads on ESPN and other cable news outlets say, the NFL will never die.It?s been a popular thing lately to trash the National Football League, because of its falling ratings, rule changes, or the amount of fatal or career ending injuries that have been haunting the league for the last few years.But I believe the league has a safety net that will keep it going forever; the ...

A number of years ago farm commodity prices, especially row crops, were booming.Gasohol and ethanol plants were dotting the Midwest landscape, increasing the demand for corn and soybeans. That pushed corn prices near double digits per bushel and soybean bushel prices were well into double figures.It became a domino effect. The higher corn and soybean prices went, the price of land followed closely behind. With ...

Randy Stroud, of Mt. Pleasant, is a large man, well over six foot tall. He used to weigh about 270 pounds. He is also a well-known business owner in Mt. Pleasant and marathon runner. So, when he came down with a backache after doing yard work in September, he and his wife, Marcy, didn?t think too much of it.Formerly from Indiana, Randy took off with a buddy for a Notre Dame versus Duke football game. When he ...

To the editor:I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and applaud the staff of Hearth and Home Technologies.The Just Give Committee raised almost $1,900 to donate towards our Hair, Hats, and More Program. This program is offered to our patients and provides free wigs, hats, scarves, and gloves.This program is funded only through donations. It is with the help and kindness of organizations such as ...

Facebook, when it?s not littering your wall with fake news stories, has a way of making you feel nostalgic. This morning, I did the same thing I always do - check my calendar, my messages, email, Instagram and Facebook ? all in a last ditch effort to stay under my warm blankets just a moment longer. This morning, Facebook reminded me just how excited and hungry I was for my future.?Got my cap and gown today! I?m ...