The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1196721
C-6 Home Life Wednesday, Januar y 1, 2020 The Press-Dispatch Sweet's Column by Barbara Sweet What am I doing? Oh, yes, the coffee maker broke. It is the holidays. Cheer is required. Cheer is demanded. Cheer comes after a cup of hot patience. I can drive to coffee. I can drive and pick some up and bring some back — a carafe maybe, for future days. It's a straight shot — one road, no turns. Even I can handle this drive with- out caffeine. Where are my keys? Where do I keep my keys? Do cars even still use keys? Have I seen the keys since Christmas? What if I wrapped them? What if I threw them away? What if Santa stole them? What if Santa broke the coffee maker? This is so much worse than coal. I could make coffee over some hot coals. I should write San- ta an apology for being naughty. Once I can find the words. Once I have coffee. I ask my daughter wheth- er she has my keys. She asks whether I have made her bed yet. No, I have not. She says the keys are prob- ably next to the milk. If I get her milk, I will find my keys. I fall for it. I ask my son whether he has my keys. He laughs. He points to my hand. "I didn't know mummified were- wolves drive." I look down. I'm holding my keys. "The coffee maker broke," I say. I get in the car. I drive to the coffee shop. No, this won't do. It's the holidays, and I'm on deadline, and my kids are home from school. I can't have a solu- tion for only one day or three days. I need a per- manent solution. I keep driving. Onto the highway. Over to the mall. I buy a new coffee maker. At home, I pull salva- tion from its box. I grind the beans. I put them in the filter. I go to add water. Where does the water go in this new coffee maker? I look at the instructions. They look like gibberish. I could read them — I know I could — after a cup of coffee. Like Katiedid Langro- ck on Facebook, at http:// www.facebook.com/katie- didhumor. COFFEE Continued from page 4 A new year is making the rounds, and we hope it brings you endless blessings! Thanks for all you've done to help make our year a happy and prosperous one. Your support and friendship are greatly appreciated! Happy New Year From Our Whole Team! 1704 E. National Hwy., Washington 812-254-3918 midwestrealty47501@gmail.com Happy New Year! CALL (812) 354-2150 611 Main St., Suite 120, Petersburg DowntownTerrace@flco.com FROM: Flaherty & Collins 1011 N. Hwy. 257, Otwell • 812-354-2197 www.dutchtown-homes.com From Shawn, Megan, Deb & Haley H a ppy N e w Y ea r Many thanks to all our customers for a wonderful 2019! Down on the Farm by Hans Schmitz, Purdue Extension The joys of international travel The United States Department of Ag- riculture announced last week that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a "movement permit" to Santa Claus to allow free unrestricted movement of his reindeer and gifts, in- cluding domestic and ex- otic food items, through- out the nation. Of course, they did signify that Mr. Claus submitted to an in- itial inspection of his facilities to en- sure animal health and cleanliness of the housing facilities and sleigh. If the USDA APHIS would not have granted this permit, including waiving all fees, what would Jolly Old Saint Nick endure to open the skies for his travel? First of all, Santa is flying, so the Federal Aviation Administration gets involved. On December 18, the FA A an- nounced that Santa had been cleared by installation of Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast in Rudolph's nose. This technology will be a require- ment for flight in most controlled air- space (and most airspace in the U.S. is controlled) on January 1. Santa also purported in the article that the use of drones will be enhanced for package delivery this year, so Part 107 licens- ing had to be added to his existing pi- lot's license. The ADS -B technology installed in Rudolph seems to run around $2,000, after a quick internet search. Some- thing small enough to fit in a rein- deer's nose is probably state of the art and quite more ex- pensive. The cost of acquir- ing and maintaining a U.S. pi- lot's license must be consid- ered. Having Part 107 licens- ing without a pilot's license has an 150 dollar cost every two years, plus the cost of a cohort of unmanned aerial ve- hicles and back-up batteries. Drones cannot fly higher than 400 feet in most circumstances, so the sleigh will have to be relatively close to the ground before deploying. The major in- hibitor from the FA A side is technolo- gy and licensing cost. USDA APHIS is a different kind of cost, namely time. Without the free ability to travel internationally, every time the reindeer crossed into the Unit- ed States, they would be required to be inspected, along with any meat or plant-based gifts on the sleigh. Accord- ing to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NOR AD, San- ta tends to weave his way continuous- ly across into Canada and Mexico as he delivers presents in North America. As a result, he would usually have to stop at a port of entry on each crossing, dis- infecting his equipment and allowing samples to be taken and inspected. A veterinarian would have to check the reindeer for any unusual symptoms of foreign disease. The checks are a lit- tle more important when Santa stops at farm houses, where incidental contact between Santa, the reindeer, and live- stock are more likely to occur. APHIS considers this when international trav- elers return to the US, asking on paper- work airline travelers complete wheth- er a foreign farm has been visited. The movement permit issued on December 23 erased any need for those stops. International travel aside, individu- al states have interstate livestock per- mits and restrictions as well. Reindeer are cervids, which makes them cousins to white-tailed deer and susceptible to the same diseases as deer. Of particu- lar note is chronic wasting disease, a contagious disease usually fatal to the animal. Because of this disease and others, the Indiana Board of Animal Health requires a Certificate of Veter- inary Inspection prior to entry into the state. Indiana also requires a Pre-En- try Permit and official animal identifi- cation in two forms prior to entry. Al- though BOAH has not released an an- nouncement, one can be certain that Santa and/or his agents have observed local animal health requirements. Both the federal agencies released articles on their official websites relay- ing the information above. They are ac- cessible from usda.gov and faa.gov, re- spectively. For more information, con- tact Hans at hschmitz@purdue.edu or 812-838 -1331. REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS Ralph L. Taber, deceased conveys to Terry R. Taber, Steven P. Taber, Ronald J. Taber, Mark A. Taber, Kar- en L. McCaslin, Pamela S. Cross and Roger L. Taber, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Mary Lou Sturgeon Estate conveys to Michael K. Sturgeon and Sheila Y. Sturgeon, real estate as record- ed in Pike County. Shirley R. Sturgeon Testamentary Trust and Cathy J. Miller Trustee convey to Michael K. Sturgeon and Sheila Y. Sturgeon, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Dave Beck and Charlotte M. Beck FK A Charlotte M. Boger convey to Andrew J. Stolz, real estate as re- corded in Pike County. Pike County Auditor and Robert L. Lemond con- vey to Savvy IN LLC, real estate as recorded in Pike County. David Scott Harvey and Jimmi S. Harvey quitclaim to Jimmi S. Harvey, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Michael K. Sturgeon and Sheila Y. Sturgeon convey to Shirley Ray Sturgeon Irrevocable Trust Agreement DTD 11/21/1985 and Mary Lou Sturgeon Irrevocable Trust Agreement DTD 11/21/1985, real estate as re- corded in Pike County. Robert M. Nixon conveys to Robert M. Nixon (TOD), Cynthia A. Lowery and Christine L. Winkler, real es- tate as recorded in Pike County. Pike County Sheriff and Everett E. Vaughn AK A Ev- erette E. Vaughn convey to Jodi Lynn Jochim, real es- tate as recorded in Pike County. Rodney Leo Dixon, Sr. Revocable Living Trust and Karen Sue Dixon Revocable Living Trust quitclaim to Rodney Leo Dixon, Sr., Rodney L, Dixon, Jr. and Savan- nah M. Dixon, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Patrick E. Weathers and Brandie G. Weathers con- vey to Bowman Family Holdings, Inc., real estate as recorded in Pike County. Daniel E. McDonald IV, Robert L. McDonald and Gregory A. McDonald convey to Jenny L. LaValle and Sandra L. LaValle, real estate as recorded in Pike Coun- ty. Melanie D. Ruppel FK A Melanie D. Austin quit- claims to Melanie D. Ruppel and Kenneth Allen Rup- pel, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Robert N. Rhodes conveys to Rhodes Residential Rentals, LLC, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Jason Meiring and Ashley Meiring quitclaim to SPM Development, Inc. DBA Reinbrecht Homes, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Cherie L. Meece conveys to Billy K. Meece and Cherlyn J. Meece, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Petersburg Walnut Hills Cemetery Corporation con- veys to the City of Petersburg, real estate as record- ed in Pike County. Pike County Auditor and Donald Ray Grubb convey to Halifax Financial Group, LP, real estate as record- ed in Pike County. Kevin J. Western conveys to Patrick D. Lewis, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Betty V. Willis conveys to Christopher D. Kinman Trustee, Gracia K. Kinman Trustee and Christopher D. Kinman Trust Agreement, real estate as recorded in Pike County. Christopher E. Reinbrecht conveys to Joseph K. O'Brien and Casey L. O'Brien, real estate as record- ed in Pike County. Hi stars and welcome to this big stage to the end of 2019 and to welcome in 2010. The stage has col- orful lights and is decorat- ed to help celebrate with all our stars who will have a birthday or anniversary in the week of January 2- 8. Come up onto this stage and take a bow. January 2 - Ronald Mc- Candless turns 63. January 3 - Jeremy Aus- tin; Kolbi King turns 19; Dr. Anthony Hall; Barbara Gray turns 54; Darla Riester turns 65. January 5 - Shayna Raney Freson turns 27; Riley Miller; Brick Briscoe turns 59; Beau Daniel Lee Kellems turns 8. January 6 - Harold Tuell turns 37. January 7 - Daniel Merritt turns 46; Taylor Truitt turns 33; Stephanie Cole- man turns 49; Julie Nixon. January 8 - Kinzy Bailey Amos turns 32; Bobby Dottbreich turns 48. May all our stars have a really great day and may all your wishes come true. Keep in your heart and in your prayers all our stars who need that card, visit, phone call and that daily thought of them; Katy, Mick, Virginia, Annabel, Benny, Lanora, Angie, Sue Ellen and many more stars you all know. Colds and the flu are going around, as well as allergies and the aches and pains of ev- eryday life. EVENTS January 1 - Happy New Year of 2020. Some families will get together and eat cabbage or black-eyed peas to ensure wealth and happiness throughout the year. Resolutions will be made to hope- fully keep all year long. January 5 - Spurgeon-Monroe Fire Dept. meeting and training at the sta- tion house at 3 p.m. January 6 - Winslow Fire Dept. meet- ing at 6:30 p.m. at the station house. January 13 - Winslow Town Hall meet- ing at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall. January 14 - Winslow Beautification Committee at 6:30 p.m. and Winslow Economic at 7:30 p.m. at the Commu- nity Center. January 16 - Winslow Park Board at 7 p.m. at the Community Center. Winslow seniors meet on Monday and Tuesday at the Community Center. Petersburg seniors meet on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday in the courthouse basement. We received one postcard this week at Sweets Column, Winslow, IN 47598. Postcard # 667 has a setting with trees in a forest next to a field with yellow wild- flowers and a sandstone boulder, with flowers, flags and other items left for the members and pas- sengers' families in tribute to the Flight 93 crash site on September 11, 2001. The postcard reads, "Hi, Sweets, we stopped in at the Flight 93 Memorial southeast of Pittsburgh, Pa., on our way home. It's a great tribute to the heroes on that flight on 9/11, but very somber and saddening also. Max and Cheryl Carl- isle, Stendal, Ind." Thanks, Max and Cheryl, for post- card # 667 of Flight 93 Memorial. Even though we may have seen this area on T V, it is sobering to see in person the actual spot where our heroes gave their lives to save others. The Winslow Patoka River has gone down a bit and our weather has been more like fall temps than winter cold- ness with snow. We all know that this will not last forever, but we are in no hur- ry to see it leave for those cold, freez- ing and snowy days of winter. Ever since winter began on Dec. 21 until Dec. 29, the temps have been climbing from 50 degrees to 68 degrees, and by Dec. 30, the 40 -45 temps are here to welcome in the New Year of 2020, maybe snow flur- ries too. The Winslow Winter Wonderland held their last opening with Santa to talk and hear what the children wanted for Christmas, and on Dec. 21, he saw five lovely children who were glad to see Santa and receive an animal from under the tree. They also got a bag of candy, a cookie and a cup of homemade hot choc- olate. Several children loved the igloo and a few fit inside. The Christmas dis- plays were enjoyed by everyone. You can still view some of the displays through the front window until Jan. 5, when they will be taken down until next December. Have you gone out driving in your neighborhood and seen the decorations set up for you? Norm and I have seen sev- eral amazing displays along Highways 61, 57 and 64. Some yards you had to slow down and some you had to almost stop to see everything. The three skele- tons on Highway 57 are dressed in Santa hats and sitting on reindeer. In Prince- ton, there is a skeleton with a Santa hat riding a motorcycle. We went out shopping and we picked up a chimney sweep with extensions and tried it out the next day. it works really great and we heard another wood/coal burning star had picked up their chim- ney sweep also. Laura and I went shopping on Christ- mas Eve to pick up Norm's gift. When we got to Princeton Wal-Mart, we saw the Grinch standing outside with the Princeton or Gibson County Police. Pic- tures were taken of Laura and me with the Grinch from Laura's phone and put on the police website. Even though our shopping was near Christmas, the stores were not as crowded as the parking lot was. Even Menards wasn't crowded, but we did see stars we both knew, like Nick, Dee and Fred. We also visited with some other stars like Vernon, who is doing fine, but Dix- ie was a little under the weather. We al- so visited with Tim and Jeanette to wish them a very Merry Christmas and to give them a solar pig. Christmas Day was great, as we both fixed a big ham, dressing, sweet pota- toes and peas. Then, to top off our meal, a blueberry pie was made. Laura came by to enjoy this feast before she had to go to work. Laura got a clutch purse and cosmetic bag with a sleep mask. Norm got a phone with a camera and I got a pie plate, old ornaments and a penguin pin wearing a Santa hat. That pin is now on my purse. My other gift we hoped to get for Christmas is held up by the lawyers and we may get it in January. Our Christmas Day was really great to spend it with family and we hope your day was just as great with your family as you sat around to enjoy a meal, exchange gifts, and have the laughs and hugs to end a family get together. In last week's column, there was an error when it said, "It was annoying to see them in action," when it should have read, "It was amazing to see them in ac- tion." I'm really sorry it was written like that and I guess my handwriting is not the best to read. Again, I'm sorry. Are you all ready for the New Year's Day meal of cabbage and black-eyed peas? I'm ready and some make resolu- tions, but for me, I don't, because I will break it or forget what resolution I made. We hope that this new year will bring you all joy, happiness, wealth, peace of mind and the enjoyment of what you may do with and for your family. Our 2019, as we reflected back, was a great year for both of us and the enjoyment we had with others was continued throughout the year. The lights are about to dim on this last week of 2019, but we hope you still keep an eye on family and friends. Slow down and see what your area looks like. Then as always, smile, wave and say hi to everyone you see this week. Happy New Year of 2020 to all our stars from Sweets Column.