Beech Tree News Network

Most of us have several friends, but some of our friends have stood by us more closely than others. Four of my friends have stood by me for years. These women have different roles in my life, but each one is very important to me: the encourager, the mentor, the reality checker, and the comrade.

When Men Cook: Growing up in a rural area, I noticed something about men in the community.  Several of them could cook, but their cooking was very food-specific.  My dad is a good example.  He often cooked Sunday morning breakfast for the family, and when he did, he really laid out a spread.  He would fix home-made biscuits and either bacon, sausage or country ham.  He would fry eggs and make gravy—two kinds, milk-based and red-eye, if we had country ham, because red-eye is an acquired taste that not everybody in the family had acquired.  

One of the lessons that may be gleaned from the life of the late Apple icon Steve Jobs isn't being talked about in many places.  Sure, we all know about the founding of Apple, his firing, Pixar,  his rehiring, MacIntosh computers,  iPods, iTunes, iPhone, iPad, etc., — but that isn't all of his story.  One of the big lessons that I think society needs to learn — and quickly — is that college isn't for everyone.  In fact, for many it can be one of the worst things for a young person to ever attempt to do.  

One of Kentucky’s best-kept secrets is the Barren Academy of Virtual and Expanded Learning.

While the commonwealth loses 10,000 students from each graduating class, only 110 students currently are enrolled in the academy. Nevertheless, BAVEL offers the right kind of alternative to tip the scales in the other direction.

Not only does it offer all Kentucky students – regardless of where they live – the opportunity to acquire a high school diploma while every single class online, but it’s getting top-quality results at very low costs.

Back on Your Feet Again

There are many times in everyone’s life when we all have to pick ourselves up from our boot straps and soldier forward.  We all go through times when we are down and heart-broken. These are times when faith in God and good friends come in very handy.

My grandparents and my parents both had apple trees in their yards. Those trees are connected to some of my childhood memories. My siblings and I climbed my parents’ trees and ran around them to catch lightning bugs as well as imaginary “bad guys.” Those apple trees provided protection when playing Hide-and-seek and shade in the heat of the day.

More importantly to my grandparents and parents, those trees produced apples. According to the Internet (www.nutrition-and-you.com), apples are a healthy food choice:

The Hole In The Sidewalk -  In September, my sister, Marsha, directed my attention to the following:

Autobiography In Five Short Chapters, By Portia Nelson, 1980

1)  I walk down the street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I fall in.

I am lost…I am hopeless.

It isn’t my fault.

It takes forever to find a way out.

2)   I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I pretend I don’t see it.

I fall in again.

How good are you at walking and chewing gum at the same time — mentally speaking?

For instance, can you vigorously support measures that really protect our nation, such as a strong military, yet at the same time oppose wasting money under the guise of enhancing “homeland security?”

Recently, as Kentuckians in communities across the commonwealth prepared to memorialize the 10th anniversary of the deadliest attack by terrorists on American soil, a reporter asked me whether Department of Homeland Security spending has made us safer.

The United States isn’t the only government that’s had its credit rating lowered. Two agencies also recently downgraded Kentucky’s bond rating.

In reducing the commonwealth’s rating, Moody’s Investors Service pointed to two major problems: too much debt and underfunded public pensions.

Enter the latest news that in addition to Kentucky’s current $31 billion worth of unfunded pension liabilities for government retirees, the commonwealth’s pension-fund stocks are taking a beating on Wall Street, losing $1.7 billion since July 1.

Ah, fall break! Many public schools have a fall break built into their calendars, usually in October. In Kentucky, about 78 percent of the public school districts have a fall break, whether it’s a long weekend or a week. In my opinion, fall break is a good addition to the school calendar.