Inside or out, plants go through seasonal cycles in their growth and their needs. Whether your houseplants live inside year-round or just come in to overwinter, they can be undone by things like temperatures, dry air, too much water and limited light.
Many house plants slow their growth rate in the winter or even go dormant, so they need less water to stay hydrated. Providing them with too much water can cause root rot, which can end up killing them. Drought-tolerant plants, such as succulents or cacti, will only need very occasional water depending on how much light they are receiving. Some water every two to three weeks may suffice.
Yellowing and dropping leaves are often a sign of overwatering. On the other hand, rapid leaf drop may be an indication that the plant needs water. You shouldn’t rely on the top of the soil as an indicator about moisture content. The soil surface dries quickly. Instead, plunge your finger into the soil about 1 to 2 inches deep. If it’s dry at that depth, water. If not, don’t and check again a few days later.
Humidity levels in heated houses can be as much as 10% to 20% lower, and many houseplants suffer because of that. There are ways to improve the environment for your plants. First, group them together, because plants transpire moisture from their leaves. By clustering your plants, they can take advantage of that expelled moisture. If you have room and ample light, clustering them together in a bathroom or kitchen is a good idea, because those are the most humid areas of the house.
You could also place your plants next to or above a tray of water. You can elevate your pots above the water in the tray by placing them on stones, so that the bottom of the pots aren’t resting in water. If you have a humidifier, plants will benefit from being placed close to it.
Sunlight, when it shows up at all, hits at a lower angle during the winter, so you may have to move your plants to find more light. Look for a south or west facing window for the best light, but don’t move them too close to that window to avoid drafts.
Finally, don’t worry about fertilizing your houseplants during the winter. In early spring, when new growth starts to appear or the green seems to brighten, resume fertilizing. Until then, let your plant rest and enjoy a long winter’s nap.
For more information about caring for houseplants, contact the Carter County office of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expressions, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.
By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
The West Carter Lady Comets’ Katie Barker is going to Asbury University to play soccer, signing her intention to attend the school last week.
Asbury assistant coach Aaron Martin said Barker’s talent and hard work impressed the school.
“She was at every conditioning all summer,” Martin said. “And she was a team leader.”
Barker thanked her parents for their support during her years of play, as well as her West Carter teammates.
“I’ve played soccer for 14 years now and they’ve been with me since the very start,” she explained. “Mom’s drove me three hours away just to play a game. My teammates have helped me (through injuries and recovery), and helped me overcome that so I can play at college.”
West Carter Coach Emily Hannah said it’s “been great” to have Barker on the team.
“It’s been three years I had the pleasure of coaching her at the assistant and head coach level,” Hannah said. “Like Aaron said, she’s an extremely hard worker. She’s a great leader for our team. And she was someone that we could always count on.”
Barker will be taking that attitude and work ethic with her to Wilmore, Kentucky next year when she starts her college career with the Asbury University Eagles team.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Grayson Rural Electric and Kentucky Power still didn’t have electricity back on for everyone following recent ice storms before the snow and ice turned to rain, and creeks began overflowing their banks. Rising waters in Hitchins and Willard led to water rescues in those communities, according to social media posts.
Flood waters in Hitchins eventually found their way into the Carter Christian Academy basement on Monday morning after staff spent the evening attempting to hold waters back and move books, computers and other equipment. The school’s gymnasium, which underwent renovations a couple of years back that included a new floor and walls around the entrance to help hold back flood waters, has reportedly stayed dry so far. Staff, however, had to be carried out of the school in rescue boats.
The Grayson Fire Department also reported at least one water rescue, of an automobile stuck in high waters.
According to information shared by Grayson Emergency Management Deputy Director Joanne Dunfee flood waters in the Little Sandy River were expected to crest at 27.8 feet, but those numbers had peaked and were beginning to come back down by late Monday afternoon.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Carter County has a lot of brush to clean up after the damage to trees from recent ice storms. More than county road and sanitation crews could feasibly cleanup on their own – at least in any sort of timely manner. So what can a county without a lot of resources do in a situation like this? Well, when a disaster declaration leads to an opportunity for FEMA reimbursement, one thing they can do is look for outside contractors to help clean up the mess.
That’s what Carter County is hoping for after speaking with representatives from two different companies who each do different types of work in communities impacted by storms.
“This storm damage is far more significant than anything we’ve seen before,” Judge Executive Mike Malone told the court. Continuing, he explained the county is looking at “millions of dollars” in damage that county crews “won’t be able to handle alone and complete anything else.”
Some of the folks who could end up helping the county could be from Southern Disaster Recovery (SDR), a debris management company. Chris Johnson, a senior project manager with SDR, explained to the court that his company normally cleans up in the southern states after hurricanes and tropical storms, or in other communities after tornadoes. The same process for cleaning up after those disasters applies to winter storm damage though, he said. Companies make estimates of the amount of material, they gather that material in a central location, then they either burn or mulch that material. If it is burned – which Johnson said was the cheapest route – the burn site is listed as the final location. If it is mulched, he said, the locations of all that material has to be tracked.
This is how the companies get reimbursed. FEMA pays for up to 75 percent of the costs on these approved projects, in an area with a disaster declaration. State and local governments cover the remainder of the costs – in Carter County that’s expected to be around 12 percent, though some may be offset with other programs. But in order for FEMA to reimburse the company, all materials must be tracked from the location where they are picked up through to their final location.
That’s where DebrisTech comes in. John McNeese, a project manager with DebrisTech, told the court his company could handle that documentation to make sure the county was fully reimbursed by FEMA. They not only document all debris removal and upload that data in real time as it is occurring, they photograph every step of the process as well. They then compile all this information into a PDF document at the end of the project, which can be presented to FEMA.
McNeese said another benefit of their real time tracking was that magistrates could log in during the project and tell constituents exactly where work was occurring in or near their district at the time of their call. This, he said, could allow magistrates to give people in their communities a better idea of when clean-up crews might reach them.
Both McNeese and Johnson said one of the issues with making estimates was that – unlike in coastal areas where it was easier to get debris into big piles and determine the amount of material – because of the hilly terrain locations are spread out. There is also a great deal of material stuck in trees that hasn’t fallen to the ground yet. Johnson said it could be anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 cubic yards of material. Even with outside crews coming in to work on the project, Johnson said he thought the county was looking at, “at least 90 days,” worth of cleanup.
For a County the size of Carter, he said, he would recommend two collection sites, one on each end of the county. He also recommended burning for disposal, in part because it ends the chain of documentation needed for FEMA and ends up being the cheaper process as a result.
The pair also discussed the type of materials they were legally allowed to take under FEMA guidelines and answered questions from the court about those issues. For example, Johnson explained they could take any debris that originated in the county right-of way, no matter where it fell, but they could only take debris from private property if it fell into the right-of-way. Even then they could only take that portion that fell onto the right-of-way. They could not take any portion still on private property.
McNeese added that the companies could go onto private property if damage was significant enough that a right-of-entry was granted. But, he said, he didn’t feel the damage here presented enough danger, in most cases, for a right-of-entry to be granted.
Malone was curious about how quickly after a declaration of emergency work could begin, noting that school buses are having a difficult time turning around in some areas because of the brush.
Johnson said his company could get started on any work within 48 hours of getting the go-ahead from the county. But, before the county could do that, they would have to accept bids from SDR, DebrisTech, and others.
Malone said the county would have to wait on a declaration of a disaster, because they couldn’t go forward without knowing that FEMA was going to reimburse the companies for their work, but said he wanted to move forward with preparations so they could make decisions as soon as a state of disaster was declared.
The court moved to begin the process of taking bids and starting the FEMA reimbursement process through a third company, ER Assist. ER Assist handles disaster funding options. They help set up the FEMA grants and handle the bidding from companies like DebrisTech and SDR, among other tasks, Malone’s office explained. They chose to go with ER Assist for this initial part of the project because the company is already an approved vendor working with the state.
In other action Malone told the court that Emergency Management Director Jeremy Rodgers has announced his intention to step down from the position, but has agreed to stay on until someone can be found to fill the role. Malone asked the court for permission to advertise for the new E.M. Director, which was approved.
Malone also discussed his ideas about large generators for use at high school sites, which he said wasn’t met with as much enthusiasm as he would have liked during a phone call with the governor and other local and regional leaders last week. Malone said he’d like to have two large emergency generators, one for use at a high school or middle school on each end of the county, to provide power during an emergency. Malone said schools are ideal spots for such relief because they already have bathroom facilities to serve a large number of individuals and cafeteria facilities that could be used to cook for large numbers of people.
“But if you don’t have power, you can’t do any of that,” he said.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
When winter storms led to power outages and lost water across the county, the Willard community didn’t waste time fretting about what to do. Instead the folks there, like others across the county, stepped up and did what needed to be done to keep their friends and family warm and fed. They didn’t do it for reward or for admiration.
“I can’t tell you who has helped out, because they don’t want their names mentioned,” explained Whitney Dallaire, who was working in the kitchen at the Willard American Legion Post 342 last week.
The help they’re receiving from these anonymous community members is going a long way, though. Dallaire said they sent out around 100 to-go trays for delivery the day before, and Missy Pennington estimated the busy kitchen was feeding “300 to 350 dinners a day” to community members without power and those working to restore electricity.
Post commander Richard Dallaire thanked Arrick’s Propane for stepping up to make sure the post had the propane necessary to keep people warm and prepare hot meals.
“They knew we were doing all the food and stuff, so they came straight out and made sure we had tanks to keep cooking for everybody,” Dallaire said.
“The whole community has pulled together,” he added, noting that local church groups and businesses have contributed in addition to individuals in and outside the county.
“It’s been very humbling,” Dallaire said.
In addition to all the local Willard churches, the Dallaires said, help had come from the Raceland Christian Church in Greenup County, and from local businesses like Hitchins Post, Bayes General Store, Andy’s Market, and others.
“Ralph’s sent pop,” Whitney Dallaire said. “We’ve had church members and just random community members come in and bring in donations, come in and help clean, delivering meals. Cherokee Baptist Church has delivered thirty meals a day, every day.”
“All the churches in Willard have helped out in one way or another,” Richard chimed in.
“ZZ’s Bar and Grill sent us take out trays,” Whitney continued. “Robin Webb and Larry Doucet had truckloads of water delivered, and Brian Bayes has helped a lot with coordinating the water delivery. He picked up water from Rattlesnake Ridge… and Grayson Utilities.”
“Grayson Sanitation came out and picked up our trash, even though they don’t have a route going right now,” she added with a laugh.
“That was amazing,” Richard said.
In all, they said, it has been a “humbling” and “rewarding” experience, and they’re proud of the way the community has come together to support one another.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Patty Gaye Gilliam Flatt, age 58, of Lexington, Kentucky, passed away on the early morning of March 1, 2021. After a long fight with numerous health issues, she passed peacefully at the University of Kentucky Medical Center.
She was born November 27, 1962, in Ashland, Kentucky, a daughter of the late Clyde and Oma Pendlum Gilliam.
Patty spent most of her childhood growing up in Olive Hill and was a graduate of West Carter Class of 1980. She went on to pursue an associate’s degree at Morehead State University and a master’s of banking at LSU. Her entire professional career was dedicated to multiple jobs in banking. Ultimately she became the Executive Vice President of Whitaker Bank in Lexington, Kentucky, and COO of Whitaker Bank Corporation. She served as an inspiration to every young woman pursuing executive jobs by breaking the glass ceiling. She was of the Christian faith. Patty loved spending time with her family and friends in her free time. She was an amazing mother, daughter, sister, and friend through the entirety of her time with us.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one brother, Roy Dale Gilliam.
Patty is survived by one daughter, Jordan Noel Flatt of Lexington, Kentucky; three sisters, Beverly Gilliam of Lexington, Kentucky, Joyce Nolen of Greenwood, Indiana, and Bonnie Rayburn of Olive Hill, Kentucky; and one brother, Gary Gilliam of Hurricane, West Virginia. She also leaves numerous other loved ones whose lives were touched by her and she will be greatly missed by every person in her life.
A graveside service will be held at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 4, 2021, at the Dean Cemetery in Globe, Kentucky, with her daughter, Jordan Flatt and Brother Steve Madden officiating.
Friends may visit from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 4, 2021, at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway US 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky.
Darby Joe Rayburn, Michael Rayburn, Roger Rayburn, Kyle Stone, Jarrod Owens, Mark Nolen will serve as pallbearers. Steve Stone, Seth Wolf, Nolen Wolf, and Brad Gilliam will serve as honorary pallbearers.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.globefc.com.
FLEMINGSBURG – Motorists should expect temporary closures on KY 1626, KY 955, and KY 1444 in Carter County the next two weeks for roadway and bridge repairs.
Road work schedules are subject to change depending on weather conditions. Motorists are asked to heed all warning signs, slow down in work zones and remain aware of workers and construction equipment when traveling.
Mrs. Helen Damron Bush, age 79, of Grayson, Kentucky, went home to be with the Lord, Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at her residence surrounded by her loving family.
She was born February 8, 1942, in Hitchins, Kentucky, a daughter of the late Ernest and Mayme Riffe Damron.
Helen was a member of the First Baptist Church in Grayson, Kentucky, and she was a life long homemaker. She enjoyed attending church, cooking, and spending time with her family.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one brother, George Damron and one sister, Evelyn League.
Helen is survived by her husband of 59 years, Eugene Bush; two sons, Gary and Tina Bush of Catlettsburg, Kentucky, and Bill and Julie Bush of Grayson, Kentucky; one daughter, Missy and Brent Boggs of Webbville, Kentucky; four grandchildren, Allison and Matt Hall of Summitt, Kentucky, Katie Bush of Grayson, Kentucky, Sarah Boggs and Emilee Boggs, both of Webbville, Kentucky; and one brother, Calvin Damron of Lebanon, Ohio. She also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss her.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, February 28, 2021, at Grayson Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Grayson, Kentucky, with Brother Josh Schmidt and Brother Brian Bush officiating. Burial will follow in the East Carter Memory Gardens in Grayson, Kentucky.
Friends may visit from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, February 28, 2021, at Grayson Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 49 McCoy Road, Grayson, Kentucky 41143.
Family and friends will serve as pallbearers.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.graysonfh.com.
Charlie “Pete” Cole, age 80, passed away Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at St. Claire Healthcare in Morehead, Kentucky.
He was born September 24, 1940, in Carter County, Kentucky, a son of the late Noah and Myrtle Davis Cole.
Charlie enjoyed coon hunting, listening to gospel music, fishing, and spending time with his family.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one son, Larry Cole; three brothers, Tommy Cole, Marlie Cole and William Cole; and two sisters, Lee Lemaster and Margaret Cole.
Charlie is survived by his wife of 56 years, Nadine Brickles Cole; one son, Kenny Cole of Wallingford, Kentucky; four daughters, Mary Skaggs (Phillip) and Karen Henderson (Cheyenne), all of Olive Hill, Kentucky, Anna Cantrell (Estill) of West Liberty, Kentucky, and Martha Whisman (Tim Mullens) of West Liberty, Kentucky; 12 grandchildren; 26 great grandchildren; one brother, Carl Cole (Diane) of Olive Hill, Kentucky; and one sister, Norma Henderson of Olive Hill, Kentucky. He also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss him.
Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, February 26, 2021, at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Clifford “Tippy” Price officiating. Burial will follow in the Stegall Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky.
Friends may visit from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Friday, February 26, 2021, at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway US 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164.
Family and friends will serve as pallbearers.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.globefc.com.
Mr. Sherman Franklin Menix, age 84, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away, Tuesday, February 23, 2020, at St. Claire Healthcare in Morehead, Kentucky.
He was born May 1, 1936, in Carter County, Kentucky, a son of the late Elva and Edith Greer Menix.
Sherman was a member of the Globe Christian Holiness Church and worked as a carpenter. He enjoyed working, mowing grass and spending time with his family.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one daughter, Donna Jo Sloas; one great granddaughter, Chelsa Stevens; two brothers, Raymond Menix and Cline Menix; one sister, Jennifer Burge; and one daughter-in-law, Kathy Menix.
Sherman is survived by his wife, Wilma Rucker Menix; two sons, Robert “Bobby” Menix of Olive Hill, Kentucky and Michael Hale (Sue) of Grayson, Kentucky; two grandchildren, Stacy Neace (Anthony) and Stephanie Layne; four great grandchildren, Georgia Parker, Patrick Neace, Chloe Layne and Payton Layne; and two sisters, Evelyn Williams of Wilson, Ohio, and Darlene Burge of Marvin, Ohio. He also leaves many other family members and friend who will sadly miss him.
Funeral services will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, February 27, 2021, at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Gary Sparks officiating. Burial will follow in the Menix Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky.
Friends may visit from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, February 27, 2021, at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway US 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164.
Anthony Neace, Bobby Menix, Bob Wilson, Michael Hale, Brandon Oney and Chris Brown will serve as pallbearers.
Due to COVID-19 regulations, we ask that everyone wear a mask and practice social distancing.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.globefc.com.
Darra Michelle Walker Vance, age 45, passed away Monday, February 22, 2021, at her residence.
She was born October 29, 1975, in Rowan County, Kentucky, the daughter of Tempie Jarvis Bailey of Olive Hill, Kentucky, and the late Darrell Walker.
Darra was of the Christian faith, she graduated from West Carter High School and attended Morehead State University. She enjoyed her fur babies and spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren.
In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by one son, Charles Le’Chase Brewster; one grandson, Zander Le’Chase Brewster; and her maternal grandfather, Charles Seagraves.
In addition to her mother, Darra is survived by her husband of 11 years, Aaron Vance; two sons, Johnny Blake Brewster and Dakota Raylei Brewster, both of Olive Hill, Kentucky; two daughters, Haley Santana Brewster of Morehead, Kentucky, and Presley Savanna Brewster of Olive Hill, Kentucky; five grandchildren; one sister, Christy Dawn Thacker of Greenup County, Kentucky; her maternal grandmother, Anna Lee Seagraves of Olive Hill, Kentucky; and her mother-in-law, Debra Cox Trent of Olive Hill, Kentucky. She also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss her.
A joint funeral service for Darra and her son, Charles Le’Chase Brewster was held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Mark Burton and Brother Clifford “Tippy” Price officiating. Burial followed in the Garvin Ridge Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky.
Friends visited from 6p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, February 23, 2021, and after 9 a.m. on Wednesday at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway US 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164.
Aaron Vance, Devin Ray, Shawn Ray, Braxton Brewster, Clyde Carpenter and Mark Butler served as pallbearers.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.globefc.com.
By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Survival expert Les Stroud promotes the importance of little things, like a warm drink, in keeping your morale up during a survival situation. Keeping that advice in mind I did my best over the past week to make sure my family had at least one hot meal a day, and that Nicole and I had hot coffee in the morning, despite the fact that we had no electricity, no telephone, and for several days in a row no way off our hill.
Granted, we weren’t in an emergency survival situation lost in the wilderness. But we were four people packed into one bedroom with a kerosene heater for warmth, and no electronics or television to keep the kids occupied. If that isn’t a recipe for poor morale, I’m not sure what exactly is. (You’ve not seen a meltdown until you’ve seen a toddler – who has been asking for Mickey Mouse cartoons for three days by pointing to his toy and then at the television – finally get to watch half an episode on the last remnants of a laptop battery only to be denied the conclusion of the show when the battery finally dies.)
Nicole said she was fine with peanut butter sandwiches and cold cereal, and we did some of that. We moved all the perishables out onto the back porch as soon as it was obvious the power wasn’t coming back on right away, so our meats and dairy didn’t go bad. If anything, it kept it too cold, and our milk constantly had ice crystals in it – when it wasn’t frozen solid, that is.
But I wanted to give them all more than that.
To be honest, the cooking – cold as it was to stand on the back porch at a propane burner hunched over an iron skillet – was just as important to my mental well-being as it was to our overall comfort as a family.
Cooking is something I enjoy a great deal, and though I couldn’t complete some of my signature recipes without the benefit of an oven and other kitchen gadgets, making something simple like paprika and garlic pork chops on the grill and heating a side of home-canned green beans over the kerosene heater lent a sense of normalcy to a situation that was anything but.
Likewise, my morning coffee routine went on without much change. Other than dragging out one of my old hand crank grinders and heating my water on the outdoor propane burner instead of the stovetop, it was very much the same. Even when we accidentally broke the pour-over carafe in our over-crowded room, we improvised and overcame. Instead of using the broken carafe, we reduced the amount of beans we were grinding by about a third and put the cone filter over a large mason jar and – voilà – the hillbilly pour-over was born!
There were some challenges, like the half cooked omelet that I had to finish on the kerosene heater – with heat shield removed – after the propane ran out halfway through making breakfast. But like with the mason jar coffee, it was simply another test of our ingenuity.
And no matter the conditions, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather cook for, or be stuck in a room with for a week, than this bunch. They make my life pretty great.
Jeremy D. Wells can be reached at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Sometimes, I come up with strange ideas about different things. Be warned that this could be one of them. Communications has been my life’s work so part of the blame goes to my chosen profession.
But then it might be a consequence of being 78 years old and realizing on a daily basis how many relatives, friends and others of my contemporaries are no longer with us.
And it could be the lingering bits and pieces of my depression in the aftermath of a terrible year for our state, nation and the world.
To be honest, I am a lover and collector of country music and I continue to get more listening pleasure from the so-called golden oldies than from most of the stuff now coming out of Nashville. That must be common because many American radio stations still program the old stuff.
In fact, I tried to break out of my latest funk by watching, for the third time, the incredible, 16-hour documentary by Ken Burns about the history of country music.
But it’s always a spooky feeling when I occasionally ask myself why so-and-so has not released any new music, only to find that he or she has been dead for years.
For instance, can you believe that Waylon Jennings died way back in 2002, and that Tammy Wynette left us in 1998 and Marty Robbins sang his last gunfighter ballad in 1982, and that Lester Flatt took off his white Stetson hat for the last time in 1979?
I could go on with dozens of other names but the list gets sadder and sadder when I think of all of the talented folks that Tex Ritter named in his great song about “Hillbilly Heaven” before he rode off into the sunset. George Jones followed his example with names of singers in “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?” before riding away on his tour bus.
I’m not sure if my concept of such a music show featuring deceased performers would work better on radio or on the Internet, perhaps both, but I’m positive that I came up with the perfect title:
The Graveyard Shift.
Keith Kappes can be reached at keithkappes@gmail.com
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” – Fred Rogers
This quote from Fred Rogers has been on our minds a lot during the recent ice storms across our area.
Some of what we’ve seen on social media – once we were able to get back on social media – was complaining and groaning. But a lot more was appreciation. Appreciation for the utility workers trying to restore power and water. Appreciation for the road crews keeping state routes open. Appreciation for the neighbors who’ve delivered water and cut out fallen trees to keep rural roads open. Appreciation for the community groups, both private and public, who’ve provided meals and places to get warm for those without power or heat sources.
We’ve seen the chaos. We’ve heard the complaining. But we’ve looked for the helpers, and they’ve been easy to find. They’re everywhere, all across our communities.
Those helpers are who we’re asking you to focus on this week, and in the coming weeks. Think of the people who have helped you during this weather emergency. Think of how you can help your neighbors.
Maybe you can help chop firewood or deliver some kerosene for their heater. Maybe you can seek out one of the churches or American Legion halls or other organizations providing food and a place to get warm and donate your time, or your resources, or simply write them a check to offset the costs.
Whatever you are best able to do, consider doing it. Don’t do it to post to Facebook for “likes.” Consider the privacy of the people you choose to help before you share specifics if you do share. But do what you can.
If you’ve been helped by someone, and you’d like to thank them for their assistance, we’re asking you to please reach out and share your story. We’d like to help you say “thank you” to those who have been helpers.
We’ll respect the privacy of anyone who shares and the privacy of those they share about. We won’t share anyone’s name if we’re asked not to. But, in the coming weeks, we want to focus on some of the positive stories to come out of this emergency.
We want to do our part to shine a spotlight on the helpers, so that when your children are scared – or you need a little positive affirmation yourself – you can find them there.
We know that these times can be hard. We were already feeling isolated with the pandemic. With the loss of power and online connectivity, some of us are feeling it even more. But we’re also remembering what real neighborliness is about.
This is a rough time. But it’s also time for two of the things Appalachian people excel at – self-sufficiency and taking care of each other – to really shine. And they have been.
The helpers are all around us. Look for them. Be them.
The children will see, and remember.
Jake is a two-year-old male lab mix. He is an extremely sweet, playful boy and would be a wonderful addition to any family. His $75 adoption fee to an approved home includes rabies vaccination and being neutered. Stop by the Carter County Animal Shelter and meet him or call 475-9771 for more information.
Shelter hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday by appointment.
By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
We’re all tired of the ice and snow at this point. We’re ready for things to thaw out, for roads to be clear, for electricity to be back on, and for water to flow from our faucets.
This is hardly Carter County’s first bout of inclement winter weather, though. Reader Deanna Dunaway called us last week, just before we lost electricity to our home office, to reminisce about the winter storms of 1993. Dunaway remembered gathering in with her sister, who had wood heat, to stay warm when the electric was out because of ice storms that year. While it isn’t easy to deal with while it’s going on, I know we’ve made priceless memories during this recent storm watching our children play together – especially the little one who was thrilled with all the singing, ukulele playing, and the undivided attention he was receiving from his big brother.
And, while we may be done with the cold, hopefully the freezing weather won’t last as late as April. It did in 1907, when the Olive Hill Times reported that a hard freeze lasting two weeks had wiped out the buds on most of the fruit trees and done great damage to vegetable gardens as well.
What’s interesting is that while we couldn’t find the piece about the freezing weather in the original Olive Hill Times clippings in Uncle Jack’s scrapbooks, it was there in the 1922 Carter County Herald when they looked back on what was going on in Olive Hill 15 years before. Some of the other items listed in the article, such as Mr. Fred Fultz sending his dollar from Kansas for a subscription, were among Uncle Jack’s clippings from that week and year, so we believe the freeze happened. But it goes to show that you never know what you might find digging through old newspapers, and that nostalgia columns like this one can be just as valuable as the original source material when researching an era.
Editor’s Note: This is the 32nd in a series of articles drawn from historical newspaper clippings.
The Carter County Times is a weekly newspaper serving Carter County, Kentucky, since June 2020.
Contact us: editor@cartercountytimes.com
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