The Chatter Box
By Deborah Bennett

Last week's winter chill is to be replaced by spring like temperatures this week - according to local television weather forecasters. It seems that it is no longer possible to pack up one season's clothing and put them away anymore because the weather changes so drastically. Adjusting the covers on our beds and the heater to accommodate changing temperatures is also a chore. Put the quilt on - take the quilt off; turn the heater up - turn the heater down. Some days the air conditioning could even be put to use!

The fact is that we now have more warm or hot days annually than cool or cold ones. I can remember as a child seeing icicles hanging everywhere for days at a time. I also recall several "big" snowfalls. Winter's arrival was evident, and it "stayed" winter for the entire season. That rarely happens anymore, and I miss it. I like cold weather.

Lately, a drenching rainfall has also become a rare phenomenon in this area. The thunder and lightning that accompanies it are also two more natural occurrences that do not seem to happen very often anymore.

Of course, we have no control over the weather, and that is a good thing. We humans seem to have a tendency to mess things up. But I do wish it would stay cold when it is supposed to be cold and hot when it is supposed to be hot. At least then I would know how to dress and how to make up my beds!

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Happy birthday this week to: Matt Turner, Hamp Scott, Ray Garvin, Jeremy Dailey, Dudley Boynton, Tracy Edenfield, Sandra Sherrod, Brian Linder, Ethelene Young, Sydney Hooks, Linda Fuller, Bessie Lee Saxon, Susan Brown and Glynn Bassett Jr.

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Celebrating wedding anniversaries are: Mr. and Mrs. Danny Becton and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Oliver.

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Military Active Duty List: Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric B. Kelsey, U.S. Navy, NSA Bahrain; PV2 Ashley Clifton, U.S. Army, Yongsan, Korea; Airman First Class Charles F. Woods, Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta, GA; Capt. Andrew P. Thomas, U.S. Marines, F.A.S.T. Company, Yorktown, VA; Stuart Burrus, U.S. Air Force, Ali Al Salem AFB, Kuwait; SPC 4 Travis D. Motes, 1st Calvary Division, Camp Taji, Iraq; Capt. Donald Slade Burke, Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Gilbert C. Sheppard III, 48th Brigade, 118th Field Artillery, Iraq; Petty Officer 3rd Class Jamie A. Yager, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; Petty Chief Officer Andy D. Crosby, U.S. Navy, Elroy Destroyer, Norfolk, Va.; Stephanie Crosby, R.N., U.S. Navy, Lafayette Destroyer; LCPL Dwain "Cade" Lee, 1st Marine Division Combat Service Support Group II Security Element, ArRamadi, Iraq; Jimmy Cooper, U.S. Army National Guard, 878th Engineering Battalion-Augusta, Persian Gulf ; 1st Lt. J.R. Taylor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Iraq; SPC. Daniel Stuart, 18th MEDCOM, 121 General Hospital, Seoul, Korea; Jeffrey Sweat, U.S. Navy, USS Kauffman, MM3 59/E-Division, A-Gang, Norfolk, Va.; Cpl. Larry Lamont Clark, U.S. Marine Corp, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bagdad, Iraq; Khan Young, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, Persian Gulf; Robert Milton Jr., E-3, U.S. Army, Ft. Stewart, Hinesville, Ga., Mission Kuwait; Arnold R. Mosley, 2nd Lt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas; and Debra A. Mosley, Tech. Sgt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas.