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A4 - THE JOURNAL, Thursday, October 14, 2021
Opinions
Fall is upon us! With fall storms rolling through over the week-
end, football seasons in full swing and Old Settlers Day in the
rearview, we know that we are surely in the midst of fall. This
autumn has been mild for sure and the cool,darnpairthatanived
early this week is the first real hint of the changing season.
One thing I remember hearing repeatedly as part of my folk’s
discussionstcmovetoOklahomainthe late 90’s was thattlrey’d
get to experience four seasons. Frankly, my attitude toward the
weather is probably less than chamber of commerce worthy.
So,I won’t tell you much more about that!
Be that as it may, Old Settlers Day was absolutely fantastic this
year. The members of our community that dedicated countless
volunteer hours planning and executing the festivities deserve
whole hearted commendation! The Perkins Community Chartr-
ber of Commerce, Perkins Police Department, Perkins Lions
Club, Payne County Bank and others that put in tireless efforts
pulled off what, in many conversations, has been called the
best Old Settlers Day in years! Charley and I enjoyed a walk
down Main Street after the parade and experienced exactly what
planners hoped for. We got to enjoy time with friends and others
from our community.
I am absolutely impressed with the participation from vendors.
I read online that over sixty vendors were present. It was fantastic
to see CREC, dozens of small businesses peddling their wares,
and even a candidate for City Commision out to meet residents
and visitors. Saturday’s event and parade is one of those occa-
sions I think you can say, “A Good Time Was HadBy All.”
Sadly, I missed the parade as I was virmally attending the
Oklahoma Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Thankfully, during the conference’s lunch break, I got the
chance to walk down town and witness family friendly games
and the kids hot dog eating contest. As I understand it, a fellow
City Commissioner made quite a showing in the adult version
of that event!
There is truly something to be said for community gatherings.
When we are able to be together, in person, and enjoy something
together, we are able to lay aside divisicns and realize that we
share common values. One of my fondest memories from my
childhood is the Texas Rice Festival which is held in Winnie,
Texas every October. My favorite part of the event was working
at the booth our church ran every year. We were the Blue Bell
Ice Cream vendor for that event at the time.
This year’s vendors at Old Settlers Day may not know it
immediately, butthey have built an experience for someone that
will last a lifetime. The participation of vendors on Main Street
is invaluable and I sincerely hope to see-even more participants
in next year’s 99th fall festival. I appreciate each of their efforts.
to make this year’ 5 event special and congratulate them on being
part of the best in years!
I’d especially like to thank our Perkins Pelice and Fire Depart-
ments for being present en masse Saturday. We easily take for
granted that when our first responders are in uniform, they are
working and taking time away from their families to serve our
community. .
On Sunday,0ctober 31,frcm5 to7 pm. ourChamberwill
be hosting it’s next community wide event in the 36th Annual
Monster Mash. The Monster Mash will be a drive through Trick
or Treat even in the Territorial Plaza where the Chamber and,
local businesses will hand out candy. Be sure to add that stop
to your trick-or—treating plans for Halloween.
Our community organizations rarely get the thanks they
deserve for serving our community well. One thing is certain:
each and every one has the very best hopes, dreams and expec-
tations for this community in their minds at all times. I genuinely
look forward to more community participation in the coming
years. We have great things on the horizon in Perkins!
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’ This past Week, I attended an interim study held by
Rep. Jacob Rosecrants that focused on the benefits recess
provides our school kids. Hearing how recess furnishes
interactive learning opportunities was fascinating. The
educators involved in the study said having more fre-
quent recesses can lead to better academic outcomes and
fewer behavioral issues. They explained how more free
play can help retain a student’s attention in class and
reduce the need for disciplinary actions. Recess also can
help children learn better social skills. The presenters at
the study Suggested the Legislature should protect recess
as a student right but leave the details, such as how long
breaks are, to teachers and their school districts. I will
continue to watch this issue as I think it could greatly
benefit both our educators and our children, as well as
their families.
There are more upcoming interim studies that I believe
my Constituents will be interested in.
1321-109, by Reps. Carol Bush and Andy Fugate, Cre-
ating a 360 Degree Agency View of Children in Foster
Care, begins at l p.m., Monday, Oct. 18, before the.
Children, Youth and Family Services Committee.
As our state begins to update computer agency systems,
it is important to examine data-sharing opportunities and
challenges. This study will explore creating a single,
comprehensive record of children in state custody
looking at which agencies are involved, which agencies
own the data, interoperability and data-sharing, as well
as privacy issues, efficiency, avenues for improvement
and best practices from other states.
1521-006, by Rep. Jim Grego, Rural Ambulance Ser-
vice on County Lines, begins at 8:30 a.m., Thursday,
Oct. 21, before the House County and Municipal Gov-
ernment Committee.
Residents who live in rural areas on or near county lines
report trouble receiving 91 1 and ambulance service from
emergency service providers who say they can’t cross
county or other jurisdictional boundary lines. The study
will look for viable solutions to this problem.
Both studies will be held in Room 206 at the Capitol.
Just a reminder that these meetings are open to
the public. They also can be viewed online by going
tohttpszllokhouse.gov/Video/Default.aspx and looking
for the name of the committee and the date. Video also
is archived for viewing after the meeting for those unable
to livestream.
On a separate note, I want to mention that the First
Americans Museum recently opened in Oklahoma City,
and I had the pleasure of touring this remarkable facility.
I like the fact that it is named for the “First Americans,”
because that’s really a more accurate way to describe the
native tribes who first inhabited this land. As modern
Americans, it’s easy to forget there were people living
on this continent before it was colonized by Europeans.
I enjoyed the family-oriented atmosphere and seeing
how each of Oklahoma’s 39 federally recognized tribal
nations featured in the museum has their own unique
culture. I encourage visitors to go when they have a
couple of hours to browse and just take in ‘the wonder
of this place. I hope many classroom teachers will bring
their students to go through the museum and learn about
our rich heritage. As COVID case numbers are declining,
this is a great activity to get your family out of the house.
It is an honor to serve you. Please do not hesitate
to reach out to me at 405-557-7304 or John.Talley@
okhouse.gov.
Curriculum
The two subjects our public schools should teach is four
years of American Civics to graduate. If you’re 18 years
old and can’t name the three branches of government or
how many members of Congress there are, then civics
might need to be reintroduced in public school.
I’d also like to suggest that Native American languages
be introduced and offered in schools as a second language.
Shawn Crain
Perkins
It is easy for gardeners to become overwhelmed this
time of year. I have been looking for time to make the
last of the basil into pesto while coaxing the winter veg-
gies up to size before all warmth leaves the air. I look at
each perennial and herbaceous shrub determining if the
foliage has deteriorated to the point it is no longer feeding
the root; do I trim it back now or wait? What seems to
become the priority is watering seedlings and processing
falling leaves.
The fall ritual of vacuuming, raking, bagging or mulch-
ing leaves has become for me less of a chore and more
of a meditative time. Nevertheless, it will consume its
share of hours, precious hours. Embracing the mindset of
thankfulness for a home, with trees, healthy trees and. . .a
healthy body to carry out the work, helps me find that
place of peace.
A few Christmases ago I received a gift from :a close
friend in California. She and another took themselves
on a self-guided foliage tour of the Northeastern states.
She collected fallen leaves of various'shapes, sizes and
colors, pressed them, arranged them and mounted them in
a frame. Simple, inexpensive, but the end result was one
of elegance! Four years have passed; the leaves are still
vibrant in color, hanging out of direct sunlight. Visitors
always comment on this piece of “art”; it is truly beautiful.
The easiest way to preserve leaves for framing or sea-
sonal decor is to press them. Flower preSses can be used
or one can simply opt for the old-fashioned book and
paper towel technique.
Begin by gathering fallen leaves before they air dry in
the yard. Collect your favorites, avoiding leaves that are
curled, have brown tips, or have discoloration from spots
or leaf galls. Place the selections on a piece of newsprint or
paper towel in the center of a book. Lay another towel on
top, gently close the book and weight it down by stacking
more books on top. Check your project in one week to
make sure the leaves are drying and not rotting. Leave
the leaves in the “press” until completely dry.
Colorful fall foliage can be preserved to 'a more supple
state by “drying” them in glycerin. Available at most drug
stores, use the same guidelines for selecting curl, spot and
gall-free foliage. Mix 2 parts water with 1 part glycerin.
Pour about 1” of the mixture in the bottom of a glass
baking pan. Lay the leaves in the liquid and place another
smaller baking dish on top to weight them down. Check
for suppleness after three days. If the leaves still feel dry,
return them to the solution for three more days. When
ready, remove the foliage and blot dry with a paper towel.
Some try to' speed up the process of drying by using
their microwave to zap the moisture. While thirty second
intervals are recommended for this method, remember
the fragile state of most leaves and the ability of things
to actually catch fire in microwave. Be extremely careful.
With holidays quickly approaching, who has time for
projects“? None of us and all of us has bits and pieces of
time in which we can slip in things that are important to
us. If you are out raking leaves, look for treasures in ruby
or jade and slip them in a book when you come inside,
but before you put your feet up.
Historically, leaf drop season is several weeks away here
in Payne County. However, the current hot dry streak is
accelerating the normal timeline and leaves are already
dropping on several species. This is a good opportunity
to remind you that fallen leaves are a valuable nutrient
resource that should be captured and returned to the
landscape. Here are some tips on how to do that without
being overwhelmed by the process.
No matter the ultimate destination for the leaves, the
most helpfirl step is to simply mow frequently and chop
them up into small pieces. This step net only lowers the
volume of collection and storage needed, in some cases
it can eliminate the need for any further aetion as long as
the turfgrass is not completely covered up in the process.
If mowing alone doesn’t take care of the leaves, the
next step is composting. There are two basic approaches
to this. The easiest thing to do is simply pile the leaves
up and let nature break the leaves down over time. Since
it can take‘several years for leaves to break down in this
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