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Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
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GIGO Diary, for 2008-03-20: A recycling consciousness Today, Barbara Armitage shares a beautiful story from her childhood, about an idyllic life with an indulgent grandfather who took her fishing, and about an incident that taught her about the environment and how her wonderful Pop changed his way around the river when he learned, as many of the older folks in Adair County have learned, that "out of sight, out of mind" is not good enough for the world we live in. -EW By Barbara Armitage GIGO Diary of a Recycler: Everyday we are going to follow my garbage to see just how close I can come to eliminating my contribution the landfills in America Today is Thursday March 20, 2008. Poste 2008-03-21. Yesterday's GIGO Happy first day of Spring everyone. All of a sudden spring fever has become an epidemic. My telephone has been ringing with friends calling to tell me that theyve set up recycling bins and that they are forming teams to volunteer for the Adair County Pride Clean Up on April 12th when volunteers will take to the road side to pick up litter in Adair County. Ive heard that Adair County has suddenly become recycle conscious and Im thrilled that more people are taking pride in the environment but for many people this is not something new its something that weve been a part of for a long time. My concern about the environment started when I was a child. I can remember the first time I really thought about the consequences of my actions and I thought that I would share that memory with you today. My grandparents raised me.I grew up in Tampa, Florida on the Hillsboro River.Mostly I hung out with my grandfather Pop. Pop had grown up on a farm in South Georgia and although he was my mothers father he was a typical man of the day working long hours and having little time to spend with her when she was young. By the time I came along things were easier for him and he had more time for me.Not having ever spent time with little girls he treated me like a boy. By the time I was 8 years old I could change a tire, bait a fish hook and drive his Volkswagen.I thought that hanging out at the fish camps with the old men was what little girls did. We fished a lot or I should say that Pop fished a lot and I went along for the ride. Fishing didnt hold my attention for very long so I would take a book along and read while he fished. As far as I know there was only one photograph ever taken of Pop that didnt include a fish and I still wonder how my grandmother managed to get him to sit for it. I remember once when I was about 8 years old we were out fishing on the Withlacoochee River up near Ocala. We always took along a snack just in case Barbara wanted a little something as Pop would say. Usually some vanilla wafers and a ko-cola as Pop pronounced it. This day was a good day to be on the river the sun shining down just enough to make me sleepy and with a bit of a breeze but not so much as to make the water choppy. The metal john boat was warm against my legs where my shorts ended one bare foot hanging over the side dangling in the water. Pop and I bought that boat because together we could pick it up and load it into the back of his pick up truck. You couldnt always get a truck and trailer into some of the remote places we fished so it worked out great for us. As usual I was sitting in the back it being my job to drive the boat and Pop was up in the front. We had been enjoying our snack when I remember watching him as he drank the last of the coke from that green bottle. He quietly leaned over until his hand was touching the water. The dark murky river water swirled around the mouth of the bottle slowly filling it the sun reflecting off the glass. Then when the water was almost to the top of the rim he let go of it and the bottle tilted and rolled almost as if it was being pulled down by some invisible force. There was one glint of sunlight off the glass just before it disappeared. Pop looked up and said never throw your garbage on the bank. Always make sure that you sink it. Although I never said a word something inside me was screaming.I didnt speak up then not because I was afraid because Pop always taught me to speak my mind but because I couldnt put my thoughts to words right then. I knew deep inside that leaving that bottle in the river was wrong. I didnt know why I felt this way or how to express my feelings at the time. A few minutes later when I finished my drink I quietly slipped the bottle back into the brown paper sack and stashed it under my seat. I wish I could remember exactly when or what event it was that made Pop realize that his out of sight out of mind philosophy was not good for our world. I think that while I was growing up and changing so was Pop. I learned that we should all be like my Pop and be willing to keep learning all our lives. If you have never taken the time to look at our roadsides in Adair County please do so today. Take a good look at the trash there and if you arent part of the problem thank you if you are think about what you are doing. FACT:Adair County spent $38.693.58 in 2006 to clean litter off our roads. Here's what happened to the rest of the day's garbage. Recycle
The next largest will go to the Adair Recycling Center, 62 Service Road, Columbia, KY. Only a tiny amount will go into the landfill. REMINDER: Adair County Community Pride clean-up day is Saturday, April 12, 2008. A big day of clean up, food, fun, prizes and surprises starts at the Adair Annex at 8:00am for breakfast doughnuts, coffee and juice, pep rally, assignments and sign-in, and with a celebration lunch and Keep Adair County Clean rally at Mt. Carmel Boat Ramp at 11:00amCT. No one will want to miss one. The event is being coordinated in Adair County Judge Executive Ann Melton's Office, Courthouse Annex, Downtown, Columbia, KY. Phone (270) 384-4703. REMINDER: Recycle 101 to be offered at Adair Extension OfficeBarbara Armitage of the Garden Club and Kelli Bonifer of the Adair County Extension Service and and are collaborating to offer Recycle 101 on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 10:00amCT. A guest lecturer will be famed Kentucky environmentalist A.L. Sinclair. The seminar will train those who attend the ABC's of Recycling. The purpose of the course is to train Adair County more about living responsibly by recycling and reducing energy use. It will wrap up the Earth Day celebrations in April. The course is designed to train trainers who will in turn train neighbors until everyone in Adair County is a recycler. For more information contact Barbara Armitage at (270) 250-2979 or Kelli Bonifer at (270) 384-2317. The Adair Extension Service is located at 417 Fairgrounds Street, Columbia, KY. This story was posted on 2008-03-21 15:19:33
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Adair Co. Extension District Board meets What's Cooking in Adair Co. today: Scroll down to Today, March 21, 2008 Freecycle item: Free coffee maker Yes, Telissa, CM Yard Sale ads are still Free (ADV): *Low cost ColumbiaMagazine.com ads work for you Skateboard park advocates want volunteers Jacey Carey to represent Adair in State FFA competition (ADV) Main Street Bikes now sells Hardknock bobbers Ann announces date, theme for Sat., April 12, 2008 clean-up Egypt Christian Church offers shelter in time of storms View even more articles in topic News |
 
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