To the Editor:

When I enrolled in the first grade, 65 years ago, I had to present a birth certificate. My parents used my hospital birth certificate which contained my name, birth date, feet prints, the names of my parents and their place of birth, my mother’s finger print and the place of my birth. It also had a large, embossed gold seal and several signatures.

I used that same birth certificate when registering for my Social Security number, applied for a driver license, registered for the draft, registered for college admission, bought life insurance, applied for a marriage license, registered to vote and for everything else that needed proof of birth and citizenship.

A few years ago the laws changed. When I applied for a passport, I was told I had to provide a “state certified birth certificate” and a picture. The U.S. and state government would no longer accept my voter’s registration card. They would not take my hospital birth certificate. I had to pay $10 to the state where I was born to get a “certified copy.” When my wife and I applied for Social Security and Medicate benefits, we had to present photo ID and “state certified birth certificates.”

By GEORGE ROBERTSON, M.D.

Seeing the wilted flowers after the last killing frost brought a touch of sadness as I surveyed the garden and yard. I had heard that the cold weather was coming and at the same time I knew I couldn't protect those sensitive plants indefinitely. Even if I covered them tonight, what about tomorrow night and the night after that? Sooner or later I would have to give them up to the inevitable consequences of winter.

The killing frost had nipped the young buds of my winter squash vines. It had put an end to the growing season and stopped even the cold weather crops in their tracks. The Impatiens growing by the front walk were now a lifeless crumple of faded green. The herbs growing in the backyard were beat down but surviving. The influence of the frost was broad reaching and final.

But there were some good consequences of the killing freeze. It meant that I would not have to mow the grass again until spring. It also put the finishing touches on the leaves that were increasing their beautiful colors along the roadside. The maple trees lining my neighbor's yard were now a deeper orange and yellow as the last sap drained from them and the green chlorophyll gave way to the other colors beneath.

The weed patch by the mailbox now was becoming brittle so that my weed sling (my low-tech energy-saving answer to the bush hog) could now chop off the once thick green cover to turn it into a bear area again. I could slice through the weeds and identify the egg cases of the praying mantis insect and expose the old moss undergrowth of the surface roots below.

The seed pod of the milkweed would now pop open releasing its promise of new life in the form of a parachute into the wind, helping me to reaffirm that even in the cold and darkness of death there is the hope of new life. So even as the leaves on the oak trees were becoming brown and crumpled and brittle, new buds for the next year form beneath, pushing them out into the chilling wind. And I can appreciate the cycle of life that also ends in death.

Editor’s Note: George Robertson is a physician with Family Medical Associates, PC, in Lebanon.

By ANNE DONNELL

I like those explanations of the odd things we say daily. Here are two for you to “deliver.” Hodgepodge, cold turkey. Thanks! -RR (Regular Reader)

“Deliver” sounds too much like “labor and delivery.” Mothers of the world, you know what I mean. And now it’s televised! Pant and push in public. George Orwell had no idea!

[ATA (According to Anne) – George Orwell (pen name of Eric Arthur Blair) 1903-1950, British novelist, essayist, critic, a leading political writer of his day. Best known now for his novels Animal Farm and 1984. The latter is about a society marked by huge government and mind control, a dystopian society. (Dystopian societies feature repressive control systems.) Wikipedia adds, “Many of its terms and concepts, such as Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime, Newspeak, and memory hole, have become contemporary vernacular since its publication in 1949. Moreover, 1984 popularised the adjective Orwellian, which refers to official deception, secret surveillance, and manipulation of the past in service to a totalitarian or manipulative political agenda.”]

Speaking of memory hole (actually refers to a device that distorts memory, perhaps to the point of disappearance) I have one I keep it nearby. In my head. 

So, on to business. Hodgepodge means a mixture of many things, a confused mess. The word dates back to the 15^th century and came from a French word (hocher) which meant “to shake together.” That was applied to a stew (hochepot), and, sailing across the channel one day (English Channel, that is), became the English hodgepodge.  At least that’s the story from QPB Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins.

The online newsletter “A Phrase A Week” defines cold turkey as “the sudden and complete withdrawal from an addictive substance and/or the physiological effects of such a withdrawal.Also, predominantly in the USA, plain speaking.” The latter dates back to the 19^th century. After some hemming and hawing about American turkeys (cute stuff like “Let’s talk turkey”), the British author of the newsletter says, “In the state of drug withdrawal the addict's blood is directed to the internal organs, leaving the skin white and with goose bumps. It has been suggested that this is what is alluded to by ‘cold turkey.’ There's no evidence to support that view. For the source of ‘cold turkey’ we need look no further than the direct, no nonsense approach indicated by the earlier … meaning of the term.” I’d say he quit talking turkey somewhere a few lines back. He could be smoking turkey.

Also online, Evan Morris (“The Word Detective”) writes, “There are a number of stories about the origin of ‘talk turkey,’ many of which involve Pilgrims and Indians, and all of which strike me as deeply implausible. But… an early form of the phrase was ‘to talk cold turkey,’ most likely using ‘cold turkey,’ a simple, uncomplicated meal, as a metaphor for simple, unadorned, direct speech. With ‘talk cold turkey’ already a popular idiom meaning ‘give it to me straight; tell me the unvarnished truth,’ it seems natural that ‘cold turkey’ came to mean ‘quit suddenly, with no tapering off or equivocation.’”           

ONLINE DEPARTMENT “Pastor's False Teeth” (Thanks, J.A.) The first Sunday a pastor with a new set of false teeth preached, he talked for only eight minutes. The second Sunday, he talked for only ten minutes. The following Sunday, he talked for 2 hours and 48 minutes. The congregation had to pull him down from the pulpit, and they demanded an explanation for the super long sermon. The pastor explained the first Sunday his gums hurt so bad he couldn't talk for more than 8 minutes. The second Sunday his gums hurt too much to talk for more than 10 minutes. But, the third Sunday, he put his wife's teeth in by mistake and he couldn't shut up.  [And I say to that, if only he could have had his wife’s BRAIN, and I’m surprised he has a wife.]

ONLINE II “Summary of Life” (Thanks, D. W.) GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED: 1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats. 2) When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair. 3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person. 4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato. 5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food. 6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair. 7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time. 8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. 9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's lap. GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED: 1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree. 2) Wrinkles don't hurt. 3) Families are like fudge - mostly sweet, with a few nuts. 4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground. 5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside. 6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy. THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE: 1) You believe in Santa Claus. 2) You don't believe in Santa Claus. 3) You are Santa Claus. 4) You look like Santa Claus. SUCCESS: At age 3 success is dry pants. At age 12 success is having friends. At age 17 success is having a drivers license. At age 35 success is having money. At age 50 success is having money. At age 70 success is having a drivers license. At age 75 success is having friends. At age 80 success is dry pants.

BW (Bigtime Word) juvenescence – transition from infancy or early childhood to youth. FRIENDLY REMINDER: Valentines are for youth of all ages.  Get out there and shop.

Editor’s Note: The following letter was sent to the family of the late Mrs. Rose Dillon thanking them for asking the community to donate to Carroll-Oakland School in Mrs. Dillon’s memory. The school’s principal, Carol Ferrell, also shared the letter with The Wilson Post as a way to also thank the family publicly.

To the Rose Dillon Family:

On behalf of Carroll-Oakland School, I want to extend my condolences over the recent loss of Mrs. Rose. During my years at Carroll-Oakland, Mrs. Rose was a wonderful neighbor to the school and I considered her a sweet friend.

Our school was greatly honored when you selected us to receive donations from community members wishing to remember Mrs. Rose. We’ve received several donations and have been carefully deciding how best to use the money. I hope you will be pleased with our decision.

We have a high poverty rate at Carroll-Oakland and we spend a lot of time and money helping students with clothing, as well as personal hygiene items such as soap, deodorant, etc… During the same week, we received monetary donations from friends of Mrs. Rose, we also received a wonderful donation from Gladeville Baptist Church of much needed items such as socks, gloves, soap and deodorant. We immediately thought of a great idea. With the money we will purchase a metal cabinet and fill it with the donations and we will call it ROSE’S CLOSET! This fulfills a great need for the Carroll-Oakland community and will prolong the legacy of the Dillon family, namely Mrs. Rose.

We want to thank the wonderful donors who have made this possible: Robert and Faye Dedman, Neal and Deborah Oakley, Melanie Dillon, William and Kristina McKee and Gladeville Baptist Church. And we especially thank you, the Dillon family, for being wonderful neighbors to Carroll-Oakland School.

Carol M. Ferrell
Principal
Carroll-Oakland School
Lebanon

By SAM HATCHER

Several recent stories have dotted our front pages that strongly indicate things with respect to the economy are getting better.

Unemployment rates have dropped, rail shipments for a number of local industries and businesses have increased, sales tax revenue receipts are up and home sales seem to be trending in the upward direction.

These are all very good indicators that the economy, at least in our region or local area, is healing and improving.

In this regard, Wilson County and Middle Tennessee in general may have somewhat of an advantage when compared to the rest of the nation.

The area around Nashville is becoming more and more popular.

Nashville is rightfully earning a solid reputation as a place where the lifestyle is good and the business environment is friendly.

And what's good for Nashville is also good for Wilson County.

Among our county's many assets, our closeness in proximity to Nashville is often listed prominently when local officials are trying to lure new industries and commercial ventures to Wilson County.

We're only minutes from professional sports, a world class symphony, an international airport and other assets that are found in the capital city.

Circle these assets with our own, including easy access to interstate highways, a four-year independent university, excellent health care and viable education offerings in both the public and private sectors, and its clear that Wilson County has a distinct advantage and opportunity to excel.