Archive for May 2012

DASH Your Way To A Lower Blood Pressure

May 3, 2012 Editorials Comments Off

By Diann Douglas
Guest Columnist

May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month, a time to get your blood pressure checked and know your numbers. Consumers are often confused by products on the market that claim to reduce blood pressure. One proven meal plan is DASH, a researched based guide that can reduce blood pressure.
First conducted in the early 90’s, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), was a scientific dietary study to determine if a diet plan without medication could reduce blood pressure. The study was funded by the National Institute of Health and conducted at Harvard, Duke, John Hopkins and Louisiana State University. Results showed that both men and women eating the DASH plan experienced a significant drop in both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings.

The DASH eating plan emphasizes fresh fruit and vegetables and low fat dairy products. It is moderate in total fat and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. It also includes whole grains, poultry, fish and nut. It also recommends reducing salt and sodium intake.

Starting on the DASH eating plan is easy. It requires no special foods and no recipes to follow. Here are some tips to help you get started:
Reduce your intake of sodium and foods high in sodium
Make gradual changes like adding a serving of fruit or vegetables at lunch and dinner.

Gradually increase your intake of fat free and low fat dairy products to 3 servings a day.

♦If you eat large portions of meat, cut them back by a half or third at each meal.
♦Try two or more meatless meals each week.
Try serving casseroles and stir-fry dishes, which have more vegetables, grains and dry beans.
♦Eat baked or grilled fish during the week but be careful of bottled marinades, they are often high in sodium.
♦Eat fresh fruit, raw vegetables, or low fat and fat free yogurt for snacks.

Use herbs and spices to enhance the flavor of you foods instead of sodium.

Limit your meals eaten out, since most prepared food is high in sodium.

Make one or two changes each week. Eat a variety of foods and cut back on serving sizes. For more information about the DASH eating plan and recipes, visit the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s “Your Guide to Controlling High Blood Pressure at www.nhlbi. nih.gov/hbp/index.html and click on Prevention.

If you are under a doctor’s care for high blood pressure, be sure you take you medication and follow the doctor’s recommendations. Your efforts to reduce sodium intake will help you overall health.

The Madison County Extension office has several fact sheets on eating to reduce sodium and alternative seasonings, which will give you creative ideas for seasoning food without salt or sodium products. For a free copy of our Extension fact sheets, call or stop by the Extension office.

The University of Florida Extension – Madison County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap or national origin.

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Jacob’s Ladder: The Game Ended In A Tie

May 3, 2012 Editorials Comments Off

By Jacob Bembry
Editor

A cold December night. 20 degrees in Monticello, Florida and I am standing outside in the freezing cold.
I am in the west end zone at Tiger Memorial Stadium. The place is packed. Fans from Jefferson County are here as the Fighting Tigers host the 1982 Class AA state football championship. We are all cold. The fans who have made the trek from Clewiston have to be even colder than we are. To a point, we are all used to it because when it gets cold in Monticello, it feels like the coldest place on Earth, even if it is in the Sunshine State.

The game is a nail biter and Clewiston is leading until our All-American tailback James Massey crashes into the end zone, tying the score.

Massey is also the kicker on extra points but all season long, the Tigers have run for two-point conversions and almost every time, the Tigers have converted those two-point conversions. This time, however, Tiger Head Coach Blair Armstrong makes the decision to kick the extra point. The Clewiston Tigers’ defense is tough, like the Jefferson defense. In close games, you play your cards close to the vest.

The Jefferson Tigers go for the kick. Randy Dixon, Clewiston’s All-American defensive tackle, jumps off sides, which is good because the kick was bad. Surely, we will go for the two-point conversion now.
Nope. Coach Armstrong calls for the kick again. Center Ricky Watson snaps the ball over quarterback Kelly Lynch’s head. Massey picks up the football and tries running with it but he has a kicking shoe on and for one of the few times all season, he is stopped dead in his tracks.

The game ends in a tie. Fans from both sides were expecting a tiebreaker. Assistant Coach Bill Brumfield (who would later become Jefferson County High School superintendent) runs alongside the fences telling everyone to go home. The game is over.

That game ended in disappointment for me and thousands of other fans that night. We were state champions and both teams played with all their heart but we had to share the title. A tie. The game was over.

Don’t let your life end in disappointment. Get out and enjoy your family and things while you can. If you are not a Christian, give your life to the Lord today.

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The 4H Connection: Becky Bennett Addresses Kiwanis

May 3, 2012 Around Madison Comments Off

By Lynette Norris
Greene Publishing, Inc.

It’s been quite a year for the seven different 4H Clubs of Madison County, and Becky Bennett acknowledged the support 4H receives from Kiwanis as well as other civic groups as she recounted some of the year’s highlights in a slideshow presentation and talked about some of the upcoming summer camps that will finish out this year’s 4H calendar. This 4H year ends August 31; the new 4H year begins September 1 and runs through August 31, 2013.

There was the Livestock Show, a horse show, a talent show, last summer’s camp at Cherry Lake, various other camps, sewing classes, painting classes, arts ‘n’ crafts, gardening, face-painting and lots of other fun activities and hands-on projects.

“I guess you could say our theme for this year was getting our hands dirty,” she said.

4H teaches skills in a learn-by-doing environment that primarily focuses on such things as healthy lifestyles, STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) activities, and citizenship/ leadership skills, the latter especially among the older 4H members.

Whether it’s basic sewing skills like sewing on a button that will help the children take care of themselves later in their daily lives, or learning the political processes of government or practicing public speaking skills or developing competence in livestock care and horsemanship or just plain having fun with friends who share their interests, 4H has something of interest for every age group.

For five-to-seven-year-olds, there is “Cloverbuds.” For eight-to-ten-year-olds, there’s the “Junior” division. For 11-to-13-year olds, it’s the “Intermediate” division, and for 14-to-18, the “Senior” division. In some areas, there is even a Collegiate 4H for those who go off to college, but want to continue their affiliation with the organization.

Because Madison is such a small county, local 4H groups don’t adhere quite as strictly to age grouping; however, Bennett told the audience, right now they are trying to build up interest among the Intermediates – the preteen and early teen age group where membership is sometimes a little low.

With summer arriving and school letting out soon, there are several 4H day camps and overnight camps for children ages eight to 18. Since summer of 2012 is also the time of the 2012 Summer Olympics, there will be a 4H Olympics Camp where 4H-ers can bring home the green, and Camp Cherry Lake will be playing up the Olympics and healthy lifestyles with its outdoor activities. STEM – related camps include Space Camp, concentrating on the science of flight and space engineering, and Camp Hard Hats explores the science and technology of the heavy machinery that keeps Madison County operating. There are also beginning and advanced sewing camps and a Camp Cloverbud for the little one ages five to seven.

For a complete schedule of this summer’s 4H camps, registration deadlines and costs, go to http://madison.ifas.ufl.edu/4h_camps.shtml or contact the Madison County Extension Office at (850) 973-4138.

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Remembrance of Things Past: Ashley Beggs

May 3, 2012 Around Madison, History One comment

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

There are several names that come to mind when you think of historic and prominent Madison residents. One of those names would be Ashley Beggs. Ashley Beggs has lived in Madison for all of his life, not including his time serving in the military. The Beggs have been in Madison for generations. Ashleys’ grandfather opened the Beggs Funeral Home in 1886 and it is has been passed down through generations. Ashley is currently the owner of the Beggs Funeral Homes in Madison and Perry and has been for many years.

Growing up in Madison was very different than it is today. “Madison is a small town, back then we used to play stick ball and baseball in the streets. Neighborhoods were friendly and things were a lot calmer back then. Back then no one locked their doors at night. Now most people lock their doors as soon as they get home. Crime has risen all over the world and Madison is no exception.”

For fun, Ashley enjoyed going fishing at Lake Rachel at his aunt’s and uncle’s house. “We called it the Hornets Nest. We would go through the woods. We would swim. We also went to Blue Springs a lot, that was one of our favorite watering holes. Another thing we did for fun was going to the public beach at Cherry Lake. Back then there weren’t any pools in Madison. Those came along later.” He also recalled some of his favorite places to eat, “I liked going to Frank’s Café, Country Kitchen and Pep’s.”

Ashley attended elementary school in Madison. The elementary school was located where CVS sits today. He recalled, “When I got in the 7th or 8th grade a lady named Mildred Bruner took us on a tour of Madison County and taught us about the history of the county.” Ever since, Ashley has been very interested in the history of the area. “There are many people in the county that deserve thanks because with their help we have found out many historical things about Madison.” He also shared some of the information they have found, “This is a very good county and it is also one of the oldest counties in Florida. Madison County originally went from the Georgia line to the Gulf of Mexico, but then Taylor County was created. There was also a shoe factory in Madison before the Civil War that made a lot of the shoes for the soldiers.”

He then went to Madison High School where he was active in many sports. He played football, baseball, basketball and he also ran track. Back then Madison was not known as the Cowboys, they were the Red Devils. While in high school, Ashley was also active in Future Farmers of America. “My project in FFA was raising chickens,” he said.

Ashley has been married to his wife Martha for 40 years. He had three sons prior to their marriage, Appie (who is deceased), Kyle and Brad. He and Martha have two children, Ansley, who is a teacher in Madison, and Justin, who helps Ashley run the funeral home. Ashley has also been active in the Masonic Lodge. He was previously a Master of Madison’s Masonic Lodge, and also the Shriners.

When asked what his favorite thing about living in Madison was, Ashley said, “My favorite thing about living in Madison is the slow pace of living here. I also love taking care of my dogs and staying at home.”

Anyone interested in being interviewed for this article can call 973-4141 and make an appointment with Kristin Finney, or may drop by Greene Publishing, Inc. any day before noon. Those interviewed must have lived in Madison for a large portion of their life, and be able to recall a few things that have changed since that time..

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Happenings At Madison First Baptist Church

May 3, 2012 Church Comments Off

By Nell Dobbs
Guest Columnist

“Without Him, I’d surely fail
Without Him, I would be drifting
Like a ship without a sail.”

Sung as our new Hymn of Commitment
How blessed we were for a delightful morning service as the Awana Cubbies under Gina Rutherford, Patsy Davis, Leigh McNutt, Lori Newman, and Stacey Newsome sang and acted out three songs, including their Cubbie song, “This Little Light of Mine” and “I’m in the King’s Army.”

for Jim able to be back leading music after knee surgery, and for their thanks for prayers, food, cards, love and for Mark filling in for him
for all the songs we sing,
for Deacon Doug Finney saying the offertory prayer,
for beautiful flowers by Bill Brown in honor of Cindy’s and Mary Alicc’s birthdays on April 26 and April 29,
for the Worship Choir special “I Must Tell Jesus,” which was our mother’s favorite song (I think), though she never sang. On May 5, 1989, 10 days before she would have been 88, she died at Hilda’s and Jimmy’s in Decatur, Ga. Some years earlier, Marjell had written this poem for her, saying it well:
Little Angels’ Britches

I pray when called that I’ll be led
And may in glory stand;
A crown of thorns upon my head
A needle in my hand.
I never learned to sing or play
So let no harp be mine;
Through life until my dying day
Plain sewing is my line.
And so accustomed to the end
Of applying useful stitches
I’ll be content if asked to mend
The Little Angel’s Britches

Marjell Dobbs for Nell’s Mother, 1974
Preacher Law’s message was about “The Lord’s Supper.” Jesus’ last week was very busy as He preached and taught. The time of Passover came and Jesus told Peter and John to prepare it. They did. At the right time, He sat down with the Twelve and said, “With desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” and He took bread, broke it, gave it to them and also the cup and said, “As oft as you do this, do it in remembrance of me.”

As believers, we have Open Communion which means any believe is welcome to partake. This belief had not always been held.
As believers, we are to live as Jesus commanded us, to love Him with our whole heart, mind, body, soul and our neighbor as ourselves and use our gift or gifts we’ve been given to help the poor and needy and tell of His great love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness as long as we live.

We’re praying for and preparing for Work Day on May 19 at the pastorium for our new preacher.
We’re praying for Kristen Parks and her group as they share the love of God with people in Haiti and appreciate her big “Thank You” for all support received.

SAM had as their guest speaker on May 2, Joe Boyles, who is very active in the community and for 10 years has written the “National Security” column in The Madison County Carrier.

Pray for all sad ones – Dr. Patacxil and his family in the sudden death of his wife – and all others I don’t know about. Also, we pray for all the ill ones, the very ill ones and ask Your Will to be done in their lives. Amen!

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