I hung up the phone with Robert. Robert is coming for my truck. He is going to load it on his trailer and haul it off. Whether or not I see the truck again is a matter of speculation at this point. I have not missed a payment in case you are wondering.

The truck has issues.

The first issue is the nut loose behind the wheel. Jesus is working on that nut daily!

The second issue involves the cruise control or the transmission, who knows because both are controlled by computer chips. The nice truck will not shift into over-drive on the Interstate. My truck acts up at I-49 speed specifically. I say that because the people north of us on I-20 and south of us on I-10 do not have the luxury of the enlightened interstate speed limit of seventy-five. Those two east-west interstates are confined to the pedestrian speed of seventy. I am conditioned to drive a bit above the posted speed limit on Interstates. My truck will not shift into the next gear at that speed. I am burning through gas like a blue 1969 Chevelle SS with a 396 and a Holly four barrel with a double pumper. Early in the truck’s history there was a service bulletin on the shifting problems. The fix didn’t work.

I took the truck in for service three weeks ago and the dealership rotated the tires. They must have left out a step because at I-49 speed the truck bounced around like one of those vibrating beds one would find in hotels in the late 60’s. Don’t know about those? How about Mexican jumping beans? One night I was driving back from the camp and a fitness miracle occurred. The truck bounced so badly that my Fitbit recorded 2500 steps while I was driving.

I digress, have you noticed people who seem to get up at 10 minutes before the hour and walk around aimlessly? When you see them, check their wrist. If they are wearing a Fitbit, it has buzzed them to “get their steps” for the hour. In my life, I must pull off the side of the road so my bride can “get her steps.” In so many ways, our lives are controlled by that which we wear on our wrist.

Now where was I? Ah, the truck. It doesn’t shift and it bounces. The other day we piled in the truck to drive to New Orleans for our cruise. I needed the truck because the mom and daughter traveling with us didn’t pack for a cruise; they emptied their closets. The only way to haul the luggage was to use the truck. We piled in. I started the truck. The air conditioning made a terrible sound and growled to a halt.

The trip to New Orleans would have been intolerable in a bouncy truck that won’t shift without air conditioning. We took another vehicle to New Orleans and I made a note to ask future friends about their packing habits before I volunteer to drive them to the cruise terminal.

In the first post-vacation act, I called the dealership and laid out my tale of truck woe.

So, Robert just called and said, “I’m coming to get your truck.”

I am grateful to Robert. I don’t know him, but I know he is coming to take my truck problem away. I am in vehicle prayer that most of these issues will be resolved satisfactorily.

Who helps you solve your problems?

You know how I want you to answer, don’t you?

A Meet and Greet was held at the Natchitoches Event Center Thursday, June 22 for Carl I. Walters II, who was recently named as the new CEO of the Outpatient Medical Centers. Walters took the helm of the system on the March 1 and it’s been a busy few months to say the least!

The Outpatient Medical Center has been a fixture on the Natchitoches Health Care scene for the past 40 years. In addition to the well known clinic in Breazeale St. in Natchitoches there are also facilities in Leesville and Tallulah. The Centers have a $6 million operating budget and employ three physicians, six Family Nurse Practitioners, three Licensed Clinical Social Workers and an array of support staff. They have recently hired six new clinicians to expand the Centers’ offerings in dental services and behavioral health. The Outpatient Medical Centers average between 15 and 18 thousand patient encounters each year.

The Centers’ facilities are one of 1,500 Federally Qualified Health Centers who collectively treat 25 million American without regard to their ability to pay.

Waters grew up in a military family and carried on his family tradition by serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy’s Medical Service Corps. After his service to our nation, he held a variety of positions in the health care administrative field. He brings almost 30 years of proven experience to his new job. He, his wife and two children came to Natchitoches from San Diego, Cali. The Natchitoches Parish Journal would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Walters’ family to your new home in our city. We wish you every success in your new endeavor and are looking forward to good things to come!

If you’re a certain age, or getting close to it, you might hear something like this: “Now that you’re older, you need to invest more conservatively.” But what exactly does this mean?

For starters, it’s useful to understand that your investment preferences and needs will indeed change over time. When you’re first starting out in your career, and even for a long time afterward, you can afford to invest somewhat aggressively, in stocks and stock-based investments; because you have time to overcome the inevitable short-term market drops. At this stage of your life, your primary concern is growth – you want your portfolio to grow enough to provide you with the resources you’ll need to meet your long-term goals, such as a comfortable retirement.

But when you finally do retire, and perhaps for a few years before that, your investment focus likely will have shifted from accumulation to preservation. And this certainly makes some sense. Even though you may spend two, or even three, decades in retirement, you actually have many shorter time frames for withdrawing money – that is, selling investments – from your retirement accounts, such as your 401(k) and IRA. In fact, you may be taking withdrawals every month – and you don’t want to be forced to sell investments when their price is down. Consequently, you’ll want a portfolio that’s less susceptible to market downturns. This means that you may need to reduce the percentage of stocks in your investment mix and increase your holdings in investments that have less growth potential but offer greater stability of principal, such as bonds.

If you follow this formula, you will have become a more conservative investor. But this evolution – from aggressive to conservative – isn’t that simple, or at least it shouldn’t be. If, as mentioned above, you are retired for two or three decades, you will have to deal with inflation. And even at a relatively mild 3 percent annual inflation rate, your purchasing power will decline by about half in just 25 years. This is a real threat to retirees, who, unlike active employees, can’t count on increases in earned income to overcome increasing costs of living.

Given this reality, you will have to find your sources of rising income in your investment portfolio. One possibility: Dividend-paying stocks, some of which have increased their dividends for many years in a row. Still, like all stocks, these dividend payers can lose value from year to year, and they can also reduce, or even eliminate, dividends at any time. In other words, they aren’t risk-free – which brings us back to the question of how “conservative” of an investor you can really afford to be when you’re retired.

In the final analysis, there’s no simple answer. On one hand, you probably shouldn’t be as aggressive an investor as you were when you were much younger and still working. On the other hand, if you were to primarily own certificates of deposit and U.S. Treasury securities, you might face the prospect of outliving your money. Ultimately, you’ll need to maintain a balanced portfolio that helps you control risk today while providing you with growth opportunities for tomorrow.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.  Member SIPC

FINANCIAL FOCUS – May 29, 2017

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The Natchitoches Tax Commission Report for June, which shows the numbers for May tax collections, are still flat. According to Administrator Jerry McWherter, this is because there have been no big increases or decreases in revenue spending.

“People are buying exactly what they have to have,” he said. There’s no extra money, particularly with businesses like Rite Aid, Maurices, Rue 21 and Choates closing recently.

“When major things like these shut down, that’s revenue you don’t get anymore,” he said.

The City ended the year a little above what they did last year. The school board year ends June 30 and the Parish Council is still in its calendar year.

Auto sales for April tanked with no explanation. A look at 2015 shows an unexplainable spike in the opposite direction.

The overall flat trend through the last few months worth of reports hints at the fact that people aren’t spending their money on leisure items such as TVs and eating out. This may be because they are still unsure where the economy in the Parish is going.

Tax Commission Report- June 20-2017

Eddie Kennison rounded a bend of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, which mimics the meandering Cane River Lake, catching the eye of fellow Hall of Fame inductee Juan Pierre.

“THE Eddie Kennison,” Pierre said after doing an interview Thursday as part of the Hall of Fame’s introductory press conference. “I had speed and maybe could of hung with Eddie for 10 yards, but this guy was fast.”

Pierre, an Alexandria native, is 18th in career stolen bases in Major League Baseball history. Kennison, a Lake Charles native who was an All-American sprinter at LSU before a 13-year NFL career as a receiver, smiled and said “baseball fast” and “football fast” are two different things. He admitted that he’d pull every muscle in his body if he raced Pierre now.

Nearly all of the eight inductees and three other honorees, who will be officially inducted Saturday night at 6 p.m. in the Natchitoches Events Center, spoke about how they were fans of each other throughout their careers.

Hard-hitting Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, now an avid golfer, wanted lessons from David Toms, who won 13 PGA Tour events.

Toms, an LSU alum who cheers for the Tigers in every sport, mentioned the connection he felt to fellow LSU inductees Kennison, legendary gymnastics architect D-D Breaux and football/baseball skipper Ray Didier.

Breaux listed Skip Bertman as a mentor as she built a prominent LSU gymnastics program that turned the corner to make six Super Six appearances with two national runner-up championships in the last 12 years.

“The word ‘relevant’ is truly a special word because when young coaches ask me for advice, I tell them you have to be relevant on your campus,” said Breaux, who also shared that she swam across the Mississippi River as a teenager. “That happens when you’re in the community. It’s not just about being ranked in the top 10 or the wins and losses, it’s about what you give back to the community and the university.”

Sue Donohoe knows a thing or two about relevance. The Pineville native made her national television debut in 1982 as a barefoot Louisiana Tech graduate assistant running to the scorer’s table every minute to report the time remaining to coach Leon Barmore during the first women’s basketball NCAA championship to directing both the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball championships until 2010.

Most inductees spoke of how they carried Louisiana with them to various playing fields.

Daughter Chelsea Core described how she carried her father, deceased Southeastern Louisiana basketball great C.A. Core, with her.

Three-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Calvin Borel will join Breaux, Core, Didier, Kennison, Pierre, Reed and Toms as 2017 inductees.

Longtime sports information director Dan McDonald and legendary radio broadcaster Jim Henderson each received the Distinguished Service Award.

Photo Credit: Candace Cole Photography

Nancy Smith Clark
Visitation: Friday, June 23 from 6-7 pm at Caanan Baptist Church in Stonewall
Service: Saturday, June 24 at 11 am at Mt. Mariah Baptist Church in Kingston
Interment: Morning Star Cemetery in Gloster

Donald James Gremillion
February 11, 1952 – May 8, 2017
Service Saturday, June 24 at 11 am at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Pineville. A private burial will be held at a later date.

Eugene John “Mac” McFadden
May 28, 1938 – June 20, 2017
Visitation: Friday, June 23 from 8:30-9:30 am
Service: Friday, June 23 at 10 am in the chapel of John Kramer and Son Funeral Home

Blanche Dale Wilson Wester
August 9, 1921 – June 19, 2017
Service: Friday, June 23, at 11 am at the Provencal United Pentecostal Church

Tara Louise Wren
September 14, 1977 – June 18, 2017
Service: Friday, June 23 at 11 am at Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home Chapel in Coushatta
Interment: Thomas-Wren Cemetery in Martin

Sam “Plowboy” Richardson
June 23, 1956 – June 19, 2017
Visitation: Saturday, June 24 8 am – 2 pm at Hornbeck Full Gospel Church
Service: Saturday, June 24 at 2 pm at Hornbeck Full Gospel Church
Interment: Pine Knot Cemetery

Patricia C. Pryor
July 26, 1951 – June 19, 2017
Service: Friday, June 23 at 11 am at Starlight Baptist Church Cemetery

Drew Lewing
November 19, 1938 – June 19, 2017
Service: Friday, June 23 at 10 am at Spring Ridge Baptist Church
Interment: Belmont Cemetery

Diane Pikes
December 6, 1950 – June 17, 2017
Visitation: Saturday, June 24 from 9-11 am at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home
Service: Saturday, June 24 at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel at 11 am
Interment: Mt. Pilgrim Cemetery

Phyllis Eley McCoy
October 14, 1928 – June 18, 2017
Service: Saturday, June 24 at 10 am at Bolton-Teagle Cemetery

Deborah Henderson Collier
December 29, 1948 – June 10, 2017
Service: Friday, June 23 at 2 pm at The New Life Evangelism Center of Natchitoches, located at 4810 University Parkway

Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies and Natchitoches Parish Fire District #2 arrived on the scene of a structure fire today, June 22 at 2:08 pm in the 800 block of Evergreen Church Road near Goldonna. The fire was reported to the NPSO 911 Center at 1:02 pm. Deputies say the structure is a total loss. The cause of the fire is currently unknown. SWEPCO has been notified. Images courtesy of NPSO.

Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies are asking for the public’s help in locating a west Natchitoches Parish woman reported missing to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office according to Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Victor Jones.

Deputies are currently looking for 26-year-old Cynthia D. Orsborn, W/F, Hgt/505, 121 pounds, with blonde shoulder length hair and hazel eyes of Marthaville.

No clothing description is available.

Deputies say on Wednesday, June 21, family members contacted the NPSO reporting Orsborn missing.

Family members reported they have not seen or heard from Orsborn since they dropped her off at a friend’s home in the Natchitoches area on June 13.

Detectives are currently involved and actively investigating Orsborn’s dissappearance.

If you see Miss Orsborn, contact the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-352-6432.

Detective Jonathan Byles is assigned case investigative agent.

Due to the rain forecast for this weekend, the Natchez Heritage Festival is rescheduling its festivities for Saturday, July 1 with the parade kicking off at 10 am on Hwy. 1 South in Natchez.  Car clubs, motorcycle clubs, Girl and Boy Scouts, dance teams, old school cars, horse clubs, and more are welcome to participate in the parade. The festival is also seeking vendors and sponsors. T-shirts are also available for purchase. For more information contact 318-332-8264.

​The City of Natchitoches will hold a public hearing Monday, June 26 at 4:45 pm at the Natchitoches Arts Center on Second Street.  The purpose of the hearing is to discuss Water System Improvements and all Utility Infrastructure Upgrades. All interested persons are invited and encouraged to attend the public hearing.

The City of Natchitoches would like to advise the public that both the Portable Park and Mobile Market programs will be canceled today, June 22 at Ben Johnson Park. The cancelation of these two programs is due to the heavy rain fall that is expected to hit Natchitoches later in the day.
Portable Park and Mobile Market will resume their regular schedules next week.

The Board of Directors for LSMSA held its first meeting, June 19, after Senate Bill 1 was sent to the Governor by the Secretary of the Senate. The bill, renaming the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts (LSMSA) after the late Jimmy D. Long Sr., will become law Aug. 1.

“I’ve assumed as members of the board you’ve been following this,” LSMSA Alumni Association President Jamie Smith said at the meeting. “Basically I’ve been carrying this hand grenade that has had the pin pulled out of it since Feb. 1. I think that’s the most accurate description I can give. When you carry a live grenade you can’t get lackadaisical and forget. This grenade has been kicked into your laps. SB 1 went to the Senate and we were given a little nod but this is not gonna die here, but the House. It went to the House and although we got a little bit warmer reception there, it got pushed to the floor. If you tuned in to what happened on the floor, it was utter chaos. It was not well thought out or executed.”

As far as the name change is concerned, no action is officially required by board at this point. The board will talk about possible changes at the September meeting.

An amendment to the bill allows LSMSA to continue to use its current name for all practical purposes as determined by the board. This was emphasized in a further section of the bill, which says nothing will require the school to make changes to the stationary, diplomas, transcripts, logos, insignia, license or branded merchandise, promotional and fundraising items or other related items or products including class rings, signage, all as determined by the board.

Smith said this amendment shouldn’t be considered as a compromise.

“From an alumni standpoint, we were asked several times about compromising,” he said. “Compromising is when two people give up what they want and come up with an agreement they can both live with. The people who brought this forward were never willing to not put Jimmy Long’s name on this and the alumni of the school were never willing to have our name changed for the school. It had nothing to do with Jimmy Long and everything with our school. There was no compromise. But ultimately the Alumni Association had to make a decision and as nice as it is to rally with the battle cry of ‘go big or go home,’ if you burn the house down and there’s no where to go home to, then what do you have left? And so ultimately the biggest decision was what is best for the school and what continues to allow the school to produce future alums. And so concessions were made and those concessions were not made to appease us, but to get the bill passed. Concessions that were agreed upon allowed the school to be in charge of its own destiny moving forward. And that is what this board’s responsibility is at this time. And if you look around this room you see some faces that you’ve not seen before that have eyes on the board. That’a a good thing in my opinion. I feel the board is very strong right now and very well equipped to handle this right now. Right now is a very sensitive and volatile time.”

 

The board focused on the fact that it would like to move froward in a proactive and deliberate way. Prudhomme Hall was built in the 50s and a new residency hall is what they need. They’re being looked over by students with great talent because of its condition. A Special Committee was formed and assigned to determine how the board will move forward in regards to SB1.

Dr. Larry Tremblay said it seems this situation wasn’t a very good example of the government working very well.

“Name a bill and I would make that same comment,” he said. “This whole session is a good example of government not running very well.”

He gave an example of a name change to a baseball stadium in Baton Rouge called Alex Box Stadium. “Skip Bertman Field” was added to the end of the stadium’s name, but Tremblay said that over the years he hasn’t heard anyone refer to it as the Skip Bertman Field at Alex Box Stadium. They always say they’re heading out to “The Box.”

“No matter what happens 10-20 years from now, people will still be saying LSMSA,” he said. “You can name it what you want but this is what people know it as and I think no matter what this board does going forward, to the people it’s LSMSA.”

Bank of Montgomery made a donation to Greenville Baptist Church for their upcoming Youth Trip. Pictured from left are Katrice Below (BOM Assistant VP, Branch Manager & Lender at our Keyser Branch), Ashley Davis Mitchell (GBC Youth Director), and Emily Breedlove (Teller at our Keyser Branch).

NOW… …FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM FRIDAY MORNING…

Tropical Storm Cindy has begun to make landfall near the Texas and Louisiana coast. Scattered showers will begin to become more widespread, with periods of heavy rain possible during the morning hours. Winds will also gradually increase during the morning, with occasional gusts to over 25 mph possible at times.

A tight pressure gradient associated with the movement of Tropical Storm Cindy will produce strong and gusty winds of 15 to 25 MPH with higher gusts to near 30 to isolated 40 MPH.

Tropical Storm Cindy will bring heavy rainfall and the potential for flash flooding to much of East Texas, North Louisiana and extreme South Arkansas through early Friday.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy will move north across extreme Eastern Texas and Western Louisiana today, before a gradual shift to the northeast across Northwest Louisiana and Southern Arkansas tonight through early Friday morning. Periods of locally heavy rainfall near the center of circulation can be expected across all these areas. Widespread heavy rainfall of two to four inches is expected through Friday morning, with isolated higher amounts of six to eight inches possible mainly across portions of extreme Eastern Texas, Northwest Louisiana, and South Central Arkansas.

Flooding of roads, low lying and poor drainage areas will be possible. If encountering flooded roadways, remember to turn around, don’t drown.

Rainbands associated with Tropical Storm Cindy will begin to move into the region this evening. Although rainfall amounts will be moderate overall, individual showers and thunderstorms will be very efficient rainfall producers, and some localized flash flooding will be possible.

A Flash Flood Watch remains in effect from 7 pm this evening through Friday morning.

Thursday through Tuesday: Possible flood-producing rainfall in association with Tropical Storm Cindy will continue to be possible through Friday morning. At this time, rainfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches will be possible across portions of the region with isolated higher amounts, which will depend greatly on the exact track of Cindy. Even as the remnants of the tropical system move north and east of our region by the weekend, plentiful Gulf moisture will remain in place with a series of upper level disturbances expected to bring even more rainfall into the region for the upcoming weekend.

An area financial institution is a lead sponsor of the annual Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration , donating $12,500. The traditional Kickoff Reception on Thursday evening at Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches begins the three day 2017 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.

It is one of three free events, along with the Friday night Block Party on Front Street in the 500 block from 6-10 pm, and the Saturday morning Saints and Pelicans Junior Training Camp at the NSU WRAC (old Men’s Gym) beginning at 10 am. There are about 85 slots remaining for the Junior Training Camp, which does require a signed waiver form available on the LaSportsHall.com website. Registration is also open Saturday morning prior to the clinic at the WRAC.

The Block Party Friday night will feature two south Louisiana bands, Parish County Line and the Chase Tyler Band will perform, and about 9:15 pm, a fireworks show will take place over Cane River Lake. Food vendors will have items for sale. The Saints and Pelicans will have activity stations for kids.  Participants are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs.

Information on all of the Induction Celebration events can be found at LaSportsHall.com online or by calling 318-238-4255.

Exceptional service begins with great employees. Those smiling faces belong to Skyler Williams (in green) and Bailey LeGrande (in orange). They are the first ones you see when you arrive at Anderson’s Produce and Plant Farm.

While you shop Anderson’s great assortment of fresh fruits and veggies take a moment to notice how efficiently Bailey and Skyler help with checking out customers, getting something or answering a question.

It’s getting hotter every day, it seems. The crops are coming in abundantly. Just picked Cantaloupes are now available along with fresh tomatoes, corn, just dug potatoes and red or yellow onions. There is a great variety of sweet and hot peppers including jalapenos. The farmers have been out this morning picking fresh peas and pinto beans. They will shell them for you if you like.

This is the time to enjoy fresh okra and tomatoes, squash casserole, peas and ham, stuffed bell peppers, and all of your favorites. You can stock the freezer for fall. And if you have a question, just ask Skyler or Bailey.

Come to the farm, Anderson’s Produce and Plant Farm, located on Highway 174 half way between I-49 and LA 1. Anderson’s is open Monday through Saturday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Or see Anderson’s stand at the farmer’s markets in Natchitoches and Shreveport on the weekend. Call 318-932-1432.

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The Les Amies Service Organization presented a check to the Natchitoches Humane Society’s Happy TAILS rescue. The NHS could not make it without the generous support of local organizations and individuals. Les Amies has always been a supporter and “Friend” of the Humane Society. Pictured from left are Georgia Hilton, Juanita Murphy, Les Amies 2nd Vice President Erin Carnline and Bruce Wilson.

Friday’s Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Golf Classic has been rescheduled for Monday, July 10 at Oak Wing Golf Course in Alexandria, due to the impending rain related to Tropical Storm Cindy.

All other 2017 Induction Celebration activities are going on as planned, said Hall of Fame Foundation CEO/President Ronnie Rantz and Hall of Fame Chairman Doug Ireland.

The Hall of Fame golf tournament’s postponement will also include a slight shift in start time on July 10. Registration at OakWing begins at 10 a.m. with warmup and lunch before the noon tee time.

The Induction Celebration begins Thursday with the Kickoff Reception from 5-7 at Sports Hall of Fame Museum at 800 Front Street at the traffic circle in Natchitoches. There is no admission charge.

Friday evening, the Hall of Fame Block Party at the other end of Front Street begins at 6 and lasts until 10:30. Admission is free for a party that includes two south Louisiana bands, Parish County Line and Chase Tyler Band, along with a fireworks show at 9:15. Food vendors will be providing items for sale, and children’s activities will be led by the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans staff.

Saturday morning’s Saints and Pelicans Junior Training Camp for boys and girls ages 6-16 begins at 10 a.m. at the NSU Wellness and Recreation Center in the middle of campus, just northeast of Turpin Stadium. There is no charge, but a waiver form must be signed by a parent or guardian. It’s available at LaSportsHall.com and will also be available prior to the clinic Saturday morning.

There are still some openings for the Saturday night Induction Dinner and Ceremony, with a 5 p.m. reception and 6 p.m. start, at the Natchitoches Events Center. That is a $75 admission including a lavish meal. Reservations for the Friday and Saturday night indoor events can be made at LaSportsHall.com or by calling 318-238-4255.

The Class of 2017 includes competitive ballot inductees David Toms, Ed Reed, D-D Breaux, Eddie Kennison, Juan Pierre, Calvin Borel, and the late Raymond Didier and C.A. Core. Also to be enshrined are Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award winner Sue Donohoe, and two winners of the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism, Dan McDonald and Jim Henderson.

By Joe Darby

When my daughter Becky was two or three yeas old she loved music.  We had several children’s music records (yes, records, not electronic devices) that she loved to listen to and would dance around in a little circle to the tunes.

But she also loved a Simon and Garfunkel album that included “Sounds of Silence,” which was one of my favorites also.

One night, when her bedtime was approaching, I found her sitting in front of the stereo set (for you youngsters, a stereo set played the records).  The set was off, but she seemed engrossed in something.  “What are you doing, sweetheart,” I asked.  Her reply just about floored me.

“I listening to silence, Daddy.”

What an amazing little kid she was and she and her sister Liz remain amazing women.  And for Father’s Day I found myself recalling some of my favorite memories of them when they were little. Last holiday season  I wrote about two great Christmas Eve stories involving them, so I won’t repeat those now.  But, with your indulgence, let me share just a few recollections that space will allow.

Of course my views are biased as I still see my girls as very special people, as most dads do with their offspring.  But let me tell you about their imaginations.

They had extensive Barbie and Ken collections, as well as a whole bunch of what they called the little people, small plastic figures that came with all sorts of little houses and vehicles.

Becky and Liz concocted elaborate plots and adventures for their toys, with some of them seemingly more out of a soap opera than from your run of the mill playtime story.

And they went for realism.  One time they staged a fancy school graduation for some of the Little People and had the presence of mind to come to me to borrow my classical tape of “Pomp and Circumstance,” probably the most popular tune played at commencement ceremonies.  Within minutes, I heard the strains of the music coming from the playroom (a converted and carpeted garage) and looked in to see Little People lined up to get their diplomas.

Today, they are both wonderful nurses, as was their mother, and have brought comfort to countless patients over the last 20 or 25 years.  But I think that medicine’s gain was show business’ loss, because they could have written movie and TV plots to rival anything we see today.

Liz was also a great mimic.  She could do almost any voice she heard on TV and often kept the family in stitches with her natural comedic talent.  Liz also loved animals and nature and I’d often drive the girls to the New Orleans Nature Center.  On the way, Liz would become one of her favorite personas, a gypsy fortune teller named Sonia.

With her ready wit and realistic East European accent, she was a delight to us, making a somewhat long drive seemingly pass in no time.

I always had a rather extensive personal library and Becky used to like to slowly walk along the shelves, reading the titles of the books.  Being a true Louisiana girl, she spied a biography of President Herbert Hoover and asked, “Daddy, who is ‘A-bear’ Hoover?”  She hadn’t noticed the r in the President’s first name and naturally assumed he was one of those Hebert Cajuns.

She also got a big kick out of a book about the famed 17th century London  diarist Samuel Pepys.  She asked who “Pep-is” was and when I explained that it was pronounced

“Peeps,” she laughed about that for days.

Gosh, there are so many other stories I could share with you, but space precludes.  I know that all of you have very special memories of your own children and that you, like me, cherish those recollections.

And a word to you younger parents.  Try to enjoy every minute of your child’s life now, because they will be grown up and on their own before you know it.  Bless you all.

City Bank employee Leslie Oglesby is presenting Daniel Page with a check for the 2nd Annual Midsummer Night on the Cane. The “Battle on the Banks” is a lip sync competition that will be held on Sunday, June 25 from 6-10 pm at Maglieaux’s Riverfront Restaurant. This event is a fundraiser for the Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival. Tickets are $50 per person.

Blanche Dale Wilson Wester
August 9, 1921 – June 19, 2017
Visitation: Thursday, June 22, from 5-9 pm at Provencal United Pentecostal Church
Service: Friday, June 23, at 11 am at the Provencal United Pentecostal Church

Helen Virginia (Smith) Clauss
February 22, 1931 – June 20, 2017
Service: Thursday, June 22 at 12 pm in the chapel of Kinner & Stevens Funeral Home of Jena
Interment: Oakdale Cemetery

Tara Louise Wren 
September 14, 1977 – June 18, 2017
Visitation: Thursday, June 22 from 6-8 pm at Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home in Coushatta
Service: Friday, June 23 at 11 am at Rockett-Nettles Funeral Home Chapel in Coushatta
Interment: Thomas-Wren Cemetery in Martin

Sam “Plowboy” Richardson 
June 23, 1956 – June 19, 2017
Visitation: Thursday, June 22 from 5–10 pm and Saturday, June 24 8 am – 2 pm at Hornbeck Full Gospel Church
Service: Saturday, June 24 at 2 pm at Hornbeck Full Gospel Church
Interment: Pine Knot Cemetery

Patricia C. Pryor
July 26, 1951 – June 19, 2017
Visitation: Thursday, June 22 from 4-9 pm at John Kramer & Son Funeral Home
Service: Friday, June 23 at 11 am at Starlight Baptist Church Cemetery

Drew Lewing 
November 19, 1938 – June 19, 2017
Visitation: Thursday, June 22 at 5 pm at Spring Ridge Baptist Church
Service: Friday, June 23 at 10 am at Spring Ridge Baptist Church
Interment: Belmont Cemetery

Debbie Longoria Oxley 
June 18, 1960 – June 20, 2017
Service: Thursday, June 22 at 10 am at Warren Meadows Funeral Home in Zwolle
Interment: St. Joseph Cemetery

Diane Pikes
December 6, 1950 – June 17, 2017
Visitation: Saturday, June 24 from 9-11 am at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home
Service: Saturday, June 24 at the Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel at 11 am
Interment: Mt. Pilgrim Cemetery

Phyllis Eley McCoy
October 14, 1928 – June 18, 2017
Service: Saturday, June 24 at 10 am at Bolton-Teagle Cemetery

Johnnie Earl Ross
November 16, 1939 – June 14, 2017
Arrangements TBA

Gary M Jenkins
Nov 17, 1946 – Jun 16, 2017
Service: Thursday, June 22 at 3 pm at St. Rita Catholic Church
Interment: Greenwood Memorial Park at a later date

Deborah Henderson Collier
December 29, 1948 – June 10, 2017
Service: Friday, June 23 at 2 pm at The New Life Evangelism Center of Natchitoches, located at 4810 University Parkway

According to a bulletin issued June 21 at 10 am by the National Weather Service’s Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. Tropical Storm Cindy has weakened slightly, but heavy rainfall could still produce life-threatening flash flooding through Friday.

As of 4:44 pm, showers and isolated possible thunderstorms are forecasted to move through central Louisiana to the northwest as rain bands from Tropical Storm Cindy begin to work into the area. Overall rainfall amounts will be light over the next few hours. Gusty winds up to 25 mph or more are likely. Expect activity to increase across the region especially in deep east Texas and central Louisiana.

Rainbands associated with Tropical Storm Cindy will begin to move into the region this evening. Although rainfall amounts will be moderate overall, individual showers and thunderstorms will be very efficient rainfall producers, and some localized flash flooding will be possible. A Flash Flood Watch remains in effect from 7 pm this evening through Friday morning.

Possible flood-producing rainfall in association with Tropical Storm Cindy will continue to be possible through Friday morning. At this time, rainfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches will be possible across portions of the region with isolated higher amounts, which will depend greatly on the exact track of Cindy. Even as the remnants of the tropical system move north and east of our region by the weekend, plentiful Gulf moisture will remain in place with a series of upper level disturbances expected to bring even more rainfall into the region for the upcoming weekend.