LIFESTYLES

Shannon Bardwell: Cancer be not proud

Posted 5/2/2010 in Columns

I woke up one morning thinking about Sue. There wasn’t anything Sue couldn’t do, except beat cancer. She was the epitome of the “earth mother.” She made everything from scratch, organically. She organized food co-operatives: “Apple Blossom,” another “Milk and Honey,” one beautiful; one basic. Every Tuesday her garage was filled with brown paper bags. Women came to retrieve their weekly rations, the click click from the high heels of the bank teller to the soft padded steps of the soccer mom.

Rob Hardy: Angels

Posted 4/28/2010 in Columns

Angels are all around us. They flutter in stained glass windows, of course, and in cemeteries, but little ones shoot arrows into hearts, especially around Valentine’s Day, and they show up in movies like “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “Wings of Desire.” Something like 70 percent of Americans believe in real angels, not just the one shown in art, and they believe that angels are busy doing things and helping us along.

Tasty takeout: Annual Eight O’ May fundraiser adapts to church renovation

Posted 4/28/2010 in Food

The whir of drills and pounding of hammers punctuate the air at historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Columbus these days. But the resilient Episcopal Church Women group isn’t letting the extensive months-long renovation under way deter them from organizing the annual Eight O’May fundraiser May 7.

Killer’s thrillers: Caledonia man gains fame for his love of cars

Posted 4/24/2010 in Entertainment

It could be the concrete gargoyles protectively flanking the property entrance, or the sign declaring you’re entering Thompsonville, but one gets the feeling Killer Thompson isn’t your average Joe. But then, for a longtime corporate president with a name like Killer, that may be a foregone conclusion.

Betty Stone: The circus!

Posted 4/24/2010 in Columns

Recent TV ads informed me that Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus was performing in Tupelo. I remembered the last time I went to a local circus, when our children were small. I vowed I’d never, never, no never, go again.

Lowndes Habitat gathers volunteers for Women Build Week

Posted 4/24/2010 in Entertainment

Ladies, pick up your hammers. The Columbus-Lowndes Habitat for Humanity and Lowe’s are holding a Women Build event in Columbus Tuesday, May 4, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Columbus vocalists bring home prizes

Posted 4/24/2010 in Entertainment

Students of two Mississippi University for Women voice teachers won prizes in a singing competition held April 16 and 17 at Delta State University in Cleveland.

David Creel: Fine tuning tresses

Posted 4/24/2010 in Columns

Shampoo. Rinse. Repeat. It might seem trivial to explore shampoo, to dive deeper into such a staple in the daily routines of sanitary personal care, but with all the shampoos on the shelves today, I deem it essential to elaborate on the subject.

Shannon Bardwell: To fish another day

Posted 4/24/2010 in Columns

Good news and bad news at the Bardwell’s. The bilge pump stopped working on the fishing boat, and that was the good news. Working on the pump revealed the boat was taking on water, a lot of water, maybe 20 gallons or so. That was the bad news. Sam emptied the water and looked for the breach.

Adele Elliott: Bridges of Lowndes County

Posted 4/24/2010 in Columns

“Bridge” is a versatile word, a chameleon. It can be a noun, or a verb, or even a complicated card game.

Eden Brent brings jazzy blues, boogie to the RAC

Posted 4/24/2010 in Entertainment

With vocals ranging from a “melancholic whisper to a full-blown juke joint holler” and piano chops to cry for, Eden Brent melds jazz, blues, boogie woogie and soul into a singular earthy blend.

Mississippi playwrights urged to enter MTA contest

Posted 4/24/2010 in Entertainment

Playwriting is a unique discipline. It gives a writer the hope of having his or her words realized by others — literally putting words into the hands of directors and the mouths of actors. It’s a truly collaborative art form, and one the Mississippi Theatre Association Festival proudly promotes.

Reflector: Uncle Kracker comes to Starkville for happy hour (link)

Posted 4/20/2010 in Entertainment

Relay for Life: Ean Evans’ family shares memories, aids the long fight

Posted 4/17/2010 in Entertainment

For Eva Evans of Columbus, the past year has too often been a deep and dark place. Even when, to all outward appearances, she was holding up well. On May 6, 2009, she lost Ean, her husband of 24 years.

Adele Elliott: Penmanship

Posted 4/17/2010 in Columns

Everyone imagines that they can write. We have often heard someone say, “I have a book in me.” Seldom does that book ever emerge.

Summer art camps begin June 7 at the RAC

Posted 4/17/2010 in Entertainment

The Columbus Arts Council is accepting registrations for summer arts camp. Classes begin June 7, with each session running for one week.

Roger Truesdale: Writer’s block and remembering Lynn

Posted 4/17/2010 in Columns

Some of you may have noticed that I have been absent over the last few weeks. I have had writer’s block. I called on a friend of mine who writes and edits for a living. He gave me hope. He confessed that he, too, suffers from this malady once in a while.