Today's Feature

Tree Planting Plans Continue.

The Public Services Committee met on Monday evening to continue the discussions about the possible planting of 71 new trees. The item was discussed at the previous committee meeting after a presentation by the Kellog Lake board.

As proposed, the cost of planting 71 trees would be $15,000, for which a grant would be requested if the item is approved. In addition to the grant request, a request for reimbursement from the Department of Conservation would be submitted.

The committee has approved the proposal and will bring the grant request before City Council at their meeting on the 14th.

In addition to the tree planting the committee discussed possible solutions to the non-functional fountain in Central Park. Jason Eckhart, an engineer for Sprenkle and Associates, has been consulting with a company in Tulsa that performs weather-proofing measures to concrete and the committee discussed having a representative from the company come to Carthage to analyze in person the malfunctions of the fountain.

Ya don’t see folks gettin’ things fixed much anymore. It either works or it’s junk.

Even major appliances are becomin’ expendable at an early age. Automobiles over eight or ten years old are barely worth fixin’ of anything over a few hundred dollars.

Toasters, coffee pots, even microwaves aren’t worth a service call.

‘Course the do-it-yourselfer will put up an argument, but even they are becomin’ a minority these days. That may also be due to the fact that things just aren’t made to be fixed. No tubes, no belts or pulleys, gears or levers to tinker with. Just a plastic case stuffed with electronics. A tinkerer is confined to changin’ a battery or checkin’ a fuze.

Fortunately those two year light bulbs don’t live up to their advertisin’. There is still some satisfaction in changin’ them.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Here's A Tip

By JoAnn Derson

• Candles will burn more evenly if you refrigerate them for a few hours before lighting.

• To save yourself some time and aggravation, make a safety set of keys that matches your current set exactly. You will never have to go looking for your keys when you are in a hurry, and you won’t have to determine if the key you need is on the ring.

• "Make Your Own Cleaning Wipes: Just take a roll of paper towels (the good kind) and saw it right down the middle to create two toilet-paper-size rolls. As best you can, remove the cardboard roll from the inside and stick the whole thing in a sealable container large enough to hold it without much excess space. Then, add a diluted cup of vinegar, or diluted Windex or whatever cleaner you like best. Pour it right on top of the roll, seal the lid and shake until the whole roll is damp. You can even poke a hole in the container’s lid to pull ‘wipes’ from. Seal the hole with duct tape." — J.J. in Florida

• "To make your drains fresh-smelling, shake a half-cup of baking soda into the drain. Then pour 2 cups of vinegar that you have warmed on the stove. It will froth and bubble. When it is done, run the hot water and give it a little scrub." — R.C. in Idaho

• "While painting around a window in my room, I decided to use petroleum jelly on the glass instead of tape. It really does work!" — A.D. in California

• Save your used coffee grounds for use in potting plants. It makes a great fertilizer enhancement. Grounds can also be used for cleaning in any situation when you need a mild abrasive and are cleaning a nonporous surface (it may stain a porous surface).