January 9, 2017

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

The next harvest festival meeting will be on Feb 7th at 7 pm at the library.  Please encourage others to attend the meeting and lend us a hand in planning for next year! 

Ridge Hill Baptist Church's fourth Annual MLK Community Awards Brunch will be on Saturday January 14th. It will be held in the Community Life Center at Ridge Hill Baptist Church, 144 Ridge Hill Drive, Ridge Spring SC 29129. The event will begin at 10:30AM and is free to the public. The purpose of the Ridge Hill Baptist Church’s Annual MLK Community Awards Brunch is to commemorate the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to honor his memory by awarding the MLK Impact award to an adult that has made a significant and positive impact on the lives of African Americans in the Ridge Spring/Monetta Community. It is to also award the MLK Promise Award to a High School Junior or Senior whose life demonstrates scholarship, integrity of character, sound moral values, and the potential to make a significant positive impact on the lives of others. Further, it is to foster and promote a spirit of community.

Josie Rodgers

I enjoyed watching the snow flurries but was sorely disappointed in the lack of accumulation in our area.  I sympathize with all the children who were patiently gazing out their windows hoping for enough fluffy stuff to build a little snowman.  Alas, only our picnic tables and vehicles got a dusting of the powdered sugar twin.  However, we are grateful that we did not suffer power outages and frozen water and treacherous roads.  I was quite worried about our elderly and others with comprised shelter.  It was bone-chilling outside. 

I am so thankful not only for a functional fire place with wood stove, but for its beauty as well. I would prefer the absence of the stove, as it tends to mask the glory of the fire, but it does, in fact, heat our home quite well (yes, we have other heat as well).  Our fireplace is made of slate rock straight from the creek bed of our farm and constructed by Mr. Robert Turner.  The gorgeous mantel was fashioned by Mark and Mr. Ronald Strom from a beam from underneath our house that was removed during our major remodel years ago.  The slight whisk of icy air that comes in when Mark brings in wood is just enough fresh air to lighten the room and make me pull my new super-soft throw a little tighter around me.  Reading and napping on our couch by the fire is a luxury that I cherish!  And it’s even better when my babies snuggle up with me.

RSM High:  The new wrestling team will have its first match this week!  The team will travel to North Augusta High and compete against NA and Barnwell.  Coach Andy Harris has been working with the new team and is excited about their energy and dedication.  Other teams gearing up for their seasons include softball and baseball.  The basketball teams are deep into their seasons and hitting the hoops hard for a chance in the play-offs.

Jan. 13 is an inservice day for teachers, and Jan. 15 is MLK Day.  Students will enjoy some time off after hitting the books hard in the new year!  Teachers will participate in a county wide literacy training day on Friday at various schools in the district. 

The Teacher Cadets will head to USC-Aiken for Cadet College Day on Feb. 3.  This will be a professional conference hosted by the college and led by the current Teaching Fellows from USC-A.   

Pretty Boy by Rona Jay

This is a two  part story by Rona Jay of Monetta.  I appreciate her sharing this with me and therefore with you.

Prologue: This story that I am about to write is true.  It's a story about a little butterfly that arrived at the Aiken Bus Station  in Aiken SC May 29, 1990 on the corner of a box being shipped to Charlotte NC.  The butterfly would interact with us in such a way that customers would come to see us just to see the butterfly. 

So many people are still asking me all about the butterfly that I decided to put my notes together and write this story  This is written for the young and old who have a big heart  for beautiful and delicate butterflies.  This is for you and your children.  May you all enjoy it as much as I will enjoy writing it.

Proverb 30:18 There are three thinks which are too wonderful for me. Yes, four which I do not understand.

On a beautiful day May 29, 1990 at the Aiken Bus Station a customer arrived with a box to be shipped to Charlotte NC, and on the corner of the box was a little Buckeye butterfly.   He was in pretty colors of orange, yellow, brown and had what looked like little eyes outlined in black.  I asked customer if she would like to have her butterfly and she answered, "What would I do with a butterfly?"  The customer left and I reached out to get the butterfly off the box.  He just got on my finger, then I put him on a plant that was on the side of my desk.  I was really thinking he would fly all around the office, but he stayed where I put him, and folded his wings up in a sleeping position.  During the afternoon I would talk to him is a soft voice and he would move and watch me.  The day was over and I left the butterfly on the plant and went home.  When I arrived at work the next morning I really did not think he would be alive.

I was really surprised when I touched his wing and he turned and looked at me.  so I talked to him is a soft voice and he just kept looking at me.  Now this butterfly had not eaten anything at all.  When my friend Jimmy Jay came in I asked him what to do for he had bees. He suggested sugar water.  I heated up some water, put sugar in it and checked to be sure it was not too hot.  I used a small spoon with the sugar water. I put my finger under the butterfly, and he got on my finger.  When I put the spoon in front of him, he put his feet around the spoon, his proboscis unrolled out of his mouth and started drinking the sugar water.  He drank and drank. When I was sure he had enough I went to move the spoon and he grabbed the spoon with both feet as to say I have not finished.

Now after he had finished eating, I didn't want to leave him with sticky feet.  I got warm water in an eyedropper and put a few drops on each foot.  To my surprise every time after that when I would feed him he would hold out each foot one at a time to be washed.  Smart Butterfly!!!

After he had finished eating he started flying around in the bus station.  the sugar water gave him lots of energy. I thought I should give this butterfly a name -  so we will now call him "Pretty Boy".  Now Pretty Boy flew to my desk and wanted to get on my hand, so I would open up my hand and he liked getting into the palm of my hand, and I liked him there because he would be safe.  I could not hold him by his wings for they were fragile.  When I was busy writing, he sometimes would ride on the back of my hand or get on my shoulder.  Pretty boy would do that a lot if I was working with customers at the ticket counter.  Now customers were ask me about Pretty Boy and I would tell them that he was my pet butterfly.  Some of the customers would come back by the bus station just to see Pretty boy.

Jimmy, my husband, and I decided that we should give Pretty Boy his freedom.  After making a decision to do that, we took Pretty Boy out to the park across the street from the bus station and turned him loose.  He had a wonderful time flying up in the trees and crawling on the grass.  It was a beautiful day to be outside.  You would not believe this , but when we left Pretty Boy to go back to the bus station he followed us.  He made a choice to stay with us.   We were so happy to keep him.  He still had the outings as I would take him often to the park and took him with me to take care of my flowers in front of the bus station.  He would fly around but stay close to where I was working.  When I would start to go in, he would hold his foot up for me to pick him up and take him in, too.

Pretty Boy would take naps off and on during the day.  He would sleep with his wings closed then open them up, turn around to see where I was and what I was doing.  Sometimes I did not have time to spend with him so I would have to speak to him in a tone that  he understood to stay on the plant and he would.  Then when I had time for him he would hold out his foot for me to take him. I would feed him again or just talk to him on my desk.  Jimmy gave me the scope off his rifle so I could look through that and see him really well. He would look at me also. 

Now I had an allergy and would rub my nose every once in a while.  Well Pretty Boy started copying me and would take his foot and rub his nose.  We had a good laugh over that.

 I was concerned just about how long I would have Pretty Boy as every morning when I would open up I was afraid I would find Pretty Boy had died.  So I wanted to get a picture of him to keep.  I visited the Augusta Chronicle Newspaper office just around the corner from the bus station.  When I asked for their photographer to see if he would come by the office and take a picture of Pretty Boy, they looked at me as if I was kidding them.  They asked, "Are you really wanting us to take a picture of a butterfly that you have at work?"   "Of course that is exactly what I want."  He laughed and said he would come around in the next day or two.  The next day it was so windy that I would never think of taking Pretty Boy to the park, but the photographer came by with his camera hanging around his neck telling me to get Pretty Boy and take him outside.  I told him it was too windy but he insisted that he could take the picture very quickly.  I could protect him from the wind with my  hand.  The Photographer did not want to take the picture inside.  Now I tried to let Pretty Boy know that we were going to the park but  not to fly around.  So here we go outside. Pretty Boy, believe it or not, understood that this outing to the park was going to be different.   While standing in the park with Pretty Boy on the end of my finger, I could feel his feet snuggle to be so that he wouldn't get blown away, and I kept my other hand behind him for protection from the wind.  After asking me to move a little to the left, a little to the right, a little higher, he dropped his camera and looked at me really strange.  I asked what was the problem?  The photographer just looked at me a minute or two then shook his head and said, "I can't believe what I am seeing - this butterfly looks at me every way you move, his eyes are looking right at me all the time."  Well the picture did turn out okay. Pretty Boy probably smiled at him, but he missed that.  Pretty boy was not blown away.  I told Pretty Boy I was really proud of him.

If you have read this far, you may wonder why I have said nothing about the College Football Championship Game Monday night.  I submit my column to the newspapers on Monday morning.  I will be watching for I am a Clemson graduate and proud of it.  I know Frank Howard and Bear Bryant are having a ball.

REMINDERS

Ridge Spring Library hours: Mon/Tues 8:30 am - 12 pm; Wed., 8:30 – 4:30; Thurs 8:30 am - 12:30 pm; Fri 8:30 pm -4:30 pm

Ridge Spring Post Office hours:  Mon-Fri. 7:30 am – 11:30 am; Sat 9 – 10 am

Saluda County Library Hours:  Mon/Wed 8:30 am-5 pm; Tues/Thurs 8:30 am – 6 pm; Fri 8:30 am – 5 pm; Sat closed

Recycling Center Hours: Mon/Wed/Fri 1-7; Sat 7-7; Sun 3-7; Tues/Thurs closed

First Thursday of the Month:  AARS meets at 6:30, 685-5783

Third Thursday of the Month: FORS at Library at 5:00