Columns

• Christmas Blessings came early this year for the Patersons. After the parade last Saturday Joe and John were on their way to Austin to get a pizza. On Highway 281 Joe swerved to keep from hitting a deer and hit a yield sign. They were all shocked at the damage to their new Honda Civic.

We have had some cool weather with a lot of wind. My that wind sends a chill right through you whenever you are out and about. It is a little warmer today, but I hear that another front is coming in tomorrow. There is a tenant association meeting this Tuesday @ 4:30 pm.

Hey ladies, I have been on the road again. My friend, Sherry, and I took a road trip last week. We headed out on Sunday morning and went up 281 bucking the wind all the way. Sherry is my driver when I head to Dallas, I don’t do Dallas. We made a few stops on the way and Hico was one of them.

Question: I did not sign up for Part B when I turned 65. When is the next enrollment so that I can sign up for it? Answer: If you are eligible for Medicare Part B medical insurance, but you didn’t sign up for it when you first became eligible for Medicare, you will have another opportunity to apply.

And maybe a former Turkey QUEEN? I have been the unlucky one to have gout or so I have self diagnosed using the internet tool, Google. It still amazes me what you can find out when you Google just a bit of information. All of a sudden late Thanksgiving Day my foot and big toe began to hurt and by Friday I was limping more than walking.

• The wanderers are back home. Locals Louise Gravenor, Dorothy Uecker, Pearl Hedlund, Joy Watson and Pat Dildine have returned from a weeklong bus trip to Nashville. While there they visited the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, Loretta Lynn’s Kitchen, Opryland Hotel, Delta River Flatboats, the Belle Meade Plantation, the Hermitage and many other places.

Yes we have disposed of Thanksgiving, not the memories but the best paper plates that Chinet had to offer, the toughest plastic flatware, Styrofoam glasses, and even and this is the part I really love, all the aluminum pans that our forty eleven casseroles were baked in. For your information, in our family anything that is ‘a lot’ we call forty eleven.

Lights, lights, and more lights, what a sight to see. Our community is something to see and as a matter of fact, the whole town is something to see. In the midst of economic hard times it is so nice to see people sharing whatever they can with their neighbors and with strangers that come to tour our town.

Shopping for the quilter in your life is sometimes not an easy chore. Here are a few items to put on Santa’s list: 1. fabric—100% cotton—fat quarters or yardage 2. a basic “How To” quilt reference book 3. a newly released quilting book (ask your local shop for help) 4.

Question: If both my spouse and I are entitled to Social Security benefits, is there any reduction in our payments because we are married? Answer: There is no reduction or penalty simply for marriage. We calculate lifetime earnings independently to determine each spouse’s Social Security benefit amount. When each member of a married couple meets all other eligibility requirements to receive Social Security retirement benefits, each spouse receives a monthly benefit amount based on his