April was great, May is on its way

Pickleball

Did you ever play pickleball? It’s a fast-growing indoor sport that’s lots of fun. It’s played similarly to tennis, but on a smaller court and with a shorter racket. Pickleball is excellent for gaining strength and balance, aerobic exercise, and meeting new friends.

Pickleball is played on the four courts of the gym at The ROC each Monday morning. Players switch out during every set, so everyone gets to play.

Sulphur Springs hosted the Hopkins County Open Pickleball Championship last weekend.

Tournament Organizer Brian Crump of CANHelp said, “14 teams fought hard all afternoon, before a large crowd of spectators at the Sulphur Springs High School Tennis Complex on Sunday, April 21. After witnessing 40 pickleball matches, our local pickleball nation witnessed Clay Johnson and Drake Clarke finally emerge victorious and claim the 2024 Championship.”

Congratulations to Brian and the winners for another way to bring positive benefits to our community.

Dutch Oven

Thanks goes to Rick Wilson and friends of the Hopkins County Historical Society. Rick, Carlie and crew taught 15 more people to cook Dutch Oven-style in the April 20 cooking class.

Woffords

I’ve been given a fact to add to last Saturday’s column. In 1905, in Winnsboro, Texas, Sheriff Amos Wofford and his brother, Constable John Wofford, were shot and killed in “the bowery” while attempting to arrest a pair of lawbreakers. I found Amos’ gravestone in the Union Cemetery in Hopkins County, and have been informed by a reader that John Wofford was laid to rest in the Shooks Chapel Cemetery. Both were members of the Woodmen of the World Fraternal Society, which provided the tombstones for the pair of fallen heroes.

Gardening

My tomato plants, purchased at the Sulphur Springs High School FFA Plant Sale, are growing like weeds! But, there is only one cluster of blooms on each plant.

Can anyone tell me how to boost production on these plants now? If I’m successful, I am willing to repay your kind assistance with homegrown tomatoes later this summer.

Adder snakes

Remember the spreading adder snake? That’s another name for the Eastern Hognose Snake. Like the horned toad, this reptile was common in Longview, where I spent my mid-century childhood, but I have never seen one since.

Spreading adders are commonly called puff adders, spread-heads, and blowing vipers. They are non-aggressive, but will bluff when aroused, using threat displays which include puffing out the sides of their neck, hissing and striking. They are non-venomous and rarely bite, but a bite can cause redness, swelling and a bruised appearance around the site. The entire Heterodon genus is extinction-threatened.

May activities

May is coming fast! Mother's Day is Sunday, May 12, observed in over 40 countries worldwide. Memorial Day is May 27, a day set aside to remember fallen soldiers following the Civil War. May also brings weddings, graduations, and vacations.

We should pause during May to remember the professionals whose life’s missions are to give quality healthcare. Inspired by Florence Nightingale, May is National Nurses Appreciation Month, as well as Hospital Month. Also, May 12-18 is National Skilled Nurses Week, designated to honor those who provide the specialized care necessary in nursing homes.