Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 280, Ed. 1 Tuesday, October 11, 2011 Page: 4 of 10
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Page 4 ■ Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Sweetwater Reporter
DEDICATED TO PROUDLYDEUVERIN® LOCAL NEWS SI NTH 1881
T—\ Sweetwatei A
Reporter
1EMBER
| * 1 2010
P.O. Box 750/112 W. Third
I
TEXAS PRESS
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
ASSOCIATION
325/236-6677
Fax: 325/235-4967
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EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
those labeled "Editorials" reflect the opinions of the writ-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
October 11
BY MELISSA WINSLOW
Staff Writer
On this day in 1975, Saturday Night Live (SNL), a
topical comedy sketch show featuring Chevy Chase,
John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Garrett
Morris, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman, makes its
debut on NBC; it will go on to become the longest-
running, highest-rated show on late-night television.
The 90-minute program, which from its inception has
been broadcast live from Studio 8H in the GE Building
at Rockefeller Center, includes a different guest host
and musical act each week. The opening sketch of each
show7 ends with one actor saying, "Live from New York,
it's Saturday Night!"
Created by the Canadian-born comedy writer Lome
Michaels, SNL has introduced a long list of memora-
ble characters and catchphrases—from Gilda Radner's
Roseanne Roseannada, to the Coneheads, to Billy
Crystal's Fernando ("You look mahvelous"), to Dana
Carrey's Church Lady ("Isn't that special?"), to body-
builders Hans and Franz ("We're going to pump you
up"), to Coffee Talk host Linda Richman ("like buttah"
and "I'm all verklempt")—that have become part of
pop-culture history. The show, whose cast has changed
continually over the years, has also launched the careers
of such performers as Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Chris
Rock, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, David
Spade, Jon Lovitz, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tina Fey.
Some SNL sketches have even been turned into feature
films, the two most successful examples being 1980's
The Blues Brothers and 1992's Wayne's World.
The show was originally known as NBC's Saturday
Night because there was another show 01 ABC called
Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. However,
NBC eventually purchased the naming rights, and
since 1977 the edgy comedy program has been called
Saturday Night Live. Lome Michaels served as the
show's producer from 1975 to 1980, followed by Jean
Doumanian from 1980 to 1981. Dick Ebersol helmed
the show from 1981 to 1985. Michaels returned to the
program that year, and has remained executive pro-
ducer ever since.
The influential comedian George Carlin hosted the
debut episode of SNL. Later that year, Candace Bergen
became the first woman to assume SNL hosting duties.
She went on to host the program four more times* In
1982, seven-year-old Drew Barrymore hosted the show,
becoming the youngest person ever to do so. Starting
in 1976, Steve Martin has hosted SNL 14 times. Since
1990, Alec Baldwin has hosted the show 13 times. John
Goodman has hosted the show a dozen times, begin-
ning in 1989. Other frequent guest hosts include Buck
Henry, Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks and Christopher
Walken. Musical guests who've performed on SNL five
or more times include Paul Simon, Tom Petty & The
Heartbreakers, James Taylor, Sting, Beck and the Foo
Fighters.
SNL is known for its topical parodies and imperson-
ations. and for pushing boundaries with its sketches.
The show is also recognized for its political humor
Chew Chase famously portrayed President Gerald Ford
as a klutz, while Dana Carvey spoofed President George
H.W. Bush and his "read my lips" line. More recei ; ly,
Amy Poehler has played Senator Hillary Clinton in
numerous skits (including one with the senator herself)
and Tina Fey has portrayed the 2008 Republican vice-
presidential nominee, Sarah Palin.
Also on this day in history: Blind driver breaks
land-speed record - 2008; Ye ow fever breaks out in
Philadelphia -1793; Apollo 7 launched -1968; Benedict
Arnold and 1 he Battle of Valcour Island -1776; Bulgaria
enters World War 1 -1915.
Visit www.history.com for more of This Day in
History.
letters to the Editor
Dear Editor
Are we living in a time like the early 1930s? Indeed
we are. Let me tell you why. A few days ago, I went over
to the Wal-Mart to purchase a few groceries. On the
way back, I saw this guy walking home, which is what a
lot of us do from time to time. I gave him a ride home,
which wasn't very far. Guess what? The guy was living
in a new looking ouse and an almost new Cadillac was
parked in front of it. He had on nice looking clothing,
much better than mine. He asked me for a few bucks. I
gave him 20 dollars and left. I thought of the time back
n the Great Depression when I would walk the streets
and beg for nickels and dimes and even pennies. I don't
think we will ever see how it was in the early 1930s
again, but you can bet your bottom dollar there will
always be someone who wants your money!!! So be on
guard.
Roy D. Dillon
Sweetwater, Texas
UNKNOWN SOLDIERS
The Ghosts of Christmas Past
Christmas will never be
the same for Kristi Pearson.
Instead of a day to rejoice
and relax, the holiday is
a time to remember and
reflect.
During the 2006 holiday
season, Kristi, at the insis-
tence of her husband, Pfc.
Andrew H. Nelson, flew
home to central Michigan
from Germany, where
the soldier trained for his
first combat tour. As the
19-year-old warrior spent
Christmas fighting during
the height of the Iraq war,
he wanted his bride sur-
rounded by loved ones.
After a Christmas-
morning video chat with
her husband and a nice
afternoon with her family,
the 19-year-old Army wife
suddenly panicked.
"I looked at my broth-
er and said, 'Something
doesn't feel right ... I feel
like something has been
taken away, and I don't
know what it is,"' Kristi told
the Unknown Soldiers.
In the early morning
hours of Dec. 26, military
messengers knocked on
the door of her family's
home in St. Johns, where
Kristi and Andrew met in
4th grade. At almost the
precise moment that a
sense of dread began to
consume her, Kristi's hus-
band lost his life on the
battlefield.
According to the
Pentagon, Pfc. Nelson died
when an improvised explo-
sive device blew up near his
Army vehicle. The Baghdad
terrorist attack also killed
Sgt. John Bubeck, 25, and
Spc. Aaron Preston, 29.
"All of this was a giant
blur to me," Kristi bravely
recounted four and a half
years later, while admit-
ting that the tragedy still
spurs panic attacks. "I
don't know how to explain
it."
Kristi grew up in a mili-
tary family. But when
Andrew decided to join the
THE GREEN TEAM
Army after high school, she
couldn't help but worry.
"It's different when it's
your husband instead of
a parent," she explained,
while emphasizing
Andrew's love for the
Armed Forces.
Kristi and Andrew mar-
ried on Nov. 5, 2005, just
before the soldier left for
Germany. She joined him
there in the spring, when
they would finally be able
to take a honeymoon to
London and Paris.
"I am really thankful we
were in Germany togeth-
er," Kristi said. "Whenever
I think of our marriage, I
think of all the amazing
things we got to see and all
the places we got to go."
Andrew was a "jokester,"
but as a soldier, he was
intensely prepared. Fellow
troops told Kristi that her
late husband brought an
almost ridiculous variety
of tools with him on every
mission, earning him the
affectionate nickname
"Ranger Rick."
"He was a soldier who
had everything," Kristi
said. "Everyone always
joked about that and gave
him a tough time."
After Andrew's sud-
den death, communi-
ties throughout central
Michigan and the U.S. mili-
tary embraced the soldier's
widow, his loving par-
ents, Alan and Tami, and
Andrew's loyal siblings,
Jessica and Stephanie.
For Kristi, picking up the
jagged pieces of her shat-
tered life after the worst
Christmas imaginable
would not be easy.
In the years to come,
Kristi fell in love with
another brave American
soldier, Staff Sgt. Aaron
Pearson.
"I want people to know
that it's okay to move on
and be happy again," she
said.
Sadly, Kristi's grand-
father passed away last
fall. With the horror of
Christmas 2006 still loom-
ing, Kristi again flew to
Michigan with a husband
in a war zone; this time it
was Afghanistan.
" I was terrified to go home
because I was so scared
that if I went there while
my husband was deployed,
something would happen
Photo courtesy Kristi Pearson
again," Kristi recalled.
Staff Sgt. Pearson was
injured in Afghanistan a
few months later, within
days of Christmas 2010.
He called me later and
said 'I was medevaced, but
I am fine,"' Kristi said, her
voice trembling. "There
were a lot of coincidences,
and it was really scary."
With her second husband
home, Kristi feels a fragile
sense of ease. But with her
first husband departed, a
sense of loss still remains.
"It's always there, and I
always think about it," she
said.
On Dec. 25, Kristi Pearson
will observe the five-year
anniversary of Pfc. Andrew
H. Nelson's tragic passing
in Iraq while also reflecting
on how fortunate Staff Sgt.
Aaron Pearson was to sur-
vive Afghanistan. Indeed,
Christmas will never be the
same.
To find out more about
Tom Sileo or to read fea-
tures by other Creators
Syndicate writers and car-
toonists, visit the Creators
Syndicate website at www.
creators.com.
To plant, or not to plant
To plant, or not to
plant, that is the question.
You know, for a guy who
doesn't read Shakespeare,
I sure do like that to bor-
row some of his better
lines.
After this summer's plant
loss, especially among
trees, which can take a
long time to replace, a lot
of people are wondering
whether or not to replant
for replacement and/or
put in new trees where
there were none before.
I'm going to go ahead and
answer the question and
then explain my answer
and the thinking behind
it.
Yes, absolutely, posi-
tively, definitely get those
new trees planted. Decide
what kinds of trees you
would like , or need to
have and get them in the
ground this fall and winter
fall is better, for reasons
that I will explain later,
but winter is good to.)
This year took a depress-
ingly large toll on our
canopy cover, by the way,
when I refer to canopy
cover in general, I'm not
distinguishing between
landscape trees, orchard
trees, and trees that grow
untended in fields and
woods. Not only did we
lose a lot of trees this year,
we are going to lose more
of them in the coming
years due to accumulated
stress brought on by the
wicked dry weather that
we just went through.
So if I'm writing anoth-
er depressing article about
not only the trees we have
lost, but telling you we are
going to lose more, and an
even larger number if the
weather stays dry (which
is being predicted) why on
earth am I telling you to
rush out and plant new
ones? In fact I'm recom-
mending that we don't just
plant a few trees, but go
about our replanting with
great glee and abandon
that would put Johnny
Appleseed to shame.
Here's the reason. The
dry hot weather has killed,
or damaged to the point of
future failure a lot of trees.
As I already mentioned,
we are going to lose a lot
of canopy cover. While it
might seem odd to be rush-
ing out to plant new trees
while the weather is still
dry, the fact is, nursing
small trees (newly plant-
ed) through their estab-
lishment phase, even in
dry weather is just not that
hard. Properly applied, the
amount of water
needed to estab-
lish them is not
very great. Again,
properly done, the
water it takes to
fill a bathtub could
water a new tree
for several weeks
or a month.
Time out, I know
that this past sum-
mer it was very
difficult to keep
young trees going
because the it was
so hot and dry. In
some cases the heat actu-
ally surpassed the ability of
some young trees to move
enough water up the trunk
to keep the foliage going.
In instances like that, trees
could die no matter how
well they were watered or
cared for. What we need to
remember is that this was
the hottest, driest summer
on record, ever. I think
the record number of days
over one hundred degrees
in one summer for Abilene
up to now was forty two.
This summer I believe
we had eighty. We didn't
just break the record, we
nearly doubled it. Even if
next summer is still hot
and dry, what are the
odds of it being as bad as
the worst year on record,
Bruce
Kreitler
ever? I would say the odds
of that are about the same
as the odds of having two
one hundred year floods in
back to back years.
One way to help new
trees get through a dry
first summer is to plant
them in the fall. As I men-
tioned above, while fall
and winter are both good
times to plant trees, fall is
better. Trees, even decidu-
ous trees, are never totally
dormant. Even
when the canopy
is bare, and obvi-
ously not growing,
there is activity in
the roots. Being
planted in the fall
and winter gives
trees time to start
establishing them-
selves before the
demands of spring
growth and the hot
dry summer can
set in. Obviously,
the more time they
have to establish
before spring, the better
they are going to do, so
fall being a better time to
plant than winter is sim-
ply a matter of giving new
plants more time to estab-
lish before the following
spring. Not only is that
not complicated, but it's
also an advantage that can
be gained without spend-
ing any extra money. Now
that's my kind of deal.
Hopefully, even though
climate forecasters are
predicting more dry years
ahead, two thousand and
eleven will stand by itself
in the record books for a
hundred years or better.
As a tree person, I would
rather remember this year
for all of the trees that
we planted and gifted to
future generations.
The only way we can
do that is if we get out
there and get those trees
planted.
The next KWKC Green
Team workshop titled Fall
Color and Fall Planting
will be held at 2 P.M.
Saturday, October 22nd
at Willow Creek Gardens,
1820 South Treadaway, in
Abilene.
If you have any land-
scaping, landscape main-
tenance, or tree questions
you would like answered in
this column, submit them
care of editor@sweetwa-
terreporter.com or info@
BrokenWillow.com.
The KWKC Green Team
is made up of Bruce
Kreitler (Broken Willow
Tree Service 325 675 6794
or info@BrokenWillow.
com) Adam Andrews
(Willow Creek Gardens
325 676 3616) and
Stephen Myers (Steele
Myers Landscaping 325
673 7478). Catch them on
KWKC 1340 Saturdays at
noon.
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Sweetwater Reporter will
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 280, Ed. 1 Tuesday, October 11, 2011, newspaper, October 11, 2011; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth229586/m1/4/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.