Survey Says!

by Mary Jane | Feb 18, 2021 | Special Events, The Kindness Connection Blog

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY?

Shady Pines is a wonderful community filled with all sorts of story tellin’ characters. These human and animals of all ages and backgrounds help to inspire us to be our best selves.

They especially like to help kids discover how to make good choices in life.

But we know we need to bring that positive message to you in a way you can really use. As you guide your children through these complicated times, we want to be a trusted resource of love, laughter, and bedrock values.

Your kids deserve nothing but the best!

Will you please take a moment to answer this very simple survey? Just click on the SURVEY image. It’s very important that we deliver content that addresses the charactertraits you value most. It only takes a second.

We really appreciate your input and will let you know the results soon!

What’s Up with Advent Calendars?

by Mary Jane | Nov 29, 2020 | Breaking News, The Kindness Connection Blog

Time For Advent Calendars!

Oh, boy, the big day will be here soon. The countdown is on for Christmas and advent calendars are popping up everywhere. These are the calendars that kids love because they include a hidden treat or toy behind every day of the week from the first of December right up to Christmas Eve. Hi everyone, Zulah Talmadge with you for The Shady Pines Gazette News. Now that Thanksgiving is in our rear view mirror the holiday season is in full gear.

What Is The Season of Advent?

Do you know about the Season of Advent and the reason why these calendars are fun for kids and adults alike? Let’s start at the beginning. Traditionally, the Season of Advent begins on the final Sunday in November and lasts into that third week in December.

It has been seen by Christians around the world as a way to get ready for the coming birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. That’s why each day on an Avent Calendar is its own celebration to reflect the joy and hope of this very special season. You also may even see Avent Wreaths with four or five purple, pink and white candles. Like the calendars, these wreaths are also used to symbolize a scared time of year. Each candle has a separate meaning.

Typically, during the Season of Advent, one candle on the wreath is lit each Sunday as a part of Sunday church services. But you don’t have to be a practicing Christian to honor the spirit of Advent. The Advent Calender started in the mid-19th century when Germans marked the countdown to Christmas with chalk marks on doors or by lighting a candle.

Advent Calendars Are All Different

These days, most Advent Calendars have numbered paper doors or pockets that open to reveal an image, chocolate or other small object. Some of the folks here in Shady Pines Story Town will hide messages of kindness, caring and love behind those colorful doors.

There is no one way to make a calendar. They look as different as the people who create them. For instance, a long time ago you might have seen a really old fashioned calendar that looks like your great, great, grandmother might have made it.

These days, there all kinds of Advent Calendars you can buy or make for yourself. But one thing remains the same. These holiday calendars are fun. And just like the spiritual theme of the season, they offer anticipation, hope and joy of discovery.

How to Use an Advent Calendar

Best of all, for parents, it’s something you can use to keep the kids busy and a way to promote conversation around issues you might want to discuss.

We did a story for The Gazette not long ago about parents and grandparents who are concerned that kids are more focused on getting toys, video games and stuff for Christmas, rather than what they can do for others in need.

It’s normal for kids to get so excited while wating for Christmas to arrive. But, in 2020 with many of our neighbors going through hard times, consider using an Advent Calendar to focus those young people in your life on what you and your family values most.

That’s what we try to do each and every day here in the small Southern town of Shady Pines!

Let’s Go to the Pumpkin Patch

by Mary Jane | Oct 15, 2020 | Breaking News, The Kindness Connection Blog

Get The Scoop from the Pumpkin Patch

Fall is such a wonderful time of year in Shady Pines. Everywhere you look there’s an explosion of color. And I really like the cooler weather, don’t you? I’m Scoop the Cub Reporter for The Shady Pines Gazette.

With Halloween just around the corner, a lot of folks are off to the local Pumpkin Patch. I’m headed that way right now. My assignment is to discover why so many folks say this is one of their favorite things to do each year as a family.

One thing I’ve noticed is that from toddlers to teens, like myself, a pumpkin patch is fun for everyone. First of all, you get some exercise and you’re outside.

And, most of these working farms are so big you don’t have to worry about social distancing. You should bring your mask along anyway. At some point you will have to pay for the pumpkins you’re going to take home. That puts you close to the person who checks you out. Okay, I’m here. I’ve gotta interview people.

One mom I met told said, “If your kids don’t explore the outdoors very often, this is a great way for them to discover nature. Seeing how pumpkins grow out of the ground and are attached to vines is very educational. It helps them understand that pumpkins don’t just show up at the grocery store automatically.”

I can already see for myself that this is one place where children can run around and discover things for themselves. That’s really important. I know I like to find those unexpected, special, moments. For instance, take a look at this shot I got. Do you see the colors of that butterfly next to the pumpkin? Being out on the farm you can just be amazed at Mother Nature. I think this kind of stuff is really cool!

I met another mom who told me, “From the second we arrived, my children ran off with smiles, but quickly, they realized how much work it was to be in a field of pumpkins. Even running took work since the vines were everywhere, waiting to trip little, toddler-sized running feet.”

It turns out that not only is this a great way to spend time with the family, there are also some lessons to be learned. There aren’t a whole bunch of people working the farms these days. So a lot of kids don’t realize it takes hard work to be a farmer. One young girl I met was getting a little taste of that. Just trying to push a wheelbarrow with a big ‘ole pumpkin was something she hadn’t done before. The other thing she said was that she didn’t know pumpkins grew from tiny seeds. She also didn’t realize that they come in so many shapes, sizes and colors. “It’s kinda like people, isn’t it?” she asked.

I have to admit, I’d never thought of that before. It seems there are a lot of things to find in the pumpkin patch. One couple I met said they love coming out here each October. But this year it was especially important to them. “We know so many farms and other small businesses are struggling right now because of the pandemic. It was important to us to come out and support them.”

That’s reason enought for me to go home with some pumpkins of my own. I don’t know about you, but our family usually has a pumpkin carving contest. Last year my dad won. It’s time for me to take the title back! The other reason I need to pick up some pumpkins is to inspire my mom. Around Halloween she likes to scare up some pumpkin dishes for us. I’m talking about everything from pumpkin pies to pumpkin pancakes. Here are some recipes for you to try: PUMPKIN RECIPES

There’s one more thing I want to mention.

These pumpkin patch visits make for some great family photos. Everywhere I look I’m seeing parents taking all sorts of shots.

Oh, look at the time. I’ve got to get back to the Gazette office. My editor, Zulah Talmadge, is probably wondering why I’ve been gone so long. But this is just so darn much fun. Hope you’ve enjoyed it!

– Scoop out.

Shady Pines’ Postal Worker Wants Your Help

by Mary Jane | Aug 18, 2020 | The Kindness Connection Blog, Shady Pines Stories

Oh, boy! I’m not sure about all this commotion with the U.S. Post Office. I’m Kim Dunworthy and I keep hearing that the postal service needs to save money, big time. So those political types in our nation’s capitol (Washington, DC) are cutting back on the number of hours we can work. I don’t like that because when I work extra, I get paid overtime. I’ve been trying to save up to buy a car. Geesh.

And now, in another cost cutting move, they say we might not have as many mail boxes around town. That’s going to make it harder for some folks to drive up and mail a letter.

With all the changes I keep hearing about, I’m worried what it will mean to mail delivery here in Shady Pines. We’re a pretty small town. People are used to getting their mail on time.

I mean, we deliver more than letters. I’m proud to say we deliver medications to people who need them. With this pandemic and all, I have a lot of folks on my route who don’t want to risk their health to go to the pharmacy. And you know how much shopping everyone’s doing online these days.

Why, my truck is filled with packages I deliver every day. Then, there’s the census cards. You know, that’s the card you fill out and mail back saying where you live and who lives there with you. That’s how a community like ours gets the services they need. The money from the government we get is based on how many people live in a certain town or city.

And this year, because there’s a presidential election going on, there’s a lot of yammering about voting by mail. Some people think we can’t handle all those ballots in a timely fashion. Listen, if we can handle all the thousands of Christmas Cards we have to sort through and deliver every year, we can find a way to deal with people who are mailing in their votes.

I know there isn’t a lot I can do to change what somebody in Washington, DC decides to do. But there are things every citizen of Shady Pines and you can can do to help the Post Office.

How you can help

1) Buy stamps.

Most of the money that the Post Office receives is from first class mail. So, buy some stamps. Send some letters, or ramp up your involvement with a postcarding or letterwriting campaign! Here’s the link to buy stamps: USPS Store

2) Contact your Senators and Rep in Congress.

With the help from your parents, tell your representatives in Congress that you want them to support helping the Post Office through this rough patch. (Find their contact info HERE.) Try saying something like this:

Hello. I’m from [ZIP] and I’m calling to ask you to support emergency funding for the U.S. Postal Service to ensure delivery of crucial supplies and mailed election ballots. Can I count on you to support including direct funding in the next coronavirus relief bill? Thank you.

I strongly encourage you have your parents help you include a reason or two to make your request strong with an added punch. They could include the following:

let’s keep the nearly 500,000 postal workers employed like me! (including a significant number of veterans)
let’s make sure rural areas continue to have access to mail (like Shady Pines)
we want to ensure that the roughly 1 million lifesaving medications that are shipped every year get to the intended recipients (source)
we want to make sure all of our military personnel – especially overseas – have continued mail service (as private services such as UPS and FedEx cannot deliver for security reasons)
it would be irresponsible to let the Post Office fail becuase it would hurt both the Census and the November elections
you believe that everyone, no matter where they live, should get the same access to a valuable line of communication that the Post Offfice provides.

I’ll keep doing my part to make sure your mail gets delivered on time. After all, I’m known as “Keep It Moving” Kim Dunworthy. Now you need to do your part. Let’s make sure you can always rely on the Postal Service. You know what we postal workers always say:

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”

***Please leave a comment below

Coronavirus & St. Patrick’s Day

by Mary Jane | Mar 16, 2020 | The Kindness Connection Blog

KINDNESS IN HARD TIMES is THE SHADY PINES WAY

Hi Everyone! I’m Scoop the Cub Reporter from The Shady Pines Gazette with some important updates for tomorrow’s St. Paddy’s Day and some history about the holiday that you can share with the kids. More on that in a minute. I know the headlines have been rough lately with a super virus spreading fear and causing all kinds of changes. It’s definitely not business as usual in Shady Pines Story Town. Here in the newsroom we’re watching developments as they come in. Let me share some of them with you. To help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, all area schools are closed, and more and more folks are working from home. The parade has been cancelled because we’re not suppose to be around crowds of 50 people or more.

A lot of shops on Main Street have closed for the time being. Pets Galore and Fred’s Corner Grocer are still open and people have been shopping like crazy! Cup ‘O Joe’s coffee shop is doing take out orders only. For those who can’t get out or need help, there are plans for that, too. We just Heard that the Shady Pines Community Center is closing down most of its activities and will now be used as a staging center.

Director Rita Mallena tells us she’s teaming up with Maggie, of Maggie’s Diner. They’re getting help from volunteers to make meals to be delivered, or picked up, by people who need them. Health experts say we should really pay attention to those who are at greatest risk. They urge us to stay in touch with our elderly family members and friends and check in on those who have health conditions that make them more likely to get sick this time of year. We all have to work together in these difficult times.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY HISTORY & MORE

We’ll bring you more updates soon. In the meantime, how about some St. Patrick’s Day’s information that you can share with your family if you are stuck at home?

One thing you should know about our town. Every March 17th our tight knit community takes time to appreciate the Irish. The adults think it’s a chance to let children know about other cultures and show them some of the wonderful ways we celebrate them.

Earlier today, my editor, Zulah Talmadge and I went out to start reporting on this year’s holiday. We’d just arrived downtown and were sitting in our news car, when Ms. Talmadge asked me a question.

“Scoop, do you know about the history of St. Patrick’s Day?” asks Zulah. I had to think about that for a minute. “You know what, Ms. Talmadge? I don’t.”

“Well,” says Zulah, “St Patrick is one of the patron saints of Ireland. He’s supposed to have died on March 17 around the year 493.”

My eye get really big. “That was a really long time ago.”

Zulah nods. “Yep. He grew up in Britain, but was captured by Irish raiders. They took him to Ireland when he was just a little older than you are now.”

OK. That amazed me. “So he didn’t have a choice?” Zulah shakes her head. “Nope.”

“Wow. Was he stuck there? Did he ever get home? “I wondered out loud.

THE SAINTHOOD OF ST. PATRICK

Zulah continues. “Years later Patrick did get back to his family. He was very religious so he dedicated himself to the church, like his father and grandfather before him. Later, he returned to Ireland as a missionary.”

“That’s interesting,” I thought. “He went back to Ireland. So, how did he become a saint?”

“History tells us that he gained sainthood for his missionary work,” says Zulah.

I reached for my reporter’s notebook.”I’ve got to write that down. This is so cool!”

“Maybe we can work some of these background facts into our story,” says Zulah.

Scoop is grabbing his gear. “Oh, we’ve gotta. Children need to know this stuff.”

“All right,” agrees Zulah. “But now let’s go find some fun food facts!”

ST. PATRICK’S DAY FOODS

And with that, the dynamic news duo heads down Main Street to Maggie’s Diner. If there’s one person who will know what to serve on St. Patrick’s Day, it’ll be Maggie. Maggie is inside working on ideas for the takeout meal program.

“Hi ya Maggie! Heard you and Rita are planning takeout meals,” says Zulah.

Scoop sets up his camera to get ready for the interview.

“Hi yourself, Zulah,” chuckles Maggie. “Yep. I was just working on the St. Patrcik’s Day menu items.” Maggie looks from Zulah to Scoop. “I guess this story was big enough that both of you are covering it?”

Scoop is smiling. “There’s a food angle, Ms. Maggie.”

Maggie nods. “Of course. I should have known that would interest our Zulah.”

Zulah pretends not to believe what she’s hearing. “I don’t know what you two are talking about.”

Scoop pins the microphone onto Maggie’s blouse and readies his video camera.

“So, what do people tend to eat on St. Patrick’s Day?” asks Zulah.

“I can tell you what I usually whip up,” says Maggie. “I’m talking about Irish soda bread, Irish stew and of course, corned beef and cabbage. We’ll use vegetables like potatoes and carrots to fill out the plate.”

“What about desert?” asks Scoop.

“How could I forget your sweet tooth, Scoop?”

“Aw, Ms. Maggie.”

“I’m just teasing. I generally serve shamrock cookies for the kids, and the kids at heart.”

“Those are always such a favorite,” adds Zulah.

Maggie agrees. “Yea, they always go really fast. And, I usually do an assortment of pies. I might even make a mint green cheesecake, just for something different.”

Scoop’s mouth has dropped open. “Oh man, that sounds SO good.”

Zulah is really enjoying this. “Just remember, if you need people to help taste any of your recipes you know we’re available.”

Removing the microphone, Maggie smiles. “That goes without saying.”

Zulah and Scoop say goodbye to Maggie and thank her for her time.

“You’re very welcome. “Where are you going next?”

Zulah looks at Scoop. “I think we’ll find out what St Paddy’s Day specials are brewing over at Cup ‘O Joe’s coffee shop.”

“Then we can find out what kinds of St. Patriock’s Day goodies Fred is stocking at his Corner Grocer,” adds Scoop. “Oh, and since the parade is cancelled, we might swing by City Hall. We’ll want to get the latest Coronavirus info from Mayor Fibbs. Last I checked, he was talking to the mayor of nearby River City and trying to coordinate plans with her.”

Zulah throws up her hands. “Clearly we have a lot of ground to cover. See ya later, Maggie.”

“‘Bye you guys. See ya soon!”

Zooming around in their news car while tracking down their St. Patrick’s Day story, Zulah and Scoop are determined to bring us all the news that fit to print in the small Southern town of Shady Pines!

***TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ST. PATRICK’S DAY TRADITIONS WE’VE GOT THEM. GO HERE

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