Something was under their table

Gravelly News by Glenna Goodson

She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases. On the 2nd day she had the movers come and collect her things. On the 3rd day she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candle light.--put on some background music and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar and a bottle of spring water. When she finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half shrimp shells dipped in caviar into the hollow of the curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left. When the husband returned with his new girl friend, all was bliss for the first few days.Then slowly the house began to smell. They tried everything--cleaning and airing the place out--vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were steam cleaned. Air freshners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out a few days. In the end they even replaced the expensive carpet. Nothing worked. People stopped coming over. Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit. A month later, even tho they cut the price in half, they could not find a buyer for their stinky house. Even the local realtors refused to return their calls. Finally they had to borrow a large sum of money to purchase a new home. The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and told him she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce the divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house. Knowing his wife did not know how bad the smell was he agreed on a price that was 1/10th of what the the house had been worth but only if she'd sign the papers that day. A week later the man and his girl friend stood smiling as they watched the moving comopany pack everything to take to their new home.-------and to spite the ex-wife they even TOOK THE CURTAIN RODS !!


I saw Toby Morrison at Emerson's last week. He really loves his four-wheeler but he has wrecked it a few times. Thankfully, it still runs. He told me about going to Lake Washita with Bob Bryant, and his firend, Bob's son, Bobby. Bob has a boat andToby said he did knee-boarding and really had fun.

Lorie Jones and Susan Jones were shopping for school clothes for their boys last week. They were at the Dardanelle Wal-mart and they were going to buy Fourche Valley tee shirts. Imagine their surprise when they saw Ola and Plainview-Rover but no FV. They were pretty upset. They told me so when was there Friday, I asked to see a manager. First a lady came and she was really helpful and kind--then she calledd a male manager over to speak to me. He said they were so sorry and they did not know why it happened but they had ordered FV tee shirts and they probably would be in by Monday--the 4th. He took my name and phone number andsaid he'd call me when they came in. Now we need to buy them. I appreciated the good attitude of both managers.

I was glad to see my friends Don and Midge Whitlow in Fowler's last week. The hood of my car has not been replaced since I hit the deer and Midge says, "Ms. Glenna did an elephant sit on your hood?"Remember the commericial on TV that shows the elephant sitting on the hood of a car?Midge said she could not believe I drove from OKC to Gravelly and how did I do it? Don said he knew how--that I followed the bread crumbs someone had dropped for me for a trail. A fellow was leaving the restaurant and was talking to Don. He said he could tell us a true tale that he bet we had never heard one like it. Some of his family went to Western Sizzler in Russellville to have a steak. They became aware that something was under their table---it was a possum !!Yep--it was alive !!

Jay P. Greene ,professor of education reform at UofA in Fayetteville has done an extensive study of large versus small schools and consolidation. He discovered distrricts perform less efficiently when they get bigger and when they close schools. Larger schools are less tightly connected to the communities they serve. The involvement of the parents are less which is a critical ingredient in successful schools. The areas with the fewest school districts have 12th grade reading scores that are 5.8 national percentiles lower then areas with many school districts. Increasing school district size would decrease the graduation rates by 1.7 percent--. In education--bigger is not better.

Sometimes I wonder why students aren't asked what they want when it concerns a major change in their education process. After all doesn't this concern the kids more then superintendents and board members/ ?The students are the ones that know what works for them when it comes to learning.

I went with my sister Kathy and brother in law, Lacey, Saturday night to a revival at Valley Home Missionary Baptist Church, outsde of Onyx on Hwy. 314. . The evangelist was Gene Tanner from Casa. Kathy had taught Andy, his brother, when she taught 6th grade at Casa. Gene is pastor of a Church in Oppelo. Hesaid there wwere 80 attending when he first went there and now they have 200. He was a wonderful preacher. A young man, Joey Herd, sang several songs. Joey performs with Andy Williams at Branson 9 months out of the year.I 'm so glad I went--I was blessed!!

Remember this---The one thing I can give and still keep is my word.