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Complete coverage of the Cass City community and surrounding areas since 1899
VOLUME 106, NUMBER 16 CASS CITY, MICHIGAN - WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 2012 75 CENTS ~ 14 PAGES, 1 SUPPLEMENT
Slices of Life
by Jill Pertler
Glad tidiness to you
Once upon a time I thought of myself as an orderly I live with clogged drains and clogged toilets. The car-
person. I endeavored for things to be as expected and pet is stained. The front door squeaks. My kids argue
that required a certain amount of cleanliness, organiza- about petty things and (accidently) break windows with
tion and restraint. I felt grateful for my abundance of hockey pucks and baseballs. I make rash judgments with-
order. I thought I had it. Or at least I was close. out always listening to both sides of the story. A normal
Then a friend casually mentioned the idea of alphabet- day involves lost lunch money and lost shoes. The dog
izing her spice cabinet. The notion was foreign to me. I hasn’t been brushed for two weeks. Sometimes I don’t
had to ask for clarification (because clearly I was not as match the socks, but just throw them in the drawer. One
organized as I previously believed). day last month, I didn’t make my bed.
The answer was simple. Some people – some painful- It is a disorderly, disarrayed and tumultuous existence –
ly organized people – place their spices in order, alpha- not to mention embarrassing, and I’m not only referring
betically, on the shelf – or drawer – depending on your to how the dog feels about the situation.
kitchen. Basil sits next to bay leaf. Cilantro cozies up to Drastic times call for drastic measures. One rainy day
cinnamon. Instead of parsley, sage, rosemary and last week, I decided to do the obvious: alphabetize the
thyme, they would be arranged as parsley, rosemary, spice cabinet. I figured the whole thing would be a piece
sage and thyme. In. That. Order. of cake – or perhaps a pinch of cinnamon. I started with
The concept of alphabetizing spices provided a new basil and bay leaf, but soon got caught in a herbaceous
mirror on my world. My oasis of order was a mirage. I conundrum. I held the black pepper in my hand. Would I In the boys’ 9-11 age group, the first place
don’t live a neat and organized life, unless organized file it under B, or P? I set that one aside and reached for
chaos qualifies as collateral – damage, that is. white mustard – W or M? I was betwixed. Despite my trophy went to Wyatt Watson (right),
My kitchen is filled with many things. Dirty dishes. A vast knowledge of the alphabet, I couldn’t decide on the
dripping faucet. Old shopping lists. Moldy leftovers. correct way to organize my spices. Christian Long (middle) finished with the
Smudged windows. Lidless plastic storage containers. So I quit. By this time the sun was shining outside and
Greasy stains. Overdue library books. Coffee filter the kids were calling for me to bring them Popsicles – runner-up trophy, and Ben Keables took
leakage. Dust bunnies and the occasional food drip on filed in the freezer, under P.
the floor or counter. I used to think I lived a normal existence, filled with home the third place trophy.
My spices – the foundation for this epiphany – sit in order and tidiness. I was content with my lot in life and
disorder. Tarragon is in the front row (next to cumin, but
you didn’t hear that from me). Ginger consorts with
the state of my food storage. Then I learned about the
relationship between the alphabet and my spice cabinet Reporter’s notebook
oregano. When there is room, the short-bottled spices and my lack of organization became as glaring as the time
sit atop – not next to – one another. Two containers of
cayenne pepper rest on opposite ends of the top shelf.
Both open.
I forgot the oregano in my spaghetti sauce – and equally
as important in the big scheme of things. An eye for an eye?
I don’t even own any allspice. ---
My spice rack serves as a window into my life. As with
any good recipe, spices provide the basis for flavor, but
other ingredients are needed to complete the dish. I’m
Follow Slices of Life on Facebook. Jill Pertler is an
award-winning syndicated columnist and author of “The
Do-It-Yourselfer’s Guide to Self-Syndication” Email her
Beats coddling kids
afraid my remaining ingredients are all messy. Very, at pertmn@qwest.net; or visit her website at http://mar-
very messy. keting-by-design.home.mchsi.com/. by Tom Montgomery for the Jackass Offense”. Or the
Editor Texas sheriff who faced complaints
over orders that male inmates wear
Baker College
I knew it would be only a matter of pink underwear.
time before a Utah mom filed a Maybe the mom of that teen girl
complaint against the judge who would have preferred the judge put
still enrolling offered her 13-year-old daughter the her daughter in a timeout. Sure,
option of an impromptu haircut in that’s always effective. Just ask any
students here
exchange for a lighter sentence after public school educator. When it
the girl and a friend cut a 3-year- comes to discipline, we’ve hog-tied
old’s hair. teachers and administrators to the
Sure enough, the mom is going point where if they look cross-eyed
Baker College of Cass City, a satel- after the judge, and legal scholars at a student, he or she is likely to go
lite campus of Baker College of are chiming in, calling the judge’s home and try to convince mom and
Flint, continues to enroll students for actions part of a “disturbing trend” dad to file a lawsuit.
summer and fall 2012 quarters. that is turning courts into circus Hey, these kids know their rights.
Summer classes began Monday, June shows.
25, with registration continuing In case you missed the story, the When I was a kid, my friends and I
through the first week of classes. Fall girls appeared in a Utah court after had rights, too. We had the right to
quarter will begin Monday, Sept. 24. she and a friend cut the toddler’s misbehave and, if we were in school
Baker’s Cass City campus will offer hair into a bob with dollar-store scis- at the time, we had the right to go to
2 new bachelor’s degree programs sors while playing at a McDonald’s. the principal’s office. Believe me,
this fall: human service and business The judge agreed to cut back com- back then, the only place we wanted
management. Other career programs munity service time if the mother of to avoid more was home after a call
available at Baker College of Cass the 13-year-old chopped off her was made to our parents, detailing
City include business administration, daughter’s ponytail in court. our misdeeds.
medical assistant, pharmacy techni- The mom cut her daughter’s hair Back then, a “time-out” took on a
cian, early childhood education, and then, later, filed a formal com- whole different meaning. On the
computer information systems and plaint, saying the judge intimidated other hand, we put some serious
computer technology options. her. The mom said she couldn’t see thought into repeating the same
Many financial assistance opportu- how the court “reducing itself to the behavior that got us into trouble in
nities are available. For more infor- level of a 13-year-old teaches a the first place.
mation, call Baker College of Cass moral let alone legal lesson.” Makes me wonder if we’re just rais-
City at (989) 872-6000. Students Sorry mom, but I do. ing more rotten kids these days, or if
may also schedule an appointment Seems to me the teen’s hair will we’ve simply gotten lazy. All I
via the Baker College website: grow back, and I doubt she’ll ever know is that judges today are seeing
www.baker.edu. forget this lesson. Isn’t that the far more young people — many of
CASS CITY ROTARY Club members point of punishment — to teach a them repeatedly — than they would
lesson? like, and they’re being forced to send
Inside This Week recently passed the leadership torch during If you didn’t like this story, you some of these kids to jail and even
probably frowned on the Ohio judge prison.
their annual installation dinner. Above, who sentenced 2 teens guilty of If turning a courtroom into “a little
Cass City High School 2011-12 President Karen Easterling (right) breaking into a church on Christmas circus show” now and then is an
Eve to march through town with a effective alternative, I hope more
Class of 1962 gathers hands the gavel to new President Amy Peters donkey and a sign reading, “Sorry judges follow suit.
at Rolling Hills for
its 50th reunion of Knights Insurance
Page 2 Agency, Cass City.
Chippi: gas prices are During Easterling’s
comparable or less tenure as president,
in Cass City
Letters to the editor, page 3 the local club donat-
Lions Club honors Craig,
ed more than $16,000
awards $500 scholarships to various communi-
to 4 local grads; Rotary
Club passes leadership torch
ty projects in the vil-
Photos, page 8 lage.