PHOTO BY BILL *AVtR
MARTIN HOUSES can be purchased or made at home; sometimes gourds are preferable to the
boxes.
Getting Ready For Nesting Season
BY BILL FAVF.R
This is the time of year when it is helpful to get
ready for the spring bird nesting season. We still have
some time to construct blue-bird
nesting boxes, martin houses, and
nest boxes for wrens, great-crested
flycatchers, and chickadces.
Some authorities say we
should have nest boxes in place by
mid-February so birds taking ad
vantage of warm spells of weather
f can begin scouting for a nesting
0 site. This is particularly true for
bluebirds for they seem to start
FAVER house -hunting as soon as there is a
hint of spring in the air. They will bypass houses that
have not been cleaned out or that are otherwise defec
tive, and may not return to try them later.
Bluebird boxes should have an inside dimension of
5x5-inches for the floor and be at least 8 inches deep.
The 11* inch cntnincc hole should be placed about six
inches from the floor. Bluebirds do not like a perch and
the absence of one on their boxes will discourage spar
rows, starlings, and other birds. The box should be
placed on a post about five to six feet above ground
and should be in an open area near enough to a utility
line or a tree limb for the birds to have a place to perch.
Purple martin houses can be purchased or made at
home. Some become architectural marvels, but re
member they need to be on a post or pipe at least ten
Icet above ground and need to be cleaned out after the
nesting season. Placement should be in an open area
near water where there will likely be an abundance of
insects. Martins may not come to a newly-erected
house the first year, but the scouts that come to our
area in March will find it sooner or later. Don't forget
that gourds were tho first martin houses and some suc
cess has been had using milk jugs and other plastic
containers.
Grcat-crcstcd flycatchers may find bluebird houses
to their liking and move in. They also will use a box of
slightly larger size, but often get competition from the
sterlings 2nd sparrows. Wrens will use smaller boxes
made especially for them. Sometimes chickadees will
nest in the bluebird boxes or the wren boxes.
If you need a good wintertime project, make some
bird boxes and put them up for the spring ncstcrs.
You'll enjoy watching them and can feel rewarded by
knowing you helped in getting them ready for the nest
ing season.
MORE LETTERS
We Face Some Challenging Events
T-, *k. -j:.
i U Utc UiilUi .
Thomas Jefferson was so righi
when he said, "If we can prevent the
government from wasting the labors
of the people and the pretense of
calling for th**m they will he hap
py." Nothing has changed in 200
years.
In the former Soviet Union, after
70 years of wasting the labors of the
people, the people finally became
angry enough to throw out their evil
masters. The damage done in 70
years cannot be repaired in a single
stroke. We can expect much pain
and suffering and continued set
backs as the people grope their way
toward a free market system.
Surely enough, as they search for
the path that leads to freedom and
economic growth, a giant step for
ward has been taken which will ben
efit mankind.
This week President Bush will
addressed the this country in his
"State of the Union." His message
should spell out what President
Bush wants to do. He may cram
more into his plans to salvage our
economy by putting more money in
to the hands of the consumers and
let the Federal Reserve continue
what it is doing.
It has been said that the Soviets
lost the Cold War, but we have not
yet won it. Here in "the land of milk
and honey" and the "Home of the
Brave," we, too, have created within
the Washington Beltway a yoke of
executive and legislative incompc
tent bureaucrats who, under the pre
tense of caring, are now spending
three million dollars every minute of
every day, cach and every day of the
year. The big question this election
year is whether the American people
arc angry enough to throw the ras
tals out. if not now, when?
The first clue will come next
month in New Hampshire, whose
motto is "Live Free or Die." If
George Bush gets a bloody nose in
New Hampshire, he iust might opt
for early retirement. Should he de
cide to fight on, look for him, before
summer, to diffuse the time bomb he
left ticking in the Middle East.
Emerging Eastern Europe, the
currently chaotic Commonwealth Of
Independent States, the eroding Jap
anese economy ? they are trying to
buy the Seattle Mariners baseball
team ? and our wide open election
outcome are only some of reasons
we are getting ready to face chal
lenging events occurring at ever in
creasing speed!
Bob L. Johnson
Ocean Isle Beach
Sentences
Predictable
And Expected
To the editor
This is in response to Terry
Pope's column in the Jan. 16 edition
of the Beacon concerning the
"Hanging Judge." I don't believe I
have ever read a more stupid piece.
For Mr. Pope's information, the
courts of this state are not for abus
ing or frightening persons accused
of crimes or for pleasing victims.
The purpose of our courts is to in
sure that justice is done, fairly and
impartially. Anyone accused of a
crime-for which they arc presumed
to be innocent by the way-should
expect that the law will be applied
rationally and equitably to them.
Mr. Pope's applauding of the
events and conduct as he described
them, show a genuine lack of appre
ciation for these fundamental princi
ples.
Every experienced criminal de
fense lawyer in Brunswick County
is aware of Judge Britt's background
and sentencing tendencies. I saw no
"quaking" before Judge Brill, or any
showing of surprise at any sentence
he handed out. On the contrary.
Judge Brill's sentences were very
predictable and cxpected by the at
torneys appearing before him.
Michael R. Ramos
Shallotic
Support Our
Young Adults
To the editor:
I would like to talk briefly about
the South Brunswick High School
ROTC ball held this past Saturday
night, Jan. 25. I was thrilled to see
the fellowship and good clean fun
had by all who attended. I congratu
late the leaders of this group.
I was very disappointed to see
thai of all the guests that were invit
ed to attend this event, only one high
school principal, one math teacher
and one school board member at
tended.
Let's gel out and support our
young adults when we are invited to.
Jackie Slockctt
Yaupon Beach
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Remembrances Of Winters Gone By
The brie! snowfall recently was
great.
i jnyn snow, bill thut's pTcbub!}'
because I'm a native Southerner.
Most of us have never seen or hail to
live through the kind of snow people
gel in Minnesota or Iowa.
For those of us who have never
had to trudge to work or schix>l day
after day in the stuff, snow creates a
rare, glittering, winter wonderland
Or a day or two off from work
and school, since we're such wimps.
It's interesting how severe weath
er conditions stick in our memories.
Most residents of Atlanta, (ia.. re
member the winter of 1973 when
The Big Ice Storm hit and incapaci
tated most of the city.
It was right around this time of
year, Jan. 9 to be exact. I only re
member that date because it's also
Richard Nixon's birthday, and
please don't ask me why I remember
that detail.
All electrical and telephone lines
were down for an enure week, so
my family got a taste of how televi
sion's Walton family got by.
Just like John Boy, wc had to sit
around and read by candlelight,
which my sisters and I were not ac
customed to doing.
Wc put perishables such as milk
and eggs on (he back porch and con
gregated to sleep in the living room
near the fireplace at night.
It was beautiful the way the ice
coated everything in sight with a
crystalline glaze, but can you imag
ine the time my mother had in keep
ing three kids occupied with no TV.
no phones, and no school?
My dad got off easy; he was able
to go back to work after a day or
two.
When the electricity came back
on at the end of the week, it was
with sudden, bright and loud fan
far? Wo forgotten that the TV,
lights and a radio were on when the
electricity went off.
A!! of ii sudden Wulicr CTronkite's
face jumped onto the TV screen to
welcome the return of modern con
veniences.
Another winter in Atlanta came to
mind the other day when I heard a
native Brunswick County resident
mention the trouble that can be
caused by septic tanks during severe
winter conditions. Now, I never
lived in a community with septic
tanks until 1 moved here, so I don't
know what joys arc in store for me
rcgaiuing that.
But 1 sure know what can happen
Do ri
Cosgrove
Gurganus
when water pipes tonic in contact
with Old Man Winter.
A lew years later, when I was in
high school, my parents were di
vorced and my oldest sister had
moved away Irom home, a very cold
spell came through Atlanta and
fro/.e our pipes. They cracked and
burst.
To the horror of my mother, my
remaining sister and myself, a pipe
leading across the den of our house
had broken and water was filling the
area above the ceiling. We discov
ered this when the water came spew
ing out of the ceiling overnight and
die carpel and a chair were soaked
the next morning.
I'll never forget the patchwork of
towels we put on the carpet for sev
eral days to soak up the excess w ater.
My mom had to go out to the wa
ter meter and turn the water off, and
we lived like that for almost two
weeks until a plumber could come
out to repair the pipe.
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Living without water was a ical
shocker. Wc hsd to fill the toilet
with water alter (lushing it each
time. A jug of water was kept near
by.
About once every few (lays, my
mom or I would go out and turn the
water back on just for the opportuni
ty to fill up a sink full of water to lo
dishes or store jugs and pans of wa
ter for later use.
We would go over to my grand
mother's apartment down the road
to take baths in the evening and heat
up pans of water in the morning to
wash our hair in the sink.
Everything having to do with wa
ter. which is quite a lot, had to be ra
Honed or done with difficulty.
Just another reminder of how
good it is to have the basic ne
cessities sometimes.
So don't tell me that things could
get worse here.
Maybe it's best if nobody tells me
exactly what happens to septic tanks
during a winter storm.
I can only imagine what happens
when a hurricane hits, but let's hope
that imagining is all I'll have to do
for some time.
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