Funerals in our society are supposed to be sad. In many cases this analysis is correct if the deceased is a young person, but for an older person such as I, who is approaching seventy, death is not a tragedy. Death is a natural part of life and should be accepted. If we really believe, like we profess, this stage of life should be a celebration and not a moaning process.

By: Lovina Eicher

This is a very nice and sunny Thursday with the mercury going over the 50 degree mark on our thermometer.  Susan and I did laundry including some curtains.   Susan hung a lot of the clothes outside taking advantage of this spring-like day.  Earlier this week we had snow flurries.  My husband Joe was off work until April 9. He is also taking advantage of the weather and is hauling manure out of the barn.  Next week the children will be home all week for spring break. Tomorrow is Good Friday so they will be home as well.  I am un-thawing a 12-pound turkey for tomorrow’s dinner. We will have a nice, restful family day.  Daughter Elizabeth will go with Timothy to his parents house for dinner. Mose will be here for dinner and then Susan will go with him to his sister’s house for supper.

An estimated 21% of all adults (45 million people) smoke cigarettes in the United States. Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke, is a complex mixture of gases and particles that include smoke from the burning cigarette, cigar, or pipe tip (sidestream smoke), and exhaled mainstream smoke.

The future prosperity of any community depends on its ability to foster the health and well-being of the next generation. When a community invests wisely in children and families, the next generation will pay that back through a lifetime of productivity and responsible citizenship. Yet, when not all children have equal opportunity for healthy growth and development — due to experiences of child abuse and neglect — we put our future at risk.

While April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, you can make a big difference year-round through small acts that help protect children, strengthen families, promote traits that help protect families — and, ultimately, prevent the abuse and neglect of children.

The Scripture says, “Once a man, twice a child.”  I believe that statement because I see myself in its message. If one lives long enough this truth becomes a fact for all of us.

One of our aunts had a saying about old people. In fact she was an old person herself at that time.  When she would be talking about her sister, who was a year or two older, she would comment, “poor ol’ thing.” My wife and I joke about this label and have included ourselves in the “poor ol’ thing” theory.

Agriculture Commissioner James Comer credited industrial hemp supporters for encouraging lawmakers and Governor Steve Beshear to approve historic legislation that will help restore hemp production to Kentucky.

Governor Beshear said he will take no action on Senate Bill 50, allowing it to become law.

Continuing his efforts to help combat Kentucky’s prescription drug abuse epidemic, U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., asking her to work to prevent the influx of generic opiates from coming to market that fail to incorporate technologies to reduce the likelihoods of misuse and abuse. In the letter sent today, McConnell wrote, “As I travel throughout Kentucky and meet with constituents, I continue to hear concerns about prescription drug abuse. Foremost in the minds of many of my constituents remains the FDA’s approval of generic versions of extended-release opiates without requiring technologies that reduce the likelihood of misuse and abuse.”

Pendleton County Fiscal Court meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., April 9, 2013.

Tentative agenda will go as follows: Call to order, prayer, pledge, approval of agenda, approval of minutes, approval of treasure's report, acknowledge Adam Bradbury as NK firefighter of the year, jailer recognition and thanks to legislature, dispatcher recognition week, County Road Aid Contract/Resolution, Justice Center Janitorial Contract renewal, Justice Center Lawn Care Contract, first reading of Flood Plain Insurance Ordinance, USGS Flood Inundation Map Contract, Budget meeting date, Catawba Bridge update, transfers, pay bills, closing remarks by Judge Bertram/magistrate and adjourn.

By: Lovina Eicher

Rhubarb finds its way into so many baked goods. It just adds a nice, tart taste to everything. Mom baked with her homegrown rhubarb often, and she never had trouble growing rhubarb. If you want to start your own rhubarb patch, plant the rhubarb one year and then use it the second year. I have always done this and always had good luck. You don’t use the rhubarb for a year so that you can give the plants time to develop strong roots.

By Janet Patton, Lexington Herald-Leader

Legislators reached a last-hour deal last Tuesday to pass a bill to license Kentucky farmers to grow hemp.

The deal between House Democrats and Sen. Paul Hornback, R-Shelbyville, will allow hemp licensing by the Kentucky Industrial Hemp Commission under the control of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

Who would do the licensing had been a big snag for House Democrats, who apparently buckled under public pressure.

Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said the bill will leave the hemp commission with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. The research functions will be performed by the University of Kentucky.

The House voted 88-4 and sent the bill back to the Senate where it passed 35-1.