Learning a new game
Kindergarten student, Vaida, taught St. Johns Public Schools Superintendent Mark Palmer how to play a math game.
RESA auto program featured
Clinton County RESA Career Connections Auto program is moving right along. They have some hard working students and a wonderful teacher in Ken Potts.
Simply Sunday’s Shoppe offers organic foods
photos by Maralyn Fink
Simply Sunday’s Shoppe located at the end of Clinton ave. in downtown St. Johns opened on May 1st of this year. Sunday Priestly is the owner/operator; she is a St. Johns native and has been in the retail business for 29 years.
The shoppe is very warm, comfortable and inviting, filled with gifts, Michigan made products and a full scale bakery.
Sunday and her crew believe clean eating is The key to the success of her shop, while making a wide variety of paninis, healthy soups, salads with an emphasis on gluten free products and Organic choices.
Sunday and her crew are gearing up to start creating Farm To Table dinners. This will consist of a 5 course meal all involving Michigan local foods and spices. Also the shoppe will be creating custom made wreaths, grave pillows, blankets and centerpieces with fresh greens.
Simply Sunday’s shoppe is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Simply Sunday’s Shoppe delivers free of charge. Check out her Facebook page Simply Sundays Shoppe or the web site at www.simplysundaysshoppe.com.
A Look Back – Bookkeeping Department
by Barry Clark Bauer
The year was 1953 according to the calendar on the wall. The Ladies in this photo are unidentified, but everything points out to this being the Bookkeeping Department of the Clinton Memorial Hospital given this negative was bundled in with other Hospital negatives.
Letters – In praise of being pulled over in St. Johns
Got pulled over in Saint Johns tonight. I acted respectfully even though I did get a ticket (because I am an adult who takes responsibility).
Not once did the officer act rude, unprofessional, or aggressive. Turns out that if you get pulled over and act like an adult, the police are not a threat at all. Just wanted to point that out since so many people seem to be forgetting lately.
Thank you, Officer Dedyne, for your service; and hopefully I don’t see you again.
Steven R
Maralyn’s Pet Corner – 6 Hair-Raising Facts About Black Cats
courtesy of Monica Weymouth
You can’t get any more mysterious than black cats. Although they’ve been associated with wicked witches and dark magic, these charcoal-coated felines still have an “unlucky” reputation today.
Legend has it that if a black cat crosses your path, you’ll be cursed with bad luck. But this superstition isn’t universal—in some parts of the world, black cats are considered to be good luck.
While not everything you’ve heard about black cats is accurate, sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. Check out these hair-raising facts to see why black cats are such curious creatures.
They’re Actually More Likely to Be Adopted
You may have heard that black cats are less likely to be adopted than their fair-coated peers. However, as it turns out, this isn’t the case.
In fact according to data compiled by the ASPCA, black cats are actually adopted more often from cat shelters than other cats. Because black is a common coat color, more black cats enter the animal shelter system, resulting in disproportionately high numbers of adoptions from animal shelters.
Unfortunately, the high intake of black cats means that they’re also euthanized more often than cats with any other fur color. The bottom line is that adopting black shelter cats is always a good (and popular) idea.
Black Cats May Be More Resistant to Disease
Black coats are more than just beautiful. Cancer researchers have found that the genetic mutation that results in black fur is related to genes that cause resistance to diseases such as HIV in humans. Combined with top-notch nighttime camouflage, scientists speculate that this may give black cats a genetic upper hand, and it may explain why the coat color is so common.
They Patrol the High Seas
Since ancient times, cats have earned their keep (and fish) by patrolling ships for rats. Black cats, in particular, were considered not only practical mousers but also lucky talismans. One of the most famous seafaring felines, Blackie—a crewmember on the HMS Prince of Wales during WWII—rose to fame after a photo op with Winston Churchill. After the high-profile meet-and-greet, he was renamed “Churchill.”
They Have Official Holidays
You don’t need a reason to celebrate the black cats in your life, but you can make them feel extra-special on holidays dedicated to them. In the United States, August 17 is Black Cat Appreciation Day. Across the pond, England recognizes October 27 as National Black Cat Day. Cheers to you, fine felines.
There’s a ‘Parlor Panther’ Black Cat
The Bombay might be the ultimate black cat. A hybrid of the Burmese and American Shorthair, this breed has been nicknamed the “parlor panther” thanks to its exotic good looks. Although the Cat Fanciers’ Association recognizes a number of breeds that can have black coats, Bombays are the only one that must be shown in solid black.
But the Bombay is more than just a pretty face. According to Jeri Zottoli, the Cat Fancier’s Bombay breed secretary and judge, this petite panther is the perfect pet. “Like potato chips, you can’t have just one,” she says. “They love their humans—they’re very friendly, social cats who would go home with anyone. We always allow spectators to pet our cats so they can see their endearing personalities.”
And a ‘Werewolf’ Black Cat
Some prefer the sleekness of Bombays, but others are better suited to adopt a Lykoi. Sometimes called the “Werewolf Cat,” the Lykoi is a newly recognized, semi-hairless breed that owes its distinctive black coat to a genetic mutation first discovered in feral colonies. The most common Lykoi coat is “black roan,” a black base punctuated with white hairs that creates a wild, wolf-like look.
Like many Lykoi breeders, Desiree Bobby, the Cat Fanciers’ Association’s marketing and communications coordinator, is also a Sphinx breeder, which she assumes prepared her to love the unusual cat. “Sphynx owners tend to be a little bit wackier than most, so it makes sense we would be drawn to them,” says Bobby. “It’s their genetic uniqueness that intrigues me—the fact that they are so rare and close relatives only to feral cats. I have more than a few that seem to have been born with canine instincts.”