This week’s Mystery Photo
Where is this?
Can you tell us where this is located? Drop us a line at mail@sjindy.com.
308 N. Swegles St.
The current owners are Terry and Vicki Black. Previous owners were John and Anna Jackson. This house originated as a live-in basement for a long time before they finally finished it off into this beautiful home.
A Look Back – Old No. 2, The Movie Star
by Barry Bauer
Richard Rogers, a hostler on the Cadillac & Lake City Railway Co. steam train when it came through St. Johns last Friday, took 8-year-old Neal Heathman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward “Spud” Heathman, into the cab of the locomotive for a look around.
St. Johns had a rendezvous with the past for about half an hour Friday. The occasion was a switching stopover of an old steam locomotive being hauled to Chicago for the making of a United Artists movie, “Gaily, Gaily,” a story about Ben Hecht.
The old locomotive is the old No. 2,” owned by the Cadillac & Lake City Railroad and used as an excursion train during the summer months according to Richard Rogers, a “hostler” on the engine as it came through St. Johns, the railroad is leasing another old engine from a southern rail line to use while this one is making its movie debut. Starring with the locomotive in the movie will be Brian Keith, Melina Mercouri, Jack Kennedy, and Beau Bridges. “The engine will be used in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Galena, Ill, and the moviemakers are expected to finish with it in late August,” Rogers said.
“It will be in Detroit during September and October, and then the Cadillac & Lake City Railroad will get it back,” Rogers said, “Old No. 2 was built in 1912 and was one of the first locomotives to be built especially as an oil burner instead of using coal.” The engine belonged to a west coast lumber
company before it was acquired by the Cadillac and Lake City Railroad.
There were no large crowds to welcome the old engine to St. Johns, but there was a little knot of people around for the half an hour or so it was here.
Cameras were popular.
The locomotive and its tender were near the end of a dozen-car train heading west from Owosso. The train stopped in St. Johns to switch some of the other cars onto sidings.
Rogers explained his job as hostler was to take care of the engine while the crew was not working it. The locomotive kept steam up and made enough power to keep it from being a drag. It was in St. Johns about 1:30 p.m. Monday. Rogers said they were scheduled to be in Chicago Saturday evening.
The next stop for the old steam locomotive Friday was to be Ionia where the fire department was going to be ready to fill the train’s water requirements for the time being. It had gotten a fill of oil in Owosso.
This took place in the summer of 1968.
Benny and Jessie’s Pet Info – The Tongue Does Not Heal All Wounds
Have you ever heard someone say that pets should be allowed to lick their wounds because saliva has healing properties? Veterinarians run into the notion all the time … typically after a dog or cat has been brought to the clinic with a wound that is getting worse rather than better after being licked.
Like many old wives tales, there is a modicum of truth behind the idea that licking can be beneficial. When an animal is wounded and does not have access to veterinary care, licking removes foreign material from the injured tissues. Also, there is some evidence that saliva does have antibacterial properties, so licking might help prevent or treat infections under these circumstances.
It makes sense for a wild animal to lick its wounds since no other options are available, but it does not follow that owners should therefore allow pets to do the same. This is particularly true in the case of surgical incisions.
Before, during, and after surgery, doctors go to great lengths to prevent wound contamination and infection including:
– shaving the site to remove hair
– scrubbing the area multiple times with two different types of antiseptics
– covering the surrounding areas with sterile drapes
– using sterile equipment
– cleaning our hands and wearing sterile gloves and gowns
– donning masks, booties and hair covers
– keeping surgical suites impeccably clean
– suturing the wound to keep it closed as it heals
– prescribing antibiotics, pain relievers, and anti-lick devices as necessary
When a pet licks a surgical incision, he is introducing contamination, not removing it. In the case of non-surgical wounds, I don’t care if a pet licks a few times before treatment is initiated, but once the area has been thoroughly cleaned and medications started, the downsides of licking once again outweigh its benefits.
We now have lots of options available for keeping a pet’s mouth away from its wound or incision. Traditional Elizabethan collars work for some individuals, but others find them too annoying and clunky. See-through varieties are available, as are bulky collars that can prevent animals from turning their heads to reach many parts of their bodies. Body wraps and bandages (including some that emit a mild electric charge when licked) are widely available. Deterrent sprays can also help, but should never be applied directly to a wound. Spray the surrounding skin or use them lightly on an overlying bandage.
While we’re on the topic of bandages, a well-applied, appropriate covering that is checked regularly and replaced as needed can speed healing. But when used incorrectly, bandages do more harm than good. They can cut off circulation and lead to tissue death, become soiled and promote infection, and simply hide the fact that a pet’s wound needs attention. I generally do not recommend that owners apply bandages unless they have been taught the correct way to do so by a veterinarian who is familiar with the exact nature of an animal’s wound.
If one form of lick deterrence fails, try another. Keeping a pet’s sutures in place and preventing infection as a wound heals are well worth the effort.
Maralyn’s Pet Corner – Most Cat Illnesses Can Be Treated with Small Change in Diet
Pets Best insurance Services recently published a list of the ten most common diseases in their insured cats for the last ten years:
Renal failure (25%)
Hyperthyroidism (20%)
Diabetes mellitus (11%)
Allergies (8%)
Inflammatory bowel disease (7%)
Lymphoma (7%)
Feline lower urinary tract disease (6%)
Cancer (6%)
Urinary tract infection (5%)
Otitis (5%)
What I find most fascinating about this list is that the top seven conditions have well-accepted nutritional remedies, and with a little creative thinking all ten can be treated with diet. Here’s what I mean.
Hyperthyroidism
Cats with hyperthyroidism make too much thyroid hormone. One of the limiting factors in the production of thyroid hormone is the presence of sufficient amounts of iodine in the body, and iodine is supplied by the diet. A major pet food manufacturer has started making a low iodine food that is proving to help control hyperthyroidism in many cats.
Diabetes mellitus
Type 2 diabetes, the most prevalent form in cats, can be quite responsive to diet. Most diabetic cats will either need less insulin or will be able to go off insulin entirely (at least for a while) if they eat low carbohydrate, high protein foods.
Allergies
If cats are allergic to a particular type of food (beef and dairy products are common culprits), avoiding that ingredient will eliminate their symptoms. Even when cats are allergic to environmental triggers (pollen, mold spores, mites, etc.), dietary therapy is still often helpful. Nutritional supplements containing anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in many cold water fish oils, can help ease the symptoms of allergies in cats. Recurrent cases of otitis that are not caused by ear mites are often linked to allergies in cats, so the same treatments are often helpful
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Hypoallergenic diets such as those made from novel protein sources like venison and green pea, or those that have been hydrolyzed (broken down to the point that the immune system ignores them), are central to the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Probiotic nutritional supplements that contain beneficial intestinal microorganisms are also a common treatment recommendation for inflammatory bowel disease.
Lymphoma and other cancers
Cancerous cells alter the body’s metabolism. They metabolize glucose and make lactate that the body then tries to convert back into glucose. This takes energy away from the cat and gives it to the cancer. Cancers also convert amino acids, the building blocks of protein, into energy causing muscle wasting, poor immune function, and slow healing. On the other hand, cancerous cells do not appear to be very efficient at using fat as an energy source.
Based on these metabolic changes, many veterinarians recommend feeding feline cancer patients diets that are relatively low in carbohydrates (particularly simple carbohydrates) and high in protein and fat. Omega-3 fatty acids are often added to these diets because they are a good source of fat and calories and may have “anti-cancer” effects.
Feline lower urinary tract disease
Dilute urine does not irritate the bladder wall like concentrated urine can. Feeding canned food is an easy way to increase a cat’s water consumption. Several pet food manufacturers make canned cat foods that promote overall bladder health and an optimum urinary pH, which can be particularly helpful if urinary crystals have been a problem. Nutritional supplements containing cranberry extracts may help prevent recurrent urinary tract infections in cats.
Back In The Day – City Park Pool
by Maralyn Fink
In 1916 the city of St Johns spent $6,000 to purchase sixty wooded acres on the west side of town, part of “Emmons Woods,” for the purpose of creating a park. In the 1930’s a band shell, picnic pavilion, football field, comfort stations, and a caretaker’s home were added. Bricks from the abandoned local factories were reused for these structures.
The Veterans Memorial pool on the north side of the St Johns City Park was dedicated on August 14, 1950,to honor the veterans of World War II. Several recent gravel pit drownings had prompted the community to support the construction of a safe swimming facility. Unfortunately the pool was closed after the 2009 season.
Back in the day opening day at the swimming pool was an anticipated happening among towns people – and also the kids of our community. Jean and I frequently were in that pool, at a cost of 10 cents per visit. Boy, was it crowded.
There were rules. You had to shower inside before going into the water; and when you came out of the shower, feet were also inspected. I remember getting “brave enough” to go into the deep end or jump off the diving board.
Afterwords we walked up to the house where Squeak Hyler and his wife lived and ran the concession stand. If you had pennies you could by a lot of candy, gum and other things.
[Editor’s note: Hey, swimming makes you hungry.]
A great ending to our day. Thankfully we didn’t live far from the park so we could walk or ride our bikes.
Just another great memory from back in the day!