As a self-professed southerner who takes great pride in cooking southern cuisine, one of the musts to know is how to make from scratch biscuits. I know it’s a lot easier to buy biscuits in a can and I have used them in a pinch. They are definitely easier to cook but for me, using canned biscuits is as bad as using a can of beans when cooking beans and rice or God forbid, instant grits!
This summer has been a summer that we will always remember, for better or worse. By the middle of June, I am usually sitting down after a long day watching the Yankees play about three weeks away from July 4th. June is also the time of year when the NBA finals is played—one of my favorite sporting events of the year, if not my very favorite. But this is the year of COVID-19 and it has changed everything about our spring and summer routines as we have previously known them. June is usually a time when summer camps happen across the country for students and sponsors. My summers had consisted of Falls Creek and Super Summer for years and years with so many memories that will last a lifetime. It is unbelievable that neither of these camps will occur this year, which is why in this time I am thankful for those experiences, moments, and to remember to never take those moments for granted. I had always been told that through high school and college, to cherish moments that will be some of the best times of your life and fortunately enough, I have always done just that. I do not regret anything about my high school or college experiences, except I would have changed my major sooner, rather than later. All the memories with my friends, family and fiancée have been absolutely incredible. I can even say that being a sponsor for three summers for a weeklong camp for incoming freshman for university was an opportunity of a lifetime. I was able to meet so many incredible people that I still call my friends to this day, including many who will be attending my wedding. Those were much simpler times compared to the obstacles we have faced as a country these past three months. It breaks my heart for those who will not be able to experience Falls Creek, Super Summer, or Camp Duke this summer, but I will share the advice of making new memories in different ways this summer, this is one of the most unprecedented in World History. Make the most of the rest of summer and remember that we are ALL living in history!
I won’t go into all that has unfolded over the past couple of weeks. It would take too much room. Being a white male has somehow gotten to be a dirty word over the past 20 years gets me going all on its own.
Midwestern State University announces Spring 2020 graduates
On May 23, 2020, Newcastle Valedictorian, Bryanna Nickel, daughter of Dr. Tony and Jina Nickel of Graham, returned to her high school for the first time since her spring break started on March 6. Standing at a podium on her high school football field, Nickel gave a speech filled with hope and thanksgiving. For all that the seniors of 2020 have lost, Nickel was not deterred. As she spoke, she reminded everyone in the football stands that we are not promised tomorrow. Scattered with scriptures and a few humorous stories about her years at NHS, Nickel delivered an address which reminded everyone to be thankful for the opportunity to have a graduation and to be thankful for the simple things in life. Nickel spoke of classmate and close friend, Morgan Larance, who died last July. This loss reminds her that we can’t foresee the future, but we can enjoy today. Nickel encouraged her classmates to “be kind, find love, dance for no reason at all, travel and take lots of pictures, enjoy sunsets and rainbows, find careers you enjoy and in which you can find success, share your faith, and always be authentic.” She concluded her speech with these parting words, “Go live the life for which you were created.”
213 E. Main St.
PO Box 577
Olney, Texas 76374
Phone: (940) 564-5558
Fax: (940) 564-3992