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Going green before conservation was trendy
Limerick Plantation
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Going green: Ask anyone in my family, my neighbors and close friends and they will all tell you that my favorite color is "green." My curtains, my rugs, my tile, my throws are all green. To me, that color denotes life. I recently heard Oprah say the same thing. Think about it. When winter comes most everything in your yard turns brown. Yuck! Pine trees and certain oaks stay green throughout the year. Magnolias, citrus trees, azaleas, loquats, dogwoods, palm trees, are just a few of the plants and trees that remain green during winter. I've often joked about "spraying" my grass green during winter. My very favorite times of the year are spring and summer. These are the "green" months. And who doesn't like fried green tomatoes? My fry and cowart grapes start out green, then turn dark purple and light brown. Today's "in" thing is "going green." That means being serious about recycling, conserving water, sharing rides, cutting down on trips, catching rain water for your plants, composting, setting your AC on 79 and using ceiling fans and tower fans to cut down on energy use. Something that I used over 35 years ago that really saves energy is a pressure cooker. What an energy saver it is. Why boil peanuts for an hour and a half, when a pressure cooker can cook them in 35 minutes. Another energy saver is turning your hot water heater down to 120 degrees. Most water heaters are set at 160 degrees or higher and this causes it to cut on more often. Freeze big containers of water, to protect your food when the power goes out. These big containers will stay frozen longer and will assure that your shrimp, corn, peas, etc. will not go bad in a power outage. Gallon milk jugs are the best. Whenever you eat out and there is leftover bread, toast, etc. ask for a "to-go" box and bring home those things for wildlife. Put used paper towels and black print newspapers in your garden to keep weeds out and give worms something to recycle. And above all.......save seeds.

Birthstones: How many of you actually know what your birthstone is? I'm here to advise. January is garnet (red). February is amethyst (purple). March is aquamarine (blue). April (my birthday) diamond (do I need say more?). May is dmerald (green) (my favorite color). June is pearl, which comes from oysters. July is ruby (red). August is peridot (green). September is sapphire (blue). October is opal (iridescent white and black). November is citrinel (orange/gold). December is turquoise (blue/green).

Eleection reflection: Well, because the majority of you voters elected to keep our incumbents, "the good old boys", we're in for four more years of escalating taxes, frivolous spending, crime and drugs, and junk, junk, junk. I'll have the cheese ready for your "whine."

Spontaneous Combustion: I know that you shouldn't store paint or paint rags inside your garage or storage house because they can catch on fire spontaneously. However, after reading a story on Fox News.com, I now know that there are other things that can catch on fire at any time. In Mendota Heights, Minn., a home was destroyed last week caused by a flowerpot. While rare, spontaneous combustion can happen to pots with the right mixture of soil, moisture and heat. Investigators said the soil was in a plastic pot that had become hot after several days of high temperatures and humidity. When it ignited, the wind helped the fire grow and it completely destroyed the home.

Garden report: The drought-tolerant chaste tree is a pest-free plant that combines striking blue, tubular summer blossoms with handsome leaves shaped like an open hand. They grow in almost any well-drained soil, will withstand coastal conditions and are not usually browsed by deer. Many people that have seen my chaste tree immediately thought it was a butterfly bush, but upon examination, you can see that the leaves are very different. I saw my first one at the Botanical Gardens in Savannah on Eisenhower Drive. It was about 15 feet high. Mine is still a bush, but is growing taller every year. It sheds its leaves in winter and is native to Southern Europe and Asia. The leaves are aromatic. I've just discovered that I should be pruning it in late winter, since the blooms appear on the new growth. When visiting a nursery, ask to see this plant and perhaps add it to your yard. You'll love the beautiful blue flowers it produces.

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Visit with children a real eye-opener
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One of my favorite activities as a state senator is when I get to speak to students at our local schools. This year, I spoke to third-grade students at May Howard Elementary and Marshpoint Elementary in Chatham County and Button Gwinnett Elementary in Liberty County.
The students from each of the schools had been studying civics and were familiar with the three branches of government — executive, judicial and legislative. I explained my role as a senator in the legislative process and told the children how the citizen legislature in the state of Georgia works.
Presenting each of the schools with a Georgia state flag, I explained the three principles for which the state flag stands — wisdom, justice and moderation — and had them recite the pledge to the flag with me. 
The students at all three schools were bright, respectful and well-disciplined — a tribute to their families and especially to their teachers, who had prepared the students for my visit with ideas for great questions.
The students in Ms. Hutchinson’s class at Marshpoint Elementary were impressive in singing the preamble to the Constitution during my visit. What a great way to learn such an important part of our nation’s history — another wonderful example of the great job our teachers are doing.
I was delighted last week to receive thank-you letters from some of the students. Here are excerpts from a few of their letters:
 
Dear Mr. Carter,
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come speak to us. I learned so much! I learned that there are two kinds of Pledge of Allegiances. That is pretty cool.
Do you travel all over the world do you? I really like that you taught me more about the three branches of government.
— Megan
 
Dear Sen. Carter,
Thank you for telling us about your job and your favorite thing about your job. I liked the Georgia state flag. I still have more questions. Do you have to work on Saturday and Sunday? Are you the only one who makes the laws?
Yours truly,
Ryleigh 


Dear Sen. Buddy Carter,
Thank you for coming and letting us have a little bit of your time. I want you to know that I learned something new. The Georgia pledge! Justice, wisdom and modesty! Thanks again!
— Liam
 
Dear Sen. Buddy Carter,
Thank you for coming and helping us learn more about the government and some of your job. Thank you for giving us a Georgia flag. It was fun when you came. Thank you for giving us some questions so we could answer them.
P.S. Did you ride in a limousine? I was going to ask you a question but then I forgot. But now I remember. How many rooms are there where you work? You can send me a note if you can.
Your friend,
Erin
 
I’m uncertain whether the students learned as much from me during my visit as I learned from them. One thing that I was reminded of was the honesty that comes from the innocence of childhood. I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret some of the questions, such as the one asked in this letter:
 
Dear Sen. Carter,
I loved your speech. Thanks for coming to our school. I think my favorite part was when we held the flag. It was so fun! I have a question: How many people voted for you?
Sincerely,
Shelly
 
I also was more than a little concerned about a recurring question in the thank-you notes that was posed to me during one of my visits by a beautiful, brown-eyed girl who, with a very serious look on her face, asked “Did you ever get re-elected be-fore?”


What a great group of young people! My faith and hope in our future has been reassured. What an amazing job our families and teachers are doing on a daily basis to support and encourage our next generation. Thank you for your dedication to teaching our leaders of tomor-row.

Sen. Buddy Carter can be reached at Coverdell Legislative Office Building (C.L.O.B.) Room 301-A, Atlanta, GA, 30334. His Capitol office number is 404-656-5109

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