Someone once wrote that the Irish suffered themselves into being the world’s greatest poets.

England’s climate was so frequently unpleasant that when they surprised themselves with a sunny, dry day, a Britisher sat himself down and wrote a poem of exultation. And I’m writing here and now that the American South has made such a convoluted muddle of its history and suffered so much as a result that it’s created generations of splendid writers who try to explain it away and account for it.

How’s that for a starting theme in your Sunday newspaper with authors in mind like Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Shelby Foote and all those brilliant Mississippi ladies? America’s historic best. Southern writers.

I apologize for not writing more articles lately. I have been busy, and I guess I ran out of motivation for a while. Please indulge my digression once again while I write an article that includes my latest interest in bass fishing.

One way to approach a lake to find out how to catch bass is to establish a pattern. This requires a knowledge of the forage (what the fish eat), weather, season, water temperature and various ways of catching bass. Once you consider all the factors, you make an educated guess about where the bass are in the lake, what kind of lure will catch them and the technique required. You pick your top five or so “guesses” and put them to task.

Once again, portion size is important to our health, so let’s make the transition.

To put your healthful eating plan into action, you need to know what one serving looks like. The portion or amount of food that you choose to eat may be more or less than one serving. If you choose a large portion, it may count as two servings — a small portion may only be a half of a serving. Learning to judge a “serving size” takes a little practice. And since carrying around measuring cups and a scale just isn’t practical, here are some visual examples to help you make quick estimates.

Items equivalent
3 oz. meat, poultry or fish — Deck of playing cards; palm of woman’s hand
1 oz. meat, poultry or fish — Matchbox
1 cup fruit or yogurt — Baseball
1/2 cup chopped vegetables — Three regular ice cubes
1 medium potato — Computer mouse
1 cup potatoes, rice or pasta — Size of a fist or tennis ball
1 medium orange or apple — Baseball
1 standard bagel — Hockey puck
1 cup chopped fresh leafy greens — 4 lettuce leaves
2 tablespoons peanut butter — Golf ball
1 ounce of cheese — 4 dice or a tube of lipstick
1 slice cheese — 3.5-inch computer disk

“Dear Laura, your first year of life has been very, very special. There have been many ‘firsts’ – your first smiles, your first long night’s sleep, your first words, your first steps.

“It has been a year of learning, for you and for us. We love you very much, and we are very proud of the little person you have become. We treasure your life, and we hope you will treasure this album as a reflection of our love for you and as a keepsake of your first year. We love you, Mom and Dad.” (Nov. 5, 1986)

This month, ESPN is winding down its contest to determine which town or city is most deserving of the status of ‘Titletown USA’.
Instead of searching nationwide, the network should just focus its cameras southward where it would probably find a bevy of worthy candidates in the T&D Region. Over the span of nine months, the community of schools within this six-county coverage area exemplified the championship attributes of a ‘Titletown’ and have the hardware to prove it.
This past week witnessed –in a span of six days — schools in four towns in four counties lay claim to state championships in three different sports, in two different high school leagues. Truly, this was a local version of the “Week of Champions.”
It began in the early morning hours of May 10 in Lexington where the Holly Hill Academy softball team had just lost to Pee Dee Academy to drop into the loser’s bracket of the SCISAA Class 2-A playoffs. Meanwhile, the Allendale-Fairfax boys track team had just arrived at Harry Parone Stadium to start defense of their Class A championship.
By mid-afternoon, the Lady Raiders had managed to keep their title hopes alive while the Tigers of Allendale-Fairfax were roaring along. Specifically, teammates Lennel Elmore and Michael Kirkland were on the prowl as each had already collected three gold medals in leading Allendale-Fairfax to what proved to be a comfortable victory in the team competition.
Between Elmore and Kirkland’s combined six gold individual medals, the Tigers had more than enough points to claim the school’s ninth state championship trophy before sunset. As day turned into night, however, the fun was only beginning for the HHA softball team.
Having reached the championship game in Rasputin-like fashion with three victories in the loser’s bracket, the Lady Raiders still needed two victories over Pee Dee Academy to win the title. After six games and 15 ½ hours at the Lexington softball complex, it was ‘Mission Accomplished’ at 12:39 a.m. on May 11 as HHA pulled off the improbable two-game sweep of Pee Dee Academy to earn its second state championship in four years.
This was also the fifth state title won this school year by the small Holly Hill private school. Truly, HHA was the Bishop England of SCISAA this year - a school which performed well above its size enrollment classification.
On Tuesday, the town of St. Matthews - already accustomed to celebrating state championships with the dominating success of the Calhoun County boys’ basketball team - added another one. This time, it was Calhoun Academy which completed a two-game SCISAA sweep of top-seed Williamsburg Academy to earn its first baseball title.
Making the Cavaliers’ and head coach Adam Jarecki’s run even more impressive was the fact they did not lose a single game. Such a feat is rare even in Major League Baseball where the last team to go through the playoffs unblemished was the 1976 Cincinnati Reds.
Fittingly, it was Bamberg County’s version of the “Big Red Machine” which brought the “Week of Champions” full circle. After falling behind a game to playoff nemesis Chesterfield in their best-of-three series, Bamberg-Ehrhardt stormed back to win the final two games on Wednesday at home and Friday at Lexington High School.
In the process, the Red Raiders and head coach David Horton added to their South Carolina and national record of 14 state championships. As Horton held his grandson during the celebration, I could only help but flashback to March when Calhoun County boys’ basketball coach Zam Fredrick held his grandson during the Upper State finals as his team earned him a trip to Columbia to eventually claim his S.C. High School League-record seventh state title.
It’s often said that great minds think alike. Yet it’s not just brilliant sideline leaders which link all of the schools that won state championships this year. (Can’t forget the Blackville-Hilda football program which won its sixth state title last November). All reside in communities where the enthusiasm level for these champions are extremely high and it’s no coincidence that support translates into success on the gridiron, hardwood and diamond.
Young people cannot thrive without the encouragement and love of their community. By rallying around them, it’s only natural that these future young leaders will go out and strive to represent their school in their respective sport like a champion.
Just like any good citizen in a “Titletown USA.”
T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5547. Check out his blog, Following the Bulldogs, on-line at thetandd.com.

They come early in February, so you had better have your gourd pole up and ready. After a long flight from South America, they want to light, rest and nest. You can think big and hang up three rows of gourds (12) on three cross bars, or start with six on one. A few farmers around here grow them for a dollar apiece.

Cut a two-and-three-quarters-inch hole in the side, pull out all the webby seeds, but don’t wash the insides. Thread in a wire loop at the top. Buy an inch and a half, 10- to 20-foot metal pole and set in a firm base. Hang four or six gourds on each bar.

A revolutionary action constitutes bringing fundamental change to ideologies, new products, movements, fashions, manners and decorum, architectural designs, wealth creation, other accomplishments. Revolutionary actions are exciting endeavors.

Individuals know when they have stumbled upon an extraordinary design (FedEx, Google, YouTube, Wal-Mart, etc.) aimed at filling needs. Visionary and analytical thinkers rely on time and circumstances to validate their assumptions about ideas, but revolutionary actions have greater chances of success when they proceed through wit and determination.

When you make your travel plans for this summer, why not work in a few historic garden sites?

Monticello and Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia are wonderful destinations or side trips for those of you looking for gardening ideas or who simply love to admire the simplicity of early American gardening.

Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello near Charlottesville offers a look at many aspects of gardening in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The grounds and gardens around the home have been restored as close to original plans as possible. Many heirloom varieties are growing in the landscape, orchards, vineyards, kitchen and vegetable gardens.

To hear my grandsons say it, they think I am old. By my mother’s count, I am young. Twenty-year-olds call me “Ms. Jan,” and that carries certain connotations of an elderly person. Teenagers merely huff in disgust, indicating that surely I have never been their age and how dare I imply I could possibly understand the depth of their dilemma.

I have come to appreciate the age I am now. I would not go back if I had the option. I’ve lived through some of the most wonderful decades, especially in music, from the fifties through today, and my tastes in music are varied. I have had the chance to see clothing styles change, go out and come full circle. I have had the opportunity and freedom to experience different religions and have the respect my parents instilled in me that I am no better or no worse than any other human being.

I wish to make an apology to all of you for not getting last week’s column in the paper. It didn’t arrive by mail at The Times and Democrat in time for publication in Saturday’s edition.

I want to share the following little joke with you this week: