Madison Messenger - June 7th, 2020

PAGE 4 - MADISON MESSENGER - June 7, 2020
opinions
www.madisonmessengernews.com
Keeping beverages cool for the sake of hot meals
When COVID-19 hit, Casey’s Carry-Out &
Drive Thru in London was able to remain
open. We have stayed busy and have been
doing things to give back to the community
during these tough times. It began with the
business buying more than 100 coloring books
and crayon sets for kids who needed more
things to do with more time spent at home.
As time passed, I saw the community
stepping up to help local non-profits. Webster
Photographics LLC raised $2,000 for
HELP House through their front porch family
portrait project. Emily Mittelkamp sold
t-shirts to raise money for the food pantry
on Maple Street.
I asked around to find out what other
non-profits needed help and discovered that
the Welcome Table, based out of St. Paul
AME Church on Center Street,needed a few
dollars. The Welcome Table provides hot
meals for anyone in the community that
needs one. This is a great group and cause.
I bought 250 koozies printed with the
Casey’s Carry-Out & Drive Thru logo and a
funny saying marking the times. The idea
was to sell them for $3 each and donate
$750 to the Welcome Table. I spread the
word on social media. The response was
letter to the editor
great, and we sold out in about four days.
When the sale began, a friend of mine, J.D.
Reed, said he loved the idea and wanted to
do more. He and his sister donated $100
extra each. When I posted this information
on social media, the donations poured in.
In four days, we collected $2,000 for the
Welcome Table. I had been nervous that I’d
ne stuck with a bunch of leftover koozies. I
never imagined I would sell out in four days
and almost triple the initial donation goal.
When people bought the koozies, many
would say, “Keep the change.” And many
others stepped up with larger donations.
This is why I love this community so
much. When something needs to be done or
someone needs help, we all come together.
Those who donated larger amounts include:
Casey’s Carry-Out & Drive Thru,
$750; Chip Minnick from Tri County Termite
& Pest Control, $300; Adam Smith
from Re/Max Leading Edge, $100; Phat
Daddy’s Pizza, $100; Helping Hands Happy
Hearts 4-H Club, $100; J.D. Reed, $100;
Sarah Burmeister,: $100; Cynthia Stidham,
These can koozies were a hit, ultimately raising $2,000 for the Welcome Table.
$100; Molly Peters, $50; Kathy Slabaugh,
$50; Erik from Konnichiwa Japanese Steak
House & Sushi, $50; extra donations from
Casey’s customers, $50.
Pat Closser
Casey’s Carry-Out & Drive Thru owner
and mayor of London
Mother Nature never ceases to amaze and surprise
There’s a small wooded area in my
neighborhood that I’ve visited countless
times. While I’ve walked the path that encircles
it many times in the 40 years I’ve
lived here, I’m always awed at the new displays
Mother Nature showcases for us
there. A few of my previous columns briefly
touched on the hidden and exposed treasures
the setting supports. A recent walk provided
yet another memorable experience,
one that left me convinced that the little
tree stand is worthy of its own written piece.
As our area steadily explodes into what
some call progress, undeveloped land is
dwindling. Yet, that small wooded area, sitting
in the middle of the progress, has managed
to survive and support a diversified
habitat. It’s two acres, give or take. It’s no
Jurassic Park, but if you apply the basic
principles of nature watching—avoiding sudden
movements, being observant, and exhibiting
a whole lot of patience (note: being
a Browns fan probably qualifies you— you’ll
see a thriving community at work and play
behind the scenes and often in plain sight.
The tree stand has aged with me, both of
us now well into the mature stage. (I presume
the fact that the increase in turkey
vultures sightings is not a sign that I’m
going to the next stage). The tree stand is
populated by older oaks and some walnuts
that provide abundant acorns and nuts for
numerous animal species. Over the years,
some of the tall dead trees have toppled during
storms. Unfortunately, the new succes-
guest column
by Dave Burton
sion of growth is the
invasive honeysuckle
bushes. Left
as is, I fear its days
may be numbered.
One of my most
vivid memories of
the small forest is
one from many
years ago. One day,
while walking our
dog, we watched a
red-bellied woodpecker peck a hole for its
nest atop a tall dead oak. On another day, we
watched as starlings battled the woodpecker
for the nest. The long fight fully captivated
our attention. The woodpecker eventually
gave up; the starlings took over residence.
We felt bad for the woodpecker but reasoned
it was nature at work. I’ve read that woodpeckers
sometimes nest later in the season,
after the starlings, to increase their chances
of success. Hopefully, this one learned that
hard lesson. That dead tree has since come
down, but many others have taken its place,
making the woodpeckers happy.
A red-tailed hawk family has lived in
those trees for many years. They make
sloppy nests with big twigs and branches,
high up in the trees. Every year, we watch
their offspring take flight and learn to hunt.
You can often see a hawk sitting at the top of
the lights on the adjoining football or track
field, surveying the ground for prey. Often
the noise is deafening as blue jays, crows and
even the small birds chase them relentlessly.
On another walk, I came across a resident
who was busy freeing a muskrat from
the chain fence surrounding the nearby
track. Over the years, the fence line has
been sprayed routinely with herbicides, resulting
in severe leaching and erosion. The
exposed barbed bottoms of the metal fencing
pierced the muskrat. Using heavy duty
gloves, the resident freed and released the
critter.
As would be expected with the abundance
of nuts, squirrels run rampantly
through the tree stand. I’ve seen hawks corner
them in trees and chase them across the
field. A couple of rare white squirrels have
lived there. Sadly, they quickly disappeared,
likely because they were at a disadvantage
in avoiding hawks. During the breeding season,
chipmunks, rabbits, snakes, ducks and
geese are commonly seen there. A few years
ago, a deer family took up residence. They
became very trusting, providing visitors
with close-up views as they and their fawns
grazed along the small adjoining field. They
have since disappeared, perhaps coincidentally
as sightings of coyotes increased.
Now, the new attraction is a red fox family.
My first sighting was while walking
along the path. The fox was maybe 100 feet
ahead of me. At first, I thought it was a very
thin stray dog. I stopped and watched, then
realized it was a fox—with a rabbit in its
mouth. It scurried into the tree stand, and I
didn’t see it again for some time. When I
did, I was on the same part of the path as I
had been the first time. It was sitting there
like a dog, maybe 50 feet away. We both
froze and locked eyes. Then, it started moving
toward me. I decided it was time to exit,
but then it broke off and went into the tree
stand. I resumed my normal breathing.
I’ve logged many more sightings of the fox
since then. I’ve seen it sunning itself on the
fields and sitting in the parking lot of a nearby
office building. I spotted it crossing the bridge
by the concession stand at one of the nearby
sports fields, then disappearing into the
bushes. A few weeks ago, I watched as it
jumped onto the top of a fence where it calmly
watched us then jumped down and ran off.
I went nearly a month without seeing the
fox. A resident told me it was limping the
last time he saw it. I feared the worst, but
nature proved its resiliency. During recent
heavy rains, with the path flooded yet
again, we found a new route. As we got to
the tree stand, we saw a red fox pair sitting
on the path, unphased by our proximity.
Could nature have red fox pups in store for
us to watch and enjoy in the future?
Dave Burton is a guest columnist for the
Columbus Messenger Newspapers. He lives
in Grove City.