Hill-Topics
Spc. CJ Perry, son of Dan and Paula Perry of Hillsboro, has been home since Feb. 17 on a 14-day furlough from his tour of duty in Iraq. He will return to Iraq this week to his post with the 25th Infantry, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Battalion, 27th Regiment.
That earth-shaking thunder you heard and felt at 3 p.m. Sunday was the sound of a brigade of 39 Patriot Guard motorcyclists rumbling through town. They were on their way to the Perrys' house, to say hello.
Among the riders was Perry's dad, Dan, himself a Special Forces veteran, who began riding with the Patriot Guard a few months ago.
CJ had mixed emotions when the cyclists pulled up to the house with giant American flags posted to their saddles, flapping in the breeze. It was awkward because these kind of hero's welcomes are usually reserved for soldiers coming home from Iraq, permanently.
But, like the rest of us, the bikers just wanted to say thank you, CJ, and that we'll see you again when you come home in August, to stay.
Until then, your mom will continue her volunteer work with the Quilts of Valor program, your dad will keep riding with the Patriot Guard, and we'll keep praying for your safe return.
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The April issue of National Geographic arrived at our house Monday, including a feature on the Flint Hills and photographs taken by Lindsborg resident Jim Richardson. It's really pretty, but I'm disappointed that the article wasn't featured on the cover.
My wife Claire and I took a day trip to Lindsborg last week and stopped in at Richardson's Small World Gallery on Main Street, to give him a copy of last week's Star-Journal, which had a story about his magazine feature on the front page.
We met Jim a few weeks ago at a preview exhibit at Wichita State University. His wife, Kathy, greeted us at the gallery in Lindsborg, where posters are on sale of a photo of the Flint Hills in autumn, the same photo that was made into a four-page fold-out in the magazine. Proceeds from the sale of the poster will offset the costs of an exhibit of Flint Hills photos to be shown in more than 40 locations in the state in the next 18 months.
My favorite photo in the article is an aerial shot of the Flint Hills showing the green-green that sprouts up after the controlled burns in early spring.
Another dramatic photo shows a lone tree standing against a backdrop of stars and the Milky Way. According to Richardson, the Flint Hills are one of few places unpolluted by man-made lights, so the Milky Way can be seen.
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Speaking of Milky Way, don't be alarmed, but "Milky Way" the non-venomous, milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) in Mrs. Overstake's fifth-grade science class, has gone missing.
Claire says Milky Way left its special cage sometime between Saturday night and Monday morning. As of this writing, the snake has not been found.
Seems just about everybody at the school has been pretty upset about this, but for different reasons. The fifth graders, who've come to think of Milky Way as a classroom pet, have turned the classroom upside down looking for the snake, which is 28 inches long but as big around as your pinkie.
Those unfamiliar with milk snakes, or the story of how Milky Way came to be adopted by the class, are less sympathetic. Even though the snake is harmless, some have gotten the milk-snake shakes just from the thought of it slithering around.
Mrs. Overstake was not pleased to have a newspaper reporter call her at school Monday, looking for a scoop.
"First of all," she said. "It's non-poisonous. It's mouth is not big enough to bite you, let alone hurt you. Besides, you can't have a venomous snake at school."
But, Mrs. Overstake
"I came to school and checked on it and it was gone, out of the cage," she said. "People are upset because he's loose, but he's not dangerous. He eats bugs and very small mice, and little lizards. The kids were so sad that they all went looking, pulling things off the shelves. The kids are all worried about him, 'Where could he go? Where could he be?'"
Yes, Mrs. Overstake, but
"They would hold him," she added. "Go and get him. He was the classroom pet. Even JJ, the gecko who lives in the cage next door, seems to miss him."
I understand, but
"It was a rescue snake!" she continued. "It was rescued by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. It was held at the University of Kansas while they went to trial to get the people who tried to smuggle it illegally. They were going to mail it across state lines, which is against the law. Milk snakes are indigenous to Kansas, but you don't find them around Hillsboro because of the change of habitat. They like to live under things
Mrs. Overstake went on to report that, yes, the principal had been notified (yes, she still has a job), yes, the janitors are on the lookout for it, and, it's true that some teachers are praying it didn't leave her classroom.
"He'll try to find someplace that's warm," she said. "So we're going to get a heating pad and put under a 'hide box' so he'll have a warm spot to come to, and hopefully he will be in there in the morning."
Thank you, Mrs. Overstake. Is there anything you'd like to add to the story?
"Yes there is," she said. "You're going to be in big trouble when you get home!"
For the record, we're glad Mrs. Overstake keeps her snakes somewhere at school.
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Speaking of cold-blooded, have you ever seen a colder team than the Kansas Jayhawks in their loss to UCLA on Saturday? KU lost, 68-55, in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in San Jose, Calif.
It was painful to behold.
I think the Jayhawks are a year away from being a Final Four team. There wasn't a senior on the roster this season, and too many freshmen and sophomores were being counted on down the stretch.
I'm not sure how much of the Final Four tournament I'll watch. I'm really not in the market for a new car, and it seems like all they do is break for commercials.
Call it the Final Bore.
Wouldn't it be great of some advertiser decided to sponsor a game without commercial interruptions?
They'd sell a lot of cars.
— GRANT OVERSTAKE
