From time to time I go through my clothes closet and lighten the load on the hanger bar by removing those clothes items which, for some reason unknown to me, have shrunk a size or two and no longer fit.
Usually, when I discover the phenomenon, I keep those good but shrunken clothes for a time, hoping I’ll somehow shrink in size too. But I finally give up and figure it would be better to give them away now than wait until that day when I perchance finally drop a size or two and then have the clothes I’ve been saving be moth eaten or just fall apart when I put them on.
Anyway, I cleaned out my closet just after Christmas. I think Mrs. Griz was worried I was moving out, so she went through some of her stuff, too, just to let me know I wasn’t the only one who could lighten his load. But I did it, more perhaps, because I didn’t like the reminder of my well-roundedness every time I forgot what fit and what didn’t and attempted to put on a garment which was just a little snug - either the waistbands would no longer expand to reach around my girth or the buttons on my shirts looked like they were about to pop off and fly across the room and hurt somebody.
That brings me to my point. What do I do with clothing that is in good shape even though I’m not? In the past, I’ve hauled it toSiloam Springs and given it to different charitable organizations and thrift stores there so that they could make it available to those who could really use it. This time, I hauled several trash bags full to Gravette’s Care and Share, just down the street from my office.
But I will tell you, I always feel a little guilty taking good clothes that might be needed by a neighbor down the street or around the corner to another town where my closer neighbors may not be benefited by it.
Well, that got me thinking. As successful as Gravette’s Care and Share has been on Main Street - I’ve heard it’s done well enough to purchase the Main Street building it’s in and possiblyits second location on the south side of town - why couldn’t Gentry have an organization like that on its Main Street? It would draw a lot of traffic downtown if it were anywhere near as successful as Care and Share has been in Gravette.
This is just a thought. I haven’t researched it or looked into costs, volunteers, the availability of one of the empty Main Street store fronts in Gentry or any of the planning which would be necessary before trying such an endeavor. But maybe some group, organization or individual in Gentry might want to look into it.
With the tough economic times, there are probably plenty of individuals and families in the Gentry area that could benefit from buying clothing or some essential household items for 50 cents or a dollar. Instead of making our neighbors drive to another town or across the county, having a place close athand would be nice.
And, while everyone would like to see new and booming businesses come to Main Street, a charitable venture that would serve the needs of area residents would be nice to have too.
Coal-fired power
Oh, and while I'm expressing myself, I've been asked on numerous occasions about the "dangers" of living in close proximity to a big coal-fired power plant.
On cold mornings, quite a cloud issues forth from the power plant's smokestack, but it's mostly steam - on warm days, very little exhaust is visible and every measure has been taken to keep any dangerous emissions to a minimum.
Those who complain now about such power plant emissions apparently aren't old enough to remember the days when almost everyone burned coal in their furnaces to heat their homes. Smoky clouds hung over the largercities in the winter time.
I'm all for clean energy, but we need to remember that what we have now is far better than what was for generations.
And I remember too,during those years in the 60s and 70s when I lived in the Los Angeles area. For a time, we lived within five miles of a mountain, 5,712 feet in elevation. For most of the year, we couldn't even see it because of the smog produced by cars, trucks and factories. Every day, cars parked outdoors were covered with brown particulate matter. And it made my lungs hurt to breathe it.
The only dust and dirt I get on my car now is from the roads, especially when I drive the gravel ones.
I'd love to see us be able to quit burning up part of the beautiful state of Wyoming and I wish we could get rid of all the pollution in the air, water andscattered most everywhere across the land, but at the same time I know there is no way we'll ever make this world a perfect place. And I would certainly not want to complain about a power plant which has made things far better.
Opinion, Pages 6 on 01/19/2011