Jeremy Yarbrough

  Thanksgiving Buffet by Jeremy Yarbrough     Every year I look forward to the holidays and Thanksgiving is the best because of the food.  In past years I have spent every Thanksgiving at my grandmother's house where she hosted Thanksgiving for the family.  There were always the traditional items of meat, gravy, dressing, rice, peas, sweet potatoes, fruit salad, rolls and all sorts of dessert.  We all have our favorite menu items and I have mine.     For some people the big meal is all about the side dishes.  Dressing is a popular choice and so are the sweet potatoes.  My favorite side is the cranberry sauce.  Some families have the homemade versions of cranberry sauce putting things like oranges and nuts in it.  I really prefer the plain cranberry sauce from the can with no whole or crushed berries in it.  The smooth texture of the jellied cranberry sauce is delicious and it goes well with everything on my plate.     The main attraction is the turkey and that is my absolute favori

  Winter Predictions by Jeremy Yarbrough     It is that time of year again when everyone starts trying to predict what kind of a winter we will have this season.  Will it be extremely cold and full of snow?  Will it be warmer and dry?  Will it be very cold and have no snow?  Tradition has us looking at the persimmon seed to tell us what the future will hold and it also tells us to see how the wooly worm is looking this year.     Many people in this area have a persimmon trees in their yards.  These trees drop a fruit that many of our grandmothers used to make something called persimmon pudding.  They also take the seeds of these tiny, orange fruits and split them in half to see what type of winter to expect.  This year there seems  to be a lot of seeds with a knife shape which is supposed to mean that we will be having a colder than normal winter.  If there is a spoon shape then be expecting a lot of snow and if it looks like a fork then it will be a mild winter season.       Another p

  Necessary Visit by Jeremy Yarbrough     The semiannual visit to the dentist is coming up and it is always something I dread.  It is certainly not the people working at the office that is so dreadful, in fact this is the most enjoyable part of the visit.  I have gone to the same dentist since I was two years old so the staff know me and my family well. It is a small office with only about four  hygienists The two ladies who work in the front office who check patients in and schedule appointment as patients are leaving always greet me by name as soon as I walk into the building.     Each time I go in for my twice a year cleaning, I typically have the same nice dental hygienist named Ashley who cleans my teeth.  She always asks what is going on with me and how I am doing in school and if I am working a part time job.   Ashley usually tells me about her most recent trips and keeps me up to date on the latest movies she recommends.  She enjoys sharing her love of flamingos because her exa

  Recycle, It's Important by Jeremy Yarbrough     Recycling and reusing items are the responsible way to save the earth and prevent the growth of landfills.  It is something that everyone can do with out changing your daily habits and it costs nothing to do it.  In fact, in many cases it can save you money or you can even make some money recycling things.     A good idea is shopping at thrift stores or searching online for recycled items such as clothing, books and small equipment and house goods.  When just starting out and moving into a first apartment it is smart to look for things like dishes and kitchen items because people are always upgrading their dishes and small appliances.  It is also smart to hunt for clothing items you may need before going to search for new items.      One of my most favorite places to take things to be recycled is the metal recycling center which most cities are home to at least one.  These companies will take  anything containing metals such as old

  Patriotic Duty by Jeremy Yarbrough     This year when I turned 18, I registered to vote at the Board of Elections in Lexington.  It was a very simple process to do.  All that has to be done is to fill out a few forms and then you receive the information about where you will vote based on your home address.     This year between the time I registered and this election season, the Board of Elections notified me of a change in the physical location of where I am to vote.  The new polling place has much better parking and facilities to host such an event.  Next year since it is a presidential election year I will probably choose to vote early and the  most convenient place to go in Thomasville will be the library which is located in the central part of town.     There has been much discussion on voters presenting some form of identification and I am not sure why this has been such an issue.  First of all, you have to prove where you live in order to register so that you will know what ar

  World's Finest Food by Jeremy Yarbrough     One of the best parts of living in Davidson  County has to be the availability of barbecue.  Everywhere you go there is a barbecue restaurant.  When we have family or friends come from out of town, they always want to go have barbecue and it has to be at Lexington Barbecue there off of Business 85.  I have to admit it is my favorite restaurant to get the most delicious food on the planet.     For the last 15 years, I always get the same thing when I go for lunch or dinner.  One chopped barbecue sandwich, one large order of French fries and a large Cheerwine.  It never fails to satisfy my hankering for good barbecue.  However, a month or so ago, I had my first bad experience eating there.  Not because of the food or service but because of my food allergies.     I had ordered my usual order.  The first thing I pulled out of the bag was the sandwich.  I unwrapped it and took bite and noticed the bun as a bit more yellow than usual.  After

  Birds of a Feather by Jeremy Yarbrough     Small birds are a wonderful choice for someone who enjoys keeping small pets or has a limited amount of space.  In addition to my latest pet rabbits, I have always had pet birds at home as long as I can remember.  Currently, I have a cockatiel named Simon and a parakeet called Blue.  These small birds are easy to care for and they are very smart.     Pet birds will require a cage to call their own space.  Their food requirements are not very complicated.  they eat a diet of birdseed purchased from a pet food or local department store.  It is extremely important to provide fresh water for a bowl kept in their cage.  They also enjoy coming out to enjoy the same foods people eat.  My birds enjoy eating dry cereal like corn flakes and Cheerios.  They also like to peck at toast, rice or spaghetti noodles.     It is important to keep the cage clean.  It is good to have a bottom layer of corncob bedding and then keep paper which is changed daily on

  Camping:  The Carefree Adventure by Jeremy Yarbrough     Autumn is the perfect time of year for camping.  Camping provides the perfect opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors and all the benefits of experiencing nature.  When you are going on a camping trip planning is key.  It may take a few camping trips to get the hang of what you might need to enjoy your stay.  Depending on the season and location will determine what is on your packing list.        The first thing you pack will be your tent, sleeping bag, foam pad and pillow for a good night's rest.  Meals will be the next thing to focus on when packing.  On the camping trip that I have gone on we always cook over a fire.  Each of us bring our mess kits to eat out of during the trip.  the first things that comes to mind is the evening meal which usually consists of cooking hotdogs and smokes.  The first person awake will rekindle the fire and get the breakfast foods ready.  Bacon, eggs and coffee are favorites to cook over th

  Endless Spam by Jeremy Yarbrough     Can there be anything more annoying than spam calls, email and texts?   Every day and any time of day these aggravating contacts are showing up on phones everywhere.  Are people actually answering any of these calls, emails and texts coming from phone numbers that are unrecognizable?  Nothing is more irritating than these constant interruptions.     Sure, there are a few valid sales calls that may be coming from a telemarketer who is following up on a purchase or service you have recently paid for, but the majority of these calls are a major waste of time for the person placing the call and especially my time.  In fact, a good portion of these calls are criminals trying to get personal and financial information from unsuspecting citizens.  Sadly, many of the people who fall for these phone scams are the elderly because they have a tendency to be more trusting in people and less suspicious of someone actually stealing from them over the phone.  The

  Salute to Veterans by Jeremy Yarbrough     The week a day is set aside to honor our nation's veterans who have served in the armed forces.  Veterans Day is on Saturday, November 11 this year.  Davidson County is well known for its recognition of these special people who have dedicated a portion of their lives in serving our country.     Most of the veterans we are celebrating this week volunteered to join the service due to their desire to protect their country.  There are many reasons a young person would seriously consider the military as a great way to begin their adult lives.  Joining a branch of the armed forces offers the benefits of a regular paycheck,  room and board, health care, educational benefits and travel around the globe.  Training in an area of specialty is typically what most members receive while serving their terms.  Many people my age find the military offers the structure that they need to become successful citizens.  Some service members find that this life

  Harebrained Adventures Part 2 by Jeremy Yarbrough     A few days ago, my rabbits were traumatized by having a neighbor's dog on the loose break into their pen we had constructed out of wood,  metal paneling and chicken wire.  And this dog still continues to show up in the backyard each week looking for the rabbits.  Well, my dad and I set out to remedy this situation.  We went to Tractor Supply and purchased a 5 x 10-foot dog kennel.  This weekend we worked on getting it set up so that the rabbits, Floppsie and Petey would be able to run around and get plenty of exercise during the day.     We brought the newly purchased dog kennel home and began work on it Saturday afternoon.  It came packaged in a box so we began by opening the box and pulling out the six separate panels, connector hinges and the door latch.  There were a couple of rubber parts missing on the bottom legs which we had to call customer service about replacing.  The only tools needed to get this job done were a dr

  Falling Back by Jeremy Yarbrough     Who doesn't like an extra-long weekend?  Everyone is looking forward to this Saturday evening due to the change in time when we turn the clocks back one hour.  It has to be the best weekend of the year and I am sure most will spend their extra hour gaining additional sleep.  But I believe this is the only gained benefit from moving from daylight saving time to standard time.     The gain of the hour on Sunday night will not compare to the loss of productivity due to earlier sunsets in the evenings.  There are so many benefits to having those extra minutes of daylight in the evening.  Most people are driving home at 5pm in the dark so there is no time to work out in the yard or exercise outdoors later in the evening.  And dogs have to be walked in the dark which poses a danger to them from traffic coming home for the day.     I do believe the change in time affects everyone's mood when there is not enough sunlight.  This is why I try to get