Jamie Patterson Managing EditorWhen a child is sick, the whole house can turn into a hectic place.
But with our son James, he managed to turn Yazoo City upside down with his ailment.
I knew it was serious when his kindergarten teacher called me last week at work to tell me that he had a 103-degree fever. Thinking a good night’s rest and medicine would do the trick, we took it pretty easy at the house that evening.
When he woke up the next morning with another high fever, I knew it was time to make an appointment.
“Am I gonna get a shot,” James asked, with a concerned look in his face.
“I doubt it,” I said. “The doctor will probably just give you some medicine.”
The great thing about working with your husband is that you can work out a schedule that works for the both of you. Jason would take him to his appointment that morning while I worked at the office. After lunch, we would switch up.
As I settled in for my second cup of coffee later that morning, Jason called me to tell me that James had strep throat.
And...that he would have to get a shot. I felt horrible because I led James to believe that he wouldn’t get one. But I continued on with my work, not giving it a second thought.
It was time for our switch up so Jason and I met up about an hour later.
“It was awful,” Jason said, with a look of terror remaining on his face.
James hid behind a chair, clearly guilty of whatever he did at the doctor’s office.
Apparently, when the man arrived with the stick that they rub the back of your throat with to test for strep throat, James lost it. He informed the nurse that he would not be sticking that stick down his throat.
James then tried to assault him before biting down on the stick so hard they were afraid he would break his teeth.
“Are you serious,” I asked Jason, as he retold the tale.
“It gets worse,” he replied. “He was spitting and squirming and fighting as hard as he could. I had to wrap my legs around his to keep him from kicking. It seemed like it would never end.”
They were finally able to perform the strep test thanks to a very persistent effort.
“Then it was time for the shot,” Jason said, rubbing his head.
I had to take a seat.
“What happened,” I asked, looking at James who was still looking down.
“They had to bring in backup from the front desk,” Jason said. “I had to lay across his chest. They had to hold his legs too because he was still kicking.”
To top it off, James was screaming at the top of his lungs the whole time.
“No he didn’t,” I said.
“Oh, yes, he did,” Jason replied.
I was so embarrassed. My child had turned a doctor’s office completely upside down by himself.
When James and I got home that afternoon, I asked him why he acted that way.
“You lied to me,” he said, pretty pathetically. “I did get a shot.”
He then pulled his pants down to point at the bandage on his upper thigh.
“Look at this,” he said, this time a little more assertive.
Later that evening, Jason and I contemplated on sending the entire office a gift basket or something for their troubles.
“You know, I would like to think that they are used to kids acting nuts when they get a shot,” I said. “But I have a feeling that this was a first for them.”
“It was out of control,” Jason said, getting that concerned look on his face again.
Quite embarrassed by the whole thing, I tried not to think about it. Until church that Sunday when a very friendly man approached me on the way from Sunday School.
“I heard your son wasn’t too happy about his appointment,” he said.
I soon discovered he  was in the waiting room when James had his breakdown.
“Yes, that was my son,” I said.
It made me feel better when he began to laugh about it.
Now...I just have to figure out a way to persuade Jason to take the kids to get their flu shots. Any suggestions?

Jason Patterson Editor & PublisherMississippi has benefited in countless ways from having homegrown company C Spire rise to such great heights.
Not only has our state enjoyed the obvious economic benefits that come with such innovation, but the company has an admirable record of giving back. C Spire sponsors  events that benefit our state and communities and gives to many worthwhile causes.
Yazoo County has also benefited considerably.
Since the company first came to Yazoo City in its Cellular South days, C Spire has consistently made providing service to our community a priority. Major investments have been made to ensure the best possible service in this area.
The store on Jerry Clower Boulevard is always busy, and it’s that way for a reason. People know that the performance of the product is superior in this region, and they know that they will receive good customer service.
Yazoo manager Belinda Poe does an outstanding job of leading our local store. There are so many customers in that store on any given day that it could be utter chaos, and yet it operates efficiently and effectively under Poe’s leadership. If someone was looking to establish a new business in Yazoo City, a visit to C Spire would be a great place to start to see how to do it right.
I got my first cellular phone when I worked for a newspaper in Cleveland. I got such good service when I was visiting home in Yazoo once that I continued to deal with the Yazoo store anytime I needed something.
Over a decade later I still find the same great service here in Yazoo City.
That’s particularly important to a guy like me who is mostly clueless when it comes to the latest technology. I finally retired my trusty Nokia a couple of years ago after the battered device finally threw in the towel after it fell out of my pocket while I was driving a tractor. That same phone had survived being totally submerged in water when I tried to cross a creek in the dark that was much deeper than I expected and being dropped in the woods before a dog eventually found it and brought it home. It had a few teeth marks, but it still worked just fine.
I reluctantly accepted a Blackberry as a replacement, and quickly learned to appreciate being able to access the Internet at any time and send and receive email anywhere. Just a few years ago I never would have dreamed that such things are possible.
Now Yazoo County is among the first in the state to receive 4G technology, which is the fastest and most advanced available anywhere in the world. I was amazed watching the demonstration of how fast this new technology functions.
I’ll probably be one of the last to make the transition (unless my phone falls out of my pocket while I’m on the tractor again), but I am truly grateful that C Spire believes in our community enough to make such great investments that benefit us all.
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Jason Patterson is the editor & publisher of The Yazoo Herald. He can be reached at 746-4911 or by sending an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Jamie Patterson Managing EditorA family dog truly is a treasure, especially if that dog is just an old mutt.
My husband Jason and I rescued a dog that we found at a Dumpster in our neighborhood. Jason first discovered her snuggled up next to a pile a broken limbs. She was extremely friendly and showed the signs of a confused animals who was literally dumped off.
Jason told me about the poor animal that evening.
“If she’s out there tomorrow, I may bring her home,” he said.
I could tell he was testing the waters with me to see if I would bite on the idea of bringing a pet home. I thought about it but was soon heading off to bed.
The next afternoon, we went back to the Dumpsters with our daily trash bag. And there she was, still hiding behind a mountain of brush.
Getting out of the truck, I went over to her and began petting her side. Her ribs were the first thing I felt on her. But she wagged her tail and nudged her nose against my hand.
“Open the door,” I said, picking her up. “We’re taking her home.”
A few weeks later, she was as fat as a tick. Her coat seemed brighter. Her tail wagged more. And she was the most loving animal I have ever seen.
We called her DeDe.
The best part about it was that she loved kids.
Just the other day, DeDe was sitting in the front yard as two kids tumbled all over her. Our son James ran around her, acting like a bear. Our daughter Elsie kept touching her nose and laughing when DeDe gave her a quick lick.
The whole time, DeDe remained still and steady as the kids had their way with her.
I had a dog just like DeDe when I was growing up. His name was Roho and he was the mutt of Monticello. He reminded me of the Tramp in that Disney movie, only he had floppy ears instead of the kind that stand up.
Roho showed up under our carport one autumn evening. Maw Maw gave him some food but vowed not to let him in the house.
Three days later, he was under the family quilt on the living room couch.
Roho was my constant companion. He would walk with Paw Paw and I on our daily morning strolls. He would sit next to me as we watched morning cartoons. He even liked watching the Price is Right and would howl at the television every time they played the game with the yodelling mountain climber.
He let me tie down my Barbie dolls on his back and take them on a safari in the back yard.
He would eat the squash, broccoli and other food I didn’t want from under the table. Except for brussel sprouts, he ate just about everything.
During thunderstorms, Maw Maw would let him sleep with me. He always sat at the foot of the bed and stood up every time a huge clap of thunder shook the house.
He would let me dress him in baby clothes. And despite the mocking he got from other neighborhood children, he would let me stroll him around in a baby carriage with a bonnet on.
When a skunk tried to spray me in the yard one night, Roho defended me. Getting sprayed himself in the process, he managed to scare the critter away. As we scrubbed him with potatoes and tomato juice under the carport that night, it was as almost as if he was giving me a “you owe me” look.
My summers with my grandparents always included Roho. When they would visit Momma and me in Jackson during the school year, they would bring him along.
But over the years, I stopped dressing him in baby clothes. The Barbie dolls were shoved into the toy box. The baby carriage was put into storage. And I began to eat all my vegetables.
Looking back, there were moments when I honestly think Roho wanted to be dressed up just one more time. He would hang around the kitchen, hoping for a carrot or two. He even began to bark at things that weren’t there just to let you know he would still protect you.
And even though I grew up, I still took the time to pet him. I would grab him in my lap to watch television because he didn’t have the strength to jump on the couch anymore. Patting my leg, he would still follow me wherever I went.
I was about to start high school when it was discovered that Roho had a number of tumors. We were told nothing could be done, and we would need to put him down.
Even though he was only a dog, Roho was my most special friend when I was a little girl. I grew up as an only child, and he was always by my side. He played with me, let me talk to him for hours.
He was more than my dog, he was my best friend.
I think back to Roho when I see my own children playing with DeDe. I hope that they have the same memories and affection for her as I did with my own dog.
As DeDe glances up at me, it almost looks as if she is smiling and saying thanks.
And I know that Roho thanked and loved me too.

Walter Patterson Herald ColumnistThis is the campaign season, and if you believe anything that comes out of CBS, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, and CNN, I have some attractive real estate that might be of interest to you.  It has a scenic view of the river, and the fishing is great.
I’ve never seen the mainstream media working so hard for a president. Their total dedication to Obama is so obvious that it is unseemly.  Recently the news broke that the economy had bottomed out and was now making an unbelievable recovery.  
One reporter even proclaimed that the “good news is coming in machine gun fashion, one right after the other.” All this while 23 million Americans are out of work, and 47 percent of Americans are on some type of government relief.
What is happening on TV and in the press is journalistic malpractice.  The big lie has been that an obscure video produced by a Coptic Christian instigated all of the mayhem that is now going on in the Middle East.  The deaths of our Ambassador to Libya and three other Americans was the result of this “offensive film that criticized the prophet Mohammed.” But truth is a hard thing to bottle up, even if Obama and his news media gave it the “old college try.”  We know with certainty that the assassination of our ambassador was the result of a well-planned terrorist attack, and the really embarrassing thing is that this attack was led by a terrorist who was once housed at Gitmo.   This attack, in fact, constitutes an act of war, yet the Obama administration ignores the serious ramifications of this terrorist act.
The mainstream media has no shame, and they certainly have no respect for our intelligence.  Reliable news is important, but where do you get it.  News people, whether on TV or in the press, are no longer reliable sources for the news.  They spin the news in such a way as to help their favorite candidate, no matter how bad the news may be for the man or woman they support.
Take for example this headline which appeared on a CBS blog: “Only 15 percent of Democrats Believe Economic News is Bad.”  To be sure, this false and misleading headline is designed to buck up Obama’s supporters, yet this article is written as a serious article, one that we should accept as gospel.  Apparently, the Pew Research Center wants to create the illusion that Democrats are not worried about the economic depression that is facing us.  
If it is true that 85 percent of Democrats think that the economy is roaring along in a boom period, then we have lost the country.  A huge number of our citizens are no longer rational and capable of deductive reasoning.
Personally, I don’t believe that 85 percent of Democrats think we are living in a boom period.  In fact, I think it is just the opposite.  They are living in this deep recession just like everyone else, and they know the difference between what Obama has given us and an economic “boom period.”
Then there are the polls.  Let me remind you that you should never put too much stock in polls, especially those that are designed not for the truth, but to advance an agenda.  Some polls over sample Democrats, for example, by as much as 13 percent.  Some sample “registered voters” as opposed to “likely voters.” Some sample people with no party affiliations who simply answer the telephone.  Give me the outcome you want or need and I will give you what you paid for; a poll that says exactly what you want it to say.
The press is in a full court press to dishearten and dispirit you, to make you feel hopeless and convince you that Obama is going to win regardless.  Don’t fall for that old Democrat trick.
It has been played ever since “Little Jimmy” Carter was in the White House.  Think back to two weeks before the election between “Little Jimmy” and Ronald Reagan.  Two weeks before the election, the polls showed that “Little Jimmy” was leading by as many as 17 points.  Reagan won the election in a landslide.
Remember, also, that it was not that the media liked Carter; they didn’t.  But they hated Ronald Reagan and conservatism more than a failed, incompetent chief executive.
So my advice is to hang tough.  America is still the greatest place on earth, and despite what the Democrats and the media say, the American people can still think for themselves.  
They will demonstrate that fact on November 6.