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Catoctin Furnace Historical Society has won a $7,500 grant from Americana Corner to restore a 19th century bellows.

CFHS was one of 171 historic preservation organizations across the country to receive a grant in honor of George Washington’s birthday.

The restored bellows will be used in the blacksmithing demonstration program held in Catoctin Furnace’s newly constructed blacksmith shop.

The bellows was manufactured circa 1875 to 1885 by J. C. Onions company in Birmingham, England, the preeminent bellows manufacturer of the day. The giant bellows measures five feet by three feet and is constructed of wood, tin, and leather. Blacksmiths use bellows to deliver a constant supply of oxygen to the fire, allowing for the high temperatures, which are required to heat iron to the point that it can be worked.

With the addition of the bellows, Catoctin Furnace has a full complement of 19th century blacksmithing tools.

Just as iron was arguably the most critical industry in the development of the early United States, blacksmiths were essential to the production of equipment and supplies, such as nails, hinges, hooks, wagon parts, and tools.

Late 18th and early 19th century blacksmiths in Catoctin Furnace were primarily enslaved and free Africans and African Americans. Research into the African American owned Moses Jones (1787-1868) blacksmith shop in Carroll County and the Felicity or Oakland Mills blacksmith shop in Howard County informed the design of Catoctin Furnace’s new blacksmith shop.

With the addition of this restored bellows, the blacksmith shop will become a platform to honor the contribution of blacksmithing to our history, revive the practice of the craft, and educate visitors about its importance. In addition, it will become an essential part of Catoctin Furnace’s Heritage at Work program geared toward work skills training for at-risk students.

Catoctin Furnace Historical Society shares the history of ironmaking through special events throughout the year, including an annual commemoration of black history month’s “In Their Own Voices,” an autumn performance of Spirits of the Furnace, now in its 21st year, and the Maryland Iron Festival.

The 6th Annual Maryland Iron Festival will take place on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19, 2024, in the village of Catoctin Furnace, and throughout Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain Park. For more information, contact info@catoctinfurnace.org.

by Tricia Bush, CPA, CFP®, Partner, Bestgate Advisors

Hi, I’m Tricia Bush, CPA, CFP®, and I’m here to share with you what I’ve learned from working with successful retirees to help lead you to your financial and retirement goals.

One of the overriding themes I’ve seen of those who have been successful is that they have developed a financial plan themselves or have worked with a financial advisor to create their financial plan.

So, how do you get started?

In the realm of financial planning, there’s no shortage of advice and strategies. From Dave Ramsey’s rapid debt payoff method to the notion of leveraging debt for investment—the options are endless. But amidst this sea of information, how do you determine what’s right for you? The answer lies in understanding your own financial goals and priorities.

Take a moment to reflect on what truly matters to you and your family. Are you feeling overwhelmed by credit card debt? Perhaps you’ve recently come into an inheritance and are faced with new investment decisions. Or, maybe retirement is looming, prompting a shift in your financial mindset. Each circumstance calls for a customized financial plan, tailored to your specific needs.

Once you’ve identified your priorities and envisioned your financial destination, the next step is to assess your current financial landscape.

In today’s world, it’s not uncommon to have accounts scattered across various institutions and platforms. While this setup may offer convenience, it can obscure your overall financial picture. Listing all these accounts in one place can provide a clearer view of your overall financial health. By calculating your net worth—total assets minus liabilities—you establish a baseline for progress.

With your financial baseline established, it’s time to examine your cash flow, commonly referred to as your budget. This serves as the bridge between your current situation and your financial goals. Maybe you have some discretionary income each month; yet, without a budget, it’s easy to fritter it away without a second thought. While the occasional splurge at Starbucks for that Venti Caramel Macchiato with the extra shot of espresso might seem harmless, aligning your spending with your priorities can lead to greater financial security.

For instance, if your top priority is saving for your child’s college education, earmarking those funds for a 529 plan can set you on the right path. A common theme I’ve seen with the successful retirees I’ve worked with is that they had a good handle on their budget.

One of the greatest benefits of having a financial plan is the peace of mind it brings. Knowing that you’re on track to meet your retirement savings goals, or not pulling too much out of your retirement accounts, can alleviate stress and allow you to enjoy life’s pleasures without any guilt. However, just like sticking to an exercise routine, some individuals may find it challenging to stay motivated on their own. If financial planning feels daunting or you struggle to stay the course, consider seeking guidance from a financial advisor.

Contrary to popular belief, financial advisors aren’t just for the wealthy or the Wall Street elite. They come in various specialties, each focused on helping you achieve your unique financial objectives. Whether your goal is retirement planning or debt management, finding the right advisor can provide invaluable support and expertise.

Whether you choose to go it alone or enlist the help of a financial advisor, the important thing is to take that first step toward securing your financial future. By crafting a financial plan tailored to your needs and aspirations, you’re taking control of your destiny and setting yourself up for success.

In closing, I hope this article serves as a catalyst for action, inspiring you to embark on your financial planning journey with confidence. We will continue to dive into more detail about different financial planning topics in future issues, but as you are working on your financial plan, if some topics or questions come to mind, send them to The Catoctin Banner at news@thecatoctinbanner.com, and we’ll see if we can answer your questions in a future issue.

Remember, regardless of where you are on your financial path, it’s never too late to start planning for a brighter tomorrow.

Prologue

Observations from the Woodpile” is a collection of essays bundled together and given as a birthday present for my wife, Nancy, in 1997. Twenty-seven years have passed since the collection was given. The two main subjects of the essays, my sons Justus and Jacob, have grown into men with families of their own.

The Right Tool for the Job

Over the years, I’ve seen quite a few devices for splitting wood. I’ve been tempted to try them all. Sometimes, I’ve been weak and fallen for promises of wood falling into nice uniform pieces with just one whack of this tool or that. After several seasons of trial and error, I’ve ended up with a basic set of tools: a splitting maul, two or three wedges, a chainsaw, and an instrument called a cant hook.

A splitting maul is a cross between a wedge, an axe, and a sledgehammer. It looks like a wedge with a handle. The chainsaw is noisy and otherwise ineloquent, but I don’t see how folks got along without them. My hat is off to the old-timers who felled the giants of the ancient forests with cross-cut saws.

Except for the cant hook, all these tools are necessary for getting the job done. The cant hook isn’t at all necessary. It’s one of those tools that make doing a job pleasurable or, at least, less of a burden, by taking some of the drudgery out. It’s a stout handle with a hook that pivots about a foot from the end. You use it to lift and turn logs by the principle of leverage. It has, no doubt, saved me from an irreparable back injury.

Being properly equipped for a task is often quite a balancing act. Not enough of the right equipment paralyzes a project. With too many tools and gadgets, too much time is spent on tools and not the task.

Properly equipping children with the right tools for their lives’ tasks is the quintessential purpose of parenting. The tendency is to equip them with too much hardware, too much stuff. It’s easy to throw money and hope it’s the right thing. So, what is the right list of tools?  Well, just as every job is different, so is every child. It takes a bunch of trial and error and that means a bunch of time. 

When Less Than Sharp Is Best

More than once, the boys have commented about how dull the splitting mauls are. They constantly want to file them to a knife edge. I explain to them that for the kind of work the mauls are designed to do, extra sharp is not best. Something very sharp is more easily blunted and dulled. The mauls are continually being driven into the ground and hitting rocks and such. It just doesn’t pay to keep them razor sharp.

Several years ago, I ran a planing mill in a cabinet-making plant. Every day, I replaced the huge planer knives with ones that had been sharpened the day before. Before finishing, I passed a special stone across the knives to take a tiny bit off the edge. I asked the fellow who sharpened the knives why that had to be done. He explained that if the knives were too sharp, the constant friction would cause them to burn up. They would not last through the next shift.

That’s a principle I’ve seen before. Very precise instruments require an extraordinary amount of maintenance. High performance cars spend a lot of time in garages. Sharp, intense people often can’t make it over the long run. They’re too sharp to resist the constant friction, and they simply burn up.

The two boys are too young to comprehend this observation, and I don’t want them using it on me as a way of avoiding their schoolwork. Someday, they’ll be grown men with careers and families and a thousand other responsibilities. I hope they will understand then to take a little of the edge off, so they can last the long run.

On a Sunday afternoon in March, the Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick was bustling with families, grandparents, and local community members, who were all there to see the talent of the budding young artists who are part of Frederick County Public Schools.

The Delaplaine Arts Center once again hosted the Frederick County Public School Youth Art Exhibit, from March 2 through March 25. Art teachers from each school across the county selected up to three of their student’s artwork to be displayed during the event.

The gallery rooms were filled with vibrant colors, displaying over four hundred pieces of artwork in a variety of mediums and even included three dimensional pieces. 

The following students from the Catoctin Feeder Schools were featured in the exhibit:

Catoctin High School: Arianna Calhoun (12th Grade), Leyna Durrschmidt (10th Grade), Kaitlyn Eyler (9th Grade), Kaitlynn Grimes (12th Grade), Lillian Holden (11th Grade), Rebekah Manahan (9th Grade), Abby Nichols (12th Grade)

Emmitsburg Elementary: Dani Beall (3rd Grade), Amilia Luyo (Pre-K), Alexa Sosa Torres (5th Grade)

Lewistown Elementary: Natalie Collins (5th Grade)

Sabillasville Environmental School: Hunter Steele (1st Grade), Julia Marl (6th Grade)

Thurmont Primary: Prairie Brown (2nd Grade), Iris Burdick-Grumphrey, Olivia Roecker (K)

Thurmont Elementary: Ava Burdette (4th Grade), Sydney Grimes (5th Grade), John Irons (3rd Grade)

Thurmont Middle: Garcelle Hinson (6th Grade), Payton Reid (8th Grade), Amelia Rice (7th Grade)

Mixed Media by Cobalt Wivell at Catoctin High School, Art Teacher Laura Day.

Scratchboard by Garcelle Hinson at Thurmont Middle School, Art Teacher Stephanie Strenko.

Collage by Olivia Roecker at Thurmont Primary, Art Teacher Jennifer Riggs.

Oil Pastel & Watercolor by Natalie Collins at Lewistown Elementary School, Art Teacher Cenica Korrell.

Oil Pastel by Leyna Durrschmidt at Catoctin High School, Art Teacher Laura Day.

Watercolor and Cut Paper by Hunter Steele at Sabillasville Environmental School, Art Teacher Destyni Cecil.

Paint and Marker by Ava Burdette at Thurmont Elementary, Art Teacher Jill Dutrow.

Stoneware and Clay Oxide by Arianna Calhoun at Catoctin High School, Art Teacher Valerie Pickett.

Tempera Paint by at Emmitsburg Elementary Alexa Sosa Torres, Art Teacher Heidi Hench.

by Helen Xia, CHS Student Writer

Have you heard about the basins detected on Mars? Already, experts are devising ways astronauts could utilize this newfound resource. For instance, not only could this be used to discover more about Mars’ history, but it could also be used more directly, such as for rocket fuel. Something else, however, emerged from the finding of water on this extraterrestrial mass: questions about whether intricate life can one day be found on Mars—or, better yet, could life from Earth ever be transferred there in the future?

The answer is uncertain for now, but one thing’s for sure: Humanity thriving on Mars is no easy feat. From high radiation levels to bitter cold—approximately negative 81 degrees Fahrenheit, to be precise—lack of oxygen is not the only factor preventing us from abandoning our home on Earth.

All of that was a convoluted way to say that Earth is our only definite home. There is no guarantee we’ll have a “second chance” to migrate to another body in space if Earth becomes uninhabitable. Hence, some critics question, “Why expend so much time and resources tapping into Mars when those efforts can be used to preserve where we currently live?”

Fortunately, amongst extraordinary discoveries beyond Earth’s atmosphere, there is a day designated for understanding the struggles here on Earth and appreciating what our home has to offer: Earth Day.

Despite not being an official national holiday, Earth Day is celebrated by more than 1 billion every year on April 22. It is often regarded as the origin of the modern movement for environmental conservation. The environmental discussion—more prevalent now than ever—arose decades ago. The first Earth Day materialized in 1970, amid copious amounts of leaded gas emissions from automobiles and the soaring of industrialization. Back then, there was scarcely any legislation combatting these harmful practices, if any.

Junior Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin recognized this unsustainable conduct and employed the powerful voice of youth to amplify his message. Inspired by the anti-war protests occurring during this period, Senator Nelson wanted to incorporate students’ vigorous demands for change into the environmental debate as well. To accomplish this, he organized teach-ins on college campuses with Denis Hayes, who left his academic career at Harvard Law School to pursue environmental advocacy. This explains the seemingly random date of Earth Day: To maximize student participation, Senator Nelson and Hayes purposefully selected April 22, which falls in between college students’ spring break and final exam season.

The event quickly escalated beyond merely college campuses and saw remarkable success. On April 22, 1970, about 20 million people throughout the country—roughly 10 percent of the nation at the time—gathered in various cities and protested against the damage done by careless, uncontrolled industry. Since the first Earth Day, the United States government has formed the Environmental Protection Agency and passed several laws dedicated to environmental conservation, including the Clean Air Act.

Don’t worry, environment-centered initiatives don’t need to be as large-scale as the ones described previously to be effective. An example of a force for environmental good is right in our community: At Catoctin High School (CHS), Brian Brotherton’s Catoctin Conservation Club (CCC) is committed to advancing sustainability within the school and beyond. To accurately illuminate the notable achievements of this club, I interviewed CCC’s incredible president, Gina Lin.

For starters, what is CCC all about? “The Catoctin Conservation Club has been working toward sustainability since its founding in 2019. Although it’s gone through a series of name changes, the goal of CCC stays the same: increasing environmental awareness at CHS and implementing ambitious sustainability practices in various forms,” explained Lin. “To say that the club is juggling a few tasks is an understatement. We worked diligently and submitted the Maryland Green School Application before its deadline in early March. CHS used to be Green School certified. The dawn of CCC was full of momentum, but soon after came the pandemic, erasing much progress, one of them being the expiration of the Green School’s Application. There is a certain set of criteria schools have to meet regarding student-led action, community partnerships, and sustainable school systems [to qualify].”

According to Lin, some highlights of CCC’s hard work consist of partnering with National Park Services to organize a successful on-campus tree planting; applying for and receiving the Maryland State Department of Education’s School Waste Reduction and Composting Program grant; arranging a school-wide recycling movement, titled Recycling Battle Royale, and educating students on proper recycling habits; having a few members of the club—including Natalie Hoyt, Keelyn Swaney, and Lin—attend the Frederick County District 5 Budget Hearing to advocate for more sustainable practices around the county; and welcoming the Frederick County Public Schools’ Sustainability director and operations manager to CHS to discuss next steps with the club.

The CCC is, evidently, a treasure at Catoctin! I can attest that the organization’s positive influence can be regularly felt all through my school.

Managing the numerous dynamic components of CCC requires much dedication and endurance. A problem as extensive as the climate crisis may seem overwhelming, but from her experience, Lin urges, “The most important lesson [I’ve learned] is to just try. Even if you can’t get everyone on board with your ideas, the best you can do is try and influence those who actually demonstrate interest. You never know the full impact of your actions. Communication is so important—I cannot stress this enough. You need to be a good communicator and not afraid to put yourself out there in order to get things going.”

Hopefully, this article left you feeling hopeful or at least taught you something about our planet and the efforts to protect it. Everyone is capable of uniting and outputting good in this world we share.

I will leave you with the following message of encouragement from Lin about conservation: “Every bit of action is significant and will be meaningful in the long run. We can’t be indifferent to the things burning in front of our faces. One less piece of plastic that ends up in the Chesapeake and feeds into the Atlantic is one more marine organism saved. Our actions are what causes eutrophication, the difference between critically endangered and extinct, and the amount of property destruction in coastal areas. The climate crisis is an indisputable issue and one I wish wasn’t politically charged. This is the future of humanity we are saving.”

Littlestown Man Dies of Fright

John McCall of Littlestown, Pennsylvania, was one of the oldest engineers working on the Northern Central Railroad in 1909. He had worked for the railroad for over 30 years and even lost a leg eight years earlier in an accident on the railroad.

So, what could a man who had probably seen everything—good and bad—having to do with the railroad have seen that literally scared him to death?

The Northern Central Railroad ran from Baltimore to Sunbury, Pennsylvania. It had been completed in 1858. The railroad’s claim to fame was that President Abraham Lincoln rode on the railroad to deliver his Gettysburg Address in 1863, changing trains in Hanover Junction, Pennsylvania. Then, in 1865, the Northern Central Railroad carried Lincoln partway on his final journey to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried.

On December 3, 1909, McCall was working on the Frederick Branch of the railroad, east of Stony Brook, at the York Valley Lime and Stone company quarries, near Hallam, Pennsylvania. He backed Locomotive No. 4134 onto a siding at the quarry and unloaded the coal with which it was filled.

After coming off that siding, he reversed the locomotive to back onto another siding. The brakeman applied the hand brakes to stop the locomotive along the siding, but it began drifting backwards down the steep grade.

“When the brakeman realized that he was unable to hold the car, he shouted a warning to McCall, who may or may not have heard it. A moment later the heavy steel car side swiped the locomotive cab, tearing the right side entirely off and throwing McCall to the track, where he was pinned between the parallel bars and driving wheels of the locomotive,” the Gettysburg Times reported.

Men nearby rushed to his aid, but McCall was trapped. In order to free him, McCall’s rescuers had to saw off his wooden leg, “which was fastened under the engine in such a way that it was impossible to move the man otherwise,” according to the Gettysburg Times.

His injuries from the accident were considered slight. McCall had a slight gash on his forehead and a broken left thumb. The most serious of his injuries was the amputation of his left index finger. These injuries were indeed slight, considering that McCall had previously survived the loss of his right leg around the turn of the century.

The accident had occurred around 5:45 p.m. By 6:30 p.m. that evening, McCall was dead. Dr. W. F. Bacon pronounced McCall dead due to shock and not his injuries. The York County coroner, J. E. Dehoff, later agreed with Bacon’s pronouncement.

John’s son, Carter McCall, also lived in Littlestown. He was a member of the freight crew on his father’s train. He was notified of his father’s death so that he could claim the body and return it to his family in Littlestown.

“The accident is the most peculiar known on the railroad, and a similar accident could not be remembered by any of the oldest engineers on the road,” the Gettysburg Times reported.

Resourceful Rain Gardens

Good day to you, readers! I’m sure you’ve done all the Earth Day activities before: picked up trash, potted a plant, or enjoyed nature. Those are all great, yet, if you find yourself with that time and energy this Earth day, consider making a rain garden for more lasting aid to the planet. You’ll be carrying on a Maryland tradition since the first rain garden was started right here in Maryland by Dick Brinker of Prince George’s County. It was created as a new way to mitigate water pollution in a newly built neighborhood in Somerset.

The installation of one rain garden per house was quite effective: stormwater runoff decreased a whopping 75-80 percent as it was absorbed and filtered by the garden. Even its use at the University of Maryland, College Park, resulted in transparent water (many pollutants, bacteria, and other materials were captured and filtered successfully). Rain gardens are designated depressions or ditches where water and other sediment can drain into. You can find a completed rain garden at Heritage Farm Park (Walkersville, by the baseball fields), accompanied by a sign about its design and implementation. Rain gardens are important, successful, and downright cool! So, are you ready to learn how to make your own?

Preparation

You’re going to be digging into your yard, so call 811 to make sure you don’t hit any important sewage utilities or the like.

First, test your dirt to see if it will drain quickly enough to prevent stagnant water. Start by digging a hole six inches deep by six inches wide. You can check to see if the spot is just right by filling the hole with water and seeing if it mostly drains within 48 hours. If it does drain, begin widening the ditch. The Groundwater Foundation recommends 100-400 square feet for most homes, but you can certainly make it smaller to meet your landscaping needs

Plan to make the garden in a relatively flat area that does not have stagnant water after the rain. Try to place near areas in which pipes, drains, and driveways release excess water.

Make sure the garden is 10 feet away or more from your home’s foundation and 50 feet from a septic system.

Foundation

The deepest part of the garden should be about six inches, with the middle and outside edges forming a slight slope to make a small depression in the ground.

Use excess dirt to line the side farthest from the source of water (for you gardening nerds, you’ll be making a berm to hold leftover water that flows in).

If you’re having trouble getting water to your rain garden, dig a shallow trench from the water source to the garden. Place landscape cloth or tarp on top with stones on the sides to make a waterslide!

Planting

Select native plant varieties based on the water level they need. The trench’s deepest part must consistently tolerate wet to moist conditions, while the outer edges should tolerate dry conditions.

It is essential to use native plants for this garden. Native plants are adjusted to the water cycle and will appropriately absorb water, so there is no excess pooling.

Some good materials to line the deepest layer include: Blue Sedge, Wool Rush/Grass, Little bluestem, blue wood aster, groundsel, spicebush, growing summer sweet; middle layer: Black-eyed Susan, Alumroot, black chokeberry, hillside blueberry; outskirts: Black-eyed Susan, Butterfly milkweed, inkberry holly.

After planting, water the entire garden and add a layer of mulch. Keep watering until rain occurs. Continue to weed until after summer (and you can use your energy on harvest season instead). The only maintenance you’ll need after that is cutting down old growth.

And there you have it! A beginner’s guide to making your own rain garden. If you’re confused about any details, the Environmental Protection Agency website has several resources on how to make the garden and continue upkeep. Further, the Rain Garden Alliance has a free and easy-to-use calculator to create the dimensions for your garden.

Some other benefits of a rain garden you may experience include lovely pollinators, less flooding in your basement, and feeling like a good Samaritan.

Best of luck to you readers, and thanks for saving the Earth!

Credit to: Les Engles from The Spruce, Jeanne Huber of This Old House, James Steakly of Almanac, Viveka Neveln from Good Housekeeping, the University of Maryland Extension, The US Environmental Protection Agency, Chesapeake Stormwater Network, Davis et. al 2001 of University of Maryland Rain Garden Study, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Groundwater Foundation.

by Buck Reed

Food Rants. PERIOD.

Okay, I have been writing this article for a while now, and I normally am a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of guy. For well over six years, I have been sharing my thoughts on a variety of food topics without any malice or thought toward any specific subject and usually with a little humor (some might say with as little as possible). But, now that we appear to be out of the pandemic, and things are getting to be a bit more normal, I want to share a few pet peeves I have with what is going on in the food service industry.

First, cauliflower is as good as it is going to get. Yes, you can cook it two or three different ways, and that’s about it. It makes a wonderful soup if you match it with something, you can boil it and serve it with butter, and, if you can tolerate the smell, you can roast it. Stop putting it in pizza crust, making “rice” out of it, or making “vegetarian macaroni and cheese” out of it. The last dish is not clever or new. When we made it back in the day, we called it Cauliflower Au Gratin. You either like cauliflower or you are normal.

I understand that the pandemic threw a monkey wrench into the restaurant business and that it might take a few years to get things back to normal. And, I know I am old and might be looking at this one through the eyes of someone who longs for yesteryear. Wait staff need to step up. That means simple things like knowing the menu of the establishment you are working in. Being able to answer simple questions about the ingredients and preparation of each dish is going to make you look more professional and make your job much easier.

I would say that in my day, if you mentioned to a good waiter or waitress that you wanted them to forego tips in favor of a flat hourly rate, you might have a mutiny on your hands. Being a server is a noble profession that requires a lot of skills, including sales, customer relations, and multitasking. Almost every server I have ever worked with made bank, or at least knew they would make it up on the weekend. Once they accept a flat rate, that will be all they will be able to make, as tips will disappear as fast as the menu prices go up.

Being in the food service industry as long as I have, it is easy for me to spot a dirty establishment. If the dining room is a bit disheveled, unorganized, or dusty, then I guarantee the kitchen is as bad. A dirty bathroom is a sure sign that the staff is not keeping up. Further, damage to the furniture and the carpet or cracked tiles is an indication that management is not paying attention to their establishment. I don’t mind seeing mouse or rat traps outside a business; most places have this problem. At least they are doing something about it. But if you see the trash dumpster or used oil bins, and they have bags or buckets that cannot fit in the receptacle, then that establishment has a problem, and I can assure you that it is a big one.

Finally, let me say as a lifelong cook that there is most definitely a proper way to cook almost all foods. Let’s start with hand-cut or boardwalk French fries. Some might even call these fresh-cut fries, which is actually not the case at all. These fries need to be cut from a variety of baking potatoes, then blanched in the fryer once, stored cold, and then refried to produce a crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, product that is delightful to everyone. To just fry a fresh-cut potato and serve it is just a hot mess next to your burger. The same goes for chicken wings. Seriously, I think any bank that is dealing with the food service industry needs a chef consultant to look over the cooking methods of any new establishment to make sure they are doing it correctly. There is actually a chain of wing places in Frederick that believes they can change the tried-and-true wing cooking method developed in Buffalo and put out a good product. (They don’t even have blue cheese dressing!)

Okay, suffice it to say, I got it out of my system. Please note, I have not mentioned any names concerning my rant; however, if you know of someone committing any of these transgressions, leave a copy of this article in their view. I will take the hit. Next month, I will be back to my wonderful self as I butcher the English language while describing the varieties of wild mushrooms available to you and your kitchen.

by Maxine Troxell

I come from a family of good bakers. I remember my grandmother making pies and all kinds of cookies. My Aunt Pauline was famous for her cream puffs. My Aunt Ermie was a grand champion baker at the Thurmont & Emmitsburg Show and other local fairs. I want to share one of my favorite recipes from my Aunt Erma’s cookbook. This coconut cake won at least one Grand Champion ribbon. This is a pretty easy recipe, so I hope you enjoy it.

Grand Champion Coconut Cake

Ingredients

3 cups sifted cake flour

1½ tsp. salt

6 tbsp. sugar

1½ cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3-4 cups shredded coconut

4 tsp. baking powder

5 eggs whites

 23 cup Crisco

11⁄3 cup milk

1 tsp. coconut extract

Directions

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, twice, set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add 6 tablespoons sugar slowly and beat until mixture stands in soft peaks.

In another bowl, cream Crisco and add 1½ cups sugar, gradually. Cream until light and fluffy. Add flour alternately with milk, a small amount at a time, beating well after each addition. Add beaten egg whites and flavorings, beat for about 1 minute.

Pour batter into two greased and flavored 9-inch cake pans or 3 8-inch pans. Bake 30-40 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees. Remove pans from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes. Remove cake from pans and let cool. When cool, frost with your favorite frosting. Sprinkle coconut on top and side of cake.

Veteran Spotlight

Frank W. Albaugh

KIA Lorraine Campaign

Frank W. Albaugh was born on December 26, 1923, in Thurmont, to Maurice, World War I Veteran, and wife, Margaret Albaugh. He and his parents’ address was given in the 1940 Census as simply being “Main Street,” Thurmont; also seen elsewhere as having been “31 West Main Street.” 

Albaugh’s father’s place of employment was stated as having been Woodsboro Savings Bank, where he worked as a banker.

The 1940 Census also stated that Albaugh had a younger sister, Mary C Albaugh, who was 11 years old at the time of the census, and Albaugh was 16 years old.

Albaugh was a graduate of Thurmont High School, and at age 18, he registered for the draft on June 30, 1942. At that time, he had already been enrolled in the University of Maryland and had been attending classes there for two years when he entered into the military service on February 12, 1943, at 20 years of age.

His statistics at the time of his enlistment were recorded as his having been 5’8” in height and weighing 193 pounds, with brown hair and eyes and a “ruddy” complexion.

Albaugh enlisted as a private. He had achieved the rank of staff sergeant before meeting his untimely death on the killing fields of France in 1944. 

Albaugh was dispatched to Europe as a member of the Army’s 137th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division, which landed on Ohama Beach during D-Day operation, deploying on July 7 through July 9. 

As the 137th Infantry Regiment pushed through France in pursuit of a retreating German Army, Albaugh was wounded by enemy fire in August 1944, in which he was “slightly wounded,” treated, and was then permitted to “immediately” return to his unit, according to the August 15, 1944, edition of The (Frederick) News

The newspaper also noted that Albaugh was issued a Purple Heart for his wounding, which he had subsequently sent home to his parents.  The (Hagerstown) Morning Herald more specifically reported on August 16 that Albaugh had “suffered a slight flesh wound in one leg.”

Fast-forwarding to the engagement that ultimately cost Albaugh his life on the evening of September 9, 1944. The 35th Infantry Division was ordered to assail the German line on September 11, in the area of the Moselle River, and to capture the high ground west of the Moselle River, southeast of Nancy, France, according to coulthart.com.

The action was part of the Lorraine Campaign, which historians have described as “one of the most sensational campaigns in the annals of American military history,” and the campaign against the Germans was launched as the result of allied military having discovered “top-secret interceptions known as Ultra revealed that the Franco-German border was virtually undefended and would remain so until mid-September,” according to The Lorraine Campaign: An Overview, September-December 1944, by Dr. Christopher R. Gabel.

On September 11, the 137th Infantry Regiment was directed to attempt to cross the Moselle River near Crevechamps.

Describing the German defenses, which the 137th had faced, coulthart.com wrote on that website that, “The crossing proved difficult, as the Germans had blown all bridges across the Moselle from Flavigny south, and they held strong positions on the east side of the river, with machine gun emplacements on the steep bluffs overlooking the river, and artillery positions to the rear. The canal running parallel to the river’s west bank was an added barrier… ”

It was on September 12 that Staff Sergeant Frank W. Albaugh fell mortally wounded by enemy fire. Marylanders as a whole did not learn of the death of Albaugh until November 8, 1944, when The (Baltimore) Sun published a story, headlined “20 Maryland Men Killed in (European) War Action,” in which Staff Sergeant Albaugh was cited as having been one of those killed in action. 

Albaugh’s mortal remains were never brought home, and he is still interred in the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint-Avold, Departement de la Moselle, Lorraine, France.

It looks like spring is finally here! The flowers are all starting to bloom. The children will start their outdoor sports, and life will get busy. Remember to always check in on our Veterans.

April 5th is Gold Star Spouses Day. This is a day that honors spouses who lost their military significant other due to their Military service.

Poppy Posters are due to the Legion by April 15. If you have any questions, please email thurmontlegionaux168@gmail.com.

The Legion, SAL, and the Auxiliary are always looking for ways to help our Veterans and the community. Over the next several months, we have lots going on, so please follow us on Facebook and check the Community Calendar in this issue for event dates and times. And mark your calendars now for exciting upcoming Legion events, including getting your dancing shoes on for Dinner and Line Dancing for St. Jude on April 5, a Poppy Wreath Fundraiser on April 7, the 2nd Annual Car Show on June 15, and the 3rd Annual Legion Golf Tournament at Maple Run to benefit Platoon 22 and other Veteran programs on June 21.

A volunteer appreciation dinner was held on March 16 at Heroes Ridge, a 275-acre retreat facility atop Raven Rock mountain that serves combat Veterans and their families. 

Volunteers enjoyed an evening of camaraderie and a catered meal, hosted by Founder and CEO Cindy McGrew.

For more information or to donate, access the website at operationsecondchance.org.

Pictured from left: (front row) Sandy Crowley, Jan Oberst, Carole Hunt, Cindy McGrew, Erin Ickes, Robin Kantoski, Lisa  Riffle, Janice Maddox, Kelly Toms; (back row) Bobbi Smith, Rich Oberst, Jodi Becker, Chad Berry, Lloyd Berry, Olga Zhula, Lisa Cantwell, Noreen Stevens, Greg Maddox, and Tony Toms.

Uric Acid

A Key Player in Cardio, Brain, and Metabolic Diseases

by Dr. Thomas K. Lo, Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center

Uric acid is a natural waste product in your blood that helps to break down purines. Purines are chemicals created in your body and are also found in certain foods and drinks. Once uric acid dissolves in your blood, it moves through your kidneys and leaves your body through urine. However, if your body cannot remove all excess uric acid, it can lead to a buildup, causing high uric acid levels called hyperuricemia.

Hyperuricemia is a condition that refers to too much uric acid remaining in the body. It may lead to crystals formation, causing gout when settling in your joints or kidney stones when settling in your kidneys.

If left untreated, high uric acid levels may cause kidney damage, bone and joint issues, tissue damage, or heart disease.

In a healthy body, most uric acid will dissolve in your blood, move through your kidneys, and get removed through the urine.

Also, foods high in uric acid and certain health issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and fatty liver disease may lead to too much uric acid staying in your body. Foods higher in uric acid include salmon, shrimp, sardines, lobsters, mackerel, anchovies and some other seafood, red meat, liver and other organ meats, dried beans, peas, alcohol, and food and drinks made with high fructose corn syrup.

Fructose and Uric Acid

Fructose is a monosaccharide, which is a type of sugar. Fructose mainly occurs in fruits; however, honey, sugar cane, sugar beet, and many vegetables also contain fructose.

When your body breaks down fructose, it releases purines and to break down purines, your body releases uric acid. If you consume too much fructose, it will lead to increased purine and then uric acid is released. Your body may not be able to keep up, which may cause high uric acid levels.

How to Reduce Uric Acid Levels

High uric acid levels have been linked to a long list of health issues. The good news is that you can reduce your uric acid levels with the help of some natural support strategies. The following are some natural support strategies.

Reduce Alcohol, Sugar, and Fructose Intake

Drinking too much alcohol and consuming food and drinks with too much sugar and fructose may increase the risk of high uric acid and related health issues.

Lowering your intake of sugar, fructose, and alcohol may also reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes, and other health issues that are connected to high uric acid.

It is recommended to reduce your intake of refined sugar and fructose, which should only come from low-glycemic index fruits and vegetables.

Consider Lowering Purines

Eating foods high in purine may lead to high uric acid levels and recurrent gout attacks.

A 2019 review published in Nutrients has found that a low-purine diet may help to reduce uric acid levels, gout, and cardiovascular risk factors.

Foods higher in purines are salmon, shrimp, sardines, lobsters, mackerel, anchovies and some other seafood, red meat, liver and other organ meats, dried beans, peas, alcohol, and food and drinks made with high fructose corn syrup.

Switch to a low-purine whole foods diet rich in greens, vegetables, sprouts, herbs, spices, fermented foods, healthy fats, such as avocados, coconut oil, pasture-raised butter and ghee, olives, and extra virgin olive oil, and low-purine protein sources, such as grass-fed eggs and poultry, cold-water fish, such as tuna, and nuts
and seeds.

Regular Exercise

Regular movement and exercise may also help to reduce your uric acid levels.

According to a 2015 study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, an inactive lifestyle may be linked to high uric acid levels. However, being active helped to decrease uric acid levels and mortality.

A 2021 study published in Frontiers in Endocrinology (Lausanne) has found that moderate exercise offers the optimal benefits for reducing uric acid levels compared to low-level exercise or no exercise at all.

A 2015 study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine has found that strenuous exercise and over exercising and undereating causing ‘starvation’ can increase uric acid and trigger gout.

Aim for long-term sustainable changes with regular moderate exercise and daily movement combined with a healthy diet and other healthy lifestyle choices.

Good Hydration

Healthy kidney function is critical for removing excess uric acid from your body. Good hydration can support kidney function and may improve uric acid levels and the risk of gout.

Drink water throughout the day, about 8 oz. every hour.

Optimize Vitamin D Levels

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for your bone, muscle, immune system, brain, and overall health. Improving your vitamin D may help to reduce uric acid levels.

A 2020 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition has found a link between vitamin D levels and hyperuricemia. Researchers found that low vitamin D levels may be associated with high uric acid, and vitamin D supplementation may help to improve uric acid levels.

Pairing vitamin D3 with vitamin K2 helps improve calcium absorption and inflammation control.

Optimize Zinc Levels

Zinc is a critical mineral for your immune system and overall health. Zinc deficiency may increase your risk of high uric acid.

A 2020 study published in the International Journal of Fertility and Sterility has found that zinc supplementation may help to restore healthy uric acid levels.

Eat plenty of foods that are rich in zinc, such as poultry, eggs, dairy, seeds, nuts, legumes, sweet potatoes, quinoa, and green leafy vegetables.

Some of these foods are higher in purines so monitor which ones are best for you.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C may also help with uric acid level.

A 2009 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine has found that higher vitamin C intake may be linked to lower uric acid levels.

Eating foods rich in vitamin C, such as lemon, lime, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts help you get your daily RDA of vitamin C.

Green Tea

Green tea is a healthy choice. It is full of antioxidants and potential health benefits, including fat burning, weight loss, improved cognition, better blood sugar balance, and longevity.

A 2015 animal study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology has found that green tea polyphenols may help to reduce uric acid levels.

Tart Cherry

Tart cherries are full of nutrients and have many health benefits, including muscle health, improved sleep, improved immune health, and less joint pain.

They may also help with reducing your uric acid levels. You may benefit from drinking tart cherry juice (no sugar added) if you have high uric acid levels or gout.

If you are struggling with health issues, call the Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650 for a free consultation. Dr. Lo uses Nutritional Response Testing® to analyze the body to determine the underlying causes of ill or non-optimum health. The office is located at 7310 Grove Road #107, Frederick, MD. Check out the website at www.doctorlo.com.

The warmth of spring has finally arrived. I am certainly enjoying the beauty of the trees and the flowers starting to bloom. Stop by the Thurmont Senior Center for some fun, laughter, and maybe a cup of coffee or tea. We look forward to seeing you. You will find we are a place to come to enjoy a great lunch and to find laughter and friendship. You are never too old to make new friends and learn new things.

Hopefully, everyone is enjoying the extra hour of sunshine now. April is full of activities. Take the opportunity to come and enjoy the calendar of events we have scheduled. You can find our calendar on the website at thurmontseniorcenter.org, on Facebook, or come into the center and ask for a schedule of activities. We will happily provide you one. 

We would love for you to join us for a free balance and strength exercise session, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, as well as many other exercise classes. We also hold a variety of games to play, including pinochle, bunko, and bingo (featuring special homemade treats for halftime). I can’t forget to mention our coffee that we are told is the best, so come in and have a cup with us. Please check the Community Calendar in this issue for dates and times of events and classes. Just a reminder that some activities may have a minimal cost, but to join the center is absolutely free.

Don’t forget the Thurmont Senior Center is also available to rent for different activities, such as a baby shower, a birthday party, or a bridal shower.

As always, if you have questions or need more information, please don’t hesitate to call us at 301-271-7911.

Some of our initial board of directors: Margaret Cornejo, Roy Clever, Nancy Rice, John Dowling, Irene Matthews, Helen Deluca, Tony Cornejo, and Joan Follin.

April is here, no fooling! Winter is officially behind us, and spring has started. So, why not “spring” into some activities at Emmitsburg 50+ Center! Come and join the exercise group and engage in moderate or low intensity exercise with a video instructor. If you interested in something of an “at your own pace” level, please come join the walking group every Tuesday morning. As always, we have “open gym” for open activities Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and pickleball on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

There are new crafts on Thursday the 11th and 18th. We have “make and take” sugar scrub and ladybug magnet making, respectively. Additionally, the very talented Dorothea will be returning for a beautiful spring theme “Orchard in Acrylics.” We will also have another stained glass beginner class this month. In March, our beginner class made rabbits, mountains, foxes, butterflies and more! One new program we are excited about that is starting in April is “It’s Doable! Managing My Hypertension.” This is an evidence-based eight-week class led by a Registered Dietician that focuses on education in key areas such as goal setting, nutrition, exercise, stress management and blood pressure monitoring. Individuals with hypertension or pre-hypertension are encouraged to participate! Another new program we are hosting in conjunction with the Veterans Advisory Council is a coffee social for Veterans, service members, and their families. This will be an opportunity to enjoy a cup of coffee, and to get information on services available to Veterans in Frederick County. Please check the Community Calendar in this issue for event dates and times.

For more information about all our programs, visit www.frederickcountymd.gov/virtual50, call us at 301-600-6350, or stop in the Emmitsburg 50+ Center between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. You can also find Emmitsburg Senior Center on Facebook for more updates!

Prologue

Observations from the Woodpile” is a collection of essays bundled together and given as a birthday present for my wife, Nancy, in 1997. Twenty-seven years have passed since the collection was given. The two main subjects of the essays, my sons Justus and Jacob, have grown into men with families of their own.

Wouldn’t It Be Great to Have a Hydraulic Wood Splitter

Hardly a wood-splitting day went by that the chorus of “Wouldn’t it be great to have a hydraulic wood splitter?” was not sung. And, like an Italian opera, came the consistent reply, “Why would I buy a hydraulic wood splitter when I’ve got two wood splitters that I don’t have to buy or pay for?”

It has not escaped the notice of Justus and Jacob that wood stoves are a rather archaic means of heating a house. It’s an awful lot of work that the rest of the civilized world is missing out on.

To provide a little incentive, I tell my boys—who are both avid baseball players—that Mickey Mantle grew up on a farm in Oklahoma where he had to split wood.* Of course, the inferred conclusion is that swinging a splitting maul will improve the odds of hitting homeruns. Splitting wood is basically the same motion as swinging a bat, only a bat is much lighter.

Ah…the key to successful parenting: treachery. 

To my surprise and delight, Justus, the older one, hit seven round-trippers this past season. Maybe there is some merit to that Mantle stuff, after all.

The value of homeruns and physical strength is all well and good. Athletic prowess has a certain currency amongst growing boys.   There is another benefit to this kind of brutish work that I hope they’ll be able to comprehend someday:  There is a satisfaction found in few other places more profound than accomplishment. 

That feeling of satisfaction comes at many levels during the life of the woodpile. There’s the big satisfaction of seeing it all done, but there are little triumphs along the way. When the maul finally elicits that sound of wood fiber reluctantly separating in a particularly tough piece, there is a small, but definite, feeling of mastery. I hear the satisfaction in the boys’ voices whenever they tell their buddies how hard their “Old Man” works them. Martyrdom is very important to growing boys.

When the heart of winter is upon us and the work ceases because the logs freeze together, there is a no better feeling than the warmth of the stoves.  That feeling of security is precisely what I want the boys to feel, and I want them to know they contributed to the welfare of the family. There is a purpose beyond themselves in their work.

I suppose there is nothing worse than living with no other purpose than oneself. I am convinced all kids need to see themselves as integral, contributing members of a family, of society, of something larger than themselves. They need to be assigned a purpose.

I won’t be buying a log splitter for several years yet. Not until the boys are grown and gone. I have a different purpose in mind.

The Blizzard of 1932

Richard D. L. Fulton

On March 7, 1932, Frederick County residents awakened to assess the damage inflicted upon their respective communities by a severe overnight blizzard that had beset the region.

Instead of continuing to seek encouragement from the newspapers as to any signs of relief from the economic oppression of the Great Depression, readers instead learned of the damage that nature had inflicted.  Stories of all the damages and deaths associated with the storm competed with headlines of the latest news regarding the kidnapping of the son of  Charles and Anne Lindbergh, which had taken place less than a week earlier.

The “nor’easter” that moved into Frederick County during the evening of March 6, and raged on into the early morning hours of March 7, had originated in the Gulf of Mexico on March 5, moving rapidly northeastwardly along a track paralleling the eastern flank of the Appalachian Mountains until it made its way offshore in New England, thus, impacting the entire middle Eastern Seaboard of the nation.

The storm generated sustained winds of up to 60 miles per hour, while temperatures plummeted down from 45 to 20 degrees (apparently not accounting for wind-chill effects), according to The (Baltimore) Evening Sun

Snowdrifts in the wake of the storm in Frederick County exceeded five to nine feet in depth.

“And then came the dawn,” The (Frederick) News wrote in its March 7 paper, further stating, “With it, Frederick found: paralyzed electric service, crippled telephone and motor communications, hundreds of stranded motorists… the most tangled snarl in a decade, and a temperature of 15 degrees…”

Frederick County sustained widespread damage. Hundreds of power and telephone lines were downed in the county, The News reporting that “crews would actually be busy for months before the final damage (to the power and telephone infrastructure) was repaired. (More than 1,000 poles were reported down in the Middletown area alone.)”

Not only were roads clogged with stranded vehicles (over 100 of which were towed to Frederick alone, in the wake of the storm), but streetcars (also known as trolleys) were stranded wherever they were running at the time the power went out, including the Thurmont Trolley.

Few deaths associated with the storm were reported in the county.  Two were reported as having frozen to death during the storm, and a third (identified only as a man named Pickett of Lisbon) had sustained a heart attack while shoveling snow.

On March 7, The Sun identified the two individuals who had frozen to death as having been Catherine B. Overs, 30, of Lime Kiln, and Thomas D. Tyler, 25, of Buckeystown.  According to The News, Tyler’s body had been spotted by a passing train crew. Overs’ body was also located by the train crew less than 500 yards from that of Tyler’s.

The newspaper reported that Overs and Tyler had abandoned a stalled car that had originally contained six individuals altogether, and they had struck out on foot to seek help. The Sun further reported that Overs and Tyler “left the car and tried to make their way over the tracks of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to a farmhouse, but were apparently blinded by the storm and became lost.”

The four individuals who had remained in the stranded car were subsequently rescued.

Maryland suffered only one additional death, but more than 40 individuals lost their lives in the balance of the storm’s path (including five individuals who drowned when a Coast Guard surf boat capsized).

The News reported on March 8 that Frederick County was essentially isolated from the rest of Maryland for nearly 24 hours, but that the isolation effect had begun diminishing into Tuesday as roads were reopened (the roads from Frederick to Thurmont and Emmitsburg were yet to be cleared). Railroads had been sufficiently cleared to then permit the trains to run, while work continued in restoring the power and telephone infrastructure.

Structural damage was surprisingly limited, with losses primarily involving the loss of shingles and chimneys, along with blown-out windows and damage to doors.

A Local Arrest Leads to National Death Penalty Case

by James Rada, Jr.

An arrest in Thurmont in 1949 was the first domino to tip in Merlin James Leiby’s life that led to him being executed for murder in Florida a few years later in a case that drew national coverage.

Leiby was like a cat with nine lives. Despite a long record of run-ins with the law, nothing seemed to stick. He escaped without consequences. However, eventually, a cat’s lives run out, and so did Leiby’s.

After a series of robberies at O’Toole’s Garage in Thurmont, police arrested Leiby. The police investigation also identified the Frederick barber as the leading suspect in other robberies throughout the county. A February grand jury named him in several indictments.

He was released on bond, but then he failed to appear in circuit court in March. His bail bondsman, Glenn Crum, was required to pay the court the $1,500 bail amount (about $20,000 in today’s dollars).

Police then arrested Leiby in Florida, where he had fled after making bail. The arrest wasn’t for his outstanding warrant in Frederick County, though. He was now a suspect in the murder of a Baltimore pharmacist in Jacksonville, Florida. “The seriousness of the charge in Florida left some doubt here as to whether Leiby will ever be returned to Frederick County as a fugitive,” the Emmitsburg Chronicle reported.

Detective Inspector H. V. Branch of Jacksonville told local police that Leiby had admitted killing Leonard Applebaum, a 27-year-old Baltimore pharmacist, on the Tamiami Trail, about 72 miles from Miami. Applebaum’s body was found under a bridge over a dry creek. He had been shot six times, and news reports frequently called it his “bullet-riddled body.”

“Branch said Leiby told officers he won an automobile and a large sum of money from Applebaum in a gambling game at Tampa,” the Emmitsburg Chronicle reported. “In an argument later, the confession disclosed, Leiby said he shot Applebaum in self-defense.”

According to Leiby, he said he won $1,300 from Applebaum, who admitted he couldn’t pay because he only had $200 on him. He said he had friends in New Orleans who would help him. He asked Leiby to drive with him to the city to get the money. Leiby agreed. They started on the journey, but Applebaum stopped in the middle of nowhere, pulled a gun on Leiby, and said he would not pay. Leiby drew his own weapon and shot Applebaum.

When police stopped Leiby, police also found the murder weapon inside. Leiby later admitted that after shooting Applebaum, he drove the body from Tampa to the place where he disposed of it.

Interestingly, Leiby said that he and Applebaum hadn’t known each other in Maryland.

Applebaum was a Navy veteran who had been in Florida on vacation but had been missing from his Miami Beach hotel since March 11. Police started questioning Leiby because his girlfriend had gotten suspicious when he showed up with a lot more money than she had seen him with prior.

As an aside, Helen Leiby, Merlin Leiby’s wife, filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery while Leiby was being held on murder charges in Florida. The couple had married in Frederick in August 1948. She discovered his infidelity when the newspapers mentioned his girlfriend in Florida. She was granted her divorce in October.

In late April 1949, it appeared that Leiby still had some of his feline lives when it was announced that his trial was stalled because of “failure of officers to fix the scene of the fatal shooting,” according to the Frederick Post. This is because although Leiby admitted to the murder, he couldn’t say where along the trail it happened. It caused confusion over what court had jurisdiction over the case.

He was finally indicted on May 26.

Then, in mid-July, came the surprising news that his indictment had been thrown out on technical grounds. “Circuit Judge Lynn Gerald ruled the indictment invalid because the grand jury which returned it was drawn by a court clerk instead of a judge,” the Frederick News reported. This required a new grand jury to be empaneled.

On July 21, prosecutors in Florida used an old state law that had never been used before to allow officials in Collier County to prosecute the case. “The law permits a defendant to be tried in any county through which the transient has passed. In order to avoid conflicting constitutional provisions requiring murder cases to be tried in the county in which the crime was committed,” Washington Evening Star reported.

With both the jurisdictional and jury issues settled, the case moved forward, but the four-day trial did not happen until March 1950.

The jury took only 40 minutes to deliberate and find Leiby guilty of first-degree murder.

“The defense presented no evidence in arguing the case to the jury. [Defense Attorney] Smith asserted the State had not proved the crime was planned or that it had occurred in this (Collier) county,” the Frederick News reported.

Leiby was sentenced to die in the electric chair. It was Collier County’s first and only death penalty case.

As Leiby sat in jail awaiting execution, he filed appeal after appeal. Although none were successful, it delayed the execution. At one point, the governor of Florida considered clemency, but the Florida Parole Commission opposed it, in part, because Leiby had outstanding warrants in both Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Finally, at the end of 1951, his execution was set for some time during the second week of January 1952. The exact date was left to the prison conducting the execution.

Leiby’s luck stepped in once again, and on January 7, 1952, Gov. Fuller Warren recalled his death warrant, temporarily.

It seemed Leiby had material evidence in another case. He said he had heard two convicted rapists plotting an escape that had ended in the death of one of them and the other one wounded. The NAACP wanted the county sheriff punished because the wounded rapist was saying he had been shot without reason. The courts wanted to hear Leiby’s testimony before deciding whether action needed to be taken against the sheriff.

Finally, on June 30, 1952, Leiby was led to the electric chair. He had no final words before his luck ran out, and he was executed.

Seed-Savy Savings Tips

Good day to you, readers! ‘Tis the season we’ve all been waiting for: planning and planting time.

Ready to gear up with your gardening weapons of choice? I personally am dusting off the ol’ trowel, nice thick gloves (a find from the dollar store), and scissors. And…the free stuff ends there, it seems. Gardening Pinterest might have you pulling out a depleted wallet for “the perfect’’ plant. I have had difficulty not adopting plant babies whenever I go to a plant store (darn those amazing front-of-the-store displays).  Reflecting upon this during the cold winter months left me curious and eager to learn from my overspending mistakes.

I was surprised to find a bevy of ways to save on plants and seeds. While I still need to work on the ol’ impulse buying, I’m eager to share (and implement) these tips to save on seeds this season!

Do the Research

It seems like a “no duh,” but I have certainly bought plants that looked like they would yield tasty veggies, only to see them wilt away. I failed to do my research about how they would take to the climate, when the plants might bloom best (and making sure to help them get comfortable before then), and how well they would do with other plants. It’s important to research which plants could be friends and reside in the garden together, and which plants could be deadly foes. Find out which plants are invasive, and which ones will love being back in their native land. And, read the little tags that plants come with! They have well-detailed planting, timing, and other instructions. If tags cannot be found, scour the internet for sunlight details, soil acidity needs, and fertilizer needs.

Make a Grocery List

Make a strict grocery list of plants seeds and seedlings you’re going to look for and have a few dollars for something extra. Be sure to examine your schedule. Will you be able to commit to an intensive plant, or do you need something you can simply water once a week?

Be honest with yourself, as hard as it can be.

Seek Out Veggies

Seek out veggies that you and your family or friends will actually eat. I grew a hearty stock of tomatoes, but I only like them in sauces. As a result, we had to find anyone we had a connection with to take the ‘maters that took up a considerable portion of counter space.

Buy Local

Buy local—not just to support local businesses, but because they will often have the plants and soil that do best in your region. Even if it’s more expensive, it will be worth it, as the transfer (from pot to soil) will go well and most likely increase the longevity of the plant. You can also keep an eye out for local plant swaps and markets, like what the Thurmont Green Team offers (thurmontgreen@gmail.com). Catoctin High School also has a lovely and extensive plant sale each year in the spring.

Best Time to Buy Seeds

This is more of a retrospective tip. The best time to buy seeds is early summer and the end of fall. Spring does offer more selection, but usually at a steeper price. Along the same vein, seek out the clearance section, and particularly seek out perennials that will often be dehydrated or done blooming. After watering, they’ll be perfect and ready to bloom for you next year!

The smaller and earlier in development the plant is, the more likely it’ll be cheaper (since you’re going to input your labor instead of paying for the nurseries to grow you a baby squash).

Self-sustaining Gardner

Become a self-sustaining gardener! Let your plant grow and reproduce, then collect seeds and cuttings for the next season. These seeds will be more compatible with your garden, as they have adapted to those specific conditions. Propagate cuttings in water, then after a considerable root system is created, transfer to soil.

Try implementing one of these tips and see what happens! Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to use those extra savings for something fun! Or maybe the Leprechaun will give you a bounty of gold to grow more plants… you never know!

by James Rada, Jr.

March 1924, 100 Years Ago

County Gains In Battle With Storm Damage

Frederick county today gained ground in recovering from the effects of the disastrous storm which swept this section the first of the week. Although this section is still isolated, communication in being slowly established.

…The telephone and telegraph services are beginning to look much lighter according to reports. The C. and P. Telephone Company has succeeded in establishing communication with Hagerstown and on through to Cumberland There is also a probability that communication will be established between this city and Baltimore and Washington some time Friday, said Paul I. Payne, general manager of this division. This, however, is problematical, as new difficulties are always being encountered, he added, Lines have also been opened between Frederick and Walkersville and Thurmont. There is still no telegraph service, however.

                                – Frederick Daily News, March 13, 1924

Get Trophy Tonight

This evening at 7.30 o’clock the Thurmont ball club, winner of the Frederick County League pennant for the 1923 season, will hold a banquet in the north county town at which time the league championship trophy will he formally presented by M. J . Thompson, president of the league.

Lester S. Birely, president, and William J. Stoner, manager of the Thurmont club, have made elaborate preparations for the banquet. Invitations have been mailed to the league officers and to two representatives of each of the other seven clubs in the circuit, requesting them to attend the banquet.

                                – Frederick Daily News, March 17, 1924

March 1949, 75 Years Ago

Town To Install Parking Meters

Installation of parking meters in Emmitsburg is to be started in the near future. In fact, the project is expected to be completely in operation within the next six weeks, Mayor Thornton Rodgers informed the Chronicle this week. The contract has been let to the Michael Art Bronze

Co., Washington, D. C. branch, and all that is holding up the meters is the inscription explaining the local parking hours which should be finished in approximately 30 days.

The meters will start at Frailey’s Store on W. Main St. and will terminate at Community Pure Food Store on E. Main St. There will be none installed on North and South Seton Avenues, it was explained, but there will be restricted parking on one side of these thoroughfares and appropriate signs will be placed by the State Roads Commission in the near future.

                                – Emmitsburg Chronicle, March 4, 1949

Rocky Ridge Man Murdered By Gangsters

Daniel Joseph Myers, 57-year old native of Rocky Ridge, who was buried in Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church cemetery, was murdered in Dayton, 0., last Friday it was learned today.

A 23-year-old ex-convict, whom Mr. Myers had befriended, and a 30-year-old companion, have confessed to crushing the skull of the Dayton restauranteur in a room over his H. & G. Restaurant in Dayton with a soft drink bottle, according to Dayton police. The men admitted robbing Myers of $60 after the fatal assault.

They identified Milton Henry, recently released from confinement in Kentucky on a burglary conviction, and William Henry Childers, powerfully built Dayton moving firm employe, as the confessed murderers.

Henry, they said had been given a room and employment by Mr. Myers after the former had lost his job with a Dayton bakery. Henry stated that he kept watch while Childers bludgeoned the restaurant owner to death in the latter’s room over the restaurant. 

                                – Emmitsburg Chronicle, March 11, 1949

March 1974, 50 Years Ago

Town To Soon Begin Building Swimming Pool

With the assistance of the Maryland State Program Open Space and the Emmitsburg Memorial Post 6658, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Emmitsburg will soon have a community swimming pool. According to a letter to the Frederick County Commissioners from the State Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland Board of Public Works has approved commitment of over $132,000 to the town for the swimming pool project. This amount represents 75 per cent of the estimated project costs. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post has voted to donate up to $40,000 to the town to help pay the remaining amount.

The project includes the construction of a 5,000 square foot swimming pool, a 315 square foot wading pool, a 2,500 square foot bathhouse complete with concrete decking, fencing, lighting, an office, landscaping and a playground. It will cost an estimated $176,043 to develop.

According to Philip Topper, town treasurer, the project may not have been possible without the VFW’s “generous offer.”

                                – Emmitsburg Chronicle, March 14, 1974

Redskins To Play Basketball Here

The Washington Redskins of the National Football League, and winners of the National Conference Championship of 1972, will be playing basketball at Catoctin High School this Saturday night, March 9, at 8 p.m. Their opponents will be the Alumni All-Stars consisting of: Gene Eyler, Harry Hahn, George Baker, Gary Manning, Jim Weddle, Bill and Steve Wildasin, Larry “Pup” Brown, Lee Koontz, Eddie Gills, Charlie Gearhart, and Dave Swomley.

Preceeding the Redskin game, beginning at 6:30 p.m., the Catoctin High faculty will be playing a group of senior boys, headed up by Dick Love, that participated in Fall sports at Catoctin.

Just received from the Redskin office is an up-to-date list of the 20 basketball players available, ten of which will be present. The names are as follows: Mike Bragg, Brig Owens, Herb Mul-Key, Ted Vactor, Mike Bass, Charley Taylor, Frank Grant, Harold McLinton, Chris Hanburger, John Wilbur, Dennis Johnson, Paul Laaveg, George Starke, Terry Hermeling, Walter Rock, Bill Brundige, Roy Jefferson, Jimmie Jones, Jerry Smith and Dave Robinson.

Even though Larry Brown’s name does appear on the list, the Redskin office has stated that he does sometimes appear at these games.

                                – Emmitsburg Chronicle, March 7, 1974

March 1999, 25 Years Ago

Fireman Succumbs On Duty

Volunteer firefighter Terry Lee Myers, 50, of the Vigilant Hose Company, Emmitsburg, suffered a fatal heart attack while on duty at the scene of a brush fire on Monday, February 15, 1999.

Myers had driven Engine 64, the company’s main water supply unit, to the scene of the mid-day fire near the ARCC on the grounds of Mount Saint Mary’s College. He was operating the front-mounted pump on the engine when he was stricken.

Immediate life-saving measures were initiated by emergency medical personnel who were within feet of Myers when he fell. Fire Chief Frank Davis, who was close by, issued a call for additional medical support but all efforts to revive Myers were unsuccessful. Although advanced medical treatment continued enroute to the Gettysburg Hospital, doctors there were also unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead about an hour and 15 minutes after his collapse at the scene.

                                – The Emmitsburg Regional Dispatch, March 1999

The Torch Is Passed

CPI Printing, former publisher of the Emmitsburg Chronicle, will be taking a new direction soon. The new owner, Dave Runkle of Hanover, will take an already thriving business and increase its potential. A former satisfied customer of Arthur Elder, long-time owner and manager of the company, Mr. Runkle became interested in the business through first-hand experience with its quality production and historic significance to the community.

                                    – The Emmitsburg Regional Dispatch, March 1999

by Buck Reed

Bean Nation

I may have said this before, but that never stopped me from saying something twice: All traditional cuisine is not national, but instead, it is regional. That is to say,  crêpes might be French, but that doesn’t mean all the people of France eat their crêpes the same way. So, if I were to ask what food describes the United States, most people might say we are a nation of hamburger eaters. Yet, I would say we are a nation of bean eaters. And, given the idea of regional cuisine, the way we prepare and eat our beans is the key to that concept.

Let’s start here in Maryland, where lima beans picked fresh off the vines in summer are the dish of the day, simply prepared with a little water, salt, pepper, and butter. Or, you can add some fresh corn kernels and almost anything else and upgrade it to succotash. To be fair, almost any place that serves succotash will claim it as theirs.

Moving up north, we go to Boston (AKA Beantown), where they cook their small white beans in a syrupy tomato sauce. And, being Boston, there is no consensus on who does it correctly. Also, don’t expect anyone to share their recipe that has been in the family since the Mayflower landed with you.

Down south, we find ourselves in barbeque country, and we find a spicy sweet bean that is satisfying but not really all that complicated. This takes us from the Carolinas and throughout the barbeque-eating region of the country.

Down in Louisiana, red beans and rice is the traditional dinner of Wednesday night. It is eaten on Wednesday because laundry day is on this day, and you can set this to cook in the morning on the stove, unattended, while you go about your wash day. This dish is cooked in a thick tomato sauce, with a spicy Cajun flare and smokey Andouille sausage, and is served on white rice.

In California, you may consider the beans processed into tofu might be the regional dish, but let’s consider bean cakes instead. These are cooked beans that are mixed with almost anything that will add a fresh flavor and formed into cakes and pan-fried. Personally, I like them on a sandwich with…what else, bean sprouts. A perfect lunch for the surfing safari.

If you are looking for a variety of beans, then go to Nebraska. They are number one in the nation for Great Northern Beans and third overall for the rest of the varieties. They make a bean salad they call, Cowboy Caviar.

Finally, we have Texas, where the trail is forged on chili beans. These are flavored with the peppers found on the trail and tomatoes. If you don’t mind the cultural appropriation, they call this dish Mexican Strawberries.

If you can grasp the idea behind these thoughts, then it is easy to see how cuisines are developed. Yes, spaghetti is an Italian pasta, but as you move around from region to region, you will find it is the same noodle, yet served differently throughout the country.

by Maxine Troxell

Irish soda bread may be most popular around St. Patrick’s Day, and it’s usually served with corned beef and cabbage. I remember that Shamrock Restaurant served a delicious soda bread with their corned beef and cabbage meals.

This version bakes into a lightly sweetened round loaf, resembling a giant scone, with a burnished crust and tender, fluffy crumb. Plump raisins add pops of concentrated sweetness, but you could swap them out for any dried fruit—such as currants, sour cherries, or cranberries—or simply leave them out.

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1½ tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into piece

5 tbsp. sugar, divided

½ tsp. kosher salt

2/3 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8” diameter cake pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray. 

Whisk 2 cups flour, 4 tbsp. sugar, 1½ tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and  tsp. baking soda in a large bowl to combine. Add 3 tbsp. chilled unsalted butter (cut into pieces) to dry ingredients and rub with fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk. Gradually mix until incorporated and a shaggy dough comes together. Mix in raisins.

Using lightly floured hands, form dough into a ball and transfer to the prepared pan. Gently press dough to flatten slightly (dough will not reach edges of pan).  Sprinkle the remaining 1 tbsp. sugar.

Bake bread until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (40-45 minutes). Transfer pan to a wire rack and let bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack. Serve warm or cool completely.

Sergeant David J. Smith

KIA Afghanistan

David J. Smith was born on February 16, 1984, in Washington, D.C., to parents Mary Jane McWilliams and Leonard Alan Smith.

The Sergeant David J. Smith Memorial Fund website noted that he had been raised by stepparents, John Jones and Olga Smith, and was the “the middle child to sister, Kristen, and brother, Daniel… (and) he was part of a loving and extended family; he was a caring son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend.”

The Washington Post reported in its January 31, 2010, issue, “As a boy in Frederick, Maryland, David Smith loved to play with his Army and G.I. Joe action figures and spent hours (at play) rescuing his older sister Kristen from all manner of imagined peril.”

Smith was a 2002 graduate of Frederick High School, where he had participated in various sports, including wrestling, lacrosse, soccer, and football. According to his obituary, as posted by Stauffer Funeral Homes, he had also enjoyed participating in school plays.

At the time he enlisted in the Marine Corps, he was also attending East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, where he played lacrosse and majored in distribution and logistics. According to his obituary, “He loved the Redskins, country music, living down South, ECU Pirates, and life in general.”

Smith had enlisted into the Marine Corps on December 29, 2003, and was assigned to the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Bravo Company in Camp Pendleton, California, where he served as a light-armored vehicle crewman, according to thefallen.militarytimes.com.

His first deployment was to Iraq from 2006 to 2007, during the culmination of the War in Iraq, and he was subsequently deployed to Afghanistan during October 2009, during the final year of “Operation Enduring Freedom,” which had been initiated as the result of the attack on America on September 11, 2001, by terrorist elements based in Afghanistan.

At age 25, Smith was fatally injured on January 23, 2010, as the result of a suicide bomber attack while on patrol with his unit in the Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

The Washington Post reported on January 31, 2010, that Smith was injured when “a suicide bomber made it through the security perimeter and detonated a bomb, which had killed three Marines and injured four others,” noting further that Smith’s sister stated that a ball-bearing that had been contained in the bomb had fatally embedded itself in the back of the Marine’s skull.

The Post further reported that his sister said, “Military doctors kept Smith on life support until his father and mother… were able to fly to (medical facilities) in (Landstuhl) Germany… Once his parents arrived, doctors removed Smith from life support, and he died. In keeping with his wishes, Smith’s organs were donated.”

His sister told The Post that “They (medical authorities) told us he saved five or six other people because of that (the organ donations) … I think David would have liked that.”

The Los Angeles Times reported that Smith had died on January 26 from the wounds he had received on January 23.

The (Baltimore) Sun reported on February 2, 2010, that Sergeant Smith was to be interred in the Arlington National Cemetery.

Smith’s military service awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, according to thefallen.militarytimes.com.

In the aftermath of Smith’s death, his family established the Sergeant David J. Smith Memorial Fund” to provide temporary assistance to Veterans in Frederick County.” The fund can be accessed at sgtdavidjsmith.org.

Additionally, a scholarship is issued in his name every year at Frederick High School from an endowed fund. East Carolina University set up its own memorial scholarship at the School of Engineering and Technology, that being the David J. Smith Leadership

Candy Bingo was a huge success! Thanks to all who came out for an evening of fun! The Candy Bingos support our Easter Egg Hunt on March 23 at 1:00 p.m.

Friday, March 29, is the Auxiliary Cake Auction. The cakes must be at the Legion by 5:00 p.m. Come on out and win your Easter dinner dessert.

Poppy Poster Contest

The Poppy Poster Contest is open to students in Grades 2-12, including students with special needs. Requirements for the poster are: a fitting slogan, the words “American Legion Auxiliary” must be used on the poster, and each poster must include a red poppy. Posters should be on 11×14 poster board. The rules for the contest can be found in the lobby at the Thurmont American Legion. Posters must be turned into the Legion by April 12, 2024. For more information, please send an email to thurmontlegionaux168@gmail.com or check out the Poppy Poster Contest and past posters at the website https://www.legion-aux.org/nationalpoppy-poster-contest.

If you are a high school junior and interested in Boys/Girls State, visit your Guidance Office or call the Thurmont American Legion at 301-271-4411 and a representative will reach out to you.

Boys State – High School Juniors

Boys State is held at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, June 16-22, 2024. For more information, check out the website at http://mdlegion.org/boysstate.

ALA Girls State – High School Juniors

Girls State is held at Salisbury University on June 14 -21, 2024. Check out the website for more at http://www.alamd.org/girls-state.html or on Facebook: ALA Maryland Girls State – Official.

There are lots of things happening at the Legion, so mark your calendars and check us out on Facebook and the Community Calendar in this issue for dates and times of the following: Poppy Wreath Craft Day, SAL Car Show, Yoga, Line Dancing, Bingo, and more!

Come out to the Legion for some great food! The kitchen is open Wednesday through Friday, from 5:00-8:00 p.m., featuring different food specials every week. Don’t forget to come out for the Queen of Hearts Drawing on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.

by Dr. Thomas K. Lo, Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center

Long COVID

Understanding the Post-Pandemic Health Issues in America

Although the pandemic is officially over, there are still several post-pandemic factors affecting the health of Americans.

Long COVID is the name researchers have given the most prevalent of these factors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Long COVID can include a wide range of ongoing health problems; these conditions can last weeks, months, or even years.

At least 65 million individuals worldwide are estimated to have Long COVID, with cases increasing daily.

What is Long COVID?

Long COVID is a variety of symptoms, in any combination or individually, that linger after being exposed to the COVID virus.

Patients with Long COVID report prolonged, multisystem involvement and significant disability. By seven months, many patients have not yet recovered and have not returned to previous levels of work. They continue to experience significant symptom burden.

You can get Long COVID even though you were not sick with the virus. In some cases, a person with Long COVID may not have tested positive for the virus or even known they were exposed.

Some Long COVID sufferers only contact with the virus is from the vaccination. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that getting vaccinated only lowers your chance of getting Long COVID by 15 percent.

Spike Protein & Long COVID

The coronavirus has one very important component: a spike protein. It’s the key player responsible for how the virus enters your body’s cells.

The spike protein is like a tiny, spiky club on the surface of the virus. It attaches to receptors on your cells, like a lock and key. Once it’s in, it tricks your cells into letting the virus inside, where it starts multiplying and causing all sorts of trouble.

Researchers believe that spike protein may be a major contributing factor in Long COVID.

How Does This Work?

When your immune system fights off the virus, it can leave behind fragments of the spike protein. These lingering bits can confuse your immune system, causing it to go haywire.

Your immune system might attack not only the spike protein but also your own healthy cells. This “friendly fire” can lead to inflammation, fatigue, and a host of other symptoms that define Long COVID.

It’s like your body’s soldiers going rogue, causing chaos long after the battle is over.

In a nutshell, the spike protein is the sneaky entry ticket for the coronavirus, and its remnants might be the culprits behind Long COVID’s mysterious and long-lasting symptoms.

Long COVID Symptoms

The most troubling part of Long COVID is that there is a wide variety of possible symptoms. This makes it hard to diagnose. According to the CDC, Long COVID includes more than 200 symptoms that can impact multiple organ systems.

General Symptoms

Tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life.

Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort.

Fever.

Respiratory and Heart Symptoms

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.

Cough.

Chest pain.

Fast-breathing or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations).

Neurological Symptoms

Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”).

Headaches.

Sleep problems.

Dizziness when you stand up (lightheadedness).

Pins-and-needles feeling.

Change in smell or taste.

Depression or anxiety.

Digestive Symptoms

Diarrhea.

Stomach pain.

Other Symptoms

Joint or muscle pain.

Rash.

Changes in menstrual cycles.

Clues That You Might Have Long COVID

Persistence of Symptoms

One of the primary indicators of Long COVID is the persistence of symptoms for weeks or even months after the initial exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, joint pain, and cognitive issues. These symptoms can significantly impact one’s daily life and should not be dismissed as mere post-viral fatigue.

Variety of Symptoms

Long COVID is often characterized by a wide range of symptoms that can affect different systems in the body. These may include respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal, and psychological symptoms. The combination of symptoms can vary from person to person.

Diagnosis by Exclusion

Sometimes figuring this out takes a while and requires a process of elimination. If tests show no other underlying medical condition, and you’ve had exposure to the virus in some form, Long COVID becomes a more likely answer.

Impact on Quality of Life

Long COVID can have a profound impact on your quality of life, affecting your ability to work, exercise, socialize, and perform everyday tasks.

If you notice that your life has been significantly disrupted by persistent symptoms, it’s crucial to seek effective help.

If you suspect you have Long COVID, it’s essential to consult a knowledgeable healthcare provider who is familiar with this condition and how to handle it.

They can help manage your symptoms, offer guidance on effective remedies, and provide support.

Research on Long COVID is ongoing, and healthcare professionals are continually learning more about its underlying mechanisms and potential solutions.

Natural Solutions for COVID Long-Haulers

Because Long COVID has so many different symptoms, and it can manifest differently for everyone, knowing what natural solutions to choose can be tricky.

Nutrition and Diet

Since the pandemic, scientists, doctors, and even government officials have made it clear that nutrition is key to a healthy immune system. The Food is Medicine movement is gaining support from many prestigious institutions, including the federal government.

What you eat is a core factor in addressing Long COVID. Nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables provide building blocks for the immune system. A well-balanced diet ensures that the immune system can effectively recognize and combat pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and other invaders such as spike proteins.

On the flip side, a poor diet, high in sugar, processed foods, and unhealthy fats, can weaken the immune system’s defenses, making the body more susceptible to infections.

Therefore, a nutritious diet that has the right components for your body’s needs plays a crucial role in bolstering your natural defense mechanisms and promoting overall health and well-being.

Natural Supplements

A study published in the Journal of Molecular Sciences lists these supplements as useful for people with Long COVID:

Echinacea

Andrographis

Artemesia

Resveratrol

Turmeric with Black Pepper

Prebiotics and probiotics

Personalized Nutrition Plans

Studies have shown conclusively that every person’s body is unique and responds differently to foods, vitamins, and minerals. This is why fad diets don’t work for everyone and taking random supplements is often not successful.

The most successful approach is to work with a Nutrition Response Testing® practitioner. They can test you to find out exactly which symptoms to target first, and what nutrients your body needs to help it heal.

Once they have the roadmap of the nutrients you need, they will put together a clinically designed nutrition plan that addresses your specific situation. They also have access to specialized training and nutritional supplements to effectively address Long COVID.

Understanding the role of spike proteins in COVID-19 and their potential connection to Long COVID sheds light on the complexities of this post-pandemic syndrome. The spike protein serves as the gateway for the virus, highlighting its significance in both infection and vaccination.

If you are struggling with health issues, call the Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650 for a free consultation. Dr. Lo uses Nutritional Response Testing® to analyze the body to determine the underlying causes of ill or non-optimum health. The office is located at 7310 Grove Road #107 in Frederick. Check out the website at www.doctorlo.com.