It’s officially the Fall season, ya’ll! Time for sweaters and pumpkin spice, warm soups and cozy blankets. Well, not so fast! This is Louisiana after all. It could be layers today and shorts tomorrow.

Morehouse has a thirst for gridiron glory and it’s packed with action! Make sure to cheer our local teams. The Bastrop Rams, Beekman Tigers and Prairieview Spartans will all shine beneath the Friday night lights this fall.

If you missed the thrills of the Cotton Festival, no worries! Several churches, schools and civic organizations are hosting fall festivals in the coming weeks. Likely the most attended event of the season, Witch Way to Main Street, will boast none of the tricks, but all of the treats this Halloween! Join hundreds of families to troll the Bastrop square!

Louisiana is known as Sportsman’s Paradise and Morehouse Parish is no exception! If hunting wild game is your thing, make sure to stock up for the hunt at Simmons Sporting Goods or out other local outdoor retailers for your gear.

We’re also stocking our homes with the colors and scents of autumn and getting a leg up on the Christmas décor. Many unique finds are available at our homegrown shops.

This is our Celebrate Home, LA style and there’s no place like it! ‘Tis the season of celebrations! Welcome to fall!

HOLIDAY HOME

Many events and celebrations are on the horizon! What do you have in store? Send your events to celebratehomela@gmail.com and see your announcement here! Notices must be made at least three months prior to event.

Walk This Way!

Moving with precision

Welcome to the first of what will ultimately be many weekly musings from me. Much like my chats on Facebook, I plan to offer my thoughts on various topics such as business, activities, crafts, education, etc. And right now, the hot topic of the day is COVID-19 or the Coronavirus.

I guess I should begin that I know I am far from an expert in any area involving this issue. I can say, though, that in one way or another we’re all in the same boat—trying to figure out how to deal with everything. We want to be safe overall. For some of us it means getting tested, following the orders to stay home, frequently washing hands and cleaning surfaces and wearing gloves and masks.

Whether or not we are doing that to the satisfaction of our leaders and medical experts is up for debate. The truth of the matter is, ready or not, the world is getting set to reopen. So, as business owners, employers and consumers alike, it’s time to come up with a game plan.

I see standing sanitation stations at entry to brick and mortar businesses. Perhaps its masks for both the technician and client in salons. Maybe our specialty shops could adopt a “boutique” mentality. In my mind, it’s customer visits by appointment or a velvet-rope-type entry, items in display, glassed-in counters. Maybe some displays are removed and reconfigured to increase space. For me, as a customer, distance is key—applying spatial awareness.

One of the things I loved about being part of the marching band in college was making transitions in formations. The shapes would change, but the clarity of the form would not. That is because we were taught that whether the people in your line consisted of twenty people, or five or eighty—we maintained the proper distance, and therefore, maintained clarity of form.

That training has become quite useful to me today as I’ve practiced “maintaining the form” as I move about. It irks my daughter at the store, but anyone paying attention would see me instructing my child to move to the side of me or behind me, depending on how other shoppers were positioned in passing. In fact, I hear Ludacris saying right now, “when I move you move (just like that).”

I wonder how things will ultimately change as we react this current phenomenon. What will dine-in restaurants look like? How will movie theaters operate? We’re nearing vacation/travel season. What about hotels and tourist attractions? There are many decisions to iron out.

I believe we can find our way forward into this new normal and get back to the things that make life worth living if we get prepared.