Norma Jean's Column for Southern Prince George's County

CLINTON COLUMN FOR JULY 3, 2003

You will all probably be glad to hear that I went for a whole week without any kind of catastrophe!! Sometimes I wonder if I will have the same experiences when I get to heaven - if I am allowed in, that is. I guess it won't hurt like it does here, though.

Take your children to the "Truck Touch" happening at the United Methodist Church in Cheltenham on July 26 from 9 am to 12 noon. There will be between 40 and 50 different trucks and for the parents, the event is free, but children need to pay $3. Sounds like a lot of fun. Call John Mills at 301-653-8208 if you want to learn more.

On June 19, at the Gateway Lions Installation of new officers, Barbara McMillion was honored with a plaque for Lion of the Year. This is an award for outstanding service, loyalty and devotion to Lionism. Congratulations, Barbara.

The Navy Museum at the Navy Yard, in Washington, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an exhibit called "Spanning Three Centuries" through September. This is a free display but you need to call to RSVP in order to enter. Call 202-433-6897.

On the first Saturday of each month, the Southern Maryland Widowed Seniors meet at the Clinton Library on Piscataway Road. The meeting begins at 1:15 and is followed by dinner. They offer many different activities and you can call 301-868-3309 if you want more information.

Watkins Park Nature Center is in need of more volunteers age 18 and older to handle animals, including owls and snakes, maintain animal dwellings and assist with small groups and special events. Call 301-218-6702 or 301-249-7208.

If you need to do community service for some reason, Greenbelt Park is offering projects such as cleanup projects and splitting wood for Scouts and others. Call 301-344-3944.

Vibrant Health and Wellness Foundation is offering weight management and counseling, wellness workshops and exercise class for Maryland Washington residents of all ages. This is a free program. Call 301-499-3198 for more information.

This is the time of year when the Academic Year in the United States begins looking for host families to host foreign exchange students for the 2003-04 school year. Students will have insurance and spending money. If you are willing and can help this effort, call 800-251-4938.

ASSE International is also seeking host families for foreign exchange students who will be attending high school in this country. For this organization, you can call 410-838-0470 or 800-677-2773.

If you are having a second baby, things may not go the way they did with the first. Some things may be different. A second pregnancy is usually safer than a first, and labor is apt to be shorter, particularly if it was especially long the first time around. It may even be less painful, as well. Since labor is usually faster, you may need less medication. Southern Maryland Hospital Center is now offering private rooms to ease concern. Although the firstborn must share the spotlight, they also will share the benefits of a closer family. For the firstborn, SMHC is offering a sibling class one Saturday a month. For more information about this or any other prenatal, parenting, or car seat safety class, call the Maternal Child Health Department at 301-877-5740.

Dr. Amina Watson is a new doctor in our area, who will be practicing in the Clinton and Waldorf areas. Dr. Watson is a board-certified pediatrician dedicated to a child's development from infancy through adolescence. She received her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University , School of Medicine. Her residence was completed at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and her internship was completed at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. Call her at 301-877-0663.

When Guido d'Arezzo invented his hexachord scale, "do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do":, he took the first syllables of a part of a hymn to St. John as the names of the notes, since each line of this hymn began a note higher: "Ut queant laxis, Resonare fibris, Mira gestorum, Famuli tuorum, Solve polluti, Labii ratum." With the invention of the octave, a name for the seventh note was needed. It was taken from the initial letters of the last line of the hymn: "Sancte Iohannes. "Do" was later substituted for "ut" because it sounded better. Even later, "ti" was substituted for "si" for ease in singing. That's your Latin lesson for the week.

Norma Jean Fazenbaker's column can be found in the Clinton Gazette, Prince George's Post, Prince George's Sentinel, and the Enquirer Gazette. You can contact Norma Jean by email - click this link.

2003 Archives: Jan. 2, Jan. 9, Jan. 17, Jan. 23, Jan. 30, Feb. 6, Feb. 13, Feb. 20, Feb. 27, March 6, March 13, March 20, March 27, April 3, April 10, April 17, April 24, May 1, May 8, May 16, May 22, May 29, June 5, June 12, June 19, June 26

2002 Archives: May 30, June 6, June 13, June 20, June 27, July 4, July 11, July 18, July 25, Aug. 1, Aug. 8, Aug. 15, Aug. 22, Aug. 28, Sept. 5, Sept. 12, Sept. 18, Sept. 26, Oct. 3, Oct. 10, Oct. 17, Oct. 24, Oct. 31, Nov. 7, Nov. 14, Nov. 21, Nov. 28, Dec. 5, Dec. 12, Dec. 19, Dec. 26

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