Jim Memmott Published 5:00 a.m. ET April 28, 2020 | Updated 9:40 a.m. ET April 28, 2020

A birdhouse showed up on the porch, unannounced.(Photo: Provided)

I hopped in my car, donned my mask and headed off as soon as I got the message.

There is a box of macarons on my porch, Anne Lutkus had texted me and a lot of other people. If you walk by, help yourself to celebrate my birthday.

When I arrived, I was relieved. There were macarons left.

Last year, when she turned 80, Anne had a party for herself, complete with fireworks. We sat on the porch of the Wadsworth Homestead in Geneseo and looked to the west as the rockets shot into the air, exploded, lit the ground below.

Jim Memmott in the County Legislature Building.(Photo: ANNETTE LEIN/staff file photo)

This year, given the fact that were all keeping away from each other because of the pandemic, there could be no fireworks, or even aparty. But there were macarons on Annes porch, there for the taking.

Porches used to be for sitting. Now theyre for drop-offs and pickups no-contact connections that make isolation tolerable.

As Ive written, our side porch is a jigsaw puzzle exchange station. Friends call, put an order in for a 500-piece, not-so-hard puzzle or a 1,000-piece head-scratcher. My wife, Cindy Schmitt, sets one out of the porch. Its gone; another puzzle is there in its place.

We have quite a few puzzles to lend, as a masked lady from Avon showed up after my column on jigsaw puzzles and left us 10 or so, just like that. We thanked her as she hustled back to her car.

The gift was prompted by a previous column about license-plate spotting.(Photo: Provided)

One afternoon, I looked out on the side porch and there was a birdhouse made of license plates. It was there, Im sure, in reaction to a column Id written on how, given constrictions on travel, Cindy and I missed looking for license plates from other states as we drive.

There was no note with the license-plate birdhouse, but From the shop of Ken Richardson was stamped on the post. Ken lives around the corner from us. I didnt know he made birdhouses. Now I do.

Other items show up on our porch. We open the door and see groceries, masks, books proof that we are not alone, that kindness continues, indeed flourishes, in times like this.

There can be no fireworks; there can be no parties. But there can be puzzles and birdhouses. And there can be macarons, right there on Annes porch. I took two.

More from Jim's series: The plan was to potty-train during the shutdown. What could go wrong?

A lilac tree brings memories of a relative she never got to meet

Old mail during this shutdown feels like time travel

From his home in Livingston County, retired senior editor Jim Memmott will document the new normal of living in a socially distant world. He can be reached at jmemmott@gannett.com or write Box 274, Geneseo, NY, 14454.

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During the shutdown, porches fill up with pickups, drop-offs and kindness - Democrat & Chronicle

A white cabinet sits on the front porch of the Joseph L. Davis American Legion Post 47 in Havre de Grace, Md. It was placed there in March as a way to serve post and community members affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Post 47s Pantry on the Porch has kept a steady supply of non-perishable food and toiletry items for any community member in need. The pantry is self-service, open 24/7 and continually stocked thanks to donations, including monetary, from the community and Legion Family members.

Anybody can come in here and get food. We dont want anybody to go hungry during this coronavirus pandemic, said Alma Orive, post adjutant and Hartford County vice commander. People have sent a lot of thank you notes saying, We really appreciate having a food pantry here since we are short of cash right now.

Orive advertises about the food pantry almost daily on Post 47s Facebook page, including when food is running low and what items are specifically needed to be restocked. We appreciate all of the donations our community has made, she said. Pallets of food have been donated from the local Vintage Caf and radio station 104.7, while homemade soups with fresh vegetables are being canned and placed in the pantry thanks to a community member who donated four boxes of Mason jars. All thats asked of those who take soup is for the jars to be returned for reuse.

Paula Casagrande with Big House Signs created signs and stickers that said Together We Are Havre de Grace Strong. A portion of sales from the $5 apiece stickers support Post 47s food pantry. Casagrande sells the stickers at her store and people can drop a self-addressed stamped envelope in Post 47s mailbox for stickers to be sent to them. Orive said about $500 has been donated to the post from sticker sales.

The pantry has brought our community together even more, Orive said. We have a wonderful community here where everybody is pitching in and everybody is helping.

Orive also has been making masks that she places in the cabinet for taking. Shes made about 48 so far and they were gone immediately.

Besides feeding its community, Post 47 has been making Buddy Checks on its members. Orive created a flyer that was distributed to members through social media that read Because We Care About YOU and encouraged members needing any type of assistance, such as grocery shopping or transportation needs, to call the post. Orvie said even though the post is closed because of COVID-19, messages are checked regularly and phone calls returned.

Buddy Checks were divided into four lists: expired members, members with 40-plus continued membership years, Paid Up For Life members, and all others. Post Commander Mike Bush has made more than 325 calls to PUFL members and the all others list, and post member Bill Crouse has called expired members that resulted in about a third of them renewing. The members with 40-plus years are informed during the phone call that their membership dues are now paid for.

People are delighted to get the phone call and know that we care, Orive said. They have written back (on Facebook) thank you for caring. Thats important.

Orive said Post 47 has members across the United States in California, Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Texas, etc., and that they are contributing donations to the pantry.

(The food pantry has) served its purpose. Its done a great job, its helped our community, she said.

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Maryland Post 47 feeds community with Pantry on the Porch - The American Legion

A Danville resident suffered injuries and a cat died in an early Wednesday morning house fire, the Danville Fire Department reports.

Police were first dispatched at about 2:15 a.m. to129 Nelson Ave. in the northern part of the city after someone heard a person screaming for help, according to news release byBrian K. Alderson, a battalion chief with the Danville Fire Department.

Police officers arrived and found the resident on the front porch "calling out for help," Anderson reported. Officers moved the occupant off the porch to a safer spot and checked the house but did not try to go in due to smoke and heat. That's when police called for the fire department to respond.

The occupant had burns to the hands, feet, chest and experienced smoke inhalation, according to Alderson. The resident was taken to Sovah Health-Danville for treatment.

Minutes later, firefighters arrived at the one-story home to find heavy smoke inside from fire in the living room, whichwas quickly extinguished. The occupant had told crews a cat was still inside. Firefighters searched and foundthe cat, brought it outside and startedresuscitation efforts, Anderson reported. However, the cat did not survive.

While the fire was contained to the living room, smoke and heat damaged the rest of the home. Repairs must be made before the home is livable again.

The cause was ruled to be careless smoking, Alderson reported.

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Danville officers find injured resident screaming for help on porch, pull to safety as fire burns inside; cat perishes in blaze - GoDanRiver.com

1. Who are the members of your small Covid-19 group?

Henry, Eileen, Peter, Andrew, James and our Sheltie, Lady.

2. Whats the most uplifting part of being isolated?

Spending quality time as a family, which we normally dont get to do as often due to all of our schedules. Also, being entertained by James.

3. Whats the most difficult part of being isolated?

Not seeing family and friends and not going to Mass.

4. Whats the most surprising thing youve discovered during these days of confinement?

James: That I can see my friends and my teacher on the computer!

5. Do you have a special project youre working on, if so, please describe.

Peter: I gave an online piano recital on Easter Sunday with works from Bach, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Scarlatti and Debussy. I miss performing and I wanted to offer people this entertainment.

6. Whats your go-to meal these days?

Chef Enricos specialties of the day, many accompanied by pasta like agliolio, pasta e ceci and pesto and marinara from Fiore & Sons Farm.

7. Whats your favorite sweet treat?

James: Fudgsicles.

8. What mundane thing have you missed the most?

Peter: Driving to URI every day and being on campus.

9. Whats the first thing youll do when this is over?

Henry: I will bring my mother, Minnie, some squalatili from Ritaccos, go back to daily Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral during my lunch hour and have a Friday night game with Nat Sisco and our poker buddies.

Eileen: Have Chinese food and Dustys ice cream then go to TJ Maxx.

Peter: Play the organ and go to the beach.

Andrew: Watch a game and see friends.

James: Go to school again.

10. If you are participating in any distance schooling/games/activities with teachers/friends/family members, can you share a story about one experience?

Eileen: My Stonington Middle School administration has been incredibly supportive academically, technologically and emotionally throughout distance learning we are so fortunate to have them!

11. What are you doing to stay physically active?

Eileen: Working out downstairs in Hens Gym, walking outside, brothers basketball, wiffle ball and football, and James new little trampoline.

12. How are you staying connected with the outside world?

We all have continued our schoolwork and jobs online

13. What soothes you the most?

Henry: James Fiore and wearing comfortable clothes all day.

14. What music have you been listening to?

Andrew: Classic rock, Beatles, 60s,70s, 80s music.

15. What TV shows are you bingeing?

"The Good Doctor;" "Frasier;" "Seinfeld;" "Cheers;" :Shark Tank;" "90 Day Fianc" and during Lent we watched "Jesus of Nazareth."

16. Top take-out restaurant?

Haversham, Vocs and Supreme.

17. Biggest frustration?

Andrew: That there are no sports to watch.

18. Favorite board game?

Chess, Shut the Box, Scrabble, Scrabble Jr., Monopoly, Monopoly Jr.

19. How have you been changed by this experience?

Peter: I feel like I learned to accept reality.

20. What is your message of hope?

Trust in God. This will pass.

Interview arranged and edited by Nancy Burns-Fusaro. Photo by Harold Hanka.

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Front Porch Families: The Fiore Family | In the Easy Chair - The Westerly Sun

Anybody can elope to Vegas.

But it takes true love to elope on a front porch in Delco.

And so it was Friday night as neighbors looked on in their quarantine finest, and loved ones watched from miles away on Facebook that Joy Karsner married Brian Barton at their Springfield, Delaware County, home in a ceremony they dubbed Eloping in Quarantine.

The people of Ballymore Road came out with their babies and their beers, their dogs and their dancing shoes to groove on the sidewalk to the tunes of DJ Neeek Nyce and to celebrate the couple, true love, and finally having something to do on a Friday night.

I think its awesome theyre still celebrating all of lifes moments, said neighbor Devon Pasha, 35, who came to the wedding in her best Christmas leggings.

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Karsner and her three daughters walked down the driveway to an instrumental version of Penny Lane as Barton and his best pooch Maxine Tiggermush the bulldog anxiously awaited them on the porch.

The officiant, a friend of Karsners who was ordained online in five minutes this week, appeared via iPad and performed the ceremony over Zoom from her home in Rochester, N.Y.

At this time, we would like to honor those who could not be with us today, which is basically everyone, she said.

It was a far cry from the summer wedding at the Shore the couple had imagined, before the coronavirus hit and made everything unimaginable.

When the stay-at-home order began, Barton, 44, moved in with Karsner, 39, and her daughters so they could all quarantine together. Living together made Karsner want to get married as soon as possible to make it official for the family," she said.

The fact that Barton has spent the last six weeks sleeping on the couch with Maxine Tiggermush played a role, too.

Thats the real reason were getting married," he said.

The couple met online in the fall and took a train together to New York City for their first date. The connection was immediate.

Weve both been married before, and weve dated other people and we knew this was it, Karsner said. We know what we like, and we like each other.

So when Barton, a political science grad student and graduate teaching assistant at Temple University, proposed to Karsner at the top of the Art Museum steps in January with her daughters by their side, she didnt hesitate to say yes.

They talked about a wedding in Ocean City, N.J., and planned a honeymoon in Prague, but as everything began shutting down amid the coronavirus and Karsner was laid off from her job in nonprofit communications and marketing planning a traditional wedding became impossible.

As the sofa got smaller by the day and their love grew larger, they decided instead on a very nontraditional quarantine elopement, one they planned in the span of just eight days.

Karsners youngest daughter, Eva Drager, 9, served as flower girl, and her oldest, Alison Drager, 14, was her maid of honor. Karsners 11-year-old child asked that it say starring Katelyn Drager, as herself" in the official e-program.

The bride wore a navy blue sequin dress she rented online. Sheets of chiffon and white lights hugged the poles of the porch, and baskets of flowers hung overhead.

As more than 100 of their closest friends and family watched on Facebook Live, two dozen of their closest neighbors watched from the sidewalk or the porches of their own homes, cheering them on and dancing at all the right times.

Neighbor Jacqui Dieterle, 39, wore a brown silk formal dress to the ceremony, which she paired with a gray hoodie and a can of White Claw.

I used to not drink, but then quarantine happened, she said while dancing in the street. This wedding is great. We needed this.

Under a tent in the front lawn, the couple set up a wedding reception to go with tiny bottles of champagne and boxes of cupcakes for their guests.

Karsners mom, Nancy, who cried on Facebook Live while watching the couples first dance to the Carpenters Weve Only Just Begun, offered the first toast over video.

Id like to thank everyone for not coming to the wedding, she said.

The newlyweds had no big plans for a dinner, no buffet set up in the kitchen, just the Chick-fil-A the Karsner girls had requested and the wedding cake they got from Traubs Bakery in Prospect Park.

It was unclear if theyd share either with Maxine Tiggermush, who for the first time in weeks would find herself sleeping alone on the couch Friday night.

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With neighbors in driveways and friends and family on Facebook, this Delco couple elope on their front porch - The Philadelphia Inquirer

By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff April 21, 2020 6:25 pm Updated: April 22, 2020 4:55 am

Friends were assessing how to fix a vent to Beth Parks Gouldsboro home on Sunday when they came across a surprise: baby raccoons huddled together beneath her deck.

A former wildlife biologist who now authors books, Parks said she immediately recognized the chirping and chittering sounds the four kits made. The tiny newborns they hadnt been born long enough for their eyes to open had no trouble at all being loud, she said.

They are the loudest little things and the noise they have coming from their little throats is absolutely earsplitting, Parks said Tuesday. People hear these things and they have absolutely no idea what they are. I just find it fascinating because they are so loud.

Parks caught the mother raccoon and Parks friends moved her brood to their Gouldsboro farm abutting several hundred acres of woods. The mother went into the Havahart Trap used to capture her, and the babies were placed in a bait bucket.

We have moved a lot of raccoons, and so have they, Parks said of her farmer friends on Tuesday. They are very familiar with how to do this safely.

People who lack extensive experience raising newborn wildlife should not do what Parks and the farmers did. They should call local animal control officers or nearby animal shelters, and have them do the transplanting, Parks said.

You have to know what youre doing, Parks said. If you transport coons or any other animals, they dont have shelter against the weather and they dont have protection against predation.

The mother gobbled down a can of cat food at the farm and immediately began nursing her young a sign that the human intervention hadnt broken the bond between them before the raccoon family was placed in a vacant lamb birthing shed, where they will be warm and safe until they are ready to live in the wild, Parks said.

These critters were the sweetest raccoons Ive had yet, Parks said in her Facebook posting, calling the experience a success all the way around. Happy homeowner, happy farmer, happy raccoons, no deaths.

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A Gouldsboro woman found these raccoon babies under her porch. And wow, are they loud. - Bangor Daily News

Since schools were moved online by Gov. Doug Burgum, families have had to adjust to doing school work from home. In todays Positively North Dakota, were sharing the story of a teacher going the extra mile.

From breaking down compounds in science to writing the perfect introduction for an English paper, school can be challenging. But now that distance learning is the new norm, students arent getting the one-on-one interaction they were used to before.

Yesterday we were working on some new math concepts as math can get a little harder throughout the year, said Darlene Ruud, a fifth-grade teacher in Garrison.

She says she knows how difficult learning new information can be, especially over the computer.

I type a lot of messages back and forth and I try to go step by step with kids, but I saw they were struggling and I didnt want them to continue to be frustrated, Ruud said.

So since she couldnt help her students in the classroom, she decided to take the classroom to them.

Mrs. Ruud is very humble, and I can tell you from a parents perspective, it made us tear up literally, said parent Lisa Maki.

The Garrison teacher drove to the homes of her students, whiteboard in hand, and ready to practice social distancing.

He called me and said do you know that Rays teacher is outside, like seriously outside. So I went and grabbed a picture because she absolutely nailed it on the head because to her this is absolutely nothing but from a parents perspective, it is everything, said Maki.

As a teacher, Ruud says she has a duty to her children to make sure they have everything they need, even during a pandemic.

Its kind of who I am and It wasnt really different than what I would do if I was in the classroom with them and helping them. So I dont see it as I went the extra mile, added Ruud.

But for her students, it made all the difference.

I texted my mom on my phone and Im like help me with my math, and shes likeIm not good at math. So it was more challenging then, but when Mrs. Ruud came, I understood it more, said student Rylie Klingbeil.

I thought it was like a prank, I didnt think she was actually going to come to my doorstep, said another student Izabella Schwarz.

Not a prank, but a show of dedication by a great teacher, even in times of uncertainty.

Nothing is the same, everything is changing. and I know that these kids can rely on people that they are building relationships with, said Maki.

Mrs. Ruud has been going to see about five students a day.

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Garrison teacher shows up on porches of struggling math students to teach them from a distance - KX NEWS

Neesie Doss cant wait to return to the business of running her business, in part because the nature of her profession as a massage therapist is helping people feel better.

The coronavirus outbreak has temporarily shuttered Doss PDX Healing Massage, which has an office in Portland and Salem and employs seven licensed therapists. They have hundreds of clients, among them health care workers and seniors. Doss and her staff are on unemployment until Oregon gives the all-clear to open business again.

Im massaging my dog and cat a lot, Doss said.

One day while walking her dog in her Northeast Portland neighborhood, Doss saw a neighbor conversing with someone in their late 60s, asking how they were doing and do you need anything. The elderly person said they could use some hand sanitizer. One thing led to another, and hand sanitizer was delivered to the persons porch.

Doss felt confident the two didnt know each other. Just someone helping someone during a time of need.

Something Doss could do while waiting for business to resume. So Doss went to her database of clients and emailed all the people who might be considered high-risk for a coronavirus infection, such as seniors and those with health issues. Her offer was simple: need supplies, like groceries or toilet paper? I can deliver them to your porch.

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Doss got responses. One person had a spouse who was about to go on chemotherapy and could use some toilet paper and towels. No problem. Others requested some standard pantry items.

I live a block from Fred Meyer, and its no problem, Doss said. Its not the money or time, its the interaction. If we all do this, it could make a big difference. The outreach gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Doss recently increased her offers. She has a couple dozen health care workers among her clients. When her business opens, theyre all entitled to one hour of massage on the house.

This type of generosity isnt out of Doss business character. During the 2018 Columbia Gorge fires, she offered firefighters a free 30-minute massage. Each year, PDX Healing Massage does an annual food and coat drive for those in need.

While those receiving such gifts as a bag of groceries or a free massage are in need, so is Doss.

This is probably helping me more, she said. People are so happy to see you.

--Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel

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Portland massage therapist makes porch deliveries to seniors while coronavirus has temporarily closed her bus - oregonlive.com

Courtland hasnt changed much since the building Linda Peebles calls home was a commercial bank in 1899. Oh, shes made it into a showplace on the inside, complete with loft, but on the outside it is almost as if time has stood still. If you squint your eyes just a little bit, and if you have a good imagination, you can almost see horses and wagons rolling by, women dressed in crinolines and men in top hats escorting them along the streets after church on Sundays; kids playing hopscotch or kick the can, and people stopping to pass the time of day and maybe a train will go by, its whistle echoing through the little town were common in the days when cotton was king and Courtland was one of its kingdoms.

Linda often sits on the sidewalk outside her building/home, enjoying the peace and quiet, visiting with people who stop by to pass the time of day. Even with the new rules about keeping six feet of distance between folks, a little crowd gathers to stop and visit. Richard and Brandy Thompson, Lisa and Greg Pace and Stacy and Rhonda Hughes come along on their golf carts and Tim Sherrill stops his bike in front of the gathering to see whats going on. Its nice to see people gathering on lazy Sunday afternoons again, even if they are about six feet away from one another.

The view from Lindas porch on the sidewalk is spectacular this time of year. Linda and her impromptu guests are just across the street from the old-fashioned square complete with gazebo, which is set in between the store fronts and the railroad tracks. Spring has come to the valley and people are itching to get out and see its splendor, even from a distance.

Many is the time when Linda has listened to the local folks tell stories about this community, some are funny, some sad, and some, she says, just happened.

Back when Courtland was a busy, vibrant place, people talked about their crops and the war, now we talk about how it was back in the good old days when this place had just about anything anyone would want, and people came here to shop on Saturdays to get supplies for the week, and to visit with friends and neighbors after a long week of hard work, Linda reminisced. Those days are gone for good, but now, our town is coming together, people are getting out enjoying the sunshine, and speaking to their neighbors at a distance of six feet, of course. Hopefully, someday well be talking about this quarantine from our front porches, Linda sighed.

Greg and Lisa Pace have only lived in Courtland for a few years but they have become active forces for the advancement of the little town. In fact, Lisa organized and executed the wildly successful Wings Over Courtland which brings thousands of people to Courtland each spring.

From our time being in Courtland, owning the Warbird Diner and organizing the Wings Over Courtland event weve had several stories shared with us, said Greg. These stories are all from the 40s about the air base and its effects on this community. We have heard stories of the influx of men and women into the area to work on the air base during its time of construction, to the contributions of hard-working men and women who lived here.

Weve also heard the funny stories that were told about the different people who came here and the funny things that they did and had happened to them and weve also heard the sad things about how the planes would wreck and crash and cadets would lose their lives training to defend our nations freedoms.

The one story that always rings true for Greg is how this community came together to support that group while they were here. Cadets and officers frequently attended family picnics, invited by the local people. Anytime there were activities going on downtown the cadets would fly over in their airplanes to show out for the crowds, she laughed. Weve also heard stories of how some of the men came here and met the love of their life. Often they wounded up moving back here to set up permanent residence and become prosperous members of the community.

All these stories good and bad were told about real life experiences, they were told on the front and back porches of Courtland homes daily, Greg reminded us. Every day was a new wonder with people coming in and out, people coming into town, talk of the toll of deaths, and old friends getting together to talk about how things had changed with the war, both locally and overseas.

It was a tough time for the people of Courtland, Greg continued, But they all banded together and did what needed to be done to support our local troops and the troops overseas with rations and with hardships. They all held in there together to make Americas Greatest Generation, as it later became referred to.

The Paces favorite story from Courtland Army Air Base is about a lady that grew up at the end of the airfield. She came into the diner and told us about how she used to watch the cadets as they would learn to fly when she was a child. Every day they would get a little better and a little better. She said you could always tell when they were entering the end of their training because their last couple of days they would fly over very low and slow. They would wiggle their wings at them as if to wave. Sometimes they would even throw out their goggles and flight helmets to the kids below. They knew that those pilots were moving on to the next phase of their training and then would soon be going off to war followed by the next class.

Lisa recalls another story that is told about Courtland and the air base times. It is said that if you had an empty room you either had a Rosie the Riveter working at the base living with you or you had a soldier living there. This was very true all over the community, but the McMahon House (where the Paces live now) at one time held up to forty soldiers while they were building the base. One of the favorite stories of that time is that one evening while horse playing some of the soldiers living in the house, broke Dr. Jack Shacklefords teester bed that was left in the house by the family.

Brenda Kay Owen Smith stands in the park looking around at the stores, and the familiar streets of Courtland, thinking back to a time when they were filled with shoppers, The whole town used to bustle with activity, she sighed. She can recall when Dinky Davis rode a bicycle to deliver for Gilchrists Grocery. Everybody knew him; he always had something new on his bicycle to show kids. That bicycle is in the Courtland Museum now.

She can picture other stores, and recalls that Carl Jenkins Drug Store on the corner had a soda fountain. There was a poolroom next door and they had a little place in the wall where they could hand in food, my grandmother thought that was the most awful place, Brenda laughed. There were two beauty shops, one was owned by Lois Kimbrell and the other by Abilene Smith, and there was a tractor place near them. Dr. Carraway had a dental practice here. The barber shop was owned by Guy Terry, there was a movie theatre across from the old hotel, and an ice house owned by Leland Hill. She recalls Delashaws Department Store, and Son Givens Service Station which was near where Courtland Baptist Church is now and there was a blacksmith shop in town. But one of her favorite memories is of riding the train to Decatur to visit her aunt. I dont remember much about what the train car looked like because there was so much else to see out the window, she said.

It was a simpler time. I remember when I was a small girl my daddy, Flavious Owen, would sometimes let me tag along with him to the gin. I loved these times because I had him all to myself.

She recalls long lines of wagons and pickup trucks, filled with soft, fluffy white cotton, waiting to be ginned. Daddy would register our wagon, get in line and then we were off to talk and visit with the towns people as well as people from all of Lawrence County.

These were exciting days for the little girl. I didnt get to go often, but when I did, I would get a rare treat of a hamburger and an Orange Crush. We would eat and talk in the park, then go up to Mr. Boots Gilchrists store where he would get me some of my favorite candy, banana kisses and coconut haystacks for a penny. He would stand there patiently letting me decide what I wanted then say, Okay, and smile, and how I loved that smile! Then he would take my hand as we started down the street. It made me feel so special, I was so proud of my Dad!

Ellen Hampton tells this humorous Courtland story which appears in Early Settlers of Alabama, about Dr. Jack Shackelfords practice of medicine.

He had the good sense to embrace the mild mannered practice of Bronssais, in an age when colonel, jalap, gamboge and the Lancet were heroically used. He cured his patients with gentle remedies, and topical applications, while his competitors killed them scientifically. He was especially successful in nervous disorders, but his remedies were not always laid down in medical books. In one case a lady of a local family, living in the neighborhood of Courtland, imagined that she had swallowed a frog. When she mentioned it to him, he first attempted to remove the impression from her mind, but finding it useless, he said sympathetically, But if it be as you suppose, I can kill the frog in your stomach, and then remove it by an emetic. She acquiesced joyfully. He colored red some effervescing powders, and directed her to take them at regular intervals, until he returned. He had much trouble securing a tree frog, but prize of a quarter offered to the boys, at length bought one, and he hastened to see his patient, who was in a state of anxious expectancy. The emetic was administered, and after the first spell of vomiting, she inquired, Doctor, has the frog come? He answered, No, madam. A second dose was given, and she had a severe spell of vomiting. He threw the frog into the bowl, saying joyfully, Here it is, madam. She wiped her eyes, and when she saw it exclaimed, I knew I could not be mistaken. Then she fell back on her pillows and was completely cured.

The Courtland Museum is an interesting place to spend an afternoon if you love history and want to learn more about the city and the county. According to former Mayor Rudy McCarley, parts of the history of Courtland is even associated with the Spanish American War and is still celebrated in Goliad, Texas, where in 1835 Courtlands Red Rover forces joined with Texans to engage in battle with the infamous General Santa Anna. Many Courtland men were killed, and according to Goliad history, more men lost their lives there than at the Alamo. Captain Jack Shackleford was one of the soldiers who survived the battles which ended in 1836. He died years later in bed at his daughters home, the McMahon House.

Under normal circumstances The Courtland Museum is open to the public on Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. For now it is closed until further notice due to the COVID-19 virus.

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Stories From the Front Porch In Courtland | Local News - Moulton Advertiser

CLEVELAND A 34-year-old man was shot to death on the east side of Cleveland on Monday evening, police announced. The man was found on the front porch of his second floor apartment.

Police were called to Woodside Avenue at 11:20 p.m.They found the man on the front porch and gave him first aid. EMS rushed the man to University Hospitals but he was later pronounced dead.

The Cleveland police homicide unit and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's office are taking part in the investigation.

On Tuesday morning, the medical examiner identified the 34-year-old as Ian Hampton, of Cleveland.

A police spokesperson said witnesses could not identify the shooter.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact investigators at 216-623-5464. Anonymous information can be provided via crimestoppers via 216-25-CRIME.

Without critical restaurant orders, farmers destroy crops while food banks see unprecedented demand from coronavirus-related unemployment.

By Beth Dalbey, Patch Staff

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34-Year-Old Shot To Death On Front Porch In Cleveland - Cleveland, OH Patch