There are thousands of McClain County residents who don’t know what a gem we have enjoyed running our election board for the past 13 years.

Karen Haley started working at the McClain County Election Board office as a part-time employee when Marilyn McReynolds was the head cheese.

When Marilyn retired in November of 2013, Karen took over and the county never missed a beat with top shelf election board services, a trail blazed by Marilyn for years  previous.

Starting next Thursday, Karen will not roam the office at 120 N. Second Street in Purcell.

That’s when she will begin a new career path at the Cleveland County Election Board where she will be the assistant secretary to Bryant Rains.

Karen began full-time duties at the office here in September of 2008 and stepped right in for Marilyn when she stepped down.

Cleveland County’s gain is our loss.

jdm

At a graduation party Saturday there must have been at least 100 cookies, including three different kinds there for the taking.

I scanned my choices and finally decided on a chocolate chip.

There were two different platters from which to choose so I picked out just the right one.

Or at least I thought so.

I broke the cookie in half and promptly chomped down on the first bite.

Instead of savoring the tasty bite, I bit down on something hard and immediately loosened a crown on one of my upper back molars.

It must have been a shell fragment from a pecan hull.

I later thought. What are the chances? All those cookies and all those bites without a pecan hull tucked inside.

Needless to say that was the end of my snacking for the day.

Luckily I was able to save the crown and have it reattached this week.