Life and activities are returning to normal downtown, and we couldn’t be more pleased about it, or the variety of events happening the weekend of April 23-25. The fun begins in earnest Saturday morning with the Snowmageddon Plant Swap at The Lot, 400 Crockett St.

I have passed so many visible benchmarks along the way. I can see the number on the scale. I can count the notches on my belt. I know how baggy my jeans have become. All of those things pointed toward a positive test result. That wasn’t good enough, though.

“What I think that the spring fair does is it shows people that with certain restrictions, with wearing masks, with social distancing, with getting vaccinated, there is a path to normalcy,” said Liz Swaine, chairman of the board of the State Fair of Louisiana.

The Morell Dairy Farm is a premier dairy farm and creamery located on the cusp of Blanchard and Mooringsport. Farm owners Randy and Ann Morell produce quality milk, chocolate milk and butter made from Jersey cows. During your visit, you can pet their cows, learn about the milking process and tour their factory.

I saw a billboard on a trip to Texas to see my grandchildren with the word “freedom” beside a picture of someone taking off their mask. It certainly is a thought shared by many. However, the most accurate picture depicting freedom in this pandemic is a picture of someone receiving the vaccine.

“Most of those people that missed appointments and put off care have come back in slowly over the last six or eight months since we’ve been back open,” Dr. Gambill said.

She also boasts fiery red hair, an exuberant personality and a wealth of knowledge about food and its preparation. She's a prominent fixture on platforms like Facebook and YouTube. She has a substantial following of enthusiastic supporters who are not shy about sharing their opinions with her and about her.

Dr. Sanders Graf said despite being cautious about infection, they were just as surprised by the severity of the Covid threat. “We’ve always worn eye protection. We’ve always worn masks, certainly when we’re working on patients. We use suction when we are creating aerosols.