Carson Country column

This weekend five teenage girls will have their mettle tested by delivering meals to 4-H members participating in the Nevada Junior Livestock Show at the Livestock Events Center.

Allison Snyder, Heather Johnson, Erin Wilson, Crystal Grayot and Tasha Todorovich are Girl Scouts from Troop No. 207 and they will be delivering breakfasts and lunches to hundreds of kids starting at 5 a.m.

Allison's mom, Deborah Snyder, said the girls are working on moving up from their cadet status.

"It's a big thing. I cooked nearly 30 pounds of beef and shredded it for barbecue beef sandwiches and that is a third of it," Snyder, a Johnson Lane resident said.

Snyder thanked United Rental of Carson City for donating a generator, so the girls can keep the food going.

She said older Girl Scouts are pretty rare.

"All our girls are freshmen in high school," she said. "Girl Scouts tries to offer a variety of things to meet girls' needs. This helps teach them leadership skills."

Snyder said that the girls are collecting aluminum cans to raise money. She said anyone who would like to have some picked up should call her at 267-4875 or Louise Johnson at 267-2082.

The Girl Scout Motto: "Where girls grow strong."

The animal front is hopping along.

Dave Patterson of the Capitol Humane Society called to say that he is now carrying a badge.

Dave's latest project was the placement of a pot bellied mini-pig. He said the effort has been keeping up with the animals so far.

The Wylie Animal Rescue Foundation seeks to save those animals who are on their last legs.

Connie Nowlin of Incline Village said the foundation's mission is to rescue animals scheduled to be put down from area animal shelters.

"We rescue animals that are on death row," she said. "We take these animals and place them into a foster home or a permanent home, or board them with a local vet."

The foundation's motto could be have car will travel, because Nowlin said that is pretty much the range of volunteers.

The foundation places animals through advertising or their Web site, which is www.Tahoewarf.com. The group also has a 24-hour phone message line at (775) 833-2319.

"Our motto is preventing euthanasia one animal at a time," she said. "The more volunteers and the more foster homes we have the more animals we can save."

Sadie Jo Smokey graduates from the University of Nevada, Reno on Saturday. Sadie Jo worked at The Record-Courier during my last days there. She has a major in education and a minor in journalism.

Former Nevada Appeal intern and University of Nevada, Reno student Jaik Saunders called to say he found work at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

I have only one bit of wisdom for these young people as they embark on careers in journalism. It is an item I read in the old Genoa Courier on the creation of a new newspaper in Gardnerville, The Record.

"The road to riches that leads through the newspaper is a rough and rocky one."

Amen.

Billy Joe Meakim read the item about the ghost stalker visiting the Gold Hill Hotel and said he had a couple of ghost stories of his own.

He said the Gold Hill Hotel was home to the Grenadine Ghost, named for the spirit's favorite libation.

Billy Joe said the hotel manager left a partial glass of grenadine out one night and that on the next day it was empty.

Hw said he experienced spooks when he lived in a blue house just down from Gold Hill in 1986.

His first meeting was when he heard a knock on the door on a wintry night. He opened the door and no one was there. He said he heard another knock, so he opened wide the door and found nothing, the newly fallen snow unsullied by foot prints.

The second time, he watched as a round shadow turned circles in time to his radio.

Happy Mother's Day.

Kurt Hildebrand is assistant managing editor of the Nevada Appeal. He will be on vacation this week.