“There is a powerful craving in most of us to see ourselves as instruments in the hands of others and thus free ourselves from the responsibility for acts which are prompted by our own questionable inclinations and impulses. Both the strong and the weak grasp at this alibi. The latter[Read More…]
Columns
Guest Column – Everything is a hammer
Our White River Museum has a room full of tools. OK … some of them we call kitchen appliances, but they are still tools. I believe the first tool a man ever used was a rock. He used it as a hammer to crack open acorns and walnuts and dispatch[Read More…]
Guest Column – Kitchen window
I feel very fortunate to have a window over our kitchen sink that translates into an outside view of the world as I cook and prepare meals. It’s a comforting companion because cooking is primarily a solo event. Today, the sky was just awesome with multiple colors of blue, purple[Read More…]
Loose Ends – Groundhog Day is here again
January is officially over today and with it a number of unresolved resolutions. A few stalwart souls continue to work on one or two of these hopeful goals that were forged out of the best intentions. The beginning of February brings forth another celebration of sorts that starts with extricating[Read More…]
Editor’s Column: Live and let live
If you haven’t been reading the heretofore unpublished letters between Nathan Meeker and his contacts in Washington, D.C., you should be. Meeker, an ill-suited idealist sent to the area as Indian agent — maybe the original “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help” tale — who had a[Read More…]
Loose Ends: Child’s Play
At this stage of life, it often feels as if I am surrounded by children again. After a lifetime of teaching, as well as spending so much time with my grandchildren and elementary school students, I often find myself attempting to stop a reasonable conversation from escalating into a heated[Read More…]
Student Spotlight: Life beyond Meeker
EDITOR’S NOTE: This student narrative was submitted by MHS instructor Kathleen Kelley. We’re publishing it here as the first in what we hope will be a series of “Student Spotlights,” showcasing the thoughts, perspectives and writing abilities of our local students much the same way athletic prowess is highlighted on[Read More…]
Editor: Big Brother is watching … and it’s not who we expected
A high school friend has been sharing her collection of photos from the late 1980s and early 1990s on social media. The grainy pictures evoke feelings of nostalgia for what now feels like a “simpler” and “better” time (it wasn’t, of course) accompanied by intense gratitude that the internet wasn’t[Read More…]
Loose Ends: We still need local news
Looking forward to Thursday to pull the current edition of the newspaper out of the postal box in town or the mailbox outside one’s home will continue for a while longer. “According to the paper” our weekly print edition of our local paper will remain. Those three words are overheard[Read More…]
Guest Column: Aerobic Gift
This was written years ago by my late mother-in-law Pat Hendrickson. She had a wondrous gift of humor which I would like to share. This is for all of us who have put on pounds during the holiday and bought gym memberships on impulse. This is dedicated to every woman[Read More…]
Editor’s Column – It takes a village
“We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results.” ~ Herman Melville The last few months have felt a little like a Tyson Fury boxing match… one blow[Read More…]
Loose Ends – Civility
“How so?” “Really?” “That is not true.” These are all indicators that at the end of a conversation, someone’s feelings will be hurt, especially if these words are spoken in a public forum. These days civility remains in short supply. One can’t be sure there are not more than a[Read More…]
