Family man, loyal friend, and active community member are only a few of the words describing our community’s most recent loss of a good man. Mike Cook has always been a man behind the scenes in the community, offering his help to family, friends, and many strangers in his longtime[Read More…]
Columns
Christmas movies
As you have gathered from some of my other stories, much of my life has been influenced by movies. Seen on either TV repeats, VHS tapes, or now the almost extinct DVD. Tracy and I have most of the Star Wars character lines memorized. An off-hand comment often triggers a[Read More…]
LOOSE ENDS: Zoom, Zoom
Traveling to see family during the holidays continues to be a number one priority for so many folks. This results in quite a few unexpected glitches — before, after, and in between travel of any sort. The gradual reopening of popular public destinations for both tourists and locals alike made[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN: Comfortable history
History never repeats itself, but the Kaleidoscopic combinations of the pictured present often seem to be constructed out of the broken fragments of antique legends. ~ from the novel “The Gilded Age: A Tale of To-Day” by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, 1874 There’s something comforting about history, despite[Read More…]
My ancestor invented the Christmas card in England!
OK, I am stretching the truth a bit. Joseph Cundall was my first cousin five times removed and he didn’t design the first card. But he did print the first commercial Christmas postcard for Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843. So, I am almost famous! Old Joe recognized the[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN: Where have all the spoons gone?
… When I became the sole resident of my household for the first time in 30 years one of the tasks I tackled was a stringent decluttering of my kitchen, including the silverware drawer. No need to keep multiple mismatched sets of forks, knives, and spoons lying around for one[Read More…]
Guest Column: Thanksgiving
As children, we were treated to special fun in November and December. I don’t know what Freud would say about Sugar Plums dancing in my head, but I remember the build up of excitement starting at Thanksgiving. Family traditions and the anticipation of Christmas foods, decorations and toys are a[Read More…]
LOOSE ENDS: Remembering Joe
It isn’t that there are “no words” when it comes to first trying to process someone’s sudden death. It is impossible to summon the right words when someone you have known for 40 years passes away suddenly. Joe Fennessy died a little more than a week ago ending his eight[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN: #6
… Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. ~ Helen Keller It’s a weird question. All the obvious answers pop up first, tinged with sarcasm: water, food, air, breathing, the electrical stimulus that keeps[Read More…]
One man, two votes
In theory, we look at history in hopes of not repeating the past. Today, election fraud is a crime with severe punishments. This was not always the case. Before election reforms were put in place, America was ripe for manipulating the system. Before about 1910, stuffing ballot boxes was only[Read More…]
EDITOR’S COLUMN: An abundance of opinions about opinions
Anyone who believes this hyper-polarized, divided culture is a positive should choke a little when pledging allegiance to the flag. But how can we tone down the blistering rhetoric and return to something a little more tolerable? In days of yore there were some unspoken rules we followed in order[Read More…]
Meeker’s Spaceman/Moon Man, Part 2
My thanks to Si, Teresia, Rhonda, Renae, Rhonna, Leif, Kathy, Lanny, Jere, Mike, Beth, Jerry, Dollie, Kay, Joe, Tammie, Nancy, Libby, Albert, Mary, Jean, Joanne and others in creating a composite of Ron. Everyone knew a little about Ron. He had many facets. Interestingly, those who knew about him, knew[Read More…]
