One of the most fun parts about being a columnist for a local newspaper is knowing some of my readers in person. Many of those I don’t know in “real life” are friends on Facebook. Still others, when I meet them for the first time, say they feel like they know me just from reading what I write. Many readers ask the same questions about things in my column. So, as we wrap up an old year and head into a brand new one, here are some answers.
- First, in regard to my Christmas tree lights, I finally got one strand to work reasonably well. I stretched it from the top to the bottom of the tree, meaning that about 60 little lights glow on six feet of tree. Sparse, but better than nothing.
- The column I wrote about Jack Kirby—who lives in Allons and carves and gives away wooden folk-art cardinals—morphed into a story entitled “His Cardinal Rule” in the December 2025/January 2026 issue of Guideposts magazine. Jack and I are both thrilled to pieces.
- The sciatica I suffered from early last spring is gone, at least for now. I’m thankful for the physical therapy I received and am committed to doing the exercises I learned—cat-cow, birddog, windshield wipers, bridge pose and others—so that it never comes back. Just in case, though, I didn’t give away my walking cane.
- Speaking of sciatica, my dog is recovering from something similar: a pinched nerve in her lower spine, which apparently is not uncommon for active dogs her age. My vet assures me that she didn’t “catch it” from me. But she’s had to take a lengthy break from running, jumping, fetching tennis balls and climbing stairs, which has been hard for both of us.
- I wrote last summer about the demise of the penny. What many of us predicted has come to pass. Stores, already low on pennies, are begging for exact change from customers who pay in cash.
- What I’d like to say about the inability of the U.S. Congress to do their job could fill an entire column (or two or three), but one of my biggest disappointments is that the should-be-easy proposal to do away with the twice-a-year time change seems to be dead in the water.
- In response to the “Help Wanted: Hotdoggers” column I wrote about the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, a Facebook friend mailed me an official wiener whistle. Thanks, Ken from Kentucky. The whistle rests on a shelf in my office and I’ll treasure it always.
- I gave up mailing massive numbers of Christmas cards years ago, but I do like to send them to a few scattered friends and relatives with whom I don’t communicate any other way. I found some cute ones at Dollar General Store featuring two fourteen-point bucks (reindeer, I assume) grazing in a snowy field filled with Christmas trees. The price was definitely right. The problem? No glue on the envelopes. Luckily, I had plenty of scotch tape.
- And speaking of Dollar General Store, my plans to continue working on my young adult novel, “Half a Mile to the Dollar Store,” and my memoir about online dating entitled “Meet Me at the Cracker Barrel” are alive and well. I just hope age 71 is not too late to become a bestselling author.
Thanks to all my readers for your continued support. Happy 2026 to everyone.
(January 3, 2026)