Columnists
Pearls: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’
Recently, I have thought at length on a line from a story I read many years back. When asked to account for his brother’s whereabouts, the murderous rogue who has just killed his own flesh and blood answers only, ‘I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?’ And so the generations have passed, and mankind…
Read MoreOn the Brighter Side: Have you seen my glasses?
Have you seen my glasses? Have you asked yourself this question lately? Before I leave the house and my grandson is around, he will always ask me, “Mimi, do you have your glasses?” Inevitably I will answer, “No, have you seen them?” He goes right to them and picks them up and hands them to…
Read MoreOutdoors with Larry: Adders and Vipers
This is a dangerous time for copperheads. Many move onto pavement or concrete at night seeking the warmth it has absorbed. Some lady wrote me a letter about the little hog-nose snake I found a week or so ago, telling me that there are no vipers or adders in this country. She quoted a book…
Read MorePearls: ‘What to leave in, what to leave out’
Did you ever read or hear the story about the professor who teaches his class the lesson about prioritizing what’s most important in life He uses a transparent glass jar, and demonstrates with things like larger rocks, golf balls, pebbles, sand, etc., that if we load the jar with the largest items first, then we…
Read MorePearls: Morality doesn’t have to conform to the times
Say what you want about religion — it’s certainly your constitutional right to so — but I have a few affirmative words in favor of organized spirituality, and I’ll attempt to do so from a completely secular, practical viewpoint. I will start with the most obvious, at least to my thinking: the more people there…
Read MoreOutdoors with Larry: Don’t hunt fall turkeys; numbers are low
The bow season has begun, and while I once took part in it, I won’t bow hunt this year. When you are young you can sit in a tree stand and spend hours enjoying yourself even if you don’t see a thing. At my age, you never have four hours to sit and do nothing.…
Read MoreA Word from Woehlk: No one today can say, ‘I did not know’
In an address to leaders of international news agencies from across the globe last week, including the Associated Press, Pope Leo XIV gave a strong defense of a free, independent press and its importance to democracy — not the first time he’s done so in his short tenure so far as God’s press secretary. “It…
Read MorePearls: Have faith that we have brighter days ahead
Can there be two different United States of America? Or rather, since we essentially divided into two major ideological camps, how long can we sustain our specific separation and remain a nation intact? I used to think we were just experiencing the standard two-party tug-of-war with the left and the right each pulling their hardest…
Read MoreView from the Front Porch: Make sure to get together, create memories
“Friends get together to share memories, create new ones, and celebrate the beautiful bond they share.” In the craziness of everyday life, it can be hard to connect with our family, let alone our friends. As an only child, having those deep connections with friends is very important to me. My friendships provide me not…
Read MoreOn the Brighter Side: Pass it on
We remember the phrase . . . Pass It On, right? If you are like me, I haven’t heard this for a while. Maybe at Christmas time, I will hear of someone paying for someone’s meal that are behind them in the “to go” line at a fast food restaurant. I think we are known…
Read More