Columnists

People sometimes tell stories about childhood memories that scarred them for life. The stories vary. Some involve being told to clean their plates because children were starving somewhere far away. Others include a tapping sound on the bedroom window that turned out to be a tree branch, a cat accidentally shut in a closet and…

Does your household have signs that you are deep into football mania … oops, I mean season? Are you reconnecting with friends and family using football penalty terms? Hey, Becky, you’re “off sides!” Ralphy, you’re “out of bounds” with your brother! Stop! “Holding!” “False start!” Let’s try this again! What about your refrigerator? Is it…

The Conservation Reserve Program, better known as CRP, came along in the mid-1980s, and on our farm, it meant one more job. For me, that meant several days mowing grass from a tractor seat, which also meant days with the radio. It was the summer after my senior year when Dad mentioned a program he…

I take my role as gatekeeper of the old family sayings of my youth very seriously. Really, those old wives were pretty clever. I mean, how many daft plonkers walked under a ladder and got nailed by a wayward paint can by ignoring the old proverb telling them it was bad luck? Ha! I was…

We recently mourned the loss of a true icon with Dolly Parton. I have been amazed of the news coverage of her death as well as all the social media about this woman. All that I have seen has been very positive about this famous singer and actor. I have always loved her songs, her…

I am not proud of every stunt I pulled in college. But when a group of us gets together, many of those stories comes up, and soon we are laughing at something that should have gotten us in more trouble than it did. There were several incidents. A turn signal wired to their car’s horn.…

Our republic cannot survive without checks and balances. It may have been the most brilliant foresight that our Founding Fathers held in 1787: the notion that each of our three branches of government possesses the ability to hold the other two in check when the situations requires such. In 2026, popularity seems to dictate practice.…

My first experience as an announcer did not involve helmets, pads, bats, horses, or engines. It involved pigs. Between my junior and senior year of high school, our FFA chapter held pig races, and I served as the track announcer. While I struggle to remember even a few of those pigs’ names, I am sure…

Do you remember living dangerously? In the spirit of honesty, I was never much of a danger thrill seeking kind of gal – more the portly, sit on the side lines and watch like a little field mouse type. Don’t get me wrong, I have had my moments. White water rafting in Canada, hill climbing…

“All for one and one for all.” -Alexandre Duma, The Three Musketeers Over sixty years ago my sweet Grandma Kern was anxiously awaiting the birth of not one, but three grandchildren. Both of her daughters along with her son’s wife were expecting a baby. Little Andy was born in August, Dale in September and me,…