As losses go, this isn't a big one. I shouldn't even care. Still, I'm sad about it. It's hard to accept that the best jeans in my closet – and possibly the world – are on their last threads.   more

I told myself I wouldn’t write this column, but Angela just won’t let go, nor would I wish it so. This is for all who mourn Angelas of their own: more

In the last century, a boy tried to impress me with his vocabulary. He thought I would fall in love with him by trying to intrigue me through intelligence. In the late 1970s, while other boys were playing sports, helping on the farm, and cruising the square. He was sitting at home, memorizing three new words each day. I have no idea how long it would take him to get through a Webster’s Dictionary. Nonetheless, he tried this method for at least a year. more

Good news, armchair critics: Young people can still write compelling and coherent prose and poetry with exceptional candor and grammatical skill. more

Recently, I took my two youngest grandchildren to the jump park at the Battlefield Mall. more

I'm lucky that my first professional writing job was in a newsroom because it taught me something important: You don't need a perfect environment to get work done. You don't need silence, an organized room, a particular candle, or a big chunk of time.  more

Two days ago, while sitting at my desk attempting to be a productive human, a noise broke my focus and nearly broke my window, too.  more

For months now, I've been eating breakfast with a goose.  more

I've had the best interviews since the beginning of the year. People are upbeat, love the projects they're involved in, and want the best for the community—me, too. more

As you learned in my column last week, I have a brother and a sister. I talked a little about my brother last week (there is so much more I could say), and this column is about Judy. When i learned my mother was going to give us a little brother or sister, I wasn’t real thrilled. I had been the baby of the family for six years and wasn’t quite ready to give up that position to a baby sibling. more

Now and then I am reminded that we born after World War II were witnesses to some of the most momentous events of the 20th century. Following are selected events from the Time-Life series,”Our American Century.” more

On the April 2nd ballot in Dallas County is the renewal of a 1/2 cent sales tax for the county road and bridge fund. This is an existing tax, and it has been in place since 1984. The funds from this tax represent approximately two-thirds of the county road and bridge budget. From the Dallas County R-I School District perspective, the maintenance of our rural roads is highly important. Our buses and vans drive around 300,000 miles on our county-maintained roads annually, and a lower level of funding for these roads would be costly to the school district. more

The Dallas County Economic Development Group (DCEDG) is writing to support the renewal of the Dallas County Half-Cent Road and Bridge Capital Improvement Sales Tax appearing on the April 2, 2024 ballot. This tax was first passed in 1984 with a sunset provision ensuring the law would be subjected to a renewal vote every 10 years. This tax comprises approximately two-thirds of Dallas County’s current road and bridge budget. On April 2, the County is seeking that this tax be placed without the sunset provision. more

Many of us have been lucky enough to be raised alongside siblings (or unlucky, depending on your point of view and experience). I already had a brother when I came into this world and a sister came along six years later. All three of us share a few hereditary traits and many differences. more

Last week (March 13, 2024) marked the FOURTH roadside cross in 9 miles on U.S. Hwy. 65 going north out of Buffalo. more

Just a few days ago I poured myself a glass of orange juice, something I seldom do because we seldom have any in the refrigerator unless grandkids are coming to visit. more

We are having weird weather this year. Daffodils are blooming. Signs of spring are popping up everywhere. Many people have started working in their yards again.  more

Sunday morning awhile back — February 18, to be exact — our whole clan was on hand for a Hallelujah moment. more

My mom taught me not to brag, but I’ll make an exception this one time. Because after my last few trips to the store, I’ve decided I’m the best of the best when it comes to these three abilities: more

Last night around 11 p.m., we heard a familiar noise from the darkened hallway outside our bedroom door. It was part moan, part growl and part muffled meow. Tom and I glanced at each other because we knew what that sound meant. Percy had another mouse. more

Thank you, Myron Hartzel, for introducing me to this fantastic term to describe retirement. I've heard retirement described in many terms, but this is my favorite description thus far--glorious retirement. more

Door to door salesmen are a thing of the past. But I can remember when they were regular visitors. Today I will start off this column with encounters with three insurance fellows. The first one came here, some 40 years ago. What is memorable about him, he was here the evening the house down the hill burned. We were in the dining room, when we looked out the north window and noticed huge flames; something big was burning. The fellow left, and Terry and the children drove down there to see what was going on. Oh, goodness, the entire house went up in flames. It was so sad. more

March 6, 1971, I married an 18-year-old girl from South Dakota. I barely knew her, but in the span of three months I’d learned all I needed to know. more

It’s true. Once you reach a certain age, you no longer care what the people around you think. I’m that age. I wish I had come to this realization decades earlier. more

When there’s a bomb threat or, God forbid, an explosion, we run away and report it so attackers can be arrested and punished.  more