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Making Memories Around The Table

As we sat in my kitchen on Christmas Eve, I realized that we were making memories. This was the Christmas when my daughter-in-law was with her ailing father. This was the Christmas that my granddaughter could not make it home because of her work commitment. The table that we sat around used to be in my great-grandfather’s home. It became mine years ago. One time when we were putting in the extra leaves, we discovered what I think is a date. We found a date in the 1870s. I am not positive that this is the date that it was manufactured, but if not, I know it is old. My grandfather told ...

Jimmy Carter: A Life Well-Lived

America lost an icon this past week...Jimmy Carter. In many ways, he was an anomaly in our national politics—a peanut farmer who came from nowhere to win the Presidency. When I say “nowhere,” I do not mean to disrespect the people of Plains, Georgia. But, even people from Plains would never have predicted it. To bring it close to home, it would be like someone from around here predicting that Robert Jackson from Frewsburg, N.Y. would become a U.S. Attorney General, Supreme Court Justice and Chief American Prosecutor at Nuremberg. These things just don’t happen very ...

Building A Better Future

Ask most people what a construction worker looks like and they’ll likely describe a man wearing a bright yellow hard hat and vest directing traffic, using a jackhammer, or pouring cement at a dangerous-looking construction site. That’s because most of us don’t see many construction workers other than in movies or on TV shows unless we drive by them while they work to build or repair roads or buildings in our neighborhoods. Considering construction work can be a high-paying and rewarding career choice, its high time we let go of our tired old stereotypes. This is especially true ...

Supreme Court Steps On Gas, Floors It

Many wonder why it can take so long to get things through courts. That’s a good question, and the answer can be short. It’s also one that we’ll leave for another day. Yet if you ever wanted proof that when they really want to, courts really can move fast, have a look at what has happened so far in the U.S. Supreme Court in TikTok, Inc. v. Garland: ● On Dec. 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued its judgment. ● On Dec. 16, the plaintiffs-petitioners—with TikTok as the lead plaintiff-petitioner—filed in the Supreme Court, and with ...

Quite A Find During “Dumpster Diving”

Do you want to know what day of the week your birthday was 20 years ago? I have a little book that will tell you that. Years ago, my sister-in-law and I went “dumpster diving” in a house that was to be taken down. We had permission of the owners to remove anything that we wanted. I lived in a trailer so little that I found was usable. She, on the other hand, had a big house to furnish. She was after structural items. We took down the wainscoting that she hoped to use in her home. She also found a few other things. I rummaged through the bedrooms. I found a cute jacket with about ...

The House Of Representatives Acts

It came late in the day. As a matter of fact, it came just a few hours before midnight. But, last week, the House of Representatives acted...avoiding a federal government shutdown. The last-minute vote wasn’t a total surprise, since tough votes are often not taken until deadlines are nearing. Yet, what made this one especially special is that, as first proposed, it was attacked by incoming President Donald Trump and his new surrogate, Elon Musk. No one knows what will happen with Speaker Mike Johnson when the new Congress convenes. Because of the messy way in which this needed ...