Category Archives: Opinions
The way we do the things we do
Once again, I put the lights on the tree backwards. That is to say, after starting at the top and slowly winding my way around going down, plugging the strands together one by one, I ended at the bottom with the 
wrong end. I couldn’t plug them in, as the prongs were way up at the top.
So, at this point, as I must do every year, I had to unwind them and begin again.
Maybe I should put a note on next year’s calendar to remind myself not to do this again.
Some time back, it was necessary to make a note in the December section of the following year’s calendar of where the Christmas decorations are stored and where we put the tree
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Courier Letters to the Editors 12-12-18
Election politics 1835-2018
Dear Editor,
While browsing through the “C” volume of an old set of encyclopedias, I happened upon the article about Davy Crockett.
The frontiersman/politician was first elected into the Congress in 1827 and served two more terms starting in 1829 and 1833. His disagreement with the Jackson policies caused him to be a favorite of the Whigs, who basically used his “homespun virtue and rugged honesty” for their own shrewd goals and objectives. The political hype by the Whigs led him to visions of grandeur and running for the presidency in 1837. But the political hype of the Jackson forces proved to be greater, and he was defeated in the 1835 Congressional elections.
His parting comment concerning the political environment of the times
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Trust God and he will lead you
I’m sure that most of us have dreamed about accomplishing something but discovered that our goal was not going to be easy.
Some individuals, maybe yourself, became so determined to succeed that 
nothing could prevent them from achieving their vision. So what causes a person to be so passionate and excited about what they love, and where do we find this ability to focus and the internal drive to persevere even in the face of incredible resistance and seemingly impossible challenges?
Can anyone develop a persistent never-give-up attitude? Is this only for certain individuals whose brains are wired a certain way? Well, we are all unique, but I’m also convinced that each person has the God-given potential to unlock success when the excitement of achieving becomes greater than the fear of trying.
We all want to experience a sense of worth and respect, to grow and make a
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George Bush stood for time-honored American values in a changing world
With the passing of former President George Herbert Walker Bush on Friday, the last of the leaders of the “greatest generation” has left the 
national stage. His is a great loss, and the outpouring of affection for the man and what he stood for is a well-deserved tribute.
Known to his family as “Poppy,” the nation’s 41st president, who served from 1989 to 1993, was also the last of the patrician presidents of the 20th century, a man in the mold of Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, like them a product of a wealthy
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Courier Letters to the Editor 12-5-18
Council must exercise oversight
Dear Editor,
I am sure many have read about the school board race in Dacusville. On Tuesday, Nov. 8, about 3,450 votes were cast in the race, and Phil Healy got 20 more votes than Alice Hendricks Vander Linden.
Hendricks Vander Linden protested the election. The county election commission threw out the result, and it appears to be heading for a new election.
The voting machines were programmed incorrectly and had the wrong ballots on them in a total of eight precincts. Three of those precincts were in this Dacusville school board district (Crossroads, Nine Forks and Dacusville precincts).
While the machines were down, from 7 a.m. to about 9:30 a.m., voters
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Smelling the last rose of summer
Just last week, the day before the temperature went down to freezing, I was 
out near the hen house looking at the new laying hens and noticed that there was a rose in full bloom on Jo Jo’s rose.
This rose was planted in memory of the late Jo Jo, our loyal rat terrier who died in 1999. It’s planted next to the tomato shed, and water draining from the utility sink keeps the earth around it moist. In addition to the blooming rose were two buds. One was just about to unfurl its petals, and the other was a bud I knew would be killed before blooming.
The proper real name of the rose is the Queen Elizabeth. It has bloomed every year since Jo Jo’s death, and it has the sweetest fragrance. A good bloomer, it is always a source of flowers for the house.
So I snipped all three and brought them into the kitchen, where they ended
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Oh oysters, where art thou?
Every family treasures a dish as part of their own unique family tradition. My family is no different.
Due to the fact that everyone lives elsewhere, they all come here for the holidays. I’m glad they still want to come home, and now that they’re all 
adults, they share in the responsibility of producing the holiday fare.
Sometimes it’s a challenge to find some of the principle foods we absolutely must have as a feature on the menu.
This year was no different.
Originally our plan was to pick up live oysters on Wednesday afternoon, because they all love steamed oysters. We don’t have them Thanksgiving Day, but usually fix them the
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Time does not slow down for anyone
Growing older is like a train rolling down the track, and no matter how many Botox injections, vitamins or hair plugs, we cannot stop the reality of our mortality.
There is nothing wrong with trying to look young, and we agree that dieting and exercise would surely be a healthy and positive lifestyle, but the hourglass only contains so much sand. As the days keep ticking away, we are reminded to not put off until tomorrow what we can do today, because we are not sure how many tomorrows we will have.
If you want a big juicy steak, for heaven’s sake go have one. If you have thought about helping someone or have a desire to say or give them something, do not fall into the someday excuse and never do it. If you feel a
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Time to cash those old savings bonds?
Did you stash away savings bonds years ago? Do you know what they’re worth now?
While savings bonds used to be a great way to put money aside for the future, with the different interest rates and dates of maturity, it’s all too easy to forget they’re there. Paper bonds haven’t been issued for years; they’ve all gone electronic. But if you have paper bonds
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Don’t fear fear
One of the downsides of human nature is the emotion of fear. That’s right, fear. It’s part of who we are as individuals and as a species. It starts at an 
early age and continues for life. As children we are afraid of the dark, afraid of monsters under our bed and even afraid of thunder and storms. You may chuckle, saying those are silly, but to children they are real, and as adults we, too, have many fears that manifest themselves for whatever reason. To many, fear — or the perception of fear — is reality, and that can be difficult to deal with.
Exercising or competing in endurance events is not immune to the fear factor. In fact, wasn’t there a popular television show on by that very name? Now I’m not talking about jumping into a pit of vipers or eating a
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