• Month: November 2021

    Old Dawgs like me hope these young pups have learned some new tricks for Bama

    | Posted on |

    Old Dawgs like me hope these young pups have learned some new tricks for Bama

    Photo: UGA and I will have this facial expression all week and until the final seconds of the SEC Championship on Saturday. It’s our cautiously optimistic face. For those of you who are into “thoughts and prayers” as a preferred alternative to actions and solutions, some folks like me could use your thoughts and prayers over the next few days. And by “folks like me,” I mean fans of the University of Georgia Bulldogs, who will face some team called the Roll Crimson Tide Elephants of the University of Alabama on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game — or as […]

    Wishing you and yours — but mostly me — a Happy Beachgiving!

    | Posted on |

    Wishing you and yours — but mostly me — a Happy Beachgiving!

    On the list of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving has never been all that high on my personal list. It’s nowhere near the top with New Year’s, Christmas and Halloween. It’s much more toward the middle, just ahead of Monkey Day (December 14) and just behind No Pants Day (officially the first Friday in May, although it can be unofficially celebrated any Friday by some telecommuters — or so I’m told. Not that I would know myself, you know. I mean, that’s just crazy. Right?) Sure, I remember Thanksgivings of the past that were rather enjoyable. It was when I was […]

    Revisiting 1621 on the 400th anniversary of Thanksgiving

    | Posted on |

    Revisiting 1621 on the 400th anniversary of Thanksgiving

    (Note: Years ago, I wrote a newspaper column about the very first Thanksgiving back in 1621 … the Thanksgiving, not the column. Few realized until then that my ancestors were very much involved in the event. Here is their story, reprinted.) As we prepare to welcome families into our home for a feast that will leave us thankful when they’re finally gone until at least Christmas, this is the perfect time to revisit the day that started it all — the first Thanksgiving. My ancestors came over on the Sunflower, which was a little party barge, complete with radio and […]

    American adults aren’t much for the M word

    | Posted on |

    American adults aren’t much for the M word

    Of all the words that begin with the letter M, “mandate” may the most hated one in America these days. Oh sure, there are other strong contenders for most hated M word — such as mice, merlot, Missouri, monkfish, Marilyn Manson and, of course, manic monkeys — but, for now anyway, “mandate” tops the list. Of course, those who are particularly upset with the word are mainly upset with it in terms of vaccine mandates, especially when they come from employers who mandate that their workers get the shot or go find another job. This is most upsetting to those […]

    Q has opened my eyes

    | Posted on |

    Q has opened my eyes

    Folks these days are quick to throw stones at things they don’t understand. And because people get a little dumber every day, they’re going to need a lot more stones. We may have to import some from the Taliban. In America, of course, we do most of our stone-throwing virtually through tweets and Facebook comments. We save most of our stones for folks like scientists who think they know about science, doctors who think they know about medicine and especially for folks who believe scientists and doctors and other such purveyors of ridiculous facts. There are some groups who truly […]

    Appreciate the simple things in life — like little pigs who can build houses

    | Posted on |

    Appreciate the simple things in life — like little pigs who can build houses

    We have a tendency in America these days to overthink things. I know, it’s easy to look at Americans these days and wonder if many of them think at all, and I must admit that’s a valid point. Perhaps what I’m actually trying to say is that Americans actually have a tendency to needlessly complicate things that are perfectly fine left simple. For instance, take my wife’s car. I mean, please, take it, because I get tired of its needlessly aggravating “smart” features — like touch-screen controls for the air-conditioning. It’s one year newer than my truck, which has its […]