Columns

Honor Thy Mother

There aren’t many news items that often make me stop and do a slow burn. That was until I read the article about Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’ proposal to change the word “mother” contained within laws in his state. The governor believes the word “mother” should be changed to “inseminated person.” Just when I thought I had heard the most ridiculous thinking out of a politician, I was wrong. This one has to take the cake. I can’t even comprehend why the governor believes such a change makes sense. All the good gent has to do is consult Webster’s dictionary and ...

What’s In That Nickname?

It happens in many families. It can occur in the workplace as well. Somehow, someone will come up with a nickname for a family member or coworker. Sometimes they are cute names that express a person’s special look or funny mannerism. Most nicknames are given without malice. Newsrooms could be rich with funny name calling, mostly in jest. An ace reporter might get the “Jimmy Olson” tagline if he was particularly aggressive. It was a compliment to be called a news hound as well. Families are where most nicknames originate. When I entered the Ziegler family, it became ...

Can’t Lose If You Don’t Bet

“I’ll be you can’t climb that tree as high as I can,” one sibling said to me. And I replied, “bet I can,” and I did. But that was the extent of our betting as kids. My siblings and I grew up in a home with a dad who abhorred illegal gambling. In fact, he didn’t approve of most any type of games of chance. There were no poker games with money on the table in our home. When our school sent home raffle tickets, we were told to politely return them to our teachers. No gambling meant no gambling. Our father’s deep disgust for illegal gambling had him taking on some of ...

Do You See What I See?

I’ll take it — those one or two more minutes of daylight as the days move on are welcome in my backyard. While I don’t care for the sky to remain dark until after 7:30 a.m., I truly appreciate the lighter afternoons into the evenings. I believe autumn and winter sunsets are among the most beautiful sights. Today’s sun dipped ever so slightly slower into a melting horizon of blaze orange and navy blue. It was as if painter extraordinaire Bob Ross was at work from his heavenly perch. There are various places throughout this Ohio Valley where it is worth taking a minute or two ...

Mall Rats Unite

I guess I should not have been surprised. Still I was in a little shock when we walked inside the mall located at the first exit in Washington, Pennsylvania. We had arrived early for a nearby doctor’s appointment and decided to walk around the inside of the mall to kill some time. It was cold and snowy outside so the mall would allow us shelter from the storm. But when we walked into the mall, it was a chilly reception to say the least. If the heat was on, it was not competing well with the outdoor temperatures. As we walked inside, our footsteps echoed loudly as the place once ...

Do You Smell Something Burning?

It didn’t matter what I did, it was still there. Maybe it was not as strong, but it was still there. No matter what I did to wash my husband’s work uniforms, the smell of smoke would hit my nose when ironing them. It wasn’t for lack of trying. It’s just what it is when you are married to a firefighter. When they have battled a significant blaze, sometimes for long hours, the smell of smoke simply remains a part of them They can shower off the soot and grime. They can hang their bunker coats up to air out. They can stuff their boots with newspaper to dry them out. Yet, the ...