Opinions

Spring ran through our yard, panting like Charlie after we’ve played ball with him, and before I had a chance to lie in the hammock or sit in the swing, Summer barreled right in. The azaleas, the spirea, the dog woods, the pear trees, assorted wild flowers, and a variety of weeds are blooming and I love looking at them—even most of the weeds are pretty. Petunias are popping up everywhere, thanks to the birds, but I like petunias and birds. I have so many orange canna lilies coming up that I’ll have to thin them, and I do hate to throw away a good flower. Maybe some one will stop by and want some. I love all the signs of spring, but the temperatures are screaming, “SUMMER!” Last week our thermometer climbed very close to 90 degrees for several days. Next week promises more of the same. And so the perpetual southern summer begins. [Full Story »] 

The recent massacre at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Connecticut has aroused, as expected, a rush of concern and heated debate revolving around gun control. As the sensationalism of Sandy Hook ebbs like the tide, so will our righteous rage, that is, until the next such tragedy comes to the fore. [Full Story »] 

Dear Editor,

This quote was heard on Christian Radio. [Full Story »] 

Dear Editor,

Have you ever taken the time to think we actually can hurt one another with our mouths? I always said if you cannot say nothing good about somebody learn to keep your mouth shut. We have 365 days in a year to take life one day at a time, but we would rather tend to somebody else’s business. There are a lot of busy bodies. You can look around you, and you can find busybodies. [Full Story »] 

This past week my two sons, Cole and Jacob, attended a wakeboard camp in Florida. For those not familiar with the sport, wakeboarding is a type of water sport such as skiing or kneeboarding. [Full Story »] 

When we arrived in Clarksville to spend Spring Break with our three youngest grandsons, I handed Trey, Jakey, and Will bags of Easter candy since we had not been there for their Easter activities. Their faces plummeted. [Full Story »] 

Last spring, I was feeding the fish from my dock and saw a small gator come up and begin eating the floating fish food. I started grunting like a baby gator to see if another one would pop up. It did. Scared the crap out of me when I turned around and there he was. I don’t have a witness but I am sure I made it off this fifty-foot dock in about 4 steps. After catching my breath and calming down, rather than shoot the creature, I called the erstwhile gator trapper extraordinaire, “Gator” Preston. They say Gator can trap or snare anything from a bullfrog to a buffalo so I figured he was the man for the job. [Full Story »] 

Did you know that the Federal Government owns or leases between 55,000 and 77,000 vacant properties? The really insane part to this problem is that the government leases office space for various government agencies instead of using some of the vacant properties to house the agencies. [Full Story »] 

Last Tuesday, Larry and I drove to Brunswick for a doctor’s appointment. Despite the fact that the calendar says Spring is here, the temperatures were nippy and the wind blustery. We were nearly to the car when a blast of icy wind stopped us cold. We decided we’d better run back in for coats—just in case. Arriving a tad early for the appointment, we parked on a side street downtown and settled in to wait. Larry pulled out his ubiquitous novel and started to read. [Full Story »] 

I got to thinking about what makes or breaks a President and have decided it’s nothing more than dumb luck because it’s the last year of a man’s term is all that counts. It doesn’t really matter what you are or do as President. You can be a drunk, a philanderer, get us into a war, (right here it is always best if you win it), it really doesn’t matter what you are or what you do, if the economy is good. People look in their pocket and if there is anything there they keep the man they’ve got, or if their pockets are empty, will vote for whoever promises to fill it the fullest. That’s the long and short of it. [Full Story »] 

For 26 years this newspaper has published a Progress Report that presents a wealth of information the general public may not be aware of about our community. First and foremost, let me thank this community for its continued support of this publication. Without your support this special issue would not be possible. [Full Story »]