Sympathy
We extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Steve Novotney, whose mother died last week at the age of 89.
It’s Coming!
Can you feel it? No, you’re not mistaken. It’s there, all right. There’s definitely a nip in air late in the evenings and the early mornings. It’s coming. The cooler temperatures are perfect for donning a light jacket to sit in the stands and watch your favorite high school football team do battle under the lights on Fridays and Saturdays. And the time for switching from an ice-cold frosty drink to coffee or hot chocolate draws increasingly nigh.
Novelist Thomas Wolfe always described this month fondly as, “old October” because he had a deep abiding love for that month, and you can see it in his novels like “Look Homeward, Angel.” October certainly is an important month for a number of reasons. As its days proceed, its increasingly cool temperatures dress the trees in their fall finery with a spectacular array of colors. All those fortunate enough to live in this area need only take a drive through Oglebay Park to appreciate October to its fullest. Some people drive from miles away to see some stunning natural beauty. But it’s still coming.
In addition to the beautiful trees, October also brings with it the aroma of burning leaves as people attempt to keep their driveways from being buried under an avalanche of leaves that were much prettier on the trees than they are on the pavement. But they do smell good when they’re burning. When we get to the leaf-burning time of year, it’s time to suck it up and get ready for what’s coming because it’s inevitable. Enjoy “old October” to the fullest. But be ready for what comes next. It will be here before you know it!
Sad Statistic
Late last week, the United States hit the overwhelming number of 700,000 deaths from COVID-19. When you stop and really think about it, that number is simply staggering. You just wonder how many of those fatalities could have been avoided if people had heeded all the warnings about the illness. And the frightening thing is that the death toll continues to increase. If you have not yet been vaccinated, please make it a priority to do so posthaste!
Capitol Hill Shenanigans
Did you lose any sleep because of what the children on Capitol Hill did last week. In case you didn’t follow the news (Why would you?), the kids up there have been feuding again. The big threat hanging in the balance if the right people didn’t sign something, the government would be forced to shut down. I guess that would be hard on someone, but I doubt that a government shutdown would affect a lot of folks. At any rate, the Congress kids were fighting among themselves all week long and yapping about a government shutdown. So what happened? Well, predictably at the last minute President Biden lifted his magic pen and signed something that averted a shutdown. Saved again! Have you ever thought of changing the names of the Republicans and the Democrats to the Hatfield and McCoys? It would be a good fit!
Not Another One
Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the bookstores, another (How many are there now?) tell all book about the Trump White House has reared its ugly head. This one titled “I’ll Take Your Questions Now –What I Saw at the Trump White House” is by Stephanie Grisham, who served as the White House press secretary for nine months. Interestingly enough, during her entire tenure she chose to offer no official news conferences. Maybe she was saving everything for this book. If I had read the book, I could write a review of it here. But I didn’t, so I won’t.
Ponder This:
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are going dead?
~ Steven Wright
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