Opinion

Carole Townsend

What’s the village to do?

Grocery shopping. It’s become more of a social event for me than it is a matter of necessity. The florist and the produce guy have become friends of mine over the years, and we always make a point to catch up when I’m in there. I like that; so many of the “hometown” niceties are falling by the wayside these days.

There’s no place like home

My husband and I just returned from a trip to Tennessee, to see family. My family, to be specific; my sister, brother-in-law, nieces and their children live there. As always, we had a lovely time and as always, we left feeling that we wish we lived closer to them.

The Great Depression today

You had to have been hungry in your life to understand the emotional zap I got today. Living with my grandfather on the farm meant food on the table during the 1930’s but at age 7 my father remarried and I lived with someone psychologically unprepared to be a dad; a slice of dried bologna in the icebox, alongside a case of beer, nothing else. I left home at age 14.

Katie Hart Smith

Unlocking a Family History Mystery

Spit, shake, and seal. Eight weeks later, my Ancestry.com DNA signature and analysis would unlock a family history mystery that has baffled me for decades.

There’s a fascinating world just beyond that phone screen

The mall is one of my least favorite places on earth. I dislike crowds. Mall teens in groups usually annoy me. And there’s a whole lot more merchandise under that one roof than I have money to buy. I just don’t see the point of it all.

These junior varsity players have a front row seat. Unfortunately it’s during a game when they should be playing not watching.

The Promise of JV Sports- Denied

Middle and high school level sports programs exist outside academic disciplines, yet they often teach lessons that are just as valuable as those learned in classrooms. The mission statements of many schools fully support that concept, and the statement of Beachwood High School (in Ohio) does a particularly good job of capturing the essence of school sports.

Eleni Jordan and son, Parker Jordan.

Memories

I usually try to make these columns a little humorous. After all, our lives have enough bad stuff, why not laugh as much as you can.

Carole Townsend

Sorry, I’m (over) booked

Are you good at multi-tasking? Are you one of those people who can rise at or before dawn, work a full day, handle family business and finances during lunch or on the road, return phone calls during a grueling commute every evening, then attend or host one or two meetings a week – then get up and do it all over again the next day?