YES, I AM STILL HERE peeking out my window on Main Street, and I want to pat all candidates on the back for running for public office.
Pat. Pat.
The filing date for the March 3 Preferential Primary hasn’t even ended yet (it ends today, Wednesday, at noon). This column was written before the the deadline because of the Veterans Day holiday and our printing schediule, so I have no idea who’s actually in.
Our society depends upon citizen participation, and folks have to get up off the couch and campaign in order to win and hold office.
You can’t do it just by buying newspaper or radio ads, or posting on social media or mailing out some fancy flyers.
Candidates need to get out and shake hands. This is great because it fosters the exchange of information.
So whether you win or lose your race, our town, county, state and nation is better off because you made the effort.
Things have gotten pretty contentious these days. I liked it better when candidates and parties at least SEEMED to get along.
Many of the things that I was taught in public schools aren’t taught these days. I’m not saying this is good or bad. But one thing I learned in some long-forgotten class was stuff about how elections work. We learned that if you want to make a difference generally, or to change one thing, specifically, you’ve got to get the voters behind you.
This also meant that liberal candidates had to make themselves a bit more conservative if they hoped to get enough votes to win. The same is true for those conservatives unless they succeed in getting the election overturned. (That comment was a joke)
There is almost always some common ground even in these days of extreme viewpoints. Almost always.
We are all Arkansans, all Americans, and I do not know of a single person who wants to do harm to either the state or the nation.
So, I repeat my thanks to the candidates and those who labor for them. AND those who work to make the elections happen.
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FIRE ANT MOUNDS. The change of weather may have resulted in many new fire ant mounds in our area. I’ve noticed that the mounds seem to be getting taller and taller.
How tall?
Well, one fire ant colony has submitted a request to the Nashville Planning & Zoning Commission to build a multi-story mound.
And another wants a zoning variance so that several colonies could go together and build one super mound. As it is now, they are Fire Ant Zone 1 which is for single colonies only.
One progressive fire ant was heard to say “If foot traffic gets any worse down here we’re gonna need a certified J-Turn Ant Officer.” Good luck getting that done, I say from experience.
In my neighborhood one particular fire ant mound has a chimney. With smoke curling out of it on cold mornings.
As if run-of-the-mill fire ants weren’t bad enough, now there is a new species called ‘crazy fire ants.’
They are called ‘crazy’ because they act as if they have no fire ant common sense at all. The bad thing about crazy fire ants is that they are attracted to electrical wiring and they are compelled to chew on the stuff until it shorts.
They will bite anything, including you if you’re anywhere near them.
Sorta like diehard Razorback fans after another fourth quarter collapse. But that’s another story and I’m sure you wouldn’t be interested.
However, there is no known case of a diehard Razorback fan actually biting anything other than his/her own tongue.
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THE GOOD EARTH. We barely got to enjoy the muted colors of our autumn when the strong winds of the weekend shook the leaves from the trees.
Fall is a wonderful time of year. I already miss (sorta) Summer, and I dread (sorta) Winter, although Winter may already be here.
It seems like just a few days ago I was asking the Almighty for relief from the heat.
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I’M GETTING PRETTY GOOD at guessing which house is having bacon for breakfast. When I make my pre-dawn walk around the neighborhood sometimes the smells make me drool. I experienced a new smell this week. Someone, I swear, was baking cinnamon rolls.
And to this person I have just one thing to say:
“Stop it or share!”
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THINGS I LEARNED from opening (and believing) email: “Stewardesses” is the longest word typed with only the left hand and “lollipop” with the right.
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WORD GAMES. The Twins: Up and Adam. Get it?
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HE SAID: “Every particular in nature, a leaf, a drop, a crystal, a moment of time is related to the whole, and partakes of the perfection of the whole.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher
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SHE SAID: “I have begun the ‘History of England’ by Mr. Hume. It seems to me very interesting, though it is necessary to recollect that it is a Protestant who has written it.” Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. Note to to the queen: Don’t get the Protestants stirred up.
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SWEET DREAMS, Baby
