http://www.americustimesrecorder.com en-us Copyright CNHI All Rights Reserved. 5 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:49:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_322235035.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_322235035.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:40:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_322234123.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_322234123.html Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:29:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_315223042.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_315223042.html Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:07:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_310010757.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_310010757.html Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:36:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_304013601.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_304013601.html As I sit at my computer, the clock strikes very early in the morning, and yet, the “bees are a buzzing” in the back, working on the press so that you can have your newspaper. Ironically, we were all done on time, with no big boo boos tonight. Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:43:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_302003458.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_302003458.html A question was posed to me recently that I found sort of difficult to answer. After pondering on it a while, I thought it to be interesting enough that we might be able to find some stories out of answers that some of you might give me. Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:40:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_299234102.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_299234102.html I promise you, there is a long list of things about which I have no knowledge and with which I have no business fooling. For instance, my kids all had skateboards when they were growing up. I got along pretty well with the skateboards until my children cajoled me into actually trying to stand up on one. Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:55:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_297235505.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_297235505.html We live in a coffee world. We have personalized coffee mugs. We have staff meetings just as an excuse to drink more coffee. We don’t have paychecks- we work for coffee money. The only language our computers understand is Java.And when Starbucks hits a town, or even a nearby town, boy do we get excited. We live in a coffee world.My dad agrees. Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:41:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_292204147.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_292204147.html Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:35:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_292203636.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_292203636.html Define sweet. The Online Slang Dictionary says “sweet” is an adjective that means, “good, excellent, fin;COOL,” as in “That’s a sweet car” or “I got a new job taking pictures. It’s sweet.” According to the Princeton.Edu site, sweet can be defined as “sounds pleasing to the ear” or “having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar,” or “angelic: having a sweet nature befitting an angel or cherub.” Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:34:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_292203519.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_292203519.html Politicians have always tried to get folksy in the short rows of their campaigns. They do stuff that they think will make them look like just one of the good old boys. It’s all about building perception.There was a time when politicians applied that standard photo opt of milking a cow while smiling for the camera. The fact that they probably had never milked one before in their lives was irrelevant. It was a way for them to say, “Hey, I’m one of you country boys.” In reality, though, few of us would believe that they would get up at 4 a.m. and go to the barn and actually do this. And besides, cows are now milked by machines. Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:33:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_292203352.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_292203352.html You may be having your first cup of Sunday morning coffee as you read this or perhaps it’s your second, but I am in the nation’s capital today and not for the same reason or the same hotel where I blatantly asked actor Paul Newman to run away from home with me. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:52:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_290235320.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_290235320.html It seems like everyone and everything is getting a holiday; there’s Sweetest Day, Valentines Day, Labor Day, Pet Owner Day, Take Your Dog to Work Day, and of course, National Boss Day. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:10:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_287205031.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_287205031.html I had the coolest Grandma and I didn't realize it until it was almsot too late. She was a dainty lady, always dressed well, even when she was just running to town to IGA or Food Lion. Grandma could bake the very best cookies in the world-I think they were Molasses cookies. She worked hard in the yard, planting flowers, bushes and picking scuppernogs.Grandma had many brothers and sisters. Her name was Lois Ella Fountain Holland. She was married to Tullie Jefferson Holland for over 50 years. When my Grandpa died in the early 1990s, Grandma talked about being alone and wasn’t too sure if she could do it. Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:36:00 +0000 http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_285213701.html http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/columns/local_story_285213701.html I must have one of the smartest dogs in the world. She has taken it upon herself recently to cover every square foot of my yard with some kind of hole. My yard has more holes in it than a package of Swiss cheese. She must know that fall is a great time to plant flowering bulbs, and she is preparing my yard for approximately 50,000 plants.Spring-flowering bulbs consist largely of the so-called Dutch bulbs: planted in the fall, they bloomthe following spring. Bulbs are nothing more than modified plant parts, used to store food to insure the plant’s survival during adverse weather conditions. Bulbs are sold in a variety of retail outlets, as well as numerous mail-order catalogues. Always buy form a reputable dealer. Avoid bulbs that are soft, look molded or discolored. Bulbs should be firm and have an unblemished skin.