Three guides I’ve sometimes tried to live by: 1. Think ahead — be ahead. 2. You’ll never have if you don’t save. 3. If it’s inevitable, do it now — whether it’s taking out the trash or going into bankruptcy. Proof of Number 2, in my case. For a while the Navy withheld half my […]
When we first started this Jim’s Jottings holiday tradition, the two grandchildren Dan and Karen Offer (Karen is holding the pooch named Relish and Big Dan is next to her) were small enough to fit on my knees. It was 1988. Dan was 3 years old and Karen was four months old. In that first […]
So, I’m thinking: What can I write for this Christmas season that I haven’t covered before? And, why is Santa fat? Thin people can be jolly. If you were looking for a Santa history you’d probably go on the internet. I went to my World Book Encyclopedia, circa 1960. It starts, ‘Santa Claus is a […]
I don’t do e-mails or internet, but that doesn’t eliminate exposure. Friends who deliver such epistles to me know my humor, likes and dislikes. Thus; a forward from Karbginsky and Hiatt. Did you ever wonder why there are no dead penguins on the ice in Antarctica – where do they go? Wonder no more! It […]
Entering one of the military services, taking tests for employment or completing sixth grade tests are supposedly ways for higher-ups to judge and assign their people. I remember my older brother, who earned his livelihood selling men’s clothing before going into the Navy, and being sent to the engine room (black gang, they were called […]
I’ve been writing Jottings for over 50 years. That means 50 Thanksgivings I could have written about. But as I looked back to see if there was one I could repeat for this Thanksgiving, I found none. This year as I thought about writing this holiday column my mind went quickly to my wife, Hazel. […]
It was only 60 years ago, but the fall of every year I recall high school football playing days. I’ve only written about this experience twice, so it’ll be new to most. The size of teams may have changed, but the ‘win at all costs? attitude hasn’t. I was a starter for my three years […]
This Day became Veterans Day by act of Congress in 1954. Our nation’s first official recognition day for veterans was Armistice Day. Woodrow Wilson was president at the time. (‘Oh, beautiful, for spacious skies. . .?) I recall my Army veteran father referring to World War I as being ‘the war to end all wars.? […]
Of course it’s been a week since I made that promise, and the memory of the public is three days, so I may revert . . . To start: ? Beauty and handsomeness are only a light switch away. ? Ever feel like you are diagonally parked in a parallel universe? – – – 0 […]
Andy Rooney signed off on the ?60 Minutes? program recently for the last time. I was a fan of the curmudgeon for a long time. Had I known the shortcomings he announced on his final appearance, I would have quit listening to him long ago. However, obviously, he had a major following. He quit at […]