Beech Tree News Network

The WLBQ football broadcasting team sometimes talks about the importance of timing and angles as it relates to specific plays and overall how the game is played.  They have some fun with the analogy and take some liberties, of course, but there is an inherent truth to the concept of timing and angles in sports.  That truth also extends to politics and the decisions of government leaders.

Graduations are milestones, marking the end of one period and the beginning of another. The 2020 graduations have looked a little different, but that may make them more memorable. These joyful celebrations may include questions about the graduate’s future and advice about life.

I have often told my son-in-law, Thomas, that I wish his mom, Jean, lived next door to me.  Jean is kind and open and all about doing the right thing.  She has a strong faith and a positive outlook.  In the past, I have looked at people like her and thought, “She must have had good parents and a stable upbringing.”  I have learned to think differently.  Often, it is people who have had personal tragedy who create stability for themselves and those around them.

We find a very interesting writing located on almost every headstone in every cemetery we visit. On every headstone, between the dates of a person’s birth and death is a dash. This short line represents the time one has lived upon this earth. Yet, more than this, the dash represents our actions, words, spouse, children, grandchildren, goodness, love, mistakes, sins, missed opportunities, successes, failures, etc. This “dash” represents the impact I have made on my little corner of the world in those few years.

Higher taxes plus more spending equals deeper hole

‘If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging,” Will Rogers advised.

Merriam-Webster defines an “unforced error” in the following way:  

a missed shot or lost point (as in tennis) that is entirely a result of the player's own blunder and not because of the opponent's skill or effort

Welcome to Whose Quarantine Is It Anyway: where everything is made up and the days don’t matter.  Formerly, if I missed a workout, I’d be lamenting it.  “Well, I’ve got to make that time up”.

Memorial Day has come and gone amidst a global pandemic.  Times are different now and normalcy is something hoped for by many but not yet realized in a society still reeling from the negative health and economic effects of COVID-19.  We’ve been hit hard in this community with multiple cases, deaths, and a long-term nursing facility that has been in the crosshairs of this pandemic.  But,

Due to the pandemic, many of us have had more time to process information. I’ve learned a few random things during this time about weed killer, cinnamon rolls, and telephone visits. I enjoy learning things that make life just a little better.

Edmond was my daddy’s second cousin. Daddy and Edmond’s mother Betty were own (first) cousins. Like a lot of young men during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Edmond had joined the army. Twenty-one dollars a month (private’s pay) was better than no money...much better.