Beech Tree News Network

“Where do you draw the line?”

Rep. Mike Harmon, R-Danville, posed that question to statewide smoking-ban proponents on KET’s final “Kentucky Tonight” show of the year.

It’s the right question. It’s also one that those who baptize themselves in waters of government nanny-ism have little interest in discussing.

Harmon pressed the issue with activist Betsy Janes, who’s employed by the American Lung Association and who lacks aversion to any proposed government regulation deemed as “protecting our health.”

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I used to make them, but found that by March the resolution had been forgotten; so, I quit making them. Many people have more fortitude than I have, and their resolutions make a difference in their lives.

A New Year’s resolution is usually a commitment an individual makes to one or more goals, projects, or a change of habit that a person desires to accomplish in the coming year. The resolution is generally an effort to improve in some way. Examples of resolutions might be to quit smoking, to lose weight, or to pay off a debt.

Every now and then I hear stuff, mostly on TV, that doesn't even come close to the edge of common sense. Recently I heard the phrase, ". . . component of my ultimate privacy . . ." Here's another (some grad-school student in psychology undoubtedly came up with this one), "It's not the things we have that count; it's the memories we create with them." If any of you out there in www.com-land can unriddle this, please let me hear.

Discovery: My friend, John, came out with his metal detector in hand today.  It’s his latest hobby—finding hidden things.  I directed him to a couple of promising spots on my farm and told him to have at it.  He returned with a small bag of bottle caps, pieces of broken implements, and rusted nails—stuff that I won’t have to worry about becoming lodged in my flip flop on my next trek across the farm—but no treasure.

The last holiday of this year is upon us. I, like many others, reflect back make mental notes of how to improve in the new year ahead. New Years resolutions are fun, exciting, and inspirational to talk about. We want to eat less, love more...spend less, save more and so on. So often I think we start out with great intentions and then somewhere along the way we stop. We miss exercising one day or we go over budget. At that moment we will often throw in the towel. We have to ask our self this question, "How much did that resolution really mean to us if one mistake causes us to quit?"

Where in the world has this  year gone? I can't believe the next time I submit a photo of the week, it will be 2012. What a great year 2011 has been, not only personally but also professionally. So many opportunities presented themselves this year and I am so thankful for that. I know 2012 will be even better and more prosperous. I have so many plans for Lazi Daze Photography, a years worth already in the planning :)
 

This past year has been one of good and not so good times.  Sunday May 1 was the height of awesome.  Bin Laden had been taken out.  The country told me to have a good birthday month that night (ok, maybe not).  I knew as I was sitting there watching that night that history was being made.  How do I transition from that into light-hearted fare of the rest of my column? Like this.

During the year of 2011, we’ve witnessed many changes worldwide. The events mentioned below are significant 2011 events arbitrarily ordered and of course, are only ‘the tip of the iceberg.’

World events that I believe are important included the following:

•    The unrest in the Middle East, including the deaths of Osama bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi.
•    The earthquake and tsunami in Tokyo, as well as the nuclear reactor accidents.
•    The financial woes of European nations.
•    The famine in southern Somalia (reportedly the worst in 60 years).

Someone said there ought to be a special place in Heaven for people who do NOT have a telephone answering machine. A-MEN-BROTHER-BEN. They are a pain in the keister; besides that, people don't pay much attention to them because they seldom call back. Some days ago I called a house which I knew had at least 3 phones . . .maybe four. I got the proverbial, "please leave name and number . . . we'll get back to you." Did they? Naw . . . not yet.

I love my home.  I guess I've always known this but it really hit me last night.  We hosted the Embry family Christmas celebration, which was a huge success.  I think we had around 40 descendants/relatives of Audra and Eva Embry at our home.  It was great and a testament to them.