The Gentrification of Stray Cats. We currently have two cats in our family. Smirky is eleven years old and Jackson is almost four. The family doesn't have anything against dogs but with our families being up north we take frequent weekend trips away from the house and that... ( added 1 year 33 days ago.)

Surviving An Electronically Induced Heart Attack Last week the two owners of the paper I work for went on a much deserved vacation. That meant that I would have to post all the AP stories as well as run around town and try and keep the paper looking like everything was fine while they were gone.... ( added 1 year 37 days ago.)

Computer and Internet Tweaks I would love to See. I realize I make a livelihood out of the computer age and the internet but that doesn't mean I will just roll over and accept some of the silliness that happens to me and all of you web browsers and users. Now I'm not professing we go back to... ( added 1 year 40 days ago.)

It “Sewer” Could Have Been Worse. I wrote a while back about the floods I have had in my old basement. Actually our area has had three heavy rains and all three times my basement ended up with three to six inches of water in it. Now in a hundred-year-old house, a basement isn't... ( added 1 year 44 days ago.)

Funny E-Mails and Office Humor. I have written before how the daily board (E-mail file) at the paper is filled everyday with all kinds of inquiries. Sometimes there is a great local press release. Sometimes there is junk information or people trying to have me hire them to write... ( added 1 year 47 days ago.)

If I Don’t Exist, Why Must I Pay Taxes? I usually file my tax return at the last minute. It has nothing to do with procrastination. It's just that I almost always owe a little bit and I'm not giving it up until I have to. This late filing of course meant that I would probably be at the... ( added 1 year 51 days ago.)

Would Wacky Funerals Make Money? We had a special exhibit this week in Lincoln. A local funeral home put on an incredible display of Abe Lincoln artifacts including a transformation of the funeral home into an 1860s parlor. Collectors from all over allowed their memorabilia to be... ( added 1 year 54 days ago.)

Is What Politicians Say the Same As What They Really Think? The first time I recall anything about a presidential election was in 1956. Eisenhower was running against Adlai Stevenson and I remember former president Harry Truman saying on the radio that Ike could go to hell. I remembered that because it was... ( added 1 year 58 days ago.)

Why Don’t Youngsters Know Basic Math Now I'm not one of those old-timers who thinks everything was better in the old days. Some things were but there is a lot about today that far exceeds what we could do just a few decades ago. I also think the children of today are way smarter... ( added 1 year 61 days ago.)

Living with Dyslexia This was what was supposed to be called a short work week but it was anything but for me. First off, all the organizations, state agencies and to a degree even the AP slowed down on sending in their releases. Of course most of them aren't worth... ( added 1 year 64 days ago.)

Wit, Wisdom, and Newspaper Business Sarcasm In the trade, all columnists have their own great stories to tell. From how they started to how they finished there are always some great laughs and deep insights into what made someone a success or not. As an expert in the "or not" side of the... ( added 1 year 67 days ago.)

Life Comes Full Circle As the Acorn Drops From the Tree. In 1966, my dad asked me if I wanted to work at the ice factory. At the time, I was making 95 cents an hour at a hardware store and the factory laborers made $2.47 cents an hour which was almost beyond my wildest dreams. There was overtime pay and... ( added 1 year 72 days ago.)

The Importance of the Neighborhood Newspaper As a youngster growing up in Chicago in the 50s, there were four major newspapers in the city. Two of them, the Sun Times and Tribune, printed three editions each day. There were many other newspapers at the time in the city. They were called the... ( added 1 year 75 days ago.)

Inventions We Take For Granted Sometimes when I go to a party or a get together, it is one of those events where a lot of people don't know each other. Sometimes those events can become a little quiet or boring. At such times I like to ask a two-part question that usually... ( added 1 year 79 days ago.)

The Tomato Gardener; the Final Chapter Well it's been a while since I have told you about my garden. Let's just say that I am currently in control of the national tomato market. I didn't do this on purpose. In fact I can blame the rabbits for this situation too. You may recall I... ( added 1 year 82 days ago.)

Hot Air Balloons and Why I Don't Ride in One Next weekend our town will be hosting our annual art fair and hot air balloon fest. It is probably the most intense weekend of the year what with surrounding towns and big city folks coming to see about 40 hot air balloons go up into the sky twice... ( added 1 year 86 days ago.)

Being Sixty Years Old Has Advantages I had a lot of fun on my sixtieth birthday. I was busy running around town and many folks already knew I was reaching what I guess is a benchmark date in one's life. I had the radio show that morning where we made fun of my being so old. The... ( added 1 year 89 days ago.)

Learning That Words Have Power Well August 5 th is here again and that means I officially never was in the U.S. Army for 39 years. You see I never said the oath that day, I had gone to the bathroom and when I came back into the room the sergeant told the hundreds of young pups... ( added 1 year 93 days ago.)

Chronicles of a County Fair Reporter. Well the 72 nd Logan County Fair is in the books and I can rest up a little bit. I decided in my new capacity with the Lincoln Daily News that I would give the fair my total attention after I was sure any important news blips or blurts were... ( added 1 year 96 days ago.)

The Dangers of Being a Chili Cook-Off Judge. Since it is county fair week in my home town I thought I would share a rather embarrassing tale that happened at this county fair about seven years ago. Now at the time I was doing a local television show and so the station had a tent at the... ( added 1 year 100 days ago.)

The Tarzan of Wrigleyville I touched briefly on this story in my last book but I believe it deserves its own extrapolation to be presented to the world for internet eternity. It has been a family favorite over the years primarily because it shows how early on I could do... ( added 1 year 103 days ago.)

A City Boy Prepares For the County Fair. Being born and raised in Chicago, I have trouble understanding county fairs. When I came downstate in the late 70s I found quite a culture shock when it came to the local county fairs. I saw entire businesses shut down, people take a vacation week... ( added 1 year 107 days ago.)

What’s In a Number When You Are Talking About Age? I recently received a private e-mail from one of you Warpies asking me a specific question. The question was, "What do you do when you can't think of anything to write about?" Now I understand the person's question but I couldn't relate a... ( added 1 year 110 days ago.)

A Weather Report I Would Like To Write We Illinoisans were hit with another massive storm last weekend. I'm not sure if it is global warming or climate change or the revenge of the polar bears but something isn't right with the weather in the Midwest. Now one of the things our on line... ( added 1 year 114 days ago.)

Chicago Drivers Make a Person Go Ballistic This weekend we went up to the Waukegan area to visit family. Now although my wife and I are both Chicago natives, what we have seen happen to traffic and the lunacy of area drivers makes us wonder if we can ever move back home. In the old days... ( added 1 year 117 days ago.)