Have you ever heard something that just struck your funny bone? Did you ever hear something that really struck your funny bone and you had to laugh? Maybe you were in a conversation with a friend. Perhaps it was something you heard on TV or the radio. The speaker may have intended it to be funny and hoped you’d laugh. Or they may have been quite serious but for some reason you couldn’t help but laugh...

Did Santa and G.C. Murphy have a Merger? Remember when the G.C. Murphy store was open downtown on the north side of National Avenue? It was a really neat store. The familiar sound of the creaky wooden floors was pleasant, kind of soothing. The aroma of the roasting nuts, which could be smelled at least a block away, was absolutely wonderful. It almost made you feel like you were going home...

Have you ever felt unsafe? Have you ever felt unsafe? Maybe you heard a strange sound when you were home by yourself. Perhaps you were just walking to your car at the mall and suddenly felt a little uneasy. Corinne Scully felt that way several years ago when she traveled to Slovakia, alone...

Bourbon dry wedding update Shelby French and Kade Baker were married last year on May 21 in an outdoor ceremony held at the home of her parents, Dr. Charles and Susie French. Shelby had read on the Internet about an old Southern legend which told how to ensure it would not rain on your wedding day. ...

Clay County resident writes gripping war novel World War II had many casualties. One was Lena, Indiana, native 2nd Lt. Wilbur “Web” Thomas Reinoehl. The 26-year-old man was a navigator on a B-24 bomber flying missions over Germany. Unfortunately, he was killed in action when his plane was shot down during his 6th mission on May 19, 1944...

When you were a little kid was there ever a place that scared you? Maybe you’d never been there but the thought of it was frightening, kind of like the hospital or jail. My scary place was Texas. Our family lived a couple blocks from multiple railroad tracks. Trains went by frequently, daily. Often empty cars were just left setting on unused tracks. When needed, an engine would switch over to those tracks and could be heard loudly coupling with an empty car then going on its way...

Have you ever been scammed? Have you ever been the victim of a scam? Probably most of us have heard of the Nigerian scam where someone calls and claims you’ve won a million dollars or so and all you have to do to get your prize is to send them $5,000 for postage, or something like that...

Have you ever seen the end of a rainbow? Most people like rainbows. It’s usually a happy moment when we see one. Have you ever seen the end of a rainbow? My brother, Bill, has. He and his wife, Judy, live in Shoals, in southern Indiana. A few weeks ago my sister heard weather reports of tornadoes in Shoals and people were advised to take cover immediately...

Most people like rainbows. It’s usually a happy moment when we see one. Have you ever seen the end of a rainbow? My brother, Bill, has. He and his wife, Judy, live in Shoals, in southern Indiana. A few weeks ago my sister heard weather reports of tornadoes in Shoals and people were advised to take cover immediately...

Do you know anybody who can pronounce Worcestershire sauce correctly? I was talking to a friend the other day. She was telling me her recipe for Sloppy Joes. It included Worcestershire sauce. When she got to that word she stumbled a little saying something like war-chester-shire...

Local teacher has book published posthumously Arletta Case had a passion for traveling. She visited all the continents except Antarctica during her life time. The Clay County English teacher also loved writing. One of her trips took her and friend, Kay Harper, to the town of New Harmony which lies along the Wabash River in Southern Indiana. She was fascinated by the history of the people who developed that town in 1815...

If everyone was Vegan what would happen to all the cows, pigs and chickens? A vegan is a person who doesn’t eat any meat, fish, dairy or eggs. Nor will they use anything made from animals such as leather shoes and fur coats. Vegetarians don’t eat meat either but may eat fish, eggs and dairy and may use animal byproducts. For this column I’m using the terms vegan and vegetarian interchangeably even though they are not...

Do you ever think about your ears? How often do you think about your ears? Probably not a lot. Why would we? We don’t see them unless we’re looking in a mirror. Even then we may not notice them unless we’re putting on earrings. They’re not cute, they don’t have joints, they don’t bear weight. Mostly we’re just not aware of them...

What do Cubs fans think about this year? The long suffering fans of the Chicago Cubs finally got their wish. The Cubs won the World Series last year after a 108-year drought. Now a new season is about to begin. The Cubs will have their home opener at Wrigley Field April 10 against the Dodgers...

How do others see us? Do you ever wonder how other people see you? We each have our own self-perception and we assume that others see us as we see ourselves. But that’s not always true...

Good News! I saw a Robin I have some good news to share with you. I saw a robin a couple weeks ago. It was mid-February. “So what?” you say. Well that means spring is really close. I know, we’ve already had the groundhog come out of his den and he did see his shadow which supposedly means there will be six more weeks of winter. That’s nothing but legendary myth...

Fake News, Alternative Facts and Random Facts For those of you who have never met me I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. I am five feet ten inches tall, weigh 135 pounds, have an hour glass figure and an IQ of 180. Some of you who know me may say, “What! That’s not true”. Well I say it’s not a lie, I’m just using alternative facts. If politicians can do it why can’t I?...

“By George” The late Jane Mercer was a lovely lady. She was an accomplished artist but I think her greatest gift was her ability to write poems. Jane became a widow at the age of 51. Her children were grown. She was a beautician but after her husband died she was devastated. She didn’t want to cut hair full time and just didn’t know what to do...

Sounds of nostalgia and Life It’s funny how a sound can grab your attention and bring back vivid pictures and feelings from the past. My sister leaves her TV on during the day for white noise and usually doesn’t pay attention to it. The other day, though, she heard a sound from the TV that really caught her attention. ...

Last week I wrote about using the phrase, when hell freezes over, referring to things that we think will never happen. I said if President Trump ever said he was wrong and apologized for something hurtful and unkind he’d said, I would say, “Did hell freeze over and I didn’t get the memo?”...