All right already. Some Christmas music favs

Okay. Last week I shared some of my least favorite Christmas songs. Songs like, Simply having a Wonderful Christmastime, Do They Know It’s Christmas, The Christmas Shoes, and basically anything by Trans Siberian Orchestra. To wrap up last week’s gem of creative writing, I invited readers to share some of their own personal holiday negativities […]

I want to start seeing some red

Readers — listen up! (That almost makes sense.) I want you to rev up your red writing utensils and get ready to start marking up your Oxford Leader (or Lake Orion Review, Clarskston News and Citizen). We want you to show us what you read. To do that, cross out those articles and stories you […]

Power Outages Continue

Much to the chagrin of folks in these parts, Mother Nature and Old Man Winter hooked up Sunday causing all sorts of havoc. At 8 .m. Monday morning, all area surface roads were iced over. And, many folks have no power. Click here, http://www.dteenergy.com/map/outage.html for a power outage map from DTE. It is updated every […]

Reagan Remembered

‘Where’s your favorite guy?? Sean, 4, asked me, as he, his older brother Shamus and I watched the horse-drawn funeral hearse on the television screen. ‘He’s under that American flag,? I answered. ‘In a coffin.? ‘Your favorite guy is dead,? Sean stated flatly. ‘Yes,? I agreed. ‘That man’s name is Ronald Reagan. He’s one of […]

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow . . .

This week’s Happy Thought: Winter officially starts next week. I make that my Happy Thought, so I can pretend this week didn’t happen . . . . . . Okay, that didn’t work. Rat-Smackin-Frackin-Blizin! It is gonna be a long winter. And, I know, I know, you happy-go-lucky, sunshine and flower folks, like former Clarkston […]

Some kids wanted b.b.guns . . .

Cameras have always fascinated me. I have cameras all over the house. Some work, some don’t and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some have polished wood and brass mechanisms. Some fold up into a big leather box, others have metal casings or plastic parts. But, they are all fascinating. (Well, I used to […]

Addams Family vs The Munsters

This past weekend the good folks in charge of the TV-Land cable network put together an Addams Family marathon. Back to back to back to back to — you get the picture — back episodes of the early to mid 1960s sitcom. One evening before the marathon Jen asked me, ‘Why do some people like […]

It’s a wrap for 2010 . . .

Take a look at the bearded chap with a Santa hat that goes with these words. This is the last week you’ll see this fellow’s festive, holiday mug shot. That photo will not be used again. After this week, it will be retired. (I recommend staring at the picture for one minute, without blinking — […]

Bermuda shorts, Hawaiian shirts and Michigan undies

As everybody and their Aunt Matilda have pointed out (and rightly so), Monday was a day to honor the American soldier and those who died in service of our country. Noble, yes . . . but not the point of this column, this week. Nope, today I write that Memorial Day is also the historical […]

First good idea of the year cutdown before it was born

Everyone is a genius at least once a year. The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together. — Georg Christoph Lichtenberg * * * So there I was, leaning up at the counter, all suave and debonair reading the daily newspaper with my finely honed sense of delivery and wisecrackery for the front […]