Local Voices

Let’s explore the origin of some common sayings. After writing several columns about sayings like, “Not my cup of tea” and “The straw that broke the camel’s back,” many of you suggested a few others. How many times have you threatened to read someone “The Riot Act?” What is that act, and why is there a riot involved? I’m pretty sure I “read the riot act” to my sons when they were teenagers, and I’m equally certain they rolled their eyes when I did.

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I was a morning radio host before I got into TV news. In that role, I was encouraged to inject a little humor into the lives of listeners battling rush-hour traf- c. During that era, we had a Democratic president, followed by a Republican president. Our area governors, senators and representatives came from both major parties. I was an equal opportunity jokester. Thankfully, my listeners had a good sense of humor, advertisers never complained, and neither my bosses nor the politicians ever tried to censor me. It was, as we hear so often, a different era.

You know what they say: “Deaths always happen in threes.” So it was, recently with three of my longtime audiovideo pals. I said goodbye to my compact disc recorder, my DVD recorder, and my cassette player. Cause of death? A combination of outdated parts, and dirty, scratched heads. Sure, I could send them off to some mysterious repair service to be patched and cleaned, but at what cost? As every customer service rep is trained to say, occasionally in English, “It would be cheaper to just buy a new one. And I have a deal for you!”

If you have been reading this column for a while, you will know that I draw many moments of inspiration from time spent digging in the dirt. Over the weekend we were tilling up the gardens to prepare for sowing seeds in just a few short months. Luckily, we live in a world where tractors do most of the heavy lifting, yet still, there is much action on our part that must be executed. The tilling process is important for loosing up the hard soil and rock, it disrupts grass and weeds that can smother the plants, makes soil available for added nutrients and allows for a more effective drainage system needed for plants to thrive. What kind of inspiration could possibly flow from running a tractor through the dirt? It reminded me of a verse, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea 10:12.

NEWS Photos by Bob Murray.

Table Talk

I've interviewed many celebrities in my career, and one of the first was among my most memorable.

Table Talk