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Pocket the cellphone — if you dare

When those Roman guys switched from togas to pants, they got pockets. It’s been that way ever since. The men got the simplest of all the clothes, the three-brush-stroke hairstyles, and all the easiest household chores. AND they got pockets? No fair. ‘ Then Levi Strauss designed five pockets for men’s hardworking jeans. We women, who were finally allowed to wear pants around 1970, still didn’t get pockets. OK. If all we women wear Levis all the time, we do have pockets. I have one pair of jeans with two pockets – not Levis. I know it’s probably just me, but I’m not ...

Warren Worx effort lacks definition

It’s kind of rewarding to see some formal actions to attempt to address the challenges of the Warren County community, with its decline in population as the stated key reason. Although the intent is recognized, the questions of the structure, process, and management of such an endeavor are highly questionable, at least with the available info (mostly from news media) sources. No one can deny or ignore the decline of the population of Warren County, and the surrounding region.There are a lot of reasons, causes, failures, etc that have contributed from being at one time a leader in ...

View from Hickory Heights: Our everyday wonders

On the Internet I recently found something that piqued my interest. On a site called the “Power of Positivity” it listed the Seven Wonders of the World like this. “We can: see, hear, touch, taste, smell, laugh, and love.” This is more than the five senses. It also includes feelings such as laughing and loving. While I readily accept that the five senses are important, I also see the side of adding feelings. If asked which of my senses I would like to do without I have no answer. They are all important parts of my life. Recently I watched a movie about a woman who lost her ...

Backyard ballgames and apple blossoms

Backyard ballgames and apple blossoms Baseball season and flowering trees equal springtime in my book. Most people love summer, many prefer autumn, but I’ve always been a fan of fielders’ gloves and pink magnolias. Spring is my heart-singing, smiling season. I think it all began in our backyard in my small Massachusetts hometown. Mom and I lived in the second-floor apartment above the Flynn family. Joe, the oldest of the four Flynn boys was a year younger than me. I was probably seven or eight when emptying and burning the trash became my routine job. On Monday afternoons, young ...

View from Hickory Heights: A once in a lifetime event

I had another article ready to send, but the eclipse was on my mind. I just had to share my experience. Although the totality of it eluded me, nevertheless what happened was spectacular. My night lights came on. I also saw photographs of cities where the lights were on. First, let me say that I had my glasses. They enabled me to see what was happening just after 2 p.m. I started watching as soon as I saw the sun was out. I went outside every little while to see what stage we were at. I was able to watch from my front yard. I watched right up until the total sun was obscured. At that ...

Saying goodbye gets closer and closer

Last weekend in Rochester was an emotional seesaw. We laughed. We cried. And best of all, we hugged a lot. My sister-in-law, Julie, died and being together with her family was everything to me. For two days with my five nieces and nephews, their spouses, and the grandchildren, I shared their loving farewell to their mother. The first day we gathered at the funeral home. Julie made it all the way to 91, her last years of physical struggles finally behind her. Julie and I first met 58 years ago. Our story began with her only brother-in-law. Tom O’Brien, the handsome navy pilot who ...