Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Last week’s column focused on optimism. I figured it was appropriate as we were ready to open a new chapter for the new year. The column included examples of how optimism leads to improved mental and physical health. It focused on the “glass half full” mindset, which translates to positive thinking. It even included a quote from Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” I believe in every single word and idea in that column. But ... I did not write it. I “suggested” it. Last week’s column was an ex...
Optimism is a positive attitude that can have a powerful impact on our lives. It involves looking at the world with hope and a belief that things will get better, rather than dwelling on negativity or expecting the worst. One of the benefits of optimism is that it can help us to cope with difficult situations and challenges. For example, if we are optimistic about a situation, we are more likely to try to find solutions and take action to improve things, rather than becoming overwhelmed or...
Kitchen: a gathering place for friends and family, a place where memories are homemade and seasoned with love. So many holiday memories center around the kitchen, from preparing a meal to sitting around the kitchen table and swapping stories at the grandparents’ house to being part of the cleanup crew. Elementary-aged me anticipated the countdown to the first Saturday in December, when our family would bake cookies and make candies. We each had our specialty. Dad made peanut or cashew c...
If I asked 20 Nebraskans, “What is your favorite holiday dessert,” I imagine I would receive 20 different responses. My favorite treat: bing bars. No shock to those of you who know me well. I also like smooth, creamy fudge; pink divinity, like Mom used to make; and Sandy’s decorated sugar cookies. Sure, there may be other desserts on the buffet table, but a well-outfitted holiday spread is all about the candy and cookies ... or so it’s been our family tradition. I was shocked when I saw a map o...
“When I miss my parents I put 12 expired salad dressings in my fridge and it feels like home.” The abovementioned meme made me chuckle the other day because: 1.) so true; and 2.) I definitely resemble my parents. (Note to my children: I counted and there are only six expired dressing bottles in the refrigerator door.) The meme hit home after reading a recent article in “The Atlantic,” about expiration dates on packaged food. Like author Yasmin Tayag, I have multiple cartons of expired yogurt...
My turn to weigh on the new Husker hire. I’m no football guru, but I’ve been around the program long enough and have plenty of connections with former players (and we talk football a lot), so I feel I have a solid understanding of what it means to be all “N” and lead one of the most storied brands in college football. Initially, Saturday morning, as the news broke that Matt Rhule would be taking over the program, I wasn’t happy. I felt a sense of betrayal because deep down, I hoped interim c...
The gift of gratitude. The topic has definitely been on my mind lately, even moreso as the holiday season approaches. I’ll blame TikTok for the latest obsession. Earlier this month, East Idaho News, a digital news site based in Idaho Falls, began airing Secret Santa segments. An anonymous donor gave $1 million to bless community members who have fallen on hard times. Recipients come from all walks of life: a 69-year-old widow diagnosed with cancer; a seasonal worker whose tools of the trade w...
What object from your personal or family history has special meaning, either as a memento of the past or a reflection of your identity? The question - stemming from a National Public Radio story I recently read - caught my attention. Initially, NPR personnel interviewed eight refugees. Then, the question was posed to the larger NPR audience. In both instances, responses to the question identify the memories and stories we carry with us. They shape a significant moment in time, a precious piece...
By the time this edition of SAM hits your mailbox, election results should be completed and canvassing boards will have or will be scheduled to meet to verify results. I did my civic duty and cast a ballot. Did you? I haven’t missed an election since I hit that magic age of 18. I also perfomed a second civic duty prior to the election and it’s an experience I encourage any registered voter to undertake. After several discussions, over multiple years, about election processes, with Antelope Cou...
In middle school, my favorite shoes were Chucks. I had three pairs: red, white and black. They were comfy. And, honestly, I didn’t care what shoes I wore. I wasn’t trying to make a fashion statement. That changed by the time I was a sophomore. I still owned several sets of Chucks, but the fashionista gene was kicking in and platform shoes and Mary Janes were preferred footwear. Through the years, I grew to like tennis shoes less and less, owning a single pair that would last for years. Ins...
Random thoughts on a Monday (and Tuesday): • Ego tries to mask itself with confidence and, usually, comes up short. Isn’t it better to show your real self and admit failures and be gracious when you find success? • Procrastination is a fickle friend.She keeps promising to assist with a few projects and then she pulls me aside and commands all my attention elsewhere. • I should have meal prepped today’s lunch. A German chocolate cupcake doesn’t contain a lot of nutritional value, even if it has c...
Talk about sticker shock. Imagine my surprise a few days ago as I grabbed a carton of eggs from the cold case at the local store: $7.45 for a dozen large eggs. Usually, grandson Jorden supplies eggs, fresh from the poultry pen, but his supply was depleted. Needless to say, I changed my menu plan and returned the carton to the shelf. Accordng to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index has seen an 8.2% increase in the last year. Electricity prices shock a lot of us, with a...
Want to relive part of your childhood? Here’s your chance. Head to McDonald’s by Oct. 30 and grab an adult meal box. The fast food super giant is partnering with Cactus Plant Flea Market, a fashion streetwear brand, to bring you the latest in nostalgia. The adult meal box includes either a Big Mac or 10-piece chicken nuggets, fries, drink (non-alcoholic, of course) and a toy, either the Grimace, Hamburglar, Birdie or the all-new Cactus Buddy. What’s a Cactus Buddy? The cost, according to a Tik...
Interesting question our office has received on more than one occasion: Why does SAM sometimes run articles from other areas of Nebraska? The answer is relatively simple. We are Nebraska. I like to think our readers want to learn more about this place we call home. When we share articles from Flatwater Free Press or Nebraska Examiner or Nebraska News Service, our goal is to offer coverage that is not only interesting, but may have an impact on our lives. For example, on Page 3 in this week’s edi...
Henry David Thoreau wrote, “I believe that water is the only drink for a wise man.” But, did Thoreau consider how much water is too much or even too little? A recent National Public Radio segment discussed the right level of water individuals should drink in a day. Is eight cups enough? Too little? Just right? (I’m asking for a friend.) See, I, um my friend, has this ginormous water bottle - it’s been sitting on the desk since mid-August and hasn’t been used - and the message on the 64-ounce...
With all the homecoming hullabaloo last week, I’ve been thinking about the intersection of school and traditions and the importance of maintaining pieces of the past mixed with the present. Homecoming’s roots are embedded in football, when colleges would invite alumni to return home for the big game. In the early 1900s, Arizona State, Baylor, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri all initiated grand spectacles, with the football game as the centerpiece. There were parades and speeches, dances and bon...
If you know me well, or if you’ve read this column for years, you know how much Husker football means to me. Always has, always will. Despite getting a breaking news alert during our grandson’s peewee football game that things were a little, um - frosty - in Lincoln Sunday morning. Despite a horrible coaching record for Frost during his tenure. Despite the oh-so-many close calls which left many fans feeling next week would be the turning point. I’m not sure I believe in the Solich curse, but I...
I’m on vacation this week. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. It’s not like I procrastinated and waited until 3:30, Tuesday afternoon, to write this week’s column. It isn’t like I had other events to cover and didn’t find the time. And, it’s not like I didn’t take some me time this weekend and enjoy football with daughter Courtney and grandson Jorden. I tried to introduce him to all the things I loved about going to LNK with my parents for a football game when I was his age. I’m not sure...
Are Nebraska diehards the worst fans in college football or do they live up to the perceived hype of being the greatest? After Saturday, I’m embarrassed by the actions of multiple so-called armchair quarterbacks who hide behind a keyboard and, on social channels, chastise an entire coaching staff and a team of 18-20-something-year-olds who play a game. Calling for the coaching staff to be fired immediately? Pointing out players’ mistakes on social media? Everyone has an opinion on how to coa...
Talk about a pain in my ^*&$. In this case, it’s sciatic nerve pain, beginning in the lower back, extending down the side of my right leg, ending slightly below the knee. What started as an occasional, but usually sharp pain, about two years ago morphed into feeling like I could not stand up, let alone walk, a few months ago. A visit to the chiropractor confirmed the psoas muscles were overly constricted and the sciatic nerve inflamed and angry. The culprit: a desk job. Rx: Yoga, targeted s...
By the time this edition lands in your mailbox, I imagine our office will be a bit quieter. Our summer reporters either will have returned to high school or be headed to Wayne for college. Both will be seniors at their respective schools. It has been a joy working with Faith King and Erin Schwager this summer. Erin joined the paper the day before our first edition debuted in 2019. She had recently graduated high school and was leaving soon for her first year at Wayne. She’s written stories f...
Trivia time: Which singer passed on the role of Sandy in the film version of “Grease?” Can you see Marie Osmond playing the good-girl-turned-biker-babe? What about Carrie Fisher? Or Susan Dey, who played Susan in “The Partridge Family?” The iconic film from my teen years would not be the same without Olivia Newton-John snuggled next to John Travolta as the two fly off into the clouds in the 1977 movie produced by Alan Carr. The entire family, and my high school beau, watched the box office...
Thomas Fuller, an African slave and mathematician, said, “Memory is the treasure house of the mind wherein the monuments thereof are kept and preserved.” If you were unable to attend Sunday’s history lesson about Ewing, with Butch Rotherham, you missed an opportunity to hear abundant treasures about Ewing, it’s people and places. Let me tell you, Butch’s memories are well preserved. And funny. Often times poignant. Extremely educational. Sunday’s event, held at St. Dominic’s Hall, came about af...
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the village that raised me as a child. It may sound cliche, but I firmly believe the educators from Clay Center Public School were some of the best and brightest, some of the most creative minds, I have met. For a Class D school, Clay Center always was on the cutting edge of education. The facility was top-notch, the school offered its own in-house television service and teachers expected students to be accountable for their actions and assignments. Simply...
Wow, we at SAM are embarking on our fourth year of publishing a weekly newspaper. Seems like only yesterday when a group of us huddled around our dining room table to put together the inaugural edition of the Advocate-Messenger. The next day, Scott and I stood outside The Office, took a deep breath, waited for the first edition’s arrival and opened the door to a major opportunity. We knew it would be a life-changing experience. Trust me, we haven’t been disappointed. That was an exciting - and...
