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Columns

  • Strange Christmas news

    I decided what better way to celebrate the Christmas season than a collection of weird news to gather with your family to laugh and/or scratch your head at.

    In Riverdale, New Jersey a man dressed as “the elf on the shelf” was charged with driving while intoxicated Friday, according to the Associated Press. Police say they found Brian Chellis passed out behind the wheel with lights on and music blaring. He reportedly seemed confused and there was an open can of beer found in the vehicle.

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  • Throw a yule log on the fire and relax

    All it takes is one hand, or one cough or one sneeze and you too could be joining the ranks of the miserable. There’s a lot of sickness going around out there and of course it’s the worst time of year for it.

    I don’t think I can harp on you any more about washing your hands, eating right and getting enough sleep. Think of it as doing a good deed, because if you get it, you spread it.

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  • Smashed potatoes make nice complete meal

    Potatoes are available in different colors, sizes and types. Russets or a variation of russets are the most common. They are high starch, low moisture potatoes. They produce a dry, fluffy potato. Almost all russets are white potatoes but not all white potatoes are russets.

    Waxy potatoes are lower in starch, but higher in moisture. This makes them more dense and able to hold their shape when cooked, making them more suitable for boiling, frying and in recipes requiring a firmer potato, such as potato salad. These potatoes can be red or white.

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  • Ag economy strong despite lingering concerns for 2015

    Though the forecast for 2014 crop receipts is down 2 percent, a 15 percent increase in beef, poultry, dairy and hog prices is expected to boost 2014 Kentucky agricultural cash receipts to $6 billion, up slightly from $5.7 billion in 2013. The outlook for 2015, however, is expected to drop back to the $5.7 billion range.

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  • Poinsettias remain a beautiful holiday staple

    By Tommy Yankey

    columnist

    Poinsettias are synonymous with the holiday season. Their bright red, pink or white leaves are beautiful as standalone plants or as components of bigger holiday displays.

    It may surprise many to know that in their native climate, this subtropical plant can grow to lofty heights of more than 10 feet. In the United States, poinsettias are grown as indoor potted plants, most in heated greenhouses.

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  • Parents: It’s OK to say no to overindulgence

    By Joan Martin

    Guest Columnist

    As the calendar creeps closer to the winter holidays, it is worth asking the following questions: Isn’t it good to give children what they want, when they want it, and won’t they love us more if we do that?

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  • Gift giving advice: give from heart

    By Cheryl Steenerson

    Columnist

    A week before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. OK, so there was plenty of stirring of dog hair, but no mice so far this winter.

    I must have found all the nooks and crannies, because unlike last year, I haven’t seen a drop of evidence. The cat has been really bored.

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  • Experience love of a Christmas child

    During a chapel service before meals at the Salvation Army on Brook Street in Louisville, the topic of my sermon was Solomon’s division of the child when the true mother gave up her claim to the child and the false mother was revealed.

    A woman confronted me with a question that rattled me. She asked, “Will you take my child to live with you and your wife? You being a preacher here at the shelter, I trust you.” She explained that she had broken some rules and was asked to leave the shelter.

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  • When we help others, we also help ourselves

    The good news is that we’re not dashing through the snow. However, it’s a pretty sure bet that we are through the stores.

    Dang, it gets busy this time of year. There are parties and presents and punch, cookies and candles and cake. Between all the running and wrapping, please, please, please make time for a little resting. There are bugs among us.

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  • From newlyweds to future oldlyweds

    Sunday marks my one-year wedding anniversary. OK, granted in the grand scheme of things a paper-wedding anniversary isn’t as flashy as a gold, silver or diamond anniversary.

    You won’t see one-year anniversary announcements in the local paper. Nor will you see awe-stricken people eagerly approaching a couple that has been married a year to ask their secret.

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