Opinion

One of the questions people — everyone from third-graders to those holding doctorate degrees — most often ask me is “How did you get into this? How did you end up in journalism?”

I always answer them honestly, but it occurred to me as I was placing subscriptions to Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and Glamour that I might never have answered that question for you, my wonderful, faithful readers. (You’ll see why that magazine part was important in just a second.)

I’m so glad we live in Kentucky — it’s a whole lot colder in other places.

I can’t even imagine 42 degrees below zero, like it was in Minnesota. On the bright side, kids up there have a great time throwing water up into the air and watching it freeze and come down like little diamonds. Give me my wood stove, hot chocolate and a book and I can get along just fine, all day, inside.

Exercise and video games are two things I’ve never really been able to get in to.

I know that exercising for the sake of exercising is something that everyone should do, but I’ve never been able to continuously, on some sort of schedule make myself exercise just because it’s good for me. Back in high school, I did plenty of exercise disguised in the form of cheerleading practice, but that was because it was exercise in disguise. I had to do it or be a bad cheerleader, and the latter just wasn’t going to happen.

The carpet on the stairs between my laundry room and living room looks like a dog tore it to shreds.

That’s because one did.

The screen on my back door looks as if cats have been climbing it.

That’s because they have.

The gaping hole in the drywall in my bathroom looks as if children took a hammer to it.

That’s because they did — to free their pet ferret from the wall.

If you sense a pattern here — a pattern that indicates my home is slowly being destroyed by small animals — you get a gold star.

Happy New Year! The new seed catalogues are here.

Those of us addicted to gardening were getting pretty antsy for a fix. I got a chance to read through three of my new catalogues and I’m thrilled with the selections.

Many of you may not start things from seed. Perhaps you don’t grow a big enough garden. Many of you grow just a few things in containers. Seeds are still a great way to start your garden when you want.

We all know that we have a lot of winter yet to go before we turn that first shovel. It’s hard to wait.

Most folks have wishes for the new year, and the staff at The Anderson News is no different.

Below, members of our staff offer their wishes for 2009, a year we all hope is better than 2008 in many ways.

Remember, we’re asking for your wishes, too. Just e-mail them to sbrock@theandersonnews.com for publication in next week’s paper.

Shannon Mason Brock, staff writer

It’s possible that a stray article or two with my byline will appear in some future edition of this newspaper, but today’s column will be the last one I write as an employee of The Anderson News.

This is my final week at the paper, as I’ve accepted a position in a different line of work and start my new job Jan. 5.

It seems impossible, but more than six years have passed since my first article was published back in August 2002. Since then, I’ve penned approximately 2,000 others.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 years ago, a little girl earned her way onto Santa's naughty list.

All she wanted for Christmas that year was a keyboard. She loved to sing and wanted to learn to play the keyboard to round out her musical talent. She put in her request to her mom, dad, aunts, uncles and even Old Saint Nick.

As the days passed by and Christmas morning grew closer, she was bursting at the seams to know if the keyboard would somehow find its way under her tree.

Children thankful for returned parade ribbon

To the editor:

We want to thank the nice person who turned in our second place Christmas parade ribbon.

We wish we knew who he was so we could thank him personally.

We also want to thank Lawrenceburg Mayor Edwinna Baker for calling us with the good news and giving us the ribbon back last week. Madeleine the reindeer goat thanks you, too!

Rio and Quetzal Velasco

Lawrenceburg

Septic users must comply with pumping regulations

To the editor: