With 2011 nearing its end, we not only want to reflect on the year past but also on the great possibilities for 2012.
While a boost in the job market for our county is an undetermined variable until businesses have signed on the dotted line, local officials have prospects. Having some prospects certainly is better than no prospects at all. The year 2012 has the potential to be a big one for Screven County in the business realm.

Christmas has come and gone, leaving behind its residual glee.
Children were bouncing around and popping from toy to toy with the effervescence of kernels in a microwaveable bag of popcorn.
Parents and grandparents had beaming smiles on their faces that could not be removed, even with pliers.
Happiness abounded Dec. 25. It was just a hap, hap, happy day had by all.
Or was it?

Whether it was on my Rural Tour or at workshops with the Department of Justice to discuss competition in agriculture, time and again livestock and poultry producers emphasized the need for a fair and competitive industry and workable, commonsense rules to address bad actors.  USDA recently finalized a rule to implement the 2008 Farm Bill to help remedy some of these concerns.

Before I rip into Dino Dan, a show on Nick Jr. about an elementary- aged paleontologist with a terrific imagination, some disclaimers are in order.
First, my five year old loves the show and I enjoy watching it with him. The dinosaurs that come to life through Dan’s imagination are life-like and impressive. Second, my son has learned a lot about dinosaurs by watching the show, including the names of dozens of dinosaurs that I can’t begin to pronounce.

Some days, I’m lucky not to be shot.
But the potential shooters aren’t angry readers or criminal types.
No, no.
They’re loyal, inner-circle associates who endure my impulses. The problem is my brain, or the lack of brains. Either way, what gray matter I have rarely shifts into neutral.
I pack my days tightly, so strategic planning is crucial. I believe in a prioritized to-do list, but I don’t want to live as if I’m wearing a corset with the strings pulled too tight. Give me some room to wiggle and wake up with a “Hey, let’s try this.”

Things I resolve not to do in 2012:

Christmastime is storytime. Here are some of my stories:

My college career at Texas Tech began with absolutely no desire to go to Red Raider football games. I was dragged into one by my hallway roommates and was instantly hooked on the odd calls and amazing offensive stretches down the field.

“The turkeys are coming. The turkeys are coming. The turkeys are coming.”
Isn’t that what Sarah Palin said earlier this year when she commented on Paul Revere warning the colonists AND the British militia?
This writing will not be completely overshadowed by turkeys – the feathered type or the elected politician version – but offers you a side order of food for thought to mix in with your dressing, sweet potatoes and homemade rolls.

My brother, Kenneth, says his last whipping from Mother came when he was just shy of 16. He had scolded our innocent, little rat terrier, Whitey, and Mother didn’t like his tone of voice.
“Go get the razor strap,” she told him. (Our dad, by the way, called it a razor “strop,” and for years I thought he was mispronouncing the word “strap.” But I didn’t have the nerve to correct him. Turned out, he was right. The razor strop, a flexible strip of leather barbers used to sharpen their straight razors, was an unfortunate gift from an uncle who owned a barber shop.)