I don’t know about you, but…

To me, December seems to have more than its share of days that are worth mentioning and celebrating. But before I get into some of them, some reflections on recent happenings…

I don’t know about you, but…

I was saddened to hear that Larry Flannery has stepped down from duties with the Hog Festival Committee. While I have the utmost confidence in the people who will attempt to replace the irreplaceable, and the show will go on as usual, Larry will be missed.

I don’t know about you, but…

I believe if a business has a contract with a municipality, that the work that the business is contracted to do, will be done in the manner stated in the contract.

Once again, I put out landscape waste bags (10 of them to be exact) on a recent Sunday with the expectation that they would be picked up on Monday. Wrong. When I saw the bags still standing in front of my house on Tuesday morning, I had a horrible feeling that I would have to cover them for a week or move them. They were picked up on Tuesday. Why Tuesday? I don’t know. Failure to remove my landscape bags when they were supposed to be removed has happened too often in my opinion. Are you kidding me?

I don’t know about you, but…

I like most animals better than some people I have known. With that in mind, I would like to relate to you an experience that I had recently. A few days ago, I had occasion to be part of a group that was given a tour of the Stevens Veterinary Clinic in Galva. While I am more than happy with the people out at Kewanee Veterinary Clinic where we take our little Yorkie, the Stevens Clinic certainly is an impressive facility. And it has an equally impressive leader in Dr. Stevens.

There were a couple of things that had nothing to do with the inner workings of Dr. Stevens’ clinic that caught my attention. As I walked in the front door, my attention was drawn to a huge model of a cow mounted on the wall right behind the receptionist’s desk. The impressive bovine is the largest animal mounting of any kind that I had ever seen. Also on the wall in the front waiting room is a framed picture of a cow with the saying “LIVE LIKE SOMEONE LEFT THE GATE OPEN.”

A possible thought of the month, it seems to me to be a great way for humans, as well as cattle, to conduct their lives. I interpret this to mean that it is all right to find out about the big bad world outside the gate, while it is also alright to stay within the safety of your present situation. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence.

I don’t know about you, but…

I didn’t buy anything on Black Friday. Good thing since I recently found out that that Black Friday is also known in some circles as Buy Absolutely Nothing Day! Nice!

Well, what about December you ask? To begin with, the Two Rivers YMCA in Kewanee will be holding an online charity auction from December 5-7.

I don’t know about you, but…

At some level I miss the old Kewanee YMCA auction that used to be live on the local Comcast station. With a number of colorful characters acting as auctioneers, and its army of volunteers taking phone calls, displaying auction offerings and delivering purchased items, it was must-see TV. Thanks to all that have helped in the past and are currently involved in the online auction. Also, a big thank you to everyone that has donated auction items, especially Good’s Furniture. Please feel free to help out the Kewanee Y.

Besides Pearl Harbor Day, this year Dec. 7 is the date of the lighting of Northeast and Windmont parks. I don’t know about you, but…

I really enjoy the way those two parks are decorated during the holiday season. I think it enhances the holiday season in Kewanee. I realize that this is rather curious for me, a person that hasn’t spent a lot of time, energy and expense to decorate the outside of his own house through the years. Nevertheless, thanks to all those that help make the parks a place worth viewing. It is indeed a monumental undertaking.

I don’t know about you, but…

I would bet that many of you don’t know that the deadline for applying or nominating someone to receive a Goodfellows Christmas basket is Dec. 12. As you know, the Goodfellows organization does a remarkable job of reaching its mission that “No One in Kewanee Should Be Hungry at Christmas.” It is an enormous undertaking so help out if you can, and if you or someone you know might benefit from a basket of food at Christmas time, please call Kewanee High School at 309-853-3328 by Dec. 12.

I don’t know about you, but…

I plan to attend John Blachinsky Night on Friday, Dec. 12 at Kewanee High School’s Brockman Gymnasium. KHS will honor the longtime supporter with a video slideshow and moment of silence prior to the Boiler Girls game with the Hall Lady Red Devils at 6 p.m. I have said it before, but I believe that John’s contributions to the Boiler Girls and KHS are off the charts and he deserves a night dedicated to his memory.

I don’t know about you, but…

I would bet that many of you also don’t know that the fourth annual Kewanee Park District’s Kids Community Christmas Party will be held this year on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at Baker Park’s 19th Hole Restaurant from 5-7 p.m. This open house style party features take-home crafts, games, refreshments, photo-ops, door prizes and more. The event is designed to cater to those from ages 1-12, and all children are welcome as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Thank you to the Kewanee Park District and all those who make this event happen.

I don’t know about you, but…

I plan to attend the dedication of the Jumbotron scoreboard on Saturday, Dec. 20 in the Brockman Gym at Kewanee High School. The ceremony will occur approximately somewhere between 4 and 4:30 p.m. between the Varsity Girls and the Varsity Boys basketball games scheduled that day. The Jumbotron will be renamed the Tochatron in honor of long-time KHS coaching legend Frank Tocha. So, if you can add it to your busy holiday schedule, get out to Kewanee High School, and help honor Coach Tocha and take in the Boiler Girls and Boilermakers basketball games

Also, on Dec. 20 the fifth annual KHS Competitive Dance Invitational will be held at Brockman Gym starting 10 a.m. I have been the announcer for this competition since its inception. I didn’t really know what to expect before I did the first one. The students that compete put in a lot of time and effort trying to perfect their performances. It is a somewhat different type of competition than I am normally used to, with the winner of the dance competition being determined subjectively. Nevertheless, it is youngsters working hard and together at something they really enjoy doing and that, in my opinion, has to be a good thing. I appreciate their efforts and enjoy working at the competition. So if you ever have enjoyed a halftime performance at a high school athletic contest, you just may want to saunter out to KHS that Saturday morning.

Dec. 22 is National Short Person Day. I don’t know about you, but…

I believe that short people should be celebrated and not ridiculed. After all, they have nothing to do with being short. It is their parents’ fault. Ha!

Dec. 28 has been dedicated as “Call a Friend and Say Hi Day.” I don’t know about you, but…

I believe that any day is a good day to call a friend and just say, “hi.”

I told you that there is a lot going on in December, and I only mentioned some of these things. I don’t know about you, but…

All the activities that occur in December certainly do wear me down. December is a wonderful month to take naps, especially when the weather makes it difficult to want to be outdoors.

Speaking of inclement weather, I would like to close with the thought of the month which comes from one of my favorite actors, Morgan Freeman. “If you wake up and the snow is knee-deep outside, you are not filled with rage. It’s just something you’ve got to cope with. If you are living in a situation, and it’s the only situation that you know, you’ve got to deal with it.”

The quote uses a simple, relatable scenario to explain a deeper truth about human life: There are circumstances we cannot control, and anger does nothing to change them. Don’t waste energy yelling at the weather; simply accept it, prepare for it and move forward. Freeman’s message encourages the same attitude toward life’s bigger challenges. It is advice I plan to do a better job in my own life.

Happy Holidays and Peace on Earth!