February is a lie. It may have the fewest calendar days but it’s the loooongest month of the year, in these parts anyway.
Don’t believe me? Consider this evidence from February 2022.
Even when new and used cars are in short supply, even when customers are paying above sticker price, even when renting a vehicle for a trip is so competitive it could be an Olympic sport, there will still be an Auto Show.
There is snow, light snow, heavy snow, wet snow, lake-effect snow, yellow snow, drifting snow and, now, “system snow.” Thank you for adding to the lexicon, local meteorologists.
She died alone at her kitchen table. Two years ago. Authorities found her body in early February. Apparently, no one missed her.
The discovery of 70-year-old Marinella Beretta’s “mummified” remains in her home near Lake Como illustrates the loneliness crisis across Italy, according The Guardian newspaper.
It is a byproduct of a worldwide aging crisis. As people live longer than ever, many are asking who should care for the elderly?
Unfortunately, I know too many people who would answer, “Not me.”
It is hard enough to get old, to lose control of your body and your thoughts, to lose your purpose and your plans, but mostly, to lose your connection to other people. Surely, we can do better to comfort the aging.
Making the banned books list is not only evidence that there’s a moving, honest, compelling story inside, it can lead to increased sales and a growing audience.
After a Tennessee school district banned the graphic novel “Maus,” a series about the Holocaust by Art Spiegelman, sales skyrocketed nearly a thousand percent.
I have the banned books list to thank for introducing me to “Walk Two Moons,” which was among the few challenged books I had not read. A quick download from the library fixed that.
And I am forever grateful. “Walk Two Moons,” by Sharon Creech, is an endearing, heartbreaking account of a young girl’s journey to reunite with her mother, who up and left one day. Her story trip explores hope, hardship, friendship, love, and loss. It also introduces the reader to two of the quirkiest, most precious grandparents ever.
I loved it.
The Ukrainian people’s courage makes me feel foolish for ever being afraid of anything in my entire life.
Sure, inflation is worrisome. Gas prices are scary. COVID still threatens.
But we’re not being told we have to stay and fight one of the most powerful armies in the world. And we’re not carrying children as we head to the border, praying we’ll be met with kindness and benevolence.
As we watch this crisis unfold from the comfort of our living rooms, may we pause and remember that “but by the grace of God, there go I.”
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Speaking of the comfort of our living rooms, it is because of brave reporters, funded by brave news organizations, that the rest of the world knows what’s happening in Ukraine. If not for notebooks and cameras on the ground, who would deliver the truth? Certainly not Russia. And the Ukrainians are kind of busy.
Masks on, masks off?
Pre-pandemic, who would have thought a tiny rectangle of fabric could cause so much fury? If only we cared as much about climate change, school shootings, refugees and health care.
Personally, wearing a mask did not bother me. This is the healthiest I’ve been in most of my adult life. Not even a cold since the mandates went into effect.
I tried to look at the bright side of the issue, perhaps because the pandemic brought so much darkness: not only were masks keeping everyone’s germs to themselves, wearing one meant I didn’t have to worry about teeth whitening, lipstick, bad breath, food in my canines or cursing (quietly) in public. Plus, when temps drop below freezing, a mask is a pretty warm facial covering.
But I am happy to move on and hopefully end everyone’s magical ability to immediately determine if other people are idiots or jerks simply because we can or can’t see their mouths.
Watching the winter Olympics brought two recurring thoughts: How wasteful it is for countries to construct these massive and elaborate sets and courses every few years. Is there some way the games could be held at the same site, with different countries sponsoring the maintenance?
Secondly, we, too could twizzle, alley oop, slalom, burn a stone and pull off a quad.
If only we weren’t trapped in nonathletic bodies, amiright?
Can we all agree that Groundhog Day is a dumb holiday?
Other than a great movie, what exactly does it contribute to society? Considering the average lifespan of a groundhog is only 3 to 6 years, can’t we just let them sleep into spring and go with a meteorologist’s forecast?
Is human cruelty at an all-time high?
We see rude, hostile behavior everywhere, when driving, shopping, flying, dining out, attending municipal meetings or events, and sometimes even within our own families. When we try to address it, we’re often met with even greater anger or we’re called “sensitive,” “empathic” or even “deserving.”
While some of us would like to be strong enough to “hate the behavior, not the person,” sometimes the only way to keep your sanity is to remember that being kind is not a fault, it is not a weakness. It is an attribute, one that proves you are mature, reasonable, compassionate, and, these days, a treasure among the wreckage of the past few years.
Welcome, March.
Donna Vickroy is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist who worked for the Daily Southtown for 38 years.